Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

Chapters

Chapter 2: An Unforgettable Journey
Chapter 3: A Harrowing Discovery
Chapter 4: Arrival at Canterlot
Chapter 5: Stillborn
Chapter 6: Wake-Up Call
Chapter 7: Tricks, Treats, and Costume-Shop Meets
Chapter 9: Preparations
Chapter 10: Revelry in the Dark
Chapter 11: Fright Night
Chapter 13: Party Crashers
Chapter 14: Picking up the Pieces
Chapter 15: Captive
Chapter 16: Following the Trail
Chapter 17: Friends and Fiends
Chapter 18: Evil Within
Chapter 19: A Warm Welcome
Chapter 20: Fateful Meetings
Chapter 21: Confrontation
Chapter 22: On a Pale Horse
Chapter 23: Double Bind
Chapter 24: A Slayer's Duty
Chapter 25: Reeling
Chapter 27: Festering Wounds
Chapter 28: Strange Bedfellows
Chapter 29: Bittersweet
Chapter 30: Tension
Chapter 31: The Best Laid Plans...
Chapter 32: The Fallen
Chapter 33: On Feathery Wings
Chapter 34: Revelation
Chapter 35: Shot in the Dark
Chapter 36: Rise and Shine
Chapter 37: What We Fight For
Chapter 38: Reflection
Chapter 39: The Calm Between
Chapter 40: Incursion
Chapter 41: Holding Fast
Chapter 42: Sugar Crash
Chapter 43: Teacher Vs. Student
Chapter 45: Unrest
Chapter 46: The Price of Failure
Chapter 47: Frying Pan Into Fire
Chapter 48: Home Invasion
Chapter 49: Crisis Point
Chapter 50: Something for Something
Chapter 51: One Way Forward, No Way Back
Chapter 52: Turbulent Travels
Chapter 53: Belly of the Beast
Chapter 54: Treading Lightly
Chapter 55: Keeping Close
Chapter 56: Knights and Nightmares
Chapter 57: Chilling Depths
Chapter 58: Dark Corners
Chapter 59: Iron and Blood
Chapter 61: Little Hope
Chapter 62: Fighting On
Chapter 63: The Deep End
Chapter 64: Surface Tension
Chapter 65: Shifting Tides
Chapter 66: Remnants
Chapter 67: Last Stand
Chapter 68: Bleeding Hearts
Chapter 69: Heroes of the Day
Chapter 70: To the Bitter End
Chapter 71: A New Day Dawns
Chapter 72: One Simple Answer
Chapter 73: End of the Nightmare
Chapter 1: A Night on the Job
Chapter 8: A Routine Check-in
Chapter 12: House of Horrors
Chapter 26: Problems, Past and Present
Chapter 44: Blood in the Orchards
Chapter 60: Where the Pieces Fall

Chapter 2: An Unforgettable Journey

Sitting on a bed in a room dimly lit by the morning sun streaming in through the nearby curtains, a peach earth pony with short brown hair listlessly stared at a notepad held in her hoof, fidgeting with it and turning it over. She glanced over to the shadowed silhouette of a clock on the wall and sighed, contemplating whether or not she should get up or just go back to sleep.

Suddenly, her vision was assaulted as the light in the room flipped on. After taking a moment to squint and adjust her eyes, the mare looked over to see a young earth pony stallion in the doorway near the front of the room.

“Come on, up and at ‘em!” The stallion announced energetically. He had white fur, blue eyes, and black hair of similar length to the mare. His cutie mark consisted of an open book, flipping through many empty pages.

The stallion’s upbeat attitude slightly faded upon seeing the mare on the bed looking down gloomily. “Aww… what’s the matter, Scribble? Aren’t you excited?” He asked curiously.

Scribble turned her head as the stallion walked over and sat down next to her. She took another look at the notepad in her hoof, her expression souring as she did. “I don’t know… I’m just-” She looked down at her cutie mark, a feather quill encircled in a spiral of a pen stroke, and sighed while shaking her head. “I’m just not sure about this whole trip anymore, Page. Everything I do seems to end up falling to pieces.” She turned to him and frowned hesitantly.

The stallion offered her a sympathetic expression as he reached out and rested a hoof on her shoulder. “Scrib… you and I both know that last paper wasn’t your fault.”

“It doesn’t feel that way.” Scribble persisted.

“Well, I don’t care how it feels. You’ve got a real talent for finding something great to write. We wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.” He said, motioning to the hotel room around them.

Scribble felt her frown lessening a little as the stallion smiled at her reassuringly. “Are you sure you want to back me up on this? It might be a shot in the dark.” She asked, still harboring a bit of uncertainty.

The white pony nodded without a moment of hesitation. “I’m with you all the way.” He said, pulling her in for a brief side hug. “Alright, come on. We don’t want to keep the others waiting.” He got up from the bed and motioned for her to follow.

After getting up and shaking the remnants of sleep from her system, Scribble gathered all her things into a saddlebag before following the stallion out of her room.

The hotel they were staying at wasn’t very big or fancy, but it had a sort of warm air to it, much like the town outside. Not many ponies came to the faraway corners of Equestria, and even fewer came looking for a grand adventure. Still, Coltridge welcomed all who wanted a nice place to stay on their journeys.

The pair made their way through the upstairs hallways of the hotel, heading toward the lobby. As they went, they noticed hoofsteps rushing to catch up to them and turned to see a pegasus stallion that they recognized.

“Hey, guys,” The pegasus greeted with a friendly expression while walking to match their pace. “Are we all set to go?”

Page looked the pegasus up and down, examining the tote bag around his hips. The pegasus had gray fur and messy blue hair. His cutie mark was a camera’s aperture closed partially. Despite his organized-looking bag, he seemed oddly unprofessional and carefree to be joining such an expedition.

“I don’t know. Do you have all of the gear ready, Snapshot?” Page asked curiously.

The pegasus patted his large bag gently and smirked at the pair. “Yep. I’ve got all the film rolls and spare batteries we could ever need.” He reported confidently.

“Good to hear,” Page nodded with a pleased expression. He turned to the mare beside him and nudged her playfully. “We’ll make Scribble here a famous explorer in no time.”

Scribble looked down sheepishly, fighting off a slight blush. “Page, you know I’m not just doing this for me.”

Snapshot chuckled as he heard the mare’s sympathetic insistence. “Hey, as long as I get a little footnote somewhere, I don’t care who’s name goes on the front cover.” He said playfully.

“Yeah, and besides, Scholarly Scribble would look way better on a cover than Blank Page or Snapshot.” Page added, to which his sister’s cheeks reddened. Shifting his thoughts elsewhere, he turned to the pegasus curiously. “So, Snap, you’re sure the guides are going to meet us in the lobby?”

Snapshot nodded. “Uh-huh. They said they would come find us by the sitting area.”

Page nodded to himself, his eyes a little distant with thought. “Good. Hopefully, they will be here on-time. Just because it’s early doesn’t mean we aren’t burning daylight.” He stated, already looking forward to the long journey ahead of them.

Together, the trio made their way downstairs and filed into the lobby of the hotel. Although, calling it a lobby was a slight stretch given its small size. The area only consisted of the front door, the front desk, and a sitting room off to the side with three or four chairs and a single couch. The place was probably better described as an inn than a hotel with how small it was and how rustic it looked.

Taking the first few steps into the room, Scribble and her two companions could already see that two other ponies occupied the sitting area.

One was a green unicorn stallion with brown hair, and the other was a yellow pegasus mare with a black streak in her otherwise white hair. Their cutie marks seemed rather simplistic, with a few dotted lines leading to a red ‘x’ for the stallion and some wavy lines most likely meant to represent wind for the pegasus. Still, the two ponies exactly matched the description their guides had given them.

Seeing the trio approaching, the two ponies stood up. “I assume you must be our group.” The stallion inferred, his rough voice holding a friendly tone to it.

“How did you guess?” Snapshot asked, his head tilted in a confused manner.

The pegasus mare chuckled slightly. “Not many ponies come around here, and certainly not many that look like a bunch of kids fresh out of college.”

“You got us there… I’m Blank Page, this is my sister Scholarly Scribble, and this is our… uh, friend, Snapshot.” Page introduced, pointing out his companions respectively.

“It’s fine. You can say it how it is. I’m the lackey,” Snapshot said. “I mean, who else is going to take pictures and keep everything organized?”

The pegasus and her green companion looked the group up and down, quietly sizing them up. One of them seemed eager and inexperienced, the other shy and friendly, and the third looked like a goofball. None of them looked like the type to go hiking in the woods far out in the outskirts of Equestria, but who was she to judge?

“Well, it’s nice to meet all of you. I’m Gale, and this sight for sore eyes here is Pathfinder.” The pegasus greeted, smirking impishly at the green stallion while she shook each of the trio’s hooves.

Scribble smiled sheepishly at the pair. “Thank you both for helping us like this.”

Pathfinder softened his expression with a smirk. “It’s no trouble. Although, I have to ask why you folks want to head out to the woods of all places?” He said, adopting a more curious attitude.

“We’re uh…” Page began, scratching the back of his head, “We’re writing about places of historical importance. Old ruins, lost treasures, that kind of stuff.”

Gale raised an eyebrow briefly at the odd statement. “Really? And how has that been going?” She asked, more sarcastic than she first intended.

Page and his sibling lowered their expressions slightly at the less than stellar response. “Well, the dream is to go around the world exploring places nopony has ever gone before. But for now, we’re just starting with an expedition to some of the lesser-known landmarks of Equestria.”

“Oh, so you kids want to head up to the castle,” Pathfinder stated flatly.

“You know where it is?” Scribble chimed in curiously.

Pathfinder snorted through his nose, suppressing the urge to chuckle, before adopting a more serious expression. “Just about everyone in town knows where it is. It’s about a day’s walk in that direction,” He said, pointing toward the front door. “Lucky for you folks, me and Gale know those woods like the back of our hooves. We can get you there and back, no problem.”

Feeling confident in the two ponies’ knowledge and abilities, Blank Page smiled eagerly. “That’s great! When can we leave?” He asked, glancing between his two companions and their newfound guides.

“I thought you would never ask.” Gale chuckled slightly, stretching her legs in preparation to get moving. “We’re ready to go whenever you guys are.”

With unanimous agreement, the two older ponies walked toward the front door. Scribble, her brother, and their mutual assistant wasted no time following behind and out onto the not so busy streets of Coltridge.

Leaving the lodge behind, the group walked through the town and eventually made it to the outskirts. The only signs of civilization slowly faded away until nothing remained but distant shapes and plumes of chimney smoke. And ahead of them, a massive rolling horizon full of trees.

Gale and Pathfinder led their companions up to the entrance of the woods. The pair stopped momentarily and made sure their charges were following close behind before entering. Scholarly Scribble seemed hesitant to enter the wilderness initially, but her brother and her aspiring dreams pushed her forward.

At least a few hours went by as the ponies hiked along a narrow path through the trees. Were it not for their shared goal, they might as well have been on a nature hike. It was undoubtedly surrounding them from all sides.

The few animals not hibernating for the winter made their presence known almost constantly with various chirps and chitters, and the few trees with leaves still on them encased the group in an endless cocoon of forest. The experience would have been more frightening if the group didn’t have the two veterans guiding them.

Eventually, Gale and Pathfinder found a spot to rest. The three ponies following them were grateful, as their hooves were already showing signs of soreness. And they still had quite a long journey ahead of them.

Gale let out a sigh as she sat down on a decent-sized log. She took a moment to enjoy the fresh and frigid air around her while everyone else got relatively comfortable. Blank Page sat a little further down, Scribble sat next to her brother at the end, and Snapshot and Pathfinder opted to stand idly.

Snapshot decided that now would be the best time to test his camera and get a few shots of nature. As he was mindlessly clicking away at whatever looked eye-catching, he turned his attention to the pegasus sitting on the log and the unicorn standing nearby. “So, how do you two know each other?” He asked curiously.

“Oh boy…” Pathfinder groaned as he looked over to the pegasus. He could see a grin already forming on her face.

Snapshot raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What? Is it something bad or something?”

Gale snickered to herself quietly before inhaling and calming herself down enough to talk. “That depends on which one of us you ask.”

“Kid, you did not want to open this can of worms. Now she’s gonna talk all of us to death.” Pathfinder said, casting a sidelong glance at the pegasus.

“Oh, don’t be such a big baby about it. It’s not my fault you couldn’t read a map to save your life,” She said, waving him off before taking a look around. She found the three younger ponies looking at her quizzically, earning her sigh. “If you must know, me and ol’ moss-butt over there have been through these woods more times than we can count. I’m a weather pony around here, and he loves to hike, but he wasn’t always good like he is today.”

“We’ve all got to learn somewhere.” Pathfinder chimed in.

Gale rolled her eyes before continuing. “Anyway… I get called in one day about somepony that got himself lost. I grab some of my friends, and we fly over to see if we could find the poor sap. Now I-” She paused, struggling to keep a straight face as she snickered and grinned from ear to ear. “Now I look for this guy everywhere. I turned over rocks, checked in caves, dotted ‘T’s, and crossed ‘I’s. But what I was not expecting was to find a half-grown stallion halfway up a tree, clinging to it for dear life with a bunch of squirrels circling him like he was their new favorite nut.” Whatever restraint she had broke as she fell into a fit of laughter.

Pathfinder narrowed his expression and did his best to stare ahead and silently avoid eye contact while the pegasus cackled in the background. Snapshot started chuckling as he pictured the event in his head. Blank Page was stifling an outburst of his own. Even Scribble was trying her hardest not to laugh.

“Well… erm…” The stallion grumbled to himself while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Finally, he cleared his throat, “Anywho, enough about us. I’d like to know how all of you met since we’re so forthcoming with information.” He said, trailing his eyes between the two siblings and their friend.

Snapshot shared a glance with Scribble and Blank Page before responding. “Oh, I just met them a few weeks ago. They needed someone to help them source some equipment and take pictures, and I thought they seemed nice enough, so here I am.” He explained plainly.

“Wow… and here I thought you guys were longtime friends or something.” Gale blinked at the trio, a mildly surprised look on her face.

“Nope,” Snapshot smirked and shook his head. “But I can see why you would think that. Me, Scribble, and Pagey here get along great.” He smiled over to the white stallion and peach mare.

Blank Page narrowed his expression slightly. “Snap… I thought I asked you not to call me that.” He said uncomfortably.

Snapshot looked surprised at the stallion’s cringing. “Huh? But I thought it would be cool if we had nicknames for each other. Kinda like how you call Scribble ‘Scrib’ sometimes. Isn’t that what friends do?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“Well, yeah, but Scribble and I have known each other a little longer than we have you.” Page explained as gently as he could, hoping not to burst the naive pony’s bubble.

Gale laughed warmly under her breath as she watched the pair. “Ah, don’t let him fool you, kid. I had a nickname for Pathfinder before we were friends.” She stated, nodding toward the green stallion.

“Moss-butt?” Snapshot asked.

“No… tree hugger.” Gale stated with a goofy grin.

Much to the stallion’s chagrin, Snapshot burst out laughing and nearly fell over, and even Blank Page and Scribble laughed a bit. Something told him that this was going to be a very long walk in the woods.

‘Long walk’ didn’t even begin to describe the experience the ponies were having. The hours seemed to come and go slower and slower the further they got into the forest. On top of being disorienting and vast, the forest’s terrain was windy and uneven at times. Sometimes the group would be walking down a slope, and others they would be trudging uphill, all the while maneuvering over rocks and tree roots like some kind of obstacle course.

Although they were getting tired of walking, the ponies pushed onwards. Their shared goal was enough to motivate them past their exhaustion. However, there was something a little harder to ignore—their imaginations.

The woods grew dark as the sun continued its descent over the horizon. The many tree branches creaking in the wind caught in their flashlight beams, seemingly reaching down toward them ominously.

Scribble trailed behind her brother, trying her hardest to keep up with her friends. The woods, having been breathtaking before, were now a vast expanse of unknown. The thought of what lurked behind every distant tree was starting to get to her.

Looking behind her, she noticed Snapshot following closely with a similarly uneasy look on his face. Although she was a little glad that she wasn’t the only one afraid, Scribble wasn’t sure if she wanted to address the topic directly with open conversation.

Perhaps reaching the tipping point for how long he could last in total silence in such eerie surroundings, Snapshot opened his mouth and spoke. Or at least he tried to. “So… umm…” He chuckled uncomfortably and rubbed his neck, struggling to think of something, anything to discuss. Finally, his eyes lit up as he thought of a topic. “Hey, Scribble,”

“Hmm?” Scribble turned to him.

“You think you could run me through the history of this castle we’re going to?” Snapshot asked curiously.

“You mean you don’t already know?” Pathfinder asked from the front, looking back at the gray pony with a raised eyebrow. “I figured you would have asked about the place before agreeing to go hiking into a forest with two people you met a week ago.”

“It was a few weeks ago, but…” Snapshot shrugged blankly. “I guess I didn’t care enough to ask about the place before. Going to an old castle sounded cool enough by itself.”

Pathfinder tilted his head before shrugging as well. “Fair enough. I suppose I wouldn’t mind learning more about it myself. I don’t know too much about the place, ‘cept that some griffon owned it.”

Snapshot’s eyes widened in surprise. “No way, a griffon?” He asked, a slight tone of disbelief in his voice.

“It’s true.” Scribble chimed in, eager to share her knowledge. “A long time ago, this part of Equestria was griffon territory.”

“Wow,” Snapshot raised his eyebrows in astonishment. “How did the griffons end up giving us the territory?” He asked curiously. As far as the pegasus knew, griffons didn’t have the best relationship with equines back in the day.

“Well… they didn’t exactly ‘give’ us the territory, so much as they left it to us.” Blank Page added.

Seeing the pegasus still wearing a confused expression, Scribble took in a breath and prepared to explain. “The owner of the castle was a ruthless count by the name of Skala Herz. He was known to eviscerate and torture his enemies to show off his power. He gained so much of a reputation that they renamed the castle ‘Castle Bloodwing’. After he died, the griffons didn’t even want to be associated with him, so they abandoned this land and left it to the ponies, leaving the castle itself to be forgotten.”

“So…” Snapshot began uncomfortably. “We’re going to the home of an ancient griffon warlord known for brutally murdering people?”

Gale chuckled slightly from the front of the group. “Yep. Some folks say that it’s even haunted.”

Upon hearing this, Snapshot’s eyes shot open, face pale. “H-haunted?!”

“Don’t be silly. There’s no such thing as ghosts,” Scribble insisted, though she didn’t sound convincing.

“I don’t know about that,” Pathfinder added. “Ever since those hooded ponies stirred up a mess of mumbo jumbo off in Ponyville, there have been a lot of things in Equestria that ponies said there was no such thing as.” He said with an impish smirk.

Snapshot looked like his heart was about to beat out of his chest, and Scribble tried to keep herself from chewing off her lip.

Seeing how afraid the two ponies were, Gale’s expression fell slightly. “Don’t worry, guys, we’re just messing around. Right, Pathfinder?” She asked, nudging the stallion a little forcibly and shooting him a glare for taking things too far.

Pathfinder winced and rubbed his foreleg where the surprisingly strong mare had smacked him. “Right, right… don’t listen to an old woods pony like me.”

Although they were still a little on edge, Scribble and Snapshot calmed down a bit and decided to focus their thoughts elsewhere as they walked. The time would come soon enough that they could concentrate on entering the castle, perhaps sooner than they realized.

What must have been another hour came and went as the group hiked onwards. Despite constant reassurances from their guides, the three ponies thought that they would never reach their destination. Their minds were sober with thoughts of every possible thing that could go wrong. However, they wouldn’t have long to dwell on their anxiousness.

Gale noticed the trees up ahead were starting to thin out at the front of the group. Sure enough, she could see a clearing ahead that seemed to be the size of a small town. And in the distance, a shape started coming into view that made the pegasus smile with relief. “Look sharp, everyone,” She called back to the others. “We’re here.”

Blank Page and the others gathered by their two companions at the clearing edge and stared ahead. The forest seemed to ring the clearing, with a large hill at its center. And sitting atop was a stone structure, silently watching over the frozen landscape.

The structure looked precisely how the ponies imagined an ancient castle would. Stone towers and battlements adorned the top, with what looked like torn and faded banners hanging down. Its winding structure was obscured by how large it was, and it was hard to tell how far back it stretched. All the ponies could see was that it was huge, perhaps even as big as the royal palace back in Canterlot, if not bigger.

The trio was in awe at what they were seeing. Even this far away, the ponies could feel the grim beauty of the castle under the moonlight streaming down into the clearing. Scribble walked forward a few steps, staring ahead wide-eyed and hanging her mouth open. “Wow…”

The peach mare turned to her brother as he placed a hoof on her shoulder. Blank Page took a look at the breathtaking sight before him before glancing at his sibling and smiling. “See? I told you we’d find you a story.”

“Come on, guys,” Hearing Pathfinder calling for them, the pair looked ahead to see the stallion motioning for them to follow. “There’ll be time for sightseein’ when we get there.”

Scribble and the others snapped out of their thoughts and quickly followed behind, making their way toward the massive structure.

The group slowly pressed forward across the clearing, with the wind biting at them the whole way and giving them a painful reminder of how cold it was.

The closer they got to their destination, the more the stone structure swallowed up their view of the area in front of them. Soon enough, it completely dominated the horizon.

Up a steep and twisting incline, the ponies started to see the first signs of the castle’s architecture in the form of stone steps built into the cliff that led up to a series of walkways and more stairs.

Feeling the ground shifting underhoof, Page looked to his side and grew nervous as he saw pebbles falling. Nothing but a crumbling stone rail that came up to his chest separated him from the sheer drop off of the cliff. With the need to be cautious reaffirmed in his mind, the stallion rejoined his friends as they kept moving up.

After a harrowing climb, the ponies stepped off onto a more extensive, and thankfully, flatter, stone platform. What seemed to be a paved forecourt sat before them, leading them up to what could only be the castle’s front entrance.

A smaller set of stone steps led up a short way to two massive wooden doors. Statues of griffons stood watch on either side of the stairs, their stone forms riddled with cracks. Similarly armored griffons were etched into the doors, along with some intricate patterns of lines, some of which were hard to discern due to how faded they were.

“By the princess… just look at this place,” Scribble said, slowly walking up to one of the griffon statues and examining it closer. “It’s like a leftover from another time period!”

Gale nodded to herself as she watched the three younger ponies looking around wide-eyed and amazed. “I guess that’s one way to say ‘old and dilapidated’... Still, I have to admit it does look pretty fancy.”

“Maybe it’s fancier than what you’re used to, but I think you had it right when you said old and dilapidated,” Pathfinder added.

Blank Page studied the artwork etched into the doors in front of him, still unsure of whether he was dreaming or not. Amid his amazement, he turned to find his sister as a thought occurred to him. “Hey, Scribble, don’t you think this would be a good time to start writing down a few thoughts and observations? You know… get some first impressions for your piece?” He suggested.

Scribble snapped out of her own thoughts and turned to look at the white stallion. “Oh, right, of course!” She quickly grabbed her bag and started fishing around for her notepad. “Snapshot, you might want to get some pictures of this area as well while we’re here.” She paused, briefly glancing up at the pegasus, who was currently off to the side.

Snapshot simply waved his camera in hoof and turned back to what he was looking at before. “Way ahead of you.”

While the occasional click of a camera and the whistle of wind filled the background, Scribble kept searching for the item she needed. Much to her concern, she wasn’t finding it anywhere in her bag. “Oh no… please tell me I didn’t forget my notepad.”

“It’s a bit late if you did,” Gale said, walking over to the struggling mare and peering over her shoulder to silently help with looking through the clutter inside the bag.

Before her heart could sink any further, Scribble felt a familiar shape at the very bottom of the bag and breathed a sigh of relief. “There you are.” She shook her head before replacing the items in her bag and putting a fresh pencil in her mouth. However, as she stood up and prepared to start writing, she hesitated and stared down at the notepad pensively. “Umm… what should I write?” She asked nobody in particular, though she looked to her brother with hesitant eyes.

The stallion frowned as he saw his sibling falling short just before the finish line. “Well, try describing what you’re seeing. You were always better than me at writing creatively in school. Just do what comes naturally.” Page suggested in a helpful tone.

Scribble felt a twinge of nervousness as all of the weight was put onto her shoulders. She swallowed uncomfortably as she trailed her eyes back to the notepad before pushing through her hesitance and starting to write.

After a few moments of intermittent scribbling and looking around at the castle exterior, Scribble took the pencil from her mouth, looking over her work. “What do you think of this, Page?” She asked, handing off the notepad to her brother.

Page looked over what the peach mare had written, emitting a pleasing hum. “Not bad, Scrib. Not bad at all.” He smiled.

“Yeah,” Snapshot added, still peering through the lens of his camera at the castle’s side and some of the snowy landscape around them. “I knew you could do it.”

Scribble smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, guys. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make the actual piece just as good.”

Blank Page nodded confidently. He shifted his gaze behind him, back to the grand doors at the mouth of the castle. “I think it’s time we went inside, don’t you?” He glanced back to Scribble eagerly.

“As long as Snapshot has all of the pictures he needs out here, I’m ready to go when you are.” Scribble stated.

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at the gray pegasus. Feeling all eyes on him, Snapshot shrugged and decided that a dozen pictures were enough. “Alright, alright, I’m ready.” He trotted back to the group and joined them as they headed up the stairs and up to the doors.

Seeing how they were in front, Gale and Pathfinder both took hold of one of the doors’ handles and started pulling. Both seemed to have a little trouble with the gargantuan doors, with Pathfinder having an easier time due to his magic. Still, the pair eventually started to slowly swing the doors open.

The creaking of wood echoed slightly before them as a surprisingly cold wall of air came out to greet them. As the doors opened further, the moon’s pale light faintly illuminated a grand entrance hall that stretched onwards into shadows. A tattered and frayed crimson rug padded the cracked stone floor, going a few feet back into the corridor and welcoming them inside.

The ponies slowly stepped into the castle, leaving the door open to the wind as they looked around with awestruck expressions. The many banners and ornate decorations along the walls looked aged but still filled the area with a sense of grandeur. The place had a sort of silent and somber atmosphere, though the group was unsure whether or not this was simply due to the stories surrounding the castle.

Snapshot scanned his eyes around the many dark doorways and eerie shadows, a bit more unnerved than curious like his companions were. “Gee… I wonder why people say this place is haunted?” He stated nervously.

“It’s definitely not as bright and cheery as the princess’s castle, that’s for sure,” Scribble noted, swallowing uncomfortably as she thought about actually searching around the dark castle. “Oh well… We can’t turn back now.” She set her mouth in a solemn line and did her best to suppress her fears as she dug a flashlight out of her bag and stepped forward. The others followed suit, acquiring their own sources of light before following the peach mare inside.

Following the grand hallway ahead of them, the ponies briefly went inside of each of the rooms they found and took a look around. A dining room with an elegant-looking row of admittedly rotten tables lined up. A kitchen. A small bedroom. Every room they came across looked like it had been frozen in time, with only a thin covering of dust and some deterioration to indicate how old the structure was.

Although it was odd and more than a little eerie to be walking around such lavish and empty surroundings, the group pressed forward on their expedition.

Eventually, the ponies found their way into a sort of half-room that stood on the edge of a courtyard. A stone path and overhang ringed the yard, with a few other openings into the castle’s halls on the different sides. A thin layer of snow and dead grass made up the ground throughout most of the area. Some artifacts of the castle’s bloody past stood in the courtyard, glistening softly from the snow still coming down. Among these was a set of stocks, and more upsettingly, a large tree stump that had been repurposed into a chopping block.

Ignoring the grim objects and instead focusing on the view, Scribble and her companions braced themselves as a cold breeze flew in their faces.

“Holy hay… It’s colder than a wendigo’s tail out here.” Snapshot commented, rubbing his shoulders in an attempt at generating warmth.

Pathfinder nodded to himself while taking a look up at the sky and the thick covering of clouds swallowing up the moon. “Looks like a snowstorm is rolling in... We might want to find an interior room to settle in for the night.” He said. As he looked over to the tree stump, he scratched his chin pensively. “If we’re lucky, maybe we can find a fireplace to use.”

Gale glanced to the stallion and raised an eyebrow. “Are you volunteering to go chop some wood?”

“I might as well,” Pathfinder replied. “It’s not like I’m going to make these guys do it, and I highly doubt you have the upper body strength to lift an axe.” He added, a playfully impish expression on his face.

Gale, unfazed by the stallion’s comment, smirked to herself. “I didn’t have much trouble peeling you off of that tree.”

“Would you let that story die already?” The stallion droned.

“Honey… you will die before that story does if I have anything to say about it,” Gale stated plainly.

Meanwhile, Scribble and her two companions were more focused on something else while the pair messed with each other like a married couple.

“Uh… we’re spending the night here?” Snapshot asked hesitantly.

The pair turned, noticing the others looking at them with varying degrees of discomfort. “Well, yeah,” Gale said. “It’s not wise to go hiking long distances at night, especially in this weather. If you guys want to leave by tomorrow, we can go first thing in the morning.”

Scribble sighed quietly and looked down. “I figured as much… Still, I was sort of hoping we wouldn’t have to spend the night.”

“Ah, cheer up, guys,” Blank Page said, hoping to lighten his companions’ spirits. “We’ve got sleeping bags, water, and food. It’ll be like a sleepover.” He chuckled dryly.

Snapshot chuckled as well, though he was more nervous than optimistic. “Yeah… a sleepover in a big and potentially haunted castle.” He sighed before bringing his camera up and walking forward. “Welp… We might as well get what we came here for before something bad happ-”

Before he could even finish jinxing himself, the pegasus suddenly felt the ground beneath him, shifting as a loud cracking noise sounded out.

“Wh- w-what the?!”

*CRACK*

“AHHH!!”

The others gasped in shock as the floor swallowed up the pegasus. The stone beneath Snapshot crumbled away under his weight, and he fell into what must have been a dark hole into another area.

The stallion’s scream cut short, and he let out a painful grunt as he smacked into solid ground. Scribble and the others stood around the newly-opened hole, staring down at their friend amid a sea of stone rubble.

“Snapshot!” The peach mare yelled.

Snapshot coughed and groaned as a wave of dust flew into the air. He slowly lifted himself up on his forelegs, taking care to go slow as his body throbbed.

“Hey kid, are you ok?!” Gale called from the floor above.

Snapshot glanced up, noting how far he fell and spotting the group looking down at him. “Ow… I’m… I’m fi-” Just before he could answer, he trailed his eyes back down in front of him. Sitting a mere few inches away from his face, a gaping mouth full of teeth and two dark holes stared back at him silently.

“W-WHAT THE HAY?!” Snap yelped, backpedaling as fast as his sore body would allow. As he fell backward, he felt a sharp pain under his foreleg and heard the crackle of glass. However, he was too frightened to care much about a slight cut as he stared ahead fearfully.

Up above, Blank Page and the others seemed confused and mildly concerned by the pegasus’ sudden outburst.

“What’s wrong?” Page asked sympathetically.

The rattled stallion merely pointed a shaky foreleg ahead of him. “Guys… I-I really think you should come see this!”

The two siblings above shared an uncertain look with each other and their guides before coming to an agreement. With Blank Page leading the charge, the group started carefully climbing down into the dark space below.

Once everyone had landed semi-roughly on solid ground, they turned their attention to their pegasus friend. Snapshot was looking over a small cut on his foreleg that was bleeding slightly, quietly bemoaning that his camera had apparently broken its lens during the fall and shattered glass everywhere.

Briefly looking around the room, the ponies discovered it to be some sort of secret chamber, or at least what one might expect an underground chamber to look like. There were torches spaced out along the stone walls, with no visible door or opening in sight aside from the ceiling’s hole.

A small stone altar near the front of the room held many bizarre items on it, ranging from a small dagger with strange symbols etched into its hilt, to goblets and bowls that contained what looked to be fragments of bones and the remains of a reddish liquid.

There was a dusty bookshelf holding a small collection of books with faded titles off to the side. The whole area smelt foul, with faint hints of death and copper amid the usual musty scent that accompanied the castle.

And as Scribble and Blank Page both trailed their flashlights ahead, they were stunned into silence as they saw what had apparently spooked their friend.

Lying underneath all of the debris was a shriveled-up husk of what appeared to be a pony. Its fur had completely fallen out, with its stringy and dirt-caked gray hair not far behind. Its skin was wrinkled and clinging loosely to its bones. Its mouth was open in a silent scream, exposing its teeth. And perhaps most disturbing of all, its eyes were simply empty pits of darkness that made a violent chill go down their spines.

“Sweet Celestia…” Gale stated, her voice diminished in shock.

Scribble raised a hoof up to cover her mouth as she struggled to take in the disturbing sight. Judging from how decayed it was, the body seemed to be old. However, the room around them appeared to be much older and untouched other than their presence. “What is that thing?”

“I don’t know,” Blank Page blinked, hesitantly starting to approach the body. “It looks like a pony… but what is it doing here?” He asked nobody in particular.

As he reached the strange corpse, he knelt down and brushed off some of the debris on top of it, cringing with disgust and trying his hardest not to actually touch the thing. He suddenly squinted his eyes curiously as he found something even more bizarre about the body.

“Hey guys, check this out.” Page said, waving a foreleg for the others to get closer.

Gale raised an eyebrow as she stepped forward. “Woah… that’s weird.”

“You mean weirder than the dead body?” Snapshot asked. Scribble and the others turned to see him being checked out by Pathfinder to determine if his cut was severe or not.

“Definitely weirder.” Page nodded while getting up and stepping aside so everyone could see.

As the others looked at what the stallion was pointing out, they widened their eyes in surprise. Apparently, the dead pony had the skeletal remains of wings folded up at its sides, but it also had a horn on its head.

“An alicorn?” Scribble tilted her head curiously. “That can’t be right.”

“Right or not, it’s real,” Gale stated after examining the wings. She had never seen a pair of wings so thin and emaciated before, but they were definitely real, and so was the horn.

Scribble looked the body over, her mind buzzing with a dozen questions. Nothing about what she was seeing made sense to her, no matter how hard she tried to think of a rational explanation. “Who was this guy?”

“We need to report this to the royal guard. If anyone knows why an alicorn would be here, the princesses probably would.” Blank Page suggested.

“You might have a point there,” Pathfinder noted, “but we still can’t head back to town until morning.” He said, reminding the group of the position they were in.

Gale scratched her chin pensively, her expression brightening as an idea formed in her head. “Hey, why don’t you guys write about this in your article? I’ll bet being the first to discover alicorn bones would make you plenty famous.” She suggested with a helpful smile.

Scribble seemed hesitant as she looked up at the pegasus. “I don’t know, Gale… I’m not sure if I feel comfortable with writing about this. I mean, this is a dead pony we’re talking about, and an alicorn at that. Maybe he was some long-lost member of the royal family or something?” She mused thoughtlessly. If she was honest, she didn’t know who the strange stallion could have been. All she could deduce was that he must have died from blood loss, judging from a set of old gashes on his neck and wrists.

“Well,” Snapshot groaned, finally getting off the ground. He picked up his nearby camera, frowning slightly at the damage done to it before fishing around in his bag. “Either way, we can take some pictures to prove what we saw. It’s a good thing I brought a spare lens.” He sighed and shook his head at his misfortune before fixing his camera and walking over to the body. Thankfully, his camera seemed to function well aside from the busted lens.

After snapping a few pictures, he cringed as a slight pain throbbed in his foreleg. He looked down to see a few trickles of blood leaking out of his wound, a few droplets hitting the ground and the body. “Man… this really stings.”

“We can patch you up once we get out of this room. I left my bag up there.” Pathfinder noted, looking up and out of the hole they entered through.

“Speaking of which,” Scribble added, glancing around the room. “How do we get out of here?”

As they observed, the room seemed to have no natural exits, but that couldn’t have been true. How else would their decayed friend have gotten in?

Blank Page took his flashlight and trailed it around the room, seemingly searching for something. “Well, this is an old castle, after all. Maybe there are secret passageways?” He suggested.

“Secret Passageways?” Snapshot perked up eagerly. He turned to see the white stallion walking over to one of the far walls and running a hoof along it.

“Well,” Gale shrugged. “There’s no way in or out of here other than that hole we made.” She glanced upwards, just barely catching a glimpse of the sky outside of the half room above. “You might just be onto something, kid.” She smirked.

Blank Page kept running his hooves over the cold stone wall in front of him, hoping to find some kind of irregularity. After a few searching moments, his hopes were starting to dwindle until he came across the bookshelf along the walls. Feeling a draft of air around the edges of the shelf, he stared at it and blinked in disbelief. “No way… it can’t be that simple.”

“Did you find something, Page?” Scribble asked curiously, walking a bit closer to her brother along with the others.

“I think so,” Page replied, already in the process of testing the books on the shelf to see if one of them was false. “There’s definitely something behind this shelf, but it looks like we need to find a switch to move it.” He explained.

Gale raised an eyebrow. “Wow… really? The secret bookshelf door? Isn’t that like… literally, the oldest trick in the book?”

“To be fair, I’m sure it seemed pretty original back when this castle was built.” Page chimed in.

Gale tilted her head before nodding to herself. “Fair enough.”

After a few minutes of work from both Blank Page and Pathfinder, the pair had checked every single book on the shelf. Strangely enough, all of them were quickly removed and not connected to any switch or device at all.

Page stepped back from the shelf and furrowed his expression in confusion. “Ok… maybe this secret isn’t as straightforward as I thought.”

While most of the group was examining the shelf to find its secret, Scribble took a step back and looked over the bigger picture. Aside from the stand itself, the only things on the wall were a pair of torches on either side. Upon closer examination, one of the torches was crooked. “Hmm…”

Suddenly, Blank Page and the others heard a click sound out from the shelf. Much to their surprise, the frame started moving inwards. Curious as to how the peach mare had accomplished such a feat, Page looked over to see her reaching up to a torch on the wall turned sideways.

“Oh, come on… that was literally the next thing I would have tried.” Page grumbled, deflating slightly.

Scribble smirked with a pleased expression. “You snooze, you lose, Page.” She stated before turning her head to see what she had just revealed.

The ponies all looked behind the newly moved shelf, only to see an opening into what must have been another hallway, though this one was infinitely darker than the ones upstairs due to a complete lack of light coming in from outside.

Seeing the new path they had to take, some group members were hesitant to press forward. Snapshot, in particular, looked paler than his small wound should have allowed. “A-are you guys sure you want to go in there?” He stammered.

Pathfinder stepped out into the dark corridor, using his horn to shed some comfortable light on the area as he looked back to his companions. “I suppose you and Gale could wait for us upstairs,” He gestured to the hole in the ceiling behind them. “But where would the fun in that be?”

“But… I just remembered,” Snapshot persisted. “I’m allergic to dust… and impending doom.” He added pleadingly. Much to his dismay, his companions were already heading out into the dark unknown. The pegasus sighed anxiously and lowered his head until he felt a pat on his shoulder and looked up.

“Ah, don’t worry so much, Snap.” Blank Page said, flashing a reassuring smile and escorting the reluctant pony out with the others, leaving the room and the strange body behind as they faced exploring the deeper reaches of the castle.

As they first suspected, the ponies found themselves in yet another hallway, though this one was more aptly described as a corridor. After all, no hallway they knew of was made out of cold stone and had so many eerie openings around them. Aside from the secret panel they just exited from, which seemed to have another false torch to activate it from this side, there were many doorless openings into other rooms behind and ahead of them. And along the corner was an intersection.

“What are we doing down here?” Snapshot muttered while looking around stiffly.

Scribble looked to the pegasus with a sympathetic expression. “Don’t worry, Snapshot. Finding the stairs is our first priority.” She said. Not only did she want to get her friend’s wound tended to, but she was also hesitant to go poking around the area they now found themselves in. Still, her curiosity seemed to be outweighing her fear, unlike her gray companion.

Walking over to the corner up ahead, Blank Page shined his light around the wall, revealing a more open corridor on the other side with no visible end in sight. Turning back to his companions, he briefly glanced to the open expanse behind them and furrowed his expression. “Forward or back?” He asked, hopeful that someone else could offer some input.

After some silent glances and shrugs of indecision, Gale reached into a small pouch strung around her hips and pulled out a bit coin. She rotated it in her hoof, showing it off to the others.

“Heads for forward, tails for back?” She asked, receiving nods of agreement in return. With the direction of their search at stake, the yellow mare flipped the coin in the air and caught it before slapping it down on her foreleg and revealing it. A simplified depiction of the moon and Princess Luna greeted her.

“Tails it is,” Gale said plainly, looking up and turning around to face the hallway to their rear. As she slowly walked ahead, the others followed behind, secretly hoping to find a staircase sooner rather than later.

While they walked, the group paused at every opening they found so one or more of them could briefly search the room inside. Eventually, they started splitting off to better search the seemingly endless maze of rooms, though they never wandered too far away from each other.

The rooms they came across resembled the cold hallways that led to them. More walls built from cracked stone bricks, unlit torches along said walls, and a prevailing sense of dread in the air.

Scribble, along with her brother and Pathfinder, slowly walked into a room with a high ceiling. The room was slightly larger than most others they had come across, and its purpose was strikingly obvious to them as they looked around with silent expressions of disgust.

There were wooden and metal contraptions dotted around that seemed to serve only one purpose. One such device was an angled table with two ropes at its top and bottom. The cords were frayed from use, and they were connected to a crank that could be used to tighten them.

“My gosh…” Scribble covered her mouth as a wave of nausea passed over her. Just picturing some poor soul being strapped to the table and subjected to such torture made her pale.

Blank Page walked over to a set of chains bolted to the wall, shuddering slightly as he noted what was either rust or dry blood caked into the metal cuffs. “Skala Herz must have been one nasty customer.” He commented dryly.

“I’m starting to get why the griffons disowned him and this land,” Pathfinder added, looking over the disturbing devices around him with an uncomfortable expression. “Most people keep books or pool tables in their basement.”

“Well, most people don’t drink the blood of their enemies,” Scribble said quietly.

Hearing this, Blank Page paused what he was doing and looked to his sibling with a hint of shock in his eyes. “Wait, seriously? He did that?” He asked, his voice wavering.

Scribble looked back at the stallion, adopting a somber expression. “Reportedly.”

As they turned back to their surroundings, the trio felt a slight chill moving up their backs as they thought about what must have happened in this room.

Meanwhile, back out in the corridor, Gale and Snapshot were searching rooms as well.

The yellow mare was mostly taking the lead, with her anxious companion hanging back near the door each time.

Gale looked to Snapshot, noting his hesitant behavior. It seemed like he couldn't keep still for an instant. “You doing ok there?” She asked softly.

Snapshot made an attempt to stiffen up as he stopped darting his head around for long enough to look at the mare. “Uh… y-yeah,” He nodded, though his nerves seemed to disagree with him. “I’m just not a big fan of…” He paused, swallowing uncomfortably as the sounds of the castle creaking in the wind drew his eyes back to the many shadows around him. “dark and spooky places.”

“I thought going to an old castle seemed like a cool experience for you?”

“It was,” Snapshot sighed and rested a hoof on his foreleg. “But that was before we found that body.” He glanced over his shoulder, just barely spotting the open panel of a wall that led into the secret room at the edge of his vision. He felt a chill run down his back, thinking of that horrific sight.

Gale softened her expression a bit and rested a hoof on the nervous pony’s shoulder. “Kid, I can assure you that whatever did that guy in is long gone. There’s nothing around here but dust and poor decorating choices.” She said, narrowing her eyes a bit at the utterly oppressive atmosphere of doom and gloom around her. She could practically see the gaudy flowing cape that must have been the castle owner’s favorite attire.

Snapshot felt a little comforted by Gale’s words, but he was still a bit on edge. All the same, he managed a small smile. “Thanks… but I still think I’m going to stay out here while you guys look around.” He explained. As open and eerie as the corridor was, at least he could see all around him.

“Tell you what, how about I stay out here with you?” Gale offered with a slight smirk.

“I think that’d be-”

“Hey guys, come see this!”

Before Snapshot could finish his sentence, Scribble’s voice came from down the hall.

The pair turned their heads, only to see the many rooms that waited ahead of them. They briefly spotted the peach mare, waving them into one of the rooms on the left before ducking back inside.

Gale turned back to her fellow pegasus. “You want to…?” She nodded toward the room curiously.

Snapshot quickly shook his head. “No thanks. The last time we found something noteworthy, I fell through the floor and nearly landed on a dead body.” He explained, sitting back down and getting as comfortable as the stone floor would allow.

Seeing the stallion’s logic, Gale nodded. “Fair enough.” She glanced back toward the room up ahead, briefly stuck in thought. “Uh… I guess I’ll go check it out. It sounds important. Don’t worry though, I’ll be right back.” She said, turning back to the nervous pony and flashing a reassuring expression, to which he nodded.

With the yellow mare walking away, Snapshot slowly felt his courage fading away. As she turned into the doorway ahead and stepped inside, he suddenly felt very uneasy in the dark corridor.

“I’m starting to regret coming here.” He muttered to himself while scanning his eyes around in a paranoid fashion. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t relax. However, an abrupt throb of pain drew his attention away from his surroundings and down to his injured foreleg. The bleeding had mostly stopped, but the area along the wound was still red and very sensitive.

“Gah… I can’t believe my luck today.” He frowned, gently tracing a hoof over the length of the cut.

As he was quietly bemoaning his injury, Snapshot’s ears suddenly perked up as what sounded like something scuffling against the floor came from behind him. However, as he darted his head and his flashlight around, he found nothing but an open corridor and more darkness.

“What the hay…?” He furrowed his expression as he scanned his eyes around. The sound wasn’t in his mind, or was it? After all, he was a bundle of nerves by this point.

The pegasus slowly and cautiously stepped forward, letting the beam from his flashlight fall on more of the seemingly empty hallway. Nothing was out of place, and he was still alone as far as he could tell. Or at least, nothing looked out of place.

“Huh?”

Snapshot tilted his head as he looked to the secret wall panel. He remembered it being open, but strangely enough, it looked more relaxed than it was before, if only slightly.

Walking up to the exposed panel, he grabbed ahold of it and attempted to move it. The wall seemed too heavy for a light draft to have moved it, but there was no other sign of anything around it.

“Wait… what the…?” Snapshot furrowed his brow as something caught his eye inside the room. After looking around himself once more to satisfy his nerves, he stepped inside and flashed his light ahead.
.
..
…

Meanwhile, Gale suddenly found herself inside perhaps the grimmest looking room she had yet seen in the castle. The area looked to be a sort of torture chamber, judging from all of the disturbing devices littered around.

“Yikes…” She held her neck defensively as she noted an iron neckband bolted to the wall with spikes facing inwards. After shuddering briefly, she shook the thoughts from her head and turned her attention to finding her companions.

Seeing no sign of Scribble or the others in this room, the pegasus walked forward until she reached a door on the other side. Strangely enough, the sight of an actual wooden door was somewhat refreshing after going through so many open areas.

Gale pulled open the door and peered inside, confirming her suspicions that her friends were within. The three ponies were in another, smaller room connected to the torture chamber. This room was immediately more welcoming than the bloody section before it, but it wasn’t that much of an improvement upon closer inspection.

Along with a table at the back of the room full of strange-looking books and other objects, there were symbols painted along the walls in what the yellow mare hoped was red paint. A vast star within a circle painted on the ground, alongside the table, was what everyone was looking at.

Scribble turned as she heard the pegasus approaching. Gale was staring ahead at the symbol drawn along the floor, a disquieted expression stuck on her face. “Where’s Snapshot?” She asked curiously, looking back to the open door to the torture chamber.

“He stayed back in the hallway,” Gale replied, briefly looking at the peach pony before returning to her disturbed scan of the room. “What is this place?”

“It looks like someone was practicing some kind of black magic in here.” Blank Page inferred the obvious. “Was Skala Herz into the occult?” He asked, shifting his attention to his more knowledgeable sister.

“According to the legends, he was,” Scribble explained. However, her expression became more puzzled as she looked around at the various symbols and the items on the table. “But… this stuff looks new. Well, it looks newer than it should be.” She noted.

Pathfinder skewed his expression in confusion at the mare’s words. “How’s that?”

Scribble walked over to one of the symbols on the wall, examining it closely under her light and even running a hoof along the red paint. “I might be wrong… but it looks like this stuff was put here sometime after the castle was abandoned.”

“So…” Gale started, slowly coming to the same conclusion the peach mare had. “Does that mean that someone else lived here after the griffons?”

AHHHHHHH!!

A blood-curdling scream pierced the silence in the air, making everyone’s heart jolt. The ponies darted their heads toward the door, their eyes widening as they recognized the owner of the outburst.

Scribble gasped in concern. “That was Snapshot!”

Not wanting to waste any time, Pathfinder rushed to the door and motioned for the others to follow. “Come on, let’s go!”

Chapter 3: A Harrowing Discovery

Everyone quickly ran through the torture chamber and out into the corridor, desperate to reach their friend. However, as they all skidded to a halt and scanned their lights around, they found no trace of the gray pegasus.

“Wh...what the-” Gale blinked rapidly in stunned shock. “He was right here a minute ago.”

“Snap? Are you ok?” Blank Page called out while trailing his eyes around. He and the others slowly walked forward, briefly checking the rooms as they went. “Snapshot?”

“This isn’t funny, kid!” Pathfinder said, his voice growing more concerned the longer things in the hallway remained silent. “Quit messin’ around and get out here.”

Scribble could feel a knot developing in her stomach. No matter how hard she wished that they would immediately find the stallion, their search remained fruitless. Just as the dread was about to make her nerves explode, she noticed something glinting in her light over by the secret door into the first room they found.

“Guys, look over there!” She announced.

The ponies walked over to the strange glinting on the floor, slowing down as they got closer and noticed a red tint. Sure enough, as their lights fell on the substance clearly, it was revealed to be red liquid.

“Is that blood?” Scribble gulped, her eyes trembling as her heart began to race.

Blank Page could tell that his sibling was descending into a panic, and he couldn’t blame her. “M-maybe it’s from his wound?” He suggested optimistically, though it seemed even he knew how unlikely it sounded.

The blood on the floor was an admittedly small amount, not that a few droplets looked much more comforting than a puddle. The drops seemed to lead further down the hall until they turned off into a room on the right.

As the group moved to follow the trail, Gale took a brief look into the exposed room with the collapsed ceiling. She looked away, only to do a double-take and focus her eyes. Somehow, her nerves must have been getting to her, because she remembered being able to see the corpse of the alicorn from the doorway, even though she clearly couldn’t. Shaking her head, she swiftly turned her attention back to her companions as they walked forward.

Scribble and Page took the lead, with Pathfinder and Gale not far behind as they all neared the room where the blood was going. As they got closer, they started to hear a strange noise. It was faint, and they couldn’t tell what it was, but it sounded wet.

“Snapshot?” Scribble spoke as she neared the doorway. Her voice was a little shaky, as were her legs. Somehow, a wave of unease hit her as she kept going. Taking a look at her companions, she could see that they felt something similar, and she wasn’t sure if she should be comforted by this fact.

The sound kept going, sloshing and dripping like someone was messily crushing a watermelon and playing with the inner contents. Scribble swallowed nervously as she peered around the corner and shined a light into the room.

The area was pitch black, but somehow there was another light in the room. A red-tinted beam of light shone back at the wall near the onlooking ponies, and the source was immediately clear. A lone flashlight sat abandoned in the middle of the room, with a spray of blood painted onto the bulb. Before the morbid sight could fully register in their minds, the group noticed a dark silhouette moving off to the side, seemingly the source of the noise they had been hearing.

Blank Page and Gale silently maneuvered to the front of the group and stepped into the room, their eyes fixed on the shadow. The shape was roughly pony-sized. It was moving back and forth, making jittery and sometimes erratic movements, but it seemed like it was crouching near something else.

“Snap?” Page spoke hesitantly, lifting his shaky hoof and pointing his flashlight up.

As the light fell on the figure, a cold chill violently shot down the ponies’ spines. They had found Snapshot, but not as they had expected.

The stallion was on the ground, lying motionless and facing away from them. His neck region was soaked in blood, with more of the crimson fluid pooling around him. And above him, the figure that the group had seen before, was another pony. At least, it resembled a pony.

Its wrinkled skin and skeletal frame were familiar to the group, with a frail horn and wings all but confirming the seemingly impossible observation. It was the dead alicorn from the other room. However, now it was crouched over the motionless pegasus, its head buried in Snapshot’s neck.

Much to the watching group’s horror, the figure ripped its head back, sending a gush of blood into the air as it pulled a chunk of soaked flesh out with its sharp teeth. Strangely, it seemed to avoid chewing or otherwise doing anything with the piece of flesh. Instead, it looked to be messily drinking the blood from the pegasus’ wounds.

Blank Page and the others could feel their hearts collectively skipping a beat as they stared ahead in shock. The young stallion was shaking so much he could hardly keep the flashlight steady, while Scribble’s jaw trembled uncontrollably, her face frozen in a horrified and silent scream.

Suddenly, the frail pony stopped what it was doing. It let out a deep and feral-sounding groan. Slowly but deliberately, it moved its head over to look at the ponies across the room. A dim red glow caught in the flashlight beam trained on the creature, coming from the hollow pits that once were its eyes.

Scribble let loose a terrified scream and jerked backward. It didn’t take long for everyone else to get on the same page as her. They had to run.

“L-LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!” Page shouted frantically. His hooves practically skidded on the stone floor as he spun around and darted out of the room with his companions.

Like a bat out of Tartarus, the ponies sprinted as fast as they could down the corridor, running toward something, anything that could get them away from the monstrosity they just saw.

Scribble glanced behind her as she ran, fearing that she would catch a glimpse of the creature in hot pursuit. Thankfully, she could only see her brother running behind her and the dark corridor they were leaving behind. “W-what was that thing?!” She asked in a broken voice. “Sweet Celestia… it… i-it killed Snapshot.” She stammered. The more she thought about the gruesome scene she just ran from, the more tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Just keep running,” Blank Page said somberly. He could tell that his sister was starting to feel the shock of everything that just happened. He couldn’t rightly blame her for being a nervous wreck after witnessing that, but they couldn’t linger for an instant. This was about surviving now.

Hearing the peach mare crying softly, Gale turned and saw the younger pony barely holding it together. Scribble seemed to be crying tears of sadness more so than fear, and she looked very distraught and remorseful. “Kid, there’s nothing we can do for him now. We need to get out of this castle. Nighttime or not, anywhere is safer than here.” She explained.

“I hate to ruin good plans, but how in the blue blazes are we going to get out of this basement?!” Pathfinder asked from the front of the group. As far as the eye could see, there was just darkness and endless rooms.

As they turned another corner and looked ahead, Gale smiled eagerly as she spotted a staircase leading up. “Pathfinder, I love it when your dumb luck kicks in!” She chuckled triumphantly, picking up her pace in a sprint for the way to freedom.

Everyone started to turn to head up the stairs. They could already see the levels of light increasing slightly, filling them with relieved smiles. However, just as they were starting onto the first steps, something happened to erase their bright expressions.

Pathfinder suddenly felt something cold and thin wrapping around his back leg. As he looked down, he scarcely had time to catch a glimpse of red before he was violently tugged backward.

“What the- AHH!” He yelped in fright as he got pulled to the floor and kept going, hitting his chin on the stairs roughly and skidding along the stone flooring as the thing grabbing him kept pulling.

The others froze and turned, only to see the stallion sliding back down and around until he was facing the corridor again. In the frantic chaos, they could faintly see a thin and spindly-looking tendril of some sort stretching from down the hall and wrapping tightly around his back leg.

Gale gasped as she saw her friend being pulled away. “Pathfinder!” She yelled. Throwing all caution to the wind, she hopped off the stairs and reached to grab his outstretched foreleg, only to catch thin air as he was yanked away.

Pathfinder yelled frantically as he struggled to free himself from the tendril’s hold. No matter how hard he pulled or tugged, he couldn’t get free, and he was only getting pulled further away. The last the group saw of the stallion before he got dragged into the darkness was him making a failed attempt at digging his forelegs into the floor to stop himself. He let out a terrified scream that faded along with his silhouette into the corridor.

Gale was still staring ahead, her eyes wide with shock as the unicorn vanished from sight. Eventually, his screams died down, either from him getting pulled out of earshot, or something worse.

Scribble and Blank Page were still on the stairs, anxiously hoping for the yellow mare to run with them. Still, she was frozen in place, with no sign of snapping out of her stunned trance.

“Gale!” Page yelled to get her attention. Failing this, the white pony hopped off of the stairs and firmly grabbed her by the shoulder. “He’s already gone, Gale! We need to run!” He pleaded desperately, starting to shake her.

Gale blinked a few times before finally looking at the two siblings. They were terrified beyond belief, and they had every right to be. She had to get them to safety.

After shaking herself out of her stunned shock, the pegasus joined Blank Page in scrambling back up the stairs. She pushed ahead of the pair and led them up onto the first floor.

The ponies darted out onto the landing of yet another small and barren room. Scribble turned to look back down the stairs, fully convinced that the withered creature was right behind them.

“Where do we go now?!” She asked, desperately looking around the room for an exit. Unfortunately, there were three doorways to the room, and they all seemed to lead nowhere but further into the castle.

Blank Page stepped closer to one of the doorways, his eyes narrowed as he spotted something. His expression suddenly brightened as he moved more to the side and confirmed his suspicions. He could see snow streaming into the next room, which meant that it led out into the courtyard they had seen before.

“This way!” He announced, waving the others over. The two mares wasted no time in following the stallion as he bolted into the next room.

Up ahead, the trio could clearly see the barren ground of the courtyard through another open doorway. Apparently, the snow falling down had intensified during their time in the basement, covering many of the railings and statues outside in a blanket of white.

“If we cut through here, the entrance won’t be far.” Page suggested. Judging from the angle of the courtyard he could see, it was safe to assume that they were at the back right corner from where they had initially entered the basement.

Gale and Scribble started to follow Page through the room toward the courtyard, eager to finally be heading toward an escape from this madhouse. However, fate seemed to have other plans in mind for them.

The ground beneath them let out a mighty crack as they ran across it. Fissures in the stone started spiraling out toward the two mares, coming from underneath the stallion. Before they could give more of a reaction than a horrified gasp, Blank Page started to fall as the floor opened up underneath him.

“Page!” Scribble shouted. She dove to the floor and reached out for her sibling, but she couldn’t reach him before he fell down.

The stallion’s scream was cut short as he smacked into hard stone in another room below. The hole was smaller than the one Snapshot had made, but it led to the same place. A dark and lonely room in the basement.

Blank Page lifted his sore head up, groaning softly as he adjusted to all the new pains present in his body. Strangely and concerningly enough, his back leg seemed to hurt more than everything else. And as he trailed his eyes down, he noticed the problem.

“Page, are you ok?!” Scribble’s voice came from above. The stallion briefly looked up to see the two mares looking down at him from above.

Gale turned back behind her to see if they were still alone before looking down at the white pony. “Hang on, kid. I’ll come pick you up.” She explained reassuringly, preparing to jump down to carry the stallion back up.

“Guys… I can’t move my leg.” Page said in a small voice.

Scribble blinked, the full weight of her brother’s words not reaching her yet. “What?” She muttered hesitantly.

As the dust and debris cleared from the room below, the pair could finally see their friend, and they could understand what he meant.

Blank Page was lying on top of a pile of rubble, doubtlessly from the initial collapse of the floor. However, he was seemingly struggling to pull his leg free of something, and the source of his struggle shocked the two mares into a panicked silence. Two large stones had fallen on top of his back leg, wedging it down and preventing him from moving it. “I think I’m stuck… I can’t get free!”

Scribble covered her mouth, a shrill whimper escaping her as her heart started racing. She glanced behind her, turning her thoughts to the horrific creature still giving chase somewhere behind them. If it caught up to them, then they would suffer similar fates to their friends. The mere thought of her brother being killed by that thing made her eyes start to water.

Hearing a noise behind her, Scribble turned back around just in time to see Gale jumping down to the floor below. “G...Gale?”

Page grunted and heaved as he tried to squirm and pull his leg out of the crevice holding him. He stopped abruptly as he heard the pegasus landing nearby and rushing up to him, a determined expression on her face. “Gale…?”

Gale briefly examined the state the stallion’s leg was in before turning to him. “Come on, kid. I’m not letting anyone else die tonight.” She stated. Without even further coordinating with him, she rushed over and started pulling on the rocks on top of his leg.

Scribble watched from above as the pair desperately struggled down below. It seemed like Gale’s efforts were helping, but they still weren’t enough to move either the rocks or Page’s leg. Come on, guys… please hurry. She bit her lip anxiously. Suddenly, her ears pricked up as she heard something behind her.

Turning her head, Scribble started to see a shadow moving up the stairs from the other room. A faint and animalistic growl came from the shadow, and soon enough she could see a pair of piercing red eyes staring her way. Her blood nearly froze in her veins.

Down in the basement room, Page and Gale continued their struggle to free the white pony’s leg. Page strained and pulled with all his might, wriggling his trapped appendage in the hopes of loosing it somehow from underneath the rocks, while Gale heaved and groaned as she pushed all of her muscles to their limits by pulling on the hefty fragments of stone.

“This isn’t good.” Page strained through clenched teeth. His leg showed signs of moving, but not nearly enough to get free.

Gale drew air between her teeth before making another attempt at pulling. “Just keep trying, kid!” She insisted.

“Guys!” Scribble’s voice called from above. As they looked up, the pair noticed the peach mare wearing a panicked expression. “It’s here!”

As soon as they processed what their friend was saying, their faces paled.

“Oh no… you’ve got to be kidding me!” Gale vented anxiously. With a rush of adrenaline kicking in, she returned to her efforts to free the trapped stallion.

Blank Page looked between the determined pegasus and his terrified sibling above. He could already see her staring ahead fearfully and slowly backing up. Finally, he turned to the yellow mare beside him and grabbed her foreleg. “Gale, you need to get out of here.” He instructed somberly.

“W-what?!” Gale shook her head in disbelief. “What are you saying?! There’s no way I’m leaving you!” She stated before giving the two rocks a few more tugs. Suddenly, a low growl coming from up above made her pause and look up.

“Gale, listen to me,” Page said, offering the pegasus a pleading expression as she turned to face him. “There’s no time to argue. You need to take Scribble and get her out of here.”

Gale felt her heart racing and cold sweat pouring from her face. She thought back to a few moments ago when Pathfinder was dragged away before her very eyes, and to Snapshot being torn apart. She shuddered as she pictured what was going to happen to the young stallion if he was left here alone. Before she could speak up again, however, an outraged voice came from above.

“What?!” Scribble stammered. She rushed up to the opening and looked down at the pair with a desperate expression. “Page, you can’t be serious! We can’t just leave you here!”

“I don’t want you two to die with me!” Page replied, causing the peach mare to fall silent from shock. Finally, he turned back to Gale and rested a hoof on her shoulder. “Gale, I’m begging you… take Scribble and run. There isn’t enough time to get my leg free. Please… save her.”

Gale stared ahead blankly, the stallion’s pleading expression barely even registering amid her racing thoughts. She glanced to his pinned leg and up to the mare waiting above. If she had more time, she could probably free Page’s leg, but the creature would be on top of them in mere moments.

Meanwhile, Scribble darted her eyes up, her pupils shrinking as she saw the shadowed creature getting closer. Now it was approaching the room she was in, and it showed no signs of stopping. “Gale! Please do something! There’s got to be some way you can save him!” She pleaded, her eyes on the verge of tears.

After a few seconds that seemed to last an eternity, Gale looked down to the white stallion and lowered her expression sadly. “I’m so sorry.” She said, briefly grabbing his hoof and holding it tightly before letting go and turning her attention upwards.

Scribble gasped as the pegasus kicked off the ground and flew back up to her. “No!” She yelled. Throwing caution to the wind, the peach mare dove forward, fully prepared to fall into the hole with her brother and try herself to free him, until she was caught by Gale.

Gale held the struggling mare in her forelegs, keeping the earth pony from moving any closer to the hole. As she turned her head, she widened her eyes as she saw the creature still stalking towards them. “Kid, we’ve got to go!” She exclaimed, forcibly dragging the reluctant mare behind her as she ran for the courtyard.

Scribble tried her best to yank her hoof out of the pegasus’ grasp, but Gale was stronger than her. “No! Let me go!” She pleaded, her voice already breaking as they got further away from the hole and her brother. “PAGE!” She yelled, reaching toward the opening in the ground. She could see the withered alicorn getting closer and closer to her helpless sibling before she was yanked out of the room and out of sight.

Meanwhile, Blank Page looked up into the opening above as the sounds of the pair’s footsteps got further away. He couldn’t help but smile slightly as his sister was being whisked away to safety. Looking back down to his trapped leg, he sighed anxiously and tried once more to free himself. Much to his surprise, he seemed to be making some headway in wiggling his leg free. Before he could finish his escape efforts, he looked up slowly as a shadow fell on him from above, a cold feeling cemented in his gut.
.
..
…
Out in the courtyard, Gale and Scribble had managed to cross the open area all the way to where they initially fell into the basement. The pegasus had to forcibly drag the peach mare as she was struggling and crying out for her lost brother.

“Let me go!” Scribble pleaded. No matter how hard she fought to break free of Gale’s grip, the stubborn pony refused to relent.

Finally, Gale sighed and pulled the distraught mare closer, turning her around so they could be at eye level. ”Scribble… Scribble, listen to me.” Gale said, using as soft and sincere a voice as she was capable of producing. Perhaps hearing the severity in the pegasus’ voice, Scribble temporarily quieted down and looked to her with teary eyes. “I’m sorry that this happened, but there is nothing we can do for Page now.”

Hearing this, Scribble sobbed quietly, briefly taking a moment to cry into the yellow mare’s fur as she hugged her. After a few seconds of Gale patting her back and letting her vent her emotions, she backed up and rested a hoof on her muzzle. “We’re going to die here, aren’t we?” She asked hopelessly, more rhetorically than anything.

“Hey,” Gale grabbed the distraught pony’s hoof and pulled it away from her face, holding it tightly. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” She assured sincerely.

Turning her thoughts to the creature giving chase to them, Gale looked behind her, raising an eyebrow briefly as she saw no signs of the alicorn. She briefly entertained the thought of flying them out through the courtyard, but the snow whipping down from the blizzard above dissuaded her from trying. No, they would have to leave the way they came.

“The entrance isn’t far. Come on, we need to get out of here.” The pegasus tugged Scribble along behind her, making sure that the earth pony was following closely. Scribble seemed more willing to go along with her companion now, hurrying her pace to match Gale’s.

The two mares ran out of the courtyard, cutting through the room with the hole in it and out into the entrance hallway, heading straight for the front doors. Soon enough, they could start to see the entrance to the castle, smiling through their exhaustion and shocked nerves. However, as they got closer to the large doors, their smiles faded as they realized that something had changed since they last passed through this area.

The gigantic doors that were formerly letting the blowing wind and snow into the castle were now closed tightly.

Gale stopped running and shot her forelegs onto the doors, pushing them forcefully. “What the hay?!”

“Why are they closed?!” Scribble yelled in confused and fearful frustration.

No matter how hard Gale tried opening the hefty doors, they refused to budge. They almost seemed like they were locked rather than stuck. After giving a frustrated yell and a kick, the pegasus looked around pensively, letting her gaze settle on one of the doorways nearby, remembering it to lead into the dining room.

“Hay with this.” She muttered with an annoyed expression.

Scribble turned and saw the pegasus moving into the dining room. She quickly trotted after her companion, a confused look on her face. “Gale, where are you going?” She asked, a bit of anxiousness in her voice as she glanced down the hall in a paranoid fashion. Peering into the room, she spotted the yellow mare walking up to some of the windows along the side of the room.

Gale walked up to the first window in a long row. There were at least a dozen of them across the grand dining hall between both outside walls, most of which were broken. “We’re going to have to go out a window.” She explained while trotting further down, making her way over to a window with almost no glass. As she felt the cold wind hitting her face, she climbed onto the windowsill and peered out, noting the sheer cliff outside and the growing blizzard raging around them.

“You’ll have to hold on tight, but I should be able to get us to the ground,” Gale assured, turning back to look at the peach mare across the room. As she locked eyes with Scribble, who was still standing idly at the doorway, the color drained from her face as she saw something behind the younger mare.

“B...behind you!” She exclaimed, pointing forward frantically.

Scribble darted around, only to have her eyes met with a terrifying visage of sharp teeth and glowing red eyes. It was the withered alicorn. Somehow, without her even hearing so much as a hoofstep, the creature had snuck up on her in an instant. Before she could even let out a frightful yelp, the alicorn shoved an emaciated hoof into her throat and pushed her into the nearby wall, lifting her off of her hooves.

Letting out a cry for help, which only came out as a choked noise, Scribble reached for her throat and clutched at the chillingly cold and withered foreleg holding her up. However old the former corpse was, it was not lacking in strength as it easily shrugged off the mare’s feeble struggles.

Strangely enough, the alicorn looked different than it did when it was lying motionlessly under the rubble in the secret room. Its skin looked a little fuller, with a bit more color to it. A brown fur coat could actually be distinguished, though it was still a bit matted and patchy. And, stunningly enough, it seemed like it had more hair on its head than before, with the original coloring of silver seemingly showing through.

The alicorn exhaled through its mouth, letting out a cold and stale breath into her face as it looked her over curiously. Scribble could see that its front teeth were longer and sharper than the rest, resembling fangs. The long dried slash wound across its neck twitched and moved along with its head, giving the mare a disturbing glimpse of its inside every now and again.

“SCRIBBLE!” Gale shouted from off to the side.

Scribble turned her head as much as she could. She spotted the yellow pegasus boldly running toward her. Gale had a sense of determination to save her only remaining companion burning in her eyes.

Catching a glimpse of movement, Scribble turned and saw the alicorn turning its head to look toward the speeding pegasus. Just then, the shaken pony saw something that stunned her into silence.

What looked to be a stream of blood slowly poured out of the alicorn’s neck wound. The crimson fluid defied gravity, slowly ebbing and flowing into the air almost like it had a life of its own. The stream traveled out and to the side, lowering down to the floor away from them. As Gale looked down to the odd occurrence in mid-stride, the blood suddenly shot towards her quicker than she could react.

Scribble watched, almost in slow motion, as the stream of blood shrank its tip into a spear shape and zipped straight into the pegasus’ neck, seemingly piercing through her as if it were solid.

Gale let out an abrupt noise of pain, a spray of her own blood shooting out the front and back of her neck as the stream pierced out through the other side. Her body got lifted up and backward, sending her sailing onto the tables where she rolled back and crashed onto the floor.

Looking through the gaps in the chairs, Scribble could just barely see the yellow mare on the floor. A sizable pool of blood was forming underneath her as she clutched at her wound and struggled to move.

“Gh… G..ale…!” Still clutched in the alicorn’s grasp, Scribble cried out and reached a hoof toward the pegasus, despite the difficulty she had in speaking. Tears streamed down her face as she watched Gale’s struggles lessen. Soon, the dying mare’s choked coughs and pained noises fell silent as she grew still.

The monstrous alicorn turned its head back toward its captured prey. It stared at her quietly, seemingly paying no attention as the stream of blood it just used as a weapon slowly retracted back into its body. Scribble whined and struggled to free herself, causing the creature to tighten its grip on her neck and let out an agitated hiss.

Suddenly, the alicorn lifted its free foreleg. Scribble looked at it wide-eyed, expecting the beast to strike her. However, it seemed to have something else in mind. The mare quickly realized that it was exposing the slash wound on its wrist to her, letting her see it as blood started flowing out of it in a familiar and unnatural manner.

“No… please!” Scribble pleaded in a choked voice, shaking her head desperately. Ignoring her protests, the alicorn continued producing a fluid stream of blood, letting it float in the air menacingly in front of her like a snake preparing to strike.

Her heart was racing in her chest, and every part of her was swimming in adrenaline, but she could do nothing but watch helplessly. Amid her struggles, she could almost swear that she could see the corners of the creature’s mouth twitching up into a twisted smile before it flicked its hoof to the side.

*Swish*

In the blink of an eye, the stream of blood followed the alicorn’s motion. Scribble felt a burning sensation across her neck, followed by a warm spray of liquid shooting out. She let out a strangled yelp and clenched her eyes shut before blinking rapidly.

She could already feel the strength leaving her body as she let her hooves fall down onto her neck, confirming what she already knew. A nasty gash had been made, letting blood gush out and paint her hooves.

This… this can’t be… happening…

Scribble coughed and sputtered, still fighting to grasp at the alicorn’s foreleg and pull it away or kick at the floor or wall to free herself. Soon, her movements became more and more sluggish. She could feel a thick haze enveloping her.

Her vision became blurry, and the world started to fade away as her forelegs finally fell away from the hoof clutching her throat. Her thoughts shifted to her brother and her friends. She could still see them in her mind, memories of their brief journey fading into the fog that was quickly overshadowing her.

The last thing the peach mare could see, as her tears and whimpers fell on deaf silence, was the sight of blood from her wound being drawn toward the alicorn, seemingly traveling into the three wounds across its neck and wrists.

And then, everything went dark.

Chapter 4: Arrival at Canterlot

The rays of the freshly risen sun seeped into the upper floor of the Golden Oak library, gradually lighting and warming the room. As more light permeated the area, Twilight Sparkle started to stir from her restful slumber.

The unicorn yawned and stretched her limbs before settling back down and opening her eyes. She contemplated going back to sleep for a moment before sighing and sitting up.

“Morning, Twilight.” A voice called from beneath her.

Twilight looked over the side of her loft, only to see that her young assistant had woken up as well. “Morning, Spike.” She said, managing a slight smile through her drowsy exterior. Finally, she decided to get out of bed so she could start her day properly.

“Man… I can’t believe it’s almost Nightmare Night again.” Spike commented while tidying up his ruffled blankets. He looked up to see the purple mare descending the stairs to the loft, having already made her bed.

“I know what you mean,” Twilight shook her head in amazement. “It seems like just yesterday that we got done cleaning up the mess from last Nightmare Night.” She felt a slight frown of agitation forming as she thought back to the aftermath of the holiday.

“Well, that’s what happens when you run out of candy to give out. Just be thankful that all we got was a good tp-ing.” Spike added.

“It’s not my fault I had to be out all night with Princess Luna. Someone had to make her feel better.” Twilight protested.

“Did you ever figure out who did it?” Spike asked curiously.

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. “Well… I never found any hard evidence, but let’s just say my prime suspects rhyme with ships and sails.”

“Oh…” Spike looked down before nodding in revelation. He turned to the side as he heard the unicorn opening the bedroom door.

“Alright, I think that’s enough reminiscing for now,” Twilight said. “We should go check to see if Tom is back.”

Spike hurried to follow the mare out of the room. “I hope he is. We’re supposed to leave for Canterlot today.”

The pair closed the bedroom door behind them and started walking down the stairs. As they neared the bottom, Twilight paused as she heard noises coming from the kitchen area. She smiled to herself slightly as her previous assumption was proven right. Ever since she had known the human, he had always been up and about before her.

Twilight and her young assistant made their way through the main room of the library and into the inner rooms. As they got closer to the kitchen, they could hear various noises ranging from cabinets opening to things being placed on wooden surfaces.

Peering through the opening into the room, the pair spotted their human friend rushing to and fro, seemingly preparing breakfast for them. There was a salad on one plate, and a few colorful gems on another, along with two glasses of orange juice nearby.

Hearing the sound of someone entering the room, Tom turned around and noticed his two housemates. “Hey, guys... I was wondering when you would finally be up.” He greeted in a friendly manner.

Twilight walked around the table and wrapped a foreleg around the human’s waist to hug him. “It’s good to see you, Tom.” She said cheerfully. Although she had been expecting the human, she hadn’t seen him in roughly a week.

“Yeah, how have you been?” Spike asked curiously, unable to suppress a similarly cheery smile.

Tom shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, you know how it is. Head to town, kill monster, repeat. I would say I’ve been bored out of my mind, but maybe that’s a bit too snobbish.”

Twilight frowned a bit at that, but shifted her attention to the table and the plates arranged on it anyway. “You made breakfast for us?” She said, putting a smile back on while raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Spike eagerly hopped up onto a chair and stared at the gems on his plate. “I would say you didn’t have to do that… but my stomach is inclined to disagree.” He said, his mouth already watering.

“Well, what else do you expect me to do all morning? I figured I’d give you guys a bit of a gift on account of not being here for a while.” Tom explained.

Twilight paused as she noted the lack of a third plate on the table. “You aren’t going to eat anything?”

Tom walked over to the side and leaned against a cabinet. “Nah… I’m not hungry. You two go ahead and dig in.”

Not wanting to turn down such a generous offer, and not wanting to deny their rumbling stomachs any longer, Twilight and Spike sat down and started eating.

Twilight was impressed by how much the human had adjusted to preparing Equestrian meals. The salad in front of her was actually pretty good, despite the meager ingredients that were lying around the kitchen. Meanwhile, Spike seemed to have gone to dragon heaven judging from how much he was enjoying the gems provided him.

“Man… these are good!” Spike exclaimed as he finished his crunchy meal. “Where did you find gems like these? I haven’t seen any of these around here.” He asked, turning to Tom curiously. As he looked at the human, he paused suddenly as he noticed something strange.

Tom paused in thought for a moment. “Well… I was on a case out on the outskirts of Equestria last week. I found some of those in a cave I searched, and I figured you might like them.” He explained while looking back to the young dragon. As he noticed Spike staring at him, he looked down and noticed that part of his shirt sleeve was revealing a bit of white underneath it. He quickly tugged the sleeve back over his arm and shifted his attention to the unicorn finishing up her own meal.

“Umm… Tom-” Spike started to speak, until he was interrupted by the human.

“So Twilight, are you excited to be seeing your brother again?” Tom asked curiously. Once the unicorn was looking the other way, he shot the young dragon a pleading expression that got across the idea that he did not want to talk about the issue with Twilight present. And while he was confused and mildly concerned, Spike played along and remained silent.

“Of course I am,” Twilight replied. “After all, this will be the first time I’ve seen him since… you know,” She paused uncomfortably at the memory of the incident that happened a few months ago. “And besides, I haven’t seen Cadence since-” She gasped abruptly, “oh my gosh! I just realized you haven’t met Cadence yet! This is going to be great! I can’t wait to tell her about all of the crazy adventures we’ve had.” She smiled eagerly.

Tom couldn’t help but smile slightly at the energy and excitement radiating off the purple mare. “Sounds like it will be fun.”

Twilight nodded while getting up from her seat. “Right, well I’ve got to go get things ready for the trip up to Canterlot! Thanks for making breakfast, Tom. It’s really great to have you back.” She said sincerely before rushing off and out of the room in her usual frantic manner.

As the pair in the kitchen listened to the unicorn bounding up the stairs in the other room, they gradually shifted their attention back to each other.

“Tom, what is that on your arm?” Spike asked, staring at the now concealed appendage.

“Uh… I’m not sure what you’re-” Tom started to play dumb, but the unimpressed expression on the dragon’s face made him trail off.

Spike crossed his arms and frowned at the human’s attempts at hiding whatever was wrong. “Tom, I know what I saw. If something is wrong, why don’t you just tell us?” He softened his expression.

Tom shifted his gaze around, struggling to avoid eye contact with the dragon. “It’s… it’s just…” He finally sighed in defeat as he reached down to roll up his sleeve.

Spike gasped as he saw the full extent of the patch of white he had noticed before. The human had a bandage wrapped around his arm, concealing what must have been a grizzly wound. The once clean bandage was stained with dry blood, creating an outline that gave a hint as to what was underneath.

“Oh my gosh… are you ok?!” Spike asked in a more concerned tone.

Tom quickly rolled the sleeve back down and glanced into the other room to see if Twilight had heard the dragon’s exclamation. “Keep your voice down. I really don’t want Twilight to know about this.”

“But… but, shouldn’t your powers have already healed that? Tom, what’s wrong?” Spike frowned sadly.

“Nothing,” Tom assured while rolling his eyes. He leveled with the dragon and put on his best confident expression. “Nothing is wrong with me. I’ve just been a little tired from work recently. I’ll heal this wound as soon as I recharge my batteries a bit.”

Spike softened his expression as he looked back at his friend. “Shouldn’t we tell Twilight about this? Maybe she can help you get better?”

Tom shook his head. “Spike… you and I both know how worried Twilight can get about the littlest things. I don’t want her to worry… do you?” He asked curiously.

“Well, no… but-“

“There’s nothing to worry about, Spike. I’m ok… and I don’t want Twilight to spend all Nightmare Night worrying about nothing. Please just don’t tell her... for me, ok?”

Spike searched the human’s eyes for sincerity and found nothing that hinted at something being wrong. All he could see was concern for the unicorn, and that was something he could understand. “Ok… ok. I won’t tell her.” He nodded softly. “But you better get better soon, ok?”

“I promise I will.” Tom nodded.

The rest of the morning went by in a flash as Spike and Tom helped Twilight to finish packing. While the unicorn had a lot of the work done beforehand, she was still stressing over every little thing going perfectly right.

Much to Spike’s dismay, she even got out her planner.

“Ok…” Twilight took in a deep breath, briefly eyeing around at their luggage pensively. Spike stood nearby with a checklist and a feather quill, wearing a strained expression of patience. “Did we pack the extra scrolls and writing supplies?”

“Check…” Spike droned, not even bothering to make a mark on the list due to one already being there.

“What about the cards and board games?” Twilight asked.

“Already got them.” Tom chimed in from the other room.

“Right,” Twilight nodded, still deep in thought. She bit her lip as she struggled to think of anything she missed. She wanted everyone to have a good time on such a rare occasion, and if just one thing went wrong, then everything would be ruined. Deciding to be safe rather than sorry, she briefly opened up one of the bags to check its contents, only to gasp at what she saw. “Where’s the scrapbook?!” She frantically started rifling through the items in the bag.

“Twilight…” Spike said, only to be thoroughly ignored.

“How are we supposed to take pictures of everyone together if we don’t have a scrapbook?” The unicorn fretted, still burying her head into the bag and turning it inside out in an almost literal sense.

“Twilight!” Spike raised his voice a little, finally breaking through to the frantic mare.

Twilight looked up, a palpable sense of dread present on her face that probably wasn’t warranted, given the situation. “What?!”

“You’re holding it,” Spike stated blankly, pointing ahead with his claw.

Twilight furrowed her brow before slowly turning her head. She suddenly laid eyes on the missing scrapbook, which had apparently been floating beside her in her own magical grasp the whole time. “Oh…” She chuckled nervously, her face reddening as she tried to avoid the unimpressed look she was receiving from the young dragon.

The pair looked up as they heard their human friend walking into the room. Tom placed a decently sized bag on the floor and exhaled with relief before turning to the others. “I’m all set whenever you guys are.” He reported.

Spike looked to the unicorn beside him with a smug expression. “That’s great. At this rate, we should be ready in about… I don’t know… what day is it?”

“Hardy har,” Twilight rolled her eyes at the dragon. “For the record, I’m just about ready now… I think.” She hesitated for a moment before going to pick up her bag. If she spent any more time on packing, she was afraid her young assistant might finally reach his last straw.

Tom perked up slightly as he followed the pair toward the door. “Man, I can’t wait to see everyone again.”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded in agreement. “I’ll bet they can’t wait to see you either. It’s been forever since you visited.”

“Well, they won’t have to wait much longer. Let’s go.” Twilight said, hurrying her two companions out the door, an eager smile plastered on her face.

After a short walk across town, the trio arrived at the Ponyville train station. Even though they had gotten there early, it didn’t take long for the others to show up.

Rarity and Applejack arrived first, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders close behind. A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and their newest friend Blue Bolt came swooping down together. Soon, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and even Glimmer Shine and his three teammates were there. After some initial greetings and friendly conversation, the group boarded their train and settled in.

Everyone was excited to see each other, so much so that some of them could hardly contain themselves. And while Pinkie somehow managed to make the world’s largest group hug all on her own, the group gradually got into their seats in a timely manner as the train started off on the journey to Canterlot.

The ponies sat in various places around the train car. Everyone was still chatting with each other and catching up on lost time.

“No way… are you serious?” Pinkie Pie asked in disbelief. “They put gum in her hair?” She looked over to Sunspot, barely managing to hold in the laughter building inside of her.

Glitterball chuckled as she turned and saw her pegasus friend glaring at her silently. “Yep, and trust me… it was everywhere. I’m amazed we managed to get it all out without having to cut it out.”

“My goodness, that sounds awful.” Rarity shuddered sympathetically as she pictured such a thing happening to her.

Sunspot softened her expression and groaned while pointing to Rarity. “Thank you… Finally, someone who understands the pain I went through.”

“Hey,” Sparkplug spoke up, looking over to Sunspot with a hint of annoyance. “At least you didn’t get ghoul blood all over your face.” She pouted in an upset manner, forcing the orange pegasus to cringe and quiet down.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow curiously. “When did that happen?” She asked before thinking for a moment and shifting to a surprised expression. “Oh wow, was that what you were hunting in Ponyville last night?”

Sunspot nodded in place of her teammate. “Yeah, it was one nasty customer from what Glimmer told me.”

“I sure am glad you took care of it before it decided to come after us.” Sweetie Belle shivered slightly at the thought of having a terrifying monster practically in her backyard.

“I hope nobody got hurt,” Fluttershy said, adopting a more concerned expression. Although she was confident that the human would have healed any severe wounds the group sustained, that still didn’t mean that they didn’t suffer while the injuries happened.

“Well, aside from us getting knocked around, we’re alright.” Glimmer Shine explained. “Tom got nailed on his arm, but I’m sure it wasn’t anything he can’t take care of on his own.” He paused briefly before smirking and looking to the gray mare beside him. “Oh yeah, and there’s the whole ghoul blood on Sparkplug’s face, thing.”

“Hey, that’s not funny!” Sparkplug protested. “I don’t think there’s enough shampoo in the world to get that smell out of my fur.” She frowned slightly, rubbing her muzzle to test if it felt clean, despite how much scrubbing she had done the night before.

Meanwhile, while everyone else was sharing a laugh at the gray pony’s expense, Spike glanced up at Tom and frowned slightly. The human met his gaze and lowered his expression a bit before forcing his attention away.

“So… umm-” Tom started uncomfortably. He trailed his eyes around vacantly, seemingly struggling to find something to talk about. Finally, his attention shifted to the blue stallion with short black mane and blue eyes sitting with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Blue Bolt had been slowly adjusting to life in Ponyville with his new friends. Of course, he had known Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy much longer. His cutie mark, a neon blue lightning bolt-esc arrow twisted and bent skyward against a black background, seemed to mirror his determination to persevere through any hardship life threw at him. He had lived half his life with a paralyzed wing, so adjusting to a new town should have been no problem.

“Will this be your first time in Canterlot, Blue Bolt?” Tom asked curiously. Glancing back to Spike, he could see that the dragon was still looking at him uneasily. Although, it seemed like Spike had decided to keep quiet about what he knew would just be a troubling conversation for everyone involved.

Blue Bolt looked a bit surprised to have suddenly been brought into the conversation. “Uh, yeah… I guess so. I’ve never really been anywhere outside of Cloudsdale and Fillydelphia… and Ponyville, obviously,” He chuckled awkwardly. “Still, I can’t say I’m not looking forward to it. I hear Canterlot is one of the most beautiful cities in Equestria.” He added.

“You heard right,” Twilight chimed in. “It might not seem like much next to a place like Cloudsdale, but take it from someone who lived there for most of her life, it is one of a kind.” She smiled over to the blue pegasus. “I’m sure Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy wouldn’t mind showing you around. The view from the air is much better… or so I’ve heard.”

Hearing this, Rarity looked over her shoulder toward the group of pegasi, an intrigued expression on her face. “Speaking of which, how have your wings been, Blue Bolt?”

Blue Bolt glanced down to his wing, twitching it to affirm that it could still move. “They’ve been working just fine, thanks to Tom.” He looked over to the human and flashed a grateful smile. “I’m still a little rusty at flying… but Rainbow Dash has been helping me out a lot.”

“Heh, yeah right,” Rainbow Dash chuckled, playfully nudging the stallion with an elbow. “‘Rusty’ my tail. You’re already pretty much back to how you were before you broke your wing in the first place.” She reassured.

“I wouldn’t take it that far,” Blue Bolt added. “But, I do appreciate the help.”

The hours rolled by along with the steady chugging of the train. Soon enough, everyone mostly quieted down and settled in for the long ride to Canterlot.

Finally, Twilight looked up as she noticed the train sloping upwards. Sure enough, outside the window was the familiar sight of Canterlot mountain. She smiled slightly as she realized that their journey was over.

The train curved along the mountainside until it finally entered the city itself. While they were entering the station and slowing down, everyone gathered their belongings and got ready to disembark.

Twilight was among the first of her large group to step onto the platform below. Taking in a deep breath of the refreshing air of the city, she let out a relaxed sigh. The odd combination of smells from the city itself and the mountain it sat on would never get old.

“Wow…” Blue Bolt raised his eyebrows as he slowly took in the sight of the many buildings outside of the station. “It’s… bigger than I imagined.”

“Well, it looks smaller when you’re watching it in the distance.” Rainbow Dash stated.

Blue Bolt nodded to himself slowly. “Good point.” He tilted his head slightly as he shifted his attention to the maze of plazas and walkways littering the many levels of the city. “So, uh… where do we go from here?”

“Straight to the castle.” Twilight chimed in.

“The castle?” Blue Bolt said, a bit of anxiousness in his voice.

Rainbow Dash nudged the stallion reassuringly. “Relax, Blue. Just stick with us and we’ll show you the ropes.”

Blue Bolt swallowed uneasily, but nodded anyway. He only hoped that his friends would somehow break the ice for him if he had to speak with the princesses.

With Twilight, Spike, and Tom leading at the front of the pack, everyone made their way through the busy streets of Canterlot. Everywhere they turned, the ponies could see various decorations for Nightmare Night adorning the buildings and street lamps. The many cartoonish skeletons, bats, ghosts, and depictions of Nightmare Moon filled the area with a lighthearted atmosphere. Even a few townsfolk were already wearing their costumes in anticipation of the festivities in a few days.

Up a few winding streets and around some twists and turns, the group could finally see their destination ahead. Canterlot Castle, home to the royal sisters and head of the Equestrian diarchy, stretched out before them. Its massive scale, breathtaking architecture, and sheer aura of grandeur made more than a few members of the group take a moment to appreciate what they were seeing.

“Woah…” Blue Bolt’s jaw practically dropped. Never in his life did he expect to be this close to the royal palace.

“It’s prettier than I remembered.” Apple Bloom noted, her eyes aglint with wonderment.

Scootaloo grinned from ear to ear as she stared ahead. “I can’t wait to go inside!”

Sweetie Belle beamed eagerly. “Are we really staying here all week?”

Rarity took a moment to look down to the trio of eager fillies and raised an eyebrow. “Now, girls, remember your manners. We must be on our best behavior in front of the princess, right?” She asked pointedly.

“Yes, Rarity.” Scootaloo and her two friends answered with varying degrees of passive annoyance between them. Satisfied that her work was done, Rarity smiled contentedly and returned her attention ahead.

Deciding that it would be best not to keep everyone waiting, Twilight walked forward and led the group up to the castle. They passed a few guards stationed at their posts around the grounds before finally reaching the massive steps leading to the front entrance.

After what seemed like an eternity of climbing stairs, the group reached the top and opened the grand double-doors, revealing the castle foyer in all of its magnificence. A ruby red carpet stretched all the way from the entrance to the back of the room where a set of stairs went up to the next floor. And standing on the first landing of the stairs, was a pair of ponies that was immediately familiar to everyone.

Princess Cadence and her loving prince Shining Armor were chatting idly with each other. As they noticed the front doors opening, they turned and looked to see the large group entering the castle.

Twilight lit up with excitement as she spotted the couple. “Shiny! Cadence!” She bolted forward, leaving her friends behind as she rushed toward two of her favorite ponies in the world.

Shining Armor met her at the bottom step, grabbing her up into a brief, but firm, embrace. Once she was done greeting her brother, the unicorn turned to her former foalsitter and smiled knowingly. Both of them then proceeded to do the strangest greeting ritual that anyone had ever seen.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

The others watched as Twilight and the regal princess of love shared a moment that would seemingly befit a pair of childhood friends. While most of the group knew about the odd and touching ritual, it was a head-turner for Tom. Still, the unicorn seemed happy, and that was what mattered as far as the human was concerned.

Shining Armor waited for the two mares to get done with their greeting before ruffling his sister’s hair gently. “It’s good to see all of you here… especially you, Twily.”

Twilight glanced behind her toward her friends, a goofy smile still plastered on her face. As she laid eyes on the human at the front of the group, she gasped in remembrance and eagerly turned back to Cadence. “Cadence, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” She said, motioning behind her with her foreleg.

The alicorn looked at the boy, taking a moment to study him before smiling slightly. “So, this is the Tom you’ve been writing me about so much,” Cadence said. Of course, it wasn’t very hard to pick the human out of a crowd. She stepped forward slightly, eager to finally greet the monster hunter she had heard so much about.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess,” Tom said in a friendly manner while still trying to hold some formality. “I’m Thomas Greene, but you can call me Tom if you want.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Tom.” Cadence replied. She reached a hoof out, and after a moment of hesitation, the human reached forward and shook it. “My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza… but you can call me Cadence if you like.” She added with a slight chuckle.

Tom stifled a laugh as well before returning a relaxed expression to his face. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Twilight, not to mention Glimmer Shine and the others.” He stated, nodding toward his fellow monster hunters behind him.

Twilight raised an eyebrow curiously as she looked to the yellow stallion and his teammates. “Wait… you guys have already met Cadence? And I'm just hearing about this?!”

Glimmer Shine nodded, offering a brief smile in the direction of the alicorn. “We took a case in the Crystal Empire a while ago.” He explained.

“Frost wraith,” Glitterball added to the curious group. “It wasn’t pretty.”

Shining Armor nodded pensively. “It’s a good thing we had insurance on that statue… and the windows.” He cringed slightly, seemingly remembering something unpleasant.

Meanwhile, Sunspot was surprised to see some of the others looking at her suspiciously. “What? It isn’t always my fault when something breaks!”

Cadence chuckled to herself before trailing off. She cleared her throat and turned to Twilight. “I hate to cut our reminiscing short, but we had better get going. Celestia and Luna are waiting for us.” She suggested, taking a few steps toward the stairs and waiting for the others to start following.

“Oh! Of course,” Twilight quickly grabbed her bags again. She and her friends all followed Cadence and Shining Armor as they headed upstairs and further into the castle.

Blue Bolt gawked at his surroundings as he followed his friends. The marble floors were practically polished to the point where he could see himself in them, and some of the paintings and statuettes they passed looked more expensive than his entire house back in Ponyville.

But it wasn't just an atmosphere of riches and wealth. Every piece seemed to have purpose and beauty, and while it all felt grand and regal, there was a certain warmth to it as well. This was the home of the princesses, and it reflected on their personalities perfectly.

Apple Bloom skewed her expression as she glanced around. “How come this place is so big if only the princesses live here?”

“Well, that’s easy. It’s because they can afford it.” Scootaloo offered confidently.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head at this. “Ok… but why would they want to?” She asked, to which the young pegasus started to answer, only to fall silent as she found no explanation.

“She does have a point.” Sunspot chimed in. “I’ve been living here for the past few months, and I still don’t think I’ve been in all the rooms.”

“You’d probably make more ground if you looked for something other than the kitchen or the spa,” Glitterball replied with an amused snort.

“Wait a minute…” Rarity blinked. “This place has a spa?”

“Actually, there’s two if I remember right.” Glimmer Shine clarified.

Rarity gasped, “TWO spas?! Why has the princess never said anything about this?! I thought we were at least a little close! Does being the wielder of an element of harmony not count for anything anymore?!”

While the unicorn was having an existential crisis, Pinkie was struggling to think of an explanation for having two separate spas in one palace. The others didn’t really care enough to give the matter thought themselves, but they were curious what the pink mare would come up with.

“So… it’s gotta be to hold all of the princess’s rubber duckies, right?” Pinkie suggested.

Sparkplug gave the party pony an odd look. “Pinkie… I don’t think the princess has any rubber duckies.”

“But what else would she need two spas for?!” Pinkie asked. “Unless it’s some kind of a joke on Rarity,” She said, looking back to see Sweetie Belle trying to comfort her sister, who was having a nervous break. “But even then, I could think of less expensive ways to do the same thing.”

“I think it’s just a matter of Celestia and Luna having separate spas, Pinkie,” Twilight said plainly.

Pinkie seemed to reject this notion. “Nah… that’s just what they want us to think. I’ll bet there’s some well-kept secret behind it, and I am going to find it out before I leave if it’s the last thing I do.” She narrowed her eyes and darted them around the area suspiciously, even getting uncomfortably close to a passing guard and eyeing him up and down. To his credit, the stallion didn’t react outwardly, though the group did see him walking slightly faster away from them.

“I think the real secret they don’t want us to find out is how our tax bits are bein’ spent.” Applejack mused.

Soon, the group made their way into the throne room. Sitting across the wide-open space in their thrones were none other than the royal sisters themselves. Pinkie Pie gave an eager wave to the pair until Rarity swatted her hoof back down.

Celestia stood as she noticed the crowd entering, with Luna following close behind. “Welcome everyone. It is good to see you all.” She greeted, casting her gaze around the group and smiling warmly.

While Twilight and the others were mostly acclimated to meeting with the two alicorns by this point, Blue Bolt was awestruck. He stared ahead, slack-jawed, wide-eyed, and seemingly unsure of how to react.

Noticing her friend struggling to process the situation, Rainbow Dash smirked a bit before moving up and nudging Twilight. The unicorn looked back, only to find the cyan mare nodding back toward Blue.

“Princess, I think we should introduce you to our newest friend,” Twilight said, gesturing to the stallion with a wide smile. “This is Blue Bolt. He’s that pegasus I wrote you about.”

“I see.” Celestia looked over to the stiff pony beside the group and flashed a smile. “Hello, Blue Bolt. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Blue stammered nervously and started to bow before stopping himself. Finally, he settled on smiling as well, though his was far more awkward and goofy looking. “Uh… t-the pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty.”

“Princess Celestia will do just fine.” Celestia giggled softly. “And please, relax. We’re all friends here.” She said, and while the stallion eased some of the tension in his form, it was easy to see he was still unsure of how to act.

Luna walked up to the stallion and gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder that caught him off guard somewhat. “I’ve heard about that ordeal you and Rainbow Dash went through a few months ago. You two were exceptionally brave out there. I’m glad that you made it out unharmed.”

“Thank you, Princess… but, I can’t take credit for that. Rainbow did most of the work out there.” Blue Bolt said sheepishly before receiving a whack on the back by a cyan hoof.

“Aww, don’t be so modest, Blue. I could have handled myself, yeah, but you helped out.” Rainbow Dash said, trying to be reassuring in her own cocksure way.

Applejack formed a wry smirk as she looked at her friend. “Didn’t you end up in the hospital?”

“Let’s see you do better next time you get lost in a forest.” Rainbow deadpanned.

Celestia chuckled a bit before returning her attention to Blue Bolt, which in turn made him return his attention to her. “At any rate, please feel free to make yourself at home here over the next few days, Blue Bolt. You are our guest, and I want you to feel comfortable during your stay.”

“I… uh… I don’t know what to say.” Blue rubbed his foreleg, the corners of his smile twitching awkwardly. “Thank you, Princess.”

Celestia regarded the stallion for a moment longer, snorting softly and trying to fight off the amused smile forming from his nervous expression. Finally, she craned her head around at the larger gathering, paying particular attention to Twilight and the other bearers. “Glimmer Shine and the others can show you to your rooms. Dinner will be prepared in a few hours, but other than that, please feel free to let us know if you need anything.” She said graciously.

The group all smiled brightly at the royal sisters for their hospitality. Some were somewhat accustomed to this kind of treatment, but for others, this was a jarringly pleasant experience unlike any they were used to.

With a little over a week of their stay ahead of them, the ponies were all in high spirits as they headed off to their rooms to stow their luggage and settle in. Nightmare Night wouldn’t be the only exciting experience for them, they were sure of it. After all, what more could they ask for besides each other’s company in such lavish surroundings?

Chapter 5: Stillborn

All at once, Scholarly Scribble shot to consciousness with a deep inhale.

The first thing she felt was cold. However, it was an odd kind of cold. It wasn't like the room she was in was cold, with different parts of her body feeling warmer than others. Rather, it was a uniform, constant sensation, but it wasn't causing her to shiver or feel uncomfortable. It was like she was cold.

The next thing she felt was the harsh stonework floor beneath her, abrasive and filthy. This, along with the sight of an oppressively blank slate of a wall in front of her led her to believe that she was still in the castle.

Remembering what had happened before she blacked out, she raced a hoof to her neck protectively as a phantom tingle came. Strangely, however, it didn’t hurt anymore, and it felt dry. Where before there was a seemingly fatal slash wound, now there was just her own fur.

Was it just a dream? It had to have been. She would be dead if it weren’t some kind of hallucination or head trip. Her head was foggy and tingly, so perhaps she had struck it on something?

She lay there, processing her newly restored consciousness for a moment with her thoughts racing and her lungs pumping. However much air she was taking in, it didn’t seem to be doing anything to help her catch her breath, and as she slowed her breathing down, she realized that the sensation of needing to breathe was actually missing entirely.

Suddenly, her ear twitched and rotated to meet a wet squelch. She shifted, using her forehooves to turn and lift herself up so she could look behind her. The area was lightless and dark, yet strangely she could see clearly.

And what she saw next made her freeze in fear.

A lithe, equine figure was seated a few feet from her, facing away. Lying on the ground in front and around the figure were three motionless bodies.

One she recognized immediately to be Snapshot. The young stallion’s face was forever frozen in an expression of pain and terror, with a gruesome display of exposed flesh, tissue, and muscle where his neck was. Strangely, despite the sheer scope of the damage, it seemed devoid of any blood.

Next to the pegasus’ body, a larger green-furred stallion could be seen that must have been Pathfinder. She couldn’t see his face well, but she gleaned that much like Snapshot, he too was dead.

The third body was directly in front of the lithe figure, largely obscured from view by its form. However, Scribble could see yellow hind legs and hints of a white and black tail, all but confirming its identity.

Another wet sound came as the figure shifted, its head bowed and out of sight. It seemed to be holding the pegasus mare’s body in its lap, and as it lifted its head up, Scribble could see small amounts of crimson fluid spilling off of its muzzle.

Without even realizing it, Scribble gasped softly in horror. Almost the instant her sensitive ears picked up the sound, she froze, as did the figure. It turned its head to the side, allowing a glowing red orb to gaze back at the now trembling pony.

“AH!” Scribble leaped from the floor, scrambling backward and into the wall behind her. She groped at it with her forelegs as she stared ahead with wide eyes. “P-please! Don’t hurt me!” Her words tripped out of her mouth.

She didn’t expect her pleas to gather any meaningful response from the bloodthirsty creature that had just murdered her friends. She certainly didn’t expect a voice to respond.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

A soft-sounding masculine voice spoke, a bit of smooth refinement to it that reminded Scribble of the noble ponies that once visited her editorial team at her old job.

The figure stood and turned around, fully revealing its features. Scribble flinched in surprise and stunned shock. The brown fur, the silver hair, the horn and wings. This was the monstrous alicorn they had encountered, but strangely, it wasn't a withered and desiccated corpse any longer.

He had full, healthy-looking brown fur. His skin was no longer sagging and patchy, and his short hair, while a bit disheveled, was no longer falling out of a crumbling scalp. The sunken, hollow pits for eyes were now missing, though his colorful orbs still held an eerie red tinge that was unlike any pony Scribble had ever seen.

His face even looked somewhat young. Based on what little Scribble knew of alicorn biology, he seemed to be around Princess Cadence's age, or perhaps Luna’s.

It seemed as though the stallion before her was completely different from the nightmarish entity that had chased her and her friends down. Although, one detail of his appearance had stayed the same. He still had those three bloodless slash wounds across his neck and wrists that somehow looked even more disturbing now that his body was restored.

“You’ll forgive me for moving us to this dismal location.” The alicorn said as he slowly and casually walked toward the peach mare. He gestured around them at the dark and dingy room, seemingly one of the empty areas in the downstairs portion of the castle. “The sun came up before you woke, you see… and let’s just say that that would have proven problematic for us.”

Scribble reeled back, only to meet solid stone behind her as the alicorn came to a stop and sat a few feet from her. She was barely absorbing what he was saying as she looked past him to the bodies of her three friends.

“You… y-you killed them…!” Scribble squeaked as she shuffled to the side, slowly making her way along the wall while the alicorn watched her like she was the oddity in the room. She looked over to the side, spotting an open doorway that led Celestia knew where. She didn’t rightly care. All she cared was that it led away from the red-eyed monster.

“Now, now, let’s not overreact, my dear.” The alicorn said, unmoving as Scribble kept inching away. Then, she suddenly bolted forward at full speed heading for the door.

“Stay away from me!” She cried, not even bothering to look behind her. However, just as she reached the door-

“Stop right there.” The alicorn’s voice came, firm but not quite hostile sounding.

The tingle in Scribble’s head intensified briefly, and she came to a sudden halt. She didn’t even know why she did it. He just told her to do something, and her body followed his instruction.

She stood there, still panting wildly and tensing her shoulders. Slowly, she turned and looked to him with eyes still full of fear, but also confusion.

The alicorn got up and walked a few steps toward her. He seemed to consider his words for a moment before speaking again. “Now… I understand you must be upset about your friends,” He turned his head toward the bodies, his voice going flat and a corner of his face tugging before he faced her again, “but, I simply couldn’t help myself. Those with my… condition, tend to work off instinct alone when deprived of sustenance for so long.”

“Your… condition made you eat them?!” Scribble replied. She wanted to back away, but she still found herself unable to retreat from him. “You’re a monster!”

A warm chortle came as the alicorn smiled at her, revealing a set of two elongated fangs at the top of his mouth. “I’m a monster, am I? Well, that puts you in the same company, my little pony.” He said, lifting a single hoof and pointing it at her.

“What?” Scribble asked, instinctively following his direction down with her eyes. Suddenly, she paused as she saw her own forelegs. Lifting one of her hooves up, she held it in front of her face. Instead of the normal peach coloring she had grown used to all her life, her fur was a deathly paler shade of its usual color.

She drew her bottom lip in, and as she did, something sharp poked it. Scribble moved her tongue to find the foreign object, only to discover that she was touching her own teeth. She reached a hoof to her open mouth, alarm and fear now coursing through her veins as she felt down the length of the now elongated and sharp predatory instruments.

“Wh… what did you do to me?!” She fell back to her haunches, feeling her hooves down her body. She was so cold and pale, like all of the life had been washed out of her. Even her mane was discolored.

Then, much to her horror, as she rested her hoof against her chest, she realized something. Her heart wasn't beating.

“You should be grateful, my child. I have revived you from death.” The alicorn said, a bit of an amused smirk forming on his features as he saw a glint of confusion and denial in the mare’s eyes, which were red like his own. “What? You thought that was a dream, what happened to you?” He asked, lifting a hoof and brushing it along his neck pointedly, drawing attention to the wound across its surface.

Scribble trailed her eyes down and held her own neck, memories of a burning pain and her own blood being siphoned out flooding back to her. “I’m dead…?” She muttered quietly.

“Undead, rather.” He clarified. “I thought it would be a suitable gift to give you as thanks for reviving me. Although… I must apologize. Were I more in control of myself, I would have been a touch gentler with you and your compatriots… and I wouldn’t have drained them quite so much.” He glanced back to the corpses behind him, which were mostly devoid of blood, save for Gale, who still had some of the crimson fluid oozing out.

“I… I don’t-” Scribble paused, her eyes struggling to maintain focus. Her vision was starting to blur, and the faint tingle in her head had grown into a dull buzz that made thinking difficult. She planted a hoof in front of her in an attempt at getting up, only to stumble and barely catch herself before panting. Her breaths came in odd rhythms, and it felt like she was about to pass out.

“I see…” The alicorn said, a curious inflection to his voice as he watched this happening. “So even if you are freshly turned, you still need to feed.”

“Wh… what are you… talking about?” Scribble clenched her eyes shut and grit her teeth. She felt ill, but she couldn’t place why. Her stomach was in knots like she hadn’t eaten anything in a week.

“Worry not, my child. Luckily for you, I left this one with just enough blood for you in the event of this happening.” He stepped back and gestured to Gale’s body.

Scribble lifted her head up and looked toward the yellow mare’s corpse. Suddenly, she froze as a single dull drip pricked her ears.

Her big red eyes dilated and her jaw fell open as she saw some blood trickling out of Gale’s neck and pooling on the ground. She sniffed twice before taking a longer inhale of the copper aroma. Such a smell would have been abrasive to her before, but now it was oddly hypnotizing.

With a yet undiscovered instinct fueling her, Scribble crawled forward toward her former friend. She paused before the mare’s body, staring down for a few moments as saliva eagerly gathered on her tongue.

Part of her knew that what she was considering was foul, revolting even. Part of her wanted to turn her nose up and recoil in disgust, as a normal pony would. However, that part of her was silent, as a different part of her was hungry.

“Go on. You need to get your strength back.” The alicorn coaxed from his position watching her. His words seemed so appealing. She was so tired and weak and thirsty, and she knew just how to restore herself.

However, as she lowered herself toward Gale’s neck, her fangs poised and ready to sink in and drain the pegasus of every last drop, she hesitated as a memory flashed in her head.

She thought back to first meeting the pegasus and the others, to their journey through the woods and up to the castle. Their smiling faces gathered together in the cold. She thought about Gale’s bravery in trying to save her. And through all the transfixed hunger and feral instinct burning in her eyes, tears began to form.

“N-NO!” She yelled, jerking away and scooting herself back before forcing herself to look away.

The alicorn’s brows lowered and his head tilted as he watched the peach mare shivering and panting as she held herself back. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you thirsty?”

Scribble gently sobbed and shook her head as she held her sides. “No… I… I-I can’t… Please, don’t make me.” She whimpered before another pang of hunger made her cringe and curl into a ball.

The pale alicorn observed the peach mare quietly for a moment before walking up to her. She trailed her worried and strained eyes up to him, but she was too weak to move away.

“Very well… If you do not wish to partake in her blood, I think I can accommodate you.” He held up a foreleg and lifted his hoof, exposing his wrist and stretching the wound on it.

Much to Scribble’s surprise and morbid astonishment, a small, controlled trickle of blood slowly fell down in one long stream from out of his wrist. It stopped above her, pausing unnaturally in the air.

The hunger inside her wasn't going away anytime soon. While a hint of disturbance still remained in the back of her mind, Scribble relented and opened her mouth hesitantly, leaning her head back to line up with the stream. As she did, it continued falling down, landing in her mouth and sliding down her throat.

It was wonderful. Somehow, it still tasted the same metallic way that blood always did taste, but she didn’t find it disgusting anymore. In fact, she almost found it euphoric.

As the stream eventually ceased and the alicorn lowered his foreleg, Scribble exhaled with relief and deflated back to her haunches. The tingling sensation was gone from her head, and her body felt stronger than it ever had before.

However, now that she had her mental faculties back in order, she adopted a more disquieted expression as she thought about what she just did. She drank blood, and she liked it. It might not have belonged to an innocent pony, but the macabre implications of it and of what she now was unsettled her.

Looking back up to the alicorn, she still felt a bit of fear and unease. Yet, underneath all of her uncertainty and nervousness, she somehow knew that she couldn’t get away if she tried.

Her monstrous host shifted his head to gaze around the room. He had a pensive look about him, and he didn’t seem to be taking in his surroundings so much as he was thinking on other subjects, and whatever subjects they were seemed to sour his expression briefly.

“So…” The alicorn spoke, catching Scribble off guard with his flat tone as he turned to her. “Tell me, what year is it?”

Scribble blinked, a bit unprepared for such a strange question at first. “Umm… it’s the year of our lady, two thousand and nine.”

This made the alicorn give pause briefly. “Hmm… It’s been that long, has it?” He muttered to himself, resting a hoof against the wound on his neck. He was silent for a few moments as he stared at the floor, his jaw tensing in mounting anger. Finally, he looked back up to her. “Is Celestia still your ruler?”

“Y-yes,” Scribble nodded timidly, “her and Princess Luna.”

Now, the alicorn blinked in stunned surprise. “What…?”

“They both rule together… It’s kind of sweet how they-”

“What do you mean?!” The pale stallion snapped abruptly, his red eyes glowing more intensely. “Luna was banished to the moon! How in thrice-damned oblivion is she ruling beside Celestia?!”

Scribble flinched back as a feral-sounding growl emanated from the alicorn’s throat. “She… s-she came back. She was going to overthrow Princess Celestia, b-but then she got purified by Twilight Sparkle and the other elements of harmony… or something… I-I don’t know, please don’t hurt me!” She stammered fearfully, hiding her face.

The alicorn’s grit teeth and tensed jaw gradually relaxed as the peach mare cowered from him. He thought to himself for a moment before taking a few calming breaths and speaking again, this time in a more soft tone.

“What is your name, my child?”

Scribble peeked out, still a bit unnerved. “Scholarly Scribble…” She squeaked.

The alicorn hummed and slowly reached a hoof out to her. She froze, her jittery form jolting and a tiny squeak of fear escaping as he lifted her chin up to face him. He had a slight curl to his mouth, but it didn’t quite radiate joy like a smile should have. His eyes were also intense, as if his thoughts were elsewhere.

“Well… Scholarly Scribble,” He snorted softly, “I want you to tell me every major event that has happened since Luna was banished.”
.
...
…..
And so, Scribble did as she was told.

She sat there in the dark, surrounded by the bodies of her friends and the alicorn that murdered them. Her new master, though such a description repulsed her. She hated him for what he had done to her and the others, and she was terrified of what he was capable of.

And yet she obeyed him. He listened intently as she described the history of Equestria in the last thousand years, or at least to the best of her knowledge.

She told him of Luna’s return as Nightmare Moon, and of Celestia’s student Twilight and her five friends that would become the bearers of harmony and defeat the tyrant of the night. She told him of Discord’s return and defeat, and of the hooded ponies’ arrival and attempted coup.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of her whole retelling to the alicorn was the arrival of Thomas Greene, Equestria’s only human and slayer of evil.

The alicorn scratched his chin pensively as he mulled over everything the mare had explained. It was a lot to take in, and for one reason or another, it seemed troubling to him. “So, let me get this straight,” He said, looking up to Scribble, “Celestia’s… student, wielded the elements of harmony and purified Luna.”

“Y-yes.” Scribble nodded.

“And now Luna leads a team of monster hunters to contend with all the creatures unleashed by the… what did you call them?”

“The hooded ponies,” Scribble said.

“I see… how quaint.” The alicorn nodded to himself with a flat hum. “It seems that a lot has happened since I-” He trailed off abruptly, that look of intensity returning to his eyes before he shook his head. “Nevermind that. I have more important things to do than to sit here and think on the past. I’ve done enough of that already…” He glanced down to his forelegs, paying close attention to the slashes on both wrists. “Now that I have this power, I think it is time that I acted.”

As the alicorn got up and turned around, Scribble watched him hesitantly. He walked over to the three bodies on the floor, pausing before Gale’s.

Much to Scribble’s disturbance, she watched as all of the remaining blood in the pegasus’ body was pulled out of the wound in her neck. The crimson fluid floated up and into the alicorn’s neck, whereupon he produced a pleased sigh.

Then, he lifted a foreleg up and exposed his wrist, allowing a stream of his own blood to flow out and split off into three tendrils that quickly spread out and flowed into the three dead ponies’ wounds in a confusing and unsettling display.

“What are you doing?” Scribble asked softly, deciding that it was best to keep her revulsion to herself.

The alicorn ceased the flow of blood from his wrist and gazed at the bodies for a moment before turning to Scribble. “I’m going to leave here tonight, and when I do, I’m going to require some aid… Aid that you are unable to give me, it seems.” He gave her an odd look, like he was merely tolerating her presence.

Scribble furrowed her brow slightly and shook her head. “I don’t understand. What did you do to them?” She asked.

Instead of answering her question directly, the alicorn walked back over to her and passed her, starting to make his way to a doorway leading out into what must have been one of the basement corridors. “Enough questions, Scholarly Scribble. Come, follow me. I will show you to a comfortable place for you to wait while I’m gone. Besides… what happens next is rather unpleasant to behold if I recall, and I grow tired of your incessant whines.”

As he exited the room, Scribble remained for a moment as she looked over to her former friends. Why had the alicorn given them his blood? Where was he going, and why? These and a million other questions swirled around in her head. She felt a wave of despair washing over her as she looked down to her pale hooves. She just wanted to wake up from this nightmare already and see her brother again.

“Come along, my child.” The alicorn called from outside, sounding a bit impatient with her. A sharp tingle filled her mind, suddenly nudging her will into following his command.

“I’m coming!” She assured, hurrying along to follow after him. However, as she reached the doorway, she paused and stole one last glance at the bodies behind her.

She could almost swear she saw Gale’s leg twitch.

Chapter 6: Wake-Up Call

“Gah!” Tom awoke with a yelp, shooting up from the floor. He darted his head around in a panic, only to discover that he was still in Twilight’s room.

His heart was beating out of his chest, and the blanket draped over his lower half was damp with sweat.

Taking another slower look around the room, he discovered that it was early morning. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but the sky was tinted blue, and faint light streamed in through the windows, illuminating the room just enough to see.

Spike was fast asleep in his basket nearby, and Twilight was still snoring softly up in her bed. The pair apparently hadn’t been disturbed by the human’s outburst.

After a moment, Tom’s breathing started to calm down as he stared at the baby dragon and purple unicorn sleeping peacefully.

“A dream…” He muttered to himself, running a hand down his pale face, “It was just a nightmare?”

Faint memories of the horrific dream he had just escaped from flashed before his eyes, causing him to shudder in revulsion. Taking one last look at his friends to assure himself that everything was fine, he frowned softly and shifted his eyes down.

Tom rolled the sleeve of his shirt back and stared at the bandages underneath. Running his fingers over the site of the wound sent twinges of pain through him, reminding him that it was still there.

The human tensed his jaw as he thought about the wound. Concentrating for a moment, he focused on his powers and attempted once again to heal himself.

Faint burning arose from the corners of the gash, but he couldn’t tell whether the sensation was from his powers or the wound itself stinging.

Tom sighed and rolled his sleeve back up in a huff. He ruffled his fingers through his hair and blankly stared down at the floor. With a flood of troubling thoughts in his head, the boy contemplated to himself in silence as his two companions snored away.

Shifting his eyes to the door, he set his mouth into a somber line and finally got up from the floor. After glancing one last time to Twilight and Spike, he quietly slipped out of the room and into the castle halls.

Making his way out and through the dimly lit corridors, the human walked alone until he finally reached his destination.

A door stood before him, seemingly unremarkable from the others dotted around the hallway. Tom reached his hand up to the door, hesitating for a moment before knocking a few times. Soon after, some muffled noises came from inside the room.

“Who is it…?” A drowsy voice called, barely audible.

The door opened slowly, and the human stepped back. He was greeted with the sight of Glitterball looking back at him.

The white unicorn was merely clad with a soft-looking baby blue nightcap that dangled slightly off of her head. Her eyes were clouded with confusion and sleepiness as she blinked at her unexpected visitor.

“Tom…” Glitterball mumbled, “what are you doing here?”

Tom frowned slightly as he watched the pony rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Sorry to wake you… it’s just,” He paused, struggling to find a justifiable reason for the disturbance he was causing, “I could really use your help with something.”

Glitterball stood in the doorway, staring back at the human with unfocused eyes and absorbing roughly half of the conversation. “Tom, it’s like six in the morning.” She sighed before forcing a more compassionate expression to her face. “Can’t whatever this is wait until later?” She asked softly.

“Umm…” Tom’s expression fell as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “You’re right. I guess it’s nothing that important. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

Glitterball’s face softened as she watched the human starting to leave. Even despite how tired she was, it was obvious that something was troubling him.

“Wait…” She reached out to stop him.

Tom paused mid-step and turned around. Glitter looked down, perhaps contemplating whether or not to just get back into bed, before facing the human.

“You said you needed help with something. What is it?” She asked.

Tom trailed his eyes off to the side uncomfortably, seemingly thinking of something. Finally, he leveled with the white mare and gave her an earnest expression.

“That last mission we went on got me thinking. You guys are really underprepared to deal with a lot of this stuff. I’d be a lot more comfortable with you all going off on missions without me if you had some upgrades to your arsenal.” He explained.

“Well…” Glitterball paused, unsure of what to say. “Did you have something in mind?”

“Yeah, I’ve got some ideas,” Tom replied, “but I could use your help with experimenting on them. You’re more familiar with your gear than I am.”

Glitterball was a bit surprised that the human would come to her for help like this. Still, she was happy to offer her expertise.

“Alright, I’ll help. Just let me get freshened up a bit and grab my gear.” She said, starting to recede back into her room. Tom nodded with a grateful smile.

“Oh, and Tom?” Glitterball paused, opening her door up a bit so she could better look at the human.

“Hmm?” Tom tilted his head curiously.

“Try not to wake me up for any non-emergencies anymore… at least until the sun is up.” She pleaded.

Tom chuckled nervously and nodded. “R-right… sorry again.”

Glitterball smiled at the awkward human before disappearing again into her room. Tom waited patiently for her to finish waking up properly and getting ready, eager to get started on his plans.

A few hours went by as the morning was ushered in by the sun rising.

Elsewhere in the castle, Rainbow Dash stretched and yawned loudly as she woke from her slumber.

Groggily making her way out of bed, she trudged around her room and somewhat readied herself for the day ahead before heading out the door.

Thinking ahead to where she would most likely find her friends, she decided to check the castle foyer first.

This wasn’t the pegasus’ first time in the royal castle. Although she didn’t know her way around quite as much as her friend Twilight, she could move around freely without much fear of getting lost along the way. A quick few corridors and turns, and the opening to the large expanse of a room came into view ahead of her.

Descending the steps, Rainbow could already spot some of her friends downstairs.

Fluttershy and Blue Bolt were sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, seemingly chatting with each other. Applejack and Rarity were back near the entrance having a conversation with Sunspot and Glimmer Shine.

Upon hearing hoofsteps behind them, the pair on the stairs turned their heads and noticed the cyan mare coming toward them.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy smiled cheerfully.

“Morning,” Blue Bolt greeted with a slight wave.

“Morning,” Rainbow Dash replied, giving the pair a passing glance before shifting her eyes up to the others near the door. “Where is everyone else? Did they sleep in or something?”

Fluttershy shook her head while looking up at the others. “No, they’re already up.” She explained.

“You’re up last, as per usual.” Blue Bolt added with a smirk.

Rainbow Dash gave the stallion an unimpressed stare. She started to speak until Fluttershy beat her to it.

“Actually, I think Sparkplug is still asleep,” Fluttershy commented.

“Ha,” Rainbow Dash huffed in Blue Bolt’s face, giving him a full blast of any morning breath she had left, “I’m not always up last.” She said, smirking to match the stallion’s previous jest. Turning her attention back to the group down by the entrance, Rainbow raised an eyebrow curiously. “So, why aren’t they out with the others?”

“Well,” Fluttershy started, “Pinkie took the crusaders into town to go costume shopping for tomorrow. I think Rarity and Applejack are going to join her soon. Sunspot and Glimmer Shine are probably waiting on Sparkplug and Glitterball. As for Twilight, I’m pretty sure she went to go spend some time with the princess.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, though she was sort of disappointed that her other friends hadn’t opted to spend the day doing something fun with each other. Then again, it was still early.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious why we stayed here?” Blue Bolt asked, surprised that the cyan pony was pretty much ignoring him.

“Nah,” Rainbow Dash replied flatly. “I pretty much figured you would wait up for me.” She stated.

While the stallion was lowering his ears and muttering something about being able to make his own plans, Rainbow was furrowing her expression pensively. “Say… where’s Tom?” She asked curiously.

Fluttershy looked like she was at a loss, staring for a moment and even looking to Blue Bolt to confer an answer to give her friend. “Actually, I don’t know where Tom is. I haven’t seen him at all.”

“Really?” Dash asked.

“Yeah,” Fluttershy trailed her eyes downward, further contemplating the boy’s whereabouts. “Although, he does usually get up before any of us. Maybe he’s off with Spike somewhere, or maybe he’s doing something for the princess?”

“Man, he needs to learn to chill out.” Rainbow Dash sighed.

Thinking further about the human and his obsession with the safety of everyone around him, her thoughts shifted to the blue stallion ahead of her and his newly restored wings.

“Well, it’s his loss. Come on… why don’t we go sightseeing?” Rainbow suggested, nodding to her wings eagerly.

Fluttershy got to her hooves, perking up excitedly as she looked to Blue Bolt. This would be the first time he would see Canterlot from the air. It was a special occasion for any pegasus, let alone one that only recently regained the ability to fly.

“Oh, I can’t wait. This is going to be so much fun!” The usually quiet mare said, practically vibrating with empathetic joy for her friend.

“Yeah… I’m sure it’ll be great.” Blue Bolt chuckled, hiding a bit of nervousness in his voice.

With their plan laid out before them, the three pegasi made their way down the stairs and over to the entrance. After greeting their friends and having a small chat, they waved goodbye and headed out onto the streets of Canterlot.

Once they made it to a less crowded street, Rainbow Dash paused and turned to her companions. “This looks as good a spot as any.” She reasoned. Turning to Blue Bolt, she gestured skyward and stepped back a bit to give him some room. “You go first, Blue.”

“Ok…” Blue Bolt exhaled before putting his full attention on the task ahead.

The stallion adjusted his stance and looked up, putting more focus on the simple act of flying than any pegasus his age should have. With little trouble, he unfolded his wings and flapped them, slowly picking up speed.

Fluttershy watched the stallion hovering into the air with a pleased expression. Considering one of his wings was paralyzed a mere few months ago, he was making incredible progress in improving his form. “You’re doing great, Blue.” She assured, smiling at him encouragingly as he lifted up.

Blue Bolt half smiled and forced a chuckle, but on the inside, he was still not comfortable with being airborne. Still, even he was amazed by how well he was doing.

Once the stallion made it a fair distance above street level, the two mares effortlessly rose up to join him. Rainbow Dash flew past the stallion, already trying to find the best place to go. Fluttershy flew past as well, but she stayed closer to the stallion so she could keep an eye on him.

With her two companions in tow, Rainbow Dash flew well above the highest point in the city. Spotting some clouds higher up that looked like a good vantage point, she gestured for the others to follow as she zipped up to them.

The cyan pony glided up and plopped down on the edge of the cloud, dangling her hind legs off the edge. She watched as her friends came up to meet her.

“What do you think?” Rainbow asked, patting a spot on the cloud beside her. “Not a bad view, huh?”

Fluttershy and Blue Bolt landed, taking a moment to look around.

“Wow…” Blue Bolt’s jaw dropped as he took in the sights around him.

Nearly all of the city was visible beneath them, from the tallest tower to the lowest street. The sun cast an aura of warmth and vibrance across the royal palace, making its many colors and unique architecture pop.

Behind the three pegasi, the horizon of peaceful landscape that made up the vast kingdom of Equestria seemed so small that they could cross it in a leisurely stroll. Blue Bolt could even make out the faint outline of Ponyville in the distance.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were more casually admiring the view, while Blue Bolt was looking around with his eyes aglint with wonder and awe.

“I… haven’t seen anything like this since school.” Blue Bolt said, surprised at the revelation himself as he stared out at the city below.

“Well, if you think it looks good now, you should see it tomorrow night,” Rainbow said. “With all the lights and decorations everywhere, it’s going to be awesome.”

“I’ll bet,” Blue nodded.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash scooted closer to the edge and kicked her legs in the air idly while staring down at the sights below. While the simple act didn’t seem like it would be very noteworthy, it made Blue Bolt instinctively back closer to the center of the cloud.

Turning and spotting her friend staring ahead nervously, Fluttershy frowned. “What’s wrong, Blue?” She asked, causing Rainbow Dash to turn as well.

Blue Bolt’s face reddened slightly as the two mares looked to him curiously. “Uh… it’s nothing. I just…” He sighed before trailing his eyes down. “After my wing got paralyzed and I moved out of Cloudsdale, I sort of… developed a fear of heights.”

The concept of a pegasus being afraid of heights was silly, laughable even. However, the two mares weren’t laughing. They were sympathetic.

“Wow…” Rainbow Dash said, staring at the stallion with a stunned look on her face. “I had no idea.” She frowned slightly as she thought back to all of the times when she had seen him acting nervous around heights. So much made sense now, and she felt terrible for not having noticed before.

“It’s fine,” Blue Bolt said, “I know my wings are perfectly healthy now, but…” He swallowed uncomfortably while eyeing over the edge of the cloud. “Every time I get this high up, I just keep worrying that my bad wing is going to lock up on me like it did back in school.”

Rainbow Dash looked to her own wings, cringing slightly as she pictured having such a crippling injury like her friend did. “Well… don’t feel bad, Blue. I’m sure if I had my wing give out on me, I would be a little nervous about flying again too.” She stated reassuringly, offering the stallion a soft pat on the back. “You’ll get over your fear soon enough.”

“Yeah,” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “If you want, we could do some more flying exercises today. We could even do some tomorrow before we meet up with everyone for the festival.” She suggested.

“The festival?” Blue Bolt furrowed his expression curiously.

Rainbow Dash seemed a bit surprised at the stallion’s confusion. “The Nightmare Night festival.” She said flatly, expecting him to instantly get it.

“I thought people just dressed up in costumes and went around asking for candy on Nightmare Night?” Blue asked cluelessly.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stared at the stallion, unsure of whether or not he was being serious. Their confusion quickly shifted to sympathy as they realized he wasn’t joking around.

“Man… What is it like in Fillydelphia?” Rainbow shook her head sadly. “No, Blue, that isn’t all there is to Nightmare Night. I mean sure… people do dress up and get tons of candy and stuff, but there’s way more fun stuff too! Ponies in Ponyville throw parties and set up games and other stuff, and it’s even better in Canterlot!”

“Yeah, there’s a whole city-wide festival where ponies get together and do all kinds of things,” Fluttershy added. “There’s a contest to see who has the best costume at the palace, there’s going to be a concert with a famous band playing, and there’s going to be a scavenger hunt!” She smiled eagerly as she thought ahead to all of the events that would be going on tomorrow. She was hard-pressed to see which ones she wanted to make time to go to.

“And, there’s going to be a haunted house.” Rainbow Dash smirked.

Blue Bolt raised a surprised eyebrow. “I didn’t think you were into kids’ attractions.”

“Oh no,” Rainbow shook her head. “This one’s not going to be for kids. It’s being run by some of the best ponies in the business of scaring your fur off.”

Fluttershy tensed up as the cyan mare explained the terrifying event. “Umm… if you two don’t mind, I think I’d like to skip that one when we go.” She said, offering a pleading expression to her friends.

“Huh? You guys want to go to the festival with me?” Blue Bolt asked with a surprised look.

“Of course we do, Blue.” Rainbow Dash said, a bit surprised at the stallion’s assumption. “What? Did you think we brought you all the way to Canterlot just to leave you by yourself?”

Blue Bolt looked down sheepishly and half chuckled. “Well, I guess not. I mean… I just kinda thought that you would want to go with your best friends.” He admitted.

The two mares seemed surprised by the stallion’s response. Fluttershy frowned slightly as she realized that he must have thought that he was simply an outsider in their group of friends.

“Blue, what are you talking about?” Fluttershy asked softly. “You are one of our best friends.” She said, to which Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

“Yeah… I mean, we met you before anyone else! Well, except for each other.” Rainbow gestured to her yellow companion.

Hearing this, Blue Bolt felt a tug at his heart and a warm feeling washing over him. “Wow… Thanks, guys, I uh…” He smiled and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Alright, don’t get all mushy on us.” Rainbow jested, patting the stallion on the back heartily. “At this rate, you’ll end up more awkward than Fluttershy.”

While Blue Bolt merely blinked curiously at the cyan mare’s comparison, Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“Wait… you think I’m awkward?” She asked defensively.

After a moment of hesitation, both Blue Bolt and Rainbow Dash failed to contain their laughter.

Meanwhile, back in the castle, Glimmer Shine and Sunspot were still waiting around near the entrance.

Applejack and Rarity had since left for town, and aside from a passing meeting with Twilight and the two princesses, the pair had been left to their own devices for most of their morning.

Sunspot shifted her weight between her legs impatiently. She tried her hardest to occupy herself silently, but she wasn’t faring nearly as well as her stallion companion. “Ugh… what did Glitter want us to wait around for?” She asked, turning to Glimmer Shine with a strained expression.

Glimmer merely shrugged his shoulders. “You heard everything I did. Apparently, she’s working on something with Tom.” He said, recalling the sparse information the unicorn had given them when they got up.

“Well, can’t we just go get breakfast or something while we wait?” Sunspot grumbled before sighing. “I wish I had taken Sparkplug up on that offer to go to the library.”

“I didn’t take her for the type to be big on reading.” Glimmer noted curiously.

Sunspot would have agreed with the stallion’s reasoning, but she knew better. “I’m pretty sure she went to check out the castle’s catalog of the latest technological advancements.”

Glimmer Shine nodded in revelation. “Oh.”

A few more minutes passed by, with Sunspot’s patience wearing thinner the longer they stood around. After a certain point, even Glimmer Shine was starting to feel a little dull.

Just when the pegasus was starting to voice her impatience once more, the pair heard a familiar voice speaking in their heads.

“Guys, could you come to the training room? We’re ready for you now.” Glitterball spoke, her voice hiding a bit of drowsiness in it.

“Ugh,” Sunspot rolled her eyes. “It’s about time.” She turned to the stallion and gestured a hoof at him. “Come on, let’s go. I want to get whatever this is over with so we can get something to eat.” She suggested, barely waiting for her companion as she walked off.

Glimmer Shine shrugged and followed the pegasus. At any rate, he doubted that she would wait around any longer than she already had, not that he could blame her.

The pair walked through the corridors of the castle, barely even taking in the sights around them. The castle was their second home by now, and they probably knew their way around it better than most.

As they were walking, the pair looked behind them as they heard hoofsteps hurriedly approaching, only to see Sparkplug trotting alongside them.

“Hey, guys.” The gray mare greeted with a friendly wave.

“Hey, Sparkplug.” Sunspot and Glimmer Shine returned her greeting in kind.

“I take it you heard Glitter too?” Sparkplug asked curiously.

Glimmer nodded. “Yep… Part of the perks of the communication spell.”

“Ah.” Sparkplug nodded. “There isn’t really a way to tell who is hearing what when you’re just the listener, is there?”

“I guess not.” Sunspot shrugged. Finding her gaze shifting along the gray mare, she paused as she noticed something, or rather, the lack of something. “Hey, did you forget your strobe?” She asked, pointing to Sparkplug’s leg.

Sparkplug looked down to her hind leg, her eyes widening slightly as she saw nothing but gray fur and her cutie mark. The others had a strap around one of their back legs, with a single vial from their gear attached to it. “Oh… sorry. I’m still getting used to being a monster hunter.”

Glimmer Shine softened his expression a bit as he saw how worked up she was getting. “Don’t worry, it’s not that big of a deal. Just make sure you start putting it on in the future. If we’re off duty, and we run into something, you’re going to want your strobe within reach.” He explained, tapping his own strobe for assurance.

“R-right…” Sparkplug trailed her eyes down, rubbing her neck uncomfortably as they kept walking. Clearing her throat, she shifted her attention away from her own forgetfulness for a moment. “Speaking of equipment, what do you think Glitter has been working on?” She asked, returning a more intrigued expression to her face.

“Beats me.” Sunspot replied flatly. “I’m sure whatever it is, it’s going to be worth it.”

Glimmer Shine half chuckled at the thought. “Yeah, she buries herself into fiddling with new charms and stuff almost as much as you do with electronics, Sparkplug.”

“Is that a good thing?” Sparkplug tilted her head. “I’ve been told I have a problem…”

Glimmer Shine and Sunspot shared a silent look with each other for a moment before the stallion answered. “I guess we’ll find out.”

A few more corridors and turns later, the trio arrived at the training room.

Opening up the door, Glimmer Shine led his companions into a medium-sized room with a high ceiling. The floor was wooden, though certain sections of it were padded for sparring matches between guards. Training dummies were stored along one of the walls, next to a rack full of wooden swords and safety gear.

Toward the middle of the room, Tom and Glitterball were stood in front of a table they had set up. Across the rectangular table, many vials from their gear, either empty or full of varied substances, sat alongside other pieces of equipment. Some of the items the pair seemed to have been working on were completely foreign-looking to the three entering the room.

Glitterball looked away from her human companion as she heard the door opening and closing. She smiled as she saw her friends and teammates. “Morning, guys.” She greeted before stifling a yawn. Although she was somewhat chipper, her appearance mirrored the drowsiness the others had detected from her earlier.

“Hey… Glitter.” Sunspot smiled hesitantly, noting the dreary look in the unicorn’s eyes. “Did you have trouble sleeping or something?” She asked with a bit of concern.

Glitterball seemed surprised to hear that she looked as tired as she felt. “Oh… no, I slept well. I just got up a bit earlier than I’m used to.” She admitted with a slight chuckle, eliciting a sad cringe from the human behind her.

“Well,” Glimmer Shine started, gesturing toward the table full of equipment. “What have you got for us?”

Glitterball stepped aside, letting the human take the front. “Actually, I just helped. Tom’s the one that did the legwork on pretty much everything here.” She explained.

Sunspot looked at the human with a raised eyebrow. “Wow… Why the sudden interest in tinkering?”

Tom adopted a more serious expression as he looked at the pegasus, causing her expression to lower. “That mission we did back in Ponyville made me realize that your gear isn’t nearly up to snuff for what you’re dealing with.” The human explained.

“Really?” Sparkplug spoke up in surprise. “I mean, we’ve got a lot of options to use already. We’ve got the strobes, a few knives, a taser… and half a dozen other things I can barely remember.”

“Yeah,” Sunspot nodded. “I mean, we’ve been doing pretty good for ourselves all things considered.”

Tom’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he sighed quietly and picked up a familiar vial off of the table. He was holding a strobe. “Yes, you’ve all been doing spectacular, and I’m not being sarcastic. But… I think you’re putting a little too much faith in what you’re using as your primary weapon.” He said, pointing the vial at Sunspot.

Before the pegasus could even react, the human pressed the button on the strobe, firing out a single burst of colored light that shot into the orange mare’s face and exploded harmlessly into sparks, causing her to recoil and flinch.

“Ack!” Sunspot yelped in surprise. After she opened her eyes again, she scowled quietly at the human.

“That didn’t hurt at all, did it?” Tom asked, accentuating the obvious.

“No, it didn’t, but-” Sunspot started.

“But nothing.” Tom interrupted. “A monster isn’t going to flinch and get scared of something that doesn’t hurt it, or at least you can’t rely on that outcome. The strobes are a good tool, and they work on a decent number of monsters… but if you fight something with no weakness to them or anything else you’ve got, you guys are nothing more to it than a corpse waiting to be made.” He stated bluntly.

The human’s words made an uneasy silence fall over the group.

Glitterball was waiting behind the boy, looking ahead somberly and letting him explain to her team what he had already explained to her.

Sparkplug had a slightly fearful look in her eyes as she thought about the very real scenario that the human was proposing. At least the others had royal guard or Wonderbolt training to fall back on, but she had nothing.

Glimmer Shine glanced to the side to see his teammates reflecting quietly. Even Sunspot was wearing an uneasy expression, and he understood perfectly. After losing his brother and two other friends, the yellow stallion never wanted to let anyone down again.

“Ok, I see your point.” Glimmer said. “So, you’re saying we need more weapons that don’t rely on specific monster weaknesses.” He looked to the human, curious and willing to see what the boy had to show.

Tom nodded with a slight smile. “Exactly, which is why me and Glitter have been working on some weapons like that.” He briefly gestured to the items on the table before walking up to one. “You ever shoot a crossbow, Glimmer?” He asked, picking up what looked to be a crossbow small enough to be held in one hand, or hoof.

Glimmer Shine examined the small weapon and raised an eyebrow. “I have, but I’ve never seen one that small.”

Tom smirked a bit before looking ahead. “That’s because it’s custom made.” He explained while taking a bolt off of the table and loading it into the bow. He brought the bow up with one arm and pointed it ahead at a group of targets set up against the far wall.

Lining up the shot for a moment with one eye closed, the human pressed the trigger on the bottom of the bow, sending a bolt into the target near the edge of the center.

“Nice shot.” Glimmer nodded appreciatively.

Smiling slightly at the compliment, the human reached up to the bow and flipped a lever on the side of it. Much to the observing group’s amazement, the already small bow retracted its limbs, allowing Tom to flick it up, whereupon it folded and clicked into place.

“It folds in half, and we made a holster for it so you can put it right on your vests.” He said, pointing out the holster on the table, which was on a strap. “Just take it out, unfold it...” He paused, taking the bow by the handle and flicking it. The upper part of the bow flipped down, locking into place and extending the limbs.

“Wow…” Sparkplug eyed up the mechanical parts of the weapon from afar, a bit of giddy excitement welling up inside her.

“If it isn’t already cocked, just pull back this bit here,” Tom explained, demonstrating how to reload to everyone. “It takes standard-sized bolts. You can load in iron, silver, steel. Whatever gives your target a bad time, it will fire it out.” He finished his demonstration by aiming downrange and pulling the trigger again, letting the empty bow trigger and get back to a neutral state. “Anyone want to give it a try?” He asked, turning to the group and smirking.

Although everyone was somewhat eager to try out the bow, Sunspot and Sparkplug looked to Glimmer Shine and decided to let him go first.

The stallion stepped forward and took the bow from the human. He briefly examined it as he held it in one hoof. It was far lighter than the bows he was used to, and it felt good to hold.

“How good is your aim, Glimmer?” Glitterball asked with a jesting expression.

“Ugh…” Glimmer Shine put a hoof to his forehead and sighed. “Close your eyes, Glitter. I don’t want a fellow guard to see this.” He chuckled hesitantly before cocking the bow and loading in a bolt.

Everyone watched in silent anticipation as the stallion aimed at the targets. After a few moments of getting his aim adjusted to his liking, Glimmer pulled the trigger and fired a round off.

The bolt zipped through the air, landing in the same target Tom had shot. The spot he hit was just outside the center, not far off from where the human hit.

Glitterball and the others clopped their hooves against the floor, and Tom clapped his hands, celebrating the stallion’s victory over the inanimate target.

“Good one, Glimmer!” Sunspot cheered.

“Not bad, considering how long it’s been.” Glimmer Shine grinned briefly before folding the crossbow and setting it down on the table. “That’s pretty good, guys. Good work.” He said, looking to the human and the unicorn and nodding appreciatively. “I wish we had some of these back in training. The bows we use now weigh about as much as a colt.”

“Yeah, well, the princess can mass produce these and hand them out to guards across Equestria if she wants,” Glitterball noted. “I watched Tom make them, and they seem pretty simple.”

Meanwhile, Sunspot stole another glance at the items on the table. The only other one that looked new was a vial next to the crossbow. “Hey, what’s that?” She asked, eyeing the vial with a bit of confusion.

The vial looked almost nothing like any of the ones in their arsenal. It was slightly longer than a strobe, tapering midway up to a similar conical tip. It had a thick casing that covered almost the entirety of its surface, with only a few slits of glass allowing a view of green-tinted liquid inside.

Seeing everyone shifting their attention to the strange vial on the table, Tom picked it up and turned to them. “This… is your new all-purpose monster deterrent.” He explained cryptically before gesturing away from the table. “Everyone step back. Glitter, if you would be so kind.” He said, nodding to the side.

While everyone shared a confused glance with each other, Glitterball nodded and lit up her horn. She picked up a small stand with what appeared to be a watermelon nestled inside a piece of guard armor on top of it, moving it all the way over to where the targets were.

Glimmer Shine and the two mares were at a loss for what was going on, but they did as instructed and stepped away from the human so they could observe from a safe distance.

Once the fruity target was in place, and Glitterball had retreated to safety, Tom looked ahead and held the strange vial in front of him.

The human twisted the bottom cap of the vial, resulting in a loud click. He steadied his stance before looking over his shoulder to the observing group of ponies. “Glimmer, what would you say is the most powerful weapon in Equestria, aside from unicorn magic?” He asked curiously.

The stallion thought for a moment before coming up with an answer. “Uh… I guess cannons would probably be the best non-magical weapon. We rarely use them as weapons, though.”

“Well, back in the human world… we had these things called guns,” Tom explained. “Imagine taking a cannon, shrinking it down, making the projectile smaller and giving it more speed and penetration power, and you can fire it multiple times in rapid succession.”

“Woah…” Sunspot blinked, stunned at the mere thought of such a thing. “That sounds… dangerous.”

Tom nodded. “Yeah, we had a bad habit of making dangerous things to use on each other.” He explained before returning his attention forward, resting his thumb on the vial’s button like he was holding a pen. “I thought about making a gun for you guys, but I couldn’t find a way to make one easy enough for a pony to use safely. Luckily for us, there’s almost always a magical equivalent to anything that can be made with science.”

Before anyone could say anything further, Tom pressed the button on the bottom cap of the vial. A startling sound like a firecracker going off filled the air, causing more than one of the ponies to jump. In an instant, the tip of the vial flashed with green light and smoke as it leaped slightly in the human’s grasp.

Much to the onlooking group’s surprise, the watermelon across the room exploded into a shower of red pulp and bits of green rind. The remains of the fruit and the armor it sat in jolted off of the stool, landing on the floor. A hole had been punched clean through the armor, with a sizable scorch mark ringing it; and as Glitterball picked up the hefty chest piece with her magic and rotated it, the group could see that an indent had been made on the other side.

As the soft hiss of boiling liquid faded into the air along with the smoke at the tip of the vial, Tom twisted the cap again and turned around. He was met with the sight of three ponies with their eyes wide and mouths agape in shock.

“W-what was that?” Sunspot muttered, still dumbfounded at the sight before her and the jarring sound of the vial discharging.

Tom smirked as he looked down to the vial and turned it over in his hand. “I call it a popper, but as Glitter pointed out, I might not be the best at naming things…” He said, casting a sidelong glance to the unicorn.

“I didn’t say it like that.” Glitterball frowned sympathetically.

“I’d say that’s a fitting name.” Sparkplug said. “It definitely pops.” She took a moment to calm her nerves after the unexpected jolt to her system.

“Believe it or not, it’s a lot quieter than a gun,” Tom stated before gesturing for everyone to get closer so he could teach them how to use the dangerous new tool at their disposal. “Now… I want to make this clear. I don’t mean to sound patronizing, but this is important. This thing is not a strobe, and it is definitely not a toy. You wouldn’t point a crossbow around all willy-nilly, so don’t go pointing these around at anything you’re not willing to shoot.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Glimmer nodded while carefully taking the vial from the human and examining it.

“It works like a strobe for the most part, but it has a safety on it so you can’t just mistake it for something else and fire it off.” Tom pointed to the twistable cap, which had a red notch on it that was revealed when the safety was off. “The liquid inside will turn red the more you fire it in a short amount of time. After it overheats, it will stop you from being able to use it until you give it a few seconds to cool back down.”

“So, it’s not just going to explode on us or anything?” Sunspot asked to clarify.

“Nope. I wanted to make it as safe as possible.” Tom noted. “I’ve made enough for all four of you and a few spares, and Glitter knows the whole process on how to make it. But, I wouldn’t recommend tweaking with the liquid inside… it’s a bit unstable without the vial to contain it.” He explained, gesturing to three other vials on the table similar to the one Glimmer was holding.

Sunspot and Sparkplug approached the table and eyed the miniature cannons uneasily. They both picked one up, with the gray mare practically trembling a bit, convinced that it was going to blow her hoof off.

Sunspot examined the vial, using a surprising amount of diligence and respect for the weapon despite not having held anything like it before. She carefully pointed it downrange and turned the safety on and off a few times, noting how it worked.

“Oof… I almost feel bad for the next monster we come across.” She looked over to the splattered remains of Sgt. Watermelon, cringing as she imagined what would happen if a living thing was shot with the vials.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug seemed afraid to even touch her vial. “Umm… I’m not sure if I should be qualified to use this.”

“Well, technically none of us are.” Glimmer Shine chimed in.

Chuckling nervously, Sparkplug turned the vial over in her hoof a few times while staring at it. “Yeah… that’s comforting.”

“You’ll be fine,” Tom assured. “You’re a lot safer with that vial in your ha..ooves than you ever were before.”

After a few moments of getting acquainted with their new gear, the three ponies set their dangerous new toys down and gradually shifted their attention to how hungry they all were.

Sunspot looked down pitifully as her stomach growled. “Ugh… can we please go get something to eat now?”

“Yeah, I could use a bite of that sweet… succulent chef salad that they make.” Sparkplug chimed in, practically drooling from the mere thought. One of the perks of being a part of the princess’s own personal team of monster hunters was having access to the royal kitchen. “Mmm… I love working here.”

Glimmer Shine smiled a bit as he looked to the two mares, his own stomach requesting sustenance a bit more gracefully. “Alright, alright… let’s go grab some breakfast.”

Tom nodded at the group before turning to the clutter around him. “You guys go on ahead, I’m going to clean up this mess and then go find Twilight. I’m sure she would love to hear about the inner workings of your new toys.”

While the human started picking up the remnants of his experiments and tidying up, Glimmer Shine and the others turned to their unicorn friend.

“You coming, Glitter?” Sparkplug asked curiously.

Glitterball looked at her teammates for a moment before looking over to the human and softening her expression. “No thanks… I’m going to stick around for a while and help Tom. I’ll catch up later.”

Sparkplug shrugged at the unicorn before turning to join her companions as they walked out of the room. “Alright… more salad for me.” She said, suppressing the giddy laughter building inside of her as she thought ahead to her meal.

As they watched their friends leaving the room, the pair got to work restoring the training room to how it was before they started their tinkering. Tables had to be moved, gear had to be collected, and watermelon pieces had to be swept up.

Tom looked over his shoulder at the white mare as she held a broom in her magical aura and hummed to herself while sweeping. “You sure you don’t want to join them? I can handle this mess by myself.”

Glitter paused briefly, looking up at the human before returning to her work with a slight smile. “What kind of friend would I be if I just left you with the cleanup after you worked so hard to help us?”

Hearing this, the boy was a bit surprised. The sight of the unicorn smiling warmly and her willingness to repay his kindness was admittedly adorable. He tittered awkwardly as a goofy smile crossed his face. “I don’t know if I helped you that much. I just made a couple of weapons for you.”

Glitterball chuckled slightly at the dorky human turning into putty in her hooves. Her cheery expression suddenly shifted to a more somber one as she thought back to how he had shown up at her door, waking her up just to get her help with something he found so important.

“Of course you helped… You helped a lot.” She said sincerely. “You took a lot of weight off of our shoulders. Now, every time we go up against a monster, we don’t have to sit and pray that we come up with something that works against it. It’ll be a lot easier for us to work when you’re not with us. Thank you.”

Tom paused and looked over, only to see the unicorn still absorbed in her work. He set his mouth in a line as he glanced down to his arm and the bandage concealed underneath his shirt, only to look back up at the innocently sweet mare.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it. It was… my pleasure.”

Chapter 7: Tricks, Treats, and Costume-Shop Meets

Elsewhere in the castle, tucked away in the princess’s study, Twilight was enjoying some tea and a few moments of relaxation with some of her favorite people in the world. The purple mare, along with her young assistant, were gathered around a table with Celestia and Luna sitting opposite them, and Cadence and Shining Armor sat at the sides.

Celestia took a measured sip from her cup, briefly enjoying the calming aroma of her tea before setting it back down and looking up to her student. “How have you been, Twilight?” She asked, showing genuine interest as she looked over the unicorn and dragon with a passive smile.

“We’ve been doing well,” Twilight replied, glancing over to see Spike quietly munching on a few breakfast gems. She shifted her gaze over to her big brother and former foalsitter, smiling as she did. “What about you guys? How have things been up in the Crystal Empire?”

“Boring,” Shining droned.

“Peaceful,” Cadence said in unison to her husband. She stole him a glance, giving him a frown of disapproval. This in turn made him quiet down and trail his eyes away.

“That is good to hear.” Luna chimed in. “I was afraid that that incident with the frost wraith would have caused quite a stir. After all, the crystal ponies have scarcely been exposed to the supernatural before.”

Cadence’s face softened with concern as the incident was brought up. “Yes, I do see your point. Thankfully, the wraith never left the palace area, so it didn’t cause much damage before Glimmer Shine and the others got there.”

“You could say that more damage was caused after they got there,” Shining said with a brief chuckle.

“Well,” Luna cleared her throat nervously. “I never claimed that they would leave the immediate area intact when I sent them. At the very least, I expected a broken window or two.” She glanced over to Twilight. “Please, don’t tell Sunspot I said that. She is still… sensitive, on the matter.”

Twilight smirked a bit and held in a chuckle. The orange pegasus hadn’t said anything about her brief encounter with a pane of glass on one of her previous jobs; her teammates, however, loved to share a laugh at her expense every now and again, so much so that nearly everyone in their circle of friends knew at this point.

Pondering the subject a bit, Celestia looked to the unicorn with newfound curiosity. “Twilight, I trust that all of this business with the paranormal hasn’t interfered with your studies on friendship.”

“No,” Twilight replied. “Not at all. I mean… things have been fairly quiet in Ponyville, what with Tom and the others keeping on top of things so much. We hardly even knew about that ghoul they fought a few nights ago.”

“That wasn’t quite what I meant.” Celestia elaborated, the corners of her mouth pulled back in a slight smile as she scrutinized the unicorn with her eyes. “I happen to know that you’ve been having Glitterball send you notes and texts on the supernatural in her spare time.”

“Oh… that.” Twilight chuckled nervously, her face reddening a bit as she glanced down to Spike, only to see the dragon’s attention fixed on her.

“So that’s where you’ve been getting all of those ‘books’ you’ve been reading.” Spike narrowed his eyes a bit.

Twilight scratched at her mane, trying her hardest to avoid the dragon’s icy stare as she turned back to the others. Cadence and Shining Armor seemed pleasantly amused by her late-night study sessions, while Celestia was more like a parent that had just caught their child with a hoof in the cookie jar.

“W-well, I admit that I’ve been uh… dabbling… a bit, in the paranormal,” Twilight said uncomfortably. “But I can assure you that I have not let that get in the way of my studies.” She looked at her mentor with a sincere expression.

Celestia stared back at her student for a moment, silently measuring the unicorn with her eyes. Finally, she exhaled through her nose and smirked. “Of course, I didn’t expect you would.” She said in a more lighthearted manner. “You’re a grown pony, Twilight. I won’t tell you what you can and can’t study in your free time, so long as it isn’t harmful to you. I trust that you have the sense not to give yourself nightmares anyway.”

Spike raised an eyebrow at the unicorn beside him. “Yeah… totally.” He muttered just loud enough for her to hear before suddenly getting a gem stuck in his mouth by a magical aura, which he begrudgingly began to chew.

“Still,” Celestia continued, “it is fortunate that there have been so few incidents with monsters or ghosts that have affected the public. I believe Nightmare Night should be a time where ponies only have to worry about scaring themselves for fun, not being fearful for their lives.”

Hearing this, Luna lowered her expression a bit and trailed her eyes down in thought. The alicorn seemed to be thinking of something troubling, and Twilight had a feeling that she knew what it was.

“How are you doing, Princess Luna?” Twilight asked sympathetically. “I’m sure that Nightmare Night must be a complicated holiday for you.”

Luna looked up, surprised by how perceptive the unicorn was, before softening her expression. “I am… fine.” She nodded. “You are correct, Nightmare Night does invoke some... complicated feelings within me.” She paused briefly, looking over to see her sister resting a hoof on her shoulder and smiling softly. “However, I am not that person any longer, and I can respect and enjoy that this is a time when ponies of all ages can have fun, no matter the origin of it. I have you and your friends to thank for that, Twilight.”

Twilight smiled warmly. “It was our pleasure, Princess.”

A sudden knocking at the door drew everyone’s attention away. They looked over as the door opened a crack, only to spot their human friend poking his head into the room.

“Uh… Hi,” The boy greeted awkwardly. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Celestia snorted softly and smiled before gesturing to the human. “Not at all. Please, come in and get comfortable.”

At the princess’s behest, Tom entered the room and smiled a bit as he looked around at the regal gathering of ponies and alicorns.

“Let me get you a chair.” Twilight suggested, starting to get out of her seat so she could add another to the table.

Tom waved off the unicorn, eliciting her to remain in place. “No, no, it’s fine. I just came by to see if you were ready to head into town with the others, and maybe to chat a while.” He explained while getting somewhat comfortable up against the wall.

Twilight raised her brows in remembrance. “Oh yeah, that’s right. We were going to go get you a costume for tomorrow, weren’t we?”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded. “But I’m not sure you’re going to have much luck finding a costume that will fit a human.”

Tom rolled his eyes and groaned a bit. “Ugh… Thanks for reminding me that I’m a hairless ape in a society of talking ponies. I can’t even go shopping for a Ha..Nightmare Night costume.” He complained, mostly jestingly, though the others couldn’t be sure how much of it was him joking and how much was genuine.

Celestia giggled slightly. “Oh, come now, Tom. I’m certain that if you don’t find anything you like, we can have something custom made for Equestria’s one and only slayer of evil.”

Hearing this, the human sighed and deflated a bit, though he still had a slight hint of annoyance in his eyes as he crossed his arms. “Alright… It’s not the same though.” He grumbled to himself while staring at the floor.

“Speaking of slaying evil,” Cadence chimed in. “How have things been on the job?” She asked, harboring some curiosity and even a bit of concern in her voice. She wanted to know how the human was handling hunting monsters at such a young age. It must have been a very taxing job.

Tom pondered his answer for a moment. Though everyone else failed to catch it, Cadence noticed the boy glancing at his arm and frowning a bit before he forced a more contemplative expression to his face.

“Well, what can I say? Hunting evil things is pretty much my life now. I kinda have to like it, don’t I?” He shrugged lightheartedly.

“So… everything has been going well?” Cadence added, twitching an eyebrow imperceptibly. “It hasn’t been hard on you or anything?”

Tom pursed his lips and shook his head. “No, not really. I mean, my healing ability makes it so I can pretty much tank anything a monster could throw at me and keep going. After that, it’s really just a game of what kills what, and I’ve got all of that knowledge up here.” He tapped the side of his head.

Cadence glanced over, noticing Spike looking at the human with a bit of a concerned expression. She softened her eyes as she turned back to the boy and the confident expression he was displaying.

“Tom handles himself really well, Cadence,” Twilight assured. “I get worried about him sometimes too, but I’ve learned to just trust him. He poses more of a threat to any monster than they do to him.”

“Right…” Cadence smiled and nodded at the unicorn before her gaze shifted back to the human. “Of course...”

A few minutes of conversing later, Twilight and Spike left the castle and took their human friend with them into town.

The boy seemed very eager and upbeat as he looked around at the many colorful decorations around the city, perhaps even more so than either the unicorn or dragon combined.

“You seem excited,” Spike noted curiously. “I wouldn’t think you would be looking forward to a holiday you’ve never experienced before.”

Tom glanced at his two companions and made an effort to curb his enthusiasm for a moment. “Well, we had a holiday similar to Nightmare Night back in the human world. It was called Halloween, and it was my favorite holiday out of the lot.”

“Really?” Twilight mused.

Tom nodded. “Yep. See, before I became a slayer, I didn’t really know that the supernatural existed.” He gestured around at the hanging bats, cheesy spiderwebs, and cartoonish skeletons adorning the many shops and lampposts. “All of it was just make-believe, kinda like it was for you guys. I loved the whole aesthetic of it. The costumes, the spooky stories, the candy… especially the candy.”

“I hear you there,” Spike said, hungrily eyeing up a candy store before Twilight nudged him along.

“Well, I’m glad that you already enjoy Nightmare Night as much as we do,” Twilight said. “The girls and I always have a lot of fun going around town trick-or-treating with the local kids, so I’m happy that we can include you in that.” She paused, turning ahead and smiling slightly as she saw their destination. “But first, we need to find you a costume.”

Tom looked ahead at what the unicorn had stopped in front of. There was a general store tucked between two other buildings. A grim reaper pony made of plastic and fabric was sat inside of the large window with a black and orange sticker proudly displaying ‘Costumes and other Nightmare Night necessities inside!’ on the glass.

The human smiled a bit, fondly remembering the place he used to go to for Halloween costumes in his hometown. Hearing the scampering of feet, he and Twilight looked ahead to see Spike already making his way inside. They shared a cheerful look with each other before joining their young companion into the shop.

Once inside, Twilight greeted the pony behind the counter with a friendly smile and a wave, with Tom following suit with a slight wave of his own. While many ponies across Equestria knew about him now, he still wasn't as familiar with the denizens of Canterlot as the purple mare was.

Almost immediately, the pair looked over and saw Spike already perusing the many aisles of costumes and masks. There were a few decorations or bags of candy dotted around, but the main focus of the shop seemed to be on costumes and accessories.

As they started looking around themselves, Tom and Twilight gave pause as they heard some familiar voices at the back of the store.

“I want this one!” An excited unicorn filly chimed.

“Ooh, this one looks cool!” A pegasus filly added.

Walking to the back of the store, the trio saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders all gathered around, eagerly sifting through various costumes, holding them against themselves, and using a nearby mirror to see how they looked.

“Now, now, girls, settle down. There are enough for everyone to try.” Rarity said softly, hoping to corral the energetic youngsters.

Twilight and Tom looked around and spotted Applejack and Pinkie Pie nearby, who were trying on a rodeo clown ensemble and a frilly blue dress with fairy wings respectively.

Noticing the trio walking over, Applejack turned and smiled. “Howdy, y’all.”

“Uh… hi, guys,” Twilight said, a bit taken aback by the oversized red nose the orange mare was sporting.

“You like my costume?” Applejack asked, turning slightly and showing off the colorful pants and suspenders.

“It’s a little… on the nose,” Twilight smirked a bit, eliciting eye rolls from her two companions, “But I like it. It reminds me of Mayor Mare’s costume from last year.”

“I figured she was havin’ a lot of fun clownin’ around, so why not?” Applejack said.

Pinkie nodded. “Uh-huh! I almost decided to try a clown this year too, but then I saw this.” She looked down to the admittedly flashy outfit she had on.

“What are you supposed to be, anyway?” Spike chimed in.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Pinkie asked, receiving hesitant shrugs in response. “Oh, come on, guys… I’m the tooth fairy!”

Tom raised an eyebrow. “You mean you guys have that too?”

The quiet sound of tiny hoofsteps approaching drew everyone’s attention to the side, only to see the three fillies walking over with Rarity in tow.

“Hey, guys.” Scootaloo greeted Twilight and her two companions with a cheerful smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Tom needs a costume, so we’re going to help him pick one out.” Spike chimed in.

The young pegasus and her two friends looked up at the human with newfound glee in their eyes that everyone else present knew to be wary about. Tom, however, seemed blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

“Really? That’s great!” Scootaloo announced before shifting her attention back to the human. “You want us to help you, Tom?”

“Yeah, we’re really good at finding costumes.” Sweetie Belle chimed in, gesturing to the outfits she and her companions had on. The unicorn was wearing a fluffy-looking cat outfit, complete with whiskers. Scootaloo was wearing a bat outfit, with tiny wings and a set of plastic fangs that looked mildly uncomfortable to wear. Apple Bloom hadn’t put on her costume yet, but she was holding what looked to be a dog outfit.

Tom seemed unfazed by the energy radiating off the trio of fillies. “Well… if you put it like that, I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” He asked lightheartedly before turning to Twilight and Spike. “You guys hang out here for a minute… I think I’m in good hands.”

“Hooves,” Spike said flatly with a smug look.

Tom sighed. “Thanks, buddy. I’m glad to know you’re willing to lend a helping hoof.”

“Hand,” Twilight added, stifling a giggle and trying to avoid the icy stare being sent her way. Spike was doing a much worse job of hiding his amusement.

“Come on, Tom. You don’t need to take that from them.” Scootaloo said, gently tugging on the boy’s pant leg and nodding towards her two friends.

“Yeah, I’ll go where my culture shock is appreciated.” The boy said, briefly sticking his tongue out at the unicorn and dragon quietly snickering to themselves as he walked away with the three fillies.

Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity watched the group of fillies as they started chatting with the human and eagerly pointing out costumes to him before disappearing behind an aisle. They then turned back to Twilight and Spike.

“Speakin’ of costumes, what do you plan on wearin’, Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“Please tell me you won’t be wearing that Starswirl outfit again. It is so last century.” Rarity droned.

Twilight scrunched her expression a bit. “Well, it is based on a pony from a few centuries ago.” She said flatly. “But… I think I’ll try something new this year. Maybe Clover the Clever?”

“Thank goodness. I hate to be the one to tell you, darling, but that fake beard is so unbecoming of you.” Rarity said.

“I think you’re missing the point of wearing a costume,” Twilight said.

“I don’t know, I thought it looked kind of good on you,” Spike added.

Twilight squinted her eyes. “Uh… thank you… I think?”

“How about you, Spike? What are you going to go as?” Pinkie chimed in curiously.

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ve got some ideas that will scare your tiara off,” Spike said, smirking devilishly in anticipation.

“Challenge accepted.” Pinkie said. “But you’re going to have to come up with something good if you want to scare me.” She stated confidently, starting to walk up to the counter to pay for her costume. She froze in place and widened her eyes, only to produce a shrill yelp as she was met face to latex with what could only be a cheesy were-pony mask poking out from around one of the aisles.

As the pink mare darted behind the group and cowered, they could hear the familiar laughter of a certain orange filly. Sure enough, Scootaloo walked out from around the corner holding up the mask on the stick end of a plastic witch broom.

“Haha… sorry, Pinkie. I couldn’t resist.” Scootaloo wiped a stray tear of joy out of her eye.

Pinkie Pie slowly peered out from around Applejack and Rarity and saw the filly chuckling to herself. Her fear gradually melted, replaced by a smile and a laugh of her own. “Nice one, Scootaloo. You really got me there.”

Meanwhile, Spike nudged Twilight and whispered into her ear once she leaned down. “I guess the bar is really low for what Pinkie qualifies as ‘good’.”

Twilight hid a smirk before returning her attention to the filly. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to be helping Tom find a costume?”

“I was,” Scootaloo said, discarding her witch broom and mask, “but Sweetie and Apple Bloom seemed like they had things handled. I’m sure he’ll have a costume picked out in no time.”

Sure enough, the group turned and saw the other two fillies trotting over with eager expressions, their human friend trailing close behind sporting what must have been his chosen costume.

Tom stopped in front of the fillies and gestured to his outfit, showing it off to the group. “Tadaa…! what do you guys think?”

Twilight brought a hoof to her chin as she took in her friend’s admittedly strange-looking outfit. He had what appeared to be fake white wings and a plastic halo suspended above his head by a wire hat.

“You’re an… angel?” Twilight asked, a bit unsure of whether or not this was a good choice.

Sweetie Belle smirked proudly. “Yeah! I thought it was a good fit for him, seeing how he has pretty much been our guardian angel since he got here.”

“Also, it was one of the only things that actually fit me,” Tom added flatly before perking up a bit as he saw how much the young fillies enjoyed seeing him wearing their contribution.

“I don’t know. Isn’t it a little… frilly, for someone like you?” Spike skewed his expression a bit while sizing up how the costume looked. It was definitely a lot less masculine than he was expecting.

“Spike, I go out every day wearing something too casual for casual Fridays. Do you really think I’m self-conscious enough to care about plastic wings and a halo?” Tom deadpanned, crossing his arms with an unimpressed expression.

“Fair enough…” Spike added, rubbing his scaly hair uncomfortably.

“You know what? I like it.” Twilight said, finally managing a smile. “It really does suit you.”

“Yeah. I think it looks nice.” Pinkie added.

“Thank you. I’m glad to finally be able to wear something different for a change… even if it isn’t much of a change.” Tom looked down to his blue outfit and sighed to himself.

Now that the main reason for their visit had been taken care of, Twilight shifted her eyes around at the many aisles full of costumes, masks, and accessories. As much as she liked her Starswirl cape and pointy wizard hat, she figured that it was time to try something new.

“Well, now that you’ve got your outfit picked out, why don’t you come help Spike and me pick our costumes?” Twilight suggested, hiding a bit of a hopeful smile.

Tom half smirked and nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“Ooo… can I help too? I love costume shopping!” Pinkie asked eagerly.

“I’d like to help as well.” Rarity chimed in, a bit more composed when compared to the energetic pink mare. “If you’re looking for something new to try, I saw a royal gown and tiara set that would look marvelous with your mane.”

“Uh… sure.” Twilight forced a smile, a bit hesitant to invite such shenanigans into her day. Still, she did enjoy spending time with friends, and what better way to spend a day than being trapped with Pinkie Pie and Rarity in a small building full of dozens of outfits to try on.

On second thought, maybe she should run and not look back.

-Later-

After spending much of the day enjoying themselves, Twilight and her friends eventually found their way back to the royal palace. The sun was getting low in the sky, and it would soon be night.

The unicorn and her small troop walked up the steps to the main entrance at a leisurely pace, carrying bags full of colorful costumes and maybe even a few treats tucked away here and there.

Twilight opened the doors and walked inside, not making it two steps before her stomach started reminding her that she had scarcely eaten all day.

“Boy howdy, I sure could go for some food right about now.” Applejack chimed in from the back of the group.

“You read my mind,” Twilight said. “Why don’t we go find Rainbow Dash and the others and head to dinner?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Spike added, rubbing his empty stomach pitifully. “I hope they’re around here somewhere, because I’m starving.”

Meanwhile, Tom seemed absorbed in other thoughts as he trailed off to the side of the group slightly. He paused and glanced down an open hallway for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “You guys go on ahead. I’ve got something I need to do.”

“Everything ok?” Twilight asked, perhaps noticing the boy’s stoic expression.

“Yeah, I… just remembered something is all. I’ll probably be a while, so don’t wait up.” He said, briefly waving before heading off on his own.

Twilight watched the boy leaving for a moment before shrugging and turning back to her friends. “Well, I guess there’s more for us.”

As the purple mare and her group went off to search for something to eat, Tom was busy with other matters.

The boy walked through the palace alone for a while with nothing but his own thoughts and the sound of his footsteps echoing around him to keep him company. While his face was blank and expressionless, any onlooker would notice his eyes held a bit of uncertainty and anxiousness to them.

Eventually, he found himself nearing his destination. A door stood ahead of him, with two stallions clad in golden armor stationed outside. Tom knew this room to be where the palace kept the more dangerous or important magical items and knowledge, and he knew that he would need a key to access what he needed inside. A key which just so happened to be in the care of the pair of guards.

Normally, getting access to said key wouldn’t be a problem. Tom was a trusted friend of the royal sisters and the semi-official royal monster slayer, after all. However, he knew that the guards would want to know why he needed the key to access what he needed to access, and that would prove rather bothersome for his current intentions.

Putting on a more casual expression, the human walked up to the pair of guards and paused before them as they stood at attention.

“Can we help you, sir?” One of the guards said in a friendly, if a little curt, tone.

“I’m here to research a book… Princess Luna’s orders.” Tom explained.

The guards shared an uncertain look with each other for a moment before turning back to the human.

“Err… I’m sorry, Mr. Greene, but you need express permission from one of the princesses for us to let you do that. We haven’t heard anything from Princess Luna about this.” One of the stallions explained hesitantly.

Tom cursed internally, not allowing an ounce of emotion to reach his face, before skewing his expression in confusion. “Really? I would have thought she…” He paused for a moment before shaking his head and adopting a more urgent attitude. “Nevermind. She must have forgotten to tell you. Look… I really need to get to work. It’s a… how did she describe it? ‘A matter of utmost importance.’”

Once again, the guards looked to each other, seemingly silently conferring their opinions. They each seemed conflicted on what to do.

Finally, one of the stallions snorted softly and reached to his side. He grabbed a ring of brass keys and handed them to the human. “Of course… Sorry to bother you.”

“Thanks,” Tom said in passing before opening the double doors and heading inside.

The smell of old parchment and ink immediately greeted him as the doors swung shut behind him. Tom looked out at the assortment of desks and cushions scattered around the small reading area, the various tools and research aids, the heaps of blank scrolls, quills, and spare inkwells scattered about, barely sparing a glance to any of it before marching forward toward the true purpose of this room.

Making his way to the back of the antechamber, Tom paused before another door with an ornate-looking lock on its handle. He fished a key from the ring with a ruby set into its base and inserted it into the lock, resulting in a soft click as the handle turned unfettered.

Through this door, Tom entered into a sort of storage area. The ceiling was much higher, and there were at least a dozen shelves going down the length of the room and to the sides. However, these shelves weren’t the typical wooden bookcases that littered a normal library.

Glass containers, each with a lock near their base, were built into the more modern-looking shelves. Some had magical runes or glyphs written on them, some were completely opaque, and some even had more than one lock on them. They all had one thing in common. Books, tomes, scrolls. Each container was full of magical knowledge and power transcribed in ink, or perhaps in other... more disturbing mediums.

Tom gazed around at the collection of books secreted away, with good reason, in some dark room. These were not books that one carefree bibliophile would peruse to learn or fill their mind with a story. These were dangerous books. Books that held terrible or important knowledge. Books that could curse the reader by simply flipping their pages unprepared.

With only a passing thought about what other contents were in this room, Tom shifted his attention to one of the back shelves. To the reason he came here.

Walking up to the shelf and eyeing over the identification numbers of each container, he bent over and put his hand on one before fishing another key from his sizable ring and unlocking it. Carefully sliding open the glass, he revealed a leather journal lying flat with nary a covering of dust to indicate how long it had sat there.

Tom picked up the journal and looked over the design etched into the leather, what appeared to be a simplistic flame, before making his way back out into the main reading area. He found a chair specifically made for him and sat down, placing the journal in front of him and hesitating.

Looking down at his injured arm, he took a moment to let his thoughts wander. Tightening his fist a few times and entertaining the thought of trying to heal again a few times over, he sighed to himself and stretched his neck before opening the journal, starting to read.

Elsewhere, Twilight and her friends had all gathered in the dining hall and were in the midst of enjoying a hearty feast.

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Blue Bolt sat together across from Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack. Glimmer Shine and his teammates had decided to come along. Shining Armor had also joined the group along with Cadence, with the both of them sitting together near Twilight and Spike.

Cadence looked up from her salad, smiling softly as she watched the three young fillies at the opposite end of the table chatting with each other about their day. She shifted her glance over to Twilight curiously. "So, did everyone find a costume for tomorrow?"

"Yeah… It took a while, but I think we all found something we like." Twilight explained, looking down to Spike.

The dragon stopped eating for a moment as he noticed the two mares sharing an amused stare at his expense. "What? It’s not my fault that I couldn't decide. There were so many good choices!"

Across the table, Sunspot looked around at the others curiously and perked up. “So, what are you guys planning on doing tomorrow night?”

Twilight glanced around at the others briefly before settling her eyes on the orange pegasus. “Well… I for one was planning on watching the costume contest with Shining and Cadence for a while. We haven’t spent a Nightmare Night together in forever.”

“And we’re takin’ the girls through town to trick or treat.” Applejack said, gesturing toward Rarity, Pinkie, and the three fillies sitting next to her.

“Hey, you guys mind if I join you? I’d love to grab some spare candy.” Sparkplug chimed in eagerly.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little old for trick or treating?”

Pinkie scrunched her face in confusion. “What are you talking about? Nopony is too old for trick or treating.”

“Well, Pinkie, I…” Rarity started uncomfortably, a bit taken aback by her friend’s answer.

“Besides. It’s not the trick or treating I’m after. It’s the result of the trick or treating.” Sparkplug stated, a slight smile working its way over her as she stared into the middle distance, her thoughts shifting to other, more sugary subjects.

Rarity sighed a bit and shook her head. “You’re free to join us, darling.”

“Yeah! The more the merrier!” Pinkie added cheerfully.

Meanwhile, Sunspot deflated a little in disappointment. “Aw… I was kind of hoping to hang out with you, Sparkplug.”

“Why don’t you hang out with Glitter and Glimmer?” Twilight asked curiously, only to hear a disgusted groan come from the pegasus.

“We tried asking her, but apparently she doesn’t think spending the night perusing bookstores is a good time,” Glitterball said, smirking slightly at her teammate’s revulsion.

“You like reading, Glimmer?” Spike asked, a bit surprised.

The yellow stallion shifted forward in his seat. “What? A guy can like reading… especially horror novels.”

“You wouldn’t believe the selection on Nightmare Night,” Glitterball added.

Twilight blinked at the pair. “Huh… I wouldn’t figure you guys would be horror buffs… given your career.”

Looking back over to Sunspot, Fluttershy frowned sympathetically as she saw how disappointed the pegasus seemed to be about not having anyone to be with tomorrow. “You know, Sunspot, if you’re looking for something to do, you could come to the haunted house with us.”

Hearing this, Sunspot immediately perked up with intrigue. “Really? You guys wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not.” Rainbow Dash added. “Us pega-brothers and sisters need to stick together.”

While they talked and ate, everyone was progressively getting more and more excited for the fun they would be having tomorrow night. They were all confident that there would be good times, lighthearted scares, candy, and time spent with friends. That was all any of them could ask for.

Elsewhere in the castle, on the balcony outside of Princess Celestia’s bedchambers, the white alicorn and her sister were performing a ritual that they had done many times before, setting the sun and raising the moon.

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief as she finished lowering the golden orb below the horizon. All of her duties had been finished, all of her plans for the day were over, and now she had a little free time to herself before she rested.

Looking over to see her sister with her horn still glowing, she briefly glanced to the rising moon before smiling slightly. “You know, I used to hate Nightmare Night. I saw it as the anniversary of my greatest failure… but now, I see it as a reminder of our reunion.”

Luna turned to her sister as she finished raising the moon, a soft smile forming at the warm sentiment before it vanished as she reflected on the older alicorn’s words. “You had nothing to be ashamed of, sister. The only failure to be had back then was mine.”

Celestia’s expression fell slightly as she heard the regret in her sister’s voice. “Sister… can I tell you something in earnest?”

“I should hope so,” Luna replied.

After a moment of silence, Celestia took a breath and trailed her eyes downward. “When I heard that you… ‘died’ during the raid on Raven Feather’s mansion, I felt like I did on that night so long ago when I first lost you.” She said somberly. “I was so struck with grief… not just because I lost you, but because I thought I could have done so much differently. I felt the same when I heard that Twilight was killed. I’m… not certain if I could have taken losing her and losing you for a second time if I weren’t in the midst of a crisis. Needless to say… I am more grateful than I could ever express that both of you returned to us.”

“Sister…” Luna frowned and looked to the older alicorn with soft eyes. She paused abruptly as she felt her sister putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“I suppose what I’m trying to say is… we could spend all night trying to shoulder the blame for what happened back then. I think I’d rather enjoy the moment now that we’re together again.” Celestia said in a more lighthearted manner.

Luna hesitated outside as Celestia walked back into her bedroom. She lifted a pair of glasses and a wine bottle and poured them as she made her way over to the table where they rested.

Luna walked over, pausing slightly as a glass of the sweet-smelling liquid was gently levitated in front of her. She took the glass in her own magical grip and looked down at it for a moment before looking back at Celestia.

“To second chances,” Celestia said, holding her glass out for a brief toast.

Luna took a moment to react, but when she did, she smiled and clinked their glasses together. “To second chances.”

A knock at the door interrupted the pair’s drink. They both settled eyes on the door before looking to each other and sharing a disappointed sigh.

“Come in,” Celestia said after taking a quick sip and placing her glass down.

On cue, a guard entered the room and bowed his head before addressing the royal sisters. “Princess… I’ve gathered up all of the reports of unusual activity around Equestria, as you requested.” He explained, holding out a clipboard with a wall of text on it in blocks.

Celestia nodded and took the clipboard. “Thank you. Dare I ask… is there anything that stands out as urgent?” She said, starting to skim over the reports a little.

“Err… I’m not sure if I’m qualified enough to accurately answer that, ma’am. At first glance, nothing sounded severe enough to warrant immediate attention. There aren’t any monster sightings or rivers of blood.”

“That’s always a good sign, I suppose.” Celestia raised an eyebrow while she went down the list. She paused as she reached something from a town not too far away. “What about these reports of strange noises in Clopford?”

The guard briefly looked over the entry as the alicorn pointed it out to him. “I believe the citizens were hearing some growls and barks around the edge of town late last night.”

“Were there any dead animals or strange tracks?” Luna chimed in curiously.

“No, just the noises.”

Celestia pondered the matter for a moment. “Perhaps a pack of timberwolves wandered outside of a nearby forest looking for shelter or food?” She mused.

“At any rate, it doesn’t seem like anything to be overly concerned about without some concrete evidence,” Luna added. Truth be told, she was really hoping for there to not be a supernatural issue severe enough for her to send Glimmer Shine and the others to go deal with it on the day of Nightmare Night, but if she was being serious, it didn’t sound like anything bad.

Celestia nodded at her sister’s suggestion, though she still wore a bit of a troubled expression. After a moment of thought, she turned back to the guard. “Have some of the local guards patrol around town and investigate. If they find anything pointing to a supernatural creature, have them report in immediately.” She instructed, to which the guard saluted after she handed back the clipboard.

“Yes, Princess, right away.” He stated before trotting off to go do as he was told.

The two alicorns let their gaze linger on the door for a moment, each dwelling on some passing thought about the reports they just learned about.

“I’m quite sure that it’s just a stray wolf or another animal,” Luna assured, both to her sister and herself.

“Even so, it pays to be cautious. Although, I certainly hope you are right. I would hate to ruin Tom’s first Nightmare Night by sending him on a mission.” Celestia said.

“Oddly enough, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” Luna added.

Celestia sighed a bit. “I think he would… at least a little bit. He might act like a lot of things don’t bother him, but Twilight has told me that he has a problem with showing his true feelings to make his friends feel better.”

“I can’t imagine how someone so young could put such a burden on themselves.” Luna shook her head sympathetically. “If it weren’t for his powers and knowledge, I wouldn’t allow him to do what he does in good conscience.”

“Neither would I… Although, isn’t he technically older than us?” Celestia said jestingly.

Luna chuckled briefly at the thought. “I’m quite sure traveling forward in time doesn’t count.”

“If it did, I think he would join us in having a laugh over the fact that the oldest being in the universe has the mind of a teenager,” Celestia added. Soon, however, her smile faded as a yawn escaped her.

Luna smiled a bit and took a step toward the door. “Should I let you rest?”

Celestia glanced to her bed longingly before giving her sibling a regretful frown and nodding. “Yes, please… It is such a shame that our biological clocks are opposed. I would love to go stargazing with you one of these nights.”

“And I would love to go cloud watching with you… once coffee is involved.”

“Ah… coffee… the sole reason we get to see each other as often as we do,” Celestia smirked.

“Goodnight, Tia,” Luna said warmly while exiting the room.

Celestia watched her sibling leave, smiling softly as she did. “Goodnight, Lulu.”

A few minutes later, Luna was making her way through the corridors of the castle, the only light to be seen coming from the moon shining through a window or a nearby lantern.

Almost everyone else was either asleep or making their way to bed by now, and the only ones awake were her and the various guards on night shift.

One such guard spotted the alicorn walking down the hall and started approaching her as if he had something to tell her.

“Princess Luna.” The guard bowed his head briefly as he reached her.

“What is it?” Luna asked curiously.

“I thought to inform you that Sir Thomas is researching that task you requested of him.” The guard explained.

Luna took a moment to respond, internalizing a feeling of confusion and surprise. “He is?”

The guard nodded. “Yes. Will he require any assistance? He said that it was a matter of utmost importance.”

Trailing her eyes off in thought for a moment, Luna straightened her expression before returning her attention to the guard. “No… I’m sure he’s making good progress on the issue. Although… I feel I might wish to check on him to see how he’s doing. Is he in the library?” She asked quizzically.

“No ma’am, he’s in the secure storage.” The guard reported, to which Luna nodded.

“Right… of course. He certainly would be there, given how important the task I gave him is.” She said, her thoughts elsewhere. “Is that all?” She asked, receiving a nod in response. “Very well… you are dismissed.”

The guard saluted. “Yes, Princess.” He stated before going off on his own, leaving the alicorn to herself.

Luna rested a hoof to her chin and glanced to the side, briefly pondering what the human was up to. It wasn't like him to lie and go behind her back to do something. She was certain he had good intentions, but it troubled her nonetheless.

Making her way across the castle only took a short few minutes. Finally, she found herself standing in front of the secure storage. Behind that door was a study area meant to research all of the dangerous books on magic that were retrieved from Raven Feather’s mansion, and apparently, her human friend.

The two guards stood at attention as the alicorn approached them. She nodded to them before opening the door and stepping inside.

Looking into the small study, Luna found the human sitting at a desk with a pile of notes and a leather journal in front of him. As the sound of the door closing reached him, he looked up from his research and noticed the alicorn walking into the room, whereupon he stood straight up and nearly tripped over himself.

“P-Princess Luna!” He said, forcing a cheerful greeting and a nervous chuckle. “What brings you here this late at night?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Tom,” Luna replied as she came to a halt. “In fact, I think I will ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?” She asked, no harshness to her voice, but instead a sense of surprise and curiosity.

The human leaned back defensively, resting his hands behind him on the desk as he started sweating nervously. “Umm… I’m sure I could have a well-thought-out answer for that, but you sort of caught me by surprise.” He leveled with her hesitantly, flashing an awkward smile.

“What are you reading there?” Luna asked, craning her neck to look past the human at the book opened up onto the desk.

Tom turned to see the journal and quickly closed it, but as he did, Luna caught a glimpse of white under one of his sleeves.

“Oh, this? It’s nothing… it’s err… it’s just a little something I wanted to look at, nothing to worry about, really-”

“Tom…”

“No, no, you’re right… I shouldn’t have snuck in here without asking. I’ll just put this up and go.”

“Tom…” Luna persisted, a bit of concern in her voice. “What’s that on your arm?”

Tom looked down to the appendage she pointed out, a hollow pit forming in his stomach as he stood there for a solid few seconds just staring. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders sinking as he turned to face the alicorn. He pulled his sleeve up, revealing what he had been hiding for so long.

Luna gasped quietly and reeled back a bit. She was currently looking at a bunch of bloodied bandages, not unlike something she might see in a hospital. The injury that must have been concealed beneath was probably large and gruesome looking by now. It was probably infected if it hadn’t been tended to. Of course, it shouldn’t have even been there at all, given who she was talking to.

“Tom… why haven’t you healed that?” She asked in a softer tone while walking up to the boy and gently taking hold of his arm to further examine the wound. She used her magic to carefully unwrap the bandage a bit, eliciting a frown from her and a wince from the boy as a nasty-looking bite wound was uncovered.

Tom sighed and ran his other hand down his face, letting it linger over his mouth for a moment before he dropped it. “I guess I should just come clean.” He said, though he hesitated a few moments longer as if he were having trouble getting the words out. “I think… I’m losing my powers.”

Hearing this, Luna looked up at him in shock. “What?”

“On that mission I went on in Ponyville with Glimmer and the others, my senses weren’t working right. Then I got bit by that ghoul… and I couldn’t heal it. I’ve been trying to ignore it… but I can still feel the signs. I feel tired… weak, and no matter what I try, I can’t will my powers to work.” Tom explained, looking down at the wound on his arm dismally.

Luna frowned sympathetically for a moment before putting on a more reassuring expression. “Don’t worry, Tom. We’ll get to the bottom of this together. I’ll go ask my sister and we’ll get started right away.” She said, already starting to trot away.

“Wait!” Tom called after her, eliciting her to slow to a halt and turn to him with a confused expression. “Please don’t tell her.”

“Tom… I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Luna shook her head softly.

“I’ve done the best I can to keep this to myself. I don’t want to worry anyone with this… least of all Twilight. She and the others have had to deal with so much recently, and I just want them to have a good time tomorrow, not spend the whole night wondering if I’m going to be ok.”

“Are you ok, Tom? I might not know as much about slayers as you, but this does not seem like something that should be taken lightly.” Luna insisted.

“I know… I know.” Tom sighed. “Look, if I can’t find a way to fix this in a few days, you can tell Princess Celestia and get her to help. I would still prefer this to be kept secret from any of the girls… but we’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. I’ve been looking through the slayer’s journal for a solution… I’m sure I can find something given enough time, but…” He clenched his fist and his eyes shut briefly before looking to the alicorn with a sincere gleam of desperation in his eyes. “Please don’t tell anyone right now.”

Luna remained silent for a moment, looking the boy over and dwelling on her thoughts. She finally exhaled through her nose and pulled her lips into a conflicted grimace before relaxing her expression. “Very well… I won’t tell my sister.”

Tom immediately deflated with relief.

“But…” She added in a more stern tone.

“But?” Tom asked hesitantly.

Luna stepped closer to the human. “You aren’t going on any missions or fighting any monsters until we get you back to normal… well, abnormal.”

“Supernormal?” Tom added.

“Paranormal?” Luna tilted her head curiously before shaking it and re-adopting a serious expression. “Whatever the terminology… Until we get your powers back. Am I clear?”

Tom exhaled softly and nodded. “Crystal.”

Hearing this, Luna smiled slightly and patted the boy’s shoulder. “Worry not, Tom. We’ll fix you in no time at all.” She assured. “Now… why don’t you go to bed? You look dreadful, and I’m not talking about that wound on your arm.”

Tom did his best to fight off a yawn, but now he couldn’t keep up the appearance of being energetic and alert. “Yeah… I guess I’ve gotten used to being able to run on three hours of sleep. But… I need to keep researching and-” He paused as the alicorn gently laid a hoof on his shoulder again, only to pull him away from the desk.

“Tom, I will pick up where you left off,” Luna said, nodding toward the journal.

Tom lowered his expression. “Are you sure?”

Luna simply smiled and nodded. “Quite… I usually pass the night away by reading or walking the dreams of troubled sleepers, but I can multitask. At any rate, this is more important.”

“Thank you, Princess… I really owe you one.” Tom said before starting to walk away.

The alicorn watched the human leaving, a bit of a concerned frown on her face that shifted to a warm smile as he turned to look at her, until he finally left the room and her troubled expression returned.

“Just take it off the tally of what I owe you.” Luna half smirked, looking to the floor and briefly recalling all the times that the human had saved her friends. She turned her attention to the book lying open on the desk and began what would be a long night of studying.

Chapter 9: Preparations

Stirring awake after a restful night, Twilight squinted as she discovered a beam of sunlight shining right in her face.

Looking around her, she half expected to be in her library again. It was an admittedly odd sight to be back in her room at the palace that she had left so long ago when she first moved to Ponyville. It was an even odder sight for there to be a young dragon and a human sleeping quietly nearby, but she had grown accustomed to such things by now.

As the unicorn was getting up and making her bed, she heard the sound of her young assistant stretching and waking up himself.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Twilight greeted the dragon with a ruffle of his scaly hair, eliciting a begrudgingly accepting groan.

“Morning…” Spike mumbled.

Hearing another yawn, the pair looked over to see their human friend starting to stir. He sluggishly stretched and groaned, similar to the dragon, before he sat up and managed to open his eyes halfway.

“Ugh… morning, guys.” Tom greeted, though he still sounded drowsy.

Twilight seemed a bit surprised by the human’s half-asleep appearance. “Wow… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look that tired. You ok?”

“Huh?” Tom strained his eyes for a moment before blinking hard and shaking himself awake. “Uh, yeah… I uh, I just stayed up real late last night.” He explained, waving off any concerns the pair might have had.

While Twilight seemed at least partially accepting of Tom’s answer, Spike looked at the boy a bit longer with a glint of unease in his eyes.

“Well, I hope you don’t get too tired by tonight,” Twilight said, already getting her things together to head out.

While the unicorn was busy putting things into her saddlebag, Spike turned to the human and frowned slightly before silently pointing to his own arm.

Tom looked at the dragon flatly for a moment before exhaling through his nose. He nodded and gave a quick thumbs-up, though Spike didn’t seem convinced. However, Twilight came walking back between them, forcing them to drop whatever silent conversation they were having.

“How do you guys feel about helping out Cadence and Shining Armor with setting up the castle for the costume ball?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I would have thought that would be something some servants would do?” Tom asked.

“Cadence likes helping out, so they left some work for her. It would be a good chance for you two to get to know each other better.” Twilight suggested.

Tom thought about the matter briefly before shrugging. “Sounds good. I hope she can tell me some juicy stories from when you were a kid.” He smirked.

“Trust me, there are some good ones.” Spike chimed in.

“Uh…” Twilight shifted her eyes between the pair hesitantly, the corners of her mouth twitching awkwardly. She cleared her throat and averted her eyes to the door. “Right… I guess that counts as getting to know… each other.”

Spike and Tom shared a quiet snicker at the unicorn’s expense as she led them out of her room. With that, the trio moved through the castle looking for the regal Princess of Love and her loving husband.

Soon after, they exited out into the entry hall and found the couple already hard at work transforming the room to better fit the Nightmare Night festivities.

There were black, orange, and dark blue balloons tied to some of the railings to the stairs. Colorful streamers spread across the air above them with fake bats hanging down from transparent strings.

Down on the first floor, Cadence was gently floating near the top of an archway, anchoring one of the streamers to it while Shining Armor watched from below.

As she finished tying off the streamer, Cadence looked over and smiled as she saw her friends coming down. She hovered down and landed near Shining Armor before the both of them started walking up to meet the trio.

“Morning, everyone.” Cadence greeted warmly.

“Morning,” Twilight smiled at the pair before shifting her attention to the various decorations in the room and the bags of unused props, balloons, and streamers that were still waiting nearby. “How are things going?”

“It’s going.” Shining Armor replied with an optimistic nod. “It would probably go faster if we had help, though.” He said, perhaps clueing in to what his sibling was planning.

“Lucky for you, we’re in a helpful kind of mood,” Tom stated. “Time for team opposable thumbs to shine.” He looked down to Spike and smirked.

Spike glanced down to his open palm and smiled a bit. “Yes… Finally, someone who understands.” He muttered cheerfully.

Hearing this, Cadence beamed happily. “Perfect! I was hoping you’d like to spend some time with us before tonight.”

Twilight padded over to one of the boxes full of decorations and pulled up a few plastic silhouettes of Nightmare Moon in her corona. “Well, it looks like we’ve got a lot of time ahead of us before we’re done.” She reasoned cheerfully, looking up at all of the blank spaces still scattered around the room before settling eyes on her friends. “Where do we start?”

Elsewhere, still tucked away in her room, Glitterball tensed her eyes as a muffled commotion came from outside. She lifted her head and trained her dazed stare on the door to her room. Some eager voices could faintly be heard, along with many different hoofbeats.

Judging from the light trailing in through her window, it must have been morning. Even though part of her wanted to entertain the thought of sleeping in, she knew she would be getting up naturally in a few minutes or so anyway, so she sat up and stretched before heading out.

As the unicorn opened her door and poked her head out, she found many of her friends already gathered out in the hallway.

Immediately to her left a few feet away, an excited trio of fillies were chatting with each other while Applejack and Pinkie Pie watched. Behind them, a door was open into a room where Rarity and Sunspot could be seen inside, the former doing some last-minute touches on what seemed to be the latter’s Nightmare Night costume on a compact sewing machine.

Further down the hall, Fluttershy stood in front of another open door, peering within as scarfs, boots, and other articles of clothing flew out and nearly struck her. Blue Bolt was nearby keeping well out of the danger zone.

Hearing another door opening, Glitterball stepped out and looked to her right, only to see Glimmer Shine walking out and staring at the chaos ahead of them as she had been doing. The stallion turned to the white mare and smirked.

“They wake you up too?” Glimmer asked.

Glitter snorted softly. “With friends like these, who needs alarm clocks?” She said before the two of them walked over to join the loose gathering of ponies.

Applejack looked up as she noticed the pair approaching. “Mornin’, y’all. Sorry if we woke you up. I’ve been tryin’ to get them to settle down, but I’d have more luck catchin’ a jackrabbit with my hooves tied.” She said, casting a slight flat look to the three fillies.

Apple Bloom and her two friends trailed their eyes down sheepishly at this. “Sorry.”

“Don’t feel bad on our account,” Glitterball said. “We’re used to being woken up without any warning.”

“Yeah. At this point, I’d feel weird if I got up on my own.” Glimmer Shine added before looking around. “Speaking of which, where’s Sparkplug?”

As if on cue to answer the stallion, a muffled series of sharp thumps came from a room behind them, accompanied by a familiar squeak of panic. Soon after, something seemed to roll into the door from within before some frantic hoofsteps came closer.

Applejack cringed as she and the others turned toward the door with mild concern. Glitterball inched forward until the orange mare put a hoof out to stop her. “I wouldn’t if I were you. She’s workin’ on her costume, and it is a mess in there. Paint cans and plastic wrap everywhere.”

“And I thought I was the messiest one of the group.” Pinkie noted.

Glimmer Shine chuckled. “You should see the equipment room when she’s working on a project.” He said, walking up to the door and listening for a moment before cringing again as more crashes and a pitiful whine came from inside. He reached a hoof up and gave a slight knock. “You ok in there, Sparkplug?”

After a moment, the gray mare’s voice responded, a bit higher-pitched than usual. “Uh… y-yeah! Just putting some finishing touches on this… stupid thing!”

“You uh… you want some help?” Glimmer raised a brow.

“No thanks… I’m good. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Sparkplug explained.

Shrugging a bit, Glimmer turned and walked back over to the others. Both he and Glitter started mingling and sharing their plans for the morning with their friends as they all collectively shook the lingering drowsiness from their forms, though the excitement they felt for the nightly festivities ahead of them helped a great deal.

Meanwhile, inside of Rarity and Applejack’s shared room, Sunspot watched with passive intrigue as the snow-white seamstress of Ponyville worked her magic on the pegasus’ chosen outfit.

“You know, I could have made something like this for you if you just asked, Sunspot.” Rarity said without looking up from her work. She was always willing to practice her craft and help out a friend at the same time, even if they sometimes had to beat her with a stick to get her to stop ‘beautifying’ anything they requested.

Sunspot waved a hoof cooly. “Eh, it’s fine. I didn’t want to put you out like that. Besides, it’s more fun to shop for your costume in my opinion…” She grew a bit sheepish as she fiddled her hooves together and looked down. “Also, I’m not exactly… ‘good’ at making my own outfits.”

Rarity paused and looked up at this. “But what about your Wonderbolt uniform? I thought you were the one that made all those additions to it?”

“Yeah… no. That was all Princess Luna, or whoever she handed it off to.” Sunspot admitted, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

Rarity flashed a reassuring smile and returned to her work with gusto. “That’s nothing to worry about. I’m happy to help a friend in need.”

Then, a few moments later, the constant sound of the sewing machine stopped as the white mare finished. She held the outfit in her aura, stretching it out to better see how it looked. If she was being honest, it still needed a lot of work before she could give it her stamp of approval overall, but the pegasus only asked for a slight addition.

“There we are. Magnifique!” Rarity beamed proudly.

“Wow…” Sunspot said as she saw the difference. It was only a bit of translucent pink fabric along the borders of the pant legs, but to the unicorn’s credit, it looked like the best craftsmanship in the whole outfit. “Thanks, Rarity. You really are the best.”

“Think nothing of it, darling.” Rarity said as she handed the costume off to the pegasus and started to put away her sewing supplies. “Oh, and do think about those changes I talked about for your flight suit. I really think they would be an improvement!”

Sunspot smiled nervously and waved a hoof as she headed out of the door. “Yeah, sure.” She said politely before hurrying her pace a bit.

As she was entering the hallway again, she noticed Glimmer Shine and Glitterball hanging around off to the side with Applejack, Pinkie, and the kids. And as she turned the other way, she caught sight of Fluttershy and Blue Bolt standing outside of a room just before a very exasperated looking Rainbow Dash came out with slumped shoulders and wrinkled brows.

“Dangit… I can’t find them anywhere!” Rainbow huffed.

Blue Bolt offered his friend a sympathetic look. “Uh… maybe you just didn’t pack them?” He said in a poor attempt at making her feel better. The resulting dramatic whine made him realize the obvious result it had.

The cyan mare put her sulking on pause as she and her friends looked over to see Sunspot walking up to them, a surprisingly colorful outfit over her back.

“Hey, Sunspot.” Rainbow greeted flatly, still not fully over her frustration.

“Is that your costume for tonight?” Fluttershy asked.

Sunspot turned to look at the ensemble draped over her form. “Yeah. I was just having Rarity give it some finishing touches.” She said before shifting her focus to the cyan mare. “So, what’s all the melodrama for?”

Rainbow Dash sighed, “I can’t find the goggles or the mask for my Wonderbolt costume.”

“You know, you could just wear it without them.” Blue Bolt offered.

“Seriously? I can’t do that! Everyone will think I look dumb if I don’t have the finishing touches!” Rainbow fretted.

“Sunspot’s suit doesn’t have a mask, and she looks fine without it,” Fluttershy added softly, eliciting a bit of a flattered smile from the orange mare.

“Forget it…” Rainbow deflated and let her ears droop. “I’ll just go see if I can find something that’s not totally lame in one of the shops.”

Sunspot frowned sympathetically at the sheer disappointment in the cyan mare’s face. She thought for a moment before revelation dawned on her. “You know, Rainbow Dash… I might not be able to get you a mask, but I can let you borrow my goggles.”

Rainbow Dash perked up slightly at this. “Really?”

“Sure.” Sunspot nodded. “If I’m being honest, I think the goggles look cooler without the mask anyway.”

Like the flipping of a switch, all of the sullen gloom and dejectedness left the cyan pegasus’ face, replaced in an instant with eager glee at the prospect of wearing an actual set of Wonderbolt goggles for her costume. The others could almost swear they could see her eyes sparkling.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash shot forward and gave Sunspot an unexpected hug that nearly sent her off her hooves. “You’re the best, Sunspot! Ooh, I can’t wait to see how they look on me! I’m gonna go get my costume ready!” She said before zipping back into her room, leaving a shockwave of air to pass over a stunned trio of pegasi.

Sunspot blinked once, and then twice, her mane still falling back into place after being blown back. “I’m surprised it’s only occurring to her now that she could have asked me to wear them.”

“It was probably for the best that it didn’t,” Fluttershy said.

Blue Bolt nodded, looking to the orange mare with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. “Yeah. I’m afraid that you just let the genie out of the bottle.”

“Oh…” Sunspot grew distant suddenly as a look of horror washed over her face. “Awesome… I always did love my adoring fans back on the team.” She chuckled nervously.

Hours passed in a blur as everyone got ready for the coming celebrations later that night. Some helped out around the castle, some spent time with their friends inside or out in the city, and some were ready to burst with excitement as they anticipated everything to come out of this year’s Nightmare Night.

For Princess Cadence, most of that time had been spent fixing up the castle with spooky decor and hanging out with her new family and their even newer human friend.

The boy was lighthearted and easy-going enough to fit right into their little bunch. However, something didn’t feel right to her. Behind the smiles and the good times, she could sense something off about the human that she just couldn’t put her hoof on.

While Twilight, Shining, Tom, and Spike continued putting up decorations and chatting, Cadence noticed a certain blue alicorn walking into the ballroom before heading out onto the garden patio outside. She let her stare linger for a moment before glancing over to Tom, and then to Twilight and the others.

Excusing herself for a quick break, Cadence walked out of the room and into the crisp evening air. She found Luna sluggishly resting against a marble rail and staring out into the garden.

Luna stifled a yawn and shook herself alert before turning as she noticed the younger alicorn sidling up beside her.

“Sleep well?” Cadence asked, noting the slight haze in her aunt’s eyes.

“Yes,” Luna said, “I merely lost track of time last night. There were some… important matters I had to tend to.” She made an effort to appear more awake than she felt. However, her expression fell as she noticed Cadence staring back toward the castle absentmindedly. “Is something bothering you?”

Cadence turned toward the older mare, remaining silent for a moment in seeming contemplation. She opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it once or twice before finally committing. “Has Tom been ok lately?”

Luna paused at that, but didn’t allow herself to react outwardly. “What makes you ask that?”

“I’m not sure.” Cadence frowned. “He seems fine, but… I get the sense that something’s wrong with him. You’ve known him longer than I have… Am I just being paranoid?”

After a moment, Luna lifted a hoof and set it on the younger alicorn’s foreleg. “Being concerned about someone does not make you paranoid, Cadence.” She smiled softly. “I too worry about him at times… but he has proven himself capable beyond his age.”

Cadence sighed, “I know that. I just… Twilight has told me that he hides his feelings so his friends won’t worry about him. What if he’s struggling with something and he just isn’t telling anyone?”

Luna wrinkled her mouth imperceptibly. The pink mare’s sense of empathy was more accurate than she knew. It was an admirable quality, and it created a bizarre predicament for Luna to be in. She considered her next words for a moment before putting on a reassuring expression.

“Worry not. I understand the hardships that Tom and the others are under, and their wellbeing, both physical and emotional, is one of my greatest concerns. If something were wrong with him, I would know, and I would make sure that he is taken care of.” Luna explained. “If you like, I can have a conversation with him and ask him if anything is troubling him. I might not have your sense for others’ emotions, but I should be able to tell if a teenager is hiding something from me.”

“No, it’s fine. Just…” Cadence glanced back inside before letting her ears droop a bit. “Just keep a close eye on him, ok? I don’t care if he does have powers. The life he has now would be stressful for anyone… and I don’t just mean the monster-hunting part. He’s literally a stranger in a strange land… and he’s only a kid.”

“I will… Trust me, I will.” Luna trailed her eyes off into the near distance. She thought for a moment before flashing a half-smile. Then, her expression shifted as she turned her attention to the fading light of the evening sky. “Come then, let us get back inside. There is much yet to be done before tonight.”

Cadence followed after the blue alicorn as she walked back into the castle. She was still a bit concerned, but she decided to push these feelings aside for the moment.

After all, it was Nightmare Night. It was time for her to have fun and enjoy the company of her friends and family. The only monsters the human had to worry about were plastic and latex, and had a penchant for sugary treats. She could talk to him about it another time.

Chapter 10: Revelry in the Dark

The whole of Equestria waited and watched with eager anticipation as the sun started to disappear beneath the horizon and the full moon started to rise.

Canterlot mountain was aglow with various lights acting as a beacon in the distance for many ponies around the countryside.

The city itself was alive with excited squeals, laughs, and crowds of ponies chatting and moving around on their nightly festivities.

There were kids and even adults of all races and colors trick or treating. Music played in the streets near the center of town as a crowd gathered around a stage with a band of ponies dressed in skeleton costumes. Spooky good times were being had all around as everyone celebrated the return of their lady of the night.

Up in the palace, Princess Luna herself was standing on a balcony and looking down into the busy streets with her older sister.

The royal sisters were each dressed in some form of costume to join in on the festivities outside. Luna, against the wishes of many of her advisors, was sporting a puffy frilled vest and a tricorn hat with a skull on it to resemble a pirate.

The princess of the sun opted for a compromise between fun and spooky, and something befitting a mare of her status. She wore a faded white dress with many holes poked in the fabric, along with a bit of dark eyeshadow and pale face paint to make her look like some sort of wispy specter in white.

Celestia looked up and smiled warmly as she saw her sister looking around like a proud parent watching their children have fun. It seemed like the blue alicorn was fully acclimated to the concept of Nightmare Night.

"It looks like this may be the biggest Nightmare Night in recent memory," Celestia said.

Luna looked up, a smile barely deemed acceptable for someone of her stature still plastered on her face. “Indeed it does… I wonder why that is?” She turned to her sister curiously.

“Perhaps it is because this is the first Nightmare Night since everyone has grown to accept you again?” Celestia mused.

“I’m not certain if that would cause such a drastic change,” Luna said, a hint of bashfulness underneath her regal exterior that only her sister could pick up on.

Celestia snorted softly and let her smile grow a bit. "Nonsense, sister. I grant you that not everyone in Equestria likes you, but then not everyone in Equestria likes me."

"Are you still certain that you don't wish to implement the stockades for such ponies?" Luna asked, receiving a flat look in return that made her chuckle. "I am only jesting, sister."

Celestia smirked a bit. "As much as the thought entertains me some days, I think that would be frowned upon by the general public."

Luna nodded and stifled another giggle. Her expression returned to a more pensive one as she glanced down at the city below and all of the crowds of ponies moving to and fro.

"Do you really think that they like me so much?" She asked a bit sheepishly.

Celestia looked at her sister warmly and nodded. "Of course. If you are still having doubts, perhaps you should go see for yourself?"

"Perhaps I will." Luna nodded to herself, taking a few steps toward the balcony. "I've been meaning to take a walk around the city. Perhaps I could even fetch us some candy by… treat or tricking?" She smiled hesitantly.

"Sister… I almost can't believe you would abuse your stature in such a way," Celestia faux frowned, causing Luna’s expression to fall slightly. She then looked around, as if to check to see if they were being listened in on, before turning back to her sister. "But if you insist on such activities, could you bring back a few caramel squares?" She said in a softer voice, smiling as she did.

Luna grinned and gave an eager flit of her wings as she nodded agreeably. She looked like an excited filly, and her ridiculous costume made the comparison even easier. “Of course.”

Celestia watched as her sister hopped up onto the balcony. The blue alicorn spread her wings and paused briefly to look back.

“See you later?” Luna asked.

“See you later.” Celestia nodded.

With that, Luna turned ahead and gave a quick flap, taking off into the air and descending down from the castle and into the city where she disappeared from view.

Now that she was alone, Celestia took one last look out at the city before shifting her thoughts downstairs to the costume ball. There would be punch, bobbing for apples, and a crowd of her subjects wearing their most creative and fun outfits. With any luck, she could find her faithful student and favorite niece.

“I wonder if it would be considered cheating if I won the costume contest?” She looked down to her tattered white dress and smirked. Normally, she wouldn’t be caught dead in such an ensemble, but that was part of why she enjoyed Nightmare Night so much. It gave her an excuse to wear something silly or unconventional without having upper society descend into madness.

With a brief tug at her dress and a pat to keep her mane in place, she stepped out of her chambers and headed toward the ballroom.

After a few minutes of walking, music could be heard softly drifting through the halls from up ahead. It wasn't quite energetic enough for a dance, but it was upbeat and vaguely eerie enough to fit the holiday.

Celestia descended the steps of the main foyer, passing by a few guards as she did. Up ahead, she could see a few late arrivals making their way toward the ballroom. The various ponies immediately brightened their faces as their sovereign strolled up to them and briefly mingled with them before continuing on her way.

A short walk later and Celestia found herself entering into the wide-open space of the ballroom, though right now it was a little claustrophobic. There were ponies of all shapes and sizes crowded into the room, gathered into their own groups around tables or just standing around. All of them were clad in some sort of outfit, ranging from classical monsters, to princesses, to cowponies, and vikings. The alicorn even spotted a few ponies dressed like her or her sister, most of which were flattering, some of which were spot on, and still others less than accurate.

The room was sufficiently decorated to fit Nightmare Night by this point. There were cobwebs and fake bats dotted around the ceiling, with blue and black streamers wrapped around the various columns and arches. The two long tables near the center of the room were topped with black cloth patterned with webs, with a variety of themed foods and snacks in decorative bowls. There was even a green-tinted mist coming off of the punch bowl, which was shaped like a witch’s cauldron.

Once everyone noticed the princess entering the room, any conversations halted and were replaced by surprised gasps and excited murmurs. Celestia smiled and waved to the onlookers for a moment before the energy in the room gradually shifted back to what it was before she entered.

“Princess!” A familiar voice called from through the crowd.

The few ponies in front of her parted, and a purple unicorn dressed in a lab coat with absurdly large goggles and wild black and white hair came trotting up to her with a bright smile.

“Twilight?” Celestia blinked, a bit surprised at the odd costume the unicorn was sporting.

“Do you like my costume?” Twilight asked, strutting her stuff and showing off the whole of the ensemble. “I was going to pick Clover the Clever, but then I saw this.”

“It’s certainly... interesting.“ Celestia paused before managing a smile. “But yes, I think it’s quite fitting, given your academic talents.”

From behind Twilight, Cadence and Shining Armor walked up and paused beside her. The pair were dressed as a queen of hearts and a knight respectively, which strangely seemed almost normal for them.

Along behind them, Spike came scampering up beside his unicorn caregiver. He had a strange animal costume, consisting of a doofy looking brown dog head with foam fangs and green eyes, and a similarly crude-looking brown suit with leaves and twigs jutting out of it. Even his tail was covered.

“I love your outfit, Celestia,” Cadence said cheerfully, pointing out the alicorn’s gown with her plastic heart-shaped scepter.

“Thank you. I like all of yours as well. Although…” Celestia paused, looking down at the young dragon and resting a hoof to her chin pensively. “What are you dressed as, Spike?”

Spike seemed a bit surprised at the alicorn’s confusion. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m a timberwolf!” He wiggled his tail and let his oversized hat bob a bit, giving the illusion that it was half of a wolf’s head.

“Oh, I see. Very nice.” Celestia nodded to herself, smiling a bit as she watched the dragon dissolve into a giddy mess at her compliment. She looked up again and diverted her gaze behind the group, seemingly looking for someone that she wasn't finding. “Where’s Tom? I thought he would be with you.”

“He’s with the girls Trick or Treating.” Twilight explained.

“Is that so?” Celestia said.

“Yeah, Pinkie roped him into going, but I don’t think he minded very much,” Twilight added.

Shining Armor chuckled a bit. “Free candy tends to be a great motivator.”

“I’ll say.” Spike chimed in. “After the costume contest is over, I might join them.” He added, salivating a bit at the prospect of so many sweets.

“Hmm… well, I hope he has a good time,” Celestia said.

Twilight puffed through her nose a bit and smirked. “I’m sure he will, considering he has Pinkie with him. It’s not every day that she gets to share a friend’s first Nightmare Night with them. If anything, he might have too much of a good time.”

The others chuckled warmly at the thought of their human friend being overwhelmed by Pinkie Pie and her own unique brand of fun. They only hoped that they could have half of the good time that the pink mare was probably having.

Elsewhere, on the streets of Canterlot, Fluttershy walked alongside her three pegasus friends on their way toward the lower levels of the city.

The group were each sporting their own costume for the night’s festivities. Rainbow Dash had a nearly accurate-looking Wonderbolt outfit on, complete with the flight goggles she had borrowed from Sunspot.

The orange pegasus herself was wearing a hot pink and black ensemble of a dress, with spiked bands around her wrists and dark eye shadow made to resemble a goth teenager. Her hair was even tied up into pigtails.

Blue Bolt was dressed as a gentlepony of sorts, with a patterned black and blue vest and white undershirt on. He also had a monocle on and a top hat on his head.

Fluttershy had opted to dress in a simplistic bunny outfit, complete with puffy round tail, whiskers, and floppy ears. For what it lacked in creativity or pizazz, it more than made up for in fluffy cuteness.

The four walked for a bit, weaving through crowds and alleyways as Sunspot led them, and eventually found themselves standing before their destination.

A large building loomed over them, seemingly a mansion that had been converted into a horror attraction. A crooked iron fence wrapped around the property, with a few signs hung up advertising the event. Open windows allowed for flowing curtains to billow out into the night, with eerie yellow or green lights in certain rooms. A twisting cobblestone path led up to the front doors, where a small gathering of ponies were waiting to be let inside by the staff, who were all dressed in appropriately scary attire.

Fluttershy cringed as she watched a small group of kids come screaming out of a side exit. Through the open door, an eerie cackle could be faintly heard that made the hairs on her tail bristle inside her costume.

“Are you s-sure we can’t just go trick or treating with the others?” She asked softly, doing her best to keep her knees from knocking together.

Rainbow Dash frowned slightly as she turned to her timid friend. “Aww, come on, Flutters. We can’t just back out now. You said you would be ok with this.”

“I know… I’m sorry.” Fluttershy looked down regretfully before stealing a glance up at the eerie manor and inching back. “It’s just, now that I’m actually here, I’m starting to have… s-second thoughts.”

Blue Bolt offered the yellow mare a sympathetic expression before looking up to the attraction pensively. “Hey, this place has three different kinds of experiences, right?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Rainbow said.

“Well, why don’t we all go through the least scary one together, and then you and I can go through the big one after,” Blue suggested.

Hearing this, Rainbow Dash’s face brightened up. “That sounds like a great idea!” She took a moment to reign in her excitement and turned to her friend. “How about it, Fluttershy?” She asked, smiling in hesitant anticipation.

Fluttershy felt bad as she looked at the eager faces of her friends looking at her. She looked up to the mansion once more, the feeling of unease threatening to make her cower back again, and swallowed her apprehensions.

“Ok… I think I can do that.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash pumped a foreleg in the air. She grabbed Fluttershy by the hoof and dragged her along behind as she excitedly trotted toward the building.

Sunspot and Blue Bolt watched the tracks being made in the dirt from the yellow mare getting pulled along. Fluttershy tried to weasel out of her friend’s iron grip, either out of fear of where she was going or fear of being pulled off balance and dragged along the ground, but she eventually admitted defeat.

“Have they always been like this?” Sunspot asked beside her, not breaking her stare ahead at the two mares.

“As long as I’ve known them.” Blue Bolt smirked. “Come on, let’s not keep her waiting. We might be next.” He suggested. Hearing this, Sunspot glanced to him and then back ahead with newfound urgency.

Soon enough, or rather, not soon enough for some of them, the group made it up the marble steps and entered into the lobby of the haunted house experience.

What appeared to be the foyer of the mansion stood before them, heavily modified and decorated to make it duller and foreboding. The area was dark, with just enough light to make the various cobwebs and props look believable. There were thick curtains hung in three doorways, two of which were across from each other downstairs, while the third was up a grand staircase full of eerie-looking portraits.

Standing in the middle of the room was a tan stallion dressed in a dingy-looking suit with a crooked red bowtie. His black hair was just disheveled enough to imply that it was on purpose to fit with his attire.

Spotting the four ponies entering, he smiled creepily and walked up to them.

“Welcome to Shadewood manor, travelers! A great many thrills, chills, and shocking good times await any souls brave enough to enter these walls. But beware, for many unspeakable horrors lie in wait inside.” The stallion explained, a very rehearsed air about his speech. “Have you come to explore the manor?”

“You bet.” Rainbow nodded eagerly. Most of the others shared in her enthusiasm, though one of them looked like a scared little filly.

The stallion chuckled warmly. “Splendid! Which path would you like to take?” He turned and gestured behind him at the three curtained-off doorways. “There’s the beginner experience, the intermediate experience, and the hair-raisingly terrifying thrill seeker experience.” He explained, pointing to the left door, the right door, and the upstairs door respectively. “The intermediate path is five bits per head, and the thrill-seeker path is ten per head.”

“Yikes…” Rainbow Dash flinched slightly at the prices, even though they probably weren’t too extreme to others.

“How much for the beginner path?” Blue Bolt asked, pointing to the left door.

The stallion seemed a bit surprised initially at the group’s interest in the left path, though looking at the yellow mare in their midst explained everything. “The beginner path is free, however… I must inform you that it is… far from the most exciting experience we have to offer.”

“It’s the kiddie path, isn’t it?” Blue smirked knowingly.

“Yeah…” The stallion nodded, breaking character for a moment. “But, you are more than welcome to try it if that’s what you want.”

Sunspot stepped forward a bit and glanced between the right path and the upstairs path. “If we pay for the thrill-seeker one, do we have to pay again to see the intermediate one?” She asked curiously.

“Not at all. You can go through both as long as you pay for the thrill-seeker path first. However, you can only go through each once. Any repeats would need to be paid for again.”

“Sounds good.” Sunspot said, reaching down to her side and pulling out a coin purse hidden in her dress. Much to everyone’s surprise, she pulled out forty bits and handed them to the stallion. “I’ll just pay in advance for all of us, just in case.”

“Pleasure doing business.” The stallion gave an appreciative nod. “Please enjoy your visit.” He bowed briefly and gestured around at the three paths before walking away to deposit the coins.

The others watched with stunned amazement as the orange mare returned her purse to her side. They had at the very least expected to share whatever bill would be incurred by their stay, not for one of them to just fork over the whole cost.

“Sunspot, you didn’t have to do that.” Rainbow Dash said with a sympathetic frown.

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Sunspot waved a hoof casually. “One of the perks of hunting monsters is excellent danger pay.” She smirked.

“Well… can’t argue with that.” Rainbow shrugged lightheartedly. She turned to her two other friends and formed an eager smile. “You two ready?”

“You bet.” Blue nodded immediately.

Fluttershy exhaled tensely as she peered into the curtained-off doorway on the left. “Y-Yeah…”

“Alrighty then, let’s get this show on the road.” Rainbow Dash stated, already starting to walk ahead. The others followed behind, with Fluttershy bringing up the rear, as their cyan leader headed through the curtain.

As they entered into the actual haunted portion of the ‘haunted’ house, the ponies quickly discovered why this path was free. While the setting itself was creepy enough, though most of them had already been through an actual haunted mansion before, the quote-unquote ‘scares’ that had been prepared for them left something to be desired.

Spring-loaded sheets with ghost faces painted on them slowly popped up from behind counters or around corners. Audio tapes with spooky noises looped throughout played. Occasionally, they might find a mannequin dressed in a monster costume with a cheesy mask. All in all, it was kid-friendly and thoroughly boring for anyone with a fear tolerance higher than a shoe.

Rainbow Dash stared ahead blankly as a cardboard cutout of a timberwolf popped up with all the urgency of a snail. A semi convincing growl accompanied the cutout, though it paled in comparison to the real thing.

“Not to sound like a broken record, but this is pretty lame.” Rainbow droned, sighing as she stepped around the cutout.

“I’ll say,” Sunspot added, “even Fluttershy hasn’t jumped at all since we’ve been here.”

“Am I really such a low comparison point?” Fluttershy deflated a bit.

Blue Bolt patted the yellow mare on the back. “Of course not, Fluttershy. You’re just a little… umm…” He trailed off, seemingly struggling to come up with something uplifting to say.

Fluttershy sighed and lowered her eyes to the floor. “It’s ok… Although, I am a bit surprised myself. I guess I was making it out to be worse in my head.”

“There’s also the fact that you’ve been through a lot scarier experiences before.” Sunspot commented.

“Yeah, I’ll bet you’re way braver than you used to be.” Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

Fluttershy felt a flattered smile forming and her cheeks reddening. "You guys really think so?"

"I know so," Rainbow said plainly. "Most ponies would pass out from sheer terror at half of the things you've been through."

"Maybe she could try the intermediate level with us after this?" Blue Bolt suggested.

"Umm… I-I think I'll just stick to this one for now, thanks." Fluttershy shivered slightly at the thought of what the next level had in store.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Blue Bolt smirked and shook his head.

While the four pegasi were seeking some scary good times, a certain pair of monster hunters were seeking a different variety of scary fun.

Glimmer Shine stood in a small bookstore and watched as his unicorn friend went up and down an aisle, scanning titles with a quietly amused smile plastered on her face. The whiskers of the black cat costume she was sporting made the sight all the more adorkable. The stallion himself was wearing a dog costume to coordinate with the white mare, complete with floppy ears and a cumbersome tail that was more than a touch itchy.

Hearing hoofsteps coming up behind them, the pair turned to see the owner of the shop, a yellow unicorn mare with white hair wearing a witch hat, walking up.

“Finding everything ok?” The unicorn asked politely.

Glitterball hopped down from one of the upper shelves and turned to face the owner. “Just browsing, thank you. Although… do you have any recommendations for a horror thriller?”

The yellow unicorn propped her chin up with a hoof and trailed her eyes off briefly. “Well… that depends on how scary you-” She paused abruptly and looked the pair over for a moment before her face lit up slightly. “Hey, aren’t you those monster hunters that work for the princess?” She asked, doing her best to keep her excitement contained.

“We sure are.” Glimmer Shine nodded, always pleased to find someone that recognized him and his team. Glitterball seemed flattered and a little sheepish.

“Oh, thank you so much for what you do.” The unicorn said with a heartfelt smile of gratitude. “You know, I actually saw you out on the streets back when the hooded ponies invaded. I was hiding from those horrible shadow monsters.” She said, getting a bit quieter as unsettling thoughts crept into her mind. “I can’t believe that you guys were just out and about in all that chaos.”

“Well, we did what we could,” Glitterball said. “I’m glad you made it through without getting hurt.”

The yellow mare smiled appreciatively before letting her expression fall a bit. She looked around to see if anyone else was watching and tittered awkwardly while scratching her mane as she turned back to the pair of monster hunters.

“This might sound strange, but…” Her mouth twitched nervously as she worked her way up to whatever she was about to say. “I’ve heard about those magical zappy things you use to fight monsters.”

“You mean our strobes?” Glimmer Shine tilted his head, unsure of where the mare was going with this.

“Oh, is that what you call them?” The unicorn nodded in revelation. “Anyway… would you mind letting me see them?” She strained, cringing a bit as she prepared for the response to her overreaching.

The two looked at each other for a moment. Glitterball smirked a bit and shared a nod with her friend before she reached down to her hind leg and pulled her strobe from its strap. Glimmer Shine did the same, lifting the leg of his dog costume to get to the small vial, before both of them held out their weapons for show.

“Woah…” The mare’s eyes lit up like a filly on Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“These guys here use a mixture of alchemical ingredients to create a burst of positive energy.” Glimmer Shine explained.

“Do you want to try one?” Glitterball offered, holding out her strobe to the mare.

The yellow pony stared at the vial with a veiled sense of excitement, but also a sense of nervous apprehension. “Should I…?”

“Of course,” Glitterball smirked. “They’re harmless to anything that isn’t a monster, so go ahead.”

As the white mare practically placed the vial into her hooves, the owner hesitantly accepted it and looked it over. There was a certain amount of veiled fear in her eyes like she had just been handed a dangerous weapon. Still, after a moment or two of apprehension, she pointed it up at the ceiling and hovered her hoof near the easily identifiable button on the cap.

With a magical zap and a burst of light, the yellow pony yelped and dropped the vial to the floor with a tiny clatter as a colorful spark shot into the ceiling and exploded into a shower of particles.

After a moment of silence, she rested a hoof against her chest and smiled nervously. Much to her surprise, the ceiling hadn’t received any damage from the colorful projectile.

“Wow…” The yellow mare muttered, still dealing with her brief rush of adrenaline.

Glitterball snorted softly and smirked. She lit up her horn and gently lifted the vial back to her hind leg and replaced it on its strap. “First time’s always a little exhilarating.”

“You reacted better than my brother did with his first go.” Glimmer Shine added lightheartedly.

The yellow mare adopted a curious expression. “Your brother works with you?”

Hearing this, the stallion trailed his eyes to the floor briefly and swallowed uncomfortably. Glitterball’s cheerful demeanor fell as well as she looked to her friend to see how he was reacting.

“Well… he used to. He’s uh… he’s not with us anymore.” Glimmer explained.

A brief moment of confusion crossed the yellow pony’s face until the realization dawned on her and she softened her eyes. “Oh my… I’m so sorry. I heard that you lost some of your team before the invasion… I didn’t think-”

“It’s fine.” Glimmer Shine said, forcing a more neutral expression. “It’s dangerous work, and… he knew the risks, but he was fine with it as long as he was helping ponies in need. I like to think that as long as I’m still doing that, that I’m keeping his memory alive.”

The yellow mare frowned softly as she saw a hint of lingering pain in the stallion’s eyes. It seemed like the wound had mostly healed, but she just prodded it and brought it back to his attention.

“Well…” She cleared her throat uncomfortably and managed a slight smile. “If there’s anything you need help with, please let me know.”

“Right,” Glimmer Shine nodded, clearing his throat as well and shaking the gloom from his features. “How about some recommendations? I don’t know about you, but I came here to read and unwind.” He bobbed his head toward Glitterball.

The owner seemed a bit surprised at just how quickly the stallion shifted tones, but she nodded and flashed a smile anyway. “Of course. Right this way, please.” She motioned for the pair to follow her.

Glitterball watched for a moment as her companion headed off with the owner, already having a conversation about what he was looking for. She let her thoughts drift, her features falling flat as she did. She was glad that Glimmer was doing better, but she could only imagine how he still felt on the inside. If her own feelings were anything to go by, she knew that he still hurt deeply over the losses they suffered that night.

“You coming, Glitter?” Glimmer Shine asked, breaking the unicorn from her thoughts.

“Yeah… be right there.” Glitter stated, trotting over to join her friend. If he could get right back to enjoying Nightmare Night, then so could she.

Outside on the streets, the night was alive with laughter and lighthearted squeals of joyful terror. All across the city, groups of foals, family, and friends went from house to house, storefront to storefront, and anywhere else they could to acquire some tasty treats.

One such group was made up of Pinkie Pie and her friends. The pink mare was accompanied by Applejack, Rarity, the crusaders, Sparkplug, and Tom. Everyone was wearing the costumes they had picked out earlier, with Rarity sporting a light purple wedding gown complete with veil, and Sparkplug wearing a cardboard robot costume that had been lovingly painted gray with various accents.

The others all watched as Scootaloo and her fellow crusaders led their human friend up to a house. Apple Bloom knocked on the door before stepping back and sharing an excited grin with her friends as they all prepared their plastic pumpkins, which were already somewhat filled with a variety of candy.

After a moment, the door opened and a teal earth pony mare came out holding a large bowl full of enough sweets to send even Pinkie Pie into a sugar coma.

“Trick or Treat!” The three fillies exclaimed in unison, holding their buckets up eagerly.

“Goodness… what scary costumes.” The mare noted lightheartedly, looking between the trio. She trailed her eyes up and was a bit taken aback to see something taller than her, only to recognize it to be Equestria’s resident human.

“Oh my… you’re that human fellow, aren’t you?” She asked before cringing awkwardly. “Err… of course you are. That was a stupid question, sorry.”

“Don’t worry, this is as weird for me as it is for you,” Tom stated with a smirk.

“Right, well…” The mare chuckled nervously as she took a few hoof fulls of candy and deposited them into each of the four buckets held out to her. “Happy Nightmare Night.” She waved.

“Wow…” Scootaloo smiled as she saw how much her horde of candy had grown.

“Thanks!” Sweetie Belle said cheerfully.

With that, the four stepped away from the house and rejoined their friends, who were just getting back from visiting a house of their own.

Pinkie Pie took a piece of candy from her own bucket, which was nearly overflowing by this point from the sheer volume of houses she had already been to, and popped it into her mouth. “I love Nightmare Night!”

“I second that.” Sparkplug said, looking to her own pile of candy and already picturing how fast she would demolish it later.

“Personally, I think giving so much candy to children at one time is unhealthy.” Rarity chimed in.

“Aw, lighten up, Rare. It’s only once a year.” Applejack nudged the unicorn with a playful smirk. “Besides, a lil’ candy never hurt anypony. Just look at Pinkie.”

“Yeah! I eat candy all the time, and I still keep a girlish figure.” Pinkie said, showing off her somewhat slim figure. She might not have been the thinnest among her group of friends, but given her diet, she might as well have been a supermodel.

“Do you guys just not have diabetes or something?” Tom skewed his expression a bit.

Pinkie blinked. “Dia what now?”

Meanwhile, Sparkplug stole a glance at the contents of the human’s pumpkin bucket, only to pause as she noticed that it was oddly empty compared to everyone else’s.

“Hey, Tom, why don’t you have a lot of candy?” The gray mare asked curiously, drawing everyone’s attention to the human and his meager haul.

Pinkie gasped as she saw how little candy her friend had. “Oh my gosh, what happened? Did someone steal your candy? Did they not give you as much because you look different? Those meanies!” She glared in the direction of the house that the human and the fillies just went to.

“Woah, easy there, Pinkie,” Tom said, hoping to de-escalate what was probably about to be a potential egging. “It’s not that big of a deal. I’m not just here for the candy. I’ve been enjoying having fun with you guys.”

“Aww…” Pinkie’s expression melted into a warm smile. “I can go get you some more if you want.” She offered.

Tom shook his head gently. “Nah, I don’t want to put you out like that.” He said. Suddenly, he looked down as he felt a tiny nudge at his leg.

“Do you want some of mine? I have extra.” Sweetie Belle said, holding up her nearly overflowing bucket.

“No thanks, Sweetie. I’m good… really.” Tom smiled and patted the filly on the head, briefly ruffling the top of her costume.

“Well, the night’s still young.” Applejack said, peering down the street to see another grouping of houses further ahead. “I’m sure everyone will have a good haul by tomorrow.”

“Agreed. Let’s get moving, shall we?” Rarity suggested, looking to her friends to confer their opinions. Everyone seemed eager to move on and get back to trick or treating.

With that, the group headed down the street again, weaving through a small crowd as they went.

Apple Bloom looked down at her bucket before glancing over to her orange friend. “How’re you doin’ Scootaloo?” She asked curiously. While Sweetie Belle seemed to be doing the best out of the three of them, only Scootaloo’s bucket wasn't full to the point that the pile inside could be seen.

“Pretty good,” Scootaloo said, glancing down to her bucket. “Although, I kind of wish I had more candy bars. I keep getting those hard candy things.”

“Maybe we can trade later? I like those.” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” Scootaloo smiled in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Applejack and Pinkie watched from the back of the group as Tom made his way to the front. While the fillies were busy chatting with each other, the human took a handful of candy bars and snuck them into the young pegasus’ bucket with all the finesse of a seasoned thief on his way past. The two mares watching shared a slight smile with each other as they realized why the crusaders had so much candy this early.

About fifteen minutes went by as the group went to and fro. They went from house to house, mingled with passing crowds and admired each others’ costumes, stopped at a few games set up in small booths along some of the plazas, and all-around had a good time.

Eventually, Tom slowed to a halt and glanced off toward the distant castle. He contemplated something for a moment before turning to the others and sighing.

“Well, it’s been fun, girls, but I think I’m going to head off. I’d like to spend some time with Twilight and Spike and check out the costume contest.”

“Aww…” Sweetie Belle frowned softly.

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” Scootaloo pleaded.

“Now girls, I’m sure Tom will see us again later.” Rarity said.

“Ok… bye, Tom.” Scootaloo and her two friends waved as the human walked away.

“Oh! Wait a minute, Tom!” Pinkie called after the human and trotted over to him, causing him to turn around. “Why don’t I hold onto your candy for you? I’ll keep it safe, I promise.”

“You sure?” Tom said hesitantly, already handing over the plastic pumpkin.

“Yep!” Pinkie nodded. “There’s no sense in you carrying it around everywhere. I’ll just drop it off for you later.”

“Alright… thanks.” Tom nodded before waving to the group and heading off on his own.

Applejack walked up to the pink mare and watched as she emptied about half of her stash of candy into the human’s bucket. “Wow… Tom did pretty good from the look of it.” She smirked.

“I can’t just sit back and watch his first Nightmare Night end without candy.” Pinkie stated.

“Never change, Pinkie,” Applejack added, resting a hoof on her friend’s back.

The two mares watched the human leaving for a moment longer before they made their way back to their group. There was still much to be done before the night was through, and they had a feeling that the best was yet to come.

Chapter 11: Fright Night

Amidst the crowds of ponies walking the streets of Canterlot, Princess Luna quietly took in the many sights and sounds around her.

She saw many little colts and fillies cheerfully scampering past, occasionally giving pause as they noticed the princess of the night walking amongst them. She would smile and briefly converse with any who stopped her, but otherwise, she simply enjoyed the cool night air and the joyful energy of the city and its inhabitants.

As she was walking down a relatively empty back street, she slowed to a stop and skewed her expression slightly as a strange feeling started nagging at the back of her head. The young alicorn wasn't as experienced at sensing energy as her older sister, but what she was feeling now did seem like some kind of magical presence, and whatever it was unsettled her a bit.

Looking around, she could see a number of ponies around her, though most of them were in the plaza behind her moving along their own paths. She was the most alone she had been since she left the castle.

Giving a few moments to humor her sixth sense, she peered around and listened, even lighting up her horn and scanning for magical energies. When suddenly, she noticed one.

It was faint, but she could feel something coming from an alleyway up ahead between two stores.

Luna adopted a more wary expression as she slowly crept forward. Pausing at the mouth of the alley, she steeled herself for whatever would be waiting for her and poked her head out. A pale blue light filled the dark space as she lit her horn, revealing a few trash cans and some other openings further in, but nothing else stood out to her.

She raised an eyebrow, equal parts confused and untrusting of the empty silence. However, nothing popped out at her, and she gradually lost faith in what she felt before. Backing up onto the street again, she stole one more paranoid glance to the alley before carrying on her way.

“Princess Luna…”

A soft masculine voice called out to her from behind, making the alicorn pause and turn around.

Standing at the mouth of the street, there was a cloaked stallion. She could see faintly light brown furred forelegs and a shadowed face poking out of the green garb, with a couple tufts of silver hair visible as well. He seemed to have a slender frame, but he stood at a surprising height, nearly as tall as she was.

Luna was a bit taken aback by the sudden appearance of the stallion, but she relaxed ever so slightly and smiled formally. “Yes… can I help you?”

The stallion pulled a corner of his mouth back briefly. He reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a horn and rose-colored eyes.

“No, no, far be it from me to waste your time. I simply wanted to meet you and see for myself.” He spoke, a somewhat refined and gentle air to his voice.

“See what… for yourself?” Luna tilted her head curiously, knitting her brows together imperceptibly. “Forgive me, but you seem to have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I’m afraid that I do not recognize you.” She said.

Ignoring the alicorn’s question, the stallion instead walked forward at a slow pace. “Oh, I suspected you wouldn’t. Still… I had hoped that my name would have at least briefly crossed your ears.” He said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“I think I’d like you to stay right where you are until you answer my question,” Luna said in a bit of a firmer tone. Something felt off about this stallion, and it didn’t just have to do with the fact that the strange feeling she had felt coming from the alleyway was now in front of her. “Who are you?”

Hearing this, the brown pony stopped walking. He stared at the regal princess of the night, pressing his lips together briefly before exhaling softly. “Very well. If you must know, I am known as Dusk.” He explained. “Now that I’ve answered your question, may I ask a few of my own?”

Luna remained silent as she eyed the stallion up and down. The nagging feeling at the back of her head told her that she shouldn’t trust this pony, but she wasn't sure why just yet.

“Come now, Princess, surely you’ve heard of quid pro quo?” He smirked a toothy smirk.

“Very well… Dusk. What do you wish to know?” Luna prodded.

The stallion looked behind him at the crowds of ponies, the cheerful laughter, the silly costumes, before turning back to the princess and her own outfit. “Forgive me if this sounds strange… but,” He gestured a foreleg around him, revealing a glimpse under his cloak. Luna reeled back slightly as she saw what she could only imagine to be a wing.

“When exactly did your banishment turn into something to be celebrated?” He asked. “And what exactly brought you back into your sister’s good graces?”

Luna took a guarded step back. “What…?”

Before the stallion could elaborate further, the faint sound of nightly festivities was broken by a high-pitched scream.

Luna darted her head toward the noise, her blood running cold as more screams echoed. These were not screams of playful fear, these were screams of pure and genuine terror.

A soft sigh drew the alicorn’s attention back to the strange stallion. He had a mildly annoyed expression on his face as he looked over Luna’s shoulder. By now, several ponies in the plaza ahead were running from something.

“I had hoped that they would wait a while longer before showing themselves. Oh well… I suppose I can’t blame them.” He shifted his eyes back to Luna and took off his cloak, letting it flutter to the ground. He revealed a pair of wings, along with what looked to be a dry open wound across his neck. “I’ve been waiting a long time for tonight as well…”

Although Luna’s suspicions were confirmed, her thoughts only took a brief moment to dwell on the confusion of being confronted by another alicorn. Instead, she turned around and, without a word, bolted toward the plaza ahead where the majority of the screams were coming from.

She couldn’t see the source of whatever was causing the panic ahead of her, but she could hear faint animalistic growls and barks. The sounds were feral, and unlike anything she had heard before.

However, before she could get any further, one of her back legs erupted into pain as something cleanly sliced through her calf.

“AGH!” Luna yelped and nearly tumbled forward as her leg buckled under her. She caught herself on her forelegs and clenched her teeth as she spun around, looking down to the shallow gash on her leg bleeding steadily before looking up.

A stream of red quickly flowed into the wound on the stallion’s neck. Although Luna barely got a good look at it, it resembled the crimson fluid currently dripping down and staining her fur.

“Quid pro quo, Princess…” The stallion said, a hint of a colder tone to his voice. “You still haven’t answered my questions.”

Luna suppressed her racing heart and her strained breathing from her new injury. She stood up, one of her legs shaking briefly before she was back on all fours, and lowered herself into a battle stance.

“What are you?! What do you want?!” She glared, lighting her horn up fiercely and watching the strange alicorn’s every move.

Hearing this, the ruby-red eyes intensified a bit, though there was still a passive smile on the stallion’s face. “Very well… If you won’t give me answers, then I suppose I will have to take something else from you.” He said, letting a pair of fangs show as his smugly confident smile shifted to an eager grin.

Walking the streets of Canterlot, Tom made his way toward the castle at a leisurely pace. He enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere of ponies going to and fro in costumes, even if it wasn't what he was used to just yet.

Occasionally, he would be recognized and waved to or whispered about curiously. A few kids pointed to him excitedly and tried to get their parents to see. He wasn't exactly hard to pick out of a crowd in Equestria, and while he wasn't quite a celebrity or a national hero yet like the Elements of Harmony, he did get the odd praise and thanks sent his way from time to time.

He paused and looked up at the palace stretching above him, only blocked by a couple of buildings. The sight of the grand castle covered in what equated to Halloween decorations was impressive and eye-catching.

“I wonder if I’ll make it in time for the costume contest?” He pondered to himself.

Just then, the faint sound of screams reached his ears. He wrinkled his expression slightly and turned toward the next plaza. Although it was hard to make out, he could just barely see ponies running around.

“What the-”

A sudden hiss and a puff of blue mist made the boy lurch forward. He widened his eyes as he sensed a number of what could only be vampiric entities nearby.

“How the hell…?! Why didn’t I feel this sooner?!” He said, cursing his lack of ability briefly before throwing caution to the wind and running forward.

The human pushed past a number of ponies that were either running or nervously walking away from whatever commotion was being caused. Some of them seemed more terrified than others as if they had seen something that gave them ample reason to run.

Slowing to a stop in the mouth of the plaza, Tom looked ahead to see chaos everywhere. The crowds from before had mostly thinned out, but there were still a number of ponies in various clusters.

Near the back of the plaza, a pair of unicorn mares were on the ground, staring up at three other ponies fearfully and trying to crawl away. The trio were pale shades of whatever color they originally held, and their eyes were an intense shade of red that almost seemed luminescent.

“Ho boy… I was kind of hoping that my senses were wrong on this one.” Tom said before stretching out his fingers and summoning his claws.

Or at least attempting to.

The usual flash of fire that would wash over his fingers appeared briefly before sputtering out midway through.

“What?! Oh for crying out loud!” Tom growled under his breath as he tried again, only to receive similar results. Finally, he sighed and shook his head before reaching behind his back. “I guess I’ll have to fight like a normal human for once…” He said, looking to the scene ahead of him with a hint of apprehension building inside of him.

Meanwhile, the two unicorn mares were having the worst night of their lives.

The pair huddled together and cowered as three monstrous ponies loomed over them. They were having fun and enjoying the night’s festivities just minutes prior, but now they were fearful for their lives.

One of the creatures, what was formerly a white earth pony stallion with brown hair, chuckled sadistically and stepped on one of the helpless mares.

“So you two are sisters? What luck… now if I like your blood, I’ve got a whole ‘nother pony’s worth of it.” The stallion said, smiling and showing off his fangs to the pair while pressing down harder on one of them.

“Breezy!” One of the mares with pink fur and purple hair cried, reaching out as her green-furred sister produced a painful yelp.

The stallion and his two companions didn’t seem at all sympathetic to the two mares’ pleas. In fact, they were enjoying the suffering of the innocent ponies.

With little warning, the stallion picked up the unicorn, ignoring her feeble attempts at crying or grasping at his foreleg as he lifted her up and prepared to sink his teeth into her neck.

“Hey! You with the overbite!” A voice came from off to the side.

The trio of vampires scarcely had time to turn their heads before a figure broke from the crowd of ponies and swung a faintly glowing blue sword down at the stallion, carving a nasty gash down his side and causing him to stumble back as the wound erupted into burning pain.

As she flopped back to the ground, the unicorn mare and her sister looked up in stunned surprise to see Equestria’s resident slayer of evil standing with sword at the ready.

“Holy… You’re that human guy!” The pink mare said. Her sister seemed to be speechless at their sudden rescue.

“I had noticed,” Tom smirked briefly at the pair before looking up and adopting a serious expression as he locked eyes with the trio of vampires. “You two should probably run now. I’ll handle this.”

The pair blinked at the human, and then at each other, before scrambling to get to their hooves and sprinting away.

“Thank you!” The pink mare shouted behind her as she and her sister joined the crowd of ponies fleeing the area.

Meanwhile, Tom watched as the earth pony stallion yelled and clutched at the burning slash in his side. Much to the human’s dismay, the wound stopped burning and even stopped bleeding, though it remained as a dry scar on his form.

Dangit… blessed weaponry won’t cut it. Tom thought to himself. Without his spirit weapons, and with his powers of questionable strength and reliability, he didn’t have much going for him without anything silver. Thankfully, he still had his inherited knowledge of monsters.

I guess I’ll have to count on cutting off heads or destroying hearts. The boy steeled his expression and tightened his grip on his sword.

One of the other vampires, an earth pony mare with black fur and striped yellow and white hair, glared at the human on behalf of her wounded companion.

“You’ll regret that!” She stated, stepping forward and baring her teeth.

Tom prepared to strike at the mare, until the other vampire mare, a pegasus with red fur and blue hair, charged at him and nearly tackled him until he dodged to the side.

Just as he was recovering, Tom looked to the side just in time to catch the stallion slamming into him and knocking him to the ground roughly.

“You think you can just cut me and get away with it?!” The stallion hissed at the human beneath him and lunged forward, barely being held back by bare hands.

“The thought did cross my mind…” Tom grunted nervously as he struggled to keep the pony out of biting range. It was around this time that he realized that the feelings of exhaustion that he had been experiencing translated to his enhanced strength being gone.

“Not so tough now, are you?” The black mare taunted as she watched her companion gaining the upper hand.

The red mare chuckled warmly, kicking the human’s sword away and barely paying attention to the slight burn in her hoof she got from touching the blade. “I was honestly expecting more from him.”

You and me both… Tom cringed softly, doing his best to kick or squirm out from under the stallion, but the vampiric pony wasn't going anywhere.

“Ok…” Tom grunted, “Sorry guys… I wish I could help you, but right now all I can do is make sure you don’t hurt anyone else.”

“Really?” The stallion grinned. “Because right now, the only thing I’m hurting is y-”

Before the stallion could finish his thought, Tom wrenched his hand free and faced an open palm at his face. A brief flash of blue erupted from the boy’s hand, causing the pony’s entire form to burn. He produced a painful shriek and backed off of the human.

Tom immediately leaped to his feet. He turned to find his sword, only to hear a noise behind him and spin around just in time to catch a hoof to the face with surprising force.

The sudden strike sent the human stumbling backward. He looked ahead to see the red mare glaring at him with a satisfied smirk. Wiping the corner of his mouth, he found a trickle of blood. He hated the sight of blood, especially when it was his own.

“The Prince will be so pleased with me when I bring him your bloodless husk!” The pegasus exclaimed before rushing toward the human.

Tom lowered into a battle stance before feeling something metallic under his foot. He glanced down to see his sword lying underneath him, and then looked back up at the charging mare. With a spark of instinct and reflex, he flicked his foot under the blade and then up, sending the sword flying up where he swiftly grabbed it by the hilt and swung.

The red mare let out a strangled croak as she sailed past the human and tumbled to the ground. Before she even landed, a burning slash formed across her neck all around, effectively separating head from body without it actually detaching. Her body erupted into burning embers and quickly dissolved before she even came to a stop, her final scream fading into the night.

Panting heavily, Tom leveled his sword and looked ahead to the other two vampires, who were glaring at him with newfound intensity from killing their companion. Although he kept up a brave front, he could already feel his stamina draining and a gripping fear of death that he hadn’t felt in a long time cementing itself in his core.

“You’ll pay for that!” The stallion exclaimed angrily, stomping a hoof down and lowering his stance as the mare beside him growled and intensified the glow of her eyes.

Tom half-smiled amidst his panting. He glanced out to the rest of the plaza, noticing that most of the ponies had either run or distanced themselves enough to safely watch the outcome of the fight. The few onlookers were nervously chattering amongst themselves, desperately hoping that he would win and save them from the pale monsters.

The boy flashed the crowd a reassuring expression before turning to the vampires and gripping his blade tightly.

“You want a piece of me? Come on… I’ll give you the whole damn pie!”

Elsewhere, Fluttershy stood outside of the haunted house with Sunspot. The two mares were waiting for their friends to get done with the scariest experience the event had to offer.

While Sunspot seemed indifferent, Fluttershy had a bit of a guilty look in her eyes as she looked to her orange companion.

“You know, you don’t have to wait out here with me, Sunspot.” She said softly. “You could go through one of the other paths and I’ll just stay here.”

“Nah. I’m good.” Sunspot stated plainly, stretching her limbs and settling in. “I don’t mind waiting around. I don’t even really care about the haunted house. I just wanted to do something with someone.”

Fluttershy frowned slightly at that. She could tell that the orange mare wasn't entirely being honest. Perhaps she didn’t really initially care for the haunted house, but she seemed like she wanted to do more than just go down the kiddie path. After all, she did pay for everyone in advance.

Looking up to the second floor of the building, Fluttershy’s thoughts shifted to her two friends. They both seemed confident that she would be brave enough to at least go through the intermediate path with them, but she ended up letting them down. They might not have shown it outwardly, but she could tell that Rainbow Dash at least was disappointed.

“Actually…” Fluttershy started, taking a quick breath and briefly reconsidering what she was about to say. “I think m-maybe I could go through the intermediate one.”

Sunspot looked over in surprise. “Really?”

Fluttershy nodded shakily “Yeah… But only if you went with me.”

“Sure…” Sunspot blinked, still a bit shocked that she was hearing such a thing from the yellow mare. “Yeah, of course.”

Both ponies made their way up the steps and paused before the front doors. Sunspot looked over, only to see her companion trembling slightly and staring ahead like a deer in headlights. “You sure you want to do this?”

“Not really, no.” Fluttershy stammered. “But… I need to do this. I can’t just let fear prevent me from doing things anymore.” She said, a bit more resolute. Much to Sunspot’s surprise, she actually stepped inside first.

Sunspot hesitated for a moment and stared ahead with a bit of a smirk.

Neon would be so proud… She thought to herself before joining her friend inside.

The pair found themselves in the lobby again. Strangely though, they were alone. The stallion that worked as the greeter was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, where’s that guy in the tux?” Sunspot asked as she looked around the empty space. “Hello?”

“Maybe he’s on break or something?” Fluttershy suggested. “We could come back later. It’s fine.” She said, starting to slowly backpedal toward the door until an orange hoof grabbed her.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. We’re paid in advance, remember?” Sunspot said, gently ushering the timid pegasus toward the curtained-off doorway on the right.

Fluttershy could feel her muscles stiffening in refusal to her actions, but she resisted the urge to lock up and kept following behind her orange friend as she went through the curtain.

Almost immediately, they noticed a shift in atmosphere from the lobby and the beginner path. It was much darker through the hall, with any windows tightly covered up with frayed fabric. There also wasn't any eerie ambient music playing, letting their foreboding surroundings sink in.

Peeking into a boarded-up doorway as she passed, Fluttershy bit her lip as she saw a light painting a shadowed figure on the wall from just outside of her vision. The light flickered softly, and the silhouette seemed to make slight movements each time it did.

“Not bad…” Sunspot remarked casually, noting her surroundings with a sort of indifference. Perhaps it was due to her profession, but it was very easy for her to separate these eerie surroundings from a real threatening situation, and as a result, she wasn't nearly as uneasy as her timid companion.

“I’m already regretting this,” Fluttershy muttered as she eyed the many unsettling paintings and dark rooms they were walking by. If something even as innocuous as the cardboard cutouts from the beginner path popped out at her here, she was afraid she might faint.

Sunspot tightened her grip on the trembling pony’s hoof and smiled at her. “You’re doing great. Just think, Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt are going to be so impressed that you did this.”

“You th-think so?” Fluttershy asked, trying her best to keep her focus on her friend.

“I know so. I’m already impressed that you even suggested this.” Sunspot said in a sincere manner.

Hearing this, Fluttershy felt a bit of courage welling up inside her, which was swiftly snuffed out as she redirected her attention to the hallway ahead. Still, she took a few breaths and tried to push through her unease.

Up ahead, the linear path that had been made for them funneled them toward an open room. Through a mostly ajar door, they could see what looked to be the beginnings of a kitchen, with many cupboards and cabinets and a single pan hanging down from a central table.

Strangely, they could also hear a noise coming from the room. It didn’t seem like it was a recording, and it sounded moist and disgusting.

As they drew closer to the door, they could just make out a hint of moonlight streaming in through some windows against the back wall, one of which appeared to be broken, with glass scattered along the ground and on top of a stove.

Sunspot shared a hesitant glance with Fluttershy before they entered the room. If she was being honest, even she was mildly unsettled by whatever sound was coming from up ahead. It was so visceral and messy sounding, like a wild animal tearing into a carcass.

As they stepped into the kitchen and looked around, their eyes moved past a number of macabre props and decorations and settled on a pair of figures at the back of the room.

One was a blue mare in a maid costume that was lying on the ground. She had a plastic-looking axe headpiece that was covered in fake blood. Her outfit had many small cuts and tears in it that appeared to be purposefully made, and some others that seemed more jagged and frayed.

The other figure was unlike anything either of the two had seen. It seemed to resemble a pony, but it was a horribly disfigured mess. Its snow-colored fur was matted and patchy, revealing broken and emaciated skin that clung to its bones loosely. It was also wearing what looked to be royal guard attire, though the chest piece was cracked, and the helmet was missing entirely.

The two mares widened their eyes in stunned shock as they witnessed what looked to be a scene out of a real haunted house. The monstrous pony had its face buried in the blue mare’s neck, which was covered in crimson fluid. As it ripped upwards, taking what looked to be a chunk of flesh with it, it revealed a mouth full of gnarled and razor-sharp teeth as it stared ahead vacantly with glowing red eyes.

“Oh my gosh…” Fluttershy shrank back a bit at the horrific sight before her.

“Woah…” Sunspot said in a softer, noticeably taken aback manner. “If this is the intermediate path, what’s the really scary one like?”

The creature tilted its head and twitched an ear as it noticed the newcomers in the room. It looked at them with its sunken eyes and produced a low snarl as it finished its meal.

Sunspot lowered her expression as a strong scent of copper hit her. The blood around the mare’s neck was much different and more realistic looking than the fake blood they had seen thus far. Her heart dropped as she realized that that was real blood, which meant that that was a real dead body. Her pupils shrank as she followed her train of thought and looked up to the monstrosity before her, which also must have been real.

“Fluttershy, get behind me.” She instructed tensely as she slowly reached down to her hind leg and fumbled for her strobe.

Fluttershy glanced to her companion uneasily before settling her eyes back on the feral pony slowly stepping closer. “What do you mean…? It’s… i-it’s just part of the act, isn’t it?” She asked, her voice shrinking to a tiny squeak as she slowly entertained the possibility that the monstrous creature was real.

Sunspot started to respond to the timid pegasus when the creature lowered itself to the ground and prepared to pounce. She jerked her strobe up and cringed while rapidly pressing the button, firing a burst of projectiles into the beast’s face.

Three balls of light exploded into a shower of sparks against the creature, eliciting a shrill cry of pain as its skin smoked and sizzled ever so slightly. It held a lanky foreleg up to attempt to shield itself, but this wasn't working as well as it initially thought.

The two mares’ hearts collectively skipped a beat as they realized that the strobe wasn't actually killing the beast. If anything, the repeated bursts of light only seemed to enrage it with meaningless damage, a fact that was made abundantly clear as the monstrous pony gradually uncovered its face and glared at them fiercely.

“AH!” Sunspot yelped, while Fluttershy produced a scream as the creature leaped at them with its fangs bared.

Both of them scrambled forward, barely making it out of the flight path in time as the white pony landed where they just were and skidded to a halt.

Sunspot spun around and tensely aimed her strobe at the creature again as it recovered from its lunge. She darted her eyes to her friend, only to see the yellow mare backing up while staring ahead fearfully, only to pause as she caught a bit of broken glass from the window above.

Suddenly, Sunspot’s face lit up as she realized something. “Fluttershy, climb out the window!” She instructed urgently.

Fluttershy looked over to her friend before glancing between the horrific beast and the window above her. The pane was almost completely shattered, offering a slim pegasus like her an easy way out.

“What?!” She reeled back in shock. “I can’t just leave you with that thing!”

“This is my job, remember?” Sunspot insisted, only to produce a frustrated grunt as she saw that the yellow mare wasn't budging in spite of her fear. “Just go! I’ll be fine until you can go get help!”

Fluttershy whined softly as a small corner of her mind screamed at her to listen to the orange pony. Sunspot was a trained monster hunter, so perhaps she did have a point? Then again, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she let something happen to another member of Spirit.

However, her tense contemplation was broken as she saw Sunspot look ahead and gasp in a panic while opening fire. In an instant, a blur came lunging through the air, catching all of two strobe shots before slamming into the orange mare before she could move.

“Sunspot!” Fluttershy reached for her friend, but by then it was too late. She cringed fearfully as both the creature and Sunspot sailed across the room and smacked into a countertop.

The two ponies fell to the ground with a painful thud, with Sunspot immediately shoving her hooves out to stop the creature on top of her from biting at her.

No sooner did they settle before a drawer came loose from them smacking into it, thankfully falling on top of the monster before spilling out its contents all over the floor with a loud clatter. Now, a scattered mess of fancy spoons, forks, and knives was littered along the ground, most likely a leftover from the mansion’s actual owners.

Sunspot turned her head and tried to recede into the floor as the creature lunged down at her. This close, she could see a scar running down its right cheek and smell its sour breath as it bit at her. She just barely managed to keep it away from her neck with its gnashing teeth, using every ounce of strength in her forelegs. Still, the creature’s strength far surpassed her own, and she couldn’t keep it at bay for long.

Over to the side, Fluttershy was having a miniature panic attack as she witnessed her friend struggling for life and limb against a terrible monstrosity. She saw the orange mare’s strobe lying on the ground nearby, but that didn’t seem to be effective enough to deter it.

The timid pony was about to rush up and try to pull the creature off her friend when she suddenly paused as she saw something.

Amidst its thrashing and struggling, the creature brushed a hoof against one of the spoons on the ground. Much to Fluttershy’s surprise, the area around where the monster contacted the spoon sizzled a bit, with the skin burning orange before dimming as the feral pony jerked its hoof away.

Silver…? Fluttershy blinked, briefly curious as to why such a thing would affect a monster like that. Then she remembered her time back at Raven Feather’s mansion, and how the only weapon they had against the ghosts there was iron. If one monster had a weakness to a certain substance, then maybe this one did too?

Sunspot could feel the muscles in her forelegs slowly giving out as the creature gained ground on her. A thick cloud of deathly stench came from the thing's mouth with each snap of its jaws.

Just as she thought she was going to die, she looked up as her yellow friend rushed up from the side and picked something up from the floor.

Barely taking a moment’s hesitation, Fluttershy yelled in a mixture of fear and determination as she stabbed a small knife into the feral pony’s side.

The knife sank in with surprising ease, offering only a disconcerting crunch as resistance. No sooner did she stab the knife in did Fluttershy jerk back as the area around the blade erupted into smoldering cinders.

A bone-chilling screech emanated from the beast as its body swiftly burned up. The last Sunspot saw of it before covering her face was a glowing husk of a skeleton that started collapsing to ash on top of her, the broken bits of armor it was wearing scattering along the floor.

The knife clattered to the floor before the room was silent again, leaving the two mares alone once more.

Sunspot gradually uncovered her face and opened her eyes. Amidst a rain of fleeting embers, she saw Fluttershy sitting back, staring ahead with a stunned expression.

"Wow…" Sunspot chuckled nervously as she brushed off the remains of the monstrous pony. "Nice save, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy blinked and suppressed a tense shudder as she let the situation sink in. "T-thanks… I just can’t believe I did that. Stabbing it, I mean..."

"I’m glad you did… Whatever that thing was, it didn’t seem like it wanted to chat." Sunspot picked up the knife and observed it briefly. "Ok… so, these guys don't like silverware. Or silver… Yeah, it's probably the silver."

"What was that thing?" Fluttershy asked softly, still a bit shell-shocked from their brief encounter.

Sunspot made her way to her hooves and stared at the pile of ash still littering the floor before looking up and paling slightly. "I don’t know… but whatever it was, it’s one nasty customer."

Following her friend’s gaze, Fluttershy looked over and widened her eyes as her attention shifted to the mare on the floor in the maid costume.

"Oh my gosh…" Fluttershy clasped a hoof over her mouth as she stared at the blue pony.

Sunspot rushed over and briefly started reaching down to check for signs of life until she stopped and frowned softly.

The mare was pouring blood out of her neck from where the creature had been chewing on her. Although much of the injury was obscured by the crimson fluid, it was far too severe for her to still be alive.

"Is she…?" Fluttershy murmured, still holding onto the smallest shred of hope.

Sunspot merely shook her head somberly. She then turned to look back at the door they came from, her thoughts elsewhere.

"Come on, we need to find Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt and get out of here. There might be more of them." She suggested, gesturing for her companion to follow as she trotted off and placed a hoof to her ear. "Hello, can anyone hear me?" She asked tensely, hopeful that one of her teammates was in range of the communication spell.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy had other thoughts racing through her mind as she trotted to keep up with the orange mare.

"Blue… Dashie… please be safe." She muttered uneasily. If her friends encountered one of those horrible creatures, then they might not be as lucky as she and Sunspot were.

Back out on the streets, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their group were still going around and gathering candy and good times alike.

The three fillies all huddled together on the side of a curb and looked over their hoard of sweets with eager smiles. By now, everyone had more than enough to last them a month, even though it would probably only take them the better part of a week to eat it all.

"I can’t believe we actually got so much," Scootaloo said.

"We should come to Canterlot for Nightmare Night more often!" Sweetie Belle suggested giddily.

Off to the side, the four older mares stood near a few buildings and watched the trio with empathetic joy.

Applejack looked up at the crowds of ponies still walking through the plaza ahead before looking to the sky and noting how late it was.

"You think we should reign it in for the night?" She asked, looking to her friends and trying not to let the fillies hear her.

"I suppose it is getting late." Rarity said.

Pinkie Pie deflated slightly at the mention of stopping. "Aww, come on girls, it's not that late. I don’t feel tired at all."

"No offense, Pinkie, but I don’t think you’re a good point of reference as far as average stamina goes." Sparkplug chimed in as she quietly enjoyed a few hard candies.

The others started to converse further when a commotion from up ahead quieted them down. Everyone looked to the mouth of the plaza as several ponies came running and screaming through.

"What the hay…?" Applejack stood up and took a few steps forward as she tried to determine what the crowd was running from.

"What’s going on?" Sweetie Belle asked uneasily.

Rarity ushered the three fillies behind her and rested a hoof on her younger sister’s back. "I'm not sure, Sweetie… but it's probably fine." She assured.

"I didn’t think Canterlot ponies got this much into Nightmare Night." Pinkie said.

Suddenly, Sparkplug heard a familiar voice in her head.

"Hello, can anyone hear me?" Sunspot spoke up, a bit of uncharacteristic unease in her voice.

"Yeah, we’re here, Sunspot." Glitterball’s voice chimed in after a moment. "Is something wrong?" She asked in a concerned manner.

"You can say that again." Sunspot stated. "We've got a bit of a situation over here, and we could really use some help." She explained urgently. After a moment went by, nobody responded to her. "Uh… Glitter? Hello…? Is anyone there?"

The others watched as Sparkplug stared off into space like she was hearing voices in her head.

"You ok there, Sparkplug?" Applejack asked hesitantly.

"Ssshh!" Sparkplug gestured to her ear tensely. The others quickly caught her meaning that she was trying to listen to her teammates over the communication spell.

The gray mare started to press her hoof to her ear to respond when she suddenly paused and stared ahead as something caught everyone’s attention.

Up ahead at the mouth of the plaza, there were still a few terrified ponies blindly running away from something. However, the thing they were running from quickly became apparent.

Around three pale ponies with red eyes either walked or jumped into the plaza. Two of them were eyeing up members of the crowd and flashing sharp fangs at them, while the third pounced on a helpless unicorn in a bat costume and used said fangs to plunge deep into his neck.

"Woah!" Pinkie reeled back in shock. "I like a good vampire costume as much as the next pony, but that is taking things way too far!"

Meanwhile, Rarity backed herself and the three fillies away while Applejack and Sparkplug stood their ground.

"I don’t think those are costumes, Pinkie." Sparkplug said uneasily. She reached down to her hind leg, only to brush against nothing but gray fur and cardboard leggings. "Uh oh…"

"What’s wrong?" Applejack asked, not averting her eyes from the strange ponies dispersing the crowd and getting uncomfortably close.

"I forgot my strobe…" Sparkplug said, the corners of her mouth twitching nervously.

By now, one of the pale ponies, an earth pony mare with auburn hair and sickly yellow fur, looked over and noticed the group off to the side. She smirked and chuckled to herself as she eyed up the trio of fillies and the four mares before walking closer.

“Are you really tellin’ me that we don’t have any weapons to fight monsters right now, Sparkplug? Because it looks like we’re about to fight some monsters.” Applejack whispered uneasily as she watched the pale mare approaching. She was willing to fight to the death to protect her friends and her young sibling, but she wouldn’t turn down an unfair advantage.

“You guys have a plan for fighting vampires without equipment, don’t you?” Pinkie Pie asked the gray mare.

“Sorry, Pinkie, but training didn’t quite cover that.” Sparkplug replied.

“What?! What kind of monster hunter doesn’t have a plan to fight vampires?!” Pinkie’s jaw dropped.

“I’m a mechanic that builds robots in her spare time. If you want someone with royal guard training, go find Glimmer and Glitter!” Sparkplug whispered tensely.

“Look alive, girls…” Applejack said in a serious manner as she readied herself for a fight. The others looked up to see the yellow mare standing a few feet away. “Rarity, Pinkie, get the kids out of here.”

Apple Bloom peered out from behind Rarity and watched her sister getting ready to confront such a scary-looking monster with a concerned frown. “Sis’… aren’t you comin’ with us?”

Applejack glanced back at the three fillies, unsure of what to say. Before she could even think of something to comfort her sister, however, a cold chuckle brought her attention forward.

“What a sweet little filly. I could just eat you up in one bite.” The pale yellow mare cooed, letting her fangs poke out and her eyes flare with a brief glow as she stepped forward.

Applejack growled under her breath and leered at the monstrous pony, which didn’t carry as much weight as it normally would under her costume. She prepared to step in between her friends and the pale mare, but much to her surprise, Sparkplug beat her to it.

The gray pony swallowed tensely before putting on her best brave face. “Sorry, lady, but we frown upon that sort of thing in this city… and most cities. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Hearing this, the pale pony didn’t seem to be at all intimidated. In fact, she seemed a little annoyed. “Oh, I’ll give you something to frown upon.” She flattened her expression before producing a feral growl and lowering herself a bit before pouncing forward.

“Wh-AHH!” Sparkplug yelped as the yellow mare lunged through the air and crashed into her, hooves first. She tumbled backward and tried to kick off the vampiric pony with her hind legs, but the mare shoved her down with surprising force, knocking all the air from her lungs.

She looked up just in time to see a set of fangs descending toward her, sending her into an all-encompassing panic that she didn’t have time to express.

Just before the yellow mare could sink her teeth into Sparkplug, Applejack rushed up and grabbed her around the back before yanking her off just enough for the pinned earth pony to roll to the side.

Applejack started to wrestle the pale pony to the ground when she suddenly received a reverse headbutt that was surprisingly strong for an equine. She fell backward and clutched her muzzle in pain. Luckily enough, her clown nose took a bit of the impact, preventing her from breaking her actual nose. Before she could reflect on the tactical uses of rodeo clown attire, she looked up and reeled back slightly as the yellow mare spun around to face her with an agitated glare.

“Nobody interrupts me when I’m eating! Especially not a clown in a stupid hat!”

“Hey!” Applejack glared at the pale mare before a hostile sounding hiss silenced her and she cringed in preparation for whatever struggle was about to happen.

Before the yellow mare could lunge forward, a magical zap sounded out and a bolt of soft blue light zipped into her shoulder, scorching her fur and producing a pained yell. The mare clutched her already healing wound and looked over her shoulder with teeth bared, only to see a white unicorn standing protectively in front of a group of fillies.

“Rarity?” Applejack said, a bit taken aback to see the normally passive unicorn using her magic offensively.

Rarity smirked at her orange friend before shifting her attention to the yellow pony. She started to charge up another blast until a yell came from the side as Sparkplug tackled the creature to the ground.

Spotting an opportunity to help, Pinkie Pie dove on top of the pair on the ground and took one of the yellow pony’s forelegs. The pale mare bucked upwards and growled, bruising both of them with unnatural strength. Still, the two of them barely managed to keep the monstrous pony restrained.

“We got her!” Pinkie announced.

Sparkplug averted her face as a cold and foul breath escaped the yellow mare along with a fierce yell. She peered one eye open and looked up, only to gasp as she saw that another of the three creatures had made their way over to assist their companion.

“Applejack, look out!” Sparkplug exclaimed.

A low growl came from behind the orange mare, causing her to stiffen up before turning around. She looked just in time to catch a brief glimpse of a gray unicorn stallion with black hair staring at her with a hungry look in his red eyes before a hoof reached up and violently smacked her aside.

“Oof!” Applejack grunted as she hit the ground and tumbled into the side of a building, sending her to a rough and immediate stop.

“Sis’!” Apple Bloom took a step forward and reached for the orange mare. She would have gotten closer if Rarity didn’t gently nudge her back in line with her two friends protectively.

Sparing a concerned glance at the three fillies, Rarity started backing them away from the scene until she looked up and froze. The unicorn stallion was looking right at her and the trio behind her with what she could only imagine was bloodlust in his eyes.

“You stay away from them, you brute!” She stamped a hoof down and lit up her horn in what she hoped would be an intimidating manner as she stepped between the terrified crusaders and the pale pony.

Instead of offering so much as a word in response, the stallion lit up his horn and pointed it ahead. In an instant, a magical bolt of energy fired out and headed straight for the white mare’s legs.

Rarity widened her eyes and tensed up as she saw the projectile coming. She could probably dodge in time, but she couldn’t risk one of the fillies getting hit. Instead, she cringed and stayed where she was, letting the magical blast slam into her foreleg.

She let out a yelp as a scorch mark was left in her leg. The bolt didn’t seem to do very much damage, but it did look plenty painful.

Before she could even clutch at her new injury, Rarity felt a magical aura tug on her violently. She was practically dragged to the side, stumbling to keep her balance before she put weight on her injured leg and outright collapsed as the stallion shoved her to the ground.

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle rushed to her sister’s side, or at least started to before she was snatched up in a magical aura. Her two friends tried to grab her and hold her down, but they were powerless to stop her from floating over to the stallion.

The white filly struggled helplessly against the magical hold over her before freezing up with a timid squeak as she was confronted by a pair of glowing red eyes.

“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom widened her eyes as she watched her friend being held against her will.

“Let her go!” Scootaloo demanded.

The stallion produced a hearty chuckle before shifting his eyes over to the young unicorn in his grasp. He produced a slight snarl and bared his fangs as he brought her close enough to grab with his own hooves.

Suddenly, an orange blur slammed into the stallion from behind, nearly knocking him to the ground as a pair of forelegs wrapped around his neck and attempted to choke him, breaking his concentration and letting Sweetie Belle drop to the ground.

“Girls, run!” Applejack instructed the fillies as they gathered around Sweetie Belle and helped her up from where she had fallen.

Before anyone could react further, the vampiric stallion heaved and hopped backward, landing on top of the orange mare roughly. While she was still cringing from the new pains racking her body, he knocked an elbow into her stomach hard. Applejack yelped in pain and jerked upwards, but kept her grip around the stallion until he hit her again in the ribs.

Sweetie Belle and her two friends cowered back and screamed as the stallion got up and lunged for them with fangs at the ready.

Just before the stallion reached the fillies, Rarity rushed in between them, catching the brunt of the pale pony’s pounce. She grunted in pain as she was sent to the ground once more, only this time she had a hoof around her neck.

Sparkplug and Pinkie Pie looked up and gasped as they saw their friends struggling with their own assailant. Applejack tried to assist the white mare, only to receive a strong kick to the chest that sent her back to the ground, where she seemed unable to move again.

Before she could think of a way to help, Sparkplug felt a set of fangs sink into her flank. She yelled and raced to push the yellow vampire’s face away, but as she let go of the mare’s foreleg, she received a strong smack that sent her rolling off.

Pinkie cringed with surprise as she saw her companion getting swatted away. She tried to tighten her grip on the vampiric mare until she was bucked off roughly.

Rarity grasped at the foreleg around her throat weakly. The stallion wasn’t putting enough force on her to choke her out, but she couldn’t move if she wanted to.

Looking around, she quickly found that her friends were just as incapacitated as she was. Applejack was lying on her side and trying to get up with one foreleg while clutching her stomach with the other. Sparkplug was on the ground as well, while Pinkie was being pinned down by the yellow mare.

The stallion on top of her stared down at her with a sinister sort of half-smile. Rarity croaked as he picked her up slightly by the neck.

Before the pale unicorn could do anything else, a pebble hit him in the face, forcing him to clench an eye shut as he was assaulted with more stones.

Off to the side, Sweetie Belle and her friends were picking up whatever they could find and throwing it at the monstrous pony.

"Leave her alone!" Sweetie yelled.

"Why don’t you pick on somepony your own size, bat breath!" Scootaloo added.

The stallion growled under his breath as the pebbles kept flying. Finally, he lit up his horn.

All at once, all three of the fillies felt themselves being lifted up against their will. They yelped and tried to hug the ground, but it was no use.

Without even looking, the stallion shoved Rarity to the ground. Her head erupted into dull pain as the rest of her energy left her. She groaned and turned over, only to see the vampiric unicorn walking up to the floating crusaders.

"Ngh… no…" Rarity reached out to her sister and the other two defenseless fillies. At this point, it was all she could do.

Sweetie Belle watched with wide eyes as the stallion approached her with a hungry look on his face. She whined softly and tried to inch away as a hoof roughly grabbed the back of her costume and pulled her closer. Her fearful outcries got louder and more desperate as the stallion hissed and opened his mouth while bringing her neck up close.

"HEY!"

A voice shouted from off to the side, causing everything to stop.

Everyone, even the two vampires, looked over to see the source of the voice. Over at the other end of the plaza, the third vampire stepped away from a terrified group of ponies, allowing them to flee as she walked closer to her colleagues.

The green unicorn mare had an annoyed look on her face as she saw what her two companions were doing.

"Would you two stay on task for five seconds?!"

The stallion stopped what he was doing, and the yellow mare backed away from Pinkie’s neck and hid her fangs.

"What? We're just having a little fun." The earth pony mare said.

"Looks to me like you're having a lot of fun." The green mare pointed to the three fillies and Pinkie. "You know the Prince wants us to leave them alive, and you damn well know that he wants us to take anyone close to them back… also alive." She said, leering at the stallion.

Much to the four mares' collective surprise, the two ponies went silent almost immediately. The yellow mare let Pinkie Pie go, and the stallion backed Sweetie Belle away from his mouth.

"So what do you suggest we do now?" The stallion asked.

"Pack it in. We've done enough damage. Let the wild ones wreck the place until the Prince gets done." The unicorn mare said, gesturing back the way they came.

The stallion looked toward the now-empty street they started from. He then turned to the fillies in his grasp and smirked.

"Looks like you three are coming home with us." He said, flashing a glimpse of fangs and relishing the look of panic washing over the trio.

Rarity watched as the stallion and the mare started leaving. She locked eyes with a terrified Sweetie Belle as the unicorn took the fillies with him.

"No…" She groaned softly as she struggled to get to her hooves. "No! Let them go, you monsters!"

Applejack shakily turned her head to see the stallion walking away with her sister and the other two crusaders in tow. She tried to do something, anything to stop the pale pony, but her sore and exhausted body could barely move.

"Apple...Bloom…"

"Sis’!" Apple Bloom cried and reached a tiny hoof out to the orange mare on the ground. "Help us, please!"

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle yelled fearfully, her eyes wet with tears as she watched her friends and sister staring back helplessly as she got further away.

"Somepony help us!" Scootaloo cried as she desperately tried to free herself or one of her friends to no avail.

Sparkplug limped forward on three legs, while Pinkie merely managed to get to her hooves as the both of them watched the three pale ponies leaving. They looked over to see Rarity sluggishly trotting forward to desperately try and reach the fillies until she stumbled and nearly face-planted into the pavement.

"Sweetie Belle!" She called out, tears flowing freely as she listened to the fading cries of her sister and the other two fillies.

Chapter 13: Party Crashers

Fluttershy followed close behind as Sunspot led her up the stairs and through the final path of the haunted house in search of their friends. Both mares had silver knives, and Sunspot was keeping her strobe pointed ahead and clearing every room as they entered.

The house was empty as far as they had seen. Sure, the occasional prop would pop out at them automatically, but several rooms were devoid of scares as if the actors that were supposed to be there to pop out at guests were gone.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, looking around uneasily and keeping a tight grip on her tiny weapon. She would be scared by her current surroundings on a good day, but with the risk of more of those creatures lurking around, she was terrified for a different reason now.

Sunspot glanced back at her timid companion and softened her expression before returning her eyes forward and pointing her strobe toward an open doorway, only to find it empty. “I’m not sure.”

“Have you heard from any of the others?” Fluttershy asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

“Not yet…” Sunspot replied uneasily. After a moment of thought, she sighed and put a hoof to her ear once more. “This is Sunspot, is there anyone there? Come on, guys… somepony pick up.”

After a moment of dreadful silence, a voice responded.

“This is Sparkplug… is everything ok?” The gray mare spoke, a somber and defeated tone to her voice that didn’t go unnoticed.

Sunspot deflated with relief and eyed to Fluttershy to let her know. “Thank the princess… Sparkplug, listen up. We just had a run-in with some kind of roided up pony with lots of sharp teeth.”

“Yeah, we ran into something similar.” Sparkplug explained hesitantly.

“Oh my gosh… everything ok?”

“Not exactly…” Sparkplug sighed gloomily and paused. “They kicked us around for a bit and took the kids. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo… Apple Bloom. They’re all gone.”

Sunspot paled and stopped walking. “Sweet Celestia…”

Before the gray mare could respond further, another set of heavy breathing came over the call that sounded feminine and familiar.

“This… this is Glitterball.” The unicorn stated, very much out of breath and even seemingly in pain as she cringed softly.

“Oh my gosh…” Sparkplug chimed in, unsettled by how much worse off the unicorn sounded.

“Glitter, are you alright?” Sunspot added.

“I’ve been better…” Glitter paused briefly and cut off the call, but not before a slight whine of pain bled through. “Glimmer and I had a run-in with some of those… toothy… uh… vampires. Can we just agree to call them vampires?”

“How do you know they’re vampires?” Sunspot wrinkled her expression a bit.

“Other than the fact that one of them bit me in the neck and tried to suck my blood?” Glitterball said with a strained voice.

“Oh… gosh. Are you sure you’re ok?” Sunspot frowned with concern.

“This is Glimmer,” The stallion interjected, a bit out of breath, but much healthier sounding than his unicorn companion. “She’s a bit roughed up, but I can’t get her to settle down if that tells you anything. Anyway… we just barely got away from those freaks. The strobes weren’t effective enough to kill them.”

“Sounds about right.” Sunspot nodded. “Listen, silver seems to be our best bet right now. We poked ours with a knife and it lit up like a campfire.”

“I wish I knew that a few minutes ago…” Sparkplug chimed in gloomily.

“Stay strong, Sparkplug. I’m sure we’ll get the girls back. In the meantime, keep the others safe and try to meet up with us. We’re on our way back to the castle to grab some gear and tell the princess.” Glimmer Shine explained.

“Good. I’ll join you guys once me and Fluttershy find Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt.” Sunspot said, glancing over to her yellow companion and flashing a reassuring expression.

“What about Tom?” Sparkplug chimed in.

“What about him? I thought he was with you guys?” Glimmer asked.

“No… he left a while ago to head back to the castle. I’ve tried reaching him, but he won’t respond.” Sparkplug explained with a hint of unease.

“That’s not good…” Glimmer Shine stated. “How about it, Tom? You there, buddy?” He asked, only to receive silence for several seconds and sigh. “Dangit… we’ll have to find him later. I’m sure he can handle himself. In the meantime, everyone stay safe and keep your wits about you. From the sound of it, there’s still more of those things out there terrorizing the city.”

“Got it.” Sparkplug replied.

Sunspot nodded, even though only Fluttershy could see her. “Got it.”

Fluttershy looked to her orange friend with a bit of a troubled expression. She could only hear Sunspot responding to seemingly nothing, and what little bits she heard from the pegasus weren’t very reassuring.

“Is everyone ok?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

Sunspot didn’t answer for a moment. “Yes and no… We don’t know where Tom is, and some more of those freaks took the crusaders.”

Fluttershy caught a gasp with her hoof, her form beginning to tremble at the thought of the fillies in danger. “Oh no…”

“We’ll get them back.” Sunspot said, resting a hoof on the yellow mare’s shoulder. “Right now, we need to focus on finding Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt.” She gestured ahead.

“R-right…” Fluttershy nodded, doing her best to ignore the dread slowly filling her gut. She had a bad feeling that she couldn’t shake, and she was afraid that it had to do with their missing friends.

With newfound urgency, the pair continued moving through the dark halls of the mansion.

Soon, they found themselves at the edge of the house, evidenced by a series of windows along the wall to the left. There was a bit of an open area ahead of them, with a room up ahead that had a hole in its door.

Fluttershy immediately had her eyes drawn to something lying on the ground in the moonlight from a nearby window. “Look!” She pointed to the object, which appeared to be a fancy tophat on the floor that both of them recognized to belong to Blue Bolt.

“Sshh!” Sunspot hushed the yellow mare as a sound from up ahead pricked her ears.

Both of the pegasi fell silent and listened as the soft sound of sobs came through the hole in the door up ahead. It sounded like a mare, and much to the pair’s concern, it sounded very familiar to them.

“Dashie…?!” Fluttershy said before widening her eyes and running forward. Sunspot quickly followed behind as the yellow pegasus ran over to the broken door.

The pair gathered around the door and looked inside into what appeared to be a bedroom. However, their full attention was grabbed by the familiar sight of a cyan mare in a Wonderbolt costume hunched over another figure on the ground.

“Rainbow Dash… are you ok?” Sunspot asked, noting the mare’s quiet sobs and sniffles. She paused and felt her heart drop as she saw a puddle of blood and a hint of blue fur. “Oh no…”

As she noticed the blood as well, Fluttershy gasped and quickly made her way through the hole in the door. She rushed up to the cyan mare, causing Rainbow to look up and fully reveal what she had been crying over.

The lifeless corpse of a familiar blue stallion was lying in a pool of his own blood, seemingly from a large wound on his neck. His eyes were closed, and one foreleg was resting on his chest, which Rainbow Dash was holding onto tightly.

Seeing her friend in such a state, Fluttershy backed up a step and fell onto her haunches. She stared ahead wide-eyed, tears beginning to well up and her hoof beginning to tremble.

While Sunspot rushed over and examined the stallion, Rainbow Dash looked over to her friend and nearly collapsed into her, wrapping her forelegs around and squeezing tight.

“Fluttershy… I’m so sorry…” Rainbow said, her voice hoarse, quiet, and shaky. “I… I couldn’t… He…” She glanced back to the stallion for a moment before averting her eyes and trying to fight back another round of tears. She was surprised to see Fluttershy burying her head into her shoulder and returning her hug.

Sunspot looked up from beside Blue Bolt’s body to see the two mares hugging it out. While Fluttershy probably intended to comfort her friend, she started sobbing into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. The cyan mare didn’t seem to mind, and she was trying to get a handle on her emotions now that she wasn't alone, but it was easy to see that she was far too heartbroken to care much for her reputation.

Looking down at the lifeless stallion beneath her, Sunspot hung her head and closed her eyes for a moment. A wide variety of regretful thoughts buzzed in her head. She was certain she could think of at least a dozen ways she could have gotten to them sooner, but she couldn’t let her emotions get the better of her. She was a monster hunter, and right now the city and all of its denizens needed her and her team.

“Girls… I’m sorry to say it, but we can’t stay here. The city’s under attack, and we need to get everyone back together so we can figure out a way to stop these things.” Sunspot explained regretfully.

Rainbow Dash looked up from the yellow mare still silently crying into her fur. She looked at Sunspot before stealing a glance at the stallion, softening her expression and nodding.

“Ok… ok,” Rainbow said. Although she didn’t want to leave her friend like this, she didn’t want to let what happened to him happen to anypony else. “Come on, Flutters… we have to go.” She gently helped the still grieving mare to her hooves.

“But… b-but…” Fluttershy hiccuped as she looked over her shoulder at the stallion while her friends led her away.

“I know…” Rainbow Dash said understandingly, patting the yellow mare and holding a foreleg around her. She looked behind her at the door to the bedroom as they walked away, a stray tickle working its way up her throat as she took a sharp breath. “I know…”

Meanwhile, back at the royal palace, the atmosphere was much more upbeat and colorful in the ballroom as everyone partied and enjoyed themselves.

Near the front of the room, Twilight Sparkle was enjoying some punch with her mentor and Cadence. The trio watched as Shining Armor and Spike took turns bobbing into a large bucket full of water.

Shining Armor dunked his muzzle into the water and fished around for a moment before coming up with an apple, receiving a few clops from the ponies gathered around. Spike tried the same, hanging onto the side of the bucket and submerging his entire head. Suddenly, he lost balance and fell in, with his tail catching on the side and preventing him from falling the rest of the way.

The dragon flailed for a moment, trying to get above water again in a panic. Before he could drown in shallow water, Shining Armor levitated him up. Much to the stallion’s surprise, he had an apple in his mouth that he seemed particularly proud of despite how soaking wet he was.

Twilight smirked as she watched the pair across the room. She looked over to see Cadence watching with a similarly warm expression. “We should spend time together more often.” She commented.

“I agree.” Cadence nodded.

“It’s a shame you didn’t get to celebrate your anniversary here. I would have commissioned the finest cake for you.” Celestia added a bit regretfully.

Cadence fought a pang in her stomach and her heart at the thought. “I appreciate the gesture, but… we had a great time together.”

“You know, you could just come down to Ponyville and celebrate it with us. Who said you need to celebrate something on the day of?” Twilight suggested.

“Hmm… that sounds like a good idea. I’ll have to ask Shining about it later and see what he thinks, but I’m sure he’ll agree.” Cadence smiled.

“Princess…” A gruff voice spoke up from off to the side.

Celestia looked over to see a guard walking up to her. “What is it?” She asked.

“Someone is requesting your presence in the foyer.” The guard explained.

Celestia twitched an eyebrow curiously. “Really? Who?”

“He didn’t give a name, but he looked like a brown unicorn. I apologize for being so vague… he was wearing a cloak.” The guard said.

“Did this unicorn give a reason why he wanted to see me?” Celestia asked, a veiled twinge of curiosity to her voice.

The guard shook his head. “No. Normally, I wouldn’t trouble you with such a request, but he seemed rather insistent. He said to tell you… that you were old acquaintances.” He explained with a bit of confusion.

Hearing this, Celestia wrinkled her expression. “Well then… I suppose I should go see this unicorn, at the very least to find out for myself what he wants.” She said before turning to her student and niece. “I’ll be right back.”

Twilight and Cadence watched as Celestia and the guard left through the connecting hallway toward the foyer. They were just as curious about who could have requested her presence so suddenly.

Walking alongside the guard, Celestia’s focus was absent as she thought about who her strange visitor could have been. She wasn't expecting any dignitaries or members of any noble family, and none of the old acquaintances she could think of were brown unicorns, not that any of her acquaintances could be that old comparatively.

Eventually, the opening to the foyer came into view. The alicorn walked through, closely followed by the guard. However, as soon as they stepped into the grand room, they both froze.

Scattered around the room were the bodies of three guards. Two were on the ground floor, while the third was midway up the stairs. All of them were covered in blood, to the point where the two nearby were lying in pools of the crimson fluid.

“What in the name of…” Celestia widened her eyes as she surveyed the area for any sign of who or what caused this travesty. She trotted over to one of the stallions, only to feel her heart sink as she saw no signs of life.

“Princess, you should get somewhere safe.” The guard said, unsheathing his sword and standing near the alicorn protectively while searching for whatever threat must have been nearby. He had been in this room mere moments before, and his three comrades were still alive then.

Hearing a slight groan, Celestia trailed her eyes up the stairs, only to see a twitch of movement coming from the third guard. She immediately rushed up the steps and knelt down, surprised to find that the stallion was still barely clinging to life.

Celestia frowned as she saw how poor shape he was in. He could barely move, and he seemed to be in the process of slipping away. “Hang in there…” She said, resting a hoof on his side and examining a circular wound punched clean through his body. “Can you tell me who did this?”

The stallion produced a faint noise of pain and tensed his limbs. He trailed his eyes up at the alicorn sluggishly and opened his mouth, seemingly trying to speak. However, before he could spend his last breath, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell still.

Celestia’s expression fell as she stared at the now lifeless pony for a moment. As much of a hollow pit was left in her gut from watching one of her beloved subjects die, one of her guards even, she couldn’t linger on her saddened thoughts with danger potentially nearby.

“Stoic Shield, I need you to alert Shining Armor and put the castle on lockdown. Whoever did this is probably still here.” She called back to the guard downstairs, still absorbed in her thoughts about who the culprit was. Given his sudden appearance, her prime suspect was the strange unicorn that wanted to see her.

However, she shifted her eyes to the side in confusion as nothing but silence greeted her.

“Stoic Sh-” Celestia turned around, only to freeze as she found the strangely silent guard.

The stallion was standing downstairs, still clutching his sword in his mouth, but he was staring ahead in shock. Much to the watching alicorn’s horror, a spurt of blood shot from his neck from a deep slash.

Before Celestia could so much as react, the stallion dropped his sword clattering to the ground and collapsed with a quiet gurgle of pain.

“No!” Celestia made it a couple of steps down before forcing herself to stop. The stallion was already limp and unmoving, and there was nothing she could do for him. Right now, she was under attack, and she had to keep her wits about her.

Lighting up her horn, she whipped her head around while simultaneously scanning for magical energies.

“Where are you?!” She shouted to thin air.

Right around that time, she darted her eyes to the front entrance, which was still open to welcome citizens into the palace for the costume ball. While nopony was outside seemingly, there was a strange and unsettling magical presence coming from that direction.

A cold and smug chuckle came from just out of sight as a cloaked figure stepped into the foyer. Brown hooves and a long horn could be seen poking out of a green shroud, while deep red eyes stared up at the alicorn on the steps.

“Hello, Princess… Lovely night we’re having, isn’t it?” The pony asked, offering a playful bow before gesturing around him at the moonlight streaming into the room and reflecting in the pools of blood on the floor.

Celestia lowered herself into a guarded stance and intensified her horn’s glow. A fiery orange ball formed at the tip of her horn, which she promptly pointed at the strange figure. “Identify yourself, murderer! Who are you?!” She demanded.

Hearing this, the red eyes adopted a softer look that almost resembled disappointment, though there was a hint of a stronger emotion in them as well.

“Oh? You don’t remember this voice? I’m hurt, Princess… Then again, it has been a long time, even for you.” The stallion said, speaking with a sense of casual familiarity with the alicorn that not even the highest of nobility displayed.

Suddenly, Celestia narrowed her eyes at the stallion before widening them as a long-forgotten memory came to the surface. “What… no…” She backed up a step and shook her head. “That’s not possible… you can’t be… you’re supposed to be-”

“Dead?” The stallion interrupted sharply, losing the casual look of playful confidence in his eyes and replacing it with a contemptful stare as he reached up and removed his cloak. “I suppose that’s a normal reaction… considering you’re the one who killed me.”

Celestia reeled back slightly as she was confronted by what could only be a young brown alicorn with silver hair. Two wings were tucked up at his sides, and although he was only around Luna’s height, he still stood tall over most ponies. A half sun and moon adorned his flanks, caught between a horizon of green pasture. Most curiously, however, were the three wounds across his neck and forelegs, which seemed dry despite how open they were.

“Dusk…?!” Celestia muttered in quiet shock, still at a loss for how the brown alicorn could be standing in front of her. “How are you alive?”

“Something the mighty Celestia doesn’t know?” The stallion tilted his head cynically. “Well… there’s a surprise. Let’s just say that after you condemned me to death, I was forced to turn to less… conventional means to ensure my survival.”

Just then, something lukewarm and wet touched Celestia’s back hooves. She spun her head around, only to widen them as she saw the pool of blood from the guard behind her moving down the steps.

She turned and followed the blood, only to realize that the blood from the other guards was moving too. All of the crimson fluid was shifting along the floor unnaturally, seemingly pulled by some unseen force toward the brown alicorn and into the three wounds across his body.

Celestia watched the macabre spectacle with more than a bit of disturbance on her face. The stallion seemed to enjoy the process, though he didn’t show as much restraint in letting her know what he was feeling as he paused and stretched his neck to allow the stream to more easily reach him with a contented smile plastered on his face.

“What have you done…?” Celestia asked, returning a serious air to herself. However, it was easy to make out how unsettled she was as she looked around at the bodies around her, which were now mostly devoid of blood.

“I’ve grown, Princess. I’ve grown more powerful than you or your precious sister could ever imagine. To think… after everything you did, after everything you said to justify her punishment, you welcome her back with open hooves like nothing ever happened. Then again… maybe her time on the moon made her soft? It certainly seemed that way when I ran into her.” Dusk smirked a bit, allowing the white alicorn a view at his fangs.

Celestia’s face paled as she listened to the stallion. “Luna…?! What did you do with her?!” She demanded, taking a few steps forward with anger flaring in her eyes. She knew that if her sister confronted such a murderous foe that she wouldn’t let him go without a fight, and that was what was currently causing a knot to form in her stomach.

Dusk produced a quiet and throaty chuckle at the alicorn’s unease. He looked off to the side before lighting up his horn. After a moment, a familiar blue alicorn came floating through the doors, held aloft by a silver magical glow.

The princess of the night was covered in bloody wounds, from her head down to her hooves. Cuts and strange circular punctures of various sizes and depths littered her body, which was limp as a ragdoll.

“Sister!” Celestia reached forward as the stallion tossed the blue mare over to her. Luna would have roughly dropped to the floor if she didn’t catch her and gently float her down, where she settled without so much as a twitch.

Glaring up at the monstrous alicorn, Celestia rushed down the last few steps and knelt down next to her sister. She kept an eye on Dusk as she examined her sibling with a fearful pang in her heart.

Thankfully, as she rested a hoof on the blue mare’s side, Luna groaned softly and opened her eyes.

The wounded alicorn seemed dazed and weak as she briefly tried to move, only to settle on staying still as she trailed her eyes up to see Celestia over her.

“T… Ti..a…?” Luna muttered faintly.

Celestia softened her expression, even managing a relieved smile, as she gently stroked her sister’s disheveled mane. “Lulu…”

“How touching.” Dusk chimed in. “You wouldn’t think that a mere thousand years ago you two were at each other’s throats.”

Hearing this, Celestia glared up at the stallion and stood up. “Luna changed, Dusk… She learned from her mistakes. I see you never have.” She said, starting to walk forward until she was stopped by a shaky hoof reaching out and grabbing her foreleg.

“Sister… d.. don’t…” Luna said, struggling to get the words out amidst her shallow breathing. She couldn’t even lift her head to look up at the older alicorn. “He’s… too s-strong.”

Celestia briefly grabbed the hoof holding onto her and gave it a reassuring squeeze as she looked down to her sister and smiled. “Rest now, Luna… This is my mess. I will take care of this.” She looked up to the stallion and intensified her gaze as she let go and started walking ahead.

Dusk watched silently as the princess of the sun approached him. He didn’t seem at all threatened or particularly concerned. In fact, he was looking at her like a cat lazily playing with a mouse.

Celestia stopped a few feet away, taking care to leave enough space between them to guard if he should try anything funny. “I suspect you’ve done something unnatural to yourself if you’ve survived this long and gotten strong enough to best Luna. Judging from the fangs and the thirst for blood, I would wager a guess that you’ve inflicted yourself with some form of vampirism.” She stated, not once removing her steely gaze from the other alicorn.

“I didn’t know you were so well versed in monsters, Princess. Have you taken up new hobbies since I’ve been gone?” Dusk asked with a playful smirk.

Celestia merely lit up her horn once more. “When monsters threaten my ponies, I learn how to kill monsters.” She said flatly.

With little warning, the white alicorn shot a blast of energy from her horn.

The bolt of crackling orange light zipped straight for the brown stallion faster than any normal pony could dodge. Yet somehow, Dusk cocked his head to the side, allowing the blast to sail past him and into one of the doors, where it exploded and took a chunk of the wood with it.

Turning back from the charred hole in the door, Dusk found himself being fired at by several smaller bursts of energy in rapid succession. With effortless ease, he ducked and dodged from side to side, up and down, anywhere he could find to let the lasers fly past him. He was moving so fast that his form was almost a blur, but still Celestia managed to just keep up with him.

Finally, Celestia charged up a more straightforward burst of sunlight. If her initial assumption was right and Dusk actually was a vampire, then she knew sunlight to be extremely effective in destroying such a creature.

Before she could even gather the spell, however, a blur of motion and the color red shot up from the floor.

The princess reeled her head back just in time to see a red skewer shoot up where she just was. The seemingly solid tendril adopted more fluid-like properties and whipped at her, forcing her to dodge to the side. She looked up, only to see another of the tendrils coming at her at the same time as the first. Thinking fast, she focused on a spell and blinked out of existence just as the two tendrils crossed like a pair of spears aimed for her head.

As she teleported a few feet back, Celestia looked ahead to get a better view of what just tried to kill her. She was more than a little surprised to see two fluid streams of what looked to be blood floating in the air. The streams started to recede toward the stallion, whereupon they swiftly disappeared into the two wounds on the backs of his wrists.

“Your ponies? How quaint… I see you haven’t outgrown your fondness for the other tribes as I had hoped.” Dusk said with a cold tone laced with annoyance. “But you see, dearest Princess… I am no mere monster.” He let his eyes flare as he stared at her, matching her intensity.

Celestia lowered into a fighting stance and kept her horn aglow as she faced off against the stallion. She wasn't sure entirely what he was capable of, but she knew that she had to beat him. Her sister behind her and every other pony in the castle and perhaps all of Canterlot were counting on her to defeat the brown alicorn.

Meanwhile, back in the ballroom, Twilight and the others were still enjoying the party before the costume contest.

By now, the actual party had died down a bit as everyone eagerly awaited the results. A unicorn stallion with tan fur and gray hair stood atop the small stage at the back of the room, preparing for the upcoming contest. Judging from his formal attire, he was most likely one of the princess’s personal assistants.

Twilight stood back and watched with passive curiosity as the stallion prepared a microphone. Spike, on the other hand, was far more invested.

"Do you think my costume is good enough to win?" The dragon asked, trying and failing to hide his excitement.

Twilight looked down at her young assistant and smiled. "You don’t need to win for me to tell you you already have the best costume here." She said, ruffling his head and pushing the wolf snout down over his eyes briefly.

"Aww… come on, Twilight," Spike said sheepishly. "We both know Shining Armor and Cadence are better. It's just a matter of who the judge thinks has the best costume." He gestured up at the stage.

"Don’t sell yourself short, buddy." Shining Armor chimed in as he walked over with Cadence.

"Yeah… your costume is great. I love the attention to detail." Cadence pointed out.

"Well, I'm nothing if not thorough." Spike chuckled, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

An abrasive squeal of a microphone silenced the room, followed by a few taps as the stallion on stage did one last soundcheck. Everyone looked ahead as he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Hello, ladies and gentlecolts, and welcome to the annual Canterlot costume ball." He greeted formally.

Twilight looked around, only to lower her expression a bit as she found no trace of her mentor. "I hope Princess Celestia doesn’t miss out on this."

"Where is she?" Spike asked curiously while looking around for the alicorn.

"She’s meeting with someone." Twilight explained.

"It must be someone important for her to take this long. She loves the costume contest." Cadence added.

The regal-looking stallion looked around at the room full of ponies, noting the many creative outfits.

"And now, for the winner of best costume, as decided by popular vote." He gestured toward a small box full of ballots before producing a slip of paper and reading from it. "The winner is… Princess Cadence!"

A colorful spotlight zoned in on the pink alicorn and her crimson ensemble, much to her surprise and delight.

"Oh my… thank you all so much." Cadence smiled warmly as she was met with a room full of ponies clopping their hooves for her.

After giving a few moments to allow the celebration to die down, the stallion cleared his throat again and produced another slip of paper.

"And now for the winner of scariest costume. The winner is…"

*Crash*

The shattering of glass filled the room as one of the windows broke. A pair of pegasi came crashing into the room, landing as the crowd below dispersed with a series of surprised yelps. The pair consisted of a stallion and a mare, with pale and washed-out colors to their fur, a set of sharp-looking fangs in their mouths, and red eyes.

Everyone in the room stared at the new arrivals, unsure of what to think. Some ponies were even cowering back into the crowd from the terrifying appearance of the pair.

Up on the stage, the regal stallion blinked a few times at the mess that now was the ballroom floor. “Umm… I’m terribly sorry, but late entries will not be counted… and I’m fairly certain that breaking into the palace like that is illegal.” He explained, still at a bit of a loss.

Right on cue, one of the guards in the room walked up to the pair with a stern expression. “Sir, ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” He said, gesturing for the pair to come along peacefully.

Instead of a peaceful response, the pegasus mare hissed at the armor-clad stallion, her eyes flaring and her fangs gleaming, before shoving a hoof into him with immense strength. Like a hoofball soaring across an open field, the full-grown stallion was sent flying across the room with a startled yelp, where he smacked into the back wall on the stage.

Witnessing this, everyone devolved into fearful gasps and yelps as they took a collective few steps away from the monstrous ponies.

“Listen up! We were told that Twilight Sparkle would be here… Just give her up, and there won’t be any trouble.” The mare explained with a hostile tone as she eyed up the crowd of ponies, simultaneously searching for the purple unicorn and intimidating everyone into obeying her instructions.

Meanwhile, Twilight was watching from inside the crowd with Spike, Cadence, and Shining Armor. She wasn't sure what shocked her more, the fact that those weren’t costumes or the fact that the pair was looking for her.

“Why do they want Twilight?” Spike asked, poking out from behind the purple mare’s foreleg nervously.

“I don’t know… but it can’t be good.” Shining Armor said uneasily before looking back to his sister and wife. “Cadence, stay with Twilight.” He instructed, starting to move toward the two ponies until he was stopped by someone tugging on his tail.

“Shining, don’t. We don’t know what those two are capable of.” Twilight pleaded.

Shining Armor softened his expression as he saw how concerned his sibling was. Still, he had an intense need to protect the others in the room burning in his eyes. “Stay here, Twily… please.”

“Shining…” Twilight whispered tensely as she watched her BBBFF walking off toward potential danger. She reached out to him, but by the time she did, he was already pushing through the crowd. “Shining!”

Up ahead, two other guards were squaring off against the two pale pegasi, doing their best to keep the crowd behind them safe. However, with what the pair just did to their comrade still recovering on the stage, they did not want to engage in a fight if they didn’t have to.

The pegasus stallion leered at the two guards, inching forward enough to make them back up a step. “Just give us Twilight Sparkle and we won’t hurt anypony… probably.” He smirked, showing off his fangs to some of the more terrified members of the crowd and relishing in their reactions.

“What do you want with Twilight Sparkle?” Shining Armor spoke up as he stepped free of the crowd. The two guards seemed relieved to see their captain standing between them with his horn fiercely aglow.

The two monstrous ponies watched the strangely costumed unicorn with intense glares. He didn’t seem at all afraid of them, or if he was, he was hiding it behind a serious front.

“That’s none of your business, buddy.” The mare stated. “Just hand her over before we have to get rough with you.”

"You're talking about pony-napping my sister… I think that's about as much my business as it gets." Shining stated, lowering himself into a fighting stance.

The pegasus mare chuckled eagerly, lowering herself as well. "Whatever you say, tin man. It’s your funeral any-WOAH!" She yelped abruptly as a magical aura lifted her into the air before she could react.

Shining Armor hid a cringe as he focused on his magical hold on the mare. He had heard from the others that supernatural creatures tended to be resistant to unicorn magic, but this was ridiculous.

With a mighty shove, he tossed the pale pony through the air and into the wall. She tried to counter her momentum in midair, but before she could even flap her wings, she smacked into a solid marble pillar.

Shining couldn’t help but smile slightly as the mare flopped to the floor with a painful grunt. His expression shifted to one of alarm, however, as he heard an agitated hiss coming from in front of him.

The pegasus stallion lunged for the unicorn that just tossed his colleague like a sack of potatoes. He would have connected too if it wasn't for one of the guards tackling him to the floor.

"Sir! Get out of here! We'll take care of these t-" The guard grunted abruptly as the pegasus beneath him bucked him off, hitting skull to chin with bone-cracking strength.

The pale stallion glared up at Shining Armor, only to notice the other guard rushing up and trying to grapple him. With a brief struggle, he pulled the armored pony’s neck closer to his teeth and bit down before pushing the guard away with a horrible tearing sound and a spurt of blood.

Shining Armor widened his eyes as he watched the guard fall to the floor clutching a grave wound. The pegasus snarled at him, showing off bloodstained fangs.

With a quick magical buzz, he fired off a couple of energy bolts that zipped straight into the pony’s chest, opening up two bloody holes.

The pegasus yelped and clutched at his new wounds. As he removed his hoof, he revealed the two holes already starting to close up at a slow rate.

"Shining, look out!" Cadence shouted from the crowd.

Before he could even process his wife’s warning, Shining Armor felt something crashing into him from the side. He tumbled to the floor, a hoof smacking into his gut and knocking all the air from his lungs. As he looked up, he found the pegasus mare staring back at him with an agitated expression.

“This is for throwing me at that wall!” She snarled, reeling back and opening her mouth wide as she prepared to bite down onto his neck.

Shining barely had time to tense up and cringe before the mare clamped down. Strangely though, he felt no pain. As he peeked an eye open, he saw a faintly blue magical aura around the monstrous pegasus, keeping her immobile and keeping her fangs a mere inch away from breaking his skin.

Off to the side, Cadence cringed and strained to lift the unnatural pony off of her husband. She could practically feel whatever foul life force the mare now had working against her magic, but that wasn't going to stop her.

Looking to the side, she paled as she saw the pegasus stallion getting ready to pounce on Shining Armor and finish what his colleague started. However, before he could even land, another magical aura wrapped around him.

Shining Armor looked over to see his younger sister stepping out of the crowd. She had her horn aglow, and even through the ridiculously oversized spectacles of her costume it was easy to see how much she was struggling.

“Shining… get… get out of there!” Twilight pleaded with a strained voice.

With a look that told of a mixture of emotions, most prominently gratitude and simultaneous regret for the purple mare having to reveal herself, Shining Armor quickly rolled and got to his hooves.

Looking up just in time to watch the two vampiric pegasi starting to struggle against the magical holds over them, Shining racked his mind to try and think of an escape plan for him and his family. He didn’t get very far by the time Cadence and Twilight yelped under the mental strain being placed on them.

With one final push, the two pale ponies finally jerked themselves down to the floor, freeing themselves from the magical bubbles. They looked up and spotted the purple mare in mad scientist garb and smiled.

Just before either of them could act, however, a series of magical blasts came from the side.

Shining Armor produced a battle cry as he charged forward, loosing every offensive spell he knew at the pair. Fireballs, electrical discharges, energy beams, disintegration balls. The entire royal guard catalog of harmful magic and more was being flung around.

Much to the dismay of the remaining crowd watching from further back, the two ponies either dodged or tanked everything that came their way. Their bodies seemed more resistant than average equines, and even fatal-looking wounds didn’t seem to faze them beyond a painful outcry.

“Cadence, take Twilight and Spike and get out of here! Go find the princess!” Shining pleaded, not even sparing a glance to the side as he continued his assault on the pair.

Cadence glanced back to the purple unicorn and young dragon before turning to her husband with a fearful glint in her eyes. “But… Shining, I can’t just-”

“Look out!” Spike announced, pointing ahead as one of the pegasi broke free from Shining Armor’s attacks and leaped toward them.

Shining Armor widened his eyes as he watched the monstrous pony leaping for his sister. He whipped his head to the side and fired a concussive blast at the pale mare. The crackling bolt of energy struck her in the side and exploded, knocking her off course and sending her flying.

Hearing hoofbeats rapidly approaching, he looked ahead just in time to catch a glimpse of the pegasus stallion barging into him like a freight train. With an upward shove and an angry growl, the pegasus sent the full-grown unicorn flying up, away, and out of a window with a fearful scream and a glass shatter.

Twilight widened her eyes as she watched her brother disappear from sight. “Shining!”

“Twilight, get down!” Cadence shouted, aiming at the purple mare with her horn.

Darting her eyes up to the pink alicorn and then behind her, Twilight’s pupils shrank and a tiny squeak escaped her as she saw the vampire mare about to run and tackle her. Doing as she was told, she held her head and dove to the floor, allowing Cadence to fire a bolt of magic over her and into the pale pegasus.

The mare yelped in pain and stopped dead in her tracks as she clutched the side of her face. As she looked up, she flinched as she saw a pair of purple hind legs kicking out at her before a solid thwack rang out.

“Spike, Cadence, we need to get out of here!” Twilight announced as she recovered from her kick, the pale mare bouncing along the floor behind her.

Before either of her friends could respond, she heard a fearful gasp and a few magical discharges before Cadence produced a strangled yelp.

Twilight turned, only to widen her eyes as she saw the pink alicorn being held against a wall by her neck. The vampiric stallion had a few new burn wounds, but he only seemed to be angered by this as he glared at the princess of love.

“Cadence!” Twilight reached out.

Meanwhile, Spike gasped and pointed behind the unicorn as he watched the pegasus mare getting back up and lunging forward. “Twilight, behind you!”

Before she could even light up her horn or turn around, Twilight grunted as the pegasus careened into her, carrying her through the air a short ways and into the floor roughly. She looked up, fearful that the pale mare was about to bite into her, only to catch a glimpse of a hoof socking her in the face.

The pegasus mare gave a satisfied grunt as she watched the unicorn drift out of consciousness with a trickle of blood dripping from her nose. She looked over to see her companion still choking out the pink alicorn, who was rapidly losing strength.

“You think we should kill her?” She asked.

The stallion gave Cadence a shifty look as she weakly struggled in his grasp, seemingly contemplating the matter for a moment before snorting softly. “No… the Prince said to keep her and anyone else close to Celestia alive.”

“Oh well… I’m sure he has his reasons… whatever they are.” The mare said in an almost disappointed manner. She prepared to pick up the unconscious unicorn until she felt something tugging on her hind leg.

“Leave her alone!” Spike yelled as he pulled on the mare’s leg with all of his admittedly meager strength. He was visibly shaking from how scared he was, but he couldn’t just stand around and do nothing while the two pegasi hurt his friends.

The mare looked behind her and flattened her expression as she saw the costumed dragon. She lightly shoved him back, sending him to a rough seated position. She then turned around and picked him up by the scruff of his costume.

“Well, would you look at this? I didn’t know she had a pet dragon.” The mare said with a devious smile, showing off her fangs to the terrified drake.

“You…” Spike stammered, doing his best to keep eye contact with the glowing red dots staring into his soul. “Y-You better leave her alone.” He whimpered as he loosely struggled against her.

“Aww… that’s cute. Aren’t you a brave little guy?” The mare cooed, rubbing her muzzle against Spike’s face. Her body was cold as ice, and her mouth was still wet with blood from some previous victim. “You really care for her, don’t you?” She asked, receiving no response for a few moments until the dragon nodded hesitantly.

“Please… don’t hurt her,” Spike said, a single set of tears rolling down his face.

“Don’t you worry… I’m not going to hurt her. Tell you what… you can even come along with us to keep me honest.” She smirked before looking back at her colleague. “Hey, quit playing around and grab her so we can get out of here.” She nodded to Twilight’s unconscious body.

The stallion sighed before turning to the alicorn barely struggling in his grip. She seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness, so much so that she barely reacted as he let her slide to the floor.

Cadence groaned softly as she fought through her spinning head to open an eye partway. She heard a mixture of Spike’s yells for help and a faint crackling of glass. Looking up, she just barely caught a glimpse of the two pegasi walking over to the window they entered through and taking flight, with an unconscious unicorn on one of their backs and a terrified dragon under one of their forelegs.

“Twi...light… Spike…” She weakly lifted a hoof and reached out for them, only to let it drop as her fatigue caught up with her. She would have tried to cast a spell of some kind, but around that time her vision blurred and she drifted into darkness.

Elsewhere, Celestia was still in the midst of her own battle.

Her magic was strained, her muscles were sore, and her body was littered with various wounds from close calls she had with the monstrous alicorn. Although she could hold her own with the toughest of foes, even she was having difficulties dodging the fluid streams of blood that Dusk used as weapons.

Ducking under a swipe from one of the bloody tendrils, she fired another blast at the stallion, which he promptly dodged. She had only managed to hit him once so far, and the wound healed just as fast as it was made. She was trying to hit him with a blast of sunlight, but he wasn't giving her enough time to charge such an attack.

“Getting tired, Princess?” Dusk asked with a mocking smile as he held his hoof in front of the wound on his neck. A bit of blood floated out and gathered in a ball in his hoof, which he promptly swiped sideways, sending a series of bloody projectiles toward the white mare that lengthened and focused to a sharp point.

Celestia placed a shield around herself, letting the crimson needles strike into it with surprising force. If one of those had hit her, or worse still, her wounded sister behind her, then the damage would have been grave.

“I see you haven’t outgrown your smug confidence. If I’m being honest, that was one of my least favorite aspects of your personality.” Celestia said, a hint of agitation to her voice as she glared at the stallion.

“And why shouldn’t I be confident?” Dusk smirked with amusement. “After all, even when I was a mere alicorn, I was one of the most powerful magic users in Equestria… until you took that from me as well.” He flattened his expression.

“I thought taking your alicorn magic might humble you and make you see the error of your ways… Clearly, I was mistaken.” Celestia growled under her breath.

“The error of my ways?” Dusk raised his voice a bit before taking a moment to calm down. “I did nothing but help you keep order!”

“You murdered innocent ponies!” Celestia retorted.

Dusk twitched a brow downwards and tensed his jaw. “They were hardly innocent! Thieves and street urchins the whole lot of them!” He stamped a hoof down before breathing in a few times. He let a soft smirk creep across his face again as he looked past the alicorn and her bubble. “Your sister was right about them when she tried to force their obedience. They’re weak… and it’s such a shame that you’ve become so like them… you and dear Luna.”

Celestia watched the stallion warily, only to trail her eyes down and see a trail of red behind his forelegs. She widened her eyes as she saw the trail moving behind her.

Spinning around, she discovered two blood tendrils creeping up out of the floor near Luna. The two streams sharpened to points and reeled back before zipping down at the helpless alicorn.

Racing as fast as she could, Celestia let her shield fall and placed it over her sister. The two crimson spears splattered against the comparatively denser shield, returning to scattered liquid.

Hearing movement behind her, Celestia cringed as she prepared herself for the expected attack coming her way. She whipped her head around, only to see two more streams breaking off the ones on the floor and heading straight for her.

Instead of sharpening to points and trying to pierce her, however, these streams globbed into thicker bands and wrapped around her fore and hind legs. Before she could even react, she was yanked off her hooves and briefly smacked into the floor before being lifted into the air upside down.

Her head was throbbing, both from the blood rushing to it and the blow she received from the floor. Still, she somehow managed to charge her horn up.

Just then, Dusk flicked his hoof to the side. The tendrils wrapped around her followed his direction, whipping her into a nearby pillar like an equine wrecking ball. The impact rattled her entire being. While the stallion seemed to be going for pain more than damage, it still felt like her bones were being pounded just short of breaking.

After two more impacts against the floor and a wall, Dusk chuckled to himself as he observed his work. The mighty princess of the sun was battered and bruised. Her costume was ripped in several places, and her face paint was running off from a combination of sweat and getting knocked into things.

Strangely, however, her horn was still aglow as she looked up at him with a fierce gleam in her eyes.

All at once, the room was filled with a brief flash of yellow light and a magical hum. Luna actually had to close her eyes as her sister and the brown stallion disappeared in the burning glow. Dusk produced a scream of pain as the light contacted his body, only to fall silent.

Celestia suddenly found herself dropping to the floor as the bloody tendrils wrapped around her legs stopped floating. She let a slight smirk through her exhausted features as she panted and stared ahead.

As the light died down, she could already see steam trailing off of the stallion’s form, which was heavily burned. His fur was singed clean off in several places, and his skin was aglow with cinders like it was in the process of burning off. She could even see his skeleton poking through in certain spots.

Her smile faded, however, as blood started leaking from his wounds and seemingly restoring his body.

Dusk grit his teeth as his burned flesh rejuvenated. The process took around ten seconds to complete, which was an astonishing feat, given the scope of the damage he had received.

Once the process was done, he looked down to one of his hooves with an almost impressed expression. He then trailed his eyes up to the white alicorn, a look of begrudging respect in his eyes that seemed to communicate a failure on his part rather than a victory on hers.

“Alright… fair enough.” Dusk panted briefly. “I suppose I should have expected as much fighting you… given my current fragility to sunlight. Still… did you really think it was going to be that easy?” He smiled and shook his head.

Celestia widened her eyes as she saw how strong the stallion’s regenerative powers were. He didn’t even seem exhausted by the process. His breathing was briefly strained, but that seemed to be a reaction to the pain he was in more than anything.

Seeing how urgent the situation was, she lit up her horn again and tried charging up a more powerful attack. Her strength was fading from how much blood she had lost, but she had just enough stamina to create a continuous beam of sunlight if she pushed herself.

Before she could gather the magic needed for her attack, however, her shoulders erupted into pain as two crimson tendrils shot through her like a pair of spears, piercing clean through her body and blowing her back through the air.

As she flew, more bloody projectiles crashed into her at high speeds, piercing into her like a series of daggers. These wounds weren’t deep enough to be fatal, but they were plenty debilitating with how taxed her body already was.

Luna watched as her sister crashed to the ground beside her. The white alicorn had a plethora of bloody holes punched into her form, and she seemed like she could barely move.

“Sister…” Luna croaked, attempting to move a hoof to brush against her sibling before finding her own stamina still drained. “You… you must… flee…”

Celestia peeked an eye open and shifted her head to the side slightly to look at her sister. Although she didn’t have the energy to run or teleport away, the look she was giving the blue mare told that she wouldn’t even if she could.

Hearing hoofsteps echoing against the floor, Celestia looked up to see Dusk approaching her. Before she could even think of resisting, two bloody tendrils whipped out of his wrists and pointed at her menacingly, waiting for her to make a wrong move.

“Look at you now, Princess… Broken and bloody on the floor. I used to think that you were invincible… that you could best any foe. I guess we’ve both shown our true colors, haven’t we?” Dusk said with a tight-lipped smile.

Celestia cringed as she tried to lift herself up. She only managed to crane her neck up to make eye contact with the stallion as he looked down at her.

“If you’re going to kill me… just… get it over with.” She said, conveying the anger she felt through her eyes while the rest of her features conveyed exhaustion.

Hearing this, Dusk smirked even wider. In unison, the two tendrils of blood reeled back before shooting down at her neck with lightning speed.

Luna clenched her eyes shut, refusing to watch any further as tears welled up in her eyes and a wet squelch sounded out. After a moment, she hesitantly opened them and looked ahead.

Somehow, Celestia was still alive. Instead of piercing into her, the two tendrils had made a small incision in her neck that was just barely bleeding.

Even the white alicorn seemed surprised and confused by this as she slowly opened her own eyes. She looked down, only to see the crimson streams pausing before the newly created wound.

“You’re not afraid to die?” Dusk asked rhetorically. “Then again... I suppose you wouldn’t be in this scenario. If you die, you don’t have to suffer anymore. You don’t have to watch your beloved ponies suffer. Well… I think I’ll do something worse to you.” He stated with a sadistic grin.

Confused and more than a little concerned, Celestia suddenly cringed as she felt something cold and unnatural brushing against her neck and then entering her body. She looked down, only to find the two tendrils of blood flowing into the cut on her neck.

“Wh… what are you…” She struggled loosely, even clutching a hoof to her neck to stop the unbearably cold and vile experience to no avail. She could feel his blood mingling with hers, flowing through her veins against her will and even against her heartbeat.

“I didn’t wait this long… I didn’t come all this way… just to let you get off easy by killing you. No… you’re going to suffer for what you did to me. You’re going to beg me to kill you before I’m done with you.” Dusk stated through grit teeth.

Luna watched as her sister struggled and writhed against the stream of blood entering her body. She didn’t seem to be in pain, but she seemed to be in severe discomfort. Suddenly, all of the energy left her and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fell limp with a faint groan.

Dusk lit up his horn and lifted the now unconscious alicorn up gently. He glanced back to Luna and smirked before turning and starting to walk away.

“Sister…” Luna tried to reach out, only to have her hoof fall to the floor again. She cringed and desperately tried to get her numb body to cooperate, but nothing she did amounted to anything more than an inch of movement. “Sister! Leave… her alone… t… t.ake… me instead!” She pleaded weakly.

However, even if the monstrous alicorn could hear her, he ignored her as he walked outside and spread his wings before disappearing into the night with Celestia in tow.

Chapter 14: Picking up the Pieces

Out on the streets, Glimmer Shine panted heavily as he trotted through the cold night air with his strobe drawn. He and his unicorn partner passed through both confused crowds and terrified groups that had fled from areas that had been attacked by the pale creatures.

The stallion’s dog costume was ripped and torn in numerous places, even missing an ear. Thankfully he hadn’t received any major wounds in his brief scuffle with the apparent vampires.

His companion, however, wasn't as lucky.

Glitterball cringed as she brought a hoof away from the puncture wounds on her neck. The costumed black paw was stained with blood, and the two holes were still faintly bleeding.

“How are you holding up?” Glimmer asked as he stole a concerned glance back to the unicorn.

Glitter panted, her already exhausted lungs stinging under the cold air, and managed a smile. “All things considered… I’m doing alright.”

“Just be glad that shopkeeper is handy with a book. She really threw that thing for a loop.” Glimmer smirked as he recalled how hard the yellow mare had struck the pale pony back at the bookstore.

“I hope she’s ok.” Glitterball frowned with concern.

Glimmer gave his friend a reassuring look. “I wouldn’t worry about her. She got out of there just like we told her.” He looked ahead just as they rounded a corner, only to see the looming shape of the royal castle come into view. “Besides… we’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

Looking toward the palace with renewed urgency, Glitterball nodded before hurrying with her companion to reach their friends.

It took a few minutes to make it up to the palace grounds and in front of the main entrance. The area was devoid of ponies and guards, and the front doors were open.

“That can’t be good…” Glimmer muttered uneasily. Glitterball nodded and pulled her hoof away from her wound so she could wield her strobe.

The pair cautiously ascended the steps, keeping their heads on a collective swivel. As they reached the top and peered inside, they were met by a shocking sight.

Four bodies were littered around the area, three of which belonging to guards and one belonging to a very injured-looking Princess Luna. The guards were severely dehydrated looking, while the alicorn was bloodied and bruised and barely moving.

“Princess!” Glitterball widened her eyes and rushed into the room, barely even pausing to check the perimeter.

Glimmer Shine did a quick sweep of the area as he followed the unicorn at a slower pace. Eventually, he caught up as Glitterball knelt down and gently examined the blue mare.

Luna had always been their fearless leader, even if Glimmer Shine and previously Brimstoke had always been the head of the team, so to see the alicorn riddled with so many bloody wounds was a shock and a half.

Thankfully, she was still alive.

The alicorn weakly lifted her head up and looked at the pair of ponies. Although she was too exhausted to properly emote, a wave of relief washed over her as she saw friendly faces.

“Glimmer Shine… Glitterball…” Luna smiled before a twinge of pain from her wounds forced a cringe.

“What happened? Princess… who did this to you?” Glitterball asked in a concerned manner. None of the wounds on the alicorn matched up with anything she expected a vampire to be capable of.

Luna tried to answer, but she seemed to barely be clinging to consciousness, so much so that her head drooped back to the floor and her eyes fluttered shut.

Glitterball frowned as she looked over the many wounds the alicorn had sustained. “We need to get her some medical attention… I would suggest we go get our gear, but I don’t want to leave her alone.”

Glimmer Shine nodded before glancing back at one of the doorways to the side. “You stay here and do what you can for now. I’ll go get help.” He instructed, already making his way toward the hallway. He paused just before the doorway and turned back to the unicorn with an uneasy expression. “If you hear or see anything, call me right away.”

“Got it.” Glitter nodded, watching the stallion leave for a moment before glancing around the room and settling her attention on Princess Luna. She lit up her horn and sighed tensely as she focused on her medical training instead of the gravely injured alicorn before her.

Meanwhile, while his teammate tended to Luna, Glimmer Shine trotted down the hallway towards the ballroom. He hoped that everything was ok at the costume contest, but with such a blatant assault on the city and the front of the palace, he had his doubts.

Making his way through the corridor, he could already hear faint music from up ahead, but he couldn't hear much else. Where there should have been the muffled sounds of ponies partying and having a good time, there was nothing.

Finally, he came upon the entrance to the ballroom and peeked inside.

The area was mostly empty, with just a few ponies dotted around wearing concerned expressions as they chatted with each other softly. There were broken windows everywhere, and there was even a body with a bloodstained curtain draped over it in the corner. What was most concerning, however, was the sight of a pair of guards huddled around a dazed-looking pink alicorn.

"Princess Cadence…?!" Glimmer paused before adopting a concerned expression and rushing over.

As the two guards parted to make room for the yellow stallion, Cadence looked up sluggishly and pushed herself to a seated position.

"Ugh… Glimmer… thank goodness you're here." She said, a hint of relief under the fatigue in her face. Her costume was disheveled and there was a red spot around her throat in the shape of a hoof.

"What happened here?" Glimmer asked as he glanced around the room.

Cadence cringed softly and brought a hoof to her neck as she looked at the aftermath of the ordeal she just went through. "These… strange ponies came in through a window. They were after Twilight… they… they took her and Spike."

"Gosh…" Glimmer Shine stared at the pink alicorn, his thoughts lost elsewhere. "Where’s Shining Armor?" He asked.

Suddenly, Cadence widened her eyes in shock and gasped. "Oh my gosh… Shining!" She shot to her hooves despite the concerned guards trying to keep her still.

Glimmer watched as the alicorn spread her wings and hovered up to one of the broken windows urgently. She looked outside for a moment before reeling back in shock.

Suddenly, the alicorn turned and lit up her horn. She wrapped her magic around the yellow stallion and floated him up.

"Woah!" Glimmer Shine yelped in surprise as he lost his connection with the ground. He got lifted up and through the window as Cadence flew through it as well.

The alicorn whisked him back to the ground outside as she ran ahead. As he looked up, he immediately saw what had caused her alarm.

A fair distance away, collapsed in a crumpled heap in the grass, was a very defeated-looking Shining Armor. The stallion was even more battered and bruised than his wife, and judging from his position outside and the broken window, he probably had a much more expeditious exit than Glimmer Shine did.

Cadence ran as fast as her sore body allowed over to the stallion and knelt down. "Shining… can you hear me? Please wake up." She gently shook him, hoping to get him to stir.

With a confused and pained murmur, Shining Armor fidgeted back and forth for a moment before lifting his head.

"Wh… wha…?"

"Shining?" Cadence smiled softly as the stallion looked up at her. He blinked a few times, still in a dazed stupor, before his eyes clarified and flashed with alarm.

"Huh?! Wh… where's Twilight?!" Shining asked, starting to get up before looking to the alicorn and yellow stallion desperately for an answer.

Cadence’s expression fell. "She’s gone, Shining… they took her and Spike and left." She explained regretfully.

"What?!" Shining Armor paled and his mouth fell agape. "No… No, no, no." He shook his head in denial. Finally, he cringed as he briefly struggled to get to his hooves.

"Hey, take it easy. You’re pretty banged up." Glimmer Shine cautioned as the stallion ignored his injuries.

"I'm fine," Shining said, though his expression hid a fair deal of pain every time he moved.

Cadence started to say something when the sound of fluttering wings drew her attention to the side. She and her two companions looked up to see a familiar trio of mares flying down and landing in front of them.

"Sunspot?" Glimmer Shine blinked in surprise as the orange mare trotted up to him.

"Oh, thank Celestia you guys are ok." Sunspot breathed a sigh of relief. "We saw the broken glass and Shining Armor and thought the worst."

"I think 'ok' is subjective at this point." Glimmer said before looking the three mares over and adopting a confused expression. "Where’s Blue Bolt?"

Hearing this, the three pegasi immediately had the spirit drain from their faces. Rainbow Dash looked to the ground and crossed a foreleg. Fluttershy’s eyes shimmered and she blinked excessively as she tried her best to keep from flat out crying.

Sunspot looked back to the two mares before averting her eyes. She tried to hide whatever emotion she was feeling, but Glimmer Shine had known her for long enough to detect sorrow and regret.

"Oh no…" Glimmer Shine muttered as the three mares remained silent. He hoped that it wasn't as bad as he was thinking, but one look at Sunspot told him all he needed to know.

Cadence let her ears fall and frowned heavily as she felt the sheer sadness radiating off of the trio. She had just met the pegasus stallion mere days ago, but even so, she had a pit left in her heart as she thought about what must have happened.

While Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy did their best to not fall back into a fit of emotion, Shining Armor walked up to them and rested a hoof on both of their shoulders, causing them to look up. "I'm sorry about… everything you've been through tonight, but right now isn't the time to grieve." He said softly.

“Yeah,” Glimmer Shine added. “Those things took Twilight, Spike, and the crusaders. We need to get everyone together and figure out what we’re going to do.”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash reeled back, immediately replacing gloom and sorrow with shock and concern.

“No…” Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof and stared into the middle distance. Thoughts of her friends ending up just like Blue Bolt made her breathing quicken and her body tremble.

Sunspot took a moment to internalize her emotions, but she couldn’t hide a look of unease and burning determination as she looked to the two mares beside her. “Don’t worry, we’ll get them back.”

“You’re right about that.” Shining Armor stated before turning to Glimmer Shine. “Let’s go grab your gear and get ready to go after those things.” He suggested eagerly, receiving unanimous nods in response.

With that, the group made their way around to the closest entrance, which just so happened to be the front entrance.

As they headed up the steps and looked into the foyer, Glimmer Shine immediately noticed more ponies in there than when he left. For starters, there were a couple of guards gathered by Glitterball, assisting her with bandaging up Princess Luna. What most surprised the stallion, however, was the sight of Sparkplug and the three mares she was with.

“Girls?” Glimmer Shine tilted his head curiously. Everyone looked up to see the group entering and relaxed a bit with relief.

Sparkplug immediately walked up to the stallion with a somewhat urgent look on her face. “We came as fast as we could. We didn’t see any more of those things, but the whole city is in chaos.”

“Easy, Sparkplug. Is everyone alright?” Glimmer asked with a bit of concern as he surveyed the group. All of the four mares looked bruised or disheveled to some degree, but some were more injured than others.

Sparkplug herself had been avoiding putting weight on one of her hind legs, which had a set of puncture wounds on it. Rarity had a scorch mark on one of her forelegs resemblant of a magical blast. Applejack was holding a foreleg to her ribs, which were heavily bruised along with her stomach. She also had the beginnings of a black eye. Pinkie looked the least beat up out of the group, but even she was disheveled and sore.

“No, we’re not alright.” Applejack chimed in before cringing slightly. “Those creeps took the girls Princess knows where.”

Hearing this, Rarity trailed her eyes to the floor and frowned. Applejack placed a foreleg around the gloomy unicorn’s shoulder. If anyone understood what the white mare was going through, she did.

“Girls, I’m really sorry about the crusaders. I wish we could have been there.” Glimmer Shine said sympathetically. “But right now we need to focus on where those things came from and who their leader is. This seemed like an organized attack.”

“Dusk…” A weak voice chimed in from the side.

Everyone looked over to see Princess Luna with her eyes open partially, a pained expression on her face.

Glitterball stopped wrapping a bandage around the alicorn and looked down at her with a sympathetic frown. “What’s that, Princess?”

Luna took a moment to cringe as she looked up at the group. She had to take a few heavy breaths just to get enough energy to speak. “An alicorn… he… called h-himself… Dusk. He… did s-something… to Celestia and... took her… w… with him.”

The others frowned as the alicorn fell back to the floor with an exhausted groan. She fought to remain conscious for a few more moments before her eyes lost focus and drifted shut once more.

“An alicorn…?” Shining Armor muttered, looking to his wife curiously. “I always thought that you, Celestia, and Luna were the only alicorns left in Equestria.”

“I was under the same impression, but apparently not,” Cadence added.

Glimmer Shine seemed troubled by the prospect of an evil alicorn powerful enough to best both of the royal sisters, but right now he had more important things to worry about. “Sunspot, stay here with Glitter and the others. Sparkplug, come with me.” He instructed to the two mares as he broke off from the group and started heading upstairs.

Sunspot nodded and kept her strobe pointed out of the front doors while Sparkplug hesitated for a moment before trotting to join the stallion.

“Hey, where are you guys going?” Pinkie asked curiously.

Glimmer paused and looked back at the pink pony and her friends. They all seemed equally confused and antsy. “We’re going to grab our gear. Once we find Tom, he can lead us to wherever those things went.” He explained.

“We’re going after them?” Rarity asked.

“Of course we are.” Rainbow Dash chimed in, her eyes holding a bit of intensity. “You can stay if you want, but I’m going.”

“Oh, I didn’t say I was averse to the idea, darling.” Rarity said, adopting a determined smirk. “Those things took my friends, my Sweetie Belle, and my Spikey Wikey… I’m going to be there when we bring them back.”

Shining Armor gave an appreciative nod. “That’s what I like to hear.” He said before turning up to the pair on the steps. “Go ahead, we’ll keep an eye on things here.”

Glimmer Shine nodded before turning to Sparkplug and gesturing his head behind him. The gray mare quickly followed behind as the stallion led her to their dorms.

Over the next few minutes, the pair went to and from their rooms getting their equipment ready. They each donned their respective tactical vests and gathered the many vials and charms that they used.

Glimmer Shine slid his silver dagger back into its sheath on his vest. He glanced at the new folded crossbow Tom made and smirked slightly as he grabbed it and added it to his arsenal. Luckily, silver was a common monster deterrent, so they had special bolts made on the off chance they needed to use a regular crossbow.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug hesitated as she held up the thicker casing of their newest weapon. The thin slits revealing green liquid inside were somehow intimidating to her. She swallowed nervously and placed the aptly named popper into a pocket near her chest.

After they were done prepping their own gear, the pair went and got their two teammates’ respective outfits ready, with Glitterball’s tactical vest being a bit easier to outfit than Sunspot’s modified flight suit.

With everything they needed to launch an assault on any common supernatural threat, the pair made their way back to their friends.

As they descended the grand staircase, they found everyone largely where they left them. Glitterball was still tending to Princess Luna.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were sitting off to the right side of the room, with the yellow mare resting a foreleg on her friend’s shoulder comfortingly, and the cyan mare staring vacantly ahead with her forelegs crossed.

Applejack and Rarity were to the left with Pinkie Pie. The pink mare seemed to be trying to offer the pair some cheerful conversation to get their minds off of other worrying topics, but it didn’t seem to be working as much as she wanted.

Cadence stood by as Shining Armor talked with some guards. Sunspot was sitting nearby by the front door, her strobe back on her leg holster. As they noticed the pair returning, the orange pegasus got to her hooves while the white stallion stopped his conversation.

“Ready for a change of costume?” Glimmer Shine asked as he tossed Glitterball her vest. Sparkplug quickly ran Sunspot’s suit over to her as well.

The unicorn smiled a bit, though her expression faded as she looked back down to Luna. The alicorn was still unconscious, and her breathing was rapid and shallow. She had lost a lot of color as well from blood loss.

“How’s she doing?” Glimmer frowned with concern as he looked to the unicorn, trying to keep a hopeful attitude. However, judging from her expression, it was hard to stay optimistic.

“She’s lost a lot of blood… Shining called for some guards to help me move her so we can get her some help, but… I’m not sure if she’s going to pull through.” Glitter explained softly, a hint of a crack to her voice.

“She’ll make it… She’s tough.” Glimmer assured before turning to Shining Armor. “Any news on Tom?”

Shining Armor shook his head solemnly. “I’m afraid not… I’ve got guards searching the city for him among other things, and Sunspot’s tried calling him, but he’s gone dark.”

Glimmer Shine sighed and trailed his eyes down to the floor briefly before putting on a brave face. "We'll look for him after we get Princess Luna ready to move." He suggested, receiving a solemn nod in response.

Meanwhile, Applejack watched as Sunspot took off her costume and put on her tactical suit. She glanced over to her two pegasus friends in the corner, who were still quietly dealing with their own emotions, before getting up and trotting up to the orange mare.

"Hey, Sunspot…" AJ started, causing the pegasus to pause what she was doing and look up.

"Yeah…?"

Applejack hesitated for a moment and let her expression fall into an uneasy frown as she looked over to see if Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were listening. "What happened to Blue Bolt?" She asked softly.

Any positive emotion in Sunspot’s face immediately drained as she briefly lowered her suit and looked up at the farm pony. By now, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were both watching and listening intently as well.

"He uh…" Sunspot trailed her eyes down briefly before looking over her shoulder at the two grieving mares. "He… didn’t make it." She said flatly.

Hearing this, Applejack widened her eyes and reeled back slightly. She took a moment to process what she was just told, her mouth agape as if she wanted to say something, before she looked up to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy with newfound sympathetic understanding.

"Oh my gosh…" She muttered. "I'm… I'm so sorry."

"Rainbow Dash was alone with him when it happened… They must have run into another one of those things. It's a wonder she survived." Sunspot explained quietly, more than a hint of shame in her eyes.

Applejack looked back to Rarity and Pinkie Pie, who were staring ahead with a hoof over the mouth and teary wide eyes. The pink mare in particular looked like she wanted to just run over and hug both the pegasi, but she knew such a thing would do more harm than good for at least Rainbow Dash.

"We've…" Applejack said, turning back to Sunspot with an uneasy resolve. "We've gotta find them."

"We will," Sunspot assured. "If it's the last thing I do, I promise you I will find Apple Bloom and the others."

Applejack merely rested a hoof on the grim pegasus’ shoulder. "Too many ponies have died tonight."

Sunspot was surprised to see such determination in the orange mare’s eyes. Looking behind her, and looking past the sadness, she could see something similar in Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s eyes.

"Yeah… too many…" She nodded slowly.

Before either of them could say anything further, they both heard a noise coming from outside.

Sunspot immediately drew her spare strobe and pointed it out of the door. She paused and lowered it as she saw a familiar blue-suited human.

"Tom…?!" Sunspot blinked with surprise.

The boy was standing on the last few steps leading up to the doors. His outfit was scuffed and dirtied in a few places, and his plastic angel costume was missing entirely. He looked very much out of breath as he looked ahead at the two ponies.

"H… hey guys… sorry I'm late." He panted with a slight wave.

"Tom?" Shining Armor chimed in. The two mares and the human looked over to see the white stallion walking up with Glimmer Shine.

"Oh, thank Celestia you're here." Glimmer said with a slight smile before he saw how exhausted the boy looked. "Where have you been?"

"I had a run-in with some vampires… Judging from what I heard over the spell, I'd say you already know what I'm talking about." Tom explained. He started to walk up the last steps until he paused as he caught a glimpse of the alicorn on the floor behind the ponies. "Holy crap, what happened?!" He exclaimed before rushing past the group and over beside Glitterball. As he examined the princess and saw the full extent of her wounds, his face paled with worry.

Glitterball frowned as she watched the human examining the alicorn. "Best we can figure, some alicorn stallion came here and fought her and Princess Celestia. He beat both of them… then he and these other vampires took Celestia, Twilight, and Spike and left." She explained uneasily.

"Wait, what?!" Tom looked up at the unicorn in shock.

"We've been getting ready to go after them. All we were waiting on is you." Shining Armor said as he walked up to the pair kneeling beside Luna.

After taking a few moments to process his shock, Tom ran a hand through his hair and let it linger as he thought about a strategy to get his friends back.

"Get some carriages ready with enough pegasi to carry all of us. There's no way we could catch them on foot in time. I assume you've got some silver weapons ready?" Tom asked to whoever would answer.

Glimmer Shine nodded and pulled out his silver dagger briefly. "Yeah, we do... but where are we going to find these things? Where are they going?"

Tom saw everyone turn to him expectantly, undoubtedly waiting for him to use his senses to find the strange creatures. Thoughts of the mission out in the Everfree flashed through his mind, causing a knot to form in his gut.

"I… I’m not sure if they would be in range of my senses by now. But… I think I know a way we can narrow our search to where I could pick up a trail."

"How?" Applejack chimed in eagerly.

"Those vampires were ponies at one point, probably not that long ago at that. It sounds like this alicorn stallion is the one who turned them, and he probably only showed up recently. Have someone check for missing person reports for the last few days and see what turns up." Tom instructed.

Shining Armor nodded in revelation before turning to a nearby guard. "You heard him. I want those reports in front of me yesterday."

"Yes sir!" The guard saluted briefly before trotting off to complete his assigned task.

As they watched the stallion leaving, most of the group were feeling eager determination to get their friends and family back. Some of them, namely a cyan mare, were more motivated than others to get back at the pale creatures. However, alongside the building resolve, there was a feeling of nervous doubt gnawing at the back of their heads.

"Ugh…" A soft groan drew everyone’s attention to the blue alicorn still lying on the ground.

Tom turned back to the alicorn and softened his expression as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked like she was in a great deal of pain. "Hang in there, Princess." The human said, resting a hand on one of the only spots on her body that wasn't covered in wounds.

Luna blinked hard and struggled to focus her blurred senses long enough to look up to the blue shape hovering over her. "T… T-Tom…?"

Tom flashed a hollow smile at the alicorn before turning to Glitterball. "Is she as bad as she looks?"

"I'm… not sure how long she has. If she were a normal pony, she'd probably be dead by now." Glitter explained sadly.

Tom flattened his mouth into a grim line as he turned back to the alicorn. He looked down to his hands and clenched them briefly, doing his best to ignore the slight tremble in his digits, before exhaling and leveling an open palm at the wounded princess.

A soft blue glow emanated from the human’s hand and enveloped Luna’s side. Immediately, some of her more shallow wounds dried up and started closing. She exhaled softly and relaxed a bit as her pain was overshadowed by tingling warmth.

After a moment, Tom’s hand started shaking intensely. He tensed his jaw and focused as hard as he could, but he couldn’t do anything to prolong the process as his light flickered and then faded.

“Gah…” Tom frowned as he saw how little changed. “Sorry… I must still be tired from those vampires.”

“Every little bit counts,” Cadence said reassuringly as she examined the alicorn. Luna seemed to be breathing a bit easier if anything else.

Glitterball glanced down to Princess Luna before looking up to her friends. "Guys… I'm all for charging in there head-first, but we're not just going to be fighting those vampire things. Whoever that alicorn was, he beat both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia… are we sure we can beat him?"

As the subject was brought up, the room fell into an uneasy silence. Many of the ponies looked around at each other or the members of Spirit, but eventually, most of them settled their eyes on Tom. After all, the human was their trump card for fighting monsters.

Tom felt a nervous sweat building up as the group looked to him, but he didn't dare react. Instead, he shifted his thoughts to Twilight, Spike, and everyone else that was taken and steeled his resolve.

"Don’t worry about him… I’ll handle it.” He stated flatly, starting to get up until he felt a tug at his pant leg.

“Ngh… n-no… Tom… y… you can’t.” Luna muttered, barely audible. Although she could still barely move, she had a certain look of alarm behind the daze in her eyes.

“Take it easy, Princess,” Glitterball said softly, resting a hoof on her shoulder before turning to the others. “We really need to move her. Tom might have just bought us the time we need to save her.”

Shining Armor nodded and then turned to his wife. “Cadence… can you stay here and take care of her?”

Cadence glanced at the alicorn before looking to her husband with a hint of concern. “I thought we were going together?”

“Cadence…” Shining Armor took the pink alicorn by the hoof and smiled softly. “Someone needs to stay behind to keep an eye on things. Besides… I already failed Twilight and Spike. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I let something happen to you.”

Cadence’s expression fell as she looked around at all of her friends. She wanted to be with them to help protect them, but she also knew that someone had to take care of Luna. “Alright… I’ll stay, but you better come back to me.”

“I will… and I’ll bring everyone back with me,” Shining assured as he briefly embraced his wife.

Meanwhile, Tom looked down at Luna and met eyes with her. He could tell what she was trying to communicate, even if she could barely speak.

He knelt down and looked to the alicorn with a confident expression that belied hesitance and unease. “It’s ok, Princess. I’ll bring them back, no matter what.” He flashed a slight smile, gently taking her hoof and pulling it off as she tried to grab him. She struggled to reach for him as he stood up and walked away, only to fall short.

“T...Tom…” Luna cringed and tried to lift herself up, but her foreleg gave out before she could even make progress. She looked to the human desperately, but before she could gather the strength to do anything else, a pair of magical auras wrapped around her and gently lifted her up.

“Come on, Princess. We’re going to take you somewhere you can rest.” Glitterball said, looking to see Cadence helping her with lifting the alicorn. The two mares nodded to their companions before starting to hurry the wounded princess away.

As the pair were leaving, a familiar guard came trotting back into the room. He was carrying a clipboard, which he promptly gave to Shining Armor as he made his way over.

“Sir, these are all the missing persons reported in the past week.” The stallion said, offering a brief salute.

“Thank you…” Shining Armor said absentmindedly, already reading the list.

By now, most everyone was watching as the stallion examined the clipboard. Some of the more curious members of the group were trying to peer over his shoulder while others waited impatiently to get going wherever they were going.

“Anything useful?” Glimmer Shine asked.

Shining Armor rested a hoof to his chin and narrowed his eyes briefly before smiling. “Looks like there was a string of reports in the past few days that, get this, form a line heading toward Canterlot from… a place called Coltridge.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard of it, but it seems like our best bet.” Glimmer Shine reasoned.

Rarity shared an uncertain glance with some of the others. “Are we sure? We can’t afford to waste any time.”

Looking around and seeing unease written on most everyone’s faces, Tom felt a pang of sympathy. He sighed tensely before closing his eyes and silently praying for his powers to work properly for five seconds as he took a breath and exhaled a puff of mist.

The ponies watched curiously as the human lifted an arm and pointed past them.

“Someone with more geographical knowledge than me want to say if Coltridge is in that direction?” Tom asked without breaking focus.

Shining Armor thought for a moment, squinting and doing his best to remember his days in school studying maps. “I think so… more or less.”

“Well, from what little I can gather, however many of them there were came from that direction before splitting off and scattering around town. And since I can’t feel any other trails, I’d say they headed back that way when they left.” Tom said hesitantly.

“Sounds good enough to me.” Rainbow Dash stated. “When do we leave?”

Hearing this and seeing the anxiousness in the room, Shining Armor turned to the lone guard once more. “Get four air carriage teams ready asap.” He instructed, receiving a salute in response.

“Yes sir.” The guard nodded before taking off once more.

Shining then turned to face the group, a solemn expression on his face. “Everyone that wants to go, get whatever you need ready. We’re going after those things and bringing everyone back home.”

With that, everyone cheered and put on their best war face. After all, they had been assaulted in a time of celebration. Friends of theirs had been hurt and taken from them in more ways than one, and who knew how many innocent ponies along with them. They weren’t about to sit back and let something like that happen, even if they were up against monsters. They had each fought monsters before, and they weren’t about to let something like that keep them from saving the ones they loved.

Chapter 15: Captive

With a rough jostle, Twilight found herself semi-conscious again. Her body was distant and numb, and what little she could feel wasn't pleasant.

The world around her was mostly a series of muffled sounds and a sensation of moving. She couldn’t tell what direction she was headed, but she could tell that she was moving fast.

A rhythmic galloping of hooves came from around and underneath her, which might have told her she was being carried, if she could form a coherent thought.

Minutes…

Hours…

All passage of time slipped away as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She wasn’t sure if she was dreaming or not.

Finally, her senses started clarifying ever so slightly.

"Ngh…! Let us go!" A familiar shrill voice came from somewhere behind her, followed by an unfamiliar growl of annoyance from in front.

"Would someone shut that brat up already?!" A feminine voice asked in a frustrated manner.

"Ugh…" Twilight groaned softly as she managed to open her heavy eyelids. She was looking down at a moonlit mixture of grass and dirt that was going by at a rapid pace. Her costume spectacles were missing, and she could see strands of her own mane poking down, indicating that her wig had fallen off.

"Stop up here." A few voices called out, carrying the message down whatever group there was.

Twilight felt herself slowing down to a canter before whoever was carrying her stopped entirely.

"I'm starving… Are we going to eat soon?" A stallion droned from off to the side.

"That’s for the Prince to decide." Another feminine voice responded, seemingly coming from right next to Twilight.

The unicorn slowly lifted her head and looked to the side, only to see a pale yellow mare with auburn hair, or more accurately, the back of said mare’s head. She was apparently being carried like a sack of potatoes over the mare’s back.

Attempting to bring her hooves up to her face resulted in stiff resistance. Twilight was starting to get her wits about her, so she could immediately tell that she was tied up.

Deciding that it would be best to keep quiet for now, the unicorn slowly trailed her eyes around to survey her current surroundings.

She was at the edge of a field, with a few trees dotted around. There was a darkened town up ahead, though all she could see from her position was a couple of modest houses.

Twilight suppressed a flinch and quickly shut her eyes again as she saw two glowing red dots shifting her way. There were at least four or five pale ponies similar to the ones that crashed into the ballroom scattered around, and that was only what she could see.

"Gah… you guys are really going to be sorry when our friends come to save us!"

Scootaloo…? Twilight thought to herself. She peered one eye open and trailed it to the side, only to pale at what she saw.

There was a gray unicorn stallion with a black mane a few feet back in the loose herd formation these vampires had going. Much like the yellow mare was with Twilight, the stallion was ferrying a trio of fillies on his back. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were all huddled together with their forehooves bound in front of them with some kind of red rope.

Oh no… not you guys too… Twilight’s face softened with worry as she saw the young trio. As troubling and fearful the notion of being alone with the group of vicious monsters was, she would rather have been the only ponynapping victim taken by the vampiric pack of ponies.

Before the purple mare could think further on what to do, the gray stallion carrying the fillies growled under his breath, gritting his teeth and revealing his sharpened fangs. He lit up his horn, and with little warning, an audible smack sounded out and Scootaloo’s head was knocked to the side violently as a similar aura briefly appeared on her.

“OW!” The young pegasus yelped, nearly falling into Apple Bloom from the force of the strike. She had a red mark on her cheek, and her eyes were watering from the sheer unexpected shock.

“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle inched toward her friend, seemingly trying to reach out to her before she remembered that she was restrained.

Apple Bloom watched as her friend cringed and clenched an eye shut as she dealt with the stinging injury. She glared ahead at the stallion looking back at them with a smug expression.

“Leave her alone you… you jerk!” The young earth pony yelled, maneuvering herself to be in front of the pegasus protectively.

“Oh, what? You didn’t like that?” The stallion smirked.

*THWACK*

Scootaloo produced a sucking noise of pain and fell over forward as an invisible force slammed into her stomach. She would have stayed where she was, sputtering and groaning softly while face down into the stallion’s back, if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn’t pull her up by their teeth.

“Stop it!” Apple Bloom protested, more than a hint of anger and desperation in her eyes.

The stallion chuckled to himself before turning ahead. “Keep talking and you’ll be next.”

Hearing this, the young farmer growled under her breath. She fell back onto her haunches and leaned back even further until her legs were free. She then kicked out at the stallion’s head with all the strength her tiny legs could deliver, creating a satisfying smack.

Grunting slightly in pain, the stallion immediately spun around to face the fillies. His crimson eyes glowed fiercely and he bared his teeth as a more animalistic growl came forth, putting the fear of life and death into the young crusaders.

“Leave them alone!”

With little warning, a magical bolt zipped right into the stallion’s chest and exploded, leaving a sizable scorch mark and producing a painful yell.

The three fillies looked ahead with surprise as the purple mare in front of them disappeared in a flash of light. In another instant, a magical buzz came from behind them and they were suddenly wrapped in a magenta aura and whisked into the air.

“Woah!” Sweetie Belle felt her stomach bottom out briefly as a sensation of weightlessness overcame her, only to subside as she was set back onto the ground next to a familiar unicorn.

Before anything else could happen, Twilight let her horn glow more intensely and placed a forcefield around herself and the three fillies, separating them from the confused and alarmed pack outside.

“Twilight…?!” Scootaloo blinked with surprise as she watched the unicorn breaking the rope restraining herself.

Twilight briefly rubbed her wrists before looking down to the fillies and smiling, only to frown softly as she saw the red mark on Scootaloo’s cheek and the bindings still holding them in place.

“Are you ok?” She asked, centering her question on the pegasus, as she shifted her attention toward the bindings. The strange rope didn’t actually look like rope. It was red and had a certain sheen to it that made it look almost like a liquid. Luckily, it was easily broken with a magical tug, freeing the trio once more.

“We are now.” Apple Bloom said, resting a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder and sharing a quick smile with her friends.

A muted banging noise drew the four ponies’ attention forward. The fillies shrank back and huddled behind Twilight as they saw the unicorn stallion, the yellow mare, and a couple more pale ponies leering at them. They backpedaled, nearly tripping over themselves as they realized that they were surrounded.

The yellow mare thumped on the magenta barrier with her hoof, while the stallion beside her fired a magical blast at it, only to have it ricochet off and nearly hit one of his companions. Luckily, nothing they tried seemed to be able to put a dent in the forcefield.

“I knew you should have killed her.” The mare sneered at a pair of pegasi off to the side.

“Stow it. You’re the one that was carrying her.” A pegasus mare retorted with equal agitation.

Meanwhile, the unicorn stallion locked eyes with Twilight, who was managing to keep a brave face as she eyed around at the many creatures surrounding her before settling her gaze on him.

“You better drop this shield if you know what’s good for you.” He threatened.

Twilight stepped in front of the trio of fillies, but she made sure to stay close to them as she faced off with the stallion, a mere few inches of magical energy the only thing separating them. “I can keep this up until morning… Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think vampires like the sun. You are vampires… aren’t you?” She asked with a wry smirk.

Hearing this, the stallion chuckled to himself. “I wouldn’t count on the sun saving you.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes briefly. “What…?”

Before the stallion could even think to answer, he and everyone behind him paused. Soon enough, the pale creatures started looking behind them with silent expressions of nervousness, like a band of soldiers stiffening up before their tyrannical leader.

Twilight and the crusaders watched as the pale ponies started backing to the sides one by one. Behind the parting pack, a lone figure walked forward until it was standing right in front of the magical bubble. The four stared ahead in shock from what they were seeing.

A brown alicorn stallion stood before the purple mare, staring at her and silently sizing her up with his deep crimson eyes. He seemed mildly intrigued by her, but at the same time mildly disgusted.

“So this is who the Princess chose as her student?” The alicorn asked nobody in particular. He tapped a hoof to her barrier, causing her to lower herself into a fighting stance, and scoffed slightly.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked, trying not to outwardly display just how stunned and nervous she was. Naturally, the sight of an unknown alicorn was a bit intimidating, let alone an unknown alicorn with vampiric powers and three wounds across his neck and wrists.

“Does nopony know who I am anymore?” The alicorn looked around to his followers, only to receive unsure shrugs or hesitant looks. “I used to be the talk of every hamlet, town, and village in Equestria…” He sighed, his eyes distant in thought before he settled them on Twilight again. “Very well… Twilight Sparkle,” He cringed slightly as if the words leaving his mouth sickened him, “my name is Dusk… but you may refer to me as Prince Dusk.”

Twilight felt an eyebrow twitch in revulsion from how full of himself the alicorn sounded. He was looking at her like he expected her to kiss the ground where he walked. “Ok… Dusk,” She emphasized, not breaking eye contact as she did, “why did you bring us here? What were you planning on doing to us?”

“I think you’re in no position to ask questions, Twilight.” Dusk replied flatly, gesturing around at the other ponies watching around the bubble.

“Unless you can get through this barrier, I think that’s the least I can do… And if you could get in here, I think you would have done it already.” Twilight reasoned.

Dusk eyed up the magical bubble, briefly raising an eyebrow. “Perhaps… perhaps not. My magic isn’t what it used to be, and if you’re worthy enough for Celestia to call you her student, you should be able to produce a rather strong barrier. However… I am not one to waste time when I have things to do, so I would rather you drop that shield sooner than later.”

Twilight scoffed and shook her head in disbelief. “And why exactly would I do that?”

As if to answer her question, Dusk exhaled softly through his nose before turning around. He lit up his horn and focused up ahead.

After a moment, Twilight’s eyes widened as a familiar young dragon was floated across the field and over to the alicorn.

“Spike?!” She squeaked in alarm.

The dragon was staring ahead, pale as a sheet and eyes wide with terror. His mouth was gagged and his hands were bound with the same crimson binds that had been placed on her and the crusaders, but this didn’t stop him from mumbling and squirming fearfully as he looked to her with a level of desperation that she hadn’t seen from him before.

“Oh no…” Sweetie Belle cupped her hooves to her mouth and shrank back as she watched her friend getting dangled like a piece of bait before a lion.

Twilight rushed forward and leaped up, resting her forehooves on the bubble as she stared at the alicorn with fear in her eyes. “Don’t hurt him!” She pleaded. If it were just her life on the line, she would have already dropped the shield, but she also had the three fillies behind her to worry about.

Dusk smiled, revealing a fang as he saw the unicorn’s reaction. He turned to the dragon still floating gently beside him before holding up a hoof and letting go with his magic, grabbing the young drake by the back of his costume.

“You know, this whole blood drinking thing is new to me… I quite like it, though. Every creature I taste is different. It’s quite exciting, really.” He said, looking back to the unicorn and flattening his expression. Without even breaking eye contact with her, a stream of blood traveled out of his neck and floated into the air before forming a sharp point, which was aimed right at Spike’s neck.

“No… No, no, no! I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t hurt him!” Twilight shook her head, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

Just then, the crimson stream over Spike’s mouth lowered, allowing him to take a few shallow breaths as he stared at the floating spear made of blood pointing at him. He then looked over to the purple mare, his thin slitted pupils even smaller.

“T...Twilight…” Spike muttered softly, a twinge of uncertain fear and perhaps even a bit of acceptance in his shaky voice.

Then, the stream of blood reeled back in the air before shooting forward.

“NO!” Twilight and the three fillies behind her cried out in unison, unable to tear their eyes away as they watched the bloody missile pierce into Spike’s neck.

-Earlier-

Flying through the night skies of Equestria, four carriages drawn by teams of pegasus guards hurried toward the far-off town of Coltridge.

Applejack and her remaining friends sat in one of the carriages, accompanied by Sparkplug. Shining Armor, Tom, and the original members of Spirit were in another. The last two carriages were empty, reserved for those that the group would be bringing back with them.

Tom looked around at his companions quietly as the carriage shook from turbulence. Everyone had a mixture of emotions written on their faces ranging from unease to solemn determination. Shining Armor looked the most troubled other than the human, not surprising given that his sister and adopted brother were taken by vicious monsters.

However, while the ones taken by the vampires were deeply troubling to Tom, he also had a few other things swirling around in his mind. He looked up and over to Sunspot, running one thumb over the other uncomfortably before getting up the courage to speak.

“So… I’ve been meaning to ask,” The human started hesitantly, “what happened to Blue Bolt?”

Hearing the silence of the carriage being broken by such a grim question, Sunspot and the others lowered their expressions from passive unease to somber frowns.

The pegasus exhaled tensely and trailed her eyes to the floor before looking up to the human. “He’s… dead. One of those things got to him.” She explained, having difficulty even getting the words out.

Tom softened his features and looked to the floor. Part of him already suspected such an answer. After all, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy wouldn’t have left him behind without good reason. “I’m sorry…” He stated somberly.

“You can’t save everyone, Tom.” Glimmer Shine said in what he hoped would be a reassuring manner. Looking beside him, he saw Sunspot with a similarly gloomy expression of self-blame. “There was nothing anyone could have done.” He added, patting the pegasus on the shoulder.

“I just… wish I could have been there.” Sunspot said. “Me and Fluttershy got lucky with finding some silver. I don’t know how Rainbow Dash dealt with the other one, but it must have been a tough fight.”

“Yeah… you said it had a mouth full of fangs and sunken eyes?” Glitterball asked, receiving a slow nod in response. She rubbed her muzzle curiously as she thought about the matter further. “I wonder why those two were so different from the ones we ran into? All the vampires we saw were at least intelligent. Those two sounded like they were so much more… feral.”

“It sounds like what you encountered was a strigoi,” Tom stated.

“A what?” Sunspot narrowed her eyes at the strange-sounding name.

Tom leaned back into his seat and exhaled. “A strigoi… it’s a kind of feral vampire created when a powerful vampire sires someone without any blood in their body. See… vampires aren’t a natural monster, per se. They were made by people tampering with blood magic and making pacts with demons way back when. The only way to become a vampire is to do that, or to have one infect you.”

Glitterball put a hoof to the bite marks still visible on her neck. “I’m not going to turn into one of those things, am I?” She asked nervously.

“No, you’re fine. They don’t infect through bites, and not every vampire can do it. It can only happen if a powerful vamp infuses their blood into your bloodstream. If you still have blood when that happens, you stay yourself… for the most part. You keep your memories, your intelligence, your personality… with alterations, of course. If you don’t have any blood when you get infected, you become a strigoi.” Tom explained.

“As interesting as monster biology is, where does that leave us with those freaks?” Glimmer Shine asked.

“Yeah, I’d rather not let anyone else die tonight.” Shining Armor added.

“Well…” Tom started, “they pretty much have the same weaknesses as regular vampires. Silver, for one.” He gestured to Sunspot. “There’s also sunlight. A less sure-fire way is to destroy the heart completely, which can be hard if they recently fed on some blood.”

“Let me guess, they regenerate?” Glitterball asked, thinking back to her previous encounter with one of the pale ponies. It seemed to recover fairly quickly from their strobe fire.

“Yep… unfortunately, which is why I don’t recommend trying to go for the heart unless you absolutely have to. You could cut off their head in a pinch, but silver is probably your best choice. Be sure to aim for center mass, and be sure to hit hard. Even silver won’t kill them if you hit them in a limb or somewhere non-vital.” Tom explained.

“And what exactly is vital for these guys?” Sunspot prodded.

“If you stab hard enough, anything in the gut or above should do. Once they get going, they tend to burn up real crispy real fast.” The human said.

“And… what about this alicorn guy?” Sunspot added.

The others grew uneasy as Tom remained silent for a few moments. He glanced down to a black bag he had beside him before biting his lip in thought and nodding. “I’ve got some ideas about how I’m going to deal with him if he becomes a problem.”

“You mean how we’re going to deal with him?” Glitterball chimed in.

“Glitter… this guy wiped the floor with both Princess Celestia and Luna. I don’t want any of you anywhere near him.” Tom said, looking the unicorn and the others in the eye seriously. “I... will... handle it.”

“No offense, Tom, but the last time you went solo, you ended up dying.” Glimmer Shine said in a concerned manner. He might not have been there to see the human’s fight with Raven Feather, but from what he had heard, Twilight and the others had every right to think he was dead when they found him.

“In my defense, it was bringing Twilight back to life that killed me. Raven Feather just helped the process along.” Tom jested, though the others could see that he was just trying to dodge the subject.

“Tom…” Glimmer Shine said, looking the human in the eye solemnly. “We work as a team, no matter what. If that alicorn is going to beat one of us, he’s going to have to beat all of us.”

Tom tensed his jaw a bit and sighed quietly. He could tell that the stallion meant well, but he also knew that he wasn't about to let any more of his friends get hurt. “We’ll talk about this later…” He said before looking out of the nearby window and ignoring any further attempts to converse.

Glimmer Shine shook his head before looking to his three companions, only to see them offering shrugs in response. They all knew the human could be stubborn, but they also knew that he had a bad habit of getting in way over his head for the sake of protecting his friends.
.
..
…
Meanwhile, in the other carriage, the atmosphere was similarly tense and uneasy, though there was a heavier amount of gloom hovering in the air between the six mares.

Pinkie Pie looked up to Rainbow Dash and frowned softly. The cyan pony had hardly spoken since rejoining the group, and whenever she did, it was fierce and full of determination for getting back at the ones that took Twilight and the others. Pinkie knew that this was probably her way of dealing with what happened to Blue Bolt.

Fluttershy had been mostly quiet as well, though she was wearing a sad expression rather than a determined one. She seemed to be trying not to think about her blue friend, but every so often she would look down vacantly, her eyes shimmering and her jaw trembling before Rainbow Dash put a foreleg around her without even looking up.

“I…” Pinkie Pie started softly, unsure of what to say, “I just wanted to say… I’m really sorry about what happened. If either of you want to talk, or if you need anything… just let us know.” She glanced to Rarity and Applejack, only to see similarly sympathetic expressions on their faces.

“Thank you, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said, flashing a sweet smile as she wiped her eyes.

Rainbow Dash tugged a corner of her mouth up, but quickly returned to her position staring at the floor.

Applejack softened her eyes as she saw the cyan mare remaining silent. “You gonna be ok, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash looked up, only to see her friends staring at her with worried frowns. Even Fluttershy seemed to be concerned about her behind her own sadness.

“Guys… I appreciate what you’re trying to do… really,” She said sincerely before trailing her eyes away. “But… I don’t want to talk about it right now… I can’t. The only thing keeping me going right now is getting the others back home and getting back at whoever started this. After we do that… I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

The others weren’t sure what to say to offer the cyan pegasus some comfort. She seemed to be trying to ignore any of the sadness she might be feeling, but everyone could tell when she lingered on a certain thought or image in her head, mostly because she would pause her uncomfortable fidgets and stare into space sadly.

"Well…" Applejack started, "if you don’t know what you're gonna do, we can at least help you figure it out if you let us."

“We’re here for you whenever you need, darling,” Rarity added.

Rainbow Dash looked up to see the others smiling softly at her. A hoof being placed on one of hers brought her attention to the side, where Fluttershy was flashing a reassuring expression. She couldn’t help but smile as well, however briefly it might have been.

"I think… that’d be cool." She nodded, taking a steady breath to center herself.

Hearing this, the reserved smiles on everyone's faces grew a bit. They might not have fully understood why tragedy had struck them tonight, but they were sure of one thing. They were going to stay together with their loved ones no matter what hardships they faced.

-Elsewhere-

Twilight stared ahead through her protective bubble, her mouth agape slightly and tears staining her face. The trio of fillies behind her was just as speechless as she was, and perhaps twice as pale.

A low chuckle came from the pale alicorn as he relished the looks of world-shattering shock on the ponies' faces. He turned to the dragon hanging in his grasp and retracted the stream of blood back into his body.

A shallow cut was left in Spike's neck, barely large enough to let a trickle of blood run down. He was clenching his eyes shut, too petrified to move. Feeling no pain other than a slight prick, he slowly opened his eyes, only to see that he was still alive.

Without even looking, a small trickle of blood came floating out of Spike’s wound, creating a strange and unsettling sensation for him as it drifted over to the alicorn.

Dusk opened his mouth and allowed the trickle to settle onto his tongue. He flicked his tongue around in his mouth, seemingly taking in the flavor of the crimson fluid for a moment before producing a slight hum.

"So that’s what dragon tastes like… Interesting." He turned to look at Twilight again, adopting a sinister gleam in his eye. "How about it, Twilight? Are you going to come out, or should I spend some more time with your little… friend?"

"Don’t do it, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed before the crimson band tightened around his mouth once more, stifling any further outbursts. He squirmed and mumbled and kicked, but he was powerless to get away from the stallion.

Twilight felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she stared at her number one assistant, her mind racing nearly as fast as her heart.

"What are we going to do?" Sweetie Belle asked timidly, looking around at the many vampires eyeing her and her friends up.

"Everything’s gonna be ok, Sweetie," Scootaloo assured, though she didn’t sound confident in her words.

"Twilight… please tell me you have a plan." Apple Bloom looked to the unicorn with more than a hint of fear in her eyes.

Looking back to the three fillies, Twilight could see that all of them were cowering close to each other and close to her. She was the only thing keeping them from the pale creatures having their way, and they were looking to her for protection and assurance in this terrifying situation.

Turning back ahead, the purple mare locked eyes with Spike again. He shook his head, pleading with his eyes for her to save herself and the crusaders despite his own fear.

Dusk watched her patiently, though he had a certain bloodthirsty look about him that made it seem like he could bite the dragon’s head off without batting an eye.

Moments before, Twilight genuinely thought she was going to watch Spike die. She had been helpless to stop it. It was the single worst feeling she had ever experienced in her life, and she wasn't sure if she could survive having it happen for real.

With the seconds passing by, the crowd of vampiric ponies started laughing and taunting the purple mare. She felt like she was going to pass out. It took everything she had not to descend into a panic long enough to intelligently weigh her options, but even then she found no other choice where the young dragon lived.

Finally, Twilight slid off the shield and lowered her head sullenly as she let her horn dim. The crusaders’ faces paled as the magical bubble vanished.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." Twilight repeated softly, not even able to bring herself to look at the three fillies. Still, she would have done the same thing if it were one of them instead.

"There, now… was that so hard?" Dusk asked with a mockingly sweet tone as he dropped Spike and slowly approached the unicorn.

"Leave her alone!" Scootaloo demanded, starting to take a step forward until a flash of red zipped around her and her friends' front hooves, tying them together again and nearly tripping them.

"Take them." Dusk instructed to the unicorn stallion watching nearby.

The pale stallion immediately walked over to the fillies and picked them up without question, though he was a little rough with them, causing a few painful squeaks.

Twilight watched the unicorn tensely as he shot the girls a devious smirk that practically begged them to give him a reason to kill one of them. She looked up as she heard movement, only to flinch back as she saw a brown foreleg lifted in front of her.

"Wh… what do you want with us?" Twilight asked, her voice quiet with fear.

"Again with the questions… I had heard that you were an inquisitive sort, but clearly hearsay doesn't do justice." Dusk smirked before raising his foreleg even further and exposing the wound on his wrist.

Twilight shrank back as blood floated out of the wound and snaked toward her in an unnatural and unsettling display. She would be trying to cast a spell to protect herself or flee, but she had already played her hand and lost. Now, she had to be as complacent as possible for the safety of the four children, no matter what was about to happen to her.

The floating stream remained still for a moment before it suddenly thinned to a point and shot toward her. Twilight flinched, preparing for death and whatever pain would come before. However, the pain she received was far more long-lasting than she initially expected.

"Ngh… nng… AH!" Twilight yelped as the bloody needle carved into her forehead. The cuts being made were shallow, but they stung like crazy nevertheless.

"Hold still," Dusk muttered, a corner of his mouth falling into an annoyed scowl. "Come now… you’re supposed to be the Princess’s student. A little pain shouldn't bother you." He said, reaching his other hoof up and grabbing her by the mane. She reached her bound hooves up to try and grab him, but she quickly realized that she was helpless.

"Twilight!" Apple Bloom cried. She and Scootaloo were leaning forward and watching uneasily, while Sweetie Belle was averting her eyes and crying. Spike was watching as well, but with his mouth gagged and his hands bound, there wasn't anything he could do except silently struggle, cry, and hope that the process would be over soon.

After a few more painful moments, the stream of blood finally stopped and pulled away. Dusk let go of her head and backed up with a pleased expression.

"There… that’s better." He stated.

Twilight trailed her shimmering eyes up to her forehead, but she couldn’t tell what had been done to her other than a warm trickle of blood disappearing into her fur.

Spotting a small pool of water nearby, she lit up her horn to float some of the reflective substance over so she could get a look at herself.

Or at least she tried to.

Her horn remained dim, no matter how much magical energy she tried channeling. Not having expected such a lack of activity, she tried again, and again. Even after clenching her eyes shut and straining so hard that she threatened a headache, nothing happened.

"What did you do to me?!" Twilight demanded before suddenly widening her eyes. She had experienced something like this only once before, and that was when she was wearing hoof cuffs with magic suppressing runes carved into them.

"Relax. All I did was make sure you stay nice and agreeable." Dusk explained, letting the stream of blood return to his wrist. "After all… we wouldn't want you getting any ideas about escaping again, now would we?" He smirked.

Twilight’s eyes flashed with fear as she realized just how bad her situation was. There wasn’t anything she could do now, even if she wanted to risk fighting back.

Still, she managed to force a bolder expression to her face as she stared at the pale alicorn. "You'll be running scared when Princess Celestia finds us."

Hearing this, Dusk's smugly amused smile grew for an instant before he forced himself to contain his emotions. "And why exactly would I do that?"

"Because unlike you, she earned her title of Princess," Twilight said, hiding a smirk as she saw the stallion’s expression flatten.

Dusk growled silently and shot the unicorn a slight glare. All at once, two streams of blood shot out of his wrists and whipped up to her.

Twilight flinched as one of the streams wrapped around her eyes like a cold and wet bandanna. She started to cry out when the sound was stifled as the second crimson rope wrapped around her mouth.

"Don’t you dare speak to me like that. You might be Celestia’s student, but you are not our equal." Dusk stated with a low and spiteful tone. He then turned to his underlings, who all flinched back as they saw him agitated for perhaps the first time. "Grab her and get moving. I want to be home as soon as possible so we can get started."

"But… my Prince, if I may," One of the pale ponies, a pegasus mare, spoke timidly, "many of us are starting to get weak. I do not question your will, but you did order us not to kill many ponies back in Canterlot. I for one haven't eaten all day." She explained, tensing up in preparation for whatever punishment she was about to receive for speaking out of turn.

Dusk eyed around at his motley crew of servants pensively. He contemplated something for a moment before sighing. "Did you really think so little of me that I wouldn’t provide for you?"

Hearing this, the pegasus mare widened her eyes. "No, n-no, of course not, my Prince! I-I didn't mean to-"

"Do not be afraid, my child. You are greater than what you once were… As long as you are loyal to me, you need not fear anything ever again." Dusk said, the refined and gentle tone of his voice easing the tension the pegasus felt. "Now… as for getting some sustenance, I have already brought us to a suitable feeding ground." He gestured toward the town up ahead.

The pegasus mare and the other pale ponies looked at the sleepy town and smiled eagerly. Meanwhile, Twilight and the others could only listen or watch in silent horror as their captors prepared to harm more innocent ponies.

Chapter 16: Following the Trail

A few hours went by as Shining Armor and the rest of his rescue party soared over the peaceful meadows, forests, and fields of Equestria below.

By now, most everyone felt some level of anxiety and unease as they thought about their missing friends and family. If they were being honest with themselves, they didn't even know if Twilight and the others were still alive. They knew almost nothing about the strange alicorn that apparently headed the pack of vampiric ponies, let alone his intentions.

Still, no matter what, they were going to find their friends. They only prayed that they would find them alive and unharmed.

Finally, the carriages started to descend to the ground. Shining Armor poked his head out of the nearby window and looked to the team of pegasi guards, only to pause as he saw that they had apparently arrived at their destination.

A small village sat in a clearing before a thick blanket of woods, seemingly encircled by it. The town was still and dark, with only a few lights in windows and plumes of smoke rising into the night to indicate that anyone was even awake.

Hmm… so this is Coltridge? Shining thought to himself before pulling back inside and turning to his companions. "We're here." He reported.

Hearing this, Glimmer Shine put a hoof to his ear and glanced to the side as a blue magical aura appeared. "Look alive, Sparkplug. We're coming up on Coltridge now."

"Got it." Sparkplug replied after a moment. "What’s the plan?"

Hearing this, the yellow stallion and everyone else, save for Shining Armor, turned to look at Tom. Eventually, perhaps feeling left out, even Shining turned to see what everyone was doing.

“Any sign of them?” Glimmer asked, hopeful that the human’s senses could shed some light on the sleepy town.

Tom hid a tense look before sighing internally and exhaling externally. The usual puff of blue mist and unnatural hiss came out, but unbeknownst to the ponies, the usual wave of energy signatures he should have been feeling was muted and distant.

“I’m not getting much other than trace amounts of their presence. I can tell that they’ve at least been here, but I can’t say when or if they still are. Sorry…” He trailed his eyes down regretfully.

“Are you sure you’re ok, Tom?” Sunspot asked. “Usually you can tell a lot more than that.”

The human looked over to see the pegasus shooting him a concerned frown, which only served to make him feel worse. He subconsciously tugged at his shirt sleeve as he tried to think of an explanation, but before he could, Glitterball beat him to it.

“I’m sure he’s just stressed out over Twilight and the others.” The unicorn said. “His powers are based on his willpower, right?” She asked to double-check, receiving a hesitant nod in response. “Well… that’s probably why his senses are so out of whack right now.”

Tom relaxed a bit. Glitter was partially right. Whatever was causing his powers to weaken, the situation with Twilight and the others wasn't making matters any easier.

Glimmer Shine sighed to himself while pulling up his detector vial. The liquid inside was faintly glowing yellow, offering knowledge that there was some paranormal presence, but not enough of a reading to indicate direction or power.

“At any rate, the vials aren’t picking up much either, not that they would at this distance. Just keep your eyes peeled.” He explained before putting a hoof to his ear again. “We’re going to have a look around town, maybe ask some of the locals if they’ve seen anything. You and Sunspot should stay here to keep an eye on things.”

“Got it.” Sparkplug replied agreeably.

One look at Sunspot told that she wasn't too keen on staying put, but she seemed to be willing to follow orders. “You guys better watch yourselves.” She cautioned.

“You’ll be the first to hear if we find anything.” Glimmer Shine said with a knowing smirk.

Soon enough, the carriages finished their descent. The four teams of guards met ground with a brief rumble and shake before slowing to a canter, and then a halt in the center of town.

Shining Armor and Tom stepped out of one side of their carriage, while Glitterball and Glimmer Shine stepped out the other. They all took a brief look around them at the seemingly empty streets. The whole area was devoid of life, and they could only spot a few buildings that even had lights on.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash poked her head out of the window and looked over to the other group curiously as they surveyed the area. “Where are they?” She asked anxiously.

Glimmer Shine looked over to see the cyan mare and many of her friends looking out of the carriage, eager to learn what was going on. “Our readings aren’t telling us much. We’re going to have a look around and see what we can find. You guys stay here.” He said, hoping that the five mares would heed his instructions.

“What do you mean? Are they not here or somethin’?” Applejack chimed in uneasily.

“We’re going to find out. Just bear with us, ok?” Glimmer Shine pleaded sincerely. After a moment of sharing unsure glances with each other, the two mares seemed to concede.

“Please hurry… the longer they’re out there, the more chances they have to-” Rainbow Dash trailed off as she looked to Applejack and Rarity sympathetically. “Just don’t take long…”

“We won’t.” Glimmer nodded understandingly before turning to his companions. “So… we want to split up to make this go faster?” He suggested.

“Sounds good. How about me and Tom take that block of houses down there?” Shining Armor suggested, pointing to some distant homes that were dark as the landscape around them.

“Alright. Glitter and I will take that lodge.” Glimmer said, pointing to a larger building in the other direction.

As the two pairs broke off and went on their own paths, Sparkplug and Sunspot watched them leave. Although they were confident that their friends could take care of themselves, they were still uneasy as they scanned around the quiet streets.

A short walk later, Glimmer Shine and Glitterball could barely even see the carriages behind them. The faint mist rolling in from the forest in the distance wasn't helping their visibility either. Many dark shapes loomed around them from behind houses, street lamps, and distant paths, setting the two ponies on edge ever so slightly.

Glitterball kept her detection vial held in front of her as she walked. Still, no matter how often she checked it, it didn’t change from the faint glow from before.

Finally, the pair came up to the lodge. The two-storey building was mostly made of stone and wood, unlike the stores and houses around it that incorporated hay into their design. A rustic sign out front had the words 'Whistling Pines Lodge' on it, with a lantern posted on it that seemed to be the only source of light in the vicinity.

"Looks like nopony's home." Glitter said.

Glimmer Shine stared at the dark building a while longer, narrowing his eyes as he did. "I don’t like how quiet it is."

"I don’t either… but we aren't going to find out anything if we don't poke around." Glitterball reasoned.

The yellow stallion sighed uncomfortably before looking ahead and moving forward at a cautious pace. Glitter followed close behind, keeping one eye on their surroundings and the other on her detection charm.

As they approached the front entrance, they could see that their initial assessment of the building not having any lights on was correct. Even through the leaf-shaped holes in the front doors, nothing but darkness could be seen.

Glimmer Shine reached for the door, half expecting it to be locked before it pulled open with an abrupt creak. He shared an uneasy glance with his unicorn partner before flicking on the flashlight on his vest and moving inside.

With a brief click behind him, Glitterball turned on her own flashlight and broke off from the stallion to scan the other side of the open lobby they found themselves in.

"Hello?" Glimmer Shine called out as he entered what looked to be a sitting area. "Anypony there?"

Nothing but grating silence responded.

Turning around briefly, he looked over to see Glitterball standing on the first few steps of a curved staircase. The white mare scanned the hallway above for a moment before looking back to the stallion and shrugging.

Before either of them could say anything, a sudden rattle to the side made them tense up. They both darted their lights toward the noise, only to find the front desk softly illuminated in their beams.

Although the noise didn’t happen again, it didn’t sound like it came from behind the desk. Instead, it sounded like it came from a closed door.

Looking down to her detection charm, Glitterball was a bit surprised to see that it still hadn’t changed. She pointed to it, looking to Glimmer Shine and silently communicating her findings.

Glimmer seemed equally surprised and more than a bit relieved. Still, even if it wasn't anything supernatural, it paid to be cautious.

Slowly making their way around the front desk, the pair gathered before the door. While Glitterball grabbed her strobe and readied it, Glimmer Shine lifted a hoof up and knocked.

“Hello?” He called softly.

Nothing happened for a solid few seconds.

The stallion glanced to his companion, who was looking back at him with an uncertain expression. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed the handle and turned it.

The door opened with little issue, revealing another dark room.

Before either of them could get a good look at what was in the room, however, Glimmer Shine had something jammed into his face, sending him to the floor.

Standing before them was a gray unicorn mare with curly red hair, a broom held in hoof, and a severely agitated expression on her face that quickly shifted to confusion and then shock.

“Oh my gosh… you’re not one of them?” She asked, a slight Trottish flair to her warm-sounding voice.

Glimmer Shine rubbed his now tender nose. “Ngh… Could you have asked that before?”

“I am so sorry.” The mare softened her expression as she helped Glitterball with getting the stallion to his own four hooves again.

“By one of them, do you mean a group of pale ponies with red eyes and sharp teeth?” Glitterball asked.

“Yeah… yeah, that’s them!” The mare replied before darting her eyes to the entrance. “Are they still out there?”

“We don’t think so.” Glimmer Shine said, though his answer didn’t seem to put the unicorn at ease. “Do you know where those things came from?” He asked, unable to hide a bit of hopeful optimism.

Hearing this, the mare softened her expression and sighed. She turned to the side, drawing attention to her cutie mark, which consisted of a smoking chimney, before speaking. “I run this place. Couple’a days ago, these wee kids come through lookin’ to head up to Castle Bloodwing.”

“Castle Bloodwing?” Glitterball asked, skewing a brow.

“Aye… It’s some castle out in the woods. Prolly been there since Princess Luna was in diapers.” The mare explained, a corner of her mouth curling fondly at the thought of an adorable little moon filly.

“Anyway, these kids hired some locals to guide them there and back again. They were only supposed to be up there a day or two, but they never came back. Then, next thing I know, these pale blighters come howlin’ into town and snatchin’ up any poor soul on the street! I hid in here as soon as I could. I heard them moving past… I think they were headed back toward the woods.”

Glimmer Shine shared an uneasy look with his companion. “So, we’re thinking they came from that castle?”

“Sounds like it.” Glitterball nodded to herself before looking back to the mare. “Could you tell us a little more about this castle?”

The gray unicorn puffed some air out and wearily leaned onto her broom like a makeshift walking stick, despite being a touch too young to be needing one. “That’s a bit of a tall order, dear. Lots of ghost stories been spun about that place over the years… Although, I suppose you lot hear a bunch of ghost stories in your line of work.” She chuckled a bit.

Glitter and Glimmer merely blinked and glanced at each other before silently watching the mare, eliciting her to awkwardly peter out.

“Right… So anyway, it all started with this griffon-”
.
..
…
Back outside, Tom and Shining Armor continued walking the lonely streets in search of any survivors.

The town around them was quiet. Normally, on any given night in a well-populated area, even a small town like this, there were certain subtle noises throughout even the darkest nights.

However, this town was silent as the grave. There were no buzzing street lamps, and the few lanterns around were mostly unlit. The wind had died down, leaving the buildings to just sit there in silence with no creaks or groans. The trees dotted around and the forest in the distance were still, with no air rustling their thinning branches and no animals chirping in the night. Even the crickets were absent.

Shining Armor kept a close watch on their surroundings as they walked. His movements were smooth and confident enough, but his eyes held a sense of unease to them as they frequently shifted along each alleyway and around every corner.

The sound of his clopping hooves and the boy’s footsteps were almost all-encompassing. His ears twitched and scanned for any undue noise, but he was afraid that he might miss it. It was bizarre to feel so utterly alone and still feel like he was being watched.

“Is this how your nights usually go?” Shining asked quietly, hoping for some break in the tension. “I mean… minus the kidnapping vampires.”

Tom glanced over to the stallion, who was now frowning a bit. While the question was innocent enough, bringing up the pale ponies seemed to bring up some other thoughts as well, namely about the purple mare and young dragon.

“Not quite… Usually, I’m out in the wilderness. I haven’t done much hunting around towns since I’ve come to Equestria. I guess even the nastier monsters tend to stay away from civilization.” He explained.

“You know, this reminds me… Back when I got out of the academy, I would go on late-night patrols around Canterlot. Twilight was still studying with the Princess,” Shining smiled fondly. “Some nights, she would stay up late studying or reading…”

Tom gave an amused snort. “So she’s always done that?”

“Pretty much.” Shining nodded. “And when she did, she would leave a candle burning in her window. I would drop by the palace on my break, and if I saw that candle, I would come up and visit her for a minute before tucking her in.”

Hearing an abrupt silence come over his companion, Tom looked over and frowned at what he saw. Shining was staring at the ground, lost to his thoughts. His mouth twitched and wrinkled subtly, and his eyes threatened to waver.

“I’ve let her down before,” Shining said, thinking back to the events of his wedding. “I… I can’t let her down like that again.”

“We’ll get them back… I promise.” Tom said.

Shining’s sullen expression lingered for a moment before he forced his unruly frown into a straight line. “I know we will.”

Just then, a noise came from up ahead, grabbing their attention.

They were before what looked to be a general store and a library, with an alley stretching between them obscured by shrubbery and shadow. The noise sounded like foliage being shifted, so there was no doubt in their minds that this was the source.

Not one to take a potential threat lightly, Shining got light on his hooves and shifted the energies in his horn toward a new spell. A cobalt glow just started to nudge the handle of his dagger as he turned to his human companion. He eyed to the alley, posing the boy a silent question.

Catching his drift, Tom put a hand over his mouth to conceal the sound and used his senses. A faint hiss and trails of luminescent blue mist escaped the edges of his palm.

Strangely, he felt nothing changed from earlier. There were still faint traces of vampires all around, but nothing concrete. At this distance, he was sure that even his waning powers could tell if the source of the noise was supernatural or not.

“Vampire?” Shining whispered.

Tom merely shook his head. After a shared look of curiosity, both of them eased up and slowly approached.

The rustling happened again as the light from Shining’s horn fell over the mouth of the alley. The two of them paused before the bushes, which were now emitting a slight nervous whine. Deciding to make the first move, Shining grabbed the edges of the foliage with his magic and pulled them back.

All at once, a startled yelp greeted them as an equine shape fell backward to the ground.

“Please, don’t hurt me!” A softly masculine voice begged. It was a relatively young-looking pegasus stallion with gray fur, messy yellow hair, and a baseball mitt for a cutie mark.

After a moment went by without him being assaulted, the pegasus squinted an eye open and gradually lowered his hoof as he recognized who he was looking at.

“Prince Shining Armor…?” He blinked in surprise before shifting to the human with a bit of a pensive look of confusion. “And… Tim?”

“Tom.” The boy corrected, stretching out his hand to help the pony up.

The young stallion smiled nervously as he got back to all fours. “Right… sorry.”

“What happened here?” Shining Armor asked, stealing a glance around at the empty streets and lightless buildings.

“I’m n-not sure.” The stallion murmured, darting his eyes around the area behind the two to make sure it was safe. “I was just heading home when I heard some shouting down the street. There were ponies running away from something. I thought it was a wolf or some other animal, but… t-then I saw some ponies with red eyes attacking people.”

“Did you see anything else? Like three fillies, or a baby dragon, o-or a purple unicorn mare?” Shining prodded, somewhat desperately.

The young pony merely shook his head. “No… I’m sorry. I’ve been hiding ever since they showed up, so I haven’t seen much. I’ve heard some of them passing by, but none of them sounded like kids.”

This news wasn't exactly surprising, but it disheartened the pair all the same.

“Have you found anyone else?” The pegasus asked. “I think a lot of people hid in their homes… but I know some ponies got caught outside.”

Tom adopted a grim expression. “I’m sorry to say, but I think these things came here to feed. If they caught anyone, there’s a good chance that they… didn’t make it.”

“Oh… o-oh gosh…” The young pony’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.” Shining assured. “Once we get done with our search, we’ll send word to get some guards up here to help keep it that way.”

The pegasus seemed to still be unnerved, but he started to relax as the pair looked to him with a certain confident determination. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear as he thought about the very real possibility that some of the red-eyed ponies stayed behind.

For all he knew, they could have been watching them right now.

While the others were occupied in their search, Sunspot did her best to keep her exhaustion at bay as she quietly kept watch by the carriages. The teams of guards at the front of each were also keeping a diligent vigil until they were needed again, but the pegasus figured that it couldn’t hurt to have an extra pair of eyes.

She tapped the side of her carriage rhythmically with her hoof as she leaned against it. The tempo gradually increased the more she let stressful thoughts into her head until she finally sighed and crossed her forelegs.

Inside of the carriage, Sparkplug was sitting alongside the five element bearers. Somehow, however, getting left out of the immediate action was not helping to relax her troubled mind.

The gray mare idly twirled her detection vial back and forth on its pull cord while Pinkie and a few of the others held a conversation. Occasionally, she would take a paranoid glance to it, only to find the result unchanged since the last time. She couldn’t sit still either, constantly shifting in her seat, flicking her tail, or crossing and uncrossing her legs.

Noticing the vested pony acting a bit antsy, perhaps because she was trying to focus on anything but her thoughts, Fluttershy looked up. “Are you ok, Sparkplug?”

Sparkplug let out a stressed breath as she noticed the attention in the carriage shifting to her. “Y-yeah… I’m just a little nervous. This is kind of… my first time handling something this serious.” She blushed a bit and rubbed her mane awkwardly to try and hide it.

“You should’a been here back when the hooded ponies attacked. If you think some blood-sucking ponies are scary, you would be white as a sheet at some of the stuff we went through.” Applejack offered a dry chuckle.

“Yeah. I still get the willies whenever I take a swim now.” Pinkie added with a bit of a shudder.

The orange mare’s words didn’t seem to have the desired effect on Sparkplug, but she forced a half-hearted smile anyway. “Heh… with all the stuff you’ve faced, you’re more of a member of Spirit than I am.”

Rarity waved an airy hoof. “Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Yeah. You were really brave back at Fun Land.” Fluttershy added. “And you’ve held your own since you’ve joined the team.”

“Not like it matters...” Sparkplug muttered to herself, though some of the others caught it.

Pinkie frowned a bit as she saw how disheartened the gray mare looked. “What?”

Looking up and realizing she had been heard, Sparkplug darted her gaze to the side and held herself. She wrinkled her mouth as she started and stopped trying to say something several times over before finally flattening her ears.

“Forget I said anything.” She returned to staring out of the window and fiddling her hooves together, though now it was much more diminished.

After a few moments of sharing concerned looks with her friends, Rarity reached over and rested a hoof on Sparkplug’s foreleg, causing her to look up. “Darling… what happened to Sweetie Belle and the others wasn't your fault.”

Hearing this coming from the unicorn of all people, Sparkplug paused and stared, a bit at a loss for words. She looked over to Applejack and Pinkie. The pink mare was offering a sympathetic frown, and while the farm pony was still feeling hurt and anger over losing her sister, even she seemed to agree with her unicorn friend.

“I…” Sparkplug started, her mind still going over so many different scenarios like she was trying to find the one broken cog that could fix the whole machine. “I should have…”

“You shouldn’t have done anythin’ different,” Applejack added. Her words were kind enough, but she sounded a bit aloof. “We all got our hides tanned back there… no sense in hoggin’ all the blame yourself, sugarcube.”

Sparkplug felt a wave of regretful sadness washing over her as she looked between the two mares most affected by the three fillies being taken, so much so that her eyes welled up and her lips trembled.

Finally, she sniffed and wiped her eyes while getting up. Rarity and the others softened their expressions as they watched her open the carriage door.

“Sparkplug…” Fluttershy frowned and started to reach out to the vested pony, but she seemed unreceptive of being touched or even looked at.

“Sorry… I-I just need some air.” Sparkplug said, hiding another sniff as she exited the carriage.

The closing of the door behind her punctuated her landing onto the dirt road below.

Almost immediately, she became aware of a set of curious eyes on her. She glanced over to see Sunspot still leaning against the carriage before shifting her gaze so her tears wouldn’t be seen.

“Sparkplug?” Sunspot asked, shifting to all fours and inching toward her newest friend. “You ok?”

Sparkplug took a moment to center herself. She rubbed her eyes and reversed her downcast expression as best she could before turning to the pegasus briefly. “Yeah. I’m… I’m good. Just needed to stretch my legs.”

Sunspot narrowed a brow suspiciously. She didn’t buy that for one minute, but the gray mare clearly didn’t want to share how she felt. Either way, some space to clear her head would probably do Sparkplug some good.

“Just don’t go out of sight.” The pegasus explained, a soft look on her face.

Sparkplug smiled a bit and nodded. “Right.” She said, bracing herself against the cold night air as she turned and walked down the street a short way.

Sunspot watched her teammate for a bit before settling back in, this time sitting beside the carriage. She made sure to keep her head on a swivel, not just watching Sparkplug, but the entire area around them for any signs of undue movement.
.
..
…
Meanwhile, Glitterball and Glimmer Shine were still in the Whistling Pines lodge listening to the sordid and morbid past of the castle they were most likely about to go visit.

The unicorn was mostly listening with a mixture of veiled intrigue and subsequent unease as the red-haired mare recounted her knowledge to them.

Glimmer Shine was absorbing what she was saying as well, but his focus was more on his surroundings than the story being told. He would look up every so often and scan the lobby, darting his eyes along the curving staircase and open hallway to make sure no out-of-place shadows had sat down to hear this tale with them.

“And after he died, the griffons left the land to us. The few ponies stubborn enough to make the trip up there came back with all manner of ghost stories and talk of black magic and torture devices, so folks ‘round here started to call it Castle Bloodwing.” The mare finished, a bit surprised to look up and see that the pair were mostly still paying attention.

“I see.” Glitterball formed a stiff smile after hearing so many skin-crawling events. Most of it was rumor and myth, but being a monster hunter had given her a new perspective on myths. “And do you believe these stories about black magic?”

“Well, I didn’t used to,” The mare said plainly, “But when a gaggle of red-eyed monsters comes through and starts pluckin’ folks off the streets, I’m inclined to believe a lot of things.”

Glimmer Shine scratched his chin briefly as he went over the information he just received in his head. “You did say that people thought that Skala Herz guy drank the blood of his enemies.”

“Aye, but that’s just supposed to be a story! Hay, some folks believed that all griffons drink blood and eat ponies. Some folks still do.” The mare reasoned.

“Story or not, it might be our best bet of explaining where these vampires came from,” Glitterball added, finishing her companion’s previous thought.

Just then, both ponies heard and felt a vibration against their vests. They both pulled up their detector vials, which were glowing throughout and pulsing brightly, indicating a close reading.

The red-haired mare narrowed a brow curiously at the strange vial. “What’s that?” She asked, though the serious air about the vested ponies didn’t exactly comfort her.

Glitterball stood up and lit her horn. She lifted her silver dagger out of its sheath and floated it beside her as she hastily shifted her eyes around the area. “Um… that, is what we in the business refer to as not good.”

“Are those things coming back?” The mare asked, voice diminished with fear as she shrank back toward the supply closet she was hiding in. She appreciated having the two monster hunters there to protect her, but there were only three of them. Two and a half, really, with her lack of fight experience, broom notwithstanding.

“Stay close to us.” Glimmer Shine said, pulling out his crossbow and unfolding it before turning to Glitter. “Call the others. Let them know we have company.”

The unicorn immediately put a hoof to her ear. However, just as the colorful aura enveloped the tip of her hoof, another sudden noise made her stop.

Both she and Glimmer Shine darted their flashlights forward to the front door as a wooden creak came. The door was slightly ajar, but otherwise, nothing was there.

A slight scuff off to the side pricked their ears, and again both of them pointed their lights and weapons ahead. Once again, nothing but the empty lobby seemed to be around them.

“Who’s there?!” Glimmer Shine demanded, backing closer together with his companion and the mare behind them while shifting his outstretched crossbow around the area. “Show yourself!”

The red-haired mare flitted her eyes around the room and grabbed her broom. She clutched the meager weapon tightly as she slowly backed further into the supply closet behind her.

What sounded like hurried hoof beats came from the dark. Glitter and Glimmer’s lights danced around the room trying to keep up. Left, right, above them, around the corner. They were always too slow, but once or twice they nearly caught a glimpse of movement at the edge of their beams.

And then… silence.

Nothing but cold, empty silence.

The only sound to be heard was the scuffs and clinks of their gear shifting on their vests as they darted to and fro, and the slight vibration of their detection vials still pulsing in warning.

Glitterball started to lift her hoof to her ear again. If they had numbers on their side, they could stand to fight whatever number of foes was toying with them.

However, before she could even make contact, a deep growl filled the air. And as all three of them looked up, the red eyes staring at them from the wooden beams of the ceiling were illuminated, revealing a pale shape that immediately pounced down at them with fangs bared.

“AH!” Glitter yelped at the sudden movement. She moved her dagger up, but the pale pony was on top of her before she could even react further, sending her crashing to the floor.

Glimmer gasped, “Glitter!” He raced forward to assist his friend when he suddenly found himself getting smacked in the face by a swinging hoof.

The blow made him reel back and bump into the wall with a pained cringe. He looked up, only to see a red-eyed mare grinning at him from over the front desk.

In the instant of recognition he had, Glimmer tensed up and leveled his crossbow at her right around the time she leaped over the desk toward him with a hungry snarl.
.
..
…
Sparkplug sighed as she stood in the middle of the street, staring off into the distant plains outside of town. She was so far away from her home, yet somehow she felt like she hadn’t gotten anywhere.

Glancing down to the patch sewn onto the shoulder of her vest, she stared at the logo for a moment in thought. The winged crescent moon was meant to symbolize that even the darkest night was under their watch, under Luna’s watch, and the three stars beneath it were there to pay tribute to the three founding members of Spirit that lost their lives before she even joined.

The uniform made her look so professional, but what did it matter when the pony underneath was anything but?

Hearing the crunching of frost behind her, Sparkplug looked back to see a yellow pegasus and white unicorn walking toward her.

The pair were a bit jittery from the cold, but they seemed to pay no mind to this as they approached wearing soft expressions.

“Fluttershy? Rarity?” Sparkplug blinked. “What are you two doing? You should be in the carriage where it’s warm.”

“I would hardly call it warm in there.” Rarity smiled before easing her expression. “Besides… we were worried about you.”

“Worried?” Sparkplug offered a dry chuckle and a wiry smile. “Why would you be worried? I told you before, I’m fine. You should head back… I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Fluttershy frowned, “Sparkplug… I might not have been there with you, but I know you did your best.”

Hearing this, the gray mare’s ears drooped along with her eyes. She shifted her body away from the pair and rested a hoof on her foreleg. “That’s the problem. I did do my best against those vamps, but it didn’t matter. I’m a member of Spirit… I’m supposed to be able to protect people, but I couldn’t even protect some kids.”

Rarity walked over and sat down in front of Sparkplug, causing her to eye upwards sheepishly. “You’re not a superhero, darling… and neither are Sunspot and the others… neither are we. All we can do is our best. That’s all anyone could ever ask.”

“And what about when our best isn’t enough?” Sparkplug asked.

The unicorn paused at this. She softened her eyes as thoughts of her sister drifted into her head. “Then we keep trying. If we gave up when it seemed like we lost, we would never have beaten Nightmare Moon… let alone the hooded ponies.” She said, glancing to Fluttershy for confirmation.

Sparkplug looked at the two mares, a bit surprised to see how understanding they were. She should have been the one comforting them and telling them it would be ok. Still, as she reflected on the unicorn’s words, she felt a sense of determination welling up inside her. Sitting around and moping wasn't going to bring Twilight and the others back.

Fluttershy and Rarity looked up as Sparkplug stood on all fours again and held her head high. She had a certain intensity to her eyes that seemed the polar opposite of the shimmering regret they displayed before.

“I promise that I won’t let you down. We’ll get them back… all of them.” She said.

“That’s putting the spirit in Spirit.” Fluttershy smiled. Her smile faded slightly, however, as a hint of light caught her eye. A vial on Sparkplug’s vest was glowing yellow and vibrating softly. Her expression fell even further and a hint of fear worked its way over her as she realized which vial it was.

“Umm, Sparkplug…”

The gray mare looked down as Fluttershy pointed out the buzzing charm. She took it in her hoof and held it up, a feeling of unease working its way over her as she stared at it. “Uh oh…”

“Is that what I think it is?” Rarity asked hesitantly.

Before Sparkplug could even answer, a noise from off to the side made the three mares turn. All they could see was a pale green blur of motion and flapping wings in the shape of a pony heading straight toward them.

Then, the blur crashed into Fluttershy, sending the pegasus off her hooves and bouncing along the ground a few feet. By the time she came to a rough stop and looked up, she was met by a snarling face, with fangs dripping eager saliva and glowing red eyes piercing into her.

“AHHHH!!”

Sparkplug and Rarity felt their hearts seize as they heard their friend screaming bloody murder with a pale figure on top of her.

“Fluttershy!” Sparkplug raced for her silver dagger, and Rarity rushed forward without so much as a weapon.

However, neither of them got very far before another distinct growl drew their eyes upwards, where multiple sets of red eyes were staring down at them from the roof of the nearby house.

Back by the carriages, Sunspot’s ears shot up at the sounds of vicious snarls and familiar yells of terror. She darted her head toward her friends, only to widen her eyes at what she found. Multiple pale figures were jumping down and attacking the three mares, with Sparkplug and Fluttershy already struggling on the ground, and Rarity being pushed up against a building.

"Holy hay!" Sunspot exclaimed, startling to her hooves and grabbing her knife off of her suit. As she was starting to rush off, she paused and turned to knock on the carriage. "Girls, we're being ambushed!"

A moment later, Applejack and the others started poking their heads out at the commotion.

"What in tarnati-" Applejack muttered before widening her eyes as she looked ahead. Without another word, she started fumbling for the carriage door.

"Sweet Celestia!" Rainbow Dash raced to hop out and rush to her friends' aid, with Pinkie Pie close behind.
.
…
……
A sharp gasp rang out as Tom bent forward, all of the air exiting his lungs alongside a stream of blue mist.

The young pegasus stallion cocked a brow at the odd sight. “Uh… are you ok?”

Meanwhile, Shining Armor knew to be concerned by the sudden occurrence. “What did you feel? Are those pale ponies back?” He asked, darting his gaze around the area and keeping his dagger floating at the ready.

Before Tom could answer, a faint scream carried through the night, coming from behind them. As they all turned to look in that direction, both Shining and the human widened their eyes as they realized that they had left their friends back there.

“Oh no, the girls!” Tom exclaimed, already running forward.

Shining Armor rushed to follow his companion before pausing and turning back toward the confused and mildly concerned pegasus stallion. “Stay hidden! We’ll be right back!” He shouted before sprinting ahead to catch up with Tom.

The pegasus was a bit uneasy as he watched his only protection leaving, but he could tell that they had more urgent matters to attend to. He started to crouch back down behind the bushes around him when he suddenly widened his eyes as he noticed some movement along one of the roofs beside Shining Armor.

“Look out!”

Hearing the stallion shouting behind him, Shining Armor turned just in time to catch a dark silhouette leaping down towards him, a set of fangs bared and a set of red eyes flaring.

With a startled yelp, the unicorn was driven to the ground by a pale earth mare landing on top of him with surprising strength for her size. A short ways ahead, Tom froze in his tracks as he heard his companion cry out, only to spin around to see Shining struggling with a vampiric pony on top of him.

“Crap!” Tom exclaimed before unsheathing his sword and rushing to aid his friend. He made it about three steps before two more pale ponies jumped down in front of him, causing him to back into a defensive stance.

“Well, well, look what we have here.” A cocksure-sounding unicorn stallion said as he and his fellow vampire, a pegasus mare, stalked toward the boy.

“Doesn’t it feel kind of wrong to kill the only human in Equestria?” The mare asked, though by the tone of her voice, she didn’t sound too off-put by the idea.

The unicorn chuckled, “We can have him stuffed and put in a museum later.”

“Ok, first of all, eww. Second of all, get off him!” Tom leveled his hand in front of him and let loose as much of a burst of light as he could. It only amounted to a solid second or two of exposure, but it was enough to make all three vampires yelp and flinch.

As the light faded, the pale ponies didn’t seem too flustered. Their fur and skin were reddening, and a few tiny dots of orange cinders quickly dimmed where the burns were most severe, but otherwise, they hadn’t even moved.

However, while the mare on top of him was lifting a hoof to her face, Shining Armor lit his horn and grabbed his fallen dagger off to the side. He zipped it up and plunged it into the pale mare’s ribs, causing a pained outcry as she arched her head back and swiftly dissolved into ash and ember.

The two remaining vampires glanced back to see Shining Armor quickly getting to his hooves and facing them. One of them kept facing the unicorn, while the other turned and squared off against Tom.

“Ok… on second thought, let’s skip the stuffing thing and just rip him to pieces.” The mare said, growling and letting her eyes glow fiercer.

Then, they all lunged headfirst into battle.
.
..
…
“Gah!”

Glitterball yelped as she was tossed into a wall, knocking a painting down on top of her that only added to the rough and painful landing. She ignored her aching back and throbbing head to look up, only to find the same pale stallion she had been fighting with heading straight for her.

The unicorn dodged to the side as an angry yell preluded a hoof being sent through the wall where her head just was. The seemingly effortless hole that was created made her cringe and squeak nervously.

She raced to bring up her silver knife and stabbed it forward, only for the earth stallion to grab her foreleg and wrench it to the side. Her nervous unease grew into outright terror as she was pushed backward into another wall.

“Uh… Glimmer?!” She called, turning her head to the side and flinching as a pair of hissing fangs grew closer and closer despite her attempts at resisting. “A little help would be appreciated!”

The yellow stallion’s response came in the form of a fearful yell and a loud thump on the other side of the darkened lobby as Glimmer Shine was tossed through the air by a vampiric earth mare.

He landed on his back and slid slightly before coming to a stop and panting, exhaustion plain on his face as he stared at the ceiling. “Don’t worry… I’ll be right th-AHHH!”

He squealed in terror and rolled to the side as a visage of glowing eyes and bared fangs leaped at him, managing to get out of the way just in time before the pale pony landed right where he was.

As his back hit the front desk, bringing him to a stop, Glimmer fumbled his hooves to his vest to find a weapon. His knife had been knocked away near the start of the fight, but he had a spare somewhere.

Unfortunately, just as he found the right holster and started to undo the clasp, a pale hoof jammed into his throat and picked him up before slamming him back against the desk in a chokehold.

The pale mare snarled, saliva dripping from her mouth as she forcibly exposed Glimmer’s neck. “What’s the matter? Don’t stop… I like it when my dinner squirms.” She said, smiling cruelly before biting down.

However, just before she could close her mouth around the stallion’s neck, the pale mare suddenly felt something blunt striking her in the back of the head so hard that she lost balance and flopped to the ground.

“Sorry, love. No food and drink in the lobby.” The gray and red unicorn mare commented, grabbing her broom out of her own corona and staring down at the monstrous pony with a sense of determination accompanying the fear in her eyes.

The vampire mare grunted and rolled over, clutching a hoof to the back of her head. The blow stunned her more than anything, but now she was angry. “You hoof-headed bitch! I’ll kill you!” She growled and started to lift up from the floor when a burning pain pierced down into her stomach.

Glimmer Shine and the unicorn watched as the pale mare erupted into flaming ashes, collapsing and leaving behind a knife clutched in the stallion’s outstretched hoof. The sight and sound of her dying scream were disquieting, to say the least, but right now they couldn’t focus on that.

With his friend’s panicked yelps drawing his attention back to the struggle taking place on the other side of the room, Glimmer Shine raced to his hooves and looked around for his lost crossbow. He found it on the desk nearby where it had apparently fallen, snatching it up before taking aim.

After a moment to steady himself, he fired off a bolt straight and true, hitting the vampiric stallion attacking Glitterball right in the ribs. The stallion immediately yelled and clutched a hoof to his already disintegrating side before succumbing to the spreading embers and collapsing into dust.

Glimmer Shine sat leaned up against the front desk, empty crossbow still outstretched in one hoof as he panted and struggled to catch his breath. He watched as Glitterball slid to the floor, sitting and recuperating in a similar state of exhaustion.

“You ok, Glitter?” Glimmer asked, to which the unicorn raised a hoof and nodded without speaking, choosing to conserve her spent energy.

The stallion then turned to the gray and red mare beside him that had come to his rescue. He had assumed that she was still cowering as far away from the battle as she could, not that he would have blamed her. However, she apparently found the courage to aid the pair.

“Thanks for the save.” Glimmer said.

The mare smiled and waved a hoof sheepishly. “Oh, don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do to make up for knocking you on your tail before.”

“You are pretty handy with that broom, I’ve got to admit.” Glimmer added. Then, his expression tensed with unease as he looked toward the entrance out into the moonlit streets. “Listen, we have to go check on our friends. If you stay here and keep yourself hidden, you should be safe until we can send for help.”

“You’re not going after those things are you?” The mare asked, a bit of a concerned frown on her face as she watched the pair gathering themselves and their equipment.

Glitterball flashed a reassuring smile. “It’s part of the job. Besides that, they took some friends of ours with them.”

“Well… just be careful, alright? I don’t want to see any bad news about you in the papers tomorrow.” The mare said. As she started to shelter herself in the backroom once more and they started to leave, the pair shared a wave with the unicorn before exiting the lodge.

Almost immediately after they left the building, Glitterball lifted a hoof to her ear and focused on her pegasus friend as they trotted. “Sunspot, keep your eyes open. We’ve just had a run-in with some vampires, and we think there might be more.” She explained. Then, she started to shift her focus to Tom so she could ask him to use his senses, when she lifted a brow as she didn’t receive the expected response from the pegasus.

“Uh… Sunspot? You there?” Glitter asked, a bit of concern welling up in her voice. Nothing but silence greeted her.

“That can’t be good.” Glimmer Shine noted.

Before either of them could further decide a plan of action, they came to an abrupt stop at the sound of high-pitched squeals and yells coming from up ahead. They rushed to round the corner, only to find absolute chaos waiting for them further down the street.

A small crowd of pale ponies were fighting with Sunspot and the others. It was hard to see from this distance, but they could tell that some of their friends were on the ground or against a wall, struggling for their life against one of the creatures. Some of the pegasus guards from the carriages seemed to have unhooked themselves from their harnesses and rushed in to help the seven mares, but there was only so much they could do.

“Ok, that’s definitely not good!” Glitterball stated in a mild panic. Both she and Glimmer grabbed their weapon of choice off their vests before rushing forward.

In the midst of the battle taking place, Applejack grunted as she was sent to the ground, a vampiric mare on top of her pressing hooves into her chest.

She tried to reach for her nearby silver dagger, but this attempt was quickly met by a hoof stomping down on her shoulder, pinning her foreleg down and eliciting a painful cringe. “Get off me!” She yelled, only to flinch back as a snarling visage of red eyes and sharp teeth glared down at her.

Then, just as she thought she was about to become an entrée, two colorful orbs of light smacked into the pale mare’s side, causing her to yelp and lessen the pressure on Applejack. Not one to waste such an opportunity, the farmer jerked her foreleg out and grabbed her knife before stabbing it up and into soft flesh.

The sensation and sound of the dagger sliding in with ease were more than a touch morbid and disturbing, especially when combined with the death shriek the mare made as she collapsed into ash.

Applejack shielded her face with a hoof from the shower of debris before looking over to find her savior. She found Pinkie Pie a few feet away, strobe in hoof and already contending with her own problems again after breaking away just long enough to help a friend.

The orange mare formed a grateful smile as she got up from the ground. However, her relief and gratitude shifted to alarm and horror as she noticed something elsewhere.

Everyone in the scuffle was in trouble to some degree, but they were mostly holding their own. However, some of their number were less apt at combat than others. Fluttershy in particular seemed to be just struggling to keep herself and her friends alive rather than fighting back to any meaningful degree, a strategy that had landed her in grave danger as a pale stallion caught her and lifted her up toward his mouth on the edge of the fray.

“Fluttershy!” Applejack reached out to the yellow mare, far too late to be able to reach her in time. Rainbow Dash and Sunspot turned from their own struggles to see their friend about to be bitten into, but not even they could do anything fast enough with the pale ponies keeping them occupied.

Just before disaster struck, a few zaps and some more strobe shots came from behind the group. The small volley hit the pale stallion holding the screaming pegasus, causing him enough pain and distress to let her wrench free of his grip and scramble backward.

Fluttershy and those free enough to look turned toward the rest of the street, only to find Glimmer Shine and Glitterball rushing into the fray. The unicorn was holding a strobe, which she was using to keep the pale stallion occupied with her continuous bursts.

“Ow!” The stallion yelped and shielded his face from the many burning orbs exploding into his form. They weren’t doing much damage, but they hurt like the worst sunburn ever, sizzling his fur and skin with each impact. “Why you little-”

Then, a magical burst of energy came from the other direction, hitting the stallion in the back. This one actually pierced his body, creating a sizable hole and knocking him forward onto the ground.

Fluttershy looked up, surprised as she saw two figures fast approaching. It was Tom and Shining Armor. The pair seemed somewhat disheveled and fatigued already, almost like they had been dealing with their own scuffle before arriving.

Off to the side, while the battle was still waging on around her, the pale pegasus mare that initially started the ambush stepped back from the fray and looked around as the tides started shifting out of their favor.

With the group reunited, more and more vampires started falling under their combined efforts. Soon, they were even starting to outnumber the pale ponies.

“Crap…” The pale pegasus muttered to herself before darting her eyes around in search of a solution. There was no way they were winning this now. Then again, maybe they didn’t have to.

Amidst the constant fighting, Rainbow Dash looked up at the sound of wings. She was surprised to see one of the pale ponies flying away. “Hey! That one’s getting away!” She pointed out, preparing to go after the pegasus until she noticed Rarity squealing for help ahead of her.

Seeing that the fight was starting to go in their favor, Glimmer Shine stepped back and took out his crossbow. He lined up a shot toward the fleeing mare, but hesitated and eventually refrained as he realized that his target was out of range.

“Dangit…” The stallion muttered before shifting his attention to the stragglers and pulling out his knife so he could help his friends with cleaning up.

Soon after, the group managed to dispatch the last of the remaining pale ponies as Tom took the head off a unicorn stallion.

The human stood there as the pony’s body evaporated into ashes, panting and catching his breath. Luckily, he hadn’t suffered any visible injury, so he didn’t have to make up an excuse to his friends for not healing. He did, however, feel several bruises coming on.

Off to the side, Glitterball helped Sparkplug off the ground, briefly examining her friend for injuries before turning toward the others. “Is everypony ok?”

“I think we’re alright… all things considered.” Applejack noted, frowning a bit at a few cuts and bruises shared between her friends. Luckily, nobody was hurt badly enough to warrant medical attention.

“Tell that to my chiropractor…” Sparkplug groaned, resting a hoof on her lower back and stretching out some of the knots she had been twisted into during the fight.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash seemed more concerned with something else as she hovered nearby and stared off toward the distant forest. “Shouldn’t we be going after that mare?”

“Yeah, she could lead us straight back to them!” Sunspot suggested, ready to go flying off with her cyan companion in hot pursuit. They might not have been able to see the pale mare with this much of a head start, but they could track her with their detectors.

Glimmer Shine rested a hoof on the suited pegasus’ back, bringing her back to the ground once more. “No need. We already know where they’re going.”

Shining Armor perked up at this. “You do?”

“Yeah.” Glitterball nodded. “One of the locals told us about a spooky castle out in the woods. It’s supposed to belong to a griffon warlord way back when who, get this, was rumored to drink the blood of his enemies.”

“That sure s-sounds spooky…” Fluttershy cringed at the mere thought.

“It also sounds like a prime candidate for housing the materials some alicorn would need to turn themselves into a vampire.” Tom reasoned.

“That’s good enough for me,” Shining said before adopting a serious expression as he turned to the group. “Glimmer Shine, come look for the local guard outpost with me. Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, do a sweep of the town from the air and see if you can find any survivors or more of those pale ponies. The rest of you, pack up and get ready to leave. As soon as we get word for some backup to come and secure this place, I want us airborne.”

“You got it, boss.” Sunspot said, saluting even though she wasn't really a guard. She along with her cyan companion darted into the air to begin their surveillance of the area.

Tom walked up to the two stallions as they prepared to leave. “You guys want me to come with you?”

Glimmer Shine shared a glance with Shining Armor before smiling confidently. “Nah, I think we’re good. Those vamps played their hoof already, so I doubt if there’s any more of them here. Just give me a call if you feel anything off.”

“Besides that, I’d feel a lot better if you stayed here and kept an eye on the girls.” Shining Armor added.

“Alright… but you two better be careful.” Tom cautioned.

And with that, the group started making preparations to leave as they watched the two stallions break off. The various pegasus guards that had joined the fight hooked themselves back in line with their respective carriage teams, and the seven mares and their human friend settled down in the carriages and recuperated.

However, they couldn’t rest easy just yet. They knew that they still had a long night left ahead of them, and they still had friends left in danger that needed rescuing.

Chapter 17: Friends and Fiends

Once again, darkness encompassed Twilight’s senses as she and her friends were whisked away by their monstrous captors. However, this time she was completely aware.

Judging from the occasional breaking of twigs and rustling of branches, she figured that the band of pale ponies was taking them through a forest, and a cold one at that. She could feel flecks of snow drifting down and nipping at her back.

Occasionally, she would hear a stray fearful squeak or a timid whisper from one of the three fillies somewhere around her. She would try to comfort them, but not only was she bound by the mouth, both she and the Crusaders knew that it was best not to agitate their captors.

She hadn’t heard Spike since they started moving again what seemed like hours ago. Either the alicorn had moved him so far away that his muffled noises of distress couldn’t reach her, or…

She didn’t want to think about the other option.

Once or twice, perhaps as some way of satisfying the burning need to try to act and save herself and her friends, she would try to use magic. However, no matter how much she strained, whatever the alicorn had carved into her forehead was completely suppressing her abilities. It was equal parts infuriating and terrifying.

Just who was this so-called Prince? If he knew how to suppress unicorn magic, what else did he know? And, perhaps most importantly, what did he want with her and her young friends?

Eventually, the snow coming down intensified. It wasn't a blizzard by any means, but it was certainly cold. Twilight shivered and tensed up, but the mare roughly carrying her didn't seem to care. At least she thought it was a mare carrying her. Perhaps it was the same mare from before?

The snapping of branches and the rustle of foliage eventually faded, replaced only by the idle chatter of the group of vampires and the crunching of hooves in snow.

The pale ponies were an odd bunch, to say the least. Many of them seemed to not like each other at all, but they kept their bickering to a minimum. Occasionally, they would shift to hushed whispers, and although Twilight couldn’t tell what was being said all of the time, there was a sense of nervous reverence in their behavior that was palpable.

It was maddening to be stuck in her own head, left to her fearful and uncertain thoughts in a sea of darkness, but she didn't dare sleep, even if it was hard to stay awake.

Her body was starting to catch up to her. She had been tired before she was pony-napped, but now she was exhausted. It took everything she had not to nod off. Even if she couldn’t do anything, she felt like she had to stay awake to make sure the unscrupulous ponies didn't harm her or the three fillies.

Slowly, the unrelenting cold and her own exhaustion lulled her into a daze. She closed her eyes under her blindfold, only to jerk them open again. Eventually, her heavy lids proved too strong to resist and drifted shut.

The last conscious moment of awareness she had before the haze of an uneasy sleep took her was a sensation of moving up a slope.

And then, nothing.
.
..
…
All at once, Twilight jerked awake as she smacked into a solid stone floor and rolled. She grunted in pain and bit down on her crimson gag as she came to a rough stop, sending an unpleasant metallic taste onto the tip of her tongue.

"Take the little ones downstairs." A familiar refined voice instructed.

"Yes, my Prince." Another masculine voice responded before a door closed with an echoed click.

Twilight tensed up as she heard hoofsteps approaching her. She could feel an unnatural and intimidating presence that she knew had to be the alicorn.

Suddenly, the binds around her hooves dissolved, along with the blindfold and gag. She caught a glimpse of red fluid dropping into a puddle on the floor, which she could now see to be stone as she originally estimated.

The room around her was dimly lit by torches, and she was barely able to make out any fine details, but she could at least tell that she was no longer outside.

A set of brown forelegs stepped in front of her, causing her to look up. Sure enough, a pair of softly luminous red eyes were staring into her own.

Twilight recoiled backward, scrambling to distance herself from the alicorn before she was met by a solid wall behind her.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Dusk gestured around him at the lavishly furnished room, which appeared to have seen better days.

There were tattered tapestries and paintings on the walls, and although much of the floor space was vacant, there was a faded throw rug and a broken wooden table complete with equally broken chairs.

"I must admit that it has fallen apart since I saw it last… but then again, it wasn't exactly perfect when I found it either." Dusk stated. He was trying to make a lighthearted comment, though his expression briefly showed disgust as he looked at the dark and empty space before settling his eyes on the unicorn.

"Where are my friends?" Twilight asked, struggling to not outwardly show her fear.

"Ever the altruist, aren't you?" Dusk muttered with a slight twitch to his lips. "I wouldn’t worry about them right now, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight took a shaky breath before meeting his gaze. "What do you want with me? You could have killed me at any point… so why haven't you?"

An amused chuckle softly pricked her ears.

"Who's to say I won't? You've heard of the expression ‘playing with your food’?" Dusk smirked cruelly before he flattened his mouth. "No… I won't be the one to kill you."

"What do you mean?" Twilight inched her head forward, only to see the alicorn turn and walk away from her. "Hey!"

Dusk walked over to the only door in the room. He opened it with a stream of blood from his neck before glancing back at the purple mare and smiling. He then stepped outside and reached a pair of crimson tendrils out before pulling something close to him.

Twilight widened her eyes as the alicorn held up a familiar little dragon before tossing him into the room.

Spike grunted painfully as he skidded to a halt on his tail end, his hands and mouth still bound. He seemed equally relieved and unsettled to be put in a dark room with the unicorn.

As Dusk closed the door to a crack, he gave one last look up at Twilight. "You'll find answers to all your questions in time, Twilight. For now, feel free to get comfortable with your little pet… while you can."

The sharp click of the door closing left the room cut off from the outside world. Twilight stared at the wooden barrier to her freedom for a moment before looking to Spike.

All at once, Spike’s bindings dissolved to the floor. He took in a few sharp breaths, unhindered for the first time in a long while, before he looked up as a purple blur ran up to him and picked him up into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Spike… I’m so sorry." Twilight squeezed the dragon closer and rocked him side to side as she buried her face into the top of his now costume-less head. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought back to when she had to watch helplessly as a strange alicorn toyed with his life.

Spike clutched at the unicorn’s disheveled fur and nuzzled into her neck as he started tearing up as well. A few hiccups came as he tried to get enough air to speak.

"Twilight…" He managed to croak out softly.

"I never wanted to let you get hurt… I never…" Twilight took a shaky breath and clenched her eyes, letting her tears fall freely before pulling the dragon away and looking down to him with trembling eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's ok…" Spike said, though his emotions betrayed his words. He let a few sniffles and sobs out before wiping his eyes. "I... I-I know you had no choice… but-"

Twilight frowned softly as the dragon’s lip started trembling slightly. Soon, his eyes shimmered and threatened a new outburst of emotion.

"But… seeing you there… doing n-nothing… I… I…" Spike averted his eyes and tried to prevent the tears from coming, only to fail as Twilight pulled him close again. "I was so scared…"

"I've got you now," Twilight whispered softly in his ear as he cried into her chest fluff. She rubbed her foreleg up and down his back, silently letting her own emotions out over his shoulder. "I won't let anything else hurt you."

Meanwhile, while the unicorn and dragon were having a heartfelt reunion, a certain trio of fillies was stuck with a more grim scenario.

The Crusaders were stunned into silence when they were first brought to the looming hilltop castle. However, now they were alone and terrified as a unicorn stallion carried them away from Twilight and Spike.

Through many bleak and empty rooms, and stone walls and floors masked with long since decayed decadence, the stallion brought them down a set of stairs leading away from the moonlight streaming in through frost-shrouded windows.

Scootaloo leaned closer to Sweetie Belle as the young unicorn started shivering. Although the only light to be seen was coming from torches, the area was colder than they could stand.

"Why is it so cold in here?" Scootaloo complained through chattering teeth.

The unicorn stallion looked back to the trio shivering on his back and chuckled. "Is it? I didn't notice."

Scootaloo shared an uneasy glance with Apple Bloom as they huddled close together. Although Sweetie Belle was occupied with trying not to shiver, all of them were troubled and afraid to some degree as they realized just how bad of a situation they were in.

After walking through the eerie basement corridors for a while, the echoing hoofsteps started getting to the three fillies. Even though the stallion was plenty threatening to them, they felt like he wasn't the worst thing they would find in the dark and dank abyss.

Finally, the stallion paused before a thick wooden door with rusted metal bands across it. He opened it with a grating creak before dumping the three fillies inside.

"Ow!" Apple Bloom yelped as she tumbled to the floor, only to have her two friends land on her.

Sweetie Belle rubbed her hooves against a very bruised muzzle. At least their bindings had dissolved once they reached the castle.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo pushed herself up and glared ahead at the stallion, only to have a door shut in her face. "Hey! Where are you going?!" She yelled, pounding her hooves into the door once before a twinge of pain discouraged her from continuing.

The stallion chuckled from behind the door and gave it a brief kick, startling Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

"Don’t worry. I'm sure the Prince will find some use for you… before you starve."

A set of hoofsteps going away signaled the stallion’s departure.

Scootaloo growled under her breath and briefly considered kicking the door before she sighed and turned to her friends.

"I can’t believe this…" She muttered.

"Where even are we? I've never been this far outside of Ponyville before." Apple Bloom chimed in.

Before Scootaloo could answer, a soft sob brought her attention to the side.

"I wish Tom and the others were here. They could beat up those jerks and save us." Sweetie Belle sniffled slightly and hid her face. She would have started outright crying if she didn’t feel a hoof being placed on her shoulder.

"Hey… it’s gonna be ok." Scootaloo assured. "I know for sure that Tom and the others are trying to find us right now.”

Sweetie Belle took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes before looking up. “You r-really think so?”

“Of course.” Scootaloo smiled brightly. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to go home within the-”

A soft scuffle at the back of the room brought the trio’s conversation to a screeching halt. They all darted their heads to the side and backed together, only to see steep shadows concealing a sizable portion of the room.

However, there seemed to be a shape within the shadows.

Scootaloo stood in front of her two friends protectively as Apple Bloom stayed near Sweetie Belle. The young pegasus boldly lowered herself into her best interpretation of a fighting stance and glared at the obscured figure.

“Who’s there?! Come out or we’ll be forced to defend ourselves!” She announced.

A soft whimper came from the shadows as the figure moved, revealing tufts of curly yellow hair and a hint of green eyes.

“Don’t hurt me!” The figure exclaimed in a voice far more shrill and timid than any of the crusaders were expecting.

Crinkling her eyes in confusion, Scootaloo briefly turned to her friends, who by now were both stood up and staring ahead like she was, before looking ahead again.

“You’re a…”

The figure slowly inched forward out of the shadows before the pegasus could finish, fully revealing the form of a young earth pony with reddish-brown fur and a blank flank.

“Filly?” Scootaloo blinked, fully caught off guard.

“You aren’t… one of them?” The reddish filly strained to even make her voice audible. Her tiny body was trembling ever so slightly, but she started to relax as she saw no signs of pale fur, red eyes, or sharp fangs on any of the three.

Now that the shadowy figure was revealed to be a filly in need, Sweetie Belle came to the front and softened her expression. "No, we’re not. My name is Sweetie Belle, and these are my friends Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. We got taken by those ponies… You did too, didn't you?"

The filly gave a small nod, keeping a foreleg close to her chest.

"What’s your name?" Scootaloo asked.

"Maple Leaf…" The filly said, making an effort to relax herself.

“Well, Maple, you’re in luck.” Apple Bloom chimed in with a confident smile.

Maple scrunched her face up at the odd earth pony. “I am…?”

“Yep. ‘cause we’re about to find a way out of here. Ain’t that right, girls?”

“You know it.” Scootaloo joined her yellow friend in smirking.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle seemed a bit less enthused.

“I like the attitude, guys, but… where do we even start?” Sweetie asked with a disheartened shrug. Aside from the door they came through, there seemed to be no other exits.

Scootaloo snorted softly and brushed off the young unicorn’s pessimistic outlook. “We won’t know until we get looking, will we?” She stated nonchalantly. “Come on, let’s turn this place over!”

With that, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom immediately began searching the dark corners of the room, leaving no stone unturned. Maple Leaf shared an uncertain look with Sweetie Belle, who could only shrug before going to help out.

A few minutes went by as the trio inspected every brick, every crack, and every flagstone of their cell. They used every bit of their knowledge of secret passages, hidden compartments, and trapdoors to try and find a way out, which was to say, they spent much of their time pushing and pulling on random spots along the walls or floor to see if anything moved.

Nothing did.

Eventually, Scootaloo gave one last tug at a piece of stone jutting out near the back of the room before producing a dissatisfied groan and sitting down. She looked over to see Apple Bloom lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling, and Sweetie Belle sitting near their new friend and talking quietly to lift the reddish filly’s spirits.

“I hate to say it… but I think they made this room so ponies like us couldn’t find a way out.” Apple Bloom muttered flatly, not taking her eyes off the light dancing along the featureless ceiling.

Scootaloo sighed and let her head fall back against the stone wall behind her. She lifted her hoof in the air, lazily gesturing with it as she racked her brain to think of a solution. “Maybe we could break the lantern against the door and burn it down?” She suggested.

“Nope… the smoke would get to us before a hole got burned into it… if it would even catch fire.” Apple Bloom said flatly.

“Yeah, I’d rather not risk our only light source on a maybe.” Sweetie Belle added hesitantly.

“Me neither…” Maple Leaf said, her voice quaking a bit from the mere thought of being plunged into total darkness. However, her expression furrowed as she looked at the unicorn beside her. “Couldn’t you give us light, though?”

“No…” Sweetie reported dismally. “I’m not too good with magic yet.” She let her horn light up, the aura still tiny and hard to maintain, before letting it dim with a sigh.

Scootaloo grumbled begrudgingly before discarding that plan and thinking of a new one. “Maybe… maybe we could just-”

Just then, a muffled noise from outside of their cold prison silenced the fillies. They all lifted their heads up and froze, watching the door as what sounded like hoofsteps slowly approached.

Sweetie Belle and Maple Leaf backed up while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood in front of them. Everyone felt their hearts seize up as the sounds grew closer and closer.

What did their sinister hosts want with them now? Were they finally going to be rounded up, helpless to do anything other than watch as their friends were eaten alive right in front of them?

The hoofsteps paused in front of their door, much to their dread. A suffocating moment of silence went by before the sliding window opened and a pony peered inside at them.

However, this pony didn’t seem to be one of the vampiric creatures that had brought them here.

Instead of cold-blooded red eyes staring at them, a pair of soft blue ones met their gaze. What seemed to be a white stallion with short black hair, no fangs, and no pale fur, was looking at them with a bit of surprise.

“I thought I heard voices over here.” The stallion commented to himself.

Scootaloo still stood in front of her friends, a bit wary of the newcomer, but gradually relaxing. “Who are you? You’re not one of those ponies with the fangs, are you?”

“Surprisingly, no… I’m still one hundred percent red blooded Equestrian.” The young stallion said. “My name is Blank Page… I assume those ponies brought you here?”

“Yeah… They took some friends of ours somewhere else too. We don’t know what they want.” Sweetie Belle added.

“How did you get down here without anyone seeing you?” Maple Leaf chimed in, staring at the stallion with an expression of disbelief on her face.

“I’ve been down here for a while. It’s uh…” Blank Page hesitated, lowering his eyes for a moment before returning his gaze to the fillies. “It’s a long story. One that I hope to be able to tell you later.”

“Can you get us out of here?” Apple Bloom asked, a bit hopeful.

Blank Page looked down at his side of the door briefly. “I think so. Give me one sec.” He said before closing the window.

The stallion grunted a bit as a series of metal scuffles could be heard. Eventually, the sound of a bar being dragged out of the way filled the fillies with hope for the first time in a long time as the door drifted open, revealing their new savior standing in the dark hall.

“There we go.” Page smiled at the four young ponies.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Page,” Scootaloo said as she stepped out into the corridor with her friends and gathered before the stallion. “You really saved our tails.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We need to find a way out of here, or we’re all gonna wish I left you in there.” The stallion stated uneasily.

“I’m not sure if we can find a way out. Those things will probably be guarding the way upstairs… so unless there’s a way out down here,” Apple Bloom said, looking around at the two dark paths that stretched out into nothingness and shuddering a bit.

“I haven’t found one yet, and I’ve been here at least a few days.” Blank Page admitted. “It’s been kind of hard finding my way around in the dark. Now that these torches are on, I was hoping to maybe sneak upstairs somehow, but if there’s more of those things than I thought, then that might not be an option.”

“We didn’t see all of them, but I think there were at least a dozen,” Scootaloo said.

Blank Page brought a hoof to his mouth and bit the tip of it as he trailed his eyes to the floor. “A dozen?” He parroted softly.

Seeing the stallion acting nervous made the faint bit of hope in the fillies’ hearts shrivel up, replaced again with gnawing fear and uncertainty.

“What are we going to do?” Sweetie Belle muttered, shrinking down and hugging herself.

“Hey, don’t get soft on us now, Sweetie. We’re going to be fine.” Scootaloo assured before turning back to the stallion. “Look, we don’t need to escape.”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side.

“Are you crazy?” Maple Leaf reeled back, staring at the pegasus in disbelief.

Blank Page was a bit taken aback by the sheer confidence in the filly’s eyes. She seemed like someone with a plan, someone that he should have been in this situation instead. “What did you have in mind?”

“We might not look like it, but we’re friends with Tom and the team of monster hunters that work for the princess,” Scootaloo explained.

“Tom…? You mean that human guy?” Blank Page asked, tilting his head forward.

“Yeah! If I know him like I think I do, I know that he can find us no problem! All we need to do is stay hidden from those things until they get here to save us!” Scootaloo stated, smiling excitedly.

“Easier said than done. I’ll bet those things can smell our fear.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Speak for yourself. I’m not scared of them.” Scootaloo puffed her chest out confidently.

“I’m sure I’ve got enough fear for all three of us,” Sweetie admitted, lowering her head slightly.

“How about it, Mr. Page. Do you think you can find us a place to hide?” Apple Bloom asked, managing an optimistic, if a little desperate, expression.

The stallion looked at the four fillies for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck and trailing his eyes to the side. He wasn't sure how he was still alive, let alone how he hadn’t been found yet. Still, he wasn't about to shatter their hopes just yet.

“I… think so. I found a secret chamber when I was wandering around trying to find a way out. I don’t think those things know about it.” He said with a slight nod of assurance. “Come on, let’s go.” He gestured for them to follow behind as he started moving back the way he came.

Scootaloo briefly looked back at her friends before trotting to keep up. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle followed close behind, with Maple Leaf bringing up the rear.

As they walked through the dimly lit corridor, the fillies noticed something about their new companion. Blank Page seemed to be limping slightly, with his back left leg appearing bruised and discolored. Every time he put weight on it, he would cringe softly. He also looked weak, either from his injury or from being trapped without anything to eat for however many days he had been stuck in the castle.

“Mr. Page, what happened to your leg?” Scootaloo asked, frowning with concern.

Page looked back at the fillies before settling his eyes on the offending appendage. “Oh, that? Heh… believe it or not, a rock fell on it.”

“Ow…” Apple Bloom cringed sympathetically. “That sounds painful.”

“It wasn't exactly the best thing to happen to me since I’ve gotten here, that’s for sure… but it wasn't the worst either.” Page said.

“What could be worse than having a rock fall on you?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Hearing this, the stallion grew quiet for a moment.

“I uh… I didn’t… come here alone.” He said, his voice a hollow shell compared to his usual upbeat tone.

It took a moment or two for the stallion’s words to process, but once they did, the fillies all lowered their expressions.

“Oh my gosh…” Sweetie Belle covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s ok. You didn’t know.” Blank Page said, managing a smile that didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

Although he tried to move past the thoughts swirling around his head, the fillies could see clear gloom in the stallion’s eyes as he briefly came to a stop and stared at the floor. A small puddle of water had accumulated from the dripping ceiling above, creating a somber reflection that stared back at Page, reminding him of his past failures.

“It… seems so stupid now.” He muttered.

“Huh?” Scootaloo pricked her ear as she walked up to the stallion and sat down, hoping to better hear him.

“Me and my sister came here with some… friends. We wanted to write a report about it. It was supposed to be just a nice and easy adventure, seeing an empty castle and wowing readers with her words. It was supposed to be her big break… and now she’s gone. They’re all gone…” Page blinked as his eyes threatened tears. He wiped his face on his foreleg before looking back at the fillies and coughing to get rid of the tickle in his throat.

Scootaloo and the others frowned sympathetically at the older pony. They wanted so bad to say something to offer him some comfort, but none of them knew what to say.

Eventually, however, Maple Leaf stepped forward.

“Mr. Page… What was your sister’s name?” She asked softly.

Page took a moment to stare at the reddish filly before exhaling quietly. “Scholarly Scribble.”

“That’s a nice name.” Maple said, putting on a small smile that grew slightly as the stallion reciprocated it.

“Gosh… where are my manners? I never asked any of you your names, did I?” Page chuckled awkwardly.

Sweetie fidgeted her hooves together, still a bit saddened by the stallion’s story. “I’m Sweetie Belle.”

“My name’s Apple Bloom.” The yellow filly added.

“Scootaloo…” Scootaloo said flatly, only smiling because Page was.

“I’m Maple Leaf… but you can just call me Maple. My parents always did.” The reddish filly said before trailing her eyes down.

Blank Page immediately recognized the look on the filly’s face, mostly because he had been making it just moments ago. “It’s going to be ok, everyone.” He said, looking to the Crusaders as well. “I know it seems really scary right now… but I’ll take care of you, just like your parents would.” He looked to Maple Leaf and smiled a bit.

After a moment, Maple nodded, replacing her gloomy expression with a more hopeful one. She watched as the stallion looked around at the dark corridor before getting up and gesturing for them to follow.

“Come on. We should keep moving.” He suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” Sweetie Belle said, trying her best not to look at the darkness behind her as she and her friends followed after their newfound guardian.

Staying behind for a moment, Maple Leaf looked down at the puddle Page was staring into, smiling as a red-eyed filly with pale brown fur and fangs stared back at her.

“Yeah… it’s gonna be ok.” She said to herself before hurrying to return to her position at the back of the group.

-Elsewhere-

After some time spent comforting each other and getting their emotions out, Twilight and Spike shifted their attention to their surroundings. Namely, how to escape them.

The room had two windows, and although they were unlocked, there was a sheer drop off of a cliff into a snowy clearing far below.

The door proved sturdier than either of them could overcome. Twilight tried kicking it to no avail, and Spike tried breathing fire on it, only to discover that the frigid air was hindering his fiery breath.

It would be simple to escape if Twilight had her magic, but that was yet another obstacle in their path.

The unicorn cringed slightly as she let Spike examine her forehead up close. Whatever Dusk did to her was the cause of her magic being blocked, and she couldn’t exactly look at it herself, so she had to let her number one assistant do what he did best. Assist her.

"What does it look like?" Twilight asked, gently moving her mane to give the dragon a better look in the nearby torchlight.

Spike leaned forward on the table he was standing on and gently brushed away some excess blood from the mare’s forehead, pausing as she drew air between her teeth. He traced a claw along what appeared to be a shallow series of cuts that formed some kind of shapes.

"It… looks like some kind of symbols. I can’t read them." Spike reported with a regretful sigh.

Twilight sighed tensely and placed a hoof to the bloody graffiti. "They’re probably anti-magic glyphs… I didn’t think they could be applied so directly."

"That’s about as direct as it gets," Spike added with a slight frown. "Do you think there's any way to get them off?"

Twilight collapsed to her haunches and thought deeply about the matter. No matter how many far-fetched ideas she came up with, nothing seemed to stick.

Until she glanced up to see Spike scratching his head.

"Well…" She bit her lip hesitantly and trailed her eyes up. "I think magical symbols like these tend to stop working if they're… altered."

Spike blinked at the unicorn, unsure of what she meant until he looked to where she was looking. His claws.

"What…? No!" He shook his head and backed up a step. "You can’t be serious, Twilight. I-I don't want to hurt you." He looked at her with worried eyes.

"I know, Spike… but there's no other way. I can’t do it myself or I would. Please…" Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. "You won’t be hurting me… you'll be saving both of us."

Spike lowered his gaze to the floor briefly before looking up to see the purple mare flashing him a slight smile. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am," Twilight replied. She then stepped closer and took a quick breath before holding perfectly still.

Although every fiber in his being was telling him not to, Spike lifted a claw up to his dearest friend's forehead and gently pressed it against the symbols carved into her skin. She wrinkled one side of her mouth briefly before returning to a neutral expression.

"How much do I need to scratch out?" Spike asked hesitantly.

Twilight managed a reassuring smile despite her anxiousness. "As much as it takes." She said before steadying herself on all fours and leaning into the dragon’s claw.

Spike frowned and searched the unicorn’s eyes for any sign of doubt. Finally, he exhaled and steeled his expression before applying pressure to her forehead.

Just then, the sound of the door opening made the pair stop what they were doing and freeze.

They both looked to the side, only to find the brown alicorn standing in the doorway and looking back at them with the same amused smile on his face as before.

"Good news, my dear little pony," Dusk stated as he entered the room, backing the unicorn and dragon toward the wall and nearly making Spike fall off the table. "My guest of honor just woke up, and you're going to be my welcoming gift."

"Wh… what?" Twilight asked, staring ahead despite her confusion.

"Oh, you didn't think I brought you here for kicks, did you?" Dusk asked.

Spike started to move forward until a hoof landed on his shoulder and nudged him back. He looked up with concern, only to see Twilight staring ahead bravely.

"I don’t know what you're planning on doing, but I don’t have any intentions of following you." She said.

"Hmm… I can’t say I didn't expect such a reaction. Then again, I never intended to give you a choice in the matter." Dusk flashed a toothy smile as two fluid tendrils drifted up and out of his wrists like a pair of crimson snakes.

Twilight felt herself tensing up nervously as she watched the two tendrils slowly creeping through the air. She didn’t want to just outright give up, but there wasn’t much she could do.

Just before she prepared to step forward, Spike jerked away from her hoof and stood in front of her.

"Spike!" She called, reaching for him only to be shoved away.

"Leave her alone!" Spike glared at the alicorn as fiercely as his fear would allow. His knees were weak and his heart was racing, but he couldn't let the monstrous stallion take his friend.

"Aww… how adorable," Dusk said flatly as he lifted a foreleg. He then swiped it across, causing the stream of blood attached to follow.

Twilight tried to move the dragon out of the way, but before she could even reach him, a crimson whip smacked into him, sending him flying into the far wall with a painful yelp and an equally painful thud.

"No!" She widened her eyes as she watched her young assistant settling to the floor in a crumpled heap. She started to rush to his side when a red tendril wrapped around her forehooves.

"Wh-AAAGH! NO! LET ME GO!"

Spike groaned softly and brought a hand up to his throbbing head as he slowly lifted up. He gasped as he heard a familiar voice crying out.

"Twilight!" He exclaimed, rushing to his feet and looking ahead to see the unicorn getting dragged along the floor towards the door.

Ignoring his sore body, Spike ran forward and leaped to grab her hind hoof. Before he could reach her, however, the alicorn yanked her out of the room and slammed the door shut in his face.

Pounding on the door, the dragon listened helplessly as the sounds of the unicorn’s struggles faded.

"Twilight!" He cried, tears starting to form as he wondered if he would ever see her alive again.
.
..
…
Twilight loosely struggled against the crimson bonds keeping her tied to the sadistic alicorn. Still, her efforts only led to her getting more bruised and battered.

"Tsk tsk… This would have gone so much easier if you had just come along peacefully." Dusk stated with an apathetic sigh without even looking back to the unicorn.

"Gah!" Twilight yelped as she was purposefully dragged over a jagged stone. She glared up at the alicorn. "You know… I usually don't enjoy watching someone get their comeuppance, but I am really going to enjoy watching you get yours."

Dusk chuckled to himself before glancing at her. "I'm getting some comeuppance, am I? Well… just who is going to be giving it to me? Oh… that’s right. You’re expecting the Princess to come save you."

Twilight didn't like the grin forming on his face. He looked like he knew something she didn’t.

Before he could speak again, Dusk paused as he reached a door at the end of a hall. He opened it up and turned back to the purple mare before tossing her inside.

Twilight barely caught herself with her newly freed hooves before she smacked into the stone floor. She looked back, locking eyes with the alicorn as he closed the door.

"Hey!" Twilight shouted angrily, rushing to her hooves and running up to the door before trying to open it. Much to her dismay, it was locked.

"I hope you will keep my guest entertained, Twilight. After all… she did choose you." Dusk stated coldly before walking off.

Twilight gave one last pound on the door before falling back and sighing. She then turned to observe her new surroundings.

The room she was in seemed to be barren of any furnishings. There were at least four slits in the left wall that acted as windows, letting moonlight paint blue stripes on the floor across the length of the room and providing the only light in the vicinity.

A soft noise drew Twilight’s attention to the back corner of the room, where a white shape was moving in the darkness.

"Huh?" She narrowed her eyes with concern before she noticed that the shape was familiar to her. She could just barely make out flowing green, yellow, and pink hair.

"Princess…?" Twilight called, hesitantly at first, before the shape lifted its head up and turned to look at her. "Princess!"

As she started to rush toward the white alicorn, a hoof shot out of the shadows toward her.

"Twilight, stay back!" A familiar voice snapped, causing the unicorn to freeze.

Twilight softened her expression with confusion and concern as she watched the shadowed figure of Princess Celestia cringe and tremble.

"Princess… are you ok?" She asked softly, starting to approach her mentor again. “Here, let me help you.”

“No!” Celestia pleaded. She seemed to be in considerable pain or discomfort judging from how strained her breathing was. “Dusk… he did something to me… Please, I…”

Twilight backed up as the alicorn stumbled out of the darkness, clutching her head. Her fur was washed out and dull, and as she briefly looked up at her student, a soft red glow could be seen.

“I don’t want to hurt you…” Celestia stated, a sad look on her face before she cringed and covered her ears.

Twilight watched with wide eyes as the alicorn seemingly attempted to ignore her. “Princess… no. He didn’t…” She shook her head in denial as she slowly backed up. Still, it was plain as day that she was simply trying to refuse what she already knew.

The alicorn was one of the pale ponies now.

“I’m sorry, my student…” Celestia said, not chancing looking up at the unicorn. She felt a gnawing thirst, and although she didn’t want to accept it, she knew by instinct alone just how to satisfy it. “I should never have… let it… come to this. But right n-now… you need to protect… y-yourself.”

“Princess… I… I-I,” Twilight stammered, her mind racing to come up with a way to help her mentor. “I’m not going to attack you.”

“Twilight… you don’t understand. I… don’t know how much longer I can resist.” Celestia said. She sniffed at the air a moment before snarling and shaking her head, revealing a set of nasty-looking fangs. “I can hear your heartbeat… I can smell your blood… I-I…” She strained to stop herself from looking over to the purple mare, only to fail.

Twilight felt a cold chill work its way over her as the alicorn stared at her blankly for a moment. She had a certain hungry look in her eyes that reminded the unicorn of a starved coyote.

“Princess…?” She said timidly.

Hearing such fear in her student’s voice, Celestia’s eyes came to focus again and even widened. She shook her head and reeled back, nearly tripping over herself as she scrambled back to the wall.

“No… no… I…” The alicorn let a set of tears fall down her face. Still, no matter how sorrowful she felt, the hunger inside her was getting worse. “Please, Twilight. Put a shield around yourself… I can’t stop myself forever.” She pleaded before clenching her eyes shut again and clutching her head.

Twilight backed all the way over to the door and tried to open it again, only to remember that it was locked. She tried forcing it open, all the while not breaking eye contact with the pale alicorn. “Princess… I can’t do that.” She admitted regretfully.

“You must!” Celestia snapped, her breathing intensifying and her hooves shaking as she dragged them down the sides of her head. A feral snarl made its way to the surface.

“No… I really can’t. Dusk carved anti-magic symbols into my skin… I can’t use magic.” Twilight explained tensely as she stared ahead like a caged animal before a lion.

A series of strained pants and growls came from the back of the room as Celestia obscured herself in shadow.

Seconds went by as the Princess remained silent, save for her breathing.

“Princess?” Twilight spoke up softly.

“I’m sorry, Twilight…” Celestia panted. “I… I’m… s...ss…” She trailed off.

Before long, the alicorn’s quiet stammers shifted to a deep snarl.

Twilight felt her heart sink as a pair of intensely glowing red eyes poked out of the darkness, staring right into her very being.

Celestia stepped forward, saliva dripping from her exposed fangs and glistening in the moonlight. Any semblance of reason or intelligence was gone from her. This wasn't the face of the kind mentor that the unicorn was so familiar with. This was the face of a bloodthirsty animal.

“No…” Twilight squeaked as she cowered back against the wall behind her. She barely had time to think of a possible way to survive before the alicorn leaped for her with hooves outstretched.

The unicorn yelped as she dove to the side. Celestia landed where she just was, cracking the stone wall slightly with sheer strength. As Twilight scrambled to her hooves and ran for the other side of the room, the feral alicorn snapped her head to the side and let out an unnatural cry that sounded like a mixture of a wild cat and a nightmare.

“Princess! Please stop! It’s me!” Twilight pleaded as she kept running. She spun around as she reached the back wall, only to see the alicorn already halfway to her.

"AHH!"

Barely managing to dodge to her right, Twilight cringed fearfully and her fur bristled as the alicorn sped past her. Celestia’s hooves skidded along the floor as she turned and swiped a foreleg at the unicorn.

Twilight yelped as she was pulled to the floor. She kicked out at her mentor with a painful sounding thwack to the jaw, causing the princess to let go of her briefly enough for her to scramble forward.

"Princess, you have to fight it! Please!" Twilight pleaded desperately as she ran for one of the windows. She barely realized that her slender body was still too large to fit through before she heard a snarl beside her and turned to see a pale face glaring at her.

The unicorn fell backward to the floor roughly as Celestia lunged at her. Before she could do anything else, she let out a strangled croak as a pair of hooves shot to her neck, pinning her to the floor.

Twilight shakily pressed her hooves into the alicorn’s shoulders, pushing as hard as she could to keep her away from her neck. Still, even if she wasn't being half choked, she would be far outmatched in terms of strength.

Clenching her eyes shut to get away from the sight of her beloved teacher coming toward her with fangs bared, the only thing she could do was kick and squirm and punch at the alicorn, but nothing worked.

"Prin..cess…" Twilight shook her head, desperately searching the cold red eyes staring her down in the hopes of reaching the alicorn she knew was still inside.

Uncaring of the pleas of the prey in her grasp, Celestia salivated hungrily and took a moment to sniff at the pulsing fluid coursing through the unicorn’s veins. She then lifted her student up and bit down.
.
..
…
All at once, Celestia froze as an invisible force of will urged her to stop. Her eyes softened and clarified, and the gnawing thirst was briefly gone, but she was still stuck in place, unable to move.

A soft click came from the door ahead before it opened, letting a brown alicorn walk inside.

Dusk looked at the two mares on the floor with a cynical frown. "Tsk tsk tsk… Look at your precious student, Princess." He gestured toward the unicorn.

Celestia raised up slightly and trailed her eyes down to Twilight.

The purple mare had two slight puncture wounds on her neck that were barely even drawing blood. She was clenching her eyes shut, her face damp with tears. As she slowly looked back up to the alicorn, her trembling eyes held a sense of shock and fear that made Celestia reel back.

Dusk walked over to the stunned alicorn and leaned in close to her ear as she stared at her faithful student.

"You see that? That look of betrayal… that heartbreak? Doesn’t it look familiar?" He whispered, though she barely registered his words.

Celestia’s jaw trembled as she tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. A set of tears dotted the corners of her eyes. "Twilight…" She muttered, faint and remorseful.

Twilight simply laid there on the floor, shakily breathing and staring up at the alicorn. She seemed to want to say something, but she couldn’t speak amidst her shock.

"How many students have you had over the years?” Dusk asked. “Why do you constantly seek to impart your knowledge onto these… ponies?” He glared at the unicorn briefly. “Perhaps… if you mold enough of them, you think you can make up for your past mistakes?”

“Why…?” Celestia managed, trailing her eyes to the brown alicorn. “Why are you doing this?”

“You of all people should know why, Princess. You did this to me,” Dusk dragged a hoof across the wound on his neck, “so now I’m going to do the same to you in kind.”

“You did that to yourself.” Celestia strained. “Given the scope of your crimes… your punishment was merciful. I admit… I was ashamed. I was ashamed that I allowed you to fall so low… or perhaps, that I didn’t realize sooner that you had always been this way.”

Dusk gave the princess a flat look, his jaw tensing ever so slightly. Without warning, he socked a hoof out and hit her in the mouth.

Twilight flinched as Celestia briefly reeled from the sudden strike. The white mare silently cringed as she processed what just happened. She tensed her hooves and wrinkled her expression in rebel, but all she could do was spit a bit of blood out and trail her head back like an obedient dog.

"Merciful…?" Dusk squinted in disbelief. "Is that what you think? You can tell yourself whatever you like to justify your choice… but don't you dare lie to me. I would rather you have killed me!" He snapped.

Twilight cowered back to the floor, while Celestia merely flinched as the stallion snarled through his teeth, his eyes flaring up. It took him a moment to calm himself down and return some semblance of sophistication.

"Two years I spent… wandering Equestria’s outskirts before I found this place, and another two before I discovered how to save myself." Dusk explained. "Four years might not sound like much to you… but then neither does a hundred. It's easy to forget when you're immortal, just how the passage of time feels." He looked down to his own hooves. "I could feel my body aging. The blood in my veins grew stale… I knew that all I had left in life was a slow and ungraceful death. So… I did what you taught me to do… I adapted… I persevered. Now, I'm more than just an immortal… I am forever."

"You might think that you've changed into something greater… but you are the same egotistical, self-centered, sadistic pony that I knew then,” Celestia said, a slight intensity to her eyes that told of how much she wished she could rebel against the stallion.

Dusk flattened his smug smirk in an instant. “Keep talking, Princess. Maybe next time I won’t be kind enough to stop you from ripping your student to pieces.” He said, looking down to Twilight with an evil glint in his eye that made her blood run cold. “Or maybe I should do it myself and make you watch?”

Suddenly, Dusk had a white hoof shoved into his throat. He looked up, only to see Celestia staring daggers into him as she pushed him to the wall. Her whole foreleg was shaking and the muscles in her neck were tensed, but her stare didn’t waver for an instant.

“You… h-harm… one hair on h-her head… and I promise you I will bury you myself,” Celestia said quietly, either from intensity or from fighting the invisible force compelling her not to harm her new master. Her grip wasn't tight enough to cause much discomfort, but it was enough to cause brief surprise in the stallion.

Dusk’s eyes trailed along the foreleg around his neck for a moment before looking up to the white mare. He then calmly and casually lifted a hoof up and took her hoof away from him.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you shrivel up from the thirst. Perhaps you won’t be so ungrateful of my gift here then." He said, looking at Twilight before walking over to her.

Celestia took a step forward toward the stallion. “Leave her al-”

“Stay right there,” Dusk commanded, letting his eyes flare briefly as he faced the princess.

As a wave of influence pulsed through her mind, Celestia froze. She stared ahead, her body twitching slightly as she watched the stallion approaching her faithful student.

The unicorn tried to crawl away from the monstrous alicorn, but she didn’t get far before he slipped a bloody coil around her neck and tightened it slightly. He tugged on it as he opened the door to the room, forcing her to stand up.

“Gh…” Twilight clutched at the crimson stream around her throat, desperately trying to break free. It felt wet and springy, but somehow it didn’t stain her fur at all, like every droplet it was made of was concentrated into holding its shape.

“Come along, Twilight. Let’s find you some more… comfortable quarters to rest in.” Dusk suggested, tugging on the unicorn like a dog on a leash.

Twilight reluctantly followed behind the alicorn out of the room. As she passed through the door, she glanced back and reached out to Celestia, who was still watching helplessly. “Princess…!”

After the door closed, leaving her alone once more, Celestia was forced to remain still for a while longer before the command over her faded. She rushed to the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked once more. She yelled in frustration, banging the door once before sliding to a seated position.

“Twilight…” She muttered, her eyes threatening tears again as she looked down to her pale hooves. As much as it destroyed her, she was going to kill her student before Dusk intervened.

She didn’t even get a taste of the unicorn’s blood, but somehow she felt a burning desire to get more. She clutched her stomach and cringed, trying her best to hold on to her will and stave off the monster clawing at the back of her mind.

Chapter 18: Evil Within

Elsewhere, toward the back of the castle, Scholarly Scribble was practically dragging herself up a set of stairs toward the upper floor.

An intense pang of hunger cemented itself in her core, filling her every fiber with one desire. The blood she had received from Dusk was wearing off. She needed to feed.

It took every ounce of her will to not stalk toward one of the many sources of blood that were now in the castle. She could still smell traces of it in the air. No, she had to find the prince. He staved off her hunger before, he could do it again.

“Guh… hhh… h…” She paused, steadying herself against the cracked wall at the top of the stairs, and held her stomach. Her knees were weak and she felt like passing out. At the same time, she felt like she could pounce on any hapless victim that presented itself to her, taking them and their lifeblood with the swiftness of a predator. The thought alone made her equal parts sick and enthralled.

Moving slowly through the empty halls, the biting draft whistling through from outside only serving to blow her frail form off-center, she kept going, kept heading toward the strange buzz in her head that told her where her master was at all times.

As she stumbled forward, her rampant thoughts drifted to her brother and the friends she had made and lost on the fateful trip that led to this, her transformation into this sick bloodthirsty freak. She wondered what Page would think of her if he could see her now. It would probably break his heart. Her eyes lowered, though no tears came.

She missed his reassuring smile, ever confident in her and her abilities. She missed the loving embrace of him trying to cheer her up on a sad day. The warmth of his body… of his mouth-watering blood circulating through his veins.

“N-No!” Scribble shook her head and shut her eyes tight, a feral growl working its way out past her clenched fangs. She squinted an eye open and took a shaky step forward. She had to get more blood, she just didn’t want it to be from some innocent life.

Somehow, she managed to make it through the second floor and to the room that the alicorn was residing in. She prepared to open the door when she suddenly noticed that it was already open a crack.

“What?!” A sharp yell came from inside, seemingly coming from Dusk himself.

Scribble reeled back from the sound. She hadn’t seen the alicorn this angry many times before. It filled her with a wash of fear that reminded her of when she was fleeing from him before he regenerated from his weakened state.

“I’m sorry, my Prince… there was nothing we could do!” A feminine voice came from inside.

Pressing her head against the door, Scribble peered in through the crack and tried to make out who Dusk was talking to. She faintly saw the tall form of the alicorn, his back facing toward her as he stared at another pony, a pale pegasus mare.

“I told you to stop them! They will ruin everything if they get here!” Dusk snapped, eliciting the pegasus to cower back as an agitated growl quietly grated out of the alicorn’s throat.

“Please… my P-Prince… They nearly killed me! Everyone else got slaughtered… They had silver!” The pegasus said, her voice trembling nearly as much as she was.

Scribble backed up as the alicorn turned around and paced toward the door before stopping and sitting. He was staring at the floor, his face tightened into an angry scowl and his eyes glowing a bit harsher than they normally did.

“I give you new life… I make you better than any pony in this pitiful kingdom… and THIS is how you repay me?!” He glared behind him. The pegasus fell back to the floor, staring ahead wide-eyed like a deer frozen before a predator.

“I’m sorry…” She squeaked.

Dusk growled for a moment longer before forcing his mouth closed. He exhaled tensely through his nose, letting his shoulders relax a bit as he stood up.

“Very well… Perhaps I can work with this? Yes… yes… I think I will.” Dusk smiled, a glint of malice in his eyes as he thought of what to do next.

The pegasus mare loosened up ever so slightly. She cautiously made her way to her hooves, still pressing her body back against the wall.

“What can I do? I want to make it up to you… I want to show you how grateful I am for what you’ve done for me.” She offered obediently.

Dusk eyed to the side, turning around slowly to face the mare. He flattened his expression and looked down to one of his forelegs, paying particular attention to the slash on his wrist.

“If you were really grateful, you would have died fighting those interlopers instead of fleeing.” He said, lifting his foreleg and stretching his wrist. “You aren’t worth my blood flowing through your veins.”

“Wh… what?” The pegasus blinked.

Before she could even react, her form twitched as a flash of red zipped straight toward her.

Looking down, the pegasus was stunned to find a stream of blood piercing into her chest. She shakily lifted a hoof to it, not even feeling any pain, at least at first. Much to her horror, her fur glowed orange as her body shifted to ash and ember, stretching outwards from her now destroyed heart.

“Nh… No… please, I-”

The pegasus’ words cut off as she lifted her head to look at her master. The last thing she saw before her pained yelp died out was the sight of the alicorn staring back at her, not even an ounce of emotion in his face.

Scribble gasped quietly and stumbled back as she watched the form of the pegasus collapse into ash. The alicorn gathered his blood back into his body again and rubbed his wrist briefly, only to stop as the sound of the door moving came from behind him.

“Do you require something, Scholarly Scribble?” Dusk asked calmly, turning his head slightly to look toward the door.

Hearing this, the peach mare froze. She felt like a child being caught doing something she shouldn’t have been, and this feeling was only made worse as the alicorn stood up to tower above her. He let a stream of blood from his neck open the door, revealing a wide-eyed mess staring back at him.

“I… I…” Scribble stammered, unsure of anything she could say.

Dusk glanced behind him where the pegasus was standing mere moments ago before looking back to the terrified pony. “Do not be afraid… I was merely punishing her for her failure. You would never fail me… would you?”

Scribble shook her head desperately. “N-No, never!”

A cold chuckle made her stiffen up as the alicorn stepped forward. He put a hoof under her chin and lifted her to meet his eyes.

“Of course not. Now… tell me what has bothered you enough to seek me out.” He requested, the usual soft and silky tone returned to his voice.

Another pang from her stomach made Scribble look down briefly. She cringed before forcing her hunger back down and looking to the alicorn with a new sense of desperation. “Please… my prince… I’m so thirsty.”

Dusk gave the mare an odd look. “Really? You still resist your hunger? Why don’t you go find that dragon that Twilight Sparkle adores so much? I can attest that it will be the best thing you’ve ever tasted in your life.”

Scribble shook her head again, blocking her ears with her hooves to prevent herself from listening to such appealing words. “P-please… I… I don’t want to hurt anyone!” She jumped slightly and looked up as a hoof was placed on her shoulder.

“Tsk tsk tsk… You are such a troublesome child.” Dusk sighed to himself. “I must admit that I grow weary of your self-destructive behavior.” He said, bringing his hoof up to the side of her and stretching his wrist.

Scribble flinched her eyes shut and produced a timid squeak as she saw a flash of red.

However, instead of the stabbing pain that she was expecting, she felt something cold press against her lips. She opened her eyes and looked ahead to see a stream of blood floating in front of her. Feeling the hunger inside her intensifying, she slurped the stream with surprising ease.

The familiar copper taste slid down her throat. It was just as refreshing as last time, if not more so. She couldn’t get enough.

Eventually, however, the stream ended, leaving her to lick her lips dry. After she regained her senses, a brief feeling of disgust washed over her, before that was replaced with relief. She was herself again, however long it might have lasted.

“You are fortunate that you were instrumental to my awakening. If it were anyone else… well, let’s just say that my patience has limits.” He glanced back into the room.

Scribble trailed her eyes to the floor briefly, avoiding looking at the alicorn until he looked back at her. She still felt uneasy being around him after witnessing him killing one of his own underlings. It was like he said. If she didn’t save him, she would be no different from the pegasus.

“Could you do something for me?” Dusk asked after a pensive moment of silence.

Scribble merely nodded hesitantly.

“Good… Now, be a dear and go release Princess Celestia. Then go hide downstairs. We have guests coming, and I need to make sure they feel welcomed.” He smirked a bit.

Scribble nodded again, this time slowly walking backward. She was glad to get any excuse to walk away from the alicorn. After watching him staring at her for a moment, he got up and left in the other direction, freeing her up to turn around and trot away.

It took a few minutes to find where the alicorn was keeping Celestia. She tried to keep to herself and stay away from the others whenever possible, so she only caught a glimpse of some other ponies taking the unconscious princess to some holding room on the second floor.

As she neared the door, Scribble hesitated for a moment. She had never seen the princess before outside of pictures, and that was before Dusk did whatever he had to her. The alicorn seemed a little pale when she was being brought in, so Scribble assumed that Dusk must have turned her.

What was she like now? Was she some uncaring and unfeeling slave to Dusk’s will like the others? Or, perhaps, did she still have a shred of her own free will?

Either way, refusing an order from the alicorn seemed impossible for her, so Scribble unlocked the door and opened it up.

The chamber inside was faintly lit by moonlight. The beams filtering in through the slitted windows created lines on the floor, almost resemblant of prison bars.

There, huddled into a fetal ball up against the far wall, was the regal mistress of the sun, or at least what she had become. Her sullen eyes were bloodshot, and the vibrant pink color Scribble admired in so many photos and renditions had changed to a dim red. Her once beautiful mane was unkempt and washed out, as if the life had been taken out of the colors, out of her.

Much like Scribble did, Celestia looked like a corpse. A shell of her former self that was persisting by whatever foul life force was now running through their veins.

Hearing the door open, the alicorn lifted her head to see her new visitor. As she saw that it wasn't Dusk, and in fact, not some pony wearing a cruel or blank expression, she perked up slightly.

“Umm…. h-hello… Princess…?” Scribble said quietly, briefly trailing her eyes away and rubbing a foreleg.

“You aren’t like the others, are you?” Celestia asked, lifting slightly from her seated position.

Scribble looked down to her own pale hooves. “I don’t think so. I’m mostly still myself.”

Celestia smiled softly. She got up and walked over to the peach mare. “What’s your name, my little pony?”

“Scholarly Scribble.” She said, still a bit uncomfortable to be conversing so casually with her monarch.

“Well, Scholarly Scribble… I’m sorry that you’ve been wrapped up in this mess. I promise that I will do everything I can to help you.” Celestia assured, as much as she could in her state.

Hearing this, Scribble looked down and let her ears droop. “No… I’m the one who should be sorry. This whole mess is my fault.”

Celestia softened her eyes and twitched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“My friends and I… we came here to write a report on the castle’s history. Ghost stories… legends, that sort of stuff. I thought it would help get me noticed by my publisher, and my brother thought…” Scribble trailed off, briefly lost in her thoughts as her shoulders sank. “Anyway, we found... him down in the basement.”

“You mean Dusk?” Celestia asked.

Scribble nodded, still absorbed in troubled thoughts. “We thought he was dead… he was dead! He was all shriveled up and, a-and-” She tripped over her words before taking a moment to sigh and compose herself. “I don’t know how, but he woke up. We found him… eating one of our friends. He hunted us down one by one. He cornered me and… slit my throat.” She held her neck protectively before looking down at her hooves. “After that… I woke up like this.”

Celestia frowned as she listened to the shaken mare describe what had happened. Scribble lowered her head and started breathing erratically. After a moment or two, she even began to cry.

“I can’t even go home and explain what happened to my parents. I’m a monster…” Scribble muttered.

Feeling a slight tap on her chin, Scribble looked up, only to sink back in surprise as her tears were lifted away by a soft glow. The princess had her horn lit up and a caring expression on her face.

“Do not despair, Scholarly Scribble. Not all is lost.” Celestia spoke softly. “I must admit that I am less knowledgeable than I would like in paranormal matters, but I do know that there is a cure for people like us. There is a way to undo what Dusk has inflicted us with.”

Scribble got the last few sniffles out of her system and wiped her eyes before looking up to the alicorn with a glint of hope. “Really…?”

Celestia nodded. “I do not remember the details of it, but a cure does exist for vampirism. As long as you don’t succumb to your urges and drink the blood of another.”

“But… I have drank some blood, from the Prince… I-I mean… from Dusk.” Scribble admitted.

“Don’t worry. I am confident that his blood does not matter. After all, we already have his blood in our bodies, and we still have our senses about us.” Celestia mused. “I think the act of taking another’s blood is what completes the transformation… I also think that’s why Dusk hasn’t ordered us to kill someone. I don’t think he can yet… We have to be the one to give in.”

Scribble’s expression fell as she thought back to the oddly delicious taste and aroma of blood. “But Princess… it’s so hard to resist. Once I start getting thirsty, I just can’t help myself. I can smell it in the air… I can’t get away from it.”

“Don’t remind me.” Celestia cringed a bit and held her stomach. After taking a moment to suppress the urge to go sniff out some poor victim, she looked back to the peach mare with an understanding frown. “Believe me, I know how compelling the thirst is… I nearly killed my beloved student without so much as batting an eye. But you must fight it. If you give in, then you will truly be lost like the others he has tainted. The worst part of it is… you won’t even care.”

If she could feel it, a cold chill would be shooting down Scribble’s back. She shook some troubling thoughts from her head, trying her best not to give up hope.

“I… think I have to go now. He ordered me to go downstairs after I released you.” Scribble explained regretfully.

Celestia leaned in toward her. “Wait… he ordered you to release me?” She asked, receiving a hesitant nod in response.

“Yes. He said that someone was coming and that he wanted to be prepared for them.” Scribble said.

Celestia’s already pale face seemed to grow even more so. “Oh no…” She muttered to herself, her eyes losing focus as she stared into the middle distance. She had a feeling that the others would come after her and Twilight, and she also had a feeling that Dusk would anticipate this, but now the group had totally lost the element of surprise. Her friends were about to walk into a trap.

“We have to warn them somehow,” Celestia said quietly, her eyes shifting around feverishly. “We have to-”

Suddenly, the alicorn froze and her eyes went wide. Her ears twitched, and a sort of trance fell over her as the reds in her eyes brightened ever so slightly.

“Princess…?” Scribble spoke, pulling back slightly as the alicorn remained completely still for a solid few seconds.

Celestia tensed her limbs and twitched the corners of her mouth as she tried to speak, but nothing but muted stammers and murmurs came out. Her eyes were focused, but not on Scribble or anything else around her.

Without warning, she got up and started walking toward the door.

“Princess?” Scribble persisted, turning to watch as the alicorn passed by her like she wasn't even there. “Princess Celestia?”

Celestia marched out of the room, stiff as a puppet. She paused outside and cringed, tensing her neck as she shakily looked over to the peach mare before turning back ahead and starting to walk again.

“Be strong… Scholarly Scribble… don’t… give in…” She strained as she kept walking toward some unknown destination.

Scribble went out into the corridor and watched as the princess eventually left her sight. Although she had only experienced it in full force once before, she recognized that look in the alicorn’s eyes. She had seen it before when Dusk gave orders to one of the other pale ponies.

Feeling a slight tickle at the back of her mind, Scribble glanced toward the floor and thought to her own orders. She was free to walk around for the most part, but something told her that if she tried to refuse a task given to her that she would end up meeting stiff resistance.

“I better get downstairs…” She muttered to herself, thinking back on the princess’s words. The thought of a cure ignited a small bit of hope in her heart, and the thought of rescuers coming to save the alicorn and her friends kindled that spark and made it grow. Still, if she had any chance of getting rescued, she first had to avoid getting slain on sight for looking like one of the pale creatures.

-Sometime later-

Down in the cold, dungeon-esque corridors of the castle’s lower level, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their newfound companion were following behind Blank Page as he led them to what they all hoped would be a safe, secluded place.

No matter how hard they tried to tread softly, their hoofsteps echoed around them. Every time they heard a stray noise, or got a bit too paranoid, they would freeze, watch, and listen for any signs that they weren’t alone. Luckily, they hadn’t been found yet, at least as far as they could tell.

Apple Bloom was darting her head around near constantly, never truly settling down. She resembled a frightened bird, scanning her surroundings for the slightest hint of danger so she could take off running.

Sweetie Belle had to actively prevent herself from trembling. Everyone had a slight shake to their limbs from the cold, but the young unicorn was jittery for an entirely different reason.

Scootaloo was trying her best to appear confident for the sake of her friends. They needed some form of rock to help ease their fears, and while the stallion leading them was the designated adult, he was a stranger, and he even seemed to be out of his depth.

Maple Leaf was bringing up the rear of the group. She had been mostly quiet, only speaking when spoken to and generally shying away from interacting with the others. She was looking at them an awful lot though, perhaps as some silent way of assuring herself that she wasn't alone.

Taking a paranoid glance behind her, Sweetie Belle couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being followed. After all, it was a wonder they hadn’t been found yet. It was almost like the halls around them were empty, no matter how much she felt like they weren’t.

“Mr. Page… are we getting close to that hiding spot you mentioned?” Sweetie asked in a careful whisper.

The young stallion looked back to his even younger charges. Although some were trying to hide how afraid they were, it was easy to see it in their eyes that they were terrified.

Desperate to instill some kind of confidence in them, Page took a look around at his surroundings and tried to mentally recap how many turns he had made. The featureless corridors all blended into a maze of stone and torchlight, with the only way to tell where they were going being the glimpses into unique rooms they occasionally received from broken doors.

“It’s not far.” He assured. If he was telling the truth, he was almost as anxious as they were that he had made a wrong turn somewhere. After all, up until recently, he had only been seeing as much as he could once his eyes adjusted to the dark. He didn’t know why the pale ponies had lit so many torches for them. It was almost like they expected them to escape.

Stepping on an uneven stone in the dim lighting, one of Page’s legs slipped, putting more weight on his bad leg than he intended. He stifled a yelp of pain as he went to the floor, just barely able to keep from smacking his chin into the stonework.

“Are you ok?” Scootaloo asked with a concerned frown.

“Yeah… that leg looks real bad.” Apple Bloom added. She had received a few sprains and breaks in her times roughhousing around the farm, so she knew what signs to look for before she started being concerned. Although there wasn't any obvious distortion of the bone in the stallion’s leg, it was starting to turn a blackish shade of blue.

Blank Page took a moment to grit his teeth as he tried to stand back up, taking care to keep weight off the injured limb. He forced a reassuring smile to his face through the exhaustion before facing the fillies. “I’m good… I’m good. I’m just… more tired than I thought.” He suppressed a pang of weakness as his body cried out for sustenance that he couldn’t provide. “Let’s not worry about me right now. I’ll be fine.” He said, though his difficulty with raising up seemed to claim otherwise.

“Take it easy.” Scootaloo fretted.

Sweetie Belle walked up and leaned her body into the stallion’s side, hoping to help him get back to his own three hooves again. “Let me help.”

Seeing her friend going to assist the stallion, Apple Bloom rushed up to the other side to help. “Come on. We’re not gonna leave you behind.”

Scootaloo quickly joined her fellow Crusaders. Maple Leaf watched, a bit surprised as the three fillies counted down before they heaved and pushed, managing to push the stallion back up.

“Heh… you’re pretty brave for a bunch of kids.” Page smiled a bit more genuinely.

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders always help a pony in need,” Scootaloo said with a toothy grin. “Come on, let’s get to that hiding spot so you can rest.”

Blank Page nodded to the trio of fillies before pressing onward again. His limp was a bit more pronounced now, but he was determined to keep going. He had to get them to safety if it was the last thing he did.

After a few more minutes of slowly walking, rounding corners, and weaving through rooms that made dungeons look pleasant by comparison, Page stopped abruptly. He looked ahead at what seemed to be just another corner, with two torches about five feet apart from each other on the left wall.

“I think we’re here.” Page said, hobbling forward until he was standing in the intersection of the hallway behind them and another stretching to the right.

While the stallion was paying attention to the wall with the two torches, the fillies looked down into the other hallway. There was an entire portion in the middle of the hall illuminated by streams of moonlight coming down from small holes that had opened up in the floor above.

“You said there was a secret room here, right?” Apple Bloom asked warily. “Where is it?”

Page glanced back to the fillies before looking at the two torches on the wall. “Well…” He paused, reaching up and grabbing the torch on the left. With a brief twist and a metallic click, the torch and its holder rotated slightly. All at once, the stone wall popped open with a slight scattering of dust and grated forward to reveal a dark room.

“That’s the thing about secret rooms. They’re secret.” Page explained. He took the other torch from its sconce and used it to light the way as he stepped inside.

Scootaloo stared at the hidden doorway for a moment, wide-eyed and her jaw agape in amazement. "That is so cool!"

Meanwhile, as everyone else filed into the hole in the wall, Maple Leaf stopped abruptly as a sound pricked her overly sensitive ears.

She looked back toward where they came from, only to spot a flash of color disappearing around the far corner. Narrowing her eyes, she stared at the spot for a while, daring whatever had moved to move again.

"Hurry up, Maple! Someone might see you." Sweetie Belle called from inside the room, a concerned tone to her voice.

Maple looked back at the doorway to see the others watching her expectantly. She then looked back to the side and hid a glare.

"They better not…" She muttered to herself as she joined the group inside.

Once everyone was in, Page pulled the door closed. There was another set of torch sconces on this side of the door, with one holding an unlit torch, and the other twisted at an angle. Once the door clicked shut, the empty sconce twisted back to normal, seemingly indicating it to be another hidden switch to open the door from this side.

The stallion used his torch to light the other one before turning and taking a look around the room alongside the fillies. When he stumbled upon this secret door, he didn’t get a good look inside before nerves got the better of him and he moved on.

As the light from the torches fell on the contents of the room, however, his expression plummeted.

There were several rusted neck shackles bolted to the back wall. They weren’t chains either, instead consisting of what equated to a stiff and unmoving iron rod sticking out of the wall with a spiked collar attached at the end. The metal was so old that many of them were falling apart, with one particularly long broken piece missing its collar looking like it could impale anyone unfortunate enough to slip on it.

There were also faded brown scrawls along the floor and walls that seemed like they originally held shapes and patterns, like some kind of writing or symbols, but they were so faint that it was impossible to tell their original purpose.

Against the left wall was an altar of sorts. Scraps of musty cloth clung loosely to the once decorative slab of graying material, too old and faded to determine its origin. A few pieces of brown parchment, a decorative dagger, and some copper bowls were littered on its surface, with the largest bowl full of something.

To call it something was about as accurate an observation as the ponies wanted to make. Truth be told, the brownish-red substance caked onto the sides of the bowl could have been any number of things, and none of them could have been good if the dagger and stale smell were any indicator.

“Sweet hayfritters… that smells worse than the chicken coop back home on a hot day.” Apple Bloom commented, holding a foreleg over her nose and trying to inch away from the repulsive odor, but it had been stagnating in this room so long that it permeated every corner.

“Who would use all this stuff? It’s horrible…” Sweetie Belle frowned as she imagined what the purpose of such a room would be.

“Yeah… sorry, but this is the only safe place I know of here.” Blank Page said with a sympathetic expression, trying to ignore the urge to crinkle his nose shut. “Nopony has been in this room in a really long time… and that’s the best thing we could ask for right now.”

Meanwhile, Scootaloo paused suddenly as she caught a glimpse of something odd catching the light in the corner. It didn’t look like a piece of one of the shackles. It was much too light-colored for that.

“What’s that?” The pegasus asked, walking over to it.

“What’s what?” Apple Bloom turned to see what had caught her friend’s curiosity.

Scootaloo wrinkled her expression as she neared the object on the floor. It was weirdly smooth and rounded in comparison to the stone around it. “I don’t know… it looks like a-” She nudged it with her hoof, expecting it to be a rock.

There was a hollow rattle. Rocks didn’t rattle, did they?

All at once, Scootaloo’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a distinctly face-shaped object. It was a skull, and not a pony skull, but a gryphon.

“Waah!” Scootaloo yelped as she jumped back. She crawled backward as fast as she could until she bumped into Blank Page’s foreleg.

The others all saw what had spooked the pegasus in the stallion’s torchlight. The small gray lump was stuck on its side, its beak open slightly to reveal numerous missing teeth. There were also some other bits and pieces that seemed like they could be bones, but they were so far mixed into the debris on the floor that it was hard to tell.

“Th… t-that… who did that?!” Scootaloo asked, her voice cracking slightly as she pointed a shaky hoof at the corner.

“Oh my gosh…” Sweetie Belle covered her mouth with both hooves as she stared at the skull. She had seen skeletons before, but none of them were real, and none of them were gryphons either.

Blank Page felt a tug at the contents of his stomach. He might have been unfamiliar with gryphon anatomy, but even he could tell that the skull was too small to belong to an adult.

“Skala Herz must have been just as much of a monster as that alicorn…” He muttered to himself.

Suddenly, a despairing cry filled the air of the room. Everyone looked over to see Maple Leaf weeping freely into her hooves, hiding her face from them.

“We’re all gonna die down here… just like that gryphon!” Maple exclaimed.

Apple Bloom softened her expression as she heard how heartbroken the filly seemed. “Now that ain’t true… we’ll be fine.” She said, trying her best to suppress her own doubts for the sake of comforting the crying pony.

“You don’t know that!” Maple said, lifting her head to reveal puffy eyes full of tears. “Those monsters are gonna find us sooner or later… and then it’s all over! I’ve seen what they can do… they… t-they…” She paused to let out a slight hiccup. “They ate my mom and dad!”

Scootaloo and the others reeled back in shock as the filly continued crying. They couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to witness such a thing. Even the thought of something like that happening to them gave them a pang in their hearts.

Blank Page struggled to try and think of something to say to comfort the distraught filly. However, he wasn't sure if he could. He had lost his sister and his friends to the pale monsters, and he still wasn't sure if he would ever be ok. The only thing preventing him from spiraling off into grief was the urge to escape and live on.

Before the stallion could even open his mouth, however, Sweetie Belle walked over and placed a hoof on Maple’s shoulder.

“Maple… I’m so sorry about what happened to your parents.” Sweetie said with a sympathetic expression and a soft voice. “I know it seems really scary… I mean, I’m scared too, but I know everything will be ok. It doesn’t matter how many of those monsters are out there, because I know that my sister and my friends will find us, even if they have to fight their way through a hundred of them.”

Maple Leaf slowly uncovered her eyes, though she still kept her hooves covering her face, and looked at the young unicorn through all her tears. Sweetie Belle smiled slightly, and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom smiled behind her.

Finally, Maple opened her forelegs hesitantly and slowly moved in for a hug, which Sweetie gladly reciprocated. “You really think your friends can save us?” She asked quietly, burying her face into the unicorn’s fur.

Sweetie Belle gave a reassuring squeeze and patted the brownish filly on the back. “I really do… I’ve seen them fight way scarier monsters before and win, so I know they will find us.”

Maple smiled, enjoying the warmth of the white filly’s body for a moment. “Well… then I guess I’ll just have to hurry things along.”

Sweetie blinked in confusion.

“What?”

Just as she got the words out of her mouth, a burning pain seared into Sweetie’s neck as an animalistic snarl came from beside her.

“AHHHHGH!”

The unicorn’s scream deafened the room. Everyone widened their eyes and felt their hearts skip as they looked ahead to see Maple Leaf latching onto Sweetie Belle’s neck by the teeth. Sweetie tried to push the filly away, but Maple was clutching onto her like an iron vice.

“Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shrieked in unison as they both darted forward. One grabbed their friend, while the other focused on trying to push the monstrous filly off. With some exertion, they finally managed to separate the two.

Sweetie Belle fell back into her friends’ forelegs, crying and clutching her neck. Blood was already trickling down her back and shoulder, staining her pristine white fur.

Everyone looked up, only to find Maple Leaf staring back at them.

The filly’s entire appearance had changed. Her fur had lost most of its color, and her eyes were an intense shade of red that was glowing almost as bright as the torch behind her. The soft features on her face were replaced with a hateful scowl. Two fangs were poking out of her mouth, which was dribbling with blood.

As Maple Leaf produced a vicious hiss and reared back, the three fillies screamed and fell back to the floor clutching each other tightly.

“Girls!” Blank Page shouted from the side, causing everyone, even a mid-flight Maple Leaf, to look over.

With a swift thwack and a crackle of flame, Page smacked the pale filly out of the air with the business end of his torch. Maple Leaf yelped and tumbled as she hit the floor before smacking into the altar, knocking the objects on top of it slightly.

A sizable burn was left on her cheek, and some of her hair was even smoldering. However, as she stood back up, any damage done to her seemed to fade and vanish. What didn’t vanish, however, was the angry glare on her face.

“That… hurt.” Maple growled.

Blank Page rushed in front of the three fillies as they scrambled to get away with their injured friend. He held his torch at the ready as Maple charged forward with dizzying speed. With another swipe, Page tried to swat her away again, only to have the torch swatted out of his hooves with surprising strength.

“AH!” Page yelped as the filly leaped up and into him, sending him backward as he grabbed onto her and tried to keep her away from his neck. The stallion landed roughly on the stone floor with a snarling ball of teeth and energy held mere inches away.

“Oh man!” Scootaloo clasped her hooves to the sides of her head as she practically watched the struggle in front of her shift out of the stallion’s favor. She glanced back to her two friends before rushing forward. “Take Sweetie and get the door open!” She instructed frantically.

Apple Bloom didn’t like the idea of the pegasus going near the monstrous pony, but she knew as well as Scootaloo did that things could only get worse when they were trapped in a room. “Are you ok?” She asked, looking to Sweetie Belle and helping her to her hooves.

Sweetie Belle cringed as her wound stung. There was a concerning amount of blood covering her neck, but it didn’t seem like the wounds were that deep. “I... ngh… I think so.”

“Good… come here and climb on my back. We need to get out of here!” Apple Bloom said, gesturing the unicorn to hurry up as she stood below the hidden mechanism on the wall.

Meanwhile, Blank Page was still struggling for his life.

The pale filly was far stronger than anything her size should have been. She might not have been as strong as an adult vampire, but with Page’s exhaustion, she might as well have been. His forelegs burned and shook as he desperately tried to keep her still and as far away as possible.

“You should have left us in that cell!” Maple foamed, gnashing her teeth and trying to bite at any part of the stallion’s body she could reach. “I was going to enjoy playing with them for a while before I killed them, but then you just had to show up and play hero!”

“Gah!” Page squeaked fearfully. “Is this really what kids these days are like?!”

Just then, a warcry came from the side as a blur of orange leaped up and grabbed onto the filly from behind. Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Maple’s waist and tugged as hard as she could, even fluttering her tiny wings to give herself a boost.

Not having been prepared for two forces acting on her, Maple Leaf came free from the stallion and fell backward with the orange filly carrying her.

The pair tumbled for a moment before coming to a stop against the back wall, with the pegasus on the bottom, and a very agitated-looking pale pony on top.

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom cried. However, with Sweetie Belle balancing on her back, trying to reach the sconce on the wall, all she could do was reach toward the pegasus and watch. “Hurry, Sweetie!”

“I’m trying!” Sweetie replied, standing on her hind leg and stretching as far as she could. “I can almost reach it!” She said, brushing the tip of her hoof against the bottom of the sconce.

While Scootaloo was busy staring death in the eyes, stiff as a statue, Blank Page was struggling to get to his hooves again so he could help her.

“Leave her alone!” Page demanded, barely managing to push himself up and balance on his good hind leg.

Maple Leaf smirked at the stallion before looking down to the young pegasus and licking her lips. “I hope you taste better than little Ms. Marshmallow over there.”

Scootaloo produced a high-pitched noise of distress as the pale filly opened her mouth and prepared to lunge down. She reached one hoof out to try and stop the monstrous pony, and fumbled the other behind her, desperately searching for something, anything to help her. Just before her life flashed before her eyes, something solid brushed against her hoof.

With a loud snarl, Maple bit down into what she assumed would be tender pony flesh. Instead, something cold and metallic was suddenly shoved into her mouth. It took a moment for her to realize, but once she did, she glared down at the pegasus.

Scootaloo couldn’t help but smirk nervously as she saw the rusted remains of a shackle sticking out of the filly’s mouth. Her triumph was short-lived, however, as Maple crunched the piece of iron in her teeth, reducing it to shattered flecks in an instant.

A loud click came from the side, drawing everyone’s attention away.

“I got it!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed joyously as she hung off the sconce on the now moving section of wall. She looked over, only to see a pair of red eyes staring at her angrily. “Uh oh…”

Suddenly, Maple Leaf was sent backward as an orange hoof socked her in the mouth. Scootaloo wasted no time in scrambling backward and getting to her hooves.

“I know Ms. Cheerilee says that violence is never the answer, but I feel like this is one of those special cases!” She stated as she darted over to Blank Page and pushed to help him up. “Girls!”

“On it!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said in unison, rushing over in an instant and pushing the stallion to his hooves again before turning tail.

“Let’s get out of here!” Page suggested frantically, making every effort to at least run alongside the three fillies.

Meanwhile, Maple Leaf picked herself off the floor. She was a bit stunned, and not from the blow to her face either. With her newfound terrifying abilities, she never expected to be stood up to in such a manner.

Swishing around in her mouth for a moment, she spat out a bit of blood and a tooth, which she was confident would grow back soon. She then looked up to see the escaping band of ponies and snarled.

As soon as the three fillies got out into the hallway, they all spun around to see Blank Page starting to close the door. He knew as well as they did that they stood no chance of outrunning the super-powered filly.

Just before he managed to get the door closed, Page was knocked back as the wall shot open. He smacked into the wall behind him, much to the horror of the three fillies nearby.

“Mr. Page!” Scootaloo yelped before a growl silenced her and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Sure enough, Maple Leaf stalked out of the hole in the wall, staring the Crusaders down with a fiery intensity. She looked altogether displeased with their attempts at escaping.

“I’m gonna enjoy this…” Maple said, touching her tongue to the tips of her fangs and smiling sadistically.

Scootaloo looked beside her to see both of her friends trembling and holding each other. She looked to the right to see the stallion getting up and staring at the monstrous filly. She then settled her eyes on Maple Leaf, a cold chill of fear working its way through her system before she steeled her expression and exhaled tensely.

With a fierce cry, the others widened their eyes as they watched their pegasus friend bolt forward and tackle the pale filly.

“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“What the hay are you doing?!” Apple Bloom added.

“Get out of here!” Scootaloo yelled behind her as she used all of her strength and weight to keep the pale pony on the floor. “The others are risking their lives to come save us! We can’t just let them do all that for nothing! Go!”

Before anyone else could do anything, a pale hoof shot up and grabbed Scootaloo by the neck, cutting off her windpipe with a strangled noise of pain.

Maple Leaf, with all the effort of carrying a piece of cardboard, stood up and held the pegasus aloft by one hoof.

“I’m done playing games. You’ve made me mad now… and I get hungry when I’m mad!”

Scootaloo croaked and pulled and swatted at the foreleg holding her with her hooves. She kicked and flailed and beat her wings, trying anything to wrench herself free, if not to escape, then to be able to breathe again. Still, nothing she did could stop the filly from bringing her close and opening wide.

“Scootaloo!” Everyone shouted, racing forward and reaching for their friend, but they knew they wouldn’t make it in time.

Just then, the rapid sounds of hooves clopping could be heard as a blur of peach color swooped in from the side. Maple Leaf felt a powerful shove sending her to the floor, and Scootaloo felt a more gentle force pulling her away.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were stunned into silence by the arrival of what appeared to be another pale pony. However, it was Blank Page that was the most shocked.

Standing there, acting as an obstacle between the pale filly and them, was a faintly peach-colored young mare with brown hair and a feather quill encircled with ink as a cutie mark.

“Scribble…?” Page muttered, unable to tear his eyes off of her.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle narrowed their eyes in confusion.

“Scribble?” Apple Bloom parroted.

Sweetie Belle looked to the stallion. “But… isn’t that your sister’s name?”

Meanwhile, Maple Leaf put a hoof to the back of her head where she was just violently slammed into a stone floor. She looked up, only to see that she was back in the hidden room instead of tearing into an orange pegasus. In fact, the orange pegasus was on the floor just ahead, panting and recovering while staring up at another pony. A pony that Maple recognized. A pony that shouldn’t have been here.

“You…” Maple hissed, her eyes flaring as she stamped a hoof. “You’re betraying us…? Betraying the prince?!”

“I’m not going to just sit by and let you hurt them!” Scribble protested.

“I can’t believe he wasted his gifts on someone like you!”

Scribble furrowed her brow slightly. “I never asked for any of this! He can have his gifts back for all I care!”

A feral growl made the peach mare reel back a bit. Maple Leaf stalked forward before lowering and getting ready to pounce. “I’ll gladly take them back for you!”

“Please… I don’t want to-” Scribble started backing up until the filly lunged forward, hooves outstretched and teeth bared. She yelped briefly before shooting her own hooves up.

Page and the Crusaders watched as the peach mare caught Maple Leaf mid-flight, but not before getting grazed by a fang right down her muzzle. The pale filly swiped and grasped with her hooves, but Scribble barely managed to keep her away.

“Let me go!” Maple barked, doing everything she could to get at the older pony. “I’m gonna make you watch while I rip them to shreds!”

Scribble cringed as she held onto the hectic ball of energy in her hooves. The filly was much more accustomed to using her enhanced strength than she was, making it difficult for either of them to make much progress.

“Just… leave them alone!” Scribble yelled, tossing the filly away. However, she put more strength behind her throw than she intended or even knew she was capable of.

Maple Leaf went flying into the hidden room, all the way to the back. She flew at such a high speed and velocity, in fact, that she barely even slowed down as one of the broken iron poles impaled her and she smacked into the wall.

Scribble and the others stared at the pale filly in stunned silence. She had wide eyes and an unsettled look on her face. Ever since her rebirth as one of Dusk’s children, she hadn’t felt pain to a meaningful degree. Now, however, there was a searing burning coming from her chest.

“Wh… hh…” Maple brought a shaky hoof beside the metallic pole now protruding from her body. Although she couldn’t see it, a ring of glowing embers started spreading out around where the rod had pierced her.

As the ashes overtook the filly, forcing an end to her abrupt scream, the others had a wave of varying emotions hit them.

Sweetie Belle was staring at the fading embers and debris falling to the floor, her jaw agape and trembling ever so slightly. Apple Bloom was inched backward, physically revolted by such a violent end happening right before her eyes. Scootaloo felt a bit of relief that the danger had passed, but she couldn’t shake the pang of sadness in her heart.

Blank Page looked ahead to see his sister, their apparent savior, staring ahead like a statue. The peach mare looked at the iron pole, and then down at her hooves, which were shaking slightly.

“I… I didn’t mean to…” Scribble muttered remorsefully.

“Scribble?”

Hearing her brother’s voice behind her, Scribble paused suddenly. She slowly turned and looked to see the stallion with three fillies gathered behind him, a stunned expression on his face.

“Page… I can’t believe it’s you.” She smiled softly before wrinkling her features in confusion. “How are you alive? I saw the Prince… I mean… I saw that alicorn coming for you in that pit.”

Page glanced down to his bad leg and cringed softly at the memory of wrenching it free from the pile of debris. “That’s the thing… I don’t really know. That alicorn just kind of passed by without even paying attention to me. I guess he was focusing on you and Gale...” He let his ears droop as he saw the pale fur and cold red eyes his sister now had. “I hoped you made it out… Oh, Scribble… I really hoped you made it out.”

“I’m sorry…” Scribble trailed her eyes down. “I couldn’t do anything to stop him.” She said, her voice wavering a bit as tears welled up in her eyes. She clenched them shut and turned away from the stallion.

Page started to move toward her until he felt a small nudge. He looked down, only to see Scootaloo and the others looking to him with wary expressions.

“Mr. Page… are you sure we can trust her?” Scootaloo whispered.

“Yeah… I know she saved us and all, but… she’s one of them.” Apple Bloom added.

The stallion looked at the fillies for a moment before glancing at the peach mare. “I have to trust her. If I don’t, I’ve failed as a big brother.” He said softly.

The fillies weren’t sure how to respond to that, or if they justifiably could. They understood perfectly what he was going through. If one of them were put into her position, then they were certain that their friends and family would still try everything to assure them that they would be ok.

Amidst her silent tears and gloomy thoughts, Scribble looked up as she felt a pair of hooves wrapping around her, only to find her brother collapsing into her and holding her close.

“Page…?”

“I don’t care what that alicorn did. You’re still my sister.” Page said, giving her a tender squeeze.

Scribble hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to feel, before a soft smile crept across her face. She rested her chin on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and wrapped her forelegs around him. She never thought she would get this opportunity again.

However, around that time, a familiar copper scent tickled her nose. It was like the best thing she ever smelled, and it was close. Very close.

Opening her eyes, she looked around feverishly before finding the three fillies. Scootaloo was still watching her warily, while Apple Bloom was inspecting Sweetie Belle’s wound. The unicorn was cringing as her friend examined the portion of her fur stained in crimson.

As she sniffed at the drying blood on the unicorn’s neck, Scribble suddenly became painfully aware of the warm pulsing neck she was nestled into. A feral instinct within her shoved a thought into her mind. Why not just take a bite? It would be easy.

Page looked up as the peach mare abruptly pushed away. She was breathing slightly heavier, and she had a bit of panic in her eyes before she forced herself to calm down.

“I-I think I shouldn’t stay with you,” Scribble said.

“What…?” Page frowned.

Scribble opened her mouth to say something, only to close it tightly as she remembered how apparent her fangs were. “I don’t want to hurt you! I’m a monster, Page… I can control myself right now, but it’s only a matter of time before I get thirsty again.”

“You don’t seem like a monster to me.” Sweetie Belle piped up.

Scootaloo tilted her head a bit. “To be fair, neither did Maple until she took a bite out of you.” She whispered, only to receive a forceful nudge.

Seeing a sense of unease still present in his sister, Page took her by the hoof and scooted closer to her. “Hey… look at me.” He said, gently brushing some of her disheveled mane out of her face as she looked up. “You won’t hurt anyone… I know you. Besides, we’re apparently going to be rescued soon.”

“Huh?” Scribble narrowed her eyes in confusion.

Page glanced behind him to the group of fillies. “They say that they’re friends with the royal monster hunters… and I believe them. If those guys really are coming for us, then I’m sure they can help get you back to normal.” He explained.

Although she wanted to accept her brother’s reassurances, there was still a hint of fear in the back of Scribble’s mind. She glanced at the fillies behind the stallion, only to see them offering her smiles with varying levels of sincerity between them. Still, she could also see a hint of unease in their eyes, even behind their gratitude and sympathy. She didn’t blame them one bit.

Looking back to Blank Page, her expression fell as she saw such love and trust in his eyes. The thought of hurting him or one of the fillies destroyed her. If she got thirsty again and ended up killing someone, she would rather die herself.

However, as she thought back to Celestia’s words, she felt that shred of hope in her heart again. Maybe her brother was right after all? If they were rescued before she fell to her urges, then she could be cured.

“Alright…” Scribble said with a tiny nod, still wearing a bit of a hesitant frown. “I’ll stay with you.”

Page let the corners of his mouth raise and his eyes lit up. “Thank you.”

“But-” Scribble started, causing the stallion’s expression to fall as he saw a somber look in her eyes.

“But?”

Scribble looked to the trio of fillies for a moment before softening her features. “If I start to get hungry before those monster hunters show up… I want you to kill me.”

“W-what?!” Page recoiled slightly.

Sweetie Belle gasped, and the others looked ahead with stunned expressions.

“You don’t need to do that.” Scootaloo insisted. “You’ll be fine. Just… just think happy thoughts or something until you’re not hungry anymore.”

Scribble offered the young pegasus a tiny smile before turning to her brother with a more serious look. “Page… I mean it. Snap my neck… put one of those metal scraps through my heart, do whatever it takes. Once I get thirsty, I can’t control myself. Either you’re going to have to kill me, or I’ll…” She paused, averting her eyes briefly, “o-or I’ll kill one of you… and if you’re going to let it come to that, then I will walk away right now.”

Page hesitated for a moment before answering. He darted his trembling eyes over his sister in troubled thought, furrowing his expression uneasily before finally setting his mouth in a grim line. “I won’t let it come to that.”

“So you promise to kill me?” Scribble asked to clarify, only to pause as the stallion put a hoof on her shoulder.

“I won’t let it come to that.” He said plainly.

Scribble frowned, but she didn’t say anything. She wasn't sure what to say. The longest time went by as she struggled to come up with something to respond with until finally, Page beat her to the punch.

“Come on. Let’s get back inside and wait it out until your friends get here.” The stallion said, glancing at the fillies as he got up and walked up to the hidden room.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom silently filed into the hole in the wall, pausing and stealing concerned glances to the peach mare and the stallion before they entered. Sweetie Belle lingered outside for a moment, looking at the pair sympathetically. She seemed to want to say something, but eventually, she gave up and quietly did as she was told.

Page watched the young unicorn joining her friends before turning to his sister, who was still sitting where she had been before. “Are you coming?”

“Page…” Scribble muttered sadly.

“Come on, Scrib… don’t make me drag you in there when my leg is hurt.” Page said, soft but lighthearted.

Scribble was still hesitant, but eventually, she relented. After all, with his injury and weakness, she was the only thing really keeping them safe if they were found again. She only hoped that they would be safe from her.

Chapter 19: A Warm Welcome

Everyone was on edge as they soared over the winter kissed forest below. Their brief struggle with the vampiric ponies back in Coltridge served as a reminder that, even though they were prepared, they were fighting a fierce opponent.

Still, this reminder only served to strengthen their drive to take back their friends.

Another hour or so went by with nothing but endless forest going by. The thought that it was supposed to be morning by now was more than a little disturbing. Still, even if it wasn't daylight out, it didn’t stop the ponies' internal clocks. Most of them decided to take a power nap on the way, but some were stubborn enough to hold out for a while.

Shining Armor looked up to his companions quietly.

Glimmer Shine was asleep with his forelegs crossed. He had attempted to stay awake, but apparently, he couldn't hold out. Shining Armor couldn’t blame the yellow stallion. Even he felt exhausted.

Glitterball was just barely lucid. Her eyes were drooped and her head was about to follow. Every few moments, she would slowly drift forward and close her eyes, only to jerk awake and repeat the process. Eventually, however, she slid to the side of her seat and passed out.

Sunspot was completely conked out and had been for some time. The pegasus was usually lazy, but no one blamed her in this instance, especially after her brief struggle with the vampiric ponies.

Somehow, even Tom was asleep. Shining Armor had heard from Twilight that the boy usually only slept three hours a night due to his powers, but he had been out since they left Coltridge.

Suddenly, Tom jerked up with a slight noise of alarm. He eyed around at his surroundings briefly before relaxing a bit and deflating back to his seat.

"Bad dream?" A voice came softly from the side, causing the human to look over. Shining Armor was watching him with an understanding expression.

Tom exhaled tensely and ran a hand through his hair. "You could say that… I've been having the same one for a while now."

"Really?" Shining asked.

"Yeah." Tom scratched the side of his arm and avoided directly looking at the stallion. "I'm always trying to save someone, but there's nothing I can do. Sometimes it's Twilight and Spike, sometimes it's one of the others… sometimes it's Peppermint, or Neon Streak or Brimstoke."

Shining Armor was a bit surprised to see the human so vulnerable. Normally, Tom made it seem like nothing bothered him, even in crisis situations. It was a little disquieting to see him actually acting like a teenager.

"You know, I think we have nightmares to push us to be better… to help us overcome our fears." Shining mused. "I had a few sleepless nights myself after the hooded ponies attacked. I was so worried about Twilight and the others running into a monster or something… but after a while, I knew they would be fine."

Tom looked to the stallion curiously. "Why?"

"Because they had you," Shining replied lightheartedly.

Hearing this, Tom softened his eyes and managed a smile. He started to say something in response when another voice cut him off.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.” One of the guards from outside called.

Shining Armor shared an uncertain glance with the human before poking his head out the window. Up ahead, he could see a large snowy clearing in the forest. A frozen lake sat off to the left, and a rocky hill was in the center with a castle nestled on top. There was a precarious-looking path up the side of the cliff, and although he couldn’t make out all the details, it didn’t exactly look comforting.

"Set us down at the bottom of that cliff." He instructed before leaning back inside.

By now, Tom had woken up the others, who were coming to their senses with varying levels of success.

"Wha…? What's up?" Sunspot asked groggily. "Are we there yet?"

"Yes, we are. Get your game faces on." Shining Armor stated.

Hearing this, the atmosphere in the carriage stiffened. Everyone adopted more serious expressions and did their best to hide any unease they might have felt. Still, it was easy to see that many of them were nervous.

Glimmer Shine shook the last of the sleepy fog from his head and held a hoof to his ear while focusing on his gray teammate off in another carriage. "Sparkplug, you awake?"

After a moment of silence, a groggy voice responded.

"I am now… What is it?"

"Sorry to interrupt some good sleep, but it's go time. We're here." He explained.

"Really?" Sparkplug replied, a bit of trepidation to her voice.

"Yeah. Pass the girls some spare strobes and daggers like we talked about and get ready." Glimmer said before dropping his hoof and turning to his companions.

"So… do we have a plan here or are we just barging in there strobes blazing?" Sunspot asked.

"Well, uh…" Glimmer Shine scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and turned to Shining Armor. "Technically you're in charge here. Any thoughts, Captain?"

Shining Armor glanced between the others, a bit of a somber air about him as he contemplated how best to keep everyone as safe as possible. "I don’t know much about hunting monsters, let alone vampires, but… I think we should stay together and take them out one by one until we figure out where they're keeping everyone."

"What about that alicorn?" Glitter asked uneasily.

"Well… Tom said he had some ideas about taking care of that guy. You mind sharing with the class?" Shining asked, looking to the human hopefully.

Tom felt a bit nervous having everyone look at him expectantly. He knew they wouldn't like what he had in mind if he told them, but he wasn’t exactly sure what else to do.

"I gotta be honest, guys, I'm not even sure what this alicorn guy is. He beat Princess Celestia… and she has literal control of the sun. My first idea is to put a silver dagger in his heart or cut off his head, but if that doesn't work…"

"Tom?" Sunspot softened her expression as she saw the boy trailing his eyes down.

Having to force a more confident expression to his face, Tom exhaled softly and patted the bag beside him. "I have a backup plan… but we'll burn that bridge if we get to it."

The others shared an uncertain look with each other as they contemplated what the human had in mind. Sunspot seemed particularly curious about it. Whatever plan he was thinking of, Tom didn't seem too keen on sharing it with them, and that was worrying for more than one reason.

A few moments later, the carriages started to descend once more. The teams of pegasi set their passengers down in the snowy clearing just before the towering cliff as instructed.

Sparkplug and the five remaining element bearers slowly filed out of the carriage and onto the frozen ground. They all looked up at the looming hilltop castle, various degrees of unease or solemn determination between them as they imagined what was currently happening to their lost friends.

“So that’s where these things are coming from?” Sparkplug tittered nervously. “Honestly, I would be lying if I said I was surprised.”

Fluttershy felt her body tensing as she stared up at the ominous shadow atop the cliff. Anyone who looked her way wouldn’t be able to tell if her slight trembling was from the cold or from fear.

Feeling a hoof on her shoulder, she looked up to see Rainbow Dash. The cyan mare was still sporting a grim expression, but Fluttershy could see a bit of loving concern underneath.

"Don’t worry. I'll keep an eye out for you." Rainbow said reassuringly.

Fluttershy trailed her eyes down briefly before glancing back up to the castle. Somehow, she managed to set her mouth in a somber line and looked back to her friend with a glint of determination burning in her eyes. "I'll be okay… I want to help too. For them." She said resolutely.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile. "Heh… I'm proud of you, Flutters." She stated. Her expression briefly dimmed before the slight smile returned as her thoughts drifted elsewhere. "And… I know he would be too."

Fluttershy softened her eyes for a moment before smiling back at the cyan mare. She was at least glad that her friend was opening up a bit.

Meanwhile, Rarity seemed to be sizing up the stairs leading up to the castle rather than the castle itself. The narrow, crumbling steps looked like they were barely fit for use, if at all. "Good heavens. How is anypony meant to get up there?" She asked, mostly rhetorically.

"I don’t think this place was built with wingless folks in mind." Sunspot stated plainly.

"Couldn’t we have just landed up there?" Rarity whined timidly. She would be surprised if any of them got up the cliff without falling, let alone all of them.

Shining Armor stepped up to the mouth of the winding stairs without hesitation. "I'm afraid not. The carriages would be too vulnerable up there. At least this way they can see what might be coming at them sooner." He said, looking back to the four teams of guards, some of which were clutching silver daggers in their mouths tightly against the cold.

Rarity gave one last look at the harrowing heights she would soon be climbing before swallowing tensely and picturing her little sister. "Alright… let’s go."

"Ok, everyone. Single file line." Glimmer Shine explained, gesturing for the group to move forward. He then looked to the three pegasus mares. "Sunspot, you go last. You two go somewhere in the middle. Be ready to catch anyone who falls." He instructed.

“Got it.” Sunspot replied immediately, fully prepared for her role. Rainbow Dash seemed equally serious about the prospect of protecting her friends, even after they got off the cliff.

Fluttershy glanced between her friends and the steep climb they were about to undertake. She cringed fearfully as she pictured someone falling and bouncing off the icy rocks to a bone-shattering stop dozens of feet down. Having such responsibility made her more nervous than she cared to admit.

After some brief hesitations and planning, a marching order of sorts was established and the group began their ascent.

Tom and Shining Armor were at the front, setting the pace and keeping an eye on their surroundings as well as those behind them. If they somehow got attacked on the way up, they would be the first line of defense, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Behind them were Applejack, Glitterball, and Pinkie. The farm pony tightly pressed her hat onto her head so as to not lose it amidst the chilled air-currents whipping into the face of the cliff. Glitter was doing her best to keep moving forward and not look down or to the side, but she couldn’t help but to lock up a bit, and it wasn't from the cold. Thankfully, Pinkie rested a hoof on her back and gave her reassuring smiles to keep her pressing through the fear.

Further back, Rarity tensely trudged onward and upward with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash close behind.

The unicorn wasn't normally one to be squeamish around heights. She was nervous to be sure, but she had been up and down more than a few mountains and cliffs in her many adventures with her friends. However, when there was barely enough clearance on the steps for her to put both hooves side by side, she started to become painfully aware of just how high up she was.

Hearing a slight scuff and feeling the edge of the stone step crumbling away under her hoof, Rarity produced a slight squeak and locked up, doing her best not to put herself off balance. Thankfully, before she could even think about wobbling, a set of teeth gently clamped down on her tail and pulled her back to a stable position.

“Careful,” Fluttershy said, offering the unicorn a concerned look.

Rarity exhaled and let the tension in her body relax as she smiled softly. “Thank you, darling.”

Bringing up the rear were Glimmer Shine, Sparkplug, and Sunspot. And while Sunspot was paying close attention to the others above, and Sparkplug was muttering to herself anxiously and trying to go to her happy place, Glimmer was mostly paying attention to his detector vial.

Ever since they had landed, the vial had been faintly aglow. However, it was getting slightly more luminous as they ascended. If there was any doubt in his mind that they were in the right place, it was gone now.

Over the course of an agonizing few minutes, the group somehow made it to the top in one piece. Many of them took a moment after stepping onto flat ground to decompress. Some of them took a stiff look back over the edge to see how far they had climbed, only to regret it instantly.

Most of them, however, were staring ahead in stunned silence at the castle that had seemed much smaller to them from the ground.

The face of the castle seemed to take up the entirety of their vision. It didn’t look like it was designed for beauty in any sense of the word. No, this was a fortress intended to be as much of a stone wall as it resembled, with rigid geometry, sparing architectural flourishes, and only a few tattered banners hanging from the crenelations to serve as decoration.

As stoic and solid as it was originally intended to be, the ceaseless flow of time had battered even this relic of the past. Counting the cracks along its stoney surface would almost be as hard as counting the individual stone pieces that made it up. There were also several holes of varying size marring its form, the largest of which actually sat between two windows on the highest floor, offering a glimpse into a moonlit room.

"Huh… I always used to want to see an actual spooky castle." Tom stated.

"And what about now?" Applejack asked.

The boy shook his head. "Yeah… not so much."

Glimmer Shine took a few steps onto the faded remains of what used to be a paved platform leading up to the large front doors. "Sunspot, can you take a look around from above and see what you can see?" He asked, turning to his orange teammate.

Sunspot glanced skyward before looking at the stallion. "Right." She said, hopping up and fluttering away.

"Be careful." Glitterball cautioned, looking to the pegasus with a concerned frown.

"Don’t worry. Stealth is my middle name." Sunspot looked down with an assuring smirk before zipping up into the clouds.

The group waited a few tense minutes, watching the air above the castle for any sign of their orange friend. Occasionally, they would catch a glimpse of her darting from one side to another, but then she disappeared.

Just before their worries grew large enough to vocalize, they spotted Sunspot flying back down to them, where she landed in front of Glimmer Shine and her other teammates.

"I didn’t see anypony. There’s a courtyard in the center and a bunch of windows, but I couldn’t make out anything useful.” She explained, deflating her shoulders a bit as she did.

“You think they’re expecting us?” Fluttershy shrank down a bit as she thought about the possibility that they were walking right into a trap.

“I’d be surprised if they weren’t. Especially after that pegasus got away back in Coltridge.” Shining Armor stated.

Meanwhile, Tom broke off from the group and waltzed right up to the front doors. He traced his hand along one of the thick frosted wood panels before looking back to the ponies. “What are we waiting for? We can sit out here and talk shop all night, but there’s really only one thing we can do right now, and that’s to get in there, grab the others, and get out.” He suggested impatiently.

The others glanced between themselves and the human. He seemed to have a burning determination to take back their missing friends no matter what, and while they respected and even reciprocated it, most of them had to deal with their own apprehensions and worries that their little plan was going to go south as soon as they stepped through those doors.

“I’m with him.” Rainbow Dash said, stepping forward and clutching the dagger in her hoof tightly. “We’re going to be going in blind no matter what we do. We should go before those freaks decide to hurt Twilight and the others any more than they already might have.”

“As much as I think we’re a bit out of our depth here, I’m inclined to agree,” Rarity added.

Applejack steadied her hat on her head and stepped forward to join her friends. “What she said.”

Shining Armor took a look around at the troop around him. Everyone seemed equal parts eager and uneasy. However, one look at Tom told him all he needed to know. The human was concerned about what they were facing, but he was also bent on saving the purple mare and the others, no matter how outmatched they potentially were, and that was something Shining could get behind.

“Lead the way, Tom.” He said with a nod toward the door.

Tom smirked a bit before letting his gaze linger on the five mares and the members of Spirit. His expression fell as he thought about all the danger they were about to face. Still, they were in a bad situation, and they had to swallow their fears and step forward if they were going to save their friends.

The ponies all gathered around the human as he pulled open the large doors with a small struggle. A hollow-sounding creak reverberated off of the empty corridor walls that greeted them as a spacious hallway was revealed. Any light from the moon seemed to vanish a certain distance inside, only to be replaced by flickering torches that made it look like the walls and floor were alive with shadows.

Clutching their various weapons, the group all stepped inside. No sooner did the doors close behind them did the feeling of dread they felt outside intensify into a solid brick in their guts. All of the ponies’ ears twitched as they collectively darted their eyes around, hoping to catch any sign of movement before they were caught unaware by some monstrosity.

“Why are there lit torches here?” Sparkplug squinted curiously as she noticed the sparse flaming sources of light. It was still plenty dark and spooky in many places, but the general path down the hall was illuminated.

“What use do vampires have for light? Can’t they see in the dark?” Rarity added.

“I think they put them here for us.” Pinkie said.

Rarity blinked. “Why do you think that?”

“Well, if I was a bad guy and I wanted to mess with you, what better way than to get across the idea that everything you can think of doing has already been expected?” Pinkie answered, far more casually than the others would have liked.

“Pinkie… you scare me sometimes.” Sparkplug said.

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a bad guy, right?” Pinkie chuckled.

“Thank Celestia for that.” Applejack chimed in.

“Sssh!” Glimmer Shine hushed the group. “I think the welcome wagon is here.” He whispered tensely, pointing to his detector, which was now buzzing and glowing brightly.

Sparkplug, Sunspot, and Glitterball all glanced to their own vials. Much like Glimmer’s, theirs were vibrating and humming to alert them to the sudden change in supernatural energies. However, the liquid inside wasn't pointing in any particular direction.

Almost on cue, Tom jumped a bit as a puff of mist forced all the air from his lungs. The accompanying hiss seemed smaller than normal.

"How many?" Shining asked softly.

Tom had to take a second to interpret the muted feeling of his senses. Once he did, he held up three fingers before pointing up ahead.

Everyone immediately froze up and locked their eyes down the hall. The torches up ahead just barely offered a view of the faded cherry carpet splitting off into two directions. Truth be told, it was hard to make out just how many openings there were in the deepened shadows.

With a few hesitant glances, the group started moving forward at a slow pace. Everyone was trying to pay attention to every angle around them, but even with all of them looking somewhere different, they were worried about possible openings in their defenses.

Fluttershy could feel her body tensing up and her heart rate climbing. It was almost fortunate that it was cold, because if anyone knew how much she was shaking, they might be concerned.

Passing by a pair of open doorways, the front of the group inspected them before moving on. One seemed to be a large dining room, while the other was a kitchen. Both appeared empty and silent, save for the whistle of wind passing through the cracked stones.

Sparkplug did her best to keep a steady grip on the crossbow she had loosely pointed at the floor amidst her strained nerves. Suddenly, she and everyone else perked up as they heard a soft, directionless scuffle.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Glitterball whispered.

Before anyone could even answer, the noise happened again. It was hard to tell where it was coming from. It almost seemed to be above them.

Sparkplug jumped slightly as she caught a hint of movement to her side. She flipped her vest mounted flashlight on and pointed her bow ahead, only to find the empty opening into the kitchen. The torch by the doorway and its flickering flame must have tricked her eyes.

"Alright." Glimmer Shine announced, breaking the stiff silence as he scanned his head around. "We know you're here… why don't you just save us all some trouble and come out?"

"Where would the fun in that be?" A feminine voice responded, echoed and sourceless.

Glimmer looked around, only to see his companions quietly doing the same thing. Nothing had changed in their surroundings.

"We're not leaving without our friends, so either you're going to have to show yourself, or we'll just have to find you."

The scuffling sound happened again, this time closer to the ponies.

"Heh… alright." The disembodied mare spoke again. Although her voice was still distant, it seemed to be moving.

"If you insist…"

Sparkplug widened her eyes as the voice came right in her ear. She darted her head over just in time to catch a blur of yellow, auburn, and glowing red. Before she or anyone else could react, a low growl shifted to a feral shriek as a dark shape collided with her.

Rarity gasped as she and everyone else shifted wide eyes over to watch the gray mare sailing into the dining room with an equine figure on top. "Sparkplug!"

Sunspot and Tom prepared to charge forward to assist their friend, while many of the others readied their own weapons, when another set of growls came from above them and stopped them in their tracks.

Two pairs of red orbs were glaring down at them from the crisscrossing wooden beams near the high ceiling. All at once, two more pale ponies leaped down and pounced at the front members of the group.

Everyone jumped back, with Shining Armor and Glimmer Shine barely dodging a pair of reaching forelegs. The vampiric unicorn stallion and earth pony mare backed up as their initial attack failed, but they were still blocking access to the dining room.

Hearing a distressed yelp from their gray friend, Sunspot and Glitterball raced to aim their crossbows at the pale figures. They both let loose a silver bolt with a whipping sound.

The earth pony mare ducked to the side, just barely missing the bolt aimed for her.

Reacting a bit slower than his companion, the unicorn dodged to the left, only to yell in pain as the bolt tore across his side. A smoldering path of glowing cinders was left where the silver-tipped projectile nicked him.

"Gah!" The unicorn looked down to his side before shifting his gaze to the group and growling through his teeth.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug was fighting for her life against the pale yellow mare in the other room.

The two were struggling on the ground, with one desperately trying to push the other off, and the other trying to sink their teeth into flesh.

Amidst her strained grunts and cringes, Sparkplug suddenly recognized the mare on top of her. “Hey… you’re that freak from before!” She stated, thinking back to the trio that had taken the crusaders.

Seeing how she clearly had the upper hoof, the yellow mare took a moment to produce a cruel smile. “Did you miss me?”

“Like… l-like a pain in my neck!” Sparkplug hissed, using every ounce of strength she had to keep the pale pony away.

“Interesting choice of words.” The mare chuckled, her fangs dripping with eager saliva.

Sparkplug kicked at the undead pony with her hind legs, barely producing a result. She tried to roll to the side, only for the mare to roll with her until the both of them smacked into the wall, stuck in a similar position from when they started.

“Not so tough without your friends to help you, are you?” The mare faked a sympathetic pout.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug grunted and reached down to one of her vest pockets with a free hoof. She struggled for a moment to fish around, but once she found what she was looking for, she gripped it tightly and jammed it into the pale mare’s flank.

“AGH!” The mare yelped, looking down to her side to see a crossbow bolt sticking out of her. The fur and skin around her faded cutie mark sizzled and crumbled into ash. Looking back down to the pony beneath her, she was surprised to receive a blow to the jaw, knocking her sideways off of her prey.

Sparkplug panted heavily as she scrambled backward. By the time she made it to her own four hooves again, the pale pony was lifting up and glaring at her with a broken jaw, which she swiftly snapped back into place before removing the bolt from her side.

“That’s for biting my flank.” Sparkplug grinned before a feral growl flattened her expression in an instant.

With a boiling rage in her eyes, the yellow pony lunged forward, fangs bared and hooves outstretched.

Sparkplug yelped and darted to the side as the pale mare landed where she was just standing. She reached to her vest, hoping to find her dagger, or her popper, or something, anything to save herself from the vicious creature in the guise of a pony.

Before she could find something, however, a set of hooves grabbed her by the waist and tossed her sideways with unnatural strength.

"Gah!" Sparkplug grunted painfully as she crashed onto the long wooden table in the middle of the room, knocking some dusty bowls and one of the chairs over with a mighty clatter.

Her hip was throbbing, and she had numerous aches across her back, but those were the least of her problems.

Scrambling to sit up, Sparkplug found the yellow mare at the front of the table, staring daggers into her with fierce red eyes.

The yellow mare felt a bit of sinister enjoyment as she watched the vested pony crawling backward like a terrified animal. Before she could pounce forward, however, she heard movement behind her and glanced to the side.

A familiar yell came as the vampiric pony dodged to the side, revealing Applejack swiping down with a silver dagger.

Another, more refined, battle cry came and a floating dagger wrapped in a blue aura stabbed toward the yellow mare, which she quickly knocked away at the handle.

Sparkplug looked up to see Rarity and Applejack squaring off against the pale pony with silver daggers.

Rarity took a moment to look over to her gray friend with a concerned frown as she and Applejack stood between her and the vampiric mare. "Are you alright, darling? Did this ruffian hurt you?" She lowered her expression at the pale pony as she brought her dagger back to her side.

"I'll be sore in the morning, that's for sure." Sparkplug grunted as she stood up on the table and fished out her own dagger.

The pale mare seemed altogether unfazed by the three silver-wielding ponies.

"Well, if it isn’t the clown. I almost didn't recognize you without the stupid getup… although I see you kept the ridiculous hat." The yellow mare half smirked at Applejack.

Recognizing the mare that stole her sister from her, Applejack narrowed her eyes and exhaled tensely through her nose. "I'm gonna enjoy this more than I probably should." She muttered, tightening her grip on her silver weapon.

Back out in the hallway, the others were still doing battle with their vampires.

Shining Armor and Tom were trading blows with the gray unicorn stallion, who was using a mixture of magic, strength, and speed to keep them at bay.

The other pale mare was fighting Glimmer Shine, Sunspot, and Rainbow Dash. And although the others wanted to help, there wasn't much they could do without hitting someone with a stray bolt or magical blast.

Tom made a downward slash with his sword, only to have the unicorn dodge to the side. He started to pull his sword back for another strike when his body was suddenly enveloped in a gray aura, which then yanked him off his feet and sent him flying behind the pale stallion with a painful yelp.

Spotting a knife stabbing toward him, the pale unicorn ducked under the aura holding it and pounced at Shining Armor, who couldn't move in time to avoid being sent to the floor.

"Guh!" Shining grunted as he had the wind knocked out of him. He barely had time to process his pain before he looked up to see fangs gleaming in the torchlight.

Before the pale stallion could bite down, a few bursts of light zipped into his face and exploded into colorful sparks, burning him enough to give pause as he flinched and yelped.

Spotting an opportunity, Shining charged up his horn and let loose a concussive blast, knocking the creature off of him and nearly knocking himself into the carpeted stone beneath him.

Briefly admiring the sight of the vampiric stallion bouncing off the ground up ahead, Shining looked back to find his savior. He found Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, a pleased smirk and a nervous cringe respectively on their faces and a bit of smoke trailing off their strobes.

Shining flashed an appreciative smile to the two mares and started to get up. But before he could even brush himself off, a pile of ponies knocked into him before stumbling off.

Glimmer Shine and Rainbow Dash strained and struggled to hold onto the vampiric earth mare. Their pale foe was so strong that they could barely keep her still.

Sunspot tried to rush up and stab a dagger into the restrained pony, only to receive a hind hoof to the chest that sent her reeling to the floor.

The mare snarled and bucked her head up, hitting her skull to Rainbow Dash’s jaw with a painful crack. Still, the pegasus held on, unwilling to leave her friend alone in his efforts.

Shining Armor started to move to assist the pair as they dragged the mare to the wall. He could hear strobe fire whizzing past him as the others started firing at the pale unicorn somewhere further down the hall.

With a fierce yell, the pale mare kicked off the wall, sending the two ponies holding her into Shining Armor and the other wall.

Glimmer Shine let go as he received a reverse headbutt and an elbow to the gut. The pale mare jerked away and tried to grab someone, only to be tackled by Rainbow Dash and sent to the floor.

Before anyone could try to help, the pale pony rolled and kicked her hind legs out, sending Rainbow hurtling into the open doorway of the kitchen with a surprised outcry and a loud crash.

The mare started to get up from the floor when suddenly a crossbow bolt shot into her stomach. She grunted in pain and clutched the area. As she looked down, her body started burning up and crumbling to ash. She managed to get out the beginnings of a scream before falling silent.

The others glanced over to see Sunspot holding out her discharged bow. They barely had time to admire her work before the sounds of a struggle up ahead drew their attention up.

At the end of the hall, Tom was having his own fight with the pale unicorn stallion. They seemed evenly matched for a while, until the boy caught the pony off guard and shoved his sword clean through his gut, impaling him to the wall.

While the unicorn was yelling in pain and struggling, Tom looked toward the group of onlooking ponies, particularly to Glimmer Shine and his teammates.

“Shoot him!” He shouted to whoever would react first before cringing as he used every ounce of strength he had to keep the unicorn still.

Glitterball was the only one with a readied crossbow, so she moved first. Holding out her weapon, she swiftly took aim, taking care not to hit the human. Before she could fire, however, the pale unicorn shoved Tom away with a magical push, sending him flying to the wall and pulling the sword out.

As the bolt fired, the unicorn dove to the side, letting the silver-tipped projectile embed uselessly into the stone.

The stallion snarled at the white mare, seemingly singling her out for his next victim. However, he wasn't able to act any further before Tom rushed up, got behind him, and grabbed him under the forelegs to pick him up.

“Gah! Why you little-” The unicorn snapped to the side, prepared to sink his fangs into the human’s arm, before he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Tom flinched his eyes shut as the pony he was holding converted to ash. He looked up as the screams and debris faded, only to see a silver dagger being held aloft by a reddish magical aura.

Shining Armor shared an appreciative nod with the human before shifting his attention to the dining-room door as a loud crash came from inside. “Oh no… the girls!” He exclaimed, rushing forward with the others.

As soon as they poked their heads through the open doorway, they reeled back as a familiar gray earth pony sailed across with a panicked yelp before tumbling to the floor. They looked to the side, just in time to see Applejack and Rarity struggling with the remaining vampire.

The pale yellow mare was currently wrestling Rarity into a corner, with Applejack trying to pull her off. Rarity had her dagger in one hoof, but the pale pony was keeping that hoof very much under control. Applejack seemed to be missing her dagger entirely.

With a quick snap to the side, the mare bit into Applejack’s foreleg, causing a shout of pain and a scramble to grab at her head. Making ample use of the opening created, the pale pony swatted the farmer away with a painful-looking smack, sending her sliding into the table behind them.

Realizing Rarity was in trouble, the others swiftly sprang into action.

Before they could reach her, however, a wet squelch filled the air.

The yellow mare stumbled back and fell to her haunches. She looked down, bringing her hoof up to a glowing stab wound in her chest, before looking up and locking eyes with Rarity, who was still pressed against the wall.

Rarity had her dagger hovering in her magical aura between them. She stared at the pale pony as the glowing embers started spreading rapidly.

The yellow mare had a certain look of fear and regret in her eyes that caught the unicorn off guard. In the span of a couple seconds, Rarity stopped looking at a soulless creature of the night and started looking at a fellow pony.

A fellow pony that was fearing death.

With an agonizing scream, the yellow mare rocked her head back as the inferno took her. Soon, the room was silent once more as a cluster of ashes gathered on the floor.

Off in the other room, Rainbow Dash groaned softly as she lifted her head up. She was upside down, with her lower half crumpled against a countertop that she apparently fell over. All of her weight was focused onto her back in a painful position.

Rolling and getting to all fours, she quickly darted her head toward the door. Strangely, there were no sounds of fighting outside. She walked around the counter and out into the hallway, only to find most of her friends gathered in the next room.

“Did we win…? Is everypony ok?” Rainbow asked, poking her head into the room. She looked over to see a group gathered around a very rattled-looking Rarity, only to reel back in shock. “Oh my gosh… what happened?”

The others looked over to see the pegasus walking up. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were doing their best to console their unicorn friend, but she was trembling and staring at the floor at a dagger lying next to a heap of ash.

“I… I killed her.” Rarity muttered in shock. “That’s… the first time I’ve ever killed anyone.”

Looking to the dagger and putting two and two together, Rainbow Dash softened her expression. “They were trying to kill us, Rarity. You shouldn’t feel bad for those things.”

“Things…?” Rarity parroted, looking up in surprise. “Those weren’t things, Rainbow… they were ponies at one point. We’ve had to kill monsters before, and that was horrible in its own way, but we’ve never had to kill anything... intelligent.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “I… never thought about it like that.” She said quietly. Before, she was fully prepared to kill those two pale ponies, not just because they were threatening her and her friends, but because she felt they deserved it. They were just like the feral beast that had slaughtered Blue Bolt right in front of her, at least, she thought so at first. Now, all she could think about was what their names were, and what they were like before they became what they were now.

Seeing a wave of silent horror, regret, and sadness working its way over much of the group, Tom stepped forward and rested a hand on Rarity’s shoulder, causing her to look up.

“You can’t blame yourself like that, Rarity. They weren’t ponies anymore…” He glanced down to the pile of ash. “They were perfectly in control of themselves, and they were still trying to kill us. Once they get to that point, there’s no hope of ever turning them back to normal. The person they were was long gone before you did what you had to. In a way… you were being as merciful as you could to that girl.” He explained reassuringly.

Rarity trailed her eyes down briefly, the remorse and sadness suddenly shifting to worry as she thought of something. "Princess Luna said that alicorn did something to Princess Celestia… what if he made her like them?" She asked before paling even more than she already had. “What if h-he… w-what if he made the others like him too?”

The question drifted through the air uncomfortably for a moment. No one seemed to want to acknowledge it, but the looks on their faces gave away that it was the only thing on their minds.

"If… that’s true, then there's still hope. As long as a freshly turned vampire hasn't drank any blood, they can be cured." Tom answered finally.

"Let’s not make assumptions right now. It's only going to freak us out." Shining Armor suggested. He then turned to Glimmer Shine and his team. "We need to find the others as soon as possible. Didn't you guys have something that tracks living things?"

"Yeah… that’s right." Glimmer Shine said, eagerly reaching down to his vest. The others did the same, reaching down to the pull cord that held their detection charm and bringing up the other vial attached to it.

Everyone watched the team of monster hunters hold out some vials full of red sand, which started to glow as they twisted the cap on each one.

After separating themselves from the group to get a better reading, the four ponies did a full sweep of the area, pointing their vials around and paying attention to how much sand was lit up in which direction.

"I'm getting something upstairs," Glitterball announced, pointing her vial toward the ceiling a little ahead of them.

"Looks like someone's below us too." Glimmer Shine said as he and Sunspot held their charms to the floor.

"There’s a basement to this place?" Pinkie asked uneasily.

Fluttershy shivered slightly as previous experiences came to mind. "Why is there always a basement?"

"Figures they wouldn't keep them in the same place." Applejack huffed.

"Where do we go first?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, it looks like there are more ponies downstairs. That is what this means, right?" Sparkplug asked, looking to her teammates and gesturing to her vial. True enough, there seemed to be more of a glow to the sand when pointing down to the floor.

"It's probably Sweetie and the girls!" Rarity shot to her hooves eagerly.

"Either way, I don't like the idea of going to get them one at a time… but I also don't want to split up with that alicorn somewhere around here." Shining Armor said, taking an uneasy glance to the doorway leading out into the castle.

"I think splitting up is our best bet for getting out of here sooner," Tom suggested.

"Really?" Pinkie tilted her head in surprise. "Normally you're against us splitting up."

"It's not like we're spoiled for choices here," Tom explained before looking off into the distance. He closed his eyes briefly, took a steady breath, and then hissed out a puff of mist. "Besides… as long as whoever splits off stays away from that alicorn, they should be fine. And right now, it feels like he's upstairs somewhere."

“I don’t know…” Glimmer Shine chimed in. “This is setting off every red flag I know about. What do you think?” He asked, looking to Shining Armor curiously. After all, he was the closest thing to a leader this group had.

Shining Armor produced a tense sigh as he thought about their options. He didn’t like being put into such a bad situation. Lives would be put in danger no matter what they did, but part of him agreed with the human. They weren’t here to fight. They were here to get their friends and get out as soon as possible, and if that meant splitting up, then they would have to take that risk.

“I don’t like it… but then again, I don’t like us being here period. We’re darned if we do and darned if we don’t… so why don’t we put it to a vote?” Shining suggested. “All in favor of splitting into two groups, raise your hoof.”

A few hooves immediately went up. Tom and Applejack were among the first to decide in favor of splitting up.

“I’m all for whatever gets the others safe as soon as possible.” Applejack stated.

After a moment’s hesitation, Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof, while Fluttershy abstained. Rarity joined the vote, though she seemed conflicted.

Glimmer Shine kept his hoof firmly on the floor. Much to his surprise, Sunspot wasn't voting either. “You’re not with them on this one?” He asked curiously.

Sunspot frowned uneasily. “Too risky… even for me. I’ll go with whatever the group decides, though.”

Pinkie and Sparkplug opted against lifting their hooves. They seemed concerned about both options, but they didn’t want to make a choice that would potentially get one of their friends hurt.

Just when the vote seemed like it was over, Glitterball hesitantly lifted her hoof. “I don’t know what to do… but… I feel like this is the best option.” She said, a conflicted grimace on her face.

“Great… a tie.” Shining Armor sighed. “Guess I’m the deciding vote after all.”

Everyone lowered their hooves and looked to the white stallion. Although they had all made their decision known, they would respect whatever was decided and do their best to keep each other safe no matter what. But first, their captain needed to choose a stance.

Finally, Shining let his shoulders sink a bit and exhaled softly. “As much as I hate to say it… I think we should split up.”

Fluttershy and a few others trailed their eyes to the floor uneasily. They had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but without coming up with an alternative plan, they had to go along with the team’s decision. After all, all they had right now was each other.

“Welp, I s’pose that’s that.” Applejack said. “I don’t know how we’re gonna divvy up the teams, but I want to go downstairs.”

“You seem confident.” Sparkplug noted.

“Well… in my mind, that’s where the girls are. I want to be there when we find Apple Bloom and the others.” Applejack reasoned.

“I think I’d like to join you,” Rarity added.

"Ok… everyone pair off with whichever group you want to go with," Tom said. "Keep in mind, whoever goes upstairs is probably going to be at the most risk."

After some deliberation, two teams had been formed. Shining Armor and Tom would be going upstairs with Sunspot, Sparkplug, and Pinkie Pie. Meanwhile, Glimmer Shine and Glitterball would lead the rest of the girls downstairs.

Everyone gathered out in the hallway and traveled to the end of it. They found a split before an open courtyard, with what appeared to be a staircase leading up further down the left corridor.

"Looks like we split off here." Sunspot stated as she scanned the hallway ahead with her flashlight.

Rainbow Dash and the others looked to their friends about to head straight towards potential danger, unable to hide the worry in their eyes.

"Please be careful, darling." Rarity said, looking to Pinkie Pie and resting a hoof on her shoulder. At least Shining Armor had royal guard training, and the others were monster hunters, but the pink mare was still inexperienced with fighting in general, let alone fighting monsters.

Pinkie giggled in her usual carefree way. "Don’t worry, I'll keep an eye on everyone for you." She winked confidently.

Tom walked up to Glitterball and Glimmer Shine. He pulled his backpack out and fished around in it for a moment before pulling out what looked like a pair of syringes full of red fluid.

"Here, take these. If you find one of the others and they have been turned, use these on them." He explained, pressing the items into the loosely outstretched hoof of a very confused Glitterball.

"Uh… thanks." Glitter said, staring at the needles with a raised eyebrow. "Do I want to know what's in them?"

Tom wrinkled his mouth a bit. "Probably not… it’s my blood."

Glitterball blinked before trailing her eyes down to the syringes again. "Ew…" She suppressed the urge to recoil.

"Pardon my ignorance, but how in the hay is a shot of blood gonna help?" Applejack asked, a bit unsettled by the thought of the human drawing his own blood to use as a weapon.

"Yeah, I thought it was bad for new vampires to drink blood?" Rainbow Dash added.

"My blood is a little different, and they won’t exactly be drinking it," Tom explained. "Slayer blood is toxic to vampires. One shot of the stuff will knock them out cold. It might not be the most pleasant experience for them… but it was the only non-lethal option I could think of on such short notice."

Glitterball stared at the two needles for a moment longer before tucking them into a pouch on her vest and giving the human an appreciative nod. "Thank you… I just hope we won't need to use them."

Shining Armor glanced between the five mares and the yellow stallion with a serious look about him. "Good luck, guys. Remember to stay together, and keep in touch with us."

"Same to you." Glimmer Shine replied, giving a knowing glance to Sunspot as he and his group started moving down the other hallway.

Tom and the others watched their friends departing, hiding any concerns they might have had and offering a reassuring smile to a few of them who looked their way.

They then turned to look ahead at the stairs leading up, where they would hopefully find their missing friends…

And possibly one of the most terrible foes they had ever encountered.

After sharing a silent look of hesitance, and hopefully, encouragement, with Sparkplug, Sunspot drew her crossbow. The gray mare soon did the same before the both of them turned to the human and unicorn leading them.

“Ready when you are.” Sunspot said.

“I’m as ready as ready can be,” Pinkie added, twirling her strobe on the tip of her hoof before grasping it tightly.

Shining Armor glanced at his small troop for a moment before looking to Tom, and then the stairs. “You think Twilight’s up there?”

“I do…” Tom replied flatly before half smirking. “You do too, don’t you? Otherwise, you’d be going down instead.”

Shining merely smiled lightly. He took the dagger beside him in his magical grip and did a quick flourish with it before steeling his expression. “Let’s bring them home.”

Chapter 20: Fateful Meetings

After a short time spent exploring, Glimmer Shine's group found a way down in the form of a set of stairs that doubled back on themselves.

To think that they would miss the empty halls of the main floor was ridiculous, at least it would have been before they saw what they would be stepping into.

Upstairs, there were at least the decaying remains of grand and awe-inspiring décor. They might even catch a glimpse of the outside world through a window or an opening into the courtyard, but this hollow comfort completely vanished as they descended the cracked steps into the echoing corridors.

Applejack brought up the rear of the group as Glimmer and Glitter led the way with their detection charms. The orange mare wanted to make sure that nothing would creep up on them and steal one of her friends away.

Fluttershy was staying firmly in the center of the group. She kept a tight grip on her strobe. So tight, in fact, that it was a wonder she hadn’t accidentally discharged the sensitive vial.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings as their vested leaders focused on keeping them headed toward the distant energy signatures. They both kept their silver weapons at the ready in case something lunged out at them from within a darkened room.

Glitterball paused before a three-way intersection as she felt a vibration against her hoof. She looked down to the second vial hanging from the cord she was holding, only to see the yellow liquid inside glowing brightly toward the rightmost portion.

"Heads up. We might have company." Glitter whispered, tapping the vial to point it out.

Glimmer Shine glanced down to his own detector before looking to where the red sand was pointing. Of course, the life energy signatures they were following were toward the right. “Stay sharp, everyone.” He said, quietly pulling out his dagger and taking the lead.

The others all shared uneasy looks with each other before following behind. They dreaded the thought of fighting the pale ponies again, but if that was what it would take to save their friends, then they would have to manage.

Creeping along at a measured pace, the group made extra sure to stay alert and circle around each other to keep an eye on their rear at all times.

Glitter held her detection vial out, following the yellow light as it shifted around and trying to determine where the creature it belonged to was hiding. Glimmer Shine followed her gaze, keeping a steady grip on his knife and keeping ready to attack anything lurking in the dark rooms they were passing.

As they worked their way around the lower corridors, passing through a hallway softly lit by moonlight from holes in the ceiling above, the two vested ponies started to make a disconcerting discovery. As the red sand grew in size, indicating that they were getting closer to whatever ponies were trapped downstairs, the yellow light in their other vial was also getting brighter at around the same rate.

Taking this as a sign to hurry up, the ponies quickened their pace as much as they could without making excessive noise.

Finally, as they rounded the next corner, the trail ended. The glowing sand in their vials briefly filled with light before shifting to the right, indicating that they had passed the source of the reading. As they both backed up and converged their vials, however, they discovered a solid wall in their way.

“That can’t be right…” Glimmer Shine muttered.

Rarity wrinkled her expression as she saw the two ponies looking equally confused at their respective vials. She didn’t know much about how the charms worked, but it seemed as though they were as close as they could get. “What does that mean? Are we here?”

“I don’t see how we could be,” Applejack added while looking around. The nearest door to a room was on the opposite wall, and they couldn’t even see a door in their immediate vicinity otherwise. “Are you sure those dohickeys of yours are workin’?”

Glitterball looked down to her vial in self-doubt for a moment before glancing to the other detector. Even the yellow vial was glowing whenever she pointed it toward the wall. “The readings are accurate. Whatever life signature we’ve been following is behind this wall… but so is that paranormal presence.”

“Maybe there’s a hidden door or something?” Rainbow Dash inferred. “This is an old castle, after all.”

“You might be right about that, Rainbow.” Glimmer Shine muttered pensively as he tapped a hoof to the wall lightly. It sounded hollow. “But if that’s the case… where is-” He scanned along the wall, feeling around for false bricks or other triggers, before pausing and looking up to the two sconces above.

One of the torches was missing, and the other was unlit. Upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem like this torch could be lit. It looked like it wasn't even wood.

Glimmer Shine and Glitterball stared at the odd-looking torch for a moment before meeting eyes and smirking.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Glitter asked.

“Always.” Glimmer replied, taking out his crossbow and stepping back.

The others watched as the unicorn grasped the sconce in her magical aura. She seemingly fiddled with it for a moment before it twisted sideways with an audible click. There was a low grating of stone, and suddenly a crack formed as a portion of the wall popped open.

Thinking back to the paranormal energy being picked up by their detectors, Glitter brought a hoof to her lips to silence any excited cheers that were about to be made. She waggled her crossbow a bit, signaling for everyone to get ready, which they promptly did.

After backing up and leveling their crossbows to the floor, ready to flick them up and annihilate any threat they might find on the other side, Glimmer glanced to the group behind them before switching on his flashlight and giving his unicorn friend a nod.

With that, Glitterball flipped her own light on and wrapped her magic around the corner of the wall. With a brief push, the wall slid open the rest of the way, allowing their beams of light to illuminate a small room with some colorful shapes huddled at the back.

There was a brief moment of recognition as the group made out the sight of three fillies huddled around two other ponies. At the same time, the fillies recognized the sight of their friends standing in the doorway.

“Sweetie Belle?” Rarity spoke up, poking her head out of the pile of ponies in the doorway and smiling brightly at her sister.

“Rarity?” Sweetie Belle parroted before smiling back. “Rarity!” She cheered, rushing forward and leaping into the group, only to be picked up in a magical aura and brought into the warm embrace of her sister.

“Sis’!” Apple Bloom called, scampering forward as a familiar orange shape moved to the front of the crowd.

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack smiled, catching the running filly in her forelegs and holding her close. She felt a few joyous tears welling up as she lovingly buried her sister into her form. “I’m so sorry… I should'a never let you go.”

Scootaloo walked up to the group and grinned cheerfully as she saw the many bright faces of her friends. “You guys are a sight for sore eyes.” She said, paying particular attention to Rainbow Dash, who seemed happy to return the sentiment.

However, as Rarity pulled back and looked at Sweetie Belle a bit closer, her bright expression faded as she noticed a veritable smearing of drying blood covering her sister’s neck. “Oh my goodness… what happened to your neck, Sweetie?!”

Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her neck, only to feel matted fur where her puncture wounds were. Although the wounds themselves had stopped bleeding, they still looked unsettling to any outside observer.

“Who did that to you?” Rarity asked, looking up to see if one of the two adult ponies knew anything. It was around this time that she and many of the others noticed the pale hue and red eyes of the peach mare. Rarity produced a shocked gasp and held Sweetie Belle close as she backed up slightly. “Was it her?!”

As they now saw one of the pale ponies so close by, Applejack and Rainbow Dash readied their daggers and stepped in front of the three fillies, while Fluttershy merely stared ahead fearfully and shakily drew her strobe.

Glimmer Shine and Glitterball twitched their bows up, but before they could even do anything, Scootaloo broke free of the crowd, got in front of the pale mare, and stood on her hind legs to block their aim, forcing them to lower their weapons.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Scootaloo waved frantically.

“Scootaloo, what are you doing?! Get out of the way!” Glimmer Shine pleaded, eyeing the peach pony with an alarmed look on his face. Many of the others prepared to charge in and rescue the trio from the perceived threat.

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom broke free from the crowd and joined their pegasus friend in protecting the pale mare.

“Apple Bloom, get away from that thing!” Applejack said adamantly. “She’s dangerous!”

“Sweetie Belle, what are you thinking?!” Rarity squeaked in alarm.

“Please, don’t hurt her!” Sweetie pleaded.

“She’s not like the others!” Apple Bloom insisted.

Before the situation could escalate further, the fillies were surprised to feel a cold hoof landing on their shoulders and gently pulling them away. They looked up to see Scribble stepping in front of them.

“Girls… it’s ok.” Scribble said softly before looking up at the group.

“Scribble, wait!” Blank Page reached out for his sister, only to cringe and falter as his bad leg hindered his movement.

Scribble offered a concerned look to her brother and her new friends before sighing and looking to the group, who were understandably still on alert. “I take it you’re their friends?” She asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Glitterball spoke on behalf of the group. “We are…”

“I almost didn’t think you’d find us… but I’m glad you did.” Scribble smiled a bit before looking down at the fillies. “Look… I don’t know if you can do anything for me, but please take care of them and my brother. I’ll do whatever you deem necessary… as long as they’re safe.” She said, lowering her head and preparing herself for whatever came next.

Although they were still suspicious of the pale mare, Glitterball and Glimmer Shine looked to each other with uncertain expressions before facing her again. They then lowered their weapons, much to the surprise of much of the group.

“What’s your name?” Glitterball asked.

“Scholarly Scribble.” The mare answered plainly, still unsure of where this was going.

“Well…” Glitterball paused, her eyes lost in brief thought. “Have you drank any blood?”

Scribble shook her head. “No… not yet.”

Scootaloo was still a bit antsy as she watched the situation unfold from the side. “There’s a cure for ponies like her! You can cure her… can’t you?” She asked, her voice wavering from worry and doubt.

“You guys seem confident in her.” Glimmer noted lightheartedly.

“Of course we are!” Apple Bloom chimed in.

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “She saved us!”

Glimmer Shine smirked a bit and folded his crossbow to put back on his vest. “Well, we can’t exactly hurt the one who saved you, can we?”

Glitterball stowed her weapon as well, and after a moment of hesitation, the others put their weapons away too.

Now that the tension in the room had dissolved, the group all filed into the hole in the wall and returned to greeting the fillies and getting introduced to their new friends.

Rarity walked up to the peach mare, wearing a bit of a regretful frown. “Scribble… er, may I call you that?” She asked sheepishly.

“Of course.” Scribble replied with a small smile.

Rarity bit her lip and looked down for a moment before sighing and flattening her ears. “I’m sorry for being so hostile with you.”

“I am too.” Applejack chimed in as she walked up. She then glanced back to see Apple Bloom walking up to her and reached down to pat her sibling’s head. “And I wanted to say thank you… y’know, for keepin’ ‘em safe.”

“Did you really save them?” Rainbow Dash asked, more curious than anything.

“Well… I wouldn’t say th-” Scribble fiddled her hooves together sheepishly until she was interrupted by her brother speaking up for her.

“She sure did.”

Applejack and the others looked up to see the white stallion sitting near the back of the room, getting his leg checked out by Glimmer Shine and Glitterball.

“We got attacked by another…” Page paused uncomfortably as he looked up to his sister, “ahem… Anyway, we were in pretty rough shape before Scribble showed up. I tried my best to keep them safe, but, as you can see, I’m a little handicapped at the moment.” He gestured down to his leg before cringing as Glitterball gently wrapped an ice pack around it.

“Heh… you’ve got a pretty amazing sister there, uh…” Rainbow Dash paused as she realized she hadn’t heard the stallion’s full name. “...Page?”

“Blank Page.” The stallion chimed in, flashing a brief smile to the group before sliding that look over to his sister. “And yeah… she is something else, that’s for sure.”

“Pagey, you’re embarrassing me,” Scribble whined. “Although… I can’t really blush right now, so I guess I just gave myself away.” She chuckled uncomfortably.

Although the peach mare intended on lightening the mood, Page’s expression fell as she drew attention to her current condition.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Page asked, looking to the obvious monster hunters of the group. “You guys are supposed to be experts on this kind of thing, right? Is there any way you can help her?”

Glitterball flashed a sympathetic frown. “I’m afraid there isn’t much we can do for her at the moment. There is supposed to be a cure, but all of our books and equipment are back in Canterlot, so it will have to wait until we get out of here.”

“And when will that be?” Scribble asked, a bit more eager than she meant. “Umm… if you don’t mind me asking? I don’t like being the fanged elephant in the room, but I am sort of on a time limit here.” She trailed her eyes away uneasily and forced her mouth closed.

“We’ve still got some friends that we need to find.” Glimmer explained. “But after that, trust me when I say our first priority is getting everyone home.”

“And don’t worry. We have a way to keep you… umm… how do I put this?” Glitter frowned at how blunt the subject was. “Docile… if you start getting thirsty.” She said, patting a pocket on her vest that seemed to hold two syringes.

Scribble seemed a bit troubled by the implication of her being a wild animal that needed controlling, but she nodded and flashed a grateful expression anyway. “Good… I’m glad to hear it.”

“Alright,” Glitterball said, standing up as she finished wrapping Blank Page’s leg, “that should help with the pain for the time being.”

Page looked down to his leg, which was starting to numb out from the icy sensation. However uncomfortable it might have been, he couldn’t exactly feel the pain if he couldn’t feel anything at all. “Thanks.”

“Now what do we do?” Scootaloo asked.

After some shared looks of confusion, the group eventually settled their eyes on their two vested leaders. After all, the pair were the most experienced in situations like these, and they were the only ones able to communicate with their other friends.

“Now…” Glimmer Shine said, taking his hoof and putting it to his ear. “We call the others and see how they’re doing.”

-Meanwhile-

Upstairs, Shining Armor and his small troop were busy making their way through the castle toward their goal.

While the downstairs layout was more rigid and meant for militaristic purposes, there seemed to be a change on the second floor. Instead of having rows of rooms connected by long hallways, the curving corridors weaved through and into rooms less linearly. The rooms up here seemed to be more of what one might expect from a lavish castle as well, not to say that there weren’t still barren holding rooms and cells in a few places.

The strangest thing that they found, however, was a complete lack of ponies, pale or otherwise.

Sure, Tom could sense vampires around them, and Sunspot and Sparkplug’s detection charms were aglow, but the readings they were getting were vague, and other than the general location of the alicorn, they couldn’t tell much of anything other than they hadn’t seen anyone since they arrived.

As they crept along a lengthy balcony exposed to the elements, Pinkie paused for a moment to lean on the edge and look down. The night sky above was beautiful, but the view of the cliff edge and the harrowing drop below was a touch unsettling. It was no wonder that griffons were the ones who built such a place.

“Wow… this place is kind of pretty.” Pinkie noted with a whistle before shifting her attention back to the castle around her. “Too bad there’s such a pouty castle here to ruin the scenery.”

Sparkplug twitched an eyebrow at the pink mare. “How can a castle be pouty?”

“Have you seen this place?” Pinkie retorted, gesturing around her. “It’s all sad and grumpy. If it was a pony, it would probably be the meanest pony around… even meaner than Raincloud.”

“And… who is that?” Sparkplug blinked.

“One of the hooded ponies.” Sunspot chimed in.

Tom sighed from the front of the group. “Is that seriously what we’re calling them still? Didn’t they ever come up with a name for themselves?”

“How is ‘the hooded ponies’ a bad name? It describes them perfectly!” Pinkie stated.

“Not everyone that wears hoods is evil, Pinkie.” Sparkplug insisted.

“To be fair, not many ponies decide to wear black cloaks on their Sunday stroll.” Shining Armor added.

Sparkplug finally sighed and let her shoulders sink. “I guess it does kind of give off a shady vibe.” She said, trying to ignore the smug look on Pinkie’s face.

Suddenly, a voice in her head made Sunspot give pause.

“Sssh!” The pegasus held up a hoof, eliciting the group to slow to a halt as she then pressed that hoof to her ear. Sparkplug paused to listen as well.

“Everything ok up there, guys?” Glimmer Shine’s voice spoke softly.

“Yeah, we’re doing good so far. It’s been pretty uneventful… like, uncomfortably uneventful.” Sunspot said, taking a wary glance around at the many openings back into the castle.

“It’s been the same down here,” Glitterball chimed in, “but we do have some good news to share. We found the Crusaders!”

“You did?” Sparkplug blurted as both she and Sunspot smiled. The others weren’t sure what was going on, but it could only be good if the two mares were suddenly so happy.

“They were hiding in some room with a stallion and a mare. They’ve been through a rough patch, but they’re alright.” Glitter explained.

“What about Spike? Is he down there?” Tom interjected.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

“No… I’m afraid not. There are no more energy signatures down here. He must be up there somewhere with Twilight and the Princess.” Glimmer said.

Although the news that the dragon was still missing was a bit disheartening, the fact that the three fillies were safe was enough to keep the mood bright.

“So, what are you guys doing next?” Sunspot asked curiously.

“Well, for starters we’re going to get the girls to safety. We’ll probably have Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly them down to the carriages. After that… I’m thinking we meet up with you guys.” Glimmer Shine suggested.

“Are we sure that’s a good idea? Aren’t we kind of in the lion’s den right now?” Sparkplug chimed in.

“If we’re going to be fighting a pack of lions, I’d rather have numbers on our side,” Tom said. “You guys should be fine coming up as long as you steer clear of any significant energy readings and head straight to us.”

“Stay away from the yellow lights, follow the red lights… sounds good. We’ll be there shortly.” Glitterball said.

“Keep us posted.” Glimmer Shine added.

“Same to you.” Sunspot said, dropping her hoof and turning to the others, who were waiting eagerly for someone to fill them in.

“Well…? Am I right in thinking that was good news?” Shining Armor asked with a hesitant smile.

Sunspot produced a pleased smirk. “They found the girls. They’re ok.”

Shining Armor and Pinkie both deflated with relief.

“Thank Celestia for that,” Shining said.

“Speaking of which, let’s keep moving. We need to find the others as soon as possible.” Tom suggested.

“Right.” Sunspot nodded, taking the lead once more with her detection vials held close. She and Sparkplug followed the glowing red portions of the sandy charms, taking care to keep an eye on their other charm to keep them away from any unpleasant denizens of the castle.

The group snaked their way through more rooms and hallways. They found a reading room, a lounge, a ballroom, all stripped of most recognizable furniture and decorations over time. Eventually, they started getting close to one of the life signatures they were tracking.

Tom halted the group before a corner at the end of the hallway. He looked back to them, paying particular attention to the two suited mares and their detection charms, which seemed to indicate that they were right on top of whoever they were tracking. He then poked his head out and scanned around the next hallway.

Nothing but empty silence greeted him, and although the light from Shining Armor’s horn didn’t shine that far out, he couldn’t immediately see any movement. He did, however, spot a door with a latch on it to his immediate right.

After a moment of concentration, the boy took a steady breath and used his senses. He was working with faint traces of what would already be finicky energy signatures on a good day, but from what he could tell, all of the energy attached to vampiric entities was still away from them.

“Come on.” He gestured for the ponies to follow as he moved out from the corner.

As they all stepped into the next hallway, Shining Armor moved forward a bit and kept an eye on their surroundings as everyone else gathered around the door.

Sunspot and Sparkplug both brought their vials close to the door. The sand inside was now fully aglow. They nodded to each other before turning to see Tom approach.

The human rested a hand on the latch to the door. He glanced around at the others before shifting his focus ahead and unlocking it. The door opened with little issue, revealing another barren and bleak-looking room.

However, this room had a familiar purple dragon sitting in the center of it, his face buried in his knees until he heard the sound of the door opening and looked up.

For a moment, a flash of fear came over his face. When he saw a familiar band of ponies and a human standing in the doorway, however, his features brightened immediately.

“Tom!” Spike shot up from the floor and rushed forward. He wrapped his arms around the human’s leg and squeezed tight.

Tom smiled and reached down to rest a palm on the dragon’s head as the others gathered around.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Spike said, stepping back and wiping a joyful tear from his eye as he looked around at his friends. Pinkie Pie and Shining Armor knelt down and hugged the young drake.

“It’s good to see you too, buddy.” Shining smiled.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Tom asked, frowning a bit as he noticed a slight cut on the dragon’s neck.

“I’m fine…” Spike said before suddenly becoming alarmed. “But you need to find the others!”

“Easy, Spike. We already found the Crusaders.” Shining Armor assured softly, hoping to get the dragon to settle down.

“You did?”

Shining nodded. “Yeah. They’re safe.”

Spike looked down for a moment before glancing back to the room he was imprisoned in. “Wh… what about Twilight?”

The stallion’s expression fell as he hesitated from answering. Spike’s already worried frown shifted to a pale stare.

“No… no, no. That alicorn took her! He’s probably hurting her right now!”

“Spike,” Tom said, watching uneasily as the dragon’s breathing quickened and his hands started jittering. “Spike… hey, hey, look at me.” He clamped his hands on Spike’s shoulders and gave him a gentle shake.

Spike looked up at the human, his breathing still a bit shaky and a slight tremble to his body. His darting eyes seemed to want to lose focus again so he could go off on another spiral of troubling thoughts, but they softened as he saw concern and reassurance in his friend’s face.

“I promise you… we will find Twilight.” Tom said, keeping a firm but comforting grip on the dragon. “We came all this way for you. We’re not leaving anyone behind.”

It took a moment, but Spike finally managed to take a steady breath and stop himself from trembling. “Ok.”

Now that the young dragon had calmed down, Sunspot shifted her attention back to her detection vial. She separated herself from the group a bit and scanned the vial around, seeing how the sand inside reacted. After some brief zeroing in, she discovered the only other energy signature on this floor seemed to be somewhere ahead.

“I got another reading.” The pegasus announced.

“That must be Twilight and the Princess.” Shining reasoned. At least he hoped it was. If it was someone else, then that meant that his sister and the alicorn no longer gave off body heat or life energy, and that was a scenario that he didn’t want to consider.

Tom gave Spike one final reassuring look before standing up. “Stay close to Pinkie, Spike." He instructed.

"Ok…" Spike said, looking up to see the pink mare walking up to him and smiling.

"You'll be safe with me, Spike. Don’t you worry your lil’ scales!" Pinkie giggled as she ruffled the top of his head. Spike could tell she was just trying to cheer him up, not that he minded. The lighthearted mare and her antics were a welcome change from his previous situation.

With that, everyone started moving again. This time, however, they were all the more anxious about the potential dangers of the castle now that they had the young dragon with them.

-Elsewhere-

It took a tense few minutes for Glitterball and her group to make their way back upstairs and to the front door.

Their detection charms were basically rendered useless due to the peach mare following them, escorting her brother and helping him walk. Even if earlier readings seemed to indicate that they were in the clear, it was hard not to imagine one of the pale ponies sneaking up on them and pouncing. Somehow, it was eerily quiet in the dimly lit halls. They hadn’t come across another vampire since they arrived, and that was more worrying than they thought it would be.

Once they made it to the front door, the group quickly decided that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would ferry those staying at the carriages down the cliff for the sake of expediency.

A few trips later, and the pair landed with the Crusaders. Rainbow Dash had Scootaloo in her forelegs and Apple Bloom on her back, while Fluttershy had Sweetie Belle in her grasp.

Fluttershy quickly walked up to one of the carriages, offering a friendly nod to the guards before she opened the door and set the white filly inside. Rainbow Dash did the same, and soon the trio was sitting in relative comfort, not accounting for the biting cold of the night.

"There… you guys will be safe here while we finish up," Rainbow said.

"I think there are some blankets in one of the cargo compartments if you get cold," Fluttershy added in a concerned manner.

"Thank you." Sweetie Belle said on behalf of her friends, though all of them were wearing appreciative smiles.

As the two pegasi closed the door and started to leave, Apple Bloom suddenly hopped up to the window and waved to get their attention.

"Wait!"

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash turned around and looked to the filly with mild confusion.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

Apple Bloom trailed her eyes down briefly before softening her expression and looking to the pair, paying particular attention to Rainbow Dash. "Can you take care of Applejack for me?" She asked softly. "I know she acts tough, but she has a habit of bitin' off more than she can chew."

"Could you please take care of Rarity too?" Sweetie Belle chimed in, struggling to hop up and join her friend momentarily before finally finding her way up.

The two mares couldn’t help but smile as they glanced at each other before turning to the fillies.

Rainbow Dash adopted her usual smirk of confidence and chuckled. "Don’t worry about it. I won’t let anything bad happen to your big sisters or anyone else." She assured. "Now, you kids be good for the guards… Try not to annoy them too much." She added with a slight wink.

Scootaloo shared a bright smile with her friends. For the first time in what felt like forever, they felt good about their situation again.

"Stay safe you two." Scootaloo waved.

Fluttershy offered a slight wave to the fillies before walking away with her cyan friend. As they walked away from one carriage, they passed by another with its door open and paused to look inside at the occupants.

Scholarly Scribble and Blank Page were nestled inside, sitting across from each other. The stallion had his bad leg propped up and a water bottle clutched tightly in one hoof. A syringe full of Tom’s blood was sitting nearby. The pale mare seemed in a constant state of unease, though she was glad to be with her brother again.

“How are you guys holding up?” Rainbow asked, trying her best not to stare too long at the pale mare.

“Well… I’ve been turned into a vampire and gotten to meet some national heroes and the princess herself.” Scribble stated. “Kind of a mixed bag… but I think we’re doing alright, all things considered.”

“That’s good to hear.” Fluttershy smiled a bit. “And don’t worry. Our friends can find that cure for you. I’m sure of it.” She said, to which both of the siblings smiled.

“Thank you… all of you.” Page said sincerely before trailing his eyes to the cliff behind the two mares and letting his expression fall. “Are you guys going to be ok? I mean… I know that you’re the Elements of Harmony and that you’ve saved Equestria more times than I can count… but isn’t this a bit much?”

Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy, who had a bit of veiled worry in her eyes. Her eyes softened as she thought back to Blue Bolt and imagined one of her friends ending up like him. However, she forced these thoughts from her head and turned to the pair in the carriage with a confident smile.

“We take care of each other… That’s what friends do, right?” She asked rhetorically before getting a bit uncomfortable. “Anyway… you guys worry about staying warm. We’ll worry about the rest.”

Page hesitated a moment as he noticed a familiar emotion in the cyan mare’s eyes. He had seen it before and experienced it himself recently. Still, he saw another emotion in her eyes that burned brighter than the grief. A desire to protect her friends.

“You guys stay warm too. It’s pretty cold in that castle. Trust me, I spent a whole night spooning a wolfskin rug.” Page said lightheartedly.

The two mares waved to the siblings before stepping away from the carriages and walking back over to the cliff. They spent a few moments staring up at the plateau at the top.

Fluttershy looked over to see a troubled look on her friend’s face, frowning a bit as she did. She reached over and put a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “It’ll be ok.”

Rainbow turned to see her friend wearing a sympathetic look. She wrinkled her mouth a bit and brought a hoof up to rest on the yellow mare’s before taking a shaky breath. “I know.” She said, making a silent promise to herself before spreading her wings and taking off. They were returning to hell frozen over, and they both knew it, but until all their friends were safe, they would gladly dive back in.

Back up on the castle’s upper floor, Tom and the others crept along in tense silence as they followed the last heat signature.

Perhaps it was the fact that they now had Spike with them to protect, or maybe it was the anticipation of finding their remaining friends and making a hasty retreat before they ran into something bad, but the anxiety in the air had increased for much of the group.

Spike clung to Pinkie Pie’s side as they walked along. Even with constant assurances from the lighthearted mare, he couldn’t keep himself from darting his eyes side to side and clutching at her fur as his thoughts ran wild about what was potentially waiting for them in the echoing rooms.

“So… what’s the plan on beating that alicorn guy?” He asked, looking around at the others hopefully. The longer they went without responding, the more his heart sank. “You do have a plan to beat him, right?”

“I’ll be honest, Spike. We’re kind of playing it fast and loose right now.” Tom explained.

“Oh,” Spike muttered, his eyes losing focus as he stared at the floor.

“But hey, we’ve gotten this far. That’s something to celebrate, right?” Sparkplug asked, looking around with a stiff smile that only faded as she saw the others wearing troubled expressions.

“As much as I want to celebrate finding Spike and the Crusaders, I think we should wait until we’re at least out of this place before we do it.” Pinkie said. It was hard for even her to remain positive in such dreary surroundings with so much danger lurking nearby.

Sunspot blinked at the pink mare. “Wow… it just hit me how deep in we must be if Pinkie wants to wait before celebrating.”

“Welcome to the ball of insanity that is our current situation.” Shining Armor produced a dry chuckle as he kept focusing on their path. “Let’s keep the fun times rolling, shall we?”

Just then, both Sunspot and Sparkplug felt a vibration against their chests.

“Speaking of fun times.” Sunspot groaned as she picked up her detection vial and looked down to it. As she did, her eyes widened slightly. “Woah… when did…?”

“Sssh!” Shining Armor hushed the group as an echoing sound pricked his ears from ahead and to the left.

Sunspot and the others looked up at the sound of hoofsteps. A room was just ahead of them, with what looked to be several archways opening up into the same lengthy expanse of a space, and although they couldn’t see much of the inside from the angle they were at, they could tell that the noise was coming from within.

Glancing back down to see the intensely glowing yellow liquid in her vial pointing to the left, Sunspot shared a hesitant look with her friends before reaching down and pulling out her dagger. Sparkplug did the same a moment later, and they both prepared to step forward until Tom held a hand out.

“Stay here.” The boy whispered. Before anyone could even voice a complaint, he walked ahead and stepped through the first archway into the room.

“Tom, wait!” Shining Armor called after the boy in a hushed tone, reaching out to him to no avail. He growled under his breath before glancing back at the others and then cautiously following behind.

Sunspot, Sparkplug, and Pinkie hesitated for a moment before following the stallion. Spike seemed reluctant to go anywhere near the room, but he was even more averse to being alone, so he kept close to his pink companion.

The ponies cautiously stepped through the first archway, only to be greeted by a much more open space than they anticipated. The curved ceiling was roughly the same height as out in the halls, perhaps a little higher, but with the increased width of the room, it felt much grander and more exposed.

Glassless windows with wrought iron lattices in decorative patterns let the light from the moon in to paint the dirty stone floor in a pale glow. It was hard to tell if the windows were always glassless, or if they had been broken at some point.

Whatever purpose the room originally held, it was mostly empty now. Empty, save for a lone figure standing at the far end of the room near another wooden door.

A lone figure that seemed eerily familiar.

The ponies all saw Tom standing a bit ahead of them, staring at the figure with a speechless expression of stunned dread. And as the figure stepped forward, creating more echoed hoofbeats as it sauntered into the light, the ponies all immediately recognized her.

“Princess!” Spike gasped excitedly, preparing to take off and run straight up to the alicorn before a hoof clamped down on his shoulder.

“Wait a minute, Spike…” Shining Armor said, looking at the as of yet speechless alicorn a bit closer.

Celestia’s form seemed frightfully pale, and it didn’t seem to just be from the light of the moon. Almost all at once, the group noticed a glint of red in her eyes, and the pieces all clicked together, however much they wished otherwise.

A series of stunned gasps came as many of the ponies either recoiled, covered their mouths, or simply stared ahead with jaws agape in silent disbelief.

“No…” Spike muttered, his arms falling limp to his sides as his eyes began to tremble. The more the reality of what he was looking at hit him, a few tears welled up in his eyes. “This… this can’t be happening… She can’t be…”

Meanwhile, Tom was still silently dealing with his own shock. He clenched his fist and grit his teeth as he saw the slack stare and posture of Equestria’s ruler standing there like a guard dog on its leash, waiting to be ordered what to do next. He couldn’t believe that Celestia, the closest thing he had to a mentor figure now, his best friend’s teacher and his own personal friend in some ways, was now reduced to a semi-lucid murderous shell of her former self.

Sunspot looked over as she noticed her human friend breathing a bit heavier. She watched him look to the floor briefly before he released the tension in his body and exhaled. He then started walking forward.

“Tom, what are you doing?” The pegasus asked.

“You’re not going to fight her, are you?” Pinkie added, her jaw trembling slightly at the thought of the human having to do battle with the kind and benevolent alicorn.

Tom paused and turned to see his friends looking at him with concerned faces. He thought for a moment before wrinkling his lip and sighing. “Go find Twilight.” He instructed plainly, adopting a serious expression.

“What?” Shining Armor narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What are you thinking? We’re not going to leave you to deal with this by yourself.” He insisted.

“I’ve got this handled.” Tom insisted. “Something tells me this won’t be pretty, and I’m the immortal one, remember? Besides…. I’m not going to let you guys fight your princess. Find Twilight, and I’ll catch up with you.”

“Like hay!” Sunspot chimed in. “There’s no way we’re just going to-” She stepped forward, only to be stopped by Shining Armor.

Shining stared at the boy for a moment with a conflicted expression. He looked around at the others, only to frown as he realized that the human was right in some regard. The thought of fighting a morally suppressed and unmerciful Celestia made him more than a little nervous, especially with so many of his friends with him. If any of them fought, then there was a big chance that they wouldn’t be leaving this room.

“You’ll call us if you get into any trouble?” Shining asked.

Tom half-smiled. “You know me… There isn’t any trouble I can’t handle.”

Shining Armor let his stare linger a moment longer before giving a solemn nod. He then turned around and gestured for the others to follow. “Come on, everyone. Let’s go.”

“Shining… we can’t just go!” Spike insisted. “Isn’t there something we can do to help him?”

“If we want to help, we should find Twilight and be ready to leave when he… makes her more willing to come with us,” Shining said, looking to the dragon with soft eyes. He glanced up at the three mares, only to see them still wearing stunned expressions of dismay or refusal. “Sunspot, Sparkplug… let him do his thing.”

“Are you ordering me?” Sunspot asked. “Because the last time I followed an order to leave like this, Princess Luna almost died.”

“Then don’t make me order you… please.” Shining said softly.

The pegasus stole another glance at the human, her eyes softening as she found herself looking to Celestia before she clenched them shut and produced a begrudging sigh. She then turned and walked away.

Sparkplug and Pinkie were still frozen where they stood, speechless and conflicted about what to do. Nothing felt like a good choice to them. They didn’t want to fight, but they didn’t want to flee. They expected to find the princess and rescue her, but never like this.

Finally, Sparkplug followed after her teammate and captain. Pinkie looked to see Tom facing off at a distance with the unmoving unicorn, a few tears welling up in her eyes before she sniffled and tugged Spike forward to get him moving.

“Wait… wait! You can’t be serious!” Spike protested, tugging to free his arm from Pinkie’s grip. He looked back and reached for his human friend, only to find Tom staring ahead solemnly. “Let me go! I have to stay and help!” He pleaded, much to Pinkie’s dismay. She herself was barely able to tear herself away, so hearing the dragon’s heart-wrenching shouts made her fledgling tears run down her face.

“Come on, Spike… Tom w-will take care of her, ok? Everything will be…” She sniffled. “O-Okie dokie… lokie…”

“No! You don’t understand!” Spike yelled, only to pause as he turned to see the human giving him a quick thumbs up. Although it was hard to make out in the pale moonlight, the dragon caught a glimpse under the boy’s sleeve, showing him a hint of the white bandage that was still concealing Tom’s arm wound.

“Tom!”

As the cries, shouts, and hoofbeats of his friends leaving died down, the room returned to silence as Tom stared at Celestia. She seemed to acknowledge his presence with her eyes, but little else as she stood, uncaring of the whistling wind around them.

She almost appeared to be waiting.

“Alright…” Tom said, taking his bag and setting it on the floor. He looked down to his palm, feeling the plastic and glass of a syringe full of his own blood, his only real weapon against the alicorn, before stashing it on his person and looking up to Equestria’s regal princess of the sun.

“If this is how it has to be… then let’s get this over with.”

Chapter 21: Confrontation

With the ceaseless wind whipping in through the windows, carrying flakes of snow and a layer of frost from outside, Tom stared ahead at Celestia, a silent mixture of emotions boiling under his skin, foremost of which was dread, regret, and worry. Really, it was mostly worry.

Worry that he would somehow end up killing the princess. Worry that he would fail and reveal to his friends just how fragile he was getting.

Fragile. It was an odd sensation. He hadn’t quite felt like this since he had become a slayer. He felt fear plenty of times, sure, but that was mostly fear of losing his new friends. Now, he was fearful for his own life to some degree.

Seeing that the alicorn wasn't making the first move, Tom walked forward at a slow pace. His footsteps echoed unimpeded through the spacious room, letting the fact sink in that he was alone, save for the pale pony standing across the way.

“Princess… are you in there still?” Tom spoke up as he approached, only to receive no answer. He paused, keeping a good distance still between them, as he noticed the blank look in her eyes. She was watching him, not quite like a hawk, but like a living statue. If a statue could move its head and blink, casting its uncaring gaze at a passerby, that was rather like what the alicorn was doing.

Suddenly, however, her eyes clarified slightly. She blinked hard, shifting slightly and producing a confused mutter.

“Wh… where am-” She paused as she looked around, only to find the human standing ahead of her. “Tom?”

“Princess?” Tom spoke again, a bit more hopeful.

Celestia’s eyes widened as she realized what she was doing. It wasn't by accident that she had been ordered to come here. “Oh no… Tom, stay back! I don’t know how long I have until he orders me to attack you, or the thirst returns!”

Tom stayed where he was, though he intended to do that anyway. “Have you drank any blood?” He asked, getting right to the point while she was lucid.

“No… I haven’t, but-” Celestia paused as she started sniffing, her eyes losing focus ever so slightly. “You… h-have blood on you.”

“Yeah… I guess I do.” Tom smiled nervously, glancing down to his arm. He wasn't sure if she was referring to the dried blood from his wound, or the blood in his body, and he wasn't sure which one would be worse. “Oh well… at least you can be cured.”

Suddenly, the alicorn took a step forward, and then another. She sniffed at the air, her lips curling back in a feral snarl that revealed her fangs as the light of consciousness flickered in her eyes, replaced with bloody instinct.

“Assuming you don’t turn me into a raisin right here and now…” The boy took a step back, reluctantly placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Celestia stalked forward a few more steps before she ground to a halt and clenched her eyes shut. She shook her head and grit her teeth, her newly acquired fangs poking into her bottom lip and drawing a bit of discolored blood, though she didn’t seem to care if she noticed.

“Ngh… n-no.” She growled, squinting an eye open to look at the human. “Please… please… run away! I don’t want… to… f-fight you!”

“You know I can’t do that,” Tom said with a flat expression. He took a step forward slowly. “But I can help you. I have something I can inject you with that should knock you out long enough for us to bring you back to Canterlot. After that, we can work on curing you.”

“Th… that sounds… wonderful… T-Tom…” Celestia panted, clutching a hoof to her head. “But… I’m afraid that… if you get any closer, I-I… I’ll lose my..self.” She took a moment, cringing and using every ounce of willpower she had not to pay attention to the tickle in her nose and the pain in her stomach. “Just… l-leave the syringe here. I-I’ll inject it… myself.”

“Ok.” Tom nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.” He smirked. Even when she was inflicted with vampirism, the alicorn was still the wisest in the room. He took out the syringe from up his sleeve and uncovered the needle. He then set it on the floor and started backing away.

Once the human was backed against the far wall, Celestia figured that he was far enough away for her to look up. She took a few deep breaths, taking care not to breathe through her nose and get another whiff of the sweet aroma teasing her senses, and lit up her horn.

Tom watched as the princess hovered the needle over and picked it up with her hoof. She examined it for a moment, briefly surprised to see that it was filled with a familiar red fluid, before looking up to the human.

“It might sting a little… ok, a lot. So, be ready for that.” He stated sympathetically.

Celestia flashed the boy a small smile before bringing the needle up to her neck. “Believe me… it will be worth the p-”

All at once, the needle clattered to the floor as the alicorn’s mouth fell agape. The reds of her eyes flashed a bit, and her pupils lost focus.

“Princess?” Tom asked as he watched her forelegs drop to the floor limply. He knew just what that look meant, and he did not like it one bit. “Oh boy…”

Soon enough, the dazed and unfocused eyes shifted to look at him. Celestia tensed the muscles in her neck and cringed, trying her best not to follow whatever order she just received, but despite her struggles, she stood up and inched forward like her body was being pulled along by strings.

“Princess, you have to fight him. He doesn’t own you yet.” Tom said, moving away from the wall and keeping a hand on his sword. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I… c-can’t.” Celestia strained, stumbling and pausing in an attempt at halting herself to no avail. “Do what you must… It’s… n-not just him.” She growled, a bit of saliva falling as she hyperventilated through her teeth.

“What do you mean?” Tom asked, keeping a healthy distance that was getting less healthy by the second.

“Hhh… huh…” Celestia panted in between cringing and averting her eyes. Soon, her movements stopped altogether as she clutched a hoof to her head and dragged it down. “Hhh...ung...ry…” She snarled, the sound shifting to something unnatural and vicious as she looked up. Now, a familiar sense of hostility and instinct was returned to her eyes as she looked at the boy like a blue-suited extra rare steak.

Tom swallowed as he slowly drew his sword and glanced up at the needle on the floor behind the alicorn, and then down to his backpack a few feet away. “Yeah… I was afraid of that.”

Without warning, Celestia produced a feral outcry and galloped forward at manic speed. The boy barely had time to react and formulate a plan before she was pouncing in the air toward him, hooves outstretched. Acting on sheer instinct alone, Tom ducked to the side and jammed his elbow into the alicorn’s ribs, barely even nudging her as she sailed past due to her size and his waning strength.

Not even stopping to watch her land, he made a full sprint for his bag. He could already hear the sounds of hooves skidding on stone before galloping to pursue him much faster than he could run, but as long as he reached his bag and the contents inside, he didn’t care.

Making a leap and reaching out, Tom managed to barely clutch the top of the bag in one hand, before he felt a tug on his leg. A forceful tug.

Forceful enough, in fact, to yank his full weight backward into the air and swing him to the side before releasing, sending his bag to the floor in the far corner and sending him flying into one of the windows with a fearful yell and a painful thunk.

His ribs struck the ironwork in the window, while his shoulder smacked right into the cornerstones beside it. He wasn't going fast enough to break something, but he definitely felt like he had as he crumpled to the floor with an agonizing groan.

“Ok…” Tom panted, cringing as he waited for his body to stop ringing. “Really missing that healing factor… right about now.”

Hearing an agitated yell and some rapidly approaching hooves, Tom lifted his head to see the pale alicorn charging toward him before leaping forward, fangs bared and death in her eyes. Thankfully, however, he also saw his sword, which he was somehow still clutching in his other hand.

Rolling onto his side, the boy quickly brought up his blade and held the flat part out with his other hand to brace. Celestia crashed right into him, attempting to grab him and pull him close so she could rip into him with her fangs, only to have a faintly glowing blade pressed into her chest.

The superior strength of the alicorn might have been too much for the human to effectively push back, but before she could overpower him, a burning sensation seared into her chest.

Celestia yelped in pain and recoiled backward a good distance. She looked down to see faint smoke coming off her form and then trailed her eyes up angrily at the luminescent blue blade that her prey was carrying.

Spotting an opportunity, Tom pushed his still aching body up from the floor. He adopted a more guarded stance as he faced the princess before darting his eyes to the side where his bag was. She was closer to it than he was, and something told him that she wasn't going to let him anywhere near it.

He then shifted his attention to the needle still on the floor where Celestia dropped it. It was just waiting there for him, and all he had to do was reach it. Not that such a task would be easy.

“Can’t we just call time out for five seconds?” Tom whined, only to have the alicorn growl at him and stalk forward. He twitched his sword up into a loose fighting stance, though his movements were hesitant.

Celestia inched toward him, lowering herself to be ready to pounce at any moment. He put his weight forward, attempting to dissuade her from approaching with his sword, but she didn’t seem to care.

Finally, the pale mare bolted toward him with a hiss. Tom cringed as he debated whether or not to make good on his aggressive stance. He could easily move to slash her, but the thought of that was too much for him. As she approached and eventually passed his outstretched blade, he finally yelled and kicked out at her.

The boy’s foot impacted with her chest, stunning her backward slightly. Not wasting this brief opportunity, Tom ran to the side, making a break for the needle on the floor. He barely made it halfway before he was tackled to the floor, sending his sword clattering out of his grip and sliding away.

“Gah!” Tom yelped, or at least started to, before his face was smacked into the floor roughly. He heard Celestia reel her head back and get ready to bite into his neck. Just as she came down, he bucked his head back, catching her muzzle with his skull. As she briefly grunted in pain, he kicked his foot up into her knee with a disconcerting crack, sending her hind leg flying out from under her.

Celestia yelped angrily. She barely had time to even glare at the human before he twisted his body, reaching up and shoving into her side. Because of her newly throbbing leg, she was off-balance, and he took full advantage of this fact as he pushed with all his might, sending her tumbling over him and onto the floor beside him.

In an instant, Tom shot up from the floor and leaped onto her, putting his full weight down onto her chest. He pinned her forelegs with one hand and winded back with the other while making a fist.

“Sorry about this!” He winced before letting loose with as strong a punch he could make in his current state.

Celestia caught the boy’s fist right on her temple as she looked up at him. He probably intended on knocking her out, but her unnatural stamina and resilience allowed her to take the strike and the resulting smack into the stone floor in her stride. Only now, the animalistic bloodthirsty side of her that was in control was thoroughly livid.

Tom winded back for another blow, but before he could throw his next punch, the alicorn bucked her head forward. Much to his surprise, she aimed her horn right into his shoulder, piercing clean through his shirt and stabbing him.

“AGH!” Tom cried out in agony, clutching both hands to his shoulder, which was erupting in excruciating pain. He then felt a hoof smacking into him with terrible strength, ripping him off the sharp point of the horn and sending him tumbling backward.

After he settled, he clutched at the admittedly small hole in his shoulder, which was now spilling out blood. Since he could still use his arm, he figured that the wound wasn't deep enough to impair him beyond the pain, but the pain was nothing to shrug at.

Pushing himself up on one arm, Tom looked up to see how far he was from getting chewed on. Surprisingly, the alicorn was still getting up herself, and he could soon see why.

Celestia’s back left knee was unnaturally bent, and the leg seemed like it couldn’t hold her weight anymore. However, as she stood up, feral hunger and anger burning in her crimson eyes, she forcibly popped the leg back into its natural orientation, masking the pain with a snarl. Her horn was tipped in blood now, though not enough to drip.

“Gah… I always thought you could put an eye out on those things.” He muttered to himself, managing to get to his feet again. He rotated his wounded shoulder, cringing and getting used to the pain so it wouldn’t hinder him later. He then squared up and prepared to evade whatever attack was coming next.

-Elsewhere-

The air was somber and quiet as Shining Armor’s group pressed forward, following the readings from Sunspot and Sparkplug’s vials.

However quiet it was at the moment, a tense mixture of emotions was boiling just under the surface for much of the group, ranging from sadness, to dread, and even anger.

Sunspot stared ahead at Shining Armor with a sour look on her face. She snorted and furrowed her expression before taking a moment to try and put words to what she was feeling. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into leaving him there.” She spoke finally.

Shining Armor glanced back to see the pegasus directing a bit of a glare in his direction. “It was the best option we had to avoid someone getting hurt.” He said, though his lack of eye contact seemed to betray his words.

“What about Tom?! Doesn’t he count?!” Sunspot snapped, catching Sparkplug off guard and triggering a bit of a jump from both Pinkie and Spike, who were trailing along behind the group.

“Of course he counts.” Shining Armor said earnestly. “He’s my friend too.”

“It really seems like it… But I guess I’m one to talk. I left too.” Sunspot trailed her eyes down, her stiff expression softening after a moment.

“But… Tom told us to leave. We should trust him… right?” Pinkie chimed in from the back.

A sigh parted Sunspot’s lips. “Pinkie… normally I’d agree with you, but this is the princess he’s fighting. He can’t just run up to her and-” She paused as she looked back to see Spike. The dragon was plodding along with his arms crossed and had been staring at the floor, but now he was looking to her with soft eyes and listening intently to the conversation. “He… can’t just do what he normally does, and his powers can only take him so far.”

There was silence again for an uncomfortable stretch of time as the group digested her words.

After a moment, Sparkplug looked over and opened her mouth to say something, only to trail her eyes away and close it again. She rubbed her shoulder against the cold before slowly getting up the courage to speak her mind.

“Sunspot… I think Tom knew what he was doing when he asked us to leave.” She reasoned. “I mean, think about it. We can’t do anything to the princess. We would just get in the way and get ourselves hurt, or worse.”

“Sparkplug’s right.” Shining Armor added. “The best thing we can do right now is to find Twilight. After we do that, and after Tom neutralizes Celestia, we can leave.”

Sunspot remained silent for a moment before her eyes fell along with her expression. “If something happens to him… it’s our fault. You know that, right?”

Shining Armor didn’t answer, and although the others couldn’t see, he trailed his eyes downward briefly. He knew she was right. Still, the stallion had a job to do, and not just because Tom insisted. He had to find his little sister if it was the last thing he did.

Meanwhile, Pinkie looked down to check on Spike, only to find him with a troubled look on his face. He was staring off into space, shifting his eyes around and wrinkling his lip. He almost looked like he wanted to say something.

“Spike, what’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, ever sympathetic.

The dragon broke free from his thoughts and looked up. Apparently, his internal crisis was a lot more external than he first intended. “Nothing.” He lied.

Pinkie frowned. “Come on, what is it? You can tell me.”

Spike bit the inside of his lip and averted his eyes. “Pinkie… can I ask you something?”

“Of course, silly.” She smiled.

“O-ok…” Spike swallowed uncomfortably. “If you knew a secret about someone, and they told you not to tell anyone… but then that person got into trouble because of that secret… what would you do?”

Noticing that the young dragon was being quiet, Pinkie took the hint and craned her neck to be close enough to whisper. “Well… I would try to help them however I could.”

“And… w-what if helping them out was dangerous?”

Pinkie softened her eyes with worry. “Spike, why are you asking stuff like that? Is something wrong?”

Spike pulled away slightly. “No, no… everything’s fine. I was just… curious.”

After a moment of thought, Pinkie’s already troubled expression deepened. “Is this about Tom?” She asked, watching him for a reaction, to which he stiffened up suddenly. “Oh gosh… it is about Tom? Spike… what’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you!” Spike said a bit louder than he intended before darting his eyes to see the others still walking ahead. He turned to the pink mare with shimmering eyes and jittery movements as he clasped his hands together. “Please, Pinkie… I really wish I could tell you, but I can’t. Just please don’t tell anyone I said anything.”

Pinkie frowned, but before she could respond, a loud buzz drew their attention forward. Both Sunspot and Sparkplug looked down to their gear, where a single vial was glowing yellow and vibrating in their hooves.

“Looks like we’re getting closer.” Sparkplug noted, shifting her attention to the other vial full of glowing sand.

“Yeah, and it looks like we aren’t the only ones dropping in on this party,” Sunspot added.

Shining Armor turned and looked at the vial in the pegasus’ hoof. He might not have fully understood how the charm worked, but he gathered that a nearly fully glowing evil detector was a bad sign.

"You think it's a trap?" He asked.

"I think it's a bit weird that we've only fought three vampires in this spooky vampire-infested castle since we got here." Sunspot replied.

"Well…" Shining sighed before turning back ahead. "Let’s not be late to our own surprise party, I guess." He motioned for the others to follow and started walking again.

The two suited ponies gave each other a hesitant glance before heading to join the stallion. As they were about to round the corner, Sparkplug looked back and noticed that Pinkie and Spike weren’t behind her. "Come on, guys. Don't fall behind." She waved.

Pinkie looked to Spike and frowned softly, seemingly contemplating whether or not to hold up progress to continue her conversation with the dragon.

"We'll talk about this later." Pinkie said quietly, giving the dragon a nudge with her hoof to get him moving with her.

Spike was equal parts relieved and unsettled as they rushed to rejoin their friends. He wasn't sure what to expect as they neared their goal. He only hoped that they would find Twilight unharmed and that they wouldn’t have a run-in with the sadistic alicorn that kidnapped them in the first place.

As they rounded the corner, the group was presented with yet another hallway. However, this one had a large set of double doors set into the left wall just ahead.

Sparkplug and Sunspot both converged their vials. Both the sand-filled vial and the vial of yellow liquid were glowing brightly when they pointed toward the left.

“They’re in there… whoever they are.” Sunspot said, letting her detector retract on its pullcord and pulling out her crossbow.

“It’s Twilight… it has to be,” Shining said.

“But what about the yellow light? I thought that was bad?” Spike chimed in.

“Reading’s too strong to make much of a guess about how many are in there.” Sunspot explained with a shrug. “For what it’s worth, I think it would be reacting a lot more to that alicorn if he were here.”

“You think or you know?” Sparkplug asked.

“Sparkplug… sometimes ignorance is bliss.”

“Yeah, and this is not one of those times.” Sparkplug replied tensely.

Sunspot tilted her head and cocked her bow. “Hey… you wanted to hunt monsters.”

Sparkplug looked over to see Spike looking up to her like she was one of the only things standing between him and an undetermined number of bloodthirsty ponies with superpowers, which she basically was. She wrinkled her lip and sighed as she pulled out her dagger. “I did want to hunt monsters…”

With everyone as ready as they could be, Shining Armor gave a slight nod to his companions as he grabbed hold of the intricately carved doors with his magic.

The stallion gave a quick shove, and the doors slid open with a deep wooden groan and minimal drag. Immediately the flickering orange light of fire greeted them from overhead.

Looking around, the ponies found a vast space, carpeted in what was once a deep rose color. Chandeliers full of blazing torches hung down from rafters high above them, providing much of the light in the room alongside wall sconces.

The ponies quickly realized why these were the only doors on this side of the hallway. The entire space led to this one room. It must have been the great hall of the castle, evidenced by the cracked wooden throne directly ahead of them, which had a familiar purple shape lying on the ground just in front of it.

“Twily!” Shining called out as he laid eyes on the form of his sister. She was bound on the floor, gagged by some kind of red rope-like substance and staring up at them. The purple mare wiggled against her bindings and made a muffled noise as she saw her friends and her brother.

Without even taking a moment to think, Shining Armor bolted forward into the room.

“Shining, wait!” Sunspot reached after the stallion to no avail, the readings from her detection vial forefront in her mind as she darted her eyes around the seemingly empty room. There were some tables and cupboards toward the sides of the room that could be hidden under or inside, but otherwise it seemed like nothing but wide open space.

Uncaring of any danger that he might be running into, Shining bolted straight to his little Twily. He knelt down as he reached her and held her up as he examined both her and her bindings. Thankfully she seemed relatively unharmed, but the red substance keeping her hooves tied together was bizarre, to say the least.

As he gently took the gag out of her mouth, Twilight took a quick breath before looking up to the stallion with alarm in her eyes.

“Shining, it’s a trap!” She exclaimed.

Shining merely smiled at her. “You really think a trap is going to keep me from rescuing my little s-”

A deep growl filled the air, cutting the stallion off. It was unlike the growls they had heard before. The mere sound of it sent a tingle down their spines.

“What… in the name of Celestia, Luna, and everything that is holy and decent, was that?!” Sparkplug said, darting her wide eyes around the room and keeping her dagger clutched tight. She nearly jumped out of her skin as both Pinkie Pie and Spike backed into her.

Meanwhile, a different sort of dread and fear slowly welled up in Sunspot as she realized something. She had heard that growl before.

“Oh no… not this again.”

Twilight and Shining looked up to follow the sound, only to see a chandelier above them. The shadows cast by the torches surrounding the decoration made it difficult to see much of the rafters above.

Then, a set of red dots opened up. And then another, and another.

All at once, three gaunt shapes stepped out of the darkness and loomed over the sides of the rafters, staring down at the two unicorns with empty, hungry eyes.

A cold chuckle echoed through the room, causing the ponies to dart their eyes around before converging on two more shapes in the rafters above the door. A pair of pale ponies were standing precariously on the same plank, uncaring of how high up they were as they watched the group below them with unsettling smiles.

“Did you really think the Prince would just let you come in here and take his toys?” A pink earth pony mare with curly yellow hair cackled down at the group.

The beige earth stallion beside her smirked as he brushed his green hair out of his face. His cutie mark seemed to indicate a more rustic talent, perhaps farm work. “Sugar, don’t be rude. I think it was nice of them to come all this way to entertain our friends.” He looked up to the three gaunt ponies in the rafters eagerly. “Careful… they play rough.”

Almost as if they were given the go-ahead, the three figures all barked and leaped down from the ceiling toward the two unicorns, revealing hollow expressions and mouths full of sharp teeth.

“AHH!” Twilight screamed and reeled back to the floor as she watched the creatures heading straight for her.

Shining Armor raced to cast a defensive spell, and with a quick spark of magical energies, a shield formed around him and his sister. The three monstrous ponies all landed on the shield, with two of them finding balance on the forcefield and one of them bouncing off like a bird hitting glass.

Uncaring of the obstacle in their way, the trio started biting and clawing at the glowing magenta barrier, offering Twilight and Shining a disturbingly close look at them. Two were regular ponies, while one seemed to be a guard.

Their skin looked like it would crack and fall off if it were touched. Clumps of yellow, green, and white fur clung to them, along with tufts of dull-colored hair, offering some hint at their previous identity. The skin around their flanks was so stretched and distorted, and so much fur was missing that it was hard to see their cutie marks. They all feverishly groped and snapped and gnawed to get at the pair like it was their only purpose in life. They resembled animals more than ponies, and it wasn't just because of their disfigured lanky appearance.

“Twilight, take this and teleport over to the others.” Shining Armor instructed, briefly glancing at his sister and handing her his dagger before looking around at the three creatures. “I’ll be fine.”

Twilight’s ears fell. “I can’t do that… The guy that brought us here cut anti-magic symbols into me.” She explained softly.

“He what?!” Shining turned, only to reel back slightly as she moved her mane out of the way, revealing some kind of symbol crudely carved into her skin. The mere sight made him soften his face with concern before narrowing his eyes angrily. “When I get my hooves on that guy…”

Meanwhile, Sunspot and the others watched the three creatures attacking their friends with tense expressions. While Spike and Pinkie didn’t have much of anything to effectively strike back with, the two suited mares were a different story.

“Hit ‘em where it hurts, Sparkplug.” Sunspot said, aiming her crossbow for one of the two beasts on top of Shining Armor’s shield.

“R-right.” Sparkplug replied, taking a quick breath and steadying her bow as she leveled it toward the one on the floor.

After a brief moment of synchronizing, they both had their targets in sight.

“Fire!” Sunspot shouted, and with that, they both pulled their triggers.

The pegasus’ bolt zipped straight into the green-furred earth pony, hitting it right in the side. Twilight and Shining Armor watched as the creature erupted into burning embers with a sharp howl before its skeleton collapsed on top of the bubble and scattered into ash.

Sparkplug’s bolt, however, smacked into the shield right beside her mark, harmlessly bouncing off. The yellow furred feral pegasus stopped what it was doing and snapped its head to the side with an unsettling pop.

“Uh oh…” Sparkplug muttered, staring at the creatures as they both turned to look at her and her friends.

With a ferocious growl, the yellow creature barked at the group before bounding toward them, its friend hopping off the shield and running to join it.

“AHH!” Spike, Pinkie, and Sparkplug all screamed in unison, while Sunspot merely fumbled to pull out her dagger.

Before the two feral ponies could reach their prey, they smacked into another glowing barrier. The three mares and their young companion looked up to see that a magical bubble had been formed around the beasts, trapping them inside. They then noticed that Shining Armor and Twilight no longer had a shield around them, though the stallion’s horn was still aglow.

“Phew… That was close.” Pinkie deflated with relief, offering a slight wave to the two unicorns. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she looked up, only to catch movement in the rafters. “Oh no… Look out!”

Shining Armor and Twilight looked up just in time to see two figures lunging towards them. They both yelped and backed up, going in different directions as the other two vampires landed where they just were.

“You unicorns always think you can just solve everything with magic!” The pink mare snarled, baring her fangs as she loomed closer to Shining Armor. She reeled her hoof back before shooting it toward his face. “I’d like to see you magic your way out of this!”

Shining Armor jumped back, narrowly dodging the mare’s hoof. He looked to the side, where the remaining two strigoi were being contained by his shield, before darting his eyes ahead to see his sister backing away from the pale stallion. “Twilight!”

Twilight glanced up to her brother before a growl drew her attention back to the red eyes fixated on her. She produced a timid squeak and held out the silver dagger, hoping to dissuade the stallion from getting any closer. Even with the dagger, she felt defenseless without her magic.

Seeing the danger their friends were in, Sparkplug and Sunspot leaped into action. They both rushed around either side of the magical bubble, ignoring the two creatures gnashing at them from inside.

Sunspot reached down to her suit, slipping her hoof into her ammo pouch only to find it to be empty. "Dangit… out of bolts." She cursed under her breath before rushing to put away her bow and pull out her popper. "Time to try this out." She said, a hint of trepidation to her voice.

With a quick twist, the cap to the vial gave a slight click, indicating that it was now ready to fire. She leveled it toward the mare attacking Shining Armor, grit her teeth, and flinched an eye closed as she pushed the button.

A startling bang sounded through the room as a flash of green light painted the area around Sunspot. Almost instantly, a spray of discolored blood came from the pale mare’s side from a newly formed hole.

"AGH!" She yelped and clutched at the wound. As she looked to see what happened, she could see that her fur was singed around the impact site.

Before she could even glare at the pegasus, she looked over to see Shining Armor rushing for her. He grappled her, throwing his forelegs around her and holding on for dear life as she cried and hissed, trying to get him off.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug quickly loaded her crossbow and took aim at the stallion backing Twilight into a corner. Although her previous miss weighed heavy on her mind, she suppressed her doubts and fired.

The stallion twitched an ear as the gray mare’s bow discharged. He raced to dodge out of the way, but even with his enhanced reflexes, he still caught the bolt in his hind leg.

Immediately, the stallion yelled in pain as his leg crumbled into ash from the knee down. He stumbled back and brought a hoof to the brittle remains of his limb, but he barely had time to process what to do next before a glint of silver in the torchlight drew his attention forward.

Taking advantage of the opportunity presented to her, Twilight stabbed her dagger at the stallion with a yell. Much to her surprise, her attack was halted as he grabbed her hoof.

The dagger sizzled against part of the stallion’s hoof, but he pushed through the pain and kept his hold on her as she struggled to pull back or push the dagger forward.

Hearing the sound of frantic hooves approaching, both of them looked to the side to see Sparkplug charging right for them. The gray mare yelled as she tackled the pale pony, sending him to the ground.

The stallion grunted as he struggled to keep Twilight’s dagger under control at the same time as pushing Sparkplug away, but it was clear that he was favoring the unicorn.

"Gah!” Twilight yelped as her hoof was wrenched to the side painfully. Her grip on her dagger loosened as she struggled to stop the stallion from snapping her wrist.

The pale pony glared up at her with sinister intent. In one swift motion, he brought his hoof away from Sparkplug and reached up, grabbing the now limp dagger by its non-silvery handle and flipping it around in a slash at the unicorn’s body.

Twilight flinched and backed up, but not before catching the tip of the blade across her chest. She squeaked in pain and clutched at the newly formed cut, which stung like crazy for its small size.

With his first attack successful, the stallion smirked and prepared to stab up into Sparkplug’s gut. Just before he could, he looked up and widened his eyes as he saw that the gray mare had produced her own silver dagger.

“NO!” The stallion cried out, far too late to stop her as Sparkplug stabbed into his chest with a grunt of exertion. Almost immediately, the pale pony’s form ignited, spreading out from the knife and overtaking him as he rocked his head back and screamed.

Over on the other side of the room, the vampiric mare in Shining Armor’s grasp looked up as she heard her companion’s cry. She widened her eyes as she witnessed the stallion’s form collapsing into ash.

“Honey!” She yelled, her jaw falling slack for a moment before her eyes flared with anger. “You bitch! I’ll kill you both for that!” She barked, struggling against the stallion holding her with renewed vigor.

Shining Armor cringed as the pink mare butted her head back into his nose. Still, he kept holding on, doing his best to simultaneously concentrate on his spell keeping the other creatures contained.

Hearing someone approaching, both the mare and Shining looked up to see Sunspot rushing up to them, brandishing a knife in her hoof. She swiped at the mare’s chest, only to receive a kick to the jaw as the pale pony leaned back onto Shining Armor to free her hind legs.

The impact sent Sunspot stumbling back onto her haunches. Her entire muzzle throbbed with pain, and she could taste a bit of blood already. Looking back up, she snorted angrily and yelled as she rushed forward again.

As the pair struggled to land a killing blow on the pale mare, both Twilight and Sparkplug, and Pinkie and Spike drew closer. The four were unsure of what they could do from this range without risking injury to Shining or Sunspot, but they had to do something. The pale mare was somehow managing to keep both of them at bay by kicking, biting, and ducking.

Throwing an elbow into Shining’s stomach, the mare used the moment he lurched forward with a pained grunt to buck him off, sending him tumbling to the floor. She then looked up and dodged to the side as Sunspot made another stab at her.

Sunspot made a few swipes at the agile mare, hoping to catch her enough to distract her with a wound long enough to land a more solid hit. She jabbed toward her chest, only for the pale pony to grab her foreleg, and then her other foreleg.

“Gah! Get off!” Sunspot protested, trying to shake free of the mare’s grasp. Her annoyance shifted to alarm as she realized that she couldn’t move effectively.

The pale mare smirked hungrily and opened her jaw wide, revealing her fangs. She grasped the struggling pegasus tight and held her head, exposing the orange pony’s neck before lunging forward.

Just before Sunspot could feel sharp teeth piercing into her windpipe, a small zap came from the side as a bolt of light smacked into the pale pony. A shower of colorful sparks showered off the vampiric mare, eliciting a slight yelp and drawing her attention to the side.

Both of them looked over to see Pinkie Pie opening fire with her strobe. The tiny vial flashed and smoked as she sent burst after burst toward the one assailing her friends.

“Ow!” The mare flinched at the slight burning sensation from each impact. She lifted a free foreleg and did her best to block the blasts, but she wasn't having much luck.

Looking up, she realized that the ponies were about to gang up on her. Sparkplug and Twilight were rushing toward her, and Shining Armor was about to attempt to grapple her again.

However, just before she started to panic, her eyes shifted to the magical bubble in the middle of the room, and to the two feral ponies still trapped inside. A slight smirk crossed her face as she saw how close the three mares and young dragon were standing to the barrier.

Shifting her weight onto one hind leg, the pale mare looked back to see Shining Armor running straight for her. She kicked out at his foreleg, catching him in the joint and causing the limb to buckle.

“AH!” Shining yelled and nearly went to the floor. Before he could even clutch his new injury, he looked up and saw the mare recovering from her kick, and preparing another.

*Whack*

With a rattling impact to the head, Shining was knocked back into the wall, hitting the back of his head as well. His eyes immediately fluttered as he stumbled and slid to the floor, briefly falling out of consciousness.

As the stallion lost consciousness, his horn died out. Twilight and the others froze as they all realized what this meant for them.

Pinkie and Spike darted their eyes to the side just in time to watch the magical bubble next to them vanish, leaving them staring headlong into a pair of hollow pits with red dots staring back at them. A guttural snarl reverberated out of the decrepit pegasus as it inched forward.

"AHHH!!" The pair screamed at the top of their lungs as the lanky creature pounced toward them.

"Pinkie, Spike!" Twilight’s face paled as she watched her friends being attacked. Before she could even think of something to do to help, a bark drew her attention to the side, where the second creature was already in midair heading toward her with its maw open.

Twilight felt her heart skip and her body seize. A startled shriek died in her throat as she backed up, though she knew that it was far too late.

Suddenly, Twilight felt a shove from the side. She grunted and slid to the floor, only to look up just in time to watch the creature plowing into Sparkplug.

"No!" Twilight yelped, helpless to stop whatever was about to happen in time.

Sparkplug produced a fearful squeak as the gaunt guard lunged down at her, saliva falling from its jagged teeth. It bit down at her neck.

There was a wet squelch and a fountain of blood as a chunk of flesh was ripped free from the gray mare’s foreleg.

Sparkplug screamed in absolute agony as the creature jerked its head away. It was all she could do to prevent the beast from biting her neck, but this was too much for her to bear.

The creature chewed and swallowed in a sickening instant of gnashing teeth and slurping, and it was ready for more.

Sparkplug could barely see straight. She clutched her newly created wound, but she couldn’t stop the blood from pouring out, staining her coat and vest, coating the floor in warm sticky crimson. All she could do was avert her eyes and keep her forelegs close as the maw of teeth descended on her again.

All at once, the sound of flesh being pierced rang out. Instead of feeling a bite ripping into her, Sparkplug suddenly felt the weight on top of her lessen as a cloud of what felt like dust collapsed onto her. She uncovered her face and looked up, only to see Twilight standing next to her, jutting a dagger into thin air where the creature once was. The gray mare was covered in dim embers and ash, which had scattered along the floor around her as well.

The pair could hardly offer any expression of relief or gratitude, between Sparkplug’s pain and Twilight’s nerves, but they couldn’t even linger for a moment as their thoughts turned to their friends.

Twilight turned to see a similar scene to what she just intervened in. The feral pegasus was lying on top of Pinkie Pie, trying to bite at her. Thankfully, the pink mare had found a better position to put her forelegs in to prevent the creature from reaching anything vital, but she barely had control as it snapped and bit at her.

Off to the side, Spike was watching with wide eyes, unsure of what to do as his friend struggled for her life. Sunspot was still busy wrestling with the pale mare, and Shining Armor was still coming to consciousness. Twilight and Sparkplug were too far away to do anything in time.

“Pinkie!” Spike reached out, inching closer in the hopes of doing something, anything to aid the pink pony. He flinched back as the creature stole a bark in his direction. It even attempted to go after him, but Pinkie was holding her forelegs against its shoulders and keeping it loosely anchored to herself.

Pinkie reeled her head back to the floor as the creature returned its attention to her. She flinched an eye closed and averted the other, catching a glimpse of the young dragon as she looked away from the beast.

“Spike… get away!” She pleaded.

Just then, the creature swiped a lanky foreleg at her, its chipped hoof raking across her face roughly and leaving a slight cut. Her right foreleg slipped momentarily, allowing it to get closer to her neck before she scrambled to shove her hooves into its neck and push it away again, but this time she had to strain just to keep it from inching closer.

In the process of the pink mare rushing to move her foreleg, the strobe she was holding fell out of her hoof and clattered along the floor.

Spike stared at the tiny vial, an intense need to help his friend welling up and overshadowing his petrifying fear. Without even taking a moment to hesitate, he rushed forward and snatched the vial up in his hand before fumbling it around. It took a moment to find the proper orientation and a way to hold it, but once he did, he pointed it at the creature and pushed the button on the cap with his thumb.

Three bursts of colorful light shot out of the tip of the vial and exploded into the feral pegasus. The area around the impacts sizzled and smoked slightly, but other than a slight noise of agitation, it didn’t seem to cause a reaction.

Although, that wasn't entirely accurate. It did cause the creature to jerk its head toward the dragon and growl viciously.

Spike’s arms fell slowly and he backed up a step. The color drained from his face as he stared ahead, eyes wide with fear as the creature singled him out.

Pinkie tried to keep the beast focused on her, even at the risk of her fragile hold on it keeping it away from her neck, but there was nothing she could do to stop it from getting up and pushing off her as it leaped at the dragon.

“SPIKE!” She reached out, unable to tear her eyes away as she expected to watch the gaunt pony snatch up the dragon in its maw.

Just before disaster struck, Spike flinched and shielded his face as all torchlight vanished and the shadow of the looming creature fell over him.

A second went by, and then another. Strangely, he felt no pain.

Squinting one eye open, Spike looked up, only to jump slightly as he saw glowing red eyes and a maw full of teeth, along with two disfigured forelegs reaching for him. However, the form of the creature was outlined in a sparkling magenta aura, and it was floating in the air.

“Shining…?!” Spike blinked, the corners of his mouth rising into a joyous smile as he looked over to see the stallion.

Shining Armor was still on the floor, but he was lifting himself up with one hoof. A dazed look was stuck on his face, but he was staring ahead with as much focus as he could muster with his horn aglow. He then flinched suddenly, and it didn’t take long for the dragon to figure out why.

The creature jerked against its magical prison. Although it didn’t move much, it moved enough to make Spike stumble backward with a nervous yelp. It seemed like this was more of a reprieve than a rescue.

Pinkie rolled over and darted her eyes between the pale yellow pegasus in the air and Spike. She wasn't sure what to do. However, before she was about to rush over and pick the dragon up to flee, she heard someone shouting behind her.

“Pinkie!” Sunspot yelled before a metallic clatter came from just behind the pink mare.

Looking over, Pinkie saw Sunspot still struggling with the pale pony. However, she no longer had her dagger, which was now a short distance away.

Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Pinkie steeled her expression and leaped at the dagger. She picked it up in one hoof and skidded to a halt, spinning in place and rushing toward the floating monster, hoping to reach it before Shining Armor’s hold over it faded.

“Sorry, whoever you are, but I have to do this!” Pinkie shouted as she jumped up and planted the dagger into the yellow pony’s back.

The pegasus let loose an ear-piercing yip as its form tensed. It didn’t even get a chance to move any further before a wave of ashes passed through it, leaving a loosely formed skeleton floating in the magical aura before Shining dropped it scattering to the floor.

Spike and Pinkie gradually looked at each other after they watched the beast being engulfed. The dragon flashed a hesitant smile. Pinkie smiled back, but her expression fell abruptly as her thoughts turned back to Sunspot, who was now weaponless.

Picking up the dagger on the floor, Pinkie spun around and started to rush forward, but she widened her eyes and skidded to a halt at what she found waiting for her.

Now that the vampiric mare’s only ally was gone, she shifted her efforts from attacking to defending. In the time it took the others to turn their attention to her, she wrenched a hoof free and punched Sunspot across the face, hard. Using the pegasus’ stunned recoil, she got behind her and wrapped a foreleg around her neck.

“Hold it right there!” The mare yelled. “If any of you come any closer, I’ll break this featherhead’s neck like a twig!”

Pinkie backed up a step and lowered her dagger as she tensely watched her friend being held hostage. “Ok… ok… please, don’t hurt her.”

Sunspot struggled to get free, but a harsh pressure applied to her neck forced her to stop. She couldn’t even reach down to her suit without getting reminded of her predicament.

Hearing movement off to the side, the pale mare darted her eyes over, only to find Shining Armor getting to his hooves and looking right at her.

“Same goes for you! If I so much as see that horn of yours light up, I’ll kill her!” The mare said, giving shining a disapproving glare.

Shining Armor growled under his breath, but he loosened his posture into a less threatening stance anyway. “Alright… you got us. What do you want?”

“Don’t worry about me, guys. Just kill her and get it over w-” Sunspot croaked suddenly as her windpipe was squeezed and a hoof was pushed against the side of her head. She grasped at the pale pony’s hooves, but her poor positioning and inferior strength made it nigh impossible to do anything meaningful.

“Shut it, you!” The mare instructed tensely. It was clear that she was still uneasy and nervous about her situation, even with her new leverage. She darted her eyes between the ponies, lost in thought before a devious smile crept across her face.

“Alright,” She said, “Here’s what we’re going to do. Y’all are gonna throw down all your weapons and fancy gear, and we’re gonna go see the Prince. If any of you look at me funny, I’ll kill her. If I feel like you’re doing something I don’t like, I’ll kill her. If any of you leave my sight-”

“Let me guess, you’ll kill me?” Sunspot strained, managing a half-smirk before another squeeze forced a cringe.

“You say one more thing! Just see what happens, smartflank!” The pale mare threatened before turning to look at the stallion, who she recognized to be Shining Armor, prince of the Crystal Empire, captain of the royal guard, and the likely leader of this little outfit. “How about it, Captain? The Prince might be feeling generous today. Do you want to maybe die later, or do you want to lose somepony for sure right now?”

Shining Armor felt a heavy knot in his gut as he silently thought about what to do. Sunspot was staring at him, conveying as much as she could through expression and slight head shakes for him not to give in. However, he couldn’t think of any other option where she lived, and he wasn't going to let anyone else die tonight.

“Ok…” He said finally, letting his shoulders sink and hanging his head slightly. “We’ll go with you.”

“Good…” The mare nodded sporadically before giving a slight joyous snort. “Good. Now then,” She shifted her eyes over to the other members of the group. “You, drop that knife.” She instructed to Pinkie before looking to Twilight and Sparkplug. “And you there, head to the door. Slowly.”

Twilight swallowed uneasily as she watched her friends complying with the demands of the vampiric pony. Then again, there wasn't much she could do without her magic. She took a few cautious steps toward the door before she paused and looked back to Sparkplug.

The gray mare was still on her back, lying on the floor and cradling her gruesome wound. She seemed like she might be descending into shock, and her movements were jittery.

“Get up and git movin’!” The pale mare shouted toward Sparkplug.

“She’s hurt… Please, cut her some slack.” Twilight pleaded softly, starting to go back to help the wounded mare up until a pained grunt from Sunspot made her freeze.

“I don’t care, and I didn’t tell you to head back! Get moving!” The pale pony shouted.

Meanwhile, Sunspot trailed her eyes away from Twilight and looked to Sparkplug. Surprisingly, the gray mare was more lucid than she first appeared. Sure, there was a lot of pain in her eyes, but she was looking back at the pegasus, darting her eyes down suggestively. And as she looked down, Sunspot immediately knew why.

“Do you want your friend to die?!” The mare shouted, darting her eyes between Twilight, Pinkie, and Shining Armor. “Get to the door, now!”

“Don’t do it, guys. It’s not worth it.” Sunspot pleaded.

Suddenly, the pale mare tightened her hold and leaned back, causing a strangled croak to escape from the pegasus, who was now squirming for air.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut-”

*POP*

A sound like a firecracker going off filled the room. All at once, a green bolt of light zipped straight into the pale mare, hitting her right in the head. A cloud of red exploded out of both sides of her forehead, rocking her off balance and causing a painful yelp.

“AGH!” The mare yelled as she struggled to maintain her balance. “What the h-”

With that, Sunspot elbowed her in the gut, and then in the jaw. The pegasus wrenched herself forward, managing to free herself and plop to the floor.

The pale mare looked down at Sunspot, an angry scowl forming on her stunned face. However, before she could act on her fury, two more miniature explosions rang out.

*POP* *POP*

Two more green projectiles burned into the mare’s form at lightning-fast speeds. The first ripped through her shoulder, spinning her around to face the second shot, which hit right dead center into her neck.

With wide eyes and a gurgle of pain, the yellow-haired pony fell backward toward the floor. Much to the surprise of the watching group, the bloody hole that had opened up into her neck started to glow, and a ring of embers spread out around it before overtaking the rest of her body.

She didn’t even hit the ground.

Stunned and at a loss for words, the group turned their eyes toward the source of the shots. They found Sparkplug, lying on the ground and holding out her popper, which was smoking at the tip. The liquid showing through the streaks of glass was yellow, and a soft sizzling sound could be heard.

Soon, however, the liquid faded back to green, and the room was silent once more.

Chapter 22: On a Pale Horse

As the moon shone down on the castle outside, there was still a battle waging within as Tom faced off against Celestia.

Perhaps ‘battle’ wasn't the best way to describe it. After all, only one of them had any intention of hurting the other, and it was easy to see.

The human had suffered a few more wounds and bruises. He had a cut along his forehead that was bleeding profusely, and his leg was skinned in one spot. Still, no matter what he tried, Celestia was relentless in her pursuit of him; shrugging off punches, kicks, and smacks against the floor or walls like they were minor inconveniences.

“Gah!” Tom yelped as a swipe from the princess’s foreleg raked across the hole in his shoulder. He jumped back several feet, only to find the alicorn charging and leaping at him too fast to avoid.

With a low snarl, Celestia plowed into the human, sending him to the floor with her hooves on his shoulders. He reached up and held her at arm’s length as she went in to bite him, but it was clear she had the upper hand.

Tom turned his head and averted his gaze from the alicorn’s feral eyes and gnashing teeth. As he looked up, he spotted the stray needle on the floor just above him. This was the closest he had managed to get to the syringe since this battle started. If his hands weren’t occupied, he could grab it, if only he could spare a second to reach out and take it.

However, things wouldn’t be that easy with the pale princess trying to take his blood. Of course, her drinking the blood would have a similar effect as him injecting her with it, but the simple act of her taking his blood would make the transformation irreversible. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to stop her for much longer.

Meanwhile, Celestia, or rather, the sliver of her consciousness that was aware of her surroundings, watched in silent horror from the back of her mind as her body attempted to kill the boy.

She was almost as helpless as Tom was, and that was saying something. No matter how hard she willed herself to take control again, her feral instincts kept pushing her to get a taste of the crimson nectar that she knew was flowing through his veins. It was like she was watching through her own eyes as a passive observer, and it was mortifying.

Tom… why didn’t you run? She lamented, her sadness at the situation her only comfort, as if it was her way of telling the world that this wasn't her. She wasn't the one about to rip into the human’s throat and drain him until he was but a husk. But deep down she knew that this was but a hollow comfort. It was her.

The boy looked so weak and distraught. It broke her heart just to watch, even though that was all she could do. She couldn’t close her eyes or look away.

Tom hadn’t used lethal force on her once in their brief fight. He hadn’t even attempted to. She was certain that he could fend her off if he simply used his claws or his ray of light, but he hadn’t. Why hadn’t he?

Perhaps he was too tired? He did look so tired and exhausted. His eyes were heavy despite how wide they were, like sleep hadn’t found him in a year. His movements were also sluggish and getting moreso. He kept making simple mistakes, like he was fighting on instinct and even fighting against that for the sake of not hurting her.

Why hasn’t he healed…? Celestia frowned, or at least displayed the emotion of frowning. Not once had she seen him recover the wounds he had sustained. He was covered in blood and scrapes and bruises, yet he hadn’t even attempted to heal.

Then, as Tom strained with all his might, shifting his grip on her to better push her away, she saw it. The sleeve on his arm fell back, revealing a hint of stained white.

It was a bandage, and an old one at that. At least a few days, maybe more, and it was clear that a sizable wound was concealed underneath.

All at once, it clicked in her head.

Tom paused as he felt the alicorn’s struggle against him cease. He looked up, only to see the hostility and hunger gone from her face. Instead, she was staring ahead, staring at him, her mouth agape in shock.

“Tom…” She muttered, her eyes scanning back and forth between his arm and his face. A certain look of concerned revelation was stuck in her gaze. He knew exactly what she knew, and for the first time since he received that wound on his arm, he was thankful.

In a blur, Tom pushed through the pain and exhaustion and reached up. He grabbed the syringe and grimaced as he yelled, stabbing the needle into the alicorn’s neck and pressing the plunger in an instant.

Almost immediately, Celestia’s concern and shock shifted to pained alarm as her eyes widened. She scrambled backward, stumbling off the boy and screaming as her body exploded into agony. It was like her veins were dissolving inside of her, and she could feel every bit of it.

Tom watched as a series of glowing lines spidered out across the alicorn’s body, starting from the injection site on her neck. A light sizzling sound could barely be heard in between her agonizing yells.

Celestia started to clutch at her neck when she suddenly clenched her teeth and tensed every muscle in her body. Her forelegs collapsed, and she whined and cried and hissed as she hugged herself. Tears were uncontrollably welling up and running down her face.

Finally, she rocked back her head and let loose one last blood-curdling scream that must have carried through the entire castle. She screamed and screamed until the air left her lungs, whereupon she gasped for a breath and hyperventilated briefly before falling silent.

Then, she limply rolled to the side and settled on the floor, unconscious.

Tom laid there on the floor for a while, catching his breath and staring at the alicorn, half convinced that she would get back up again. Thankfully, she was out like a light.

Letting the spent syringe fall to the floor, the boy rolled over and worked his way to his knees slowly.

Around that time, he heard approaching hoofsteps and familiar voices.

Looking up, Tom saw a group of ponies trotting by one of the archways before they stopped and walked into the spacious room. He immediately recognized Glimmer Shine and Glitterball, along with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack.

As they quickly surveyed the scene, the ponies’ eyes went wide with shock. Not only was there a very beat-up-looking human, but Princess Celestia was lying motionless and pale on the ground a few feet away.

“Oh my gosh…” Glitterball covered her mouth as she darted her eyes between the two before settling on the human.

“Tom!” Fluttershy squeaked with concern as she and the others ran over. While the yellow pegasus, Glitterball, and Applejack rushed up to their human friend, the others went to go examine Celestia.

“Are you okay?!” Fluttershy asked, her eyes shimmering as she looked over the human’s many wounds while helping him to his feet.

“What in blazes happened in here?” Applejack asked. She wasn't used to seeing the human so bloodied and exhausted. Seeing that Tom was too tired to talk, she turned to see Glimmer Shine and the others gathered around the alicorn.

The stallion was examining her for any signs of injury, but he recoiled back as he noted how cold she was.

Rarity felt her heart sink as she saw the kind-hearted princess of the sun in such dire shape. “Is she breathing? Oh my… it doesn’t look like she’s breathing!”

“I… can’t find a pulse.” Glimmer Shine reported, double-checking his findings with tense hooves.

“She’s fine…” Tom managed, pausing to take a breath. “Relatively speaking.”

Meanwhile, Glitterball noticed a slight vibration against her vest. She looked down to see her detector glowing, and as she held it up, she quickly found that it was glowing directly toward the unconscious alicorn. “Wait… don’t tell me she’s… she’s…” She looked to the human, desperate for him to tell her that she was wrong.

“No way.” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “There’s no way that the princess is one of those things… there’s no way!” She insisted, though she seemed doubtful of her words as she looked to Tom with a hint of desperation in her eyes.

“I’m afraid so,” Tom said somberly.

The group shared a collective verbal recoil, silencing the room as they each slowly looked to their ruler. Some were pale, some were staring ahead with mouths agape in shock, and some were distancing themselves by looking away, but everyone was mortified by the news.

“Did… she do all this to you?” Applejack asked quietly, looking over the human’s wounds with soft eyes.

Tom wrinkled his expression briefly before flashing a smile. “Don’t worry about it… I’m fine.” He looked down to Celestia. “And she will be too once we get her home and cure her.”

“You don’t look fine.” Fluttershy fretted, pulling a hoof up instinctively and resisting the urge to cover her mouth with it as she looked at the hole in the boy’s shoulder, along with all his other wounds.

“It’s nothing, really. I just… need a minute to catch my breath before I heal.” Tom said, darting his eyes away for an instant. He was surprised to find a gauze pad being lifted by a blue magical aura to wipe the blood from his forehead.

“Well, at least let me clean you up a bit in the meantime.” Glitter suggested, taking care to be gentle as she dabbed the human’s face. She went along, removing smudges of blood and dirt caked onto his skin by sweat. She hid a cringe as she got to the wound in his shoulder. The pierced flesh was still bleeding around the edges, and it looked incredibly painful.

“You know, those horns of yours are sharper than they look.” Tom jested, hoping to ease the discomfort the unicorn was clearly feeling. His lighthearted smirk abruptly shifted to a pained grimace as she started cleaning the hole in his shoulder.

“Sorry…” Glitterball frowned. As she looked down, following the trail of blood down his shirt, she noticed that he had a few drops on his palm. “Here, let me get that for you.”

Tom drew back as the white mare reached for his hand. “It’s fine, Glitter. Thanks.”

“At least let me feel helpful for five seconds, would you?” Glitter sighed, taking hold of his arm and holding it still as she brought the gauze over.

However, much to her surprise, the boy drew air between his teeth and flinched at her touch, even though she was being gentle.

“Oh… sorry, I didn’t see that you were hurt there.” She fretted before her concern shifted to confusion as she caught a fleeting glimpse of white under his sleeve.

“Don’t worry about it.” Tom insisted, pulling away from her abruptly.

“Tom… can I see your arm, please?” Glitterball asked.

Tom looked at the white mare, a corner of his mouth tugging down as he saw a concerned look in her eye. “No…” He replied flatly.

“No?” Glitterball twitched an eyebrow.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Tom added.

“But… aren’t you hurt there? Why don’t you let Glitter take a look? Maybe she can help you?” Fluttershy reasoned.

“I… just don’t want to waste any of your supplies. It’s probably just a bruise. It’ll go away soon anyway.” Tom said.

“Tom… is everything ok?” Applejack chimed in, her features softened with worry as she looked at the boy. She didn’t need to have known the human for long to know that he was acting weird.

Tom looked around to see that everyone was looking at him now. Their big round eyes burned into him, making him feel worse than he already did. They were his friends, and they were worried about him, and he was lying through his teeth. They didn’t deserve that, but could he really just tell them?

Then again, it seemed like they were already on a fast track to finding out anyway.

Finally, Tom sighed and lowered his head. “I’m sorry, guys… I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash furrowed her expression curiously.

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.

Tom grasped his shoulder, briefly squeezing the material of his shirt and struggling to continue. “Well… you see, I-”

Before he could say anything further, his eyes widened as all of the breath in his lungs was forced out, along with a harsh hiss and a cloud of blue mist. The sheer intensity of the feeling coursing through him made him hunch forward.

All at once, Glitterball and Glimmer Shine felt a heavy vibration against their vests as a magical buzz sounded out. Their detectors were now pulsing yellow in slow, infrequent intervals.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy squeaked, shrinking back and huddling close to her friends.

“Something really powerful is getting closer from the look of it.” Glimmer Shine stated tensely, taking out his crossbow in one hoof and holding the vibrating vial in the other.

All of the color drained from Glitterball’s face as she looked to the stallion. “Wait… you don’t think-”

A single hoofstep echoed into the room from up ahead.

Then another.

Everyone rigidly turned to look at the end of the room, where a single door stood.

The soft, evenly paced sound was above them somehow, as if someone was slowly descending a set of stone steps, coming toward them.

A slow feeling of dread solidified in the ponies’ guts, cementing them in place. Somehow, the cold air around them seemed pleasant in comparison to the icy chill working through their systems as they listened to the steps getting closer.

Immediately, Tom darted his eyes to the floor, where his sword was still lying after his fight with Celestia. He scrambled to grab it and return to be in front of his friends as they all stared at the door.

Glimmer Shine and Glitterball readied their bows, while the others grasped their own weapons tightly. Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood ahead of Rarity and Fluttershy with their daggers, keeping the two mares safe. Fluttershy kept her strobe loosely pointed ahead, though her hoof was trembling so much that she couldn’t aim straight. Even Rarity’s dagger was jostling slightly as her magical aura twitched and shimmered under her nerves.

The steps continued getting closer until finally, they stopped. A moment of silence went by before the door creaked open without warning. A dark shape was waiting inside.

The shape stepped out into the room, revealing a lithe equine figure, brown fur and silver hair catching in the moonlight, along with a horn, wings, and red eyes.

“So…” The figure spoke, casting his gaze between the group squaring off against him. “Am I to believe that you are the rescue party? Hmm… let’s see here,” He paused, lifting a hoof and tracing it between each member. “Forgive me, I am a touch out of the loop of current events. You lot there must be the element bearers,” He pointed to the four mares before pausing at the vested ponies. “You… must be Luna’s little brigade of monster hunters.” He smirked in amusement before his eyes settled on Tom and he paused.

“And you…”

Tom tightened his grip on his sword as the alicorn took a few steps closer, a curious look on his face.

“Well, you’re rather easy to pick out. You must be this slayer I’ve heard about.” The stallion smiled, holding a hoof to his chest and giving a brief bow. “Welcome to Castle Bloodwing, Tom. I am Prince Dusk.”

“The name’s Thomas, dirtbag. Only my friends get to call me Tom.” The human stated, giving the alicorn an icy glare.

Dusk’s smile flattened in an instant before a slight chuckle escaped him. “Very well… Thomas.”

Meanwhile, a certain cyan mare was staring at the arrogant prince, her expression intensifying.

“You’re the one that’s been making ponies into monsters?” Rainbow stepped forward a bit.

“Dashie…” Fluttershy said quietly, hoping to keep her friend’s anger in check.

Dusk watched the pegasus staring daggers into him, a corner of his mouth pulling up. “Correction, I am the one who has been graciously taking time out of my busy schedule to take you lowly ponies and give you higher purpose.”

“Higher purpose?!” Rainbow snapped, clutching her dagger tightly and pointing it at the alicorn. “Your slaves have been killing innocent ponies! You’re the reason Blue is dead!”

“Hmph… I don’t know who this ‘Blue’ is… but if they were a friend of yours, I’m quite sure that I did the world a favor by killing them.” Dusk said plainly.

Everyone widened their eyes as they realized too late what was about to happen. They looked to Rainbow Dash, who was staring ahead in stunned shock. They could almost watch the switch flip in her head, as all the rage and anger she had been hiding away suddenly boiled to the surface.

“You… take that back… right now…” Rainbow Dash grit her teeth as everything else in the room faded from her vision. A vein was popping in her forehead, and she was soon vibrating from sheer anger as she unfurled her wings. “YOU MOTHER BUCKER!”

In a blur of color, Tom and the two vested ponies were nearly blown off their feet as a cyan torpedo shot between them. Fluttershy and the others had their hair blown back.

All at once, Dusk flinched slightly as a wall of wind and debris hit him, along with something else. Rainbow Dash appeared in front of him, rage burning in her eyes as she held out her dagger in the aftermath of a violent stab, leaving the tiny weapon sticking out of his chest.

“If anyone is doing the world a favor...” Rainbow barked, pushing the dagger further in and twisting it. “IT’S ME!”

The others all collectively dropped their jaws as the alicorn stumbled backward with a pained yelp, clutching the wound on his chest, which was beginning to sizzle.

Rainbow Dash watched, taking more pleasure than she probably should have, as a ring of embers formed around the dagger still plunged in Dusk’s chest. He grabbed the knife and ripped it out, but not before a sizable portion of his chest started turning to ash.

“Gah!” Dusk growled before rearing his head back and yelling as the wave of glowing embers prepared to overtake him.

And then, the embers stopped.

The stunned surprise and joy on everyone’s faces started to shift to horror and hopelessness as a red film of what appeared to be blood leaked out and covered the destroyed portions of the alicorn’s body.

Rainbow Dash’s expression fell, and she hung limply in the air where she was still fluttering, as she stared ahead wide-eyed at the alicorn. The bloody covering started shifting and filling out until it started to fade, leaving behind pristine brown fur and no sign of damage. There wasn't even a puncture wound anymore.

“No…” She muttered. “There’s no way…”

It made no sense. Silver killed vampires, and she just stabbed him in the heart with silver. Sure, her aim might have been a little off. She wasn't an anatomical expert, and she was a little blinded by rage at the moment, but she was certain that she hit the general area.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack yelled, hoping to snap the pegasus out of her daze.

Rainbow glanced back at her friends before looking ahead, only to have her pupils shrink as she heard a vicious-sounding snarl. Two glowing red eyes were staring into her with a level of hatred and rage that rivaled what she was feeling moments ago.

Now... she felt afraid.

Dusk clutched a hoof at his newly reformed chest, a few stinging sensations still present where his insides were recovering. He then lifted that same hoof and pointed it at the pegasus.

A wet sloshing sound came as a blur of red shot out of his wrist and whipped up at the cyan mare. Rainbow gave a hard flap of her wings to get away, but she could barely react in time, and her efforts weren’t enough to stop a crimson tendril from wrapping around her neck and squeezing hard.

“Gack!” Rainbow let out a strangled yelp as she clutched at her neck. The tendril pulled her a bit closer, and no matter how hard she tried, all she could do was fly in place and try not to make the squeezing any worse by pulling taut against the springy rope.

“I think it’s safe to say that kindness isn’t your element,” Dusk noted, shifting his agitated scowl back to a more casual expression as he gently shifted the pegasus around by her new leash, taking silent pleasure in her strangled noises of pain. “The way you charged after me suggests a bold personality… so you’re not laughter either. Are you honesty? Generosity…? No… I’d say you’re loyalty. After all, I’d expect something like this from someone stupid enough to get so upset on behalf of a ‘friend’.”

“Leave her alone!” Fluttershy pleaded.

“Don’t hurt her!” Rarity reached out a hoof.

Glitterball leveled her crossbow at the stallion, only to grit her teeth and lower it after some thought. Even if she managed to hit him, all it would probably do was make him mad, and she couldn’t risk that with the cyan mare in his grasp.

Tom felt his heart start to race as he darted his eyes between Rainbow Dash and the alicorn. There was nothing he could do. The pegasus was completely at Dusk’s mercy.

Dusk seemed to enjoy the distraught looks on all of the ponies’ faces. “You all really care about her? About each other? My… I didn’t expect the unity of the three tribes to last this long.” He snorted softly and looked to Rainbow Dash. “How about you, loyalty? What if I told you that I’d let you live in exchange for one of them?”

“Drop… dead…” Rainbow Dash croaked, still clutching at the tendril around her neck. She looked at the alicorn, offering as much of a glare as she could form through her pain, and spit at him. If anything else, she hoped that if he was going to kill her, that her friends could flee without anything keeping them in place.

“How cute… It seems that loyalty is loyal.” Dusk smirked before turning to the group and raising the hoof controlling the tendril around Rainbow’s neck.

Fluttershy gasped and cupped her hooves over her mouth. Rarity averted her eyes, and many of the others tensed up in refusal to what they expected to be their friend’s execution.

Instead, however, Dusk flicked his hoof and the tendril tossed Rainbow Dash toward them, simultaneously unwrapping itself from her neck. The pegasus bounced along the floor with a series of painful grunts before she settled in place at the hooves of her friends.

“Dashie!” Fluttershy exclaimed in a mixture of eagerness and relief as she raced to the cyan mare’s side.

“Thank Celestia you’re ok,” Rarity added.

Rainbow Dash groaned and rubbed her neck as she looked up in confusion alongside many of her friends. The last thing any of them expected the alicorn to do was to let her go.

Dusk pulled the corners of his mouth into a smug grin as he allowed the stream of blood to retract into his wrist. “Alright… I’m sure you must be wondering why I let the cloud brain go. Truth be told… I’m not very interested in any of you. I can do whatever I want with you, whenever I want.” He explained, shifting his eyes between each of the ponies and watching to see how they reacted. “The one I am interested in… is you.” He pointed to Tom.

“What?” Applejack asked on behalf of the group.

“Sorry, Prince Dipstick, but you’re not my type,” Tom stated wryly.

Dusk stared at the boy, unblinking for a moment, before narrowing his eyes. Then, in a blur, a shot of red came from the wound on his neck and zipped straight into Glimmer Shine’s shoulder.

“AGH!” The stallion yelped as a crimson bullet pierced right through him, entering and exiting in an instant and making him reel backward into the waiting forelegs of Rarity and Applejack.

“Glimmer!” Glitterball widened her eyes as she watched her friend writhing in pain, clutching the new wound on his shoulder.

Tom looked back at the injured stallion with mouth agape in shock before turning to the alicorn and shifting his expression to an icy glare. He tightened his grip on his sword and prepared to bolt forward until he was stopped by Dusk speaking again.

“Enough!” He boomed, producing a set of streams from his wrists and pointing them at Fluttershy before solidifying their tips into spear-like ends. “Unless you want me to put a new hole in that bright-eyed friend of yours’ head, you will be silent and listen!”

Fluttershy’s pupils shrank and her body froze as she saw the two tendrils aiming at her. She barely produced a timid squeak of fear, afraid that if she moved or otherwise made a louder sound that she would be killed instantly. After all, the alicorn just demonstrated that he could send a stream of his blood through a body with little resistance.

Everyone else remained silent, staring between their friend, the alicorn, and the human with wide eyes and pale faces. They desperately wanted to do something to help, but they were afraid to intervene.

Tom looked back to see Fluttershy staring at him with a silent expression of ‘please help me’ stuck on her face. He growled under his breath before lowering his sword and facing the alicorn, remaining silent and at attention as requested.

“Good… very good. Now,” Dusk cleared his throat before dusting himself off. “I’ve heard some… very intriguing stories about you, Thomas. Every pony I’ve talked to hails you as some kind of hero. Some even touted you as being more popular than the element bearers or the princesses. Of course, I’m certain they would not have been so candid with me if they had… err… what was it called again? Oh, yes… free will.”

“If I might interject…” Tom said, taking every effort to not sound as livid as he felt. “What do you want from me?”

“Not one for formalities, are we?” Dusk asked. “My, my, humans must be impatient. But of course… you aren’t a normal human from what I hear.” He smirked. “Humans are boring. They’re arrogant, greedy, etcetera… but not you. You’re some kind of super-powerful monster slayer, so talented and skilled that not only have you bested foes that challenged the crown and won, but that you’ve cheated death on multiple occasions.” The alicorn giggled eagerly. “Now, that is interesting… I want to fight you myself.”

“Fight me?” Tom parroted, a bit of unease creeping up inside him as the alicorn continued.

“But of course. How else am I going to find out if the stories are true?” Dusk chuckled to himself. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the thought of doing battle with Equestria’s finest defender. “Look… we both know that I could kill your friends right now.” He said, the two streams pointed at Fluttershy twitching for show. “So, why don’t I give you what you really want?”

“And what is that, exactly?” The human asked, eyeing the pale stallion suspiciously.

Dusk didn’t answer for a second. He merely stared at the human with a slight crook to his mouth.

Suddenly, the two crimson spears aimed at Fluttershy started to recede. The timid pegasus blinked and watched as the streams flowed back into the alicorn’s wrists before deflating with a relieved shudder onto Rainbow Dash, who hadn’t moved from the floor for fear of agitating the stallion.

“A way out, Thomas… A way for your friends to live.” Dusk said, his gentle and refined voice holding a hint of sinister amusement.

“Don’t listen to him, Tom!” Fluttershy insisted, drawing the human’s attention away from the vice-like hold of the alicorn’s scrutinizing stare. Much to his surprise, he saw the pegasus with a determined look on her face despite her fear.

Rainbow Dash grunted softly as she worked her way to her own four hooves again. “Do you really think you can trust a word he says?”

“Yeah…” Glimmer Shine chimed in, cringing briefly at his wound as he looked to the boy with a serious glint in his eyes. “He’s just trying to rile you up.” He stated.

“You don’t need to do this alone,” Applejack added.

Rarity lit up her horn and joined her friends in squaring off against the alicorn. “We’re right behind you, no matter what.”

Tom seemed at a loss for what to do as he looked around at his friends. An impatient snort drew his attention back to the alicorn, who was getting progressively more annoyed with the group for distracting his audience.

“What’s it going to be, Thomas? The way I see it, you’ve got three options.” Dusk said. “You can all fight me, and I’ll make you watch as I kill all your friends… You can try to run, and I’ll make you watch as I kill all your friends even slower… or,” He gestured his head behind him, starting to turn and walk back toward the door he came from.

“You can come fight me, one on one, and I’ll let your friends leave this place.”

The ponies looked over to see Tom staring ahead with a certain look of despair in his eyes that caught them off guard. He looked like he was having trouble finding any other option to take.

Perhaps noticing the boy’s silence, Dusk snorted softly and opened the door before pausing and turning to look at the group. “I’ll let you decide what to do, sir hero… but just know, if your friends try to leave before you come after me, I will know. And rest assured, I can fly faster than those guards you have waiting outside.” He said, a more icy quality to his voice that made it sound like a threat, which for all intents and purposes it was. He then disappeared into the doorway and seemingly started ascending a set of stairs.

As the alicorn left, and the hum of Glimmer and Glitter’s detectors faded, the group felt equal parts relieved and uneasy. Now, they were faced with a dilemma. Do they let their friend go off and fight alone, or would they risk themselves and their loved ones to fight with him?

Rainbow Dash softened her expression as she saw Tom still staring ahead, his eyes darting loosely as he contemplated to himself. He almost looked afraid. “You’re not taking him seriously, are you?”

“I… uh…” Tom muttered, bringing a hand up and touching his neck. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t let him freak you out.” Glimmer Shine said before gritting his teeth to hide a painful grunt.

Glitterball frowned as she examined the stallion’s wound. There was a hole punched clean through his vest on both sides of his shoulder. Even though it didn’t seem to be a vital area, it drew sympathetic stares from the others as they gathered around.

“Oh, my word…” Rarity held in a gasp as she saw the extent of his injury. If she were to kneel down, she could see straight through the hole in his shoulder to the other side.

“That’s going to get infected if I don’t clean it.” Glitter fretted.

Tom walked up and watched as the unicorn prepared to dress up her friend’s wound. “Sorry…”

“About what?” Glimmer asked, a bit surprised to see the boy so glum.

“About that,” Tom said, pointing to the hole in the stallion’s shoulder. “He wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t set him off.”

“To be fair, I think I was the one who did most of the setting off.” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her hoof along her neck tenderly. A dull mark was left all around her throat from being squeezed so hard.

Glimmer Shine chuckled before cringing as his movement agitated his injury. “I guess he can’t take a joke like he can take a dagger.”

Tom looked down to his hand and clenched his fist a few times before looking up with a solemn expression. “I should really heal that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Glimmer said, waving the human off with his other hoof as he watched him getting close and kneeling down beside Glitterball. “You need your strength to beat his pointy teeth in.”

“Just hold still.” Tom insisted, bringing his hand up. He hesitated for a moment, silently directing all of his willpower and concentration toward what used to be a trivial task.

After a few seconds, a familiar blue glow enveloped the stallion’s shoulder. The warm feeling it brought was a welcome reprieve from the icy cold around them, even if it was only in a small area.

Perhaps it was the light from the moon playing tricks, but the human’s light seemed dimmer than the ponies remembered. It was also putting a lot more strain on him a lot quicker, with his arm trembling slightly within mere moments.

Just before the wound could finish closing up, the light flickered. Tom cringed and strained, even steadying his arm with his other hand, but it was no use. The light soon vanished, leaving a partially closed hole that at the very least looked less painful and gruesome.

“What’s wrong?” Glitterball asked, noting how out of breath the human was. Usually, it took a lot more time healing a much more severe wound before he started getting tired, even if it was after a fight.

“Are you that exhausted already?” Glimmer Shine softened his expression, not even caring about the hole still in his shoulder.

Tom turned to see concerned frowns on everyone’s faces. Now it was impossible to hide how weak he was. He looked down to his trembling hand, his eyes crinkling as his mouth twitched. He bit his lip before finally relaxing.

“There’s… something I need to show you."

Chapter 23: Double Bind

A few minutes had gone by since the battle ended in the throne room. The pale ponies had been reduced to mere dust on the floor, and now Shining Armor and the others were free to lick their wounds and enjoy their victory.

Shining Armor shared a warm embrace with his little sister and adoptive brother. He had done it. He had saved the purple mare and dragon after so long spent wondering if he would ever see them again. At least now he could keep his promise to his wife.

Feeling a fourth body glomfing onto their group hug, the trio looked up to see Pinkie joining in. The pink pony was perhaps more enthusiastic than they were, but they didn’t mind.

“I missed you guys so much!” Pinkie stated, squeezing the unicorn and dragon close.

Twilight smiled warmly at her friend. “We missed you too, Pinkie.” She said as she stepped back to get some air. There were plenty of things involved in a good Pinkie Pie hug, but breathing usually wasn't one of them.

“I knew you would come save us.” Spike beamed at the stallion and pink mare.

Shining Armor patted the dragon on the head and ruffled his spines. However, as a soft whimper drifted over to them from off to the side, he looked up to see Sunspot and Sparkplug sitting by themselves. “We weren’t the only ones that made this possible.” He muttered somberly.

Twilight and the others looked up to see what the stallion was looking at, only to lower their expressions at what they found.

Sunspot was busy tending to Sparkplug’s wound. The gruesome bite on the gray mare’s foreleg was painful looking, to say the least, and it was still bleeding, so it needed to be taken care of.

Sunspot frowned as she watched her teammate trying her best to stay still and keep quiet as she wrapped some bandages around the missing chunk of flesh. However, Sparkplug couldn’t help the tears dotting the corners of her eyes, or the pained whimpers and sobs.

“I’m almost done.” Sunspot said softly, her heart aching as another agonized squeak came from her patient. She knew enough first aid to get by, but she wasn't a doctor. She knew that this was only a temporary solution meant to stifle the bleeding and keep the wound clean until they could get the gray mare some real help.

“Mmph!” Sparkplug rocked her head back, reaching her other hoof up to grasp at the wound before forcing herself to stop. The tears in her eyes finally fell down her face. “This hurts… really bad.” She muttered, probably intending to make small talk at first, but what came out was a trembling declaration, a last attempt at having some control over her agonizing situation.

“I know.” Sunspot frowned. It didn’t make her feel any better as she had to pull on the last ribbon of bandage to make it tight, causing a yelp that devolved into outright crying. She quickly finished tying off the bandage before wrapping her forelegs around the gray mare and giving her a much-needed hug.

“You did so good back there.” Sunspot said, patting her newest friend on the back as she wept into her shoulder. It was a wonder that she wasn't hysterical. The pegasus and her team were somewhat used to grievous injuries from their previous jobs and experiences, but Sparkplug was a civilian. This was probably the first time in her life she had felt so much pain.

Sparkplug got the last few muffled sobs out of her system before poking her head up and sniffling. “Y-you… you think so?”

“Of course,” Sunspot assured, pulling back and smiling as she wiped a few tears off of the gray pony’s face. “You saved Twilight from that thing, and on top of that you saved me.” She said.

Truth be told, Sunspot was glad that the pale mare leaned her head back when Sparkplug fired. The poppers were relatively easy to aim in a general area, much like the strobes, but unlike the strobes, one misfire would have severely changed the events that took place.

“Hey…” Sparkplug muttered, managing a slight smile. “I killed a vampire.”

Sunspot smiled back at the gray mare. She could tell that Sparkplug felt a little remorse from killing a former pony, but right now, she was holding onto the triumph of slaying her first monster. “Yeah… you did.”

Hearing the others walking up, the pair looked over to see sympathetic frowns all around. The four were all looking at Sparkplug and her wound. Even if it was looking better than before, it still elicited terrible feelings of concern, and for Twilight, even a bit of guilt.

“I’m so sorry, Sparkplug,” Twilight said, her ears falling as she looked over the already bloody bandage with soft eyes.

Sparkplug hid the twinges of pain she still felt and managed a smile. “Don’t be. I would rather have to deal with this than whatever that thing would have done to you.” She explained, her voice still a little hoarse. Still, despite her words, she cringed as she brought her foreleg up and cradled it to her chest. “But sweet Celestia if this isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever felt…”

Hearing mention of the alicorn, Twilight’s eyes widened briefly. “Oh my gosh… I almost forgot! We have to go save the princess!” She rushed toward the door, only pausing to turn and see if the others were following. “Come on! We need to go right now!”

“Twilight…” Shining Armor spoke, hoping to get his sister to calm down.

“No, you don’t understand! That alicorn did something to her. He made her like-”

“Like him.” Shining interrupted, walking over to the panicked mare. “We know, Twilight… we’ve seen her.”

“You have?” Twilight paused. The uneasy expressions on everyone’s faces didn’t make her feel any better. “What happened?” She asked hesitantly.

“It looked like she was waiting for us.” Shining explained. “Tom stayed behind so he could… knock her out.”

“No…” Twilight’s ears fell along with her expression as she trailed her eyes down. “I can’t believe it’s gotten so bad this quickly.” She muttered, dwelling in her own troubled thoughts for a moment before looking up. “What about the Crusaders?”

“Don’t worry.” Sunspot chimed in. “They’re safe.”

“You were the last one for us to save… after the princess, of course,” Shining said.

Twilight drew the corners of her mouth up partially, before returning to an uneasy expression. Even if everyone was accounted for, they still had to escape, and that could prove difficult. “Can we go help Tom? I-I’m sure he has everything handled by now… but, just in case.”

Shining Armor glanced at the others, who all seemed eager to go back and assist the human, before frowning as he saw Sparkplug still cradling her injury. “Are you ready to move?”

“Yeah… I think so.” Sparkplug gave a tiny nod, keeping her wounded foreleg close to her chest.

“Good.” Shining managed a slight smile as he turned to Twilight before looking toward the doors. “Let’s go.”
.
..
…
It took a little longer than everyone expected for them to get back to where they left the human. They had to move slower than before due to the gray mare’s injury and their own exhaustion. Still, it paid to be cautious, especially now that things were going so well for them.

Sunspot stayed near the front of the group, keeping an eye on their surroundings with her detector as they walked. She had since traded crossbow ammo with Sparkplug and reacquired her dagger, so she was ready to fight if the need arose.

Spike and Pinkie were at the back with Sparkplug. The pink mare was helping her injured friend walk and generally trying to lift her spirits, while the dragon was just hovering near what he perceived to be the safest place in the group.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor was busy tending to Twilight. He was examining the symbols carved into her forehead with a hesitant frown, taking care to be as gentle as possible.

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” Shining asked.

Twilight softened her eyes with concern for a moment before steeling herself. “Yes. I think we can both agree that it would be better in the long run if I had my magic back.” She reasoned.

The stallion sighed and wrinkled his expression for a moment before lighting up his horn and bringing his dagger up to her forehead. “Hold still for a second… I promise I’ll be quick.”

The group paused and watched as Shining pressed the dagger closer to Twilight’s skin. After a moment of hesitation from both of them, she felt a bit of a sting as the blade pierced her.

“Ngh!” Twilight cringed before forcing herself to be silent. She gave her brother a confident look to get him to keep going. They both knew that this wouldn’t be painless.

Shining softened his expression as he watched his little sister trying not to move or emote while he cut her. It took every fiber of his willpower just to keep going. He couldn’t hesitate and be too soft, or it would defeat the entire purpose of doing this.

Soon, a new line was carved through the majority of the symbols on her forehead. Shining pulled the knife away and gingerly wiped a trickle of blood from the area. “What about now?” He asked, hoping that he didn’t just do that for nothing.

Twilight hesitated for a moment before trailing her eyes up and concentrating. Much to her relief, she felt the familiar channeling of energies as her horn lit up once more. “Phew… Thank goodness for that.” She said, though her forehead still stung a bit.

“Why couldn’t you just get Tom to heal you, Twilight?” Pinkie suggested with a sympathetic frown. She couldn’t even bring herself to watch the process for a multitude of reasons.

Twilight wrinkled her expression a bit as she saw her friends wearing such worrisome looks. “Because I don’t want him wasting energy on something this small. He should only use his powers on life-threatening stuff and large wounds right now.” She let her features soften a bit as she turned to look at Sparkplug.

“Well, I think we can classify this under large wounds.” Sunspot reasoned, giving her gray teammate a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Sparkplug merely shook her head as she cringed slightly. “I can wait until we get out of here. Twilight’s right… he needs all the strength he can get for if we run into that alicorn.”

Shining Armor and the others couldn’t help but be impressed by the gray mare’s resolve. The stallion had seen veteran guards that would be reduced to blubbering messes if they were to receive such a grievous wound.

“Let’s not keep him waiting, then,” Shining said, gesturing to the rest of the hallway. Everyone adopted more stoic expressions as they followed their leader. They all agreed on one thing above all others. The sooner they left the castle, the better for everyone involved.

A short walk later, the group rounded the corner leading to the hall where the human was supposedly fighting Celestia. Everyone, especially those that left their friend behind, grew uneasy as they looked ahead to the arched openings into the next room.

They hadn’t heard anything from the human since they left to find Twilight, and although there weren’t any noises coming from up ahead, a knot was forming in the group’s guts nevertheless.

However, as they drew closer, the group did start to hear a noise.

Familiar voices were talking back and forth. It was hard to make out what they were saying, but the conversation seemed tense. They could already make out Rainbow Dash and Glimmer Shine, and they didn’t sound happy.

“Why didn’t you tell us about this sooner?” Rainbow Dash said. She seemed upset, but not in an angry way.

There was some unheard muttering that sounded like it came from Tom.

“Absolutely not. We’re not letting you do that.” Glimmer Shine stated adamantly.

“Darling, you can’t be serious. It’s entirely too dangerous!” Rarity chimed in.

Seeing that there was no apparent threat, Twilight and the others shared an uncertain glance with each other before entering the room.

As expected, they saw Tom standing near the back of the lengthy room with Rainbow Dash and the others. The ponies were all gathered around the human, looking at him with concerned frowns. He was bloodied and bruised in several places, most notable of which being a hole in his shoulder and a shallow cut to his forehead, and he looked like he was barely functioning.

A few feet behind the group, Princess Celestia was lying unconscious on the floor. She was as pale as when Twilight saw her last, but at least she seemed to be alive. She would be a pile of ash if she wasn't.

As they gradually noticed the hoofsteps approaching, the group turned to see their friends entering the room and walking over. They were immediately relieved to see a purple unicorn and young dragon amongst their ranks. And while Sparkplug and Glimmer Shine’s injuries drew concerned glances from both sides, everyone seemed relatively safe.

“Twilight, Spike! You guys are ok.” Fluttershy piped up, managing a slight smile despite whatever discussion was previously going on.

Twilight flashed a smile to the pegasus and the others before flattening her expression as she noted how tense everyone seemed. “Wh… what’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Everyone fell silent and looked to the human, seeing how he would respond. Some were goading him on with their eyes, hoping to get him to explain whatever issue they were discussing to the unicorn, while others merely watched with glum faces.

Tom eyed around at the others before settling his gaze on Twilight. He swallowed uncomfortably and trailed his eyes to the floor, starting to say something only to fail to make even the smallest sound.

While the others had no idea what was going on, Spike looked at the human sympathetically. The boy seemed to notice this, which only served to make him feel worse.

“We, uh… we met Dusk,” Tom explained finally.

“You did?” Shining Armor grew a bit pale as he looked at the others. At least now he understood why Glimmer Shine was injured.

“Yeah. He didn’t seem interested in fighting all of us, but…” Tom tugged at his shoulder as he turned to look at the door behind them. “He said he wouldn’t let anyone leave unless he fights me.”

“Oh my gosh…” Twilight frowned as she looked to the human with newfound concern. He must have been exhausted if he allowed himself to be in such a state. He hadn’t even healed any wounds, or if he had, the ones he left behind were disconcerting, to say the least.

“Why don’t we just all gang up on him?” Pinkie suggested.

“Yeah,” Sparkplug added. “All it would take is for one of us to hit him with silver, right?” She asked, though the human and the others didn’t seem as confident in her reasoning as she was.

“Actually… that wouldn’t work.” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her neck uncomfortably. “I tried stabbing him, but he just healed like it did nothing.”

“What about magic?” Shining chimed in. “Couldn’t I hold him down for you while you wail on him?”

Tom flattened his expression. “No. I don’t want any of you fighting him. He’s way too dangerous. I don’t know what kind of magic he messed with to make himself into what he is, but he could kill any of you without a second thought.”

“As if we’re letting you fight him the way you are.” Rainbow Dash chimed in before softening her expression briefly as she turned to Twilight and the others.

“Huh?” Twilight tilted her head at the way the pegasus said that. Thinking back to the conversation they interrupted when they arrived, she shifted her eyes to the human. “What does she mean?”

“Nothing.” Tom insisted, but Rainbow and the others’ expressions told otherwise. “I’m just a little tired is all. After I rest for a minute, I’ll go up there and take care of him.”

“Tom…” Applejack spoke up softly, offering the human a sympathetic frown. “I know this must be hard for you… but you need to tell them.”

Tom looked to the orange mare for a moment before wrinkling his eyes slightly and looking to the floor.

Meanwhile, Twilight and the others were getting progressively more uneasy and worried. The purple mare watched the human, while many of the others looked around to see if anyone else wanted to speak up and tell them. After all, the boy seemed hesitant to speak.

“Tell us what?” Twilight spoke after a moment, softening her expression. “Tom… is something wrong?”

Tom couldn’t even bring himself to look at her, at anyone. He eyed up at them in quick glances for a moment, squeezing his hand into the fabric of his shirt. As he looked over to Applejack and the others, they were silently goading him on, though they seemed to understand why he was having such difficulty with telling the unicorn versus telling them.

Finally, he sighed in defeat.

“I… I’m…” He muttered. “I’m losing my powers.”

The words reached the ponies, but they were half-convinced they didn’t hear right. It took a solid few seconds for it to sink in for them.

“Wh… what?” Twilight blinked.

Seeing the uneasy confusion in the unicorn’s face, Tom bit the inside of his lip for a moment before reaching down and rolling up his sleeve. He presented his arm for them to see, and what they found made their jaws fall open.

A mess of blood-stained bandages was wrapped around the human’s forearm, concealing an unknowably gruesome wound. It was at least a few days old judging from the discoloration of the stains, and merely revealing it made the boy wrinkle a corner of his mouth in discomfort.

The sight of the bandage made the group fully understand the weight of what the human just told them. Pinkie covered her mouth with a hoof. Sparkplug furrowed her eyes in disbelief. Sunspot and Shining Armor merely stared, eyes wide and mouths agape. Spike seemed the least shocked out of everyone, though even he was wearing an uneasy expression as he looked to the floor.

And Twilight.

Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She darted her eyes along the length of the concealed wound as if she was slowly absorbing every detail of it. Her jaw quivered a bit, and it took her a second to even remember to breathe.

“Tom…” She muttered, slowly walking up to the boy and gently taking his arm and examining it closer, as if that would change something.

Tom slowly knelt down, but he kept his gaze up and into the middle distance, not chancing looking down at her. “I got it a couple nights ago… during that mission back in Ponyville. I… tried to just will myself into healing it, but it hasn’t worked. Everything has just been getting worse since then.”

Twilight looked up to him, her eyes starting to shimmer lightly. Now he was making extra sure not to look at her. “Why?” She asked, and he immediately felt a knot in his stomach as he realized what she was asking. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I intended to… eventually,” Tom said hesitantly, and although she didn’t say anything, he knew she didn’t like that answer. “Look, I just didn’t want you to spend Nightmare Night worrying about something you can’t fix. It would have been fine if all this didn’t happen… I would have gotten it under control in a few days.”

“Tom,”

“I know, I know… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Look at me.”

“Look, it’s fine. I’m fine. I just need to get a handle on it and my powers will come back no problem.”

“Stop it!” Twilight raised her voice a bit, causing the human to finally face her.

Much to his surprise, she had a bit of harshness to her expression. Her eyes were furrowed, but they were still shimmering with worry.

“Stop telling me you’re ok. You’re not ok!” Twilight insisted. Two tiny dots of water formed at the corners of her eyes as she panted briefly after her outburst. She took a moment to calm down and soften her expression once more. “What’s wrong?” She asked, and judging from his expression, he knew what she was talking about.

“I don’t know,” Tom muttered quietly.

“Please don’t lie to me…” Twilight reeled back slightly. “Your powers would only stop working like this if something was seriously bothering you. Please… tell me what’s wrong.”

“I don’t… know.” Tom insisted, shifting his eyes to meet hers. “What do you want me to say, Twilight?” He asked, though now she was the one to remain silent. “I’m sorry… I wish it didn’t turn out like this, but it did. Now, I have to do my part to keep you all safe… and that means I need to go fight that guy.” He said, starting to get up, only to be pulled by the front of his shirt by a magical aura.

“No!” Twilight quaked. By now, her movements were starting to get jittery as her hooves began to tremble. “There’s no way I’m going to let you fight him!” She insisted. Now she knew why the others were having such a tense discussion when she entered.

“Twilight… I have to. He’s too strong for any of you to fight, and I get how that must sound coming from me right now, but I have a plan to beat him.” He started to pull away again, only to have her pull back. This time, she wrapped her forelegs around him and rested her head on his good shoulder.

“You always do this!” Twilight hiccuped, the tears in her eyes starting to cloud her vision. “You… y-you always act like you have to do everything by yourself… l-like you’re expendable… like we… we don’t care about you!” She squeezed her forelegs tighter around him as she cried over his shoulder. “But we do care about you! You’re our f-friend. Y-you’re my friend! Why can’t you just… just l-let me help you?!”

The others watched with heavy hearts as the unicorn sobbed openly, hugging the human close so that nothing could take him away. Many of them were starting to get watery eyes as well. Even Tom seemed unsure of what to do as he stared at the wall, trying to keep his composure. He slowly brought his arms around and rested one on her back, and the other on the back of her head.

Fluttershy sniffled slightly as she thought about her friend shouldering such a burden for so long by himself. Twilight’s words rang in her head non-stop. She always thought that she was good at reading other people’s emotions and making them feel better, but she had failed to see anything wrong with the boy.

Slowly, the shy mare got up and walked over to the pair. She sidled down by Twilight and wrapped her forelegs around the both of them, joining into their embrace.

Then, Pinkie walked over and joined Fluttershy. Soon after, Rarity got up and moved closer as well.

Eventually, Applejack and Rainbow Dash joined the others. Now there was a big ball of fuzzy ponies hugging each other and the human. Everyone was crying to some degree, even Tom.

Shining Armor and the others opted to let the six mares have their moment with the human. After all, they were the closest with him, though Spike managed to squeeze in and hug Twilight’s leg. The others got closer to the group hug, showing their support from a slight distance.

A solid minute went by as Twilight in particular got her emotions out. Gradually, the ball of warmth disbanded as the others got up. She stayed the longest, but eventually, she unburied her head from the human’s shoulder and sniffled as she looked up at him.

Tom looked around at his friends, uncaring of the two streams of tears running down his face, before settling his eyes on Twilight. “I do know you care about me.” He said, gently reaching up and brushing some strands of her now disheveled mane out of her eyes. “But I care about you too… all of you. You showed me friendship at a point in my life where I thought I could never have friends again… I owe you all my life.”

“You don’t owe us nothin’, sugarcube.” Applejack stated earnestly.

“Yeah. Friendship isn’t just a debt to be paid.” Rainbow Dash added.

“So… w-what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked after a moment, bringing the group’s attention back to their predicament. Obviously, she didn’t want the human fighting the alicorn, but that still left them with having to deal with him somehow.

Tom shifted to a more confident expression as he looked around at the others. “Like I said before, I have a plan.”

“Tom, I would hate to ruin the moment we just had by being snippy, but we can’t just let you go up there, plan or no plan.” Rarity said.

“Besides, there’s no way that plan would work,” Glitterball added with a concerned frown. “He would tear you to pieces before you could even do anything.”

“Wait, wait…” Twilight said, taking a moment to recompose herself. “If we’re going to argue over this, I at least want to hear what he has in mind.”

“You do?” Tom asked, just as surprised as the others.

Twilight nodded. “Like it or not… even without your powers, you know the most about monsters out of any of us. Let’s at least give your ship a chance to float before I want to sink it.” She reasoned.

“Wow… you sure?” Tom asked, to which she seemed to agree. He then shrugged and got up, starting to walk over to his bag. “Alright, but… you’re probably not gonna like it.”
.
..
…
“Are you crazy?!”

Tom reeled back a bit as the unicorn glared at him. “Why is that always the first thing you ask me?”

Twilight huffed for a moment before calming down, but she still had a wrinkle to her expression as she looked into the backpack the human brought and went over his plan in her head. “Because I legitimately wonder about the answer some days.”

Shining Armor shrugged as the human looked his way. “Hey, don’t look at me. She kind of has a point.”

Tom furrowed his brows briefly as he looked back to the purple mare, his jaw stammering as he failed to try and find something to say to not trigger her any further. “What happened to giving my ship a chance to float?”

“That was before I knew it was held together by rubber bands and paperclips!” Twilight snapped, briefly glaring at the human again before resting a hoof to her temple and rubbing it softly. She sighed and closed her eyes, taking a moment of thought to try and understand the blatantly suicidal mess she just heard.

“So… assuming he doesn’t outright kill you,” She started.

“Uh-huh…” Tom blinked.

“And assuming he doesn’t notice…”

“Uh-huh…”

Twilight grumbled to herself, removing her hoof from her face and looking up to the human. “Do you think… and don’t lie to me. Do you really think… it would work?”

“Are you seriously considering letting him do this?” Sunspot asked, a bit taken aback by the normally intelligent unicorn’s stance.

“I’m not considering it,” Twilight clarified, “I just want to know the logistics of it before we move on.”

“There’s no moving on, Twilight. This is it… this is our play. This will give you the highest chance of survivability.” Tom said.

“I really wish you would stop talking like you’re our scapegoat,” Twilight said.

Applejack groaned uncomfortably from the side. “Can’t we just go up with you and help you do this?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash added eagerly. “We could get it done a lot faster if we all help.” She reasoned, looking around at the others. Everyone seemed to agree, but the cyan mare, in particular, looked like she was bent on not leaving a friend behind.

Tom set his mouth in a grim line and exhaled softly through his nose. “If anyone else comes with me, he’ll kill everyone… even Spike and the Crusaders.”

There was a pregnant pause after that.

“Look… I’m just saying, this is our only option. If I fight him with the intent to kill, he’ll wipe the floor with me. He might wipe the floor with me anyway, but at least this will give me a chance to live.” Tom said.

“And what do we do after that?” Glimmer Shine said. “Assuming everything goes smoothly,”

“Which it won’t.” Sunspot chimed in.

Glimmer side-eyed the pegasus briefly before tilting his head in agreement. “Fair assessment… but let’s assume for a second that it does. Your plan works, we all get away safely, and we head back home to Canterlot. What then? This guy will still be alive, and I would wager he would be seriously ticked off at us when he does come after us again.”

“Well…” Tom trailed his eyes off to the side, where a certain alicorn was still unconscious on the floor. “Ideally, we can cure Celestia and have her raise the sun. That should buy us enough time to figure out a way to dust this guy for good.”

“Tom,” Twilight spoke up, “you still haven’t answered me. Do you think it will work?” She asked, searching his eyes for a reaction.

The boy looked to the unicorn for a moment. He walked up and rested a hand on her shoulder as he crouched down to be at eye level. “It will work.”

Twilight watched him for a moment, silently scrutinizing for any faltering facade of confidence. However, she could see nothing but determination.

“Alright…”

“Alright…?” Rarity chimed in from off to the side. “Surely you’re joking.”

“No, I’m not,” Twilight said before looking at the human again. “I want to make it clear that I don’t like this… but given the risk to everyone else, I have no choice.”

“But… but… we can’t just let him do this alone!” Rainbow Dash insisted.

“Rainbow Dash… all of you came all this way to save us. I know you would be willing to take the risk and stay behind with Tom… I would too,” Twilight said gently, an air of seriousness and regret about her. “But we can’t take the chance of something going wrong and the kids getting hurt. They’ve been through enough tonight as is.” She looked to Spike and softened her expression. “He wants to fight Tom… and as much as I would rather die fighting him myself… we have to trust that Tom’s plan will work.”

The others were silent for a while after that. They all shifted their eyes between Twilight and the human, more than a hint of concern between them. Still, they knew that the unicorn was right, no matter how badly they wished otherwise.

“Well…” Tom said flatly, walking over and grabbing his backpack. “You guys better get moving. I’d rather not keep this guy waiting… he didn’t seem like the most patient type.” He started moving toward the door when he was blocked by a certain pink mare.

“You better come back to us, ok?” Pinkie said, a surprising intensity to her eyes, though her pout alleviated some of the severity.

Tom smirked at the pink pony and the others gathering around her, paying special notice to Twilight and Spike. “I promise.”

“Do you Pinkie promise?” Pinkie asked, leaning in closer and eyeing him suspiciously.

“What’s that?” Tom raised an eyebrow. None of them had any digits, so she couldn’t have been talking about the kind of pinky promise he was thinking of.

“You’ve never heard of a Pinkie promise?” Rarity asked, a bit surprised.

Tom shrugged a shoulder. “I guess not.”

“I don’t think it’s ever come up around him.” Twilight reasoned.

Seeing the confusion in the human’s face, Pinkie decided to take it upon herself to explain. “A Pinkie promise is the most serious promise you can ever make. It’s you swearing on your friendship with me, that no matter what, you will keep your promise.”

“Trust me, it’s a big deal.” Applejack said.

“Yeah, so don’t do it unless you mean it.” Rainbow Dash added.

Tom snorted and managed a smirk. “Alright… I Pinkie promise.”

“Cross your heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?” Pinkie asked, gesturing with her hoof in time with her words.

“Yes… all of that,” Tom said, repeating all of the motions the pink mare just did.

Pinkie wrinkled her expression at the human briefly, before suddenly brightening up and giving him a quick hug. “Okie dokie lokie. Come back soon!”

“Please be safe,” Fluttershy said, walking up and hugging him as well.

Tom smiled and patted the pegasus on the back. And as she stepped away and he stood up, he felt another set of forelegs wrapping around his shoulders from behind and a fuzzy chin on top of his head.

“Kick that creep’s tail for me, ok?” Rainbow Dash said, briefly lifting the human up with her wings to make her hug all the better. She then hovered back to her position in the group, brushing him with her tail on the way past.

Before Tom could even react, Applejack walked up and stood on her hind legs so she could hug him at the proper height. Rarity joined in shortly after.

“Just remember. We ain’t leavin’ without you, sugarcube.” The orange mare stated.

“Show that ruffian why you’re the best monster slayer in Equestria,” Rarity added, giving him a small peck on the cheek.

Feeling a tug on his pant leg, Tom looked back to see Glitterball walking up to him.

“If you need any help, we’re one word away.” Glitter said, tapping her ear with a hoof. She didn’t seem to want to impose, but he reached down and pulled her in for a hug anyway.

“Stay safe for us, buddy.” Glimmer Shine said. The human looked up to see the stallion being helped by Sunspot.

“We’re with you in spirit… literally.” The pegasus smirked.

“Try not to get your face eaten off.” Sparkplug said with a slight wave of her injured foreleg.

Tom returned a warm smile to the ponies, before feeling a small shape wrap around his leg. He looked down to see Spike hugging him, with Twilight walking up behind.

“Please be safe…” Spike said, a bit of desperation in his voice as he buried his face into the boy’s leg. The dragon looked up abruptly as Tom rested a hand on top of his head, a reassuring smile that he had come to know the human by stuck on his face.

“Don’t worry, buddy. It’ll be ok.” Tom assured.

Twilight smiled up at the boy, though she still had a bit of worry in her eyes. She stepped in close and wrapped a foreleg around him, nuzzling his waist. She then backed up and flattened her expression.

“Tom… I don’t know what you must have convinced yourself of to lose your powers… but whatever it is, knock it off, ok? You have nothing to be afraid of. We’re fine… as long as we’re together.” Twilight looked to her friends, who all gathered around and joined her in smiling at the human. “Just remember… we believe in you.”

The boy reached out and rested a hand on her head briefly, ruffling her mane gently. “Thank you.” He said before turning and starting to walk. He made it a few steps away from the group before pausing as he looked ahead to see Shining Armor picking Celestia up from the floor and positioning her over his back.

“Tom… I just want you to know, you are the second-best hairless brother I never knew I needed.” Shining said, briefly glancing at Spike before holding out a foreleg to give the human a side hug.

“Likewise, Fuzzbucket.” Tom chuckled, walking up and accepting the gesture. He glanced at the unconscious alicorn across Shining’s back before carrying on toward the door.

Shining Armor started to walk back over to the group before he paused as he heard the human whisper something to him in passing. He turned to see the boy already walking away as if it had only been his imagination, but he knew what he heard.

“Take care of them for me.”

Shining opened his mouth to say something, only to remain silent as he watched the human silently walking toward the door. Before he or anyone else could think of something further to say, Tom opened the door, looked at them once more, and disappeared inside.

Chapter 24: A Slayer's Duty

Once again, Tom was left by himself as he made his way up a circular staircase. The only noises to be heard were his footsteps and the wind. Even now the wind whistled through the stairwell, coming in through small windows, chilling his skin as it got into his clothes.

At the top, he found a red-tinted door, which opened to reveal a carpeted hallway. Torches were already lit, but only in one direction.

Taking a quick breath, Tom used his senses to determine the alicorn’s location. Even with his muted powers, he could tell that the stallion was close, and he seemed to be in the direction of the torches.

“God, I hate when they act like supervillains.” He muttered to himself before continuing on.

As he walked, his mind was racing, trying to figure out any possible weaknesses the alicorn had. He was a vampire, Tom was certain of this much. Silver worked, just not as well as he hoped. If the stallion could heal from a silver dagger to the heart, how much damage could he heal? Was his power endless, or was it stamina-based like a slayer’s? Perhaps it had to do with how much blood he had consumed?

No matter how it worked, the human was afraid that he was about to start a war of atrophy. A war that he wasn't prepared to even participate in, let alone win.

The backpack over his shoulder was as reassuring as it was light, which was to say, not very. His sure-fire plan he had spent so long convincing his friends of wasn't as sure-fire as he made it seem. It had a lot of room for failure, and only a small chance for success.

One small chance. That was all that was keeping him going. That, and the thought of protecting his friends.

The hallway continued for a short way before turning. Altogether, it looked a lot like the other hallways on the other floors, only more lively. There were fewer holes in the carpet, and a few faded paintings actually still hung on the walls. Tom rounded the corner before pausing.

Right in front of him, the trail of torches on the walls ended. More sconces were further down the corridor, but these were unlit. There was another door where the torches ended, but the sensation of the alicorn’s presence was still a bit further away.

After a moment of hesitation, Tom walked up to the door and opened it up. Thankfully, it revealed an empty room that appeared to be a study. There were a few bookshelves and a wooden desk, all of which showed heavy signs of aging. There was also a window, as well as another door.

The human hesitated for a moment before using his senses once more. As expected, he felt the alicorn somewhere in the next room, waiting silently.

“Damn it…” Tom muttered to himself, gritting his teeth as he found himself freezing in place. What if he failed? What if he made Dusk angry and he threatened to go after Twilight and the others? These and a hundred other dizzying thoughts buzzed around his head to no end. His palms felt clammy and his limbs felt weak.

The more he thought about what could go wrong, the more his breathing started to quicken. He hyperventilated, bringing a hand up to support himself against the nearby wall. It took a few moments for him to calm down enough to stand freely again.

Once he gained his composure again, he trailed his eyes up to the ceiling, looking toward something unseen.

“Clarence…” He spoke softly. “I know you can hear me.”

Nothing but silence responded, though he seemed to expect such a result. Still, he sighed, feeling a bit ridiculous talking to some nameless faceless being he only met once, who probably wouldn’t even answer.

Even so, he had to try. His only real hope for success lay in the hands of his creator; the creator of all slayers like him.

“Look… I know you don’t like interfering, but I kind of need your help. They… kind of need your help.” He let his shoulders sink. “I’m not good enough… I can’t save them. I don’t know why, but-” He looked down briefly, pausing for a moment and wrinkling his expression. “No. That’s a lie. I know exactly why my powers won’t work.”

The boy looked down at his wounded arm. He rolled up the sleeve and examined the bandage for a moment, and then his trembling hand. He clenched it a few times, noting how weak he felt, before sighing and then hardening his expression.

“It’s not fair… It’s not fair!” He kicked the wall lightly before taking a breath. “Why do they have to suffer, just because of my fears? I’ve tried forcing myself to ignore it… but I keep seeing the worst. Look… I’m not asking you to save me. I don’t care what happens to me…” He paused, bringing a hand up and running it through his hair before dragging it down his face.

“That’s a lie too…” He exhaled shakily. “I’m scared, ok? Is that what you want me to say? I can’t win… but I don’t want to lose.”

Nothing but the wind roaring outside could be heard. The silence was making it hard to convince himself that anyone was listening.

“Can you please say something?” Tom asked, his voice wavering a bit and some water building at the corner of his eyes. “I haven’t asked you for anything, all this time. I’ve done a lot for you… you know? I’ve seen the worst things this world has to offer, and I’ve killed them for you… for the greater good. I’ve bled for you… I’ve died for you! I’m not asking for much here. Just… don’t punish them for my failures.”

Once again, nothing but silence greeted him. He took another shaky breath and wiped his eyes before shifting his attention back to the door.

“Alright… fair enough.” He nodded to himself, taking his backpack and setting it down before opening it up and sifting through its contents. “I guess I’ll just have to do this on my own.”

-Meanwhile-

The ponies all hurried downstairs and out of the castle. They stepped out into the cold, only to be met with the cliffside and the exterior of the stone fortress.

Twilight took a stunned look around at her surroundings. This was the first time she experienced this place with a set of eyes. She thought she felt herself ascending when the pale ponies were carrying her, but she never imagined it was this much.

“Sunspot, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, carry Spike and the Princess down to the carriages, then come back for Sparkplug and Glitter.” Glimmer Shine instructed.

“What?” Glitterball looked to the stallion and furrowed her brows. “You can’t be serious.”

“Glitter, we need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Some of us are staying behind to wait on Tom… but someone needs to keep an eye on the Princess, Scribble, and the kids.” Glimmer reasoned.

It took a moment before Glitter sighed and lowered her head in defeat.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Sunspot were already taking the unconscious alicorn from Shining Armor’s back. Fluttershy knelt down as Spike climbed onto her back, helping him on his way with a push from her wing.

“We’ll be right back,” Rainbow said, taking a look around at her friends before flying down the cliff with her fellow pegasi.

Shining Armor watched the trio descending for a moment before looking back to see his sister and her friends staring up at the castle, paying particular attention to the third floor where there was a large hole in the castle exterior.

Twilight looked back as she felt a hoof being placed on her shoulder. She was met by her big brother flashing her a reassuring smile before his expression fell as he too looked skyward.

“He’ll come back,” Shining assured.

“Of course he will.” Pinkie chimed in. “He Pinkie promised us.” She said confidently, not even allowing an ounce of worry to her face.

“He’s a tough one, that’s for sure.” Applejack said. “He’ll be ok.”

Twilight grabbed her brother’s hoof and gave it a squeeze as she trailed her eyes up, her troubled thoughts focused on her human friend and what was happening to him now.

“I hope so…” She muttered.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Tom opened the door and let it slide to the wall. Taking a look around revealed what must have once been the master bedroom, but it was perhaps the worst-looking room he had seen in the castle thus far.

There was a large hole in the center of the wall to his right leading outside. It was letting the cold wind blow in flecks of snow onto the ruined shreds of carpet on the floor. A pile of splinters and debris at the back of the room was in the loose shape of a bed, but it could have just as easily been modern art if the modern era were post-apocalyptic.

A deep shroud of darkness clung to the left half of the room, and from within this darkness, a chuckle almost as cold as the wind outside came out to greet him.

“Come inside, Thomas. Please, make yourself at home.” The mockingly refined voice of Prince Dusk called, soft and jarringly pleasant. If it wasn't coming from a bloodthirsty creature of the night, it might have been a gracious welcome from a host to their guest.

Tom swallowed quietly and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Is this where you used to live or something?” He asked, staring right at the shadowy corner of the room he most thought the voice was coming from.

“Not exactly. I think of it more as where I was exiled to.” Dusk replied, growing a bit distant as he brought up his banishment.

“That explains a lot…” Tom muttered to himself. As he cautiously stepped into the center of the room, he pulled out his sword with a metallic twang and leveled it in front of him. “So, are we doing this, or are you just going to sit in the dark and have a nice chat?”

In response to the human’s question, a pair of rose-colored eyes opened up, glowing softly as an equine shape as tall as the boy stepped out of the shadows. “I don’t see why we can’t do both.”

Tom narrowed his eyes in disgust as he saw the scar across the stallion’s neck. He could also just barely make out similar-looking wounds across both of his wrists. “I take it those are from the ritual you used to make yourself into this?” He puzzled.

“My, my, how perceptive,” Dusk said as he ran a hoof along his neck, stretching the skin just above the dry slash and opening it up a bit, where a pulse of red could be seen inside that quickly faded. “And if you must know, yes. The process of regaining my immortality did require a slight… sacrifice. I am most fortunate that one of Celestia’s dear subjects found this place and revived me.”

“What, you didn’t read the fine print or something? Because it sounds to me like you messed up and killed yourself like a dumbass, then you got lucky. If you really wanted the dark and brooding look, it would have been easier to go buy some plastic fangs and eye shadow.” Tom said flatly.

Dusk dropped his casual smirk, though he still held a passive air about himself. “And what about you, Thomas? How did you become a… slayer? My underlings neglected to tell me the details, so it must not be widely known.”

Tom tightened his grip on his sword. “Some stuck up murdering douchebag killed me, then I came back and killed said stuck up murdering douchebag. You know, you kind of remind me of him.”

“Oh, really?” Dusk chuckled. “Could he do this?” He asked, tilting his head up slightly to reveal his neck. In a flash of movement, a stream of blood shot out and snaked through the air, heading straight for the boy.

Tom widened his eyes and ducked to the side. However, much to his surprise, the stream of blood came to a dead stop behind him and shot back towards him like it had a mind of its own.

He managed to jump out of the way again, but not before getting nicked across his arm, tearing his sleeve and leaving a thin cut.

The serpentine glob of liquid quickly returned to its master, zipping back into the wound on his neck effortlessly.

“Hmm… quick on your feet. I suppose that’s a good quality to have when you hunt monsters.” Dusk mused. “Unfortunately, I think you’ll find that you’ll need more than that to kill me.”

Tom growled under his breath as the cut on his arm stung. He lowered his sword to his side and charged forward with a fierce yell.

Dusk casually stepped back and let two tendrils of blood rise out of his wrists. The twin lashes whipped out at Tom, but he managed to duck and jump around them. Then, with a swipe from his blade, the boy actually cut one in half, causing the severed part of it to collapse into liquid on the floor as he drew ever closer to the alicorn.

Spotting an opening, Tom slashed sideways at Dusk’s head, but the stallion was quick to reel back. Another attack barely missed the alicorn’s chest. The human reeled back for another strike until he noticed the tendril coming out of the pale prince’s right wrist retracting.

Hearing the sound of liquid shifting behind him, Tom jumped back just in time for the crimson whip to pass under his feet, though not careful enough to prevent himself from falling square onto his back. He barely had time to process the throbbing pain before the tendril rose up and shot towards him tip first, forcing him to roll out of the way before it impaled itself into the floor.

However, just as he was getting up, Tom felt another tendril wrapping around his waist and pulling him right off the ground. It yanked him into the air and flung him like a human lawn dart into the far wall near the door he entered through.

“Mmph!” Tom grunted as he smacked front first into the unforgiving stonework of the wall, and then the floor. He settled into a heap on the floor, briefly pushing himself up with his hands before grabbing his sword and getting to one knee.

“Don’t tell me you’re already getting tired?” Dusk said, an almost disappointed look on his face. “I had heard so many stories about your abilities that I was actually excited to meet you. Is this really all you’re capable of?”

"Would you believe that I'm having an off day?" Tom pulled a corner of his mouth up before cringing slightly as he got up. He panted briefly, wiping the frozen buildup of blood and sweat from his face, and loosened up his neck and shoulders before standing at the ready.

Dusk sighed and lifted his hoof. In an instant, the blood on the floor from when the boy slashed one of his tendrils lifted up. The scattered liquid gathered into several droplets in the air before pausing and elongating slightly, pointing at the human like a dozen tiny arrows.

Tom flinched back in surprise and held out his sword. As two of the bloody bullets zipped toward him, he narrowly dodged to the side, letting them pierce into the wall behind him with surprising force.

Dusk watched silently and waggled his hoof, sending more of the floating projectiles forward. The human dodged some and swiped others out of the air with his sword as he slowly made his way towards the alicorn.

Suddenly, one of the arrows pierced into Tom's side as he misjudged its trajectory.

"AGH!" He cried, clutching a hand to his new bleeding wound. He couldn't take time to pause, however, as there were still would-be projectiles hovering in the air.

Much to Dusk's surprise, instead of taking the cautious route and going slow, the boy bolted forward with his sword at the ready, heading straight toward him.

Tom gritted his teeth as the rest of the floating blood zipped toward him. He ducked and pushed himself to run faster, narrowly keeping ahead of the pings and crashes of stone breaking as he charged at Dusk with anger burning in his eyes.

With all the strength he could muster, Tom slashed down at the pale stallion. His blade crashed down toward his head before it violently jutted to a stop as numerous streams of blood snaked out of the alicorn's neck, wrapping around the blade tightly and keeping it a mere inch away from Dusk's silvery mane.

Tom pulled and pushed against the crimson tendrils, but their flimsy fluid appearance seemed to belie great strength.

As the glowing blade caused the bloody ropes to steam and sizzle, Dusk locked eyes with the human. His mouth twitched into a crooked smirk, and he made sure to remain as still as possible, as his tendrils squeezed, and squeezed...

...and shattered the boy’s blade into several pieces.

Tom reeled back as the resistance on him suddenly ended. He looked down to his ruined stub of a sword and the many shards clattering to the ground, his expression falling and a familiar feeling of dread cementing itself in his core.

"I lose more swords that way…" The boy muttered with a nervous smile as he looked up to see the alicorn smirking back at him, his horn lit up and a devious glint in his glowing eyes.

Back outside, Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, and Fluttershy finished transporting their friends down to the carriages.

Fluttershy and Glitterball helped Sparkplug into an empty carriage, seated across from the unconscious form of Celestia so the vested mares could better keep an eye on her.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Sunspot checked in with the kids and then their two new companions. Thankfully, Scribble hadn’t felt her urges return yet, at least not to a degree she couldn’t control.

As they finished, they both hovered back and looked over to see that Fluttershy was done as well. They then shifted their attention back up to the castle, where the rest of their friends were still waiting.

“Do you think Tom is ok?” Fluttershy asked, making sure that the dragon and three fillies in the carriage behind her couldn’t hear.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t hide an uneasy frown, though she tried her best. “Don’t worry. He’s come back from a lot worse.”

“Come on.” Sunspot gestured to the pair, hovering a bit higher than they were. “We should head back.”

With a few shared looks of unease and attempted reassurance, the two mares eventually joined their suited companion and flew up the cliff once more.

Shortly after, they crested over the side of the cliff and found the others still standing in front of the castle.

Twilight turned and watched as the trio landed and rejoined the group.

“Did we miss anything?” Rainbow asked, looking to the unicorn or anyone else for an answer.

“Not much, I’m afraid,” Twilight said, a bit tenser than she intended.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy trailed their eyes up to the castle, a hollow pit forming in their stomachs as they did. They and many of the others were wearing anxious and uneasy expressions. After all, all they could do was wait.

However, they didn’t have to wait very long, as a familiar yell came from the hole in the castle above.

The ponies all looked up in surprise as the shape of the human crashed into the wall next to the opening before falling out of sight. There was a magical zap, some flashes of light, explosions, and some faint whipping sounds as what looked like red ropes writhed and curled into and out of view.

Twilight and the others widened their eyes, and a few gasps and concerned mutters rang out.

Rainbow Dash brought her hooves up to her head in a panic. “Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed before zipping up toward the opening. She barely made another flap before a yellow shape flew in front of her and blocked her path.

“Dashie, wait!” Fluttershy pleaded.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked, an agitated look forming on her face.

"We can’t go up there. If that alicorn sees you trying to help, he'll come after all of us!" Fluttershy reasoned. She turned to look behind her as another disconcerting noise came from inside, softening her eyes before turning back to her friend.

"But…" Rainbow Dash muttered, darting her eyes between Fluttershy and the hole in the wall with a conflicted stare. "I can’t just sit back and do nothing!"

"I know how ya feel," Applejack chimed in from the ground, causing the two pegasi to look down to their friends. "It's goin’ against every fiber in my body to not run in there," She said, gritting her teeth momentarily, "but we need to trust Tom."

"Please, Rainbow… just hold off until he makes his move," Twilight added.

Rainbow Dash frowned as she saw the sheer pain behind the purple mare’s eyes. It must have been killing her on the inside to stay inactive while the human was fighting for all of their lives. If Twilight was biting her tongue to keep her trust in their friend, then why couldn't she?

"Alright…" Rainbow tensed her features briefly before sighing. She slowly descended back to the ground. "Alright."

The cyan mare and the others glued their eyes to the opening, watching for any sign of the battle going on within the fortress. They all hoped against all hope that their friend was unharmed, but the sounds they were hearing made it hard to stay optimistic.

“Gah!” Tom yelped as he was sent rolling along the ground by a magical explosion. His clothes were singed, with a few flames even springing to life that quickly died out in the frigid air.

He pushed through the pain, putting his uninjured arm in front of him and using it to push himself up. All the while, he could see Dusk watching him, the disappointed look on the stallion’s face replaced by a blank stare that conveyed boredom.

“I cannot believe that you are Equestria’s greatest hero. Is this some kind of joke, or have things gotten worse than I thought?” Dusk crinkled his eyes at the mere notion of the kingdom he left behind turning into such a pitiful shadow of its former self.

“I was… never Equestria’s greatest hero.” Tom panted. “I don’t know who you heard that from… but they were sorely mistaken.”

“Hmm…” Dusk narrowed his eyes at the human. “So who is, in your opinion?”

Tom remained silent, though he softened his expression as he thought to his friends outside. Maybe it would have been better to let them help? Then again, they were without their greatest weapon, if the elements would even work on something like the alicorn.

Seeing the boy’s reaction, Dusk raised an eyebrow in surprise. “No. Don’t tell me that you think Twilight Sparkle and her… friends, are the mightiest force in Equestria? I mean really…” He gave an almost sad sort of chuckle. “The Elements of Harmony are useful in certain applications, sure, but they are hardly tools of absolute power, especially in the hooves of those foalish children. When I’m done with you, I’ll have to let them know just how well you thought of them, before I slaughter them all.”

Tom furrowed his brows angrily as he got to his feet. “What about our deal?”

Hearing this, Dusk smirked. “Oh, you didn’t think I was being truthful, did you? Of course I’m not going to let them leave. It’s just a matter of what I’m going to do.” He said, a hint of emotion in his eyes that disgusted the boy. It was pure, sadistic enjoyment at whatever sick thoughts were running through his head. “I can always kill them, but that’s so… final. Why can’t I have a little fun before that?”

“You’re sick in the head,” Tom said. “You should have just stayed dead… Now someone has to finish the job.”

Dusk genuinely laughed. “And who will that be? You? My goodness… humans are absolutely adorable with how far they overestimate their own ability.”

Tom flattened his expression as he thought to his friends waiting outside. He took a deep breath and thought back to Twilight’s last words to him, to their confident smiles and warm sentiments, before opening his palms and stretching his fingers.

“I’m not the first person to challenge people like you, and I won’t be the last. There will always be people like me… as long as there is evil in this world that needs to be tamed. A hunter will rise for every prey.” He said.

Just then, fire sparked to life at his fingertips.

The sound of metallic scraping rang out, though it seemed to be overshadowed by a sputtering sound. The fire flashed and fitted as it washed over the ends of his fingers and out into the air, taking longer than usual and having some difficulty.

Soon enough, however, Tom’s claws were fully formed. Their otherwise smooth surface was broken up by glowing orange cracks that spidered out along their entire length, but there they stood, a testament to his status as a slayer despite his doubts and fears.

Dusk seemed a bit surprised by the resolve and determination in the human’s eyes. “Now, that’s more like the stories I’ve heard.” He smiled, forming two tendrils from his wrists and letting them snake out ahead of him.

Uncaring of the crimson lashes shifting menacingly and patiently in the air, Tom made his move. He charged forward, keeping his steely gaze fixed on the stallion.

As the two tendrils shifted to the side, doubtlessly preparing to whip toward him, the human raised one of his hands and opened his palm, silently praying for his strength not to fade for just a while longer.

All at once, a pulse of blue and white filled the room before vanishing just as quickly, like the fleeting flash of a camera. The light burned Dusk’s flesh, sending searing pains all throughout him and causing him to reel back and lose concentration on his two tendrils, which immediately drooped to the floor.

“OW!” Dusk yelped, covering his face with a foreleg. He flinched open his eyes and blinked rapidly before an image clarified in front of him. An image of a human charging with clawed hands outstretched.

Tom yelled fiercely as he swiped with all his might against the alicorn’s neck and chest. His claws impacted, immediately slicing into flesh with ease and sizzling on contact as they left bloody paths through Dusk’s form.

The human managed to get a few hits in before reeling an arm back and stabbing it forward, aiming right for the heart. His claws neared their target before a flash of red movement came from the side.

A blur of crimson fluid shot through Tom’s claws at blinding speeds. Like a bullet through glass, the brittle metal shattered into pieces with a spark of orange embers. The pieces of the claws quickly settled to the floor and began melting into a softly glowing liquid before vanishing.

Tom looked down at the shattered remains of claws attached to his fingers, which promptly disappeared into a flash of fire. He turned to look at his other set of blades, only to see them flicker and sputter out of existence as well.

He then looked forward, only to be met with a pair of fiercely glowing eyes and an angry snarl.

“Crap…” The boy muttered.

In an instant, Dusk reformed his tendrils and whipped them out, bidding them to wrap around the human’s neck like a coil of taut rope. Tom barely managed to get out a croak before all noise ceased and his airway closed.

“You...” Dusk growled, though he cringed a bit from his wounds. The sets of four slashes in his chest and neck sizzled and stung, but they started to close up as his unnatural blood began to heal his body.

“How dare you harm me.” The stallion glared, lifting the human off his feet just enough to be as uncomfortable as possible while still giving him room to breathe. Dusk took a moment to breathe as well, getting his senses about him and thinking further about what just happened.

“Although… I suppose I should thank you for proving the stories true. After all, it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining for me to kill you if you didn’t put up a fight.” He smirked, letting two more slender tendrils rise up and point their sharpened tips at the human’s head.

Suddenly, a noise came as something fell to the floor, seemingly coming from under Tom’s pant leg.

Dusk skewed his expression as he followed the object now rolling along the floor. “What is that?” He asked, lighting up his horn and lifting it closer. The object appeared to be a small blue candle, with some kind of paper wrapped around the wick with a magical symbol etched into it.

“That…” Tom gasped as the tendrils loosened slightly and lowered him back to his feet. “Oh, my bad… You know, us humans are so clumsy… always leaving things lying around.” He smirked through the pain.

Dusk narrowed his eyes at the human before taking a look around the room. Much to his surprise, he found more of the odd candles on the floor. Two were on either side of the door to the side, and two others were at opposite ends of the hole in the far wall.

They all looked about the same, with the same deep blue hue, and the same paper wrapped around their wicks. However, the candles already on the ground had their symbols lightly glowing.

“What on earth…?” Dusk muttered, taking a closer look at the candle in his magical grasp. He inspected the symbol visible on the paper, only to find that he recognized it. It loosely translated to a word.

Fire.

Briefly relishing in the confusion on the alicorn’s face, Tom lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. All at once, all four of the candles on the floor sprang to life as the paper around their wicks burst into flames. A blue wall of light pulsed through the room as the flames on the candle burned with a similar hue.

Dusk looked ahead, equal parts curious and confused as a blue forcefield flashed along the hole in the wall and the door to the side before vanishing. He moved one of his tendrils over to one of the candles and hesitantly touched it, only to have its tip spatter into liquid as a blue bubble briefly appeared around the candle.

He moved the rest of the tendril over to the door and tried opening it, only to have the wall of light from before appear. The liquid rope sizzled on contact with the wall, and it appeared solid. Around that time, it clicked in Dusk’s head. The tendril was made of his blood. It was an extension of his body, and it was being blocked by whatever magic the strange candles held.

“You really think this will hold me forever?” Dusk asked, looking at the human with a smug expression.

Tom cringed as the tendril around his neck tightened slightly. “It… doesn’t need to hold you forever. Just long enough for us to get back to Canterlot and cure Celestia.”

Dusk chuckled at the human’s words. “Us? Don’t you mean them? In case you haven’t noticed… you’re stuck in here with me.”

Tom merely half-smiled, letting two syringes he had stored up his sleeves fall into his palms.

“I know what I said!” He exclaimed, stabbing both needles into the alicorn’s neck and depressing the plungers.

Dusk widened his eyes as he felt a surge of burning liquid pulse into his veins. It was like he just had acid injected into his body, and it immediately hurt worse than anything he had ever felt before in his life.

“GAAAAHH!” Dusk yelled, dropping his tendrils to scattered liquid on the floor and releasing the human as he stumbled back. Sizzling steam was coming from glowing lines forming across his body, like a trail through his bloodstream made visible by the burning substance now coursing through him.

Spotting his opportunity, Tom turned and ran faster than he ever had before toward his escape. The opening in the castle wall stood just ahead like a path to freedom.
.
..
…
Twilight and the others watched the castle above with bated breath. Ever since the familiar flash of blue from Tom’s blessed candles appeared moments before, they knew that the human’s plan was working.

Now all they had to do was wait and pray.

Suddenly, however, Rarity gasped as she caught a hint of movement. “Look!” She pointed.

Sure enough, the ponies’ faces brightened as they saw their human friend running up to the window and jumping. The blue forcefield appeared around him and rippled as his form passed through it.

Tom couldn’t help but smile as he looked down and saw his friends staring up at him. As much as he thought he wouldn’t be able to pull it off, he would be able to keep his promise after all.

And then, he felt something wrapping around his ankles just before he fully left the forcefield. A violent tug sent him reeling backward and smacking his face into the stonework before being pulled into the room again.

“Tom!” Twilight gasped, racing to light up her horn. She reached out with her magical influence and managed to grab the boy’s hand. She gave a mighty pull, but the pale alicorn had a better hold over him. “Shining, Rarity, help me!” She pleaded.

“On it!” Shining stated, lighting up his horn and joining his sister in pulling on the human’s arm.

Rarity raced to wrap her magic around the boy as well, but she could already tell that this was a losing fight. Even with the three of them, they could just barely keep him at the edge of the hole. “Gah! He’s… too strong!”

“Dash, get up there and grab ‘im!” Applejack suggested, to which the cyan mare immediately agreed.

“Come on, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash said, already taking off toward the opening.

“R-right!” Fluttershy swooped up to join her friend.

Sunspot immediately darted after the two mares. “Count me in!”

Meanwhile, Tom grunted as the crimson coil around his ankle climbed up and wrapped around his body. As he was painfully lifted up and shifted onto his feet, the multicolored auras of his friends trying to pull him back to no avail, he was forcibly turned around to look ahead at the alicorn.

Dusk’s body was still steaming, and the glowing lines were still present. However, he had a tendril snaking out of one wrist, which was held out while he dealt with his pain.

All at once, the stallion stretched his neck, and a torrent of blood sprayed out. The glowing lines along his body receded, and the sizzling died down as he expelled the boy’s blood from his system. He then looked out at the human and softened his grimace into an expression of begrudging respect.

“Bravo, Sir Greene… bravo.” He said, his voice still tense from the twinges of pain still pulsing through him.

Tom tried to struggle against his binds or jerk himself backward out of the opening, but even with the assistance from his friends, he wasn't going anywhere.

“Don’t worry, Tom! We’re coming!” A familiar voice shouted from below. Tom looked down to see Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, and Fluttershy flying up toward him, with the rest of his friends watching with wide eyes as Twilight, Rarity, and Shining Armor fought to pull him back.

Dusk smirked as he allowed another bit of fluid to branch off of the coil around the human’s body. He floated the mini tendril up until it was pointing right at Tom’s face. “As you so eloquently put it… a hunter for every prey.”

*SWISH*

All at once, Tom fell backward as the coils of blood wrapped around him released.

Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, Fluttershy, Twilight, and everyone else watching felt their hearts collectively skip as they watched the boy falling. A spray of red was coming from his neck.

Tom just kept falling, not even moving to clutch his new injury. A stunned expression was on his face as his throat gushed blood.

Then, instead of the red and blue colors easily identifiable against the gray and black of the castle and night sky, a hint of orange started to appear. Soon, more flashes of orange stemmed from the human’s body as a series of embers floated off and disappeared. Before anyone could even process what was happening, the boy’s body started vanishing amidst the fleeting embers.

Shining and Rarity’s auras faded from the human’s vanishing form until only Twilight was left holding him. She reached a hoof out and pulled with her magic, but by then there was nothing left for her to hold onto.

Rainbow Dash fluttered up and stared ahead as a series of glowing embers fell down to her hooves. She didn’t even get to feel them before they disappeared with the cold wind. Her jaw trembled, and she hovered frozen in place, not saying anything for the longest time as Fluttershy watched nearby with hooves clasped over her mouth. Sunspot was looking on with wide eyes and an expression of disbelief, her hooves shaking with emotion.

Rarity stumbled back and collapsed to her haunches as she and the others stared up at nothing, up at where their friend once was. She lifted a shaky hoof to her mouth and caught a half-formed sob, her eyes already watering.

Applejack stood, frozen like a statue beside Pinkie. Tears were streaming down her face, and her mouth was agape, but she was dead silent, unlike her pink friend. The pink mare was whimpering and trembling as she tried to make sense of what she just witnessed, her puffy mane and tail deflating and straightening.

Shining Armor and Glimmer Shine were quietly staring upward as well. Glimmer couldn’t stop his heart from pounding as a wave of denial washed over him and his eyes welled up with tears. The white stallion, however, tore himself away from his own emotions for a moment to look down to his sister.

Twilight hadn’t moved for a solid ten seconds, save for her trembling eyes and the slight shake from her erratic breathing. Her horn was still aglow, even though her hold had been lost for a while.

The purple mare’s lips started quaking as she contorted her expression. A series of sobs was building in her throat as the water welling up in her eyes flooded over and blurred her vision.

“TOOOM!!”

Chapter 25: Reeling

Down in the clearing, Glitterball and Sparkplug were keeping themselves occupied by keeping an eye on things by the carriages.

The biting cold was the least of their worries, between the unconscious alicorn in front of them and the pale mare in one of the other carriages. And that was without even considering the kids and the danger looming in the castle above.

Sparkplug cringed a bit as her foreleg stung. She then turned to her companion, only to see the white mare staring out of the window up at the clifftop castle, more than a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Hey," Sparkplug nudged the unicorn. "Everything’s gonna be ok." She assured.

Glitterball looked over to the gray mare, forcing a more neutral look to her face. "I know…" She sighed, the corners of her mouth falling briefly. "I just can't help thinking the worst sometimes… and this is one of those times."

Sparkplug wrinkled her mouth, unsure of what to say to that. She glanced over to Princess Celestia, a pang of sadness tugging at her heart as she saw the lifeless appearance of the once kind alicorn. "I know what you mean."

Off in the next carriage, Scootaloo and her two friends watched as Spike stared out of the window anxiously. The dragon had barely paid any attention to them or his surroundings since the others dropped him off.

The young pegasus shared an uneasy look with her friends. Sweetie and Apple Bloom seemed just as concerned as she was, but they weren't sure what to say without bringing up something that might make him feel worse.

"Spike… why don't you take a blanket?" Scootaloo offered.

"Yeah. Your scales are turning blue." Sweetie fretted.

Spike glanced over to see the fillies offering him sympathetic smiles. He muttered to himself and rubbed his shoulders before turning back to the window. "I'm ok." He said, though his words didn’t sound confident.

"You don’t look ok." Apple Bloom frowned. She unburied herself from the mound of blankets she and her friends cocooned themselves in and started digging through it. After fishing around for a moment, she produced another fuzzy-looking blanket and hopped over to the other seat. "Here." She offered, taking the blanket and wrapping it around the dragon’s shoulders. He reached up and pulled both ends close, figuring that it was best not to resist. "Now ain't that better?"

"Yeah…" Spike managed. "Thanks."

The fillies shared a bit of a smile with each other. At least now the dragon wouldn’t catch his death from cold.

"So…" Sweetie Belle started, moving aside as Apple Bloom raced to plop back into her position in the corner with her blanket fort. "Are you going to tell us what's wrong, Spike?"

"Why would you think something is wrong?" Spike asked.

"You really think we need to answer that?" Apple Bloom replied plainly.

Spike sighed and averted his eyes. "I guess not."

Scootaloo softened her expression. "Nopony has told us anything since we've been here. Sparkplug looked hurt… and then they bring the Princess down here on Sunspot’s back!"

"Didn’t she kind of look like Scribble does?" Sweetie Belle chimed in uneasily. "You know… all pale and stuff."

Scootaloo shared a hesitant glance with the unicorn before turning back to Spike. "There’s that too… but my point is that we're in the dark here. You at least know something… can’t you please tell us?"

Spike felt an uncomfortable knot in his stomach as he saw the worried looks on the fillies' faces. They deserved to know, but simply talking about it seemed like an impossible task for him.

"Well…" He started, trailing his eyes down.

Just then, a noise from outside interrupted the dragon. He and the fillies paused as what sounded like the cries of a familiar mare carried across the clearing.

"Twilight…?!" Spike blinked before widening his eyes slightly and racing to the window. The fillies joined him in looking outside, just in time to watch Rainbow Dash, Sunspot, and Fluttershy landing just ahead, carrying Twilight, Shining Armor, and Rarity respectively.

"NO!" Twilight shouted hysterically, seemingly struggling against her friend to get loose. "LET ME GO!"

"Twilight… there’s nothing we can do." Rainbow Dash said, tears streaming down her face. Everyone seemed like they were crying to some degree, but the purple mare was distraught.

Twilight jerked and kicked and sobbed, trying to get free and head back towards the stairs as if she would climb them in mere moments to get back to whatever the group was forcibly removing her from.

"Twily." Shining Armor said softly, taking his sister from Rainbow Dash and briefly struggling to keep ahold of her. "Twily, I'm sorry… we have to go."

Twilight nearly jumped free from the stallion, only to be gently pulled back by a magical aura. "NO!" She cried, her voice trailing off into a drawn-out sob as she was half escorted, half carried toward the carriages. "PLEASE… please… don’t make me go!"

Shining Armor glanced up to see everyone, even the teams of guards, watching them uneasily. He then looked back to Rainbow Dash and the others. "Go get the others." He instructed, barely keeping himself together.

The three pegasi watched the group for a moment longer before hanging their heads and flying back up.

Spike and the Crusaders watched as Rarity walked over to them while Shining Armor escorted the purple mare away.

Rarity did her best to ignore the cries of her friend as she climbed into the carriage and sat down next to the children. Her face was damp with tears, and all of the energy was gone from her eyes.

"Rarity… what’s wrong?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Wh… why is Twilight crying like that?" Spike added, though the slight tremor in his legs hinted that he already suspected the answer, no matter how much he hoped he was wrong.

Rarity could hardly bring herself to look at the dragon. She could already tell that he knew what her silence meant as tears began welling up in his eyes. All she could do was open her forelegs and hug him close, letting him sob into her fur as her own emotions came flooding back to her. The three fillies could only wonder and watch the pair, though they knew that something terrible had happened.

Meanwhile, Glitterball watched with her mouth agape in shock as Shining Armor walked Twilight past her carriage. The purple unicorn was now sobbing quietly into her brother's shoulder, too exhausted to resist with her trembling body.

Soon after, Sunspot landed with the others and started walking towards the carriages. Pinkie was clinging to Fluttershy and crying into her fur. Applejack was hanging her head as she walked alongside the group. Even Glimmer Shine looked like he had been crying. It was a sight Glitterball hadn’t seen since the stallion’s brother and their friends died months ago.

"Where’s Tom?" Glitter asked, turning to Shining Armor with a desperate look on her face that only deepened as he remained silent. "Shining… where's Tom?!"

Shining Armor glanced to the unicorn, and then at the others as they all filed into different carriages, before trailing his eyes down. He walked away, unable to even face the white mare.

As he walked Twilight over to their carriage and handed her up into the waiting hooves of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, he climbed onto the step before turning toward the teams of guards around him.

"Take us home… and fast." He instructed, stealing a tense glance up to the castle, where the pale stallion was still hopefully trapped.

"Yes sir…" One of the guards said after a moment of somber realization.

Soon after, all four carriages took to the sky and left the castle behind.

Minutes went by in relative silence for many of the ponies, save for the sobs and cries. They should have been feeling joy and cheer now that they were back together again, but they all felt like they had left a piece of them behind.

Rainbow Dash kept her eyes to the floor, hiding her face as much as she could as she silently tried to keep from breaking down. The pink mare bawling into her side was making it difficult for the pegasus to keep her emotions suppressed.

Pinkie had been clinging to her ever since they got into the carriage. Applejack and Rarity were in the other carriage with their siblings, Fluttershy was having a hard enough time by herself, and Twilight had finally passed out in her brother's lap, so the cyan mare was Pinkie’s only option for comfort.

Rainbow Dash slowly reached a foreleg around her pink friend and squeezed slightly. "It's gonna be ok, Pinkie…" She muttered, though the words leaving her mouth felt hollow. How could she tell the grieving mare something she didn’t even believe in?

Pinkie took a few shaky breaths between sobs. She lifted her head up, revealing puffy eyes rife with tears. "He…" She hiccuped softly. "He Pinkie promised…" She muttered, either out of consideration for Twilight or from her own exhaustion.

If Rainbow Dash was getting by with a trembling lip and watery eyes before, that sent her over the edge. She bowed her head forward and clenched her eyes, letting a slight sob pass as Pinkie nuzzled back into her side.

Shining Armor looked up to the three mares, only to feel a tug at his heart as he saw the state they were in. They were all exhausted and heartbroken, much like he was. Losing his human friend was bad enough, but now he had to watch as his sister dealt with it.

Looking down to the purple mare asleep in his lap, tears still dotting the corners of her eyes, he almost couldn’t keep a stiff expression. She still had a loose grip around his waist, clinging to him like she was a little filly again, scampering into his room after a bad dream. However, as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t just hold her close and tell her that it was just a nightmare.

A few hours passed as the group crossed the vast Equestrian skies on their way back to its capital city. Despite their sorrow, many of the ponies finally succumbed to their fatigue and slipped into an uneasy sleep. Those that stayed awake almost envied them.

Eventually, however, the lights of Canterlot could be seen fast approaching as the carriages descended from the air once more. After everything that had happened to them, after everything they suffered through, they were finally home.

The teams of pegasi gently came in for a landing right in front of the castle, where a small crowd of other guards quickly gathered.

Inside of the carriages, the ponies that were asleep gradually started to stir. Rainbow Dash looked up, and Fluttershy lifted her head out of the corner she had been sleeping in, while Pinkie fidgeted and muttered before finally stretching and yawning.

Shining Armor frowned a bit as he looked down to see Twilight still passed out. She looked somewhat peaceful now. He gently nudged her until she crinkled her eyes and lazily lifted her head. “It’s time to go, Twilight… we’re here.”

Twilight stared at the stallion for a moment, still half asleep, before her eyes clarified slightly. As she became aware of her surroundings and everything that had happened before she fell asleep, her expression fell. “Ok…” She muttered, receiving one last embrace from her brother before pushing herself up.

The purple mare and the rest of her friends all gradually stepped out of their carriages to be met with the much welcome regality of Canterlot castle.

In particular, Scholarly Scribble and Blank Page were taken aback by the sheer beauty and architecture. Glimmer Shine and Sunspot recognized that look of wonderment as they stepped out alongside the siblings, as it reminded them of their first time seeing the castle.

“Never been to the palace before, I take it?” Glimmer Shine inferred, managing a slight smile for the first time in what seemed like forever.

“You can say that again.” Blank Page said, still gawking at the sheer size of the structure.

Sunspot wrinkled her expression sympathetically as she looked to Scribble. “Unfortunately, the tour will have to wait. How are you feeling?”

“Still ok… for the time being,” Scribble said, trying her best not to notice the many new bodies full of blood around her. Thankfully, it took a few days for her hunger to return the last time, so hopefully, she would be fine until they could find a cure.

Applejack and Rarity gently stepped out of their carriage, a very exhausted trio of fillies slumbering on their backs and a young dragon that had woken up during the landing beside them. They were relieved that the children were finally safe, even if sacrifices had been made.

“What comes next?” Rarity asked, looking to Glimmer Shine and the others with a worried frown. “That Dusk fellow is still out there. When he gets free, I’m certain that he will be looking for us again.”

“Well,” Glitterball said as she hopped out of her carriage with Sparkplug. “Our first priority should be to cure the Princess and Scribble. Once we do that, the sun can be raised and we should have some time to think.”

Just then, the group looked over as three guards walked up to Shining Armor. Two of them were average rank and file guards, but the one in the middle seemed to be of a higher status judging from the color of his armor and helmet plume.

“Captain Shining Armor, welcome back sir.” The middle guard spoke, offering a brief salute with the others.

“Silver Spear… thank you. It’s good to be back.” Shining smiled at the trio before looking behind him and adopting a more stoic expression. “Get somepony to help transport the princess and have a room prepared to Glitterball’s specifications. I also need you to get some medics on standby. We’ve got wounded ponies with us.”

“Yes sir, right away.” The center guard nodded, looking to his two companions and gesturing for them to go help the two vested mares struggling to move the unconscious alicorn. He started trotting off to go complete his orders until Shining spoke up to stop him.

“Oh, and Silver…” Shining said, softening his expression a bit. “Where’s Cadence?”

“She’s in the medical wing watching over Princess Luna.” The stallion reported.

“Princess Luna is in the medical wing?” Twilight asked, looking a bit alarmed at the sudden news. At least it was sudden for her. “Is she ok?”

Shining Armor turned to his sister and rested a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “She was attacked when Dusk came and took all of you.” He explained before turning to Silver Spear. “Any updates on her condition?”

The guard softened his stoic stare ever so slightly. “Princess Luna is… in rough shape, but she was stable, last I heard.”

Shining smiled with relief. “That’s good at least…” He turned to Twilight, his expression falling again as he thought about informing the two alicorns about what happened. “Come on. Let’s go see them.” He suggested.

While the rest of her friends split off toward their own destinations, Twilight followed after her brother with Spike in tow.

Through the grand halls of the castle, Twilight and the others hurried toward the medical wing. Away from the more public areas of the castle, through a series of connecting corridors leading to guards' quarters and the armory, there was a decently sized area consisting of curtained off bays full of beds, medical equipment, and movable cabinets of supplies and tools.

There were various mares in nurse regalia trotting to and fro, caring for some guards wounded in the initial attack. There were even a few doctors and combat surgeons on staff, but most of the ponies dotted around were nurses.

Twilight frowned sympathetically as she saw the few stallions being tended to. She had been to this area once or twice as a filly when she got sick, but she had never seen these beds full before.

Shining Armor led them through the main floor, past all the medical bays, and over to a secluded section, where a few actual rooms sat that were reserved for medical emergencies involving one of the royal sisters or members of staff.

Inside of a room bearing Luna’s insignia, the trio was immediately greeted by the steady beeping of a heart monitor as they opened the door, revealing a small gathering of ponies around a hospital bed.

One of the ponies was immediately identifiable as Princess Cadence. The pink alicorn turned around and quickly brightened her expression as she saw Twilight and Spike alongside her husband.

"Shining, Twilight, Spike!" The alicorn exclaimed, eagerly rushing over and wrapping the three up into a tight hug.

"It's good to see you too, Cadence." Twilight smiled.

Hearing bedsheets shifting, the group looked over to see Luna turning to face them. The pair of nurses tending to her stepped back a bit to give the ponies room to move closer.

"Princess Luna…" Twilight frowned softly as she saw how poor a shape the alicorn was in. She had a few bandages around her waist and on her hind leg and face. Her eyes were dull, and her movements were sluggish and jittery, despite the i.v bag full of blood connected to her foreleg.

Luna managed a slight smile through her exhausted features as she looked up at the purple mare. "Twilight Sparkle… thank goodness you are safe." She said, taking slight pauses to breathe.

Twilight flashed a bit of a hollow smile to the alicorn before looking to Cadence. "How is she?"

"Believe it or not, she's improved a lot since we first found her," Cadence said, suppressing a shudder as she thought back to when the blue alicorn was rushed to the medical wing. She spent the first few hours wondering whether or not Luna would quietly slip away right in front of her. "If he isn't too tired, do you think that Tom could heal her some more?"

Like the flipping of a switch, all the color left their faces. Twilight in particular darted her eyes away, hoping to hide their shimmering fragility. Spike and Shining looked to the purple mare with sympathetic frowns.

Seeing this, Cadence’s jaw fell open. She reached a hoof up partway to her mouth, looking to Shining Armor desperately, hoping for him to tell her that what she was thinking was wrong.

Luna watched the trio's gloomy faces, her own neutral expression falling as she realized that what she had been fearing had actually happened. "No…" She muttered to herself, lowering her head somberly.

Twilight wiped a stray tear forming in her eye, though she couldn’t wipe away her heartbroken frown. “I… should have gone with him.”

“Twilight…” Shining frowned, walking up and resting a hoof on her shoulder, though she didn’t react other than a slight head movement toward and then away from him.

“I failed him. Part of me knew something like this would happen… but I just left anyway. Does that make me a bad friend?” Twilight trailed off, struggling to keep from sobbing or breaking down crying again. Her bottom lip quivered, forcing her to press her mouth into a line to stop it.

“Nonsense,” Luna spoke up.

Everyone looked over in surprise as the alicorn sat up in bed with a slight groan. Luna cringed briefly at her own condition before turning to the purple mare with a sympathetically stern expression.

“I might not know much about what happened out there, but I know you, Twilight Sparkle. I know you would never leave a friend behind willingly. There was nothing you could have done… am I right?”

“I guess that’s right…” Twilight admitted, crossing a foreleg and still hiding her gaze from the alicorn. “But-”

“Enough. I will not hear any ‘buts’ on the matter. You aren’t a bad friend, Twilight… and you certainly did not fail him.” Luna interrupted before softening her expression. “If anyone here failed him… it was me.”

“What?” Cadence narrowed her eyes in confusion.

Twilight looked up to see the alicorn wearing a regretful frown, much like she had been. “Princess… what do you mean?”

Luna felt a pang in her heart as she looked at the unicorn, taking a moment before sighing. “Tom confided in me about his… situation, last night. I wanted to tell my sister about it so we could help him…” She looked away, letting her ears fall flat. “However, he convinced me to refrain from telling anyone. I thought I could resolve his problem myself before he would even need to fight something again… but then Dusk attacked the city. If I had told my sister sooner… then perhaps things would have ended up differently. I’m sorry, Twilight.”

Hearing this, the others all frowned sympathetically as the alicorn avoided looking at them. Spike in particular looked more upset than sympathetic as he lowered his head and gripped his arms to his chest.

Twilight softened her features and walked up to the bed beside the alicorn. She put a hoof on Luna’s leg, or at least on the bedsheets, and managed a slight smile. “You couldn’t have known something like this would happen, Princess. You were only trying to help him.” She assured.

Luna wrinkled her mouth, her eyes threatening to shimmer as she saw the unicorn showing her sympathy and concern instead of outrage and disdain like she was expecting. “Your words are too kind, young Sparkle… You remind me of my sister.” She said before adopting a more concerned expression as she thought about the white alicorn. “Speaking of which, how is Celestia? You found her, yes?”

Once again, Shining and Twilight grew quiet and somber, which immediately set Luna on edge. Seeing this, Twilight decided to speak, even if she didn’t want to bring it up.

“Princess Celestia is…” Twilight paused, trying to find the best way to say it and failing. Finally, she sighed. “That alicorn changed her… She’s a vampire now.”

A soft gasp rang out, but it was from Cadence instead of Luna. The blue alicorn herself was speechless as she stared ahead with mouth agape in shock.

“Oh… gosh, no.” Cadence brought a hoof up to her mouth. Shining walked over and put a foreleg around her in a comforting gesture, but she was still lost to her own thoughts.

Luna silently processed her thoughts and emotions for a moment. She swallowed dryly and took a steady breath before facing the purple mare once more. “Has she… fed on anyone?” She asked, seemingly dreading the answer.

Finally, Twilight was able to tell some good news. “No. She almost fed on me… but Dusk stopped her.” She said, reaching a hoof up to her neck protectively at the memory of her mentor holding her down and trying to bite into her. “I think he wanted her to stay herself… to make her suffer. He seemed like he had history with her.”

“Who is that guy, anyway?” Shining asked. “Do you know anything about him, Princess?”

Luna could only shake her head. “I’m afraid not. Celestia has never spoken of him… but from what I could gather, he does indeed have some sort of history with her.”

“Can’t we ask her?” Cadence suggested hopefully. “You said she’s still herself, right?”

Twilight frowned at this. “Tom had to knock her out so we could take her with us. As far as I know, she still hasn’t woken up.”

“I trust Glimmer Shine and the others are working on the cure?” Luna asked.

Cadence perked up slightly. “There’s a cure?”

“If I recall correctly, yes,” Luna said. “We came upon it when we were inventorying books from Raven Feather’s collection, but I’m afraid that I do not remember the details or which tome it was in. It was buried within walls of text on numerous subjects.”

“I hope you’re right about that,” Twilight said. “And not just for Princess Celestia’s sake… Apparently, the others found another mare that Dusk turned. I don’t know how, but she hasn’t fed either.” She noted, frowning a bit as she imagined the struggle the earth mare must have gone through.

“Is that so?” Luna skewed a brow. “How curious… What is her name?”

“Scholarly Scribble, I think.” Shining Armor explained. “I heard Glitter and the others talking about her. Apparently, she helped save the Crusaders and kept them safe until we got to them.”

Cadence’s expression fell. “That poor girl…”

“Indeed,” Luna noted somberly. “We must ensure that her bravery and compassion do not go unrewarded. Once we find that cure, we can have her and Celestia returned to normal, and then we can have a discussion about what is to be done about this Dusk character.” She had a bit of intensity return to her eyes as she thought about all of the horrors that the brown alicorn had brought with him.

The thought of the future made near everyone in the room uneasy, but they were at least in agreement about one thing. Dusk had a lot to answer for.

Meanwhile, Glitterball finished escorting Celestia somewhere she would be safe. She tried to keep anyone from seeing the alicorn in such a dreadful state, but the few shocked looks she saw from guards and staff alike only made her feel worse.

After she left her guard companions posted outside to monitor the alicorn, she sighed as she realized that her night wasn't over just yet. She was now tasked with the most important objective on their agenda.

Finding the cure.

The unicorn opened the door to the secure study and stepped inside. The almost cozy space was familiar to her and her team after all the time they had spent there studying monsters and magic.

Sunspot walked in behind the white mare, followed closely by a certain pale earth pony. The pegasus watched as Scribble looked around the room, a glint of wonderment in her eyes that told of how much she enjoyed reading.

“So this is where you keep all your books on magic?” Scribble asked.

“Yep.” Sunspot replied plainly. “Everything we know on vampires, ghoulies, demons, and everything that goes bump in the...” She paused, holding up a hoof to catch a yawn. “... night.”

Glitterball offered her friend a sympathetic frown as she saw her struggling to stay alert. “You sure you don’t want to go to bed, Sunspot? I can manage until Glimmer wakes up.” She suggested in a concerned manner. She barely managed to convince the stallion to get some rest, but she knew the pegasus was just as stubborn, if not moreso.

“And leave you alone with her?” Sunspot asked, glancing at the peach mare before softening her expression. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Scribble sighed and lowered her head. She hated that she had to be watched like some kind of wild animal, but it was a necessary evil.

“I think I can handle Scribble. Besides, we should still have some time before she starts getting thirsty again.” Glitter said.

“Just go get the books so I can pass out on one later.” Sunspot narrowed her eyes.

“Alright, alright… don’t say I didn’t offer.” Glitter sighed and shook her head at her friend before turning and heading toward the door at the back of the room that led into the actual storage for the books.

Scribble took a seat on a cushion near the central desk and watched as the white mare disappeared into the other room. She caught a glimpse of a shelf full of glass containers, each with different-looking tomes and scrolls locked away inside.

Sunspot grumbled to herself as she settled in as well, propping her head up with a hoof and tapping the other on the desk in front of her. “You like to read?” She asked, glancing over to the pale pony.

Scribble nodded, fiddling her hooves together uncomfortably.

“Good… ‘cause you’re helping us out.” Sunspot stated, lazily trailing her eyes over as the door to the next room opened again and Glitterball came out with a small stack of books floating nearby.

Scribble blinked as the unicorn deposited the stack of books onto the desk in front of them. Just one of the leather-bound tomes was the size of a small dictionary. “Oh boy…”

Glitterball stretched before sitting down with a huff. She passed two of the books to her companions before taking one herself and opening it up. “Let’s get started. The faster we find that cure, the better.”

And with that, the three mares began reading through their chosen books, and kept reading…

And reading…

And reading some more.

Time was a painful crawl in the silence of the study. The only thing keeping them from dwelling on their exhaustion and the ever-present anxiety that Dusk would break free of his prison and fly right up to Canterlot castle and flay them where they sat, was the walls upon walls of text in their books. Occasionally, they would find an artistic rendition of some horrifying creature or locale, but they did their best to ignore them, only stealing glances out of the corner of their eyes before shuddering and returning to their work.

Eventually, Glitterball found herself struggling to keep from nodding off. She had to prop her head up, and even then she nearly fell face-first into the desk a few times. She looked up to see Scribble continuing to be the most productive one between them, and Sunspot barely processing reality, before her eyelids obscured her vision.

As her foreleg fell out from beneath her, Glitter shot awake with a less than becoming half stammer-half snort. She darted her eyes around, only to sigh as she realized she nodded off briefly.

Turning her attention back to her book and flipping the page, the unicorn kept reading, expecting to slog through more off-topic information, until she leaned in closer as something stood out to her.

“Hold on… I think I found something.” She announced eagerly.

Sunspot looked up, forcing herself awake as she watched her friend reading more intently. “You did?”

“Yes…” Glitter muttered, more of an exclamation than a reply, as her eyes brightened. “Yes! This talks about the cure for vampirism!” She stated eagerly, picking the book up closer and continuing to read.

“That’s great, Glitter.” Sunspot smiled, getting up from her seat. “What’s it say we need?”

“Uh…” Glitter mumbled absentmindedly. “Silver shavings… the blood of the afflicted… bitter melon leaf… cow’s foot.”

“Cow’s foot?” Scribble stammered.

“It’s a plant.” Glitter said, looking up briefly. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and then her expression fell as she continued reading. “Oh no…”

Sunspot wrinkled her expression as she saw a familiar uneasy look spreading across her friend’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Glitterball looked over the text in the book before glancing up to Scribble, her ears flattening against her head. “This isn’t good…”

Eventually, Twilight found herself wandering back toward her room. Her head was no longer held low, but her eyes were distant as her thoughts.

Shining Armor had stayed behind with Cadence, despite offering to walk with her. No, she needed to be alone for a while.

Alone, save for her number one assistant.

Spike was walking alongside her, lagging behind ever so slightly. He had barely spoken since they returned, and any and all communication ceased after they went to see Luna.

Twilight glanced back to him, and although he played it off like he had been looking there the whole time, she could see him avert his gaze from her. Her own emotions were a wreck right now, but even in her current state, she was starting to get worried.

“You doing ok?” She asked softly.

The dragon glanced at her before folding his arms and returning his attention ahead. “I’m fine.” He muttered, flat as a board.

Twilight curled a lip downward. Still, she couldn’t rightly blame him. She would probably sound similar if she had to say she was fine.

"You know… I'm still here for you if you want to talk." She said. He remained silent for a few moments, goading her to continue. "I know you must be just as sad as I am, but it's ok to be sad."

Spike lowered his head slightly, an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside him. Although he didn't intend for her to hear, the unicorn could barely catch him say, "I should have done something."

Twilight slowed her pace, allowing the dragon to catch up as he stared at the floor and kept walking at the same speed. She put a hoof on his head, letting it linger as he looked up in surprise, only to see her wearing a sad smile.

"There’s nothing any of us could have done, Spike." She said, though her eyes seemed to disagree with her words. "Sometimes… bad things happen. We just need to hold onto what we can and wait for things to turn around."

Spike stared into her vibrant orbs briefly before forcing his eyes down again as they started to shimmer. Much to her surprise, he gently pulled away from her and kept walking.

The purple mare watched her young assistant, her mouth agape slightly and her eyes furrowed with worry. She would have started to say something, but around that time they rounded a corner and spotted a familiar yellow pegasus sitting up ahead.

In her mindless wandering through the route ingrained into her head leading to her room, Twilight didn't realize that she was heading to the temporary rooms where her friends were staying. However, it was odd to see Fluttershy sitting outside the door to her own room.

The pegasus was staring at the floor, a forlorn look about her that Twilight knew all too well. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and the pair could even hear a few sniffles.

Hearing the dragon and unicorn approaching, Fluttershy looked up briefly before wiping a foreleg around her face and sniffling once more.

"Oh… hello Twilight," The pegasus murmured, making an attempt at brightening her expression. She turned to greet the dragon approaching her, only to pause as he started walking past. "And… Spike?"

Spike turned and flashed a slight smile to the yellow mare. "Hey, Fluttershy…" He said before glancing back to Twilight, still walking ahead. "Sorry… I'm gonna head on to bed. I'm really tired."

Twilight and Fluttershy watched as the dragon picked up his pace a bit and walked to the end of the hallway, where he turned off and vanished from sight.

"Is he ok?" Fluttershy asked with worry crossing her features.

Twilight knitted her brows together as she briefly stared at the empty hall where the dragon just was before turning to Fluttershy. "He's… taking this really hard."

"Oh," Fluttershy softened her expression and nodded. She understood perfectly.

"I thought you were with Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy glanced to the door behind her. "She’s asleep… finally," Her expression fell slightly. "I don’t think she slept at all on the trip back… or on the trip up."

Twilight frowned as she thought about how the cyan mare and her friends must have been handling things. Her frown only deepened as she realized that Rainbow also had to deal with her on top of everything else when she was having her episode.

"How is she?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"Not good." Fluttershy trailed her eyes down. "After… a-after what happened to Blue… I think she was coping by telling herself that she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to anyone else. She didn't want me to see her crying… but after she thought I was asleep, I could hear her."

The more she thought about everything that had happened, from her normally steadfast friend's broken heart, to losing both Blue Bolt and Tom, the more Fluttershy’s eyes started watering.

Twilight’s mouth dropped and her ears drooped as the yellow mare hiccuped and bit her lip, trying to fend off the wave of emotion she had been letting out before she was interrupted. The unicorn reached forward and wrapped her forelegs around the pegasus, who finally let loose sobbing and accepted the embrace.

A few moments passed as Fluttershy wept softly into Twilight’s shoulder. Soon enough, her shaky gasps and hiccups faded, and she sniffed a few times before pulling back.

"I'm sorry…" Fluttershy said, her voice trembling still, as she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Twilight assured softly, wiping a stray tear herself. "I don’t know how yet… but it will get better."

Fluttershy managed a smile, and although it didn’t last long, she nodded to show her agreement.

Just then, a set of hoofsteps came from behind them. The pair turned, only to see a guard walking around the corner, whereupon he paused as he noticed the unicorn.

"Ms. Sparkle," The stallion spoke, trotting up to the two mares with purpose.

"Yes?" Twilight twitched an eyebrow curiously.

"Sir Shining Armor asked me to inform you that Princess Celestia is awake." The guard explained.

"She is?" Twilight shared a joyous look with Fluttershy before that look shifted to one of unease the more she thought about it. Still, even if the alicorn was still feral, she wanted to see her. "Where is she?"

"She’s in her chambers. Ms. Glitterball left her in there." The guard said.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy, who silently communicated her own desire to come along with a slightly curved smile before the both of them turned and started trotting off.

"Thank you!" Twilight called behind her at the guard.

Much to her surprise, the guard called back.

"Wait… Ms. Sparkle!"

The two mares slowed to a stop as the stallion rushed back up to them. He panted for a moment, surprised at just how fast they could move when properly motivated, before looking to Twilight.

"I… realize now that this may be a tad upsetting for you," He started, adopting a sympathetic frown. "But… I have a package for you."

Twilight watched, more than a bit of confusion on her face as the stallion produced a small box wrapped in blue cord and handed it to her. It didn’t have any tags or identification of any kind.

"Wh… why would this be upsetting? Who is it from?" Twilight asked.

The guard started to say something, only to pause and exhale softly."He told me to give it to you… in the event that he didn't get back to me."

As she drew her eyes along the box in her hoof, the blue cord catching in the light, a moment of realization struck her. And, even though she didn’t allow it to reach her face, Twilight’s eyes wavered briefly as she felt how oddly heavy it now was.

“R-right…” Twilight’s lip trembled before she forced it to stop. She inhaled sharply and floated the box beside her. “Thank you…” She said sincerely, before turning and walking away again as the guard gave her a stoic nod.

Fluttershy watched the unicorn leaving with a bit of surprise, before trotting to catch up with her. She was keeping the box in her magical grip, but otherwise, she seemed to be ignoring it.

“Twilight… aren’t you going to open it?”

Twilight paused for a moment to look at her friend, and then at the box, her eyes falling as she did. “I’ll open it later… I just… can’t right now.”

Fluttershy softened her expression as she saw a familiar hurt in the unicorn’s eyes. She looked like her body was here, but her mind was still back on that hilltop, reaching out for a friend she had failed to save, that they all had failed to save.

“I understand.” The pegasus said.

Twilight let her eyes linger on the box for a moment before setting her mouth in a line and tearing her gaze away. She then shifted her thoughts to her mentor, and to all the trouble they yet had ahead of them.

“Come on… let’s go.” She suggested, picking up her pace once more and rushing toward Celestia’s bed chambers. Fluttershy followed close behind, hoping against all hope that there wouldn’t be any more bad news on this endless Nightmare Night.

Chapter 27: Festering Wounds

After her meeting with Princess Celestia, Twilight eventually walked back toward the guest rooms with Fluttershy.

The rays of sunlight streaming into the halls of the castle served to brighten the atmosphere in the most literal sense possible. The night was over, and for better or worse, they could start to process and move past everything that had happened so they could prepare for what was going to happen next.

However, for right now, preparation for the two mares meant one thing.

Twilight yawned tiredly as she struggled to keep her eyes open. The nap she had taken on the trip back was starting to wear off. She needed a proper sleep cycle, and she wasn't the only one. “You going back to bed?” She asked, looking at Fluttershy curiously.

“Yeah…” The pegasus mumbled, already looking forward to the cool embrace of her pillow.

The pair rounded the corner and made their way over to the guest rooms. Fluttershy paused in front of her door and turned to see her unicorn friend off. “Thanks for… umm… making me feel better earlier, Twilight. I really needed that.” She admitted.

Twilight smiled softly. “Any time…” She paused and looked up to the room the yellow mare was sleeping in alongside their cyan friend, her expression falling slightly as she thought back to when Rainbow Dash carried her down to the carriages. “Hey… in case I don’t see you guys when you get up, could you tell Rainbow Dash I’m sorry?”

Fluttershy softened her eyes. “Sorry? What for?”

Twilight sighed and rubbed a hoof down her foreleg. “You know… for back at the castle. I was in a pretty bad place… but that didn’t give me the excuse to act like I did. We were all sad about Tom, not just me.”

“Twilight.” Fluttershy frowned, a bit surprised at how much the unicorn was beating herself up. “I’m sure Rainbow doesn’t blame you in the least for how you acted. You were always the closest with Tom… of course you would be upset.”

“Well,” Twilight wrinkled her lip uncomfortably. “I still feel bad. Just… let her know that I’m sorry, and if she needs anything, I’m here for her. Same goes for you.” She rested a hoof on the yellow mare’s shoulder lovingly.

Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Thank you… I’ll be sure to tell her when we wake up.”

As the pegasus receded into her room with a brief wave, Twilight turned and started to head down the hallway, when the sound of another door opening made her pause.

She turned to see a drowsy-looking orange mare plodding out into the hall, being careful to close the door quietly so as to not wake the others in the room behind her.

Looking up and noticing that she wasn't alone, Applejack perked up ever so slightly. “Oh… howdy, Twilight.” She droned, though it was hard to tell if the lack of energy in her voice was due to lingering sadness or exhaustion, or perhaps some combination of the two.

“Hey, Applejack.” Twilight greeted before letting her expression fall a bit. “How are you guys holding up in there?” She asked, nodding to the door behind the farmer.

Applejack glanced back to her room where Rarity and the Crusaders were hopefully still asleep. “Well… me and Rarity have been tryin’ to keep it together for the girls, but I can tell she's hurtin' a lot." She frowned sympathetically.

"And what about you?" Twilight asked.

Despite the bags under her eyes, the earth pony somehow deflated even further. She took a moment to force a stiffer expression to her face. "I'm… hangin’ in there." She assured, but it wasn't hard to see that she was just trying to dodge the subject for the unicorn’s sake.

"You know… it would be ok if you weren’t,” Twilight said.

Applejack hid her eyes under her hat, avoiding direct contact with the unicorn. And, although she tried to hide it by wrinkling her mouth, Twilight could tell that her lip was starting to tremble a bit.

“Apple Bloom said somethin’ earlier… and I can’t stop thinkin’ about it.” The orange mare glanced back to the room, her voice getting a bit distant. “She said… that all of this feels like… like a bad dream.”

Twilight softened her eyes as she watched the farm pony’s shoulders tense and relax. A few tears dropped to the floor as Applejack looked up, finally revealing an expression struggling to keep together.

“I couldn’t do it… y’know?” Applejack sniffled. “I couldn’t tell her that it wasn't. How did it end up like this?”

It was a disquieting sight to see the orange mare letting her emotions out so openly, even if it was to a lesser degree than Twilight had earlier. She usually was the one to put on a brave face for everyone else, to act like nothing bothered her so her friends could have a steady rock to rely on other than Rainbow Dash. Perhaps it was from having to put on this facade for so long, or perhaps it was Twilight’s disarming and earnest nature, but for whatever reason, Applejack decided now was the time to drop the act.

“I wish I knew,” Twilight said softly. “But… we have to look at the bright side.”

“What bright side?” Applejack asked. “We lost, Twilight… all of us. The princess got turned into a monster, we all got our tails handed to us, and Tom-”

Suddenly, the orange mare paused as she saw a familiar look of hurt in the unicorn’s eyes. Applejack wanted to just curl up in bed and not get back up as she realized that she just ripped off a very delicately placed bandaid.

“Twilight, I’m sorry-”

“There is a bright side,” Twilight said abruptly. Her words were still soft, and her eyes were still sympathetic, but they were shimmering slightly, a sense of desperation to them and a single tear formed in one corner. “It could have been so much worse. Three, four of us… maybe more. Any of us could have died… not just Tom. So please… don’t lose hope. He did what he did so we could get away… so we would still have each other.”

Applejack looked at the unicorn, her mouth agape slightly and her eyes soft with regret. “You’re right… I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to make light of what he did for us.”

“Don’t be sorry. You didn’t make light of it…” Twilight assured. “You’re just hurting… and that’s ok. We’re all hurting right now, but I know that as long as we have each other that everything will be ok in the end.” She managed a slight smile. “You might not be able to tell Apple Bloom that this isn’t some bad dream… but you can tell her that bad dreams are usually followed by good ones.”

Somehow, Applejack managed to brighten her spirit, pushing through the exhaustion she still felt. “Thanks, Twi… I think I will.” She said, smiling back at the unicorn until a yawn made her give pause. “Why don’t you get some sleep? I know from experience when someone looks like they’re about to fall over.”

“Yeah… I was on my way to go do just that.” Twilight said, looking down the hall toward her own room longingly. She turned and saw the orange mare walking down the hall, off to go satisfy whatever need had urged her from her slumber. Applejack turned and waved at the unicorn, which she reciprocated before they both headed their separate ways.

Now that she was alone again, Twilight’s thoughts drifted, as they often did. There was so much she had to think about, so many anxious new looming threats, so many painful memories, so much left unsaid and so many unmade choices that could have changed everything.

“Tom…” She muttered to herself, her eyes softening as she thought to her lost friend. “Why did all this have to happen?”

Then, her thoughts shifted to the box she had received. A gift from a boy that had expected his own death so much that he prepared for it. What was inside? Some final message to her? A last goodbye that he couldn’t bring himself to make in person? The thought alone buzzed around in her head and made her heart ache until she forcibly shook herself to be rid of it.

She wasn't ready. Not yet.

Soon after, her mindless walking led her back up to her childhood room. She curved her mouth ever so slightly, unable to bring a smile to her face so soon after such troubling thoughts. Still, she was relieved to finally get a good night’s sleep, even if it was in the morning.

As she opened the door and stepped inside, however, a slight sniffling sound made her give pause.

“Spike…?” She called, immediately spotting the purple shape of her young assistant curled up in the back corner, his head buried in his knees and his face damp.

Upon realizing that he wasn't alone anymore, Spike looked up in surprise before hiding his face and wiping it with an arm. “Oh, hey Twilight.” He said, his voice hollow-sounding and half-hearted.

Twilight wore a concerned expression as she stepped into the room. “I thought you were asleep?” She asked, though if she were being honest, she didn’t believe him for an instant earlier.

“Well…” Spike started, dodging his eyes away briefly. “See, I was going to bed… but then, I uh… couldn’t. So, I was doing some sit-ups to tire myself out.” He chuckled awkwardly as he stood up from the floor and faked a stretch.

“Really…?” Twilight twitched an eyebrow imperceptibly, her mouth wrinkling with worry.

“Yeah.” Spike nodded a bit more than was necessary. “You heading to bed?”

“I was, yeah. You want to come sleep in my bed with me? We could cuddle up like we used to when you were a baby.” Twilight offered with a hopeful smile.

Spike lowered his eyes to the floor. Much to her dismay, he started walking past her, toward the door. “Sorry. I would, but I just remembered… I need to go do something for Pinkie. It sounded really important, so I better do it now before I forget again.” He gave another awkward chuckle, this one sounding even more forced than the last one. He made it to the door and grabbed the handle before he was suddenly lifted up and spun around by a magical aura.

“Hey, what gives?” He asked, a bit annoyed, before falling silent as he saw the unicorn looking at him with a worried frown.

“Spike… what’s wrong?” Twilight asked plainly.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Spike said, skewing his face in confusion. “Why would you think something’s wrong?”

“Because you’ve been really quiet since we got back. You’ve barely looked at me this whole time, and now you’re avoiding me.” Twilight said.

Spike softened his eyes. “I’m not avoiding you.” He said earnestly.

“Then what is it, Spike? I know you… I can tell when something is bothering you. You know you can tell me anything… don’t you?” Twilight frowned, a bit hurt.

“Of course I know that,” Spike said.

“Then please, tell me what’s wrong,” Twilight replied softly, pleading with her eyes.

Spike looked at her for a moment, his heart breaking on the inside as he saw genuine loving concern in her big soft eyes. He furrowed his expression, seemingly conflicted about something, before clenching his eyes and shaking his head. “I can’t.”

Twilight’s expression dropped, and he dropped as well as she slowly set him down. “Why can’t you?”

Suddenly, Spike turned around and rushed for the door. Twilight had to hold it closed with her magic, but he kept struggling against it anyway.

“Spike, please, just tell me what’s wrong!” She pleaded.

“No! I can’t!” Spike said, still hanging off the doorknob and trying to get it to turn.

“If this has something to do with Tom, it’s ok!” Twilight said. “You can tell me. I can’t help you if I don’t know what you’re going through.”

Spike’s eyes started watering, and a tickle worked its way up his throat. “No… You’ll hate me if I tell you!”

Suddenly, Spike fell off the doorknob as the resistance on it faded abruptly, allowing him to turn it with all his strength. He looked up to see Twilight looking at him with her mouth agape in shock and her eyes softened.

“Hate you…?” Twilight shook her head. “Spike, I could never hate you. Please, just tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you… because that’s what friends do.”

Much to her surprise, Spike’s silent trembling and watery eyes intensified. She could actually hear his strained breaths as he tried to keep his emotions down, but it was clear that whatever he was hiding, it was now coming to the surface.

“It’s my fault!” He sobbed finally.

Twilight reeled back a bit, having not expected such a visceral reaction. “What…?”

“Tom dying is my fault!” Spike hiccuped. He took a few shallow breaths, his eyes pouring tears as he continued. “I knew about him losing his powers… since… s-since the day he got back! I saw the bandage on his arm. I… I wanted to tell you… to tell someone… b-but he-” He paused to sniffle and breathe some more. “He told me not to tell anyone. And now… he’s dead, and it’s my fault!”

Twilight was silent for a few moments after that. She was processing what he was telling her. Processing how she felt, how he must have felt all this time. Right after the human died, and she was lost to her own emotions, some small, grief-stricken part of her brain might have agreed with the dragon. Now, however, she only felt a tug at her heart for the suffering he must have put himself under.

Meanwhile, Spike continued crying and sobbing where he sat. He hung his head low, staring at the floor and letting the torrent of tears fall freely as he kept breathing in and out shakily. “You said… t-that’s what friends do… they help each other. I didn’t help him… I’m supposed to be his friend… a-and… I didn’t help him.”

The dragon suddenly felt a pair of hooves reaching down and wrapping around him. Then, he felt himself being pressed into a fuzzy chest and hugged.

“Oh, Spike…” Twilight muttered sadly as she let him cry into her fur. She rested her chin on his head, comforting him and preventing him from seeing the stray tears in her eyes. It killed her to see him hurting like this. “You are his friend… nothing you did or didn’t do could change that.”

The broken sobs and sniffles lessened, but Spike kept his face pressed into her chest floof. “You hate me now… don’t you?” He mumbled, his still quaking voice muffled.

“What?” Twilight lifted him up and looked at him with disbelief in her eyes. He looked like he didn’t want to look at her, but he was so defeated and exhausted that he just stared at her with watery eyes.

“It’s like Princess Luna said… If she had told Princess Celestia earlier… then… t-then Tom might still be alive.” Spike reasoned. “I’m sorry, Twilight… I’m so sorry.”

Twilight had to force the tears from welling up as she saw him about to go off into another bout of crying. She managed a smile, because that was what he needed right now. He needed to see her smile at him.

“Spike… you have nothing to apologize for.” She assured softly. “And I don’t hate you… Like I said before, nothing you could do could ever make me hate you. I love you… and I know Tom did too.”

“But… but-”

“Ssshh…” She pulled him close again and rocked him back and forth slowly. “I know it hurts… and I know you think you could have done something, but there’s no use in dwelling on what might have been.”

A few more muffled sobs came, but eventually, the dragon quieted down, though his breathing could still be heard.

“Think of it this way…” Twilight said as she pulled him away again. “Tom wouldn’t want you to be sad like this. He’d want you to just… remember all the good times when you think about him, not all the bad.”

“I know…” Spike muttered, trailing his eyes down. “I just… I miss him.”

“Me too, Spike.” Twilight curled her mouth a bit before flattening her expression again. She turned and looked over to her bed, the warm sheets looking as inviting as ever. “You want to go to bed?”

Spike merely nodded, clinging to her in a pseudo hug as she carried him over and set him down on her pillow. She then climbed in after him and cozied up under the blanket. She kissed him on the forehead and tucked him in as he reluctantly settled down.
.
..
…
Soon enough, Spike had drifted off to sleep. His once grief-filled face now peaceful, if a little somber.

Somehow, however, Twilight couldn’t join him. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling to her room as her young assistant slumbered away. Her thoughts were too rampant to let her drift off.

Glancing up to her door, she wrinkled her mouth in contemplation for a moment before turning to Spike. She bit her lip, briefly considering forcing herself to try and sleep, before silently sighing and sitting up slightly. She then lit up her horn and teleported over to the door so as to not disturb the dragon.

She looked back, only to find Spike snuggling the blanket closer to himself in his sleep. His eyes were still puffy from crying, but a slight smile finally graced his features.

Twilight flashed a smile of her own as she gently set a hoof on the doorknob and cracked open the door. “I’ll be right back, Spike.” She whispered to herself as she exited the room.

Traveling across the castle again, she eventually found her new destination. Another set of doors stood before her, with a shield and a heart insignia on them. She lifted a hoof to the doors, hesitated for a moment, contemplated turning back, and then swallowed her unease as she knocked thrice.

After a short wait, some muffled hooves approached and one of the doors opened a crack, revealing a familiar white stallion with blue hair peering out.

“Twilight?” Shining Armor blinked drowsily.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you.” Twilight frowned.

Shining made an effort to brighten his expression, though it only partially worked. “No, no, no, you’re fine. Cadence and I only just bedded down anyway.” He said, glancing inside before shifting his attention back to his sister, eager to help. “What did you need?”

Twilight crossed a foreleg and averted her gaze briefly before looking to her brother with soft eyes. “I was just wondering… could I see that box now? I think I’m ready to open it.”

The stallion smiled a bit and glanced back into the room. “Wait here a sec.” He said before disappearing inside.

A few moments later, Shining returned with a familiar box tied in blue cord, which he promptly stuck out to her.

Twilight reached a hoof toward the box, taking it and staring at it for the longest time. She almost seemed hesitant to open it.

“You want a minute?” Shining offered sympathetically, starting to recede back into the room until the purple mare stopped him.

“No, no… it’s fine. I just…” Twilight’s expression fell as she looked at the box. “It feels like this is me saying goodbye to him. After I open this… there’s nothing. He’s gone.”

Shining frowned a bit, unsure of what to say to that. “He… won’t be gone. Not as long as you remember him.”

Hearing this, Twilight’s expression didn’t change, but she looked to the box with a bit more commitment. Finally, she sighed and took it up in her magic so she could open it.

As the cord was unwrapped and she slid the lid off, she found a scroll rolled up inside. The bit of parchment couldn’t have been bigger than the scrolls she normally wrote to the princess, but somehow it felt heavier in her aura than anything had before.

With her stomach unsettling and her heart feeling hollow, Twilight unrolled the scroll and began silently reading.

Dear Twilight Sparkle. If you are reading this, well… I guess you already know what happened. It feels weird writing to you like this when I’m about to go find wherever that freak took you. Assuming my plan didn’t spectacularly fail, I hope you and the others made it home in one piece.

As for what happened to me… I know you’re probably blaming yourself right about now. Please don’t. I’ve known for some time how weak I was getting. I’ve had my suspicions about what caused it… the nightmares, the self-doubt, the anxiety. I just never wanted to admit it to you… or myself. The closer we all got, the more time we spent together and the more missions I went on, the more afraid I got that something was going to happen to you or one of the others and that I wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.

I always wanted to tell you, don’t get me wrong. I know you would have helped me, or at least tried to. But, I guess I’ve just always wanted to handle things myself. That’s probably what got me into this mess to begin with.

Now, assuming this alicorn guy didn’t miraculously die somehow, I’m afraid that it's up to you guys to take care of him. I’ll tell you now everything I know about what he could be… which, truth be told, isn’t much. It all depends on the ritual he used to turn himself into a vampire. Read up on vampire lore and maybe match what you know about his abilities to see if you can find anything useful. I’m sorry that I had to go and leave you with such a mess to deal with.

Lastly, and I’m sorry that this is all I could write you, (sort of on a time crunch here. Need to go rescue present you so future you can even have a chance to get this note.) but I just wanted to say that these past few months have been some of the best of my life, pre or post slayer. The way you guys welcomed me into your circle of friends meant more to me than I can express in words. Rainbow Dash sharing stories with me of her ‘awesome’ stunts. Rarity teaching me how to sew. Helping out around the farm with Applejack and her family. Having tea with Fluttershy before heading into the Everfree for a mission. Sharing my best jokes with Pinkie. And how could I forget all those nights spent with you and Spike, reading and talking and telling you about the human world until you could barely stay awake.

I hope each of you know how special you are to me. I hate to get, for lack of a better word, all sappy on you, but I love you guys… especially you, for making me feel alive again. For the longest time being a slayer, I felt like I had nothing left in the world for me, but you changed that.

I know you’ll be ok. You were ok before you met me, so you’ll be ok again. Farewell, Twilight, and thank you for everything.

Your friend, Thomas Greene.

The paper trembled slightly in the air as Twilight held it aloft. Droplets began falling down, staining the parchment in a few places.

Twilight took in a shaky breath and held the letter close to her chest, clenching her eyes and letting out a quiet sob as she mourned her human friend. Shining Armor could only watch and offer her a reassuring hoof on the shoulder as she vented her emotions. He even felt a little misty-eyed as she stepped forward and hugged him.

A few moments passed as Twilight cried her eyes out. Soon, however, she managed to quiet down and wipe her eyes as she stepped back from her brother.

“I’m sorry, Twilight…” Shining Armor said, wearing a regretful frown. She could tell that he felt just as helpless as she did as he thought back to all of the things he could have done differently, but he didn’t want to make her feel worse by venting.

“It’s ok… I’m ok.” Twilight got one last sniffle out before taking a steady breath and straightening her posture. She looked at the letter still floating in her aura with soft eyes before looking back to her brother. “Thank you for holding onto it for me.”

“Of course,” Shining said, resting a hoof on her shoulder. “Anything for my LSBFF.”

Twilight felt the corners of her mouth tugging up into a smile. However, her cheery expression was quickly replaced by a yawn before drooping slightly.

Shining merely smirked as he saw the dull lack of focus in the mare’s eyes. “You going back to bed?” He half asked, half suggested.

“Yeah… I think I will.” Twilight said, a contented look about her for the first time since she came knocking on his door. Shining was glad to see some of the weight gone from her mind.

“Well… if you need anything else, our door is always open.” The stallion said, looking back to his room before feeling a yawn coming on. “Although, I think Cadence and I would appreciate it if you could maybe wait a couple hours?”

Twilight snorted a bit and smirked. “Good… morning, Shiny.” She said after looking around and noting the daylight streaming into the castle.

“Good morning, Twily,” Shining replied as the purple mare started back down the hall. He watched her leaving for a moment before receding back into his room and closing the door.

Elsewhere, a different stallion was still enjoying a shallow slumber.

Tucked away in his room, Glimmer Shine was passed out in his bed, still clad in bandages around his shoulder from his injury. The medication he received didn’t completely rid him of pain, but it did help him sleep. Not that he needed much help. Years of grueling training as a guard and his recent job shift to monster hunter allowed him the innate ability to slip into a restful coma on command. Almost nothing could wake him up once he drifted off.

“Glimmer!”

Almost nothing.

“Wh..aah! I’m up!” The yellow stallion shot awake with a snort and a stammer as a familiar voice rang out in his head. He darted his eyes around his room, still not entirely piecing together reality and half convinced that he was just having a dream. “Who the… wha?”

“Glimmer, are you awake?!” Sunspot’s voice prodded feverishly, a sense of alarm and worry to her that was unusual and more than a little concerning.

Glimmer shook the remaining haze from his head and cringed as he put a hoof up to his ear, causing a bit of a sting from his shoulder. “I’m here, Sunspot. What’s wrong?”

“It’s Glitter… she’s… she’s hurt pretty bad. Scribble just snapped all of a sudden and attacked her.” Sunspot explained.

“What?!” Glimmer Shine nearly bumped his head into the wall behind him as he reeled back in shock. “Wh… is- is she ok?!” He stammered.

There was an audible groan over the communication spell laced with exasperation. “Just get to the med wing!”

“I’ll be right there, just sit tight!” Glimmer said, already off his bed and halfway to the door. He exited his room and headed off as fast as he could toward the medical wing.

Soon enough, or perhaps not soon enough, he came panting to a stop at his destination. The majority of the beds were empty by now, with only a few gravely injured guards still receiving care. However, tucked away in one corner of the room was a bed surrounded by multiple nurses and a familiar orange pegasus and blue alicorn.

Sunspot looked up as she saw Glimmer approaching, a sense of relief gracing her features. “Oh, thank Celestia you’re here.”

Glimmer spared a glance to the pegasus before his eyes widened as he saw his unicorn friend lying in the bed.

Glitterball was semi-conscious, her eyes unfocused and even a little delirious looking as she limply fidgeted and twitched. She seemed to be drifting in and out, and she didn’t seem like she was even aware of what was going on around her.

There was a nasty-looking wound on her stomach that was already stitched closed. One of the nurses was in the process of bandaging her, while another was messing with a blood bag connected to her foreleg via I.V.

“Oh my gosh… what happened?” Glimmer asked, looking to either the princess or Sunspot desperately for an answer. He furrowed his expression a bit as he noticed a gauze pad on the pegasus’ neck.

Sunspot frowned as she looked to her wounded friend. “I… I just left her for a few minutes to go do something for Princess Luna. Scribble hadn’t acted weird at all, and we were almost done with the cure, so I thought she would be okay by herself.” She said, her eyes shimmering a bit as she saw the slack expression on the unicorn’s face. “Then, Scribble must have just… snapped or something. Glitter called me, and by the time I got back, they were already fighting. Scribble had a knife, and she just… stabbed her.”

Glimmer Shine let his mouth gape a bit as an array of emotions flooded through his mind. He couldn’t believe that he was just sleeping while one of his friends nearly died. “And what about Scribble? What happened to her?”

“Well, she… she kind of… bit me,” Sunspot admitted, bringing a hoof up to the pad on her neck.

“W-what?!” Glimmer reeled back, now thoroughly alarmed and concerned. “Did she hurt you? Did she… drink any of your blood?”

“I don’t know.” Sunspot trailed her eyes down. “Glitter knocked her out with some of Tom’s blood before she could really do any damage. I was bleeding a bit… but I don’t know if she got any in her mouth. I gave her the cure just in case, but… it was hard to tell if it was working. I had to leave a guard to watch her while I got Glitter some help.”

Glimmer Shine rubbed a hoof down his face tensely as he fell to a seated position. “This just keeps getting worse and worse…” He sighed before looking between the two with a more serious expression. “So… dare I ask, where are we in regards to Dusk? Do we even have a plan at this point?”

“Well… uh…” Sunspot trailed her eyes down, at a total loss for what to say.

“Actually, that is part of why I called for you in the first place, Sunspot,” Luna said. “Now that both of you are here… I suppose we should address the elephant in the room.”

“Shouldn’t Shining Armor be here for this?” Glimmer asked. Truth be told, he was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. They hadn’t been faced with a threat this big before that they actually had time to discuss a strategy for.

“Shining Armor is resting… and I think we can all agree that he should get some while he can. I had intended on filling both you and him in once you woke up, but since you are here anyway, let us get down to business.” Luna adopted a more somber expression as she glanced between the two ponies.

“Ok…” Glimmer sighed, letting his shoulders sink a bit. “Assuming Dusk broke free of those candles Tom set up by the time the sun sets-”

“Which is a fair assumption.” Sunspot chimed in.

“Right. Assuming he did, though, about how long do you think we would have before he got here?” Glimmer looked to the princess with an uneasy glint in his eyes.

Luna crinkled her mouth as she mulled over the stallion’s question. “It is hard to say. Theoretically, with his speed and stamina as an alicorn, let alone a vampiric alicorn, he could probably cross the countryside within a few hours. It rather depends on if he would come directly to Canterlot as soon as night falls.”

“And why wouldn’t he?” Sunspot gestured. “He knows good and well that he can kill us.”

Luna sighed. “Be that as it may, we must remember that he was Celestia’s pupil. However twisted he was, and however short his time with her might have been, he showed enough potential for her to take him under her wing. Even without knowing that, from what I saw of him in my encounter,” She paused, taking a moment to look down at her twinging injuries underneath the many bandages on her body, “he is clever and conniving as he is sadistic, and he did not underestimate me or Celestia by any measure.”

“So, what would you do if you were a psychopathic vampire with an axe to grind and the power to grind it?” Glimmer raised an eyebrow at the alicorn.

Luna gave an uncomfortable pause before answering. “Well… were I lacking in the scruples, I would want to make Celestia hurt for hurting me. I would target what she most deeply cares for… her friends, and the denizens of her kingdom… and I would want her to watch. ”

“Yikes…” Sunspot muttered, thoroughly disturbed by such a notion. “Umm… Princess, if you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you do that when you were Nightmare Moon?”

“Sunspot.” Glimmer gave his teammate a surprised look.

“Because…” Luna answered plainly. “Even Nightmare Moon had morals… however twisted they were. Her… ahem… my, quarrel with Celestia was simply that. My quarrel. I must have seen no reason to include others in our fight.” She reasoned, becoming gravely silent as she thought for a moment. “Dusk... is not tethered down by common decency. I saw it in his eyes. One… two… or a million. He would feel nothing but enjoyment, no matter how many innocent lives he snuffed out.”

Sunspot and Glimmer Shine were surprised to see the normally unflappable alicorn looking to them with worry in her eyes, and it seemed to be pointed at them specifically.

“I am sorry that you have been roped into such a terrible battle, my little ponies. I’m afraid that this is merely the calm before the storm.” Luna said, shifting her gaze to the unconscious unicorn on the bed and softening her expression.

“Princess…” Glimmer spoke evenly, looking to his leader with the calm willingness that could only come from a soldier. However, even he couldn’t hide a hint of unease. “What do you want us to do?”

Luna simply stared at the pair for a moment.

“Pray for the best… prepare for the worst.”

Chapter 28: Strange Bedfellows

As the newly returned sun warmed the Equestrian capital below, the palace was abuzz as the ponies within prepared for the inevitable.

Teams of pegasi guards zipped through the sky, heading off far and wide to carry orders from the princess of the night. Curfews were to be implemented in every township and village in Equestria, and guard presence was to be increased as much as feasible.

Even though it only served as a hollow comfort, silver weapons were dispensed and unicorn guards were told to, quote-unquote, ‘exterminate down to the last atom’ any undead ponies, alicorn or otherwise, through the use of fire magic. Coltridge and the other towns bordering the forest leading to the forgotten castle were also to be evacuated.

All of these measures were taken in the hopes of locating Dusk, and at the very least slowing his progress toward whatever goal he would set himself upon once he was freed by the night’s embrace. Slowing him down, to hopefully give time to discover a way to permanently kill him.

Laboring away at this, such an overwhelming task, were Sunspot, Glimmer Shine, Sparkplug, and Luna herself.

The four had made their second home in the Princess’s own study. All of their books and enough coffee to make an elephant go cross-eyed were delivered to the normally peaceful room. Celestia, Twilight, and Luna had all spent their fair share of time enriching themselves with knowledge and sipping tea to relax here, but now the space was filled with anxiousness, dread, and more than a couple verging nervous breakdowns.

Sunspot felt her eyes drying out as she stared at page after page of text. The only thing staving off her usual boredom was the impending thought of death. “Ughh… I wish Glitter was here. She always finds this stuff before anyone else.”

“I’m sure she wishes she were here just as much as you.” Sparkplug noted.

Luna poked her head up from her book and stole a glance at Sparkplug. Particularly, she was looking at the thick bandages around the gray mare’s foreleg. “How is your leg feeling, Sparkplug?”

Sparkplug looked over, a bit taken aback. It seemed as though even this far into her new career, she still wasn't used to being called by name by one of her rulers. However, her slight amazement faded as a twinge of pain brought her attention down to her foreleg.

“It still hurts. The spells they used on it are numbing it a little… but they said it would probably take a long time to heal.” She said, trying not to let her voice shake with the pain.

Glimmer, Sunspot, and even Luna all frowned sympathetically. Even though nobody wanted to say it, the sight of one of their own so gravely injured only reminded them of Tom. If he were alive, they could just use his powers to heal the gray mare, and even Glitterball, as they always had before.

Ever since their team had been formed, their human friend had always been a safety net for them. No matter how grievous and potentially life-altering their wounds, as long as they weren’t killed outright, they could always get back to normal with relative ease.

Now, their own fragility and lack of strength was glaringly apparent to them. How could they become so complacent with just letting the human shoulder the brunt of their struggles?

Pushing past their troubled thoughts, the group continued their study session into the afternoon.

Eventually, Sparkplug blinked and paused as something stuck out to her. She re-read the passage a few times, squinting her eyes before widening them. “Hold on… I think I have something here.” She announced.

Immediately, the others looked up from their own books to their gray companion.

“Tell us something good, Sparkplug.” Glimmer Shine said.

Sunspot snorted at the stallion’s statement. “Yeah, preferably something along the lines of ‘how to kill vampires for dummies’.”

“I don’t know if it’s anything like that, but…” Sparkplug paused tracing her hoof along the passages of text and reading them closely. “This talks about the different kinds of… something called a ‘vampire lord’.” She said before suddenly skewing her brow in confusion. “Huh…?”

“What is it, Sparkplug?” Luna asked, getting up and walking over to the gray mare.

Sparkplug lifted up the book, allowing the alicorn to gently take it up into a magical aura. “I don’t know what these words mean. San… sangwee…” She muttered, pointing out the text for Luna.

“Sanguis plastes.” Luna read off.

“What is that?” Sunspot asked, understandably confused alongside her companions.

Luna looked around at the three ponies before shifting her eyes down to the book. “It is in old ponish… or rather, latin, as the humans apparently called it.” She said, briefly struggling with the pronunciation she half-heard from Tom once or twice when they shared knowledge. “It means, blood shaper.”

“You know a human language?” Sparkplug asked, a bit amazed.

“I know old ponish,” Luna said, offering the gray mare a slight smirk. She quickly read over the rest of the passage, her ears falling slightly as she did. “This passage seems to describe certain aspects of these so-called vampire lords. This… blood shaper, sounds like it matches up with Dusk’s capabilities.”

“Sounds about right.” Sunspot chimed in. “That creep was flinging his own blood around like it was going out of style.”

“Quite,” Luna said flatly. “Unfortunately, it seems that this passage does not go into great detail about them… certainly not as far as to describe any weaknesses.”

“Oh…” Sparkplug deflated, trailing her eyes down.

Luna chuckled softly, bringing the gray mare’s attention back to her. “Not to worry, Sparkplug. Your discovery has given us more than what we started with. And now…” She paused, lifting many of the other books, which all started to glow softly as she channeled her magic through them. “We know what to look for.”

The three monster hunters watched as all of the books’ pages started flipping wildly. The sound of paper shifting filled the air as Luna waited patiently while her magic worked.

“What are you doing?” Glimmer Shine asked, looking around at the books with a bit of surprise.

“I’m using a location spell to find the specific term of ‘blood shaper'.” Luna answered. “Normally, such a spell would be hindered by the sheer number of times any given word like ‘vampire’ would show up. However, sanguis plastes is a might bit rarer I would say.”

“That is so cool!” Sunspot laughed giddily, either out of the amazement of watching the princess at work or from the fact that she didn’t have to study anymore.

After a few moments, all of the books gradually stopped flipping their pages with no result. The group started to lose their enthusiasm from their newfound information. However, just before they gave up hope, one of the books off to the side of the table snapped open, holding its position hovering between the other books that were formerly in a pile with it.

Luna looked to the lone floating book, letting the others gently fall back to the table after they stopped flipping pages. Her brows narrowed as she recognized the cover of the book. “Oh no…”

“Oh no?” Sparkplug blinked. “Why oh no?”

Taking the book up in her hoof, Luna quickly read over the open pages before annoyance crossed her face. She tensed slightly and cursed under her breath before turning to the others and forcing herself to calm, though she still wore a bit of a wrinkled lip as she opened the book to show them.

There was a bit of text at the top of the page highlighted in a soft blue aura that read as the term Luna had searched for. The rest of the paragraph, however, was a completely unintelligible mess that didn’t look like a language, let alone old ponish.

“This is one of the tomes that was written in one of the codes that Raven Feather and her followers used. More than that, it is one of the codes that has proven… difficult, for us to decipher.” Luna explained.

Almost at once, any enthusiasm left the room. Sunspot, Glimmer Shine, and Sparkplug all felt their hearts sink. They were so close, only to have their breakthrough ripped away from them.

Sunspot planted her face into the desk in front of her with an annoyed huff. “I can’t believe that after all that’s happened… after everything we’ve been through… Raven Feather still finds a way to be a pain in our flanks!”

Meanwhile, Glimmer Shine was still trying to be somewhat on task. He looked to Princess Luna, or at least in her general direction as he drifted into thought about their possible options. “Is there any chance of us cracking that code?”

Luna sighed and shook her head. “Unfortunately, both my sister and I have attempted to solve this particular code. It is partially enchanted, so it has resisted our magical attempts, and it has proven far too complex for us to solve without some sort of key or cipher.”

“And… what about finding the information we need in another book from the mansion?” Glimmer asked tentatively.

“I’m afraid that we already have all of the pertinent books from the mansion that cover knowledge on monsters and blood magic,” Luna said, gesturing to the many other stacks of books littered on the table.

“I thought so.” Glimmer sighed and rubbed a hoof along his temple.

“Come on… there has to be some way to break this code.” Sparkplug suggested. “I mean, that girl Raven Feather knew nothing about this stuff before she found that mansion, right? She had to break the code somehow.”

“Yeah, well, she took that knowledge with her to the grave. Her and everyone else she knew.” Sunspot grumbled dismissively.

Suddenly, Luna twitched an eyebrow as her mind drifted from the pegasus’ words. She raised up and put the book down, catching everyone’s attention. “That… isn’t entirely accurate.” She said.

“Huh?” Sunspot lifted her head from the desk to look at the alicorn. “What do you mean?” She asked. Then, as the gears started to turn in her head, a slow look of revelation, and then disbelief, came over her. “Wait… you’re not thinking about what I think you’re thinking about, are you?” She cocked an eyebrow at the alicorn.

“What is she thinking about?” Sparkplug asked before sighing and deflating a bit. “I think I’m confused.”

“Woah, woah, woah…” Glimmer Shine cleared the air before turning to the alicorn. “Princess… please tell me you aren’t talking about her?”

Luna merely gave a hesitant nod. “I’m afraid I am, Glimmer Shine. The only living pony that knows how to break this code… is Raincloud.”

While Sunspot and Glimmer Shine were shocked at the alicorn’s statement, their gray companion was just as lost as ever.

“Who is Raincloud, and why does that name sound so familiar?” Sparkplug asked, tapping her head pensively. “Wait… isn’t she one of the hooded ponies?”

“Yeah.” Glimmer Shine nodded.

“The same hooded ponies that used monsters to terrorize Ponyville, tried to kill all of you guys, and nearly overthrew the princesses? Those hooded ponies?” Sparkplug blinked, her mouth twitching upwards into a nervous smile.

“Bingo,” Sunspot added.

“And you want us to get her help?” Sparkplug gave Luna a look that silently communicated ‘if you weren’t able to throw me in a dungeon for the rest of my life, I would call you crazy.’

“Now, now, I understand your hesitance,” Luna said, gesturing a hoof to calm the trio, mostly Sunspot, down. “However, Raincloud did prove instrumental in our final victory against the entity that Raven Feather called on. She has been serving out her sentence with surprising… perhaps cooperation is too strong a word, but she has shown some willingness to atone for her crimes.”

“She can also rip a pony in half with her bare hooves, need I remind you,” Sunspot added.

“I am entirely aware of her capabilities,” Luna said before softening her expression slightly. “Look… I am not asking any of you to like this. You have every reason to be opposed to the idea. However… with my sister unfit to make such decisions, it is my judgment to make.”

There was an uncomfortable pause after that. Sunspot wrinkled her mouth and drifted her eyes away. Sparkplug seemed unsure of who to side with, or even if she should side with anyone. Glimmer was staring through the alicorn, his thoughts elsewhere for a moment before he finally focused on her.

“Princess… if I may,” He started uncomfortably. “You’re right… I’m not ok with this at all. But, it is your decision to make, and I’ll back you up however you want me to.”

Sunspot sighed to herself uncomfortably and nodded as she looked up finally. “Me too.”

Luna let a smile form as she looked at her two monster hunters and their newest addition. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Glimmer Shine nodded passively before getting up and stretching. “Alright. When do we leave?”

“Actually, I want you and Sunspot to stay here at the castle and keep an eye on things. Sparkplug will accompany me to go see Raincloud.” Luna said, pointing to the gray pony, who was just as surprised as everyone else.

“Huh? Why her?” Sunspot asked, scrunching her face in disbelief. “No offense, Sparkplug.”

“No, I agree. Why me?” Sparkplug asked, looking to the princess of the night and forcing herself to ignore the anxiousness building inside her.

Luna simply smiled at the gray mare. “I had an idea for something, and I think you are the right pony for the job. That, and I’d like a little company to help me keep myself in check through Raincloud’s… unpleasantness.” She felt her eyes narrow at the mere thought of meeting with the pale pegasus again. Shaking these thoughts from her head, she stood up, grabbed the book, and turned to the door before pausing and looking back to Sparkplug.

“Come along, Sparkplug. Let us go see this old… er… what was the term?” She muttered to herself briefly before her eyes brightened with clarity. “Ah, yes… frenemy.”

Sparkplug and the others watched as the alicorn headed out the door. She turned to her two teammates, who could only offer her unsure shrugs in response, before sighing and getting up to follow the princess.

“I just wanted to hunt ghosts…” The gray mare mumbled to herself as she headed out of the door.

-A short time later-

When Sparkplug first joined the ranks of Spirit, she expected to see new places. She expected to get out, enjoy the far-off corners of Equestria, protect the innocent, and get to marvel at the golden sights of Canterlot.

She did not expect to be visiting Canterlot’s prison with Princess Luna of all ponies with her.

The immense structure was tucked away at the edge of one of the upper levels of the city, far away from any residential or commercial buildings. It bore a few banners with the insignia of the royal sisters and Equestria as a whole on it, but otherwise, it was devoid of any lavish decoration. Its architectural style wasn't exactly plain, so as to not look atrocious next to other buildings in the city, but it was clear from the more rigid designs and facets of the building that this place was meant for function rather than form.

Heading into the main entrance and passing through the various security checkpoints was relatively easy. As it turned out, when you had one of the royal sisters accompanying you, the city was your oyster, though Sparkplug would have rather not seen the inside of this particular oyster.

Displeased shouts and hooves clinking against bars could be heard in the distance before a guard silenced whoever was being a nuisance. The noises all echoed against the stone walls and linoleum floors, making the already oppressive space feel all the more like a cage.

Luna and her companion made their way further into the prison and away from the main holding cells. They found themselves in a hallway leading to a secluded room, and as a guard showed them inside, it was easy to see why it was so secluded.

Inside of the relatively small space, whitewashed by the lights above, was a room with a few chairs gathered before a window. Sparkplug could already see another room through the window, a barren holding area with a table and a set of chairs on either side.

And sitting in the chair furthest from them was a white-haired pegasus mare no older than Sparkplug. Pale grayish blue fur poked out of a black and white striped shirt, while the mare’s lower half was exposed, allowing a view of her dreary stormcloud cutie mark. Her hind leg was attached to the table by a thick chain, and she had a collar around her neck, which she was limply tapping to occupy herself as she stared listlessly at the glass window.

Sparkplug felt a bit intimidated by the blue eyes staring at her. However, the pegasus seemed to be staring through her. It was at this point that the gray mare realized that the window must have been reflective on the pegasus’ side.

“That’s her?” She asked, her voice sounding a bit hollow, as she turned to the alicorn behind her.

Luna nodded, wearing a reassuring expression as she noticed the unease in her companion. “Worry not. You are completely safe, and you do not even need to go in with me.”

Sparkplug breathed a silent sigh of relief and relaxed a bit, not showing this outwardly and instead focusing on her own curiosity. “You said you wanted me to… make something?” She asked, thinking back to the vague description she had received in passing as they walked down to the prison.

“Indeed,” Luna said before pointing at the pegasus through the window. “Do you see that collar around her neck?”

Taking a closer look at the collar, Sparkplug noticed a single line of symbols engraved into it that went all the way around. “Yeah.”

“That is what keeps Raincloud from using her shadow magic,” Luna explained, her voice a bit somber as she stared at the pale mare and let her thoughts wander.

“Shadow magic?” Sparkplug parroted. “Is that what lets her do all of that freaky stuff that the others told me about?”

Luna nodded. “It is indeed. Without that collar, she is one of the most dangerous individuals in Equestria right now.” She said with a sense of cautious respect in her voice that made a lump form in Sparkplug’s gut. It was like she was talking about a dangerous wild animal. “However… I believe that we may require use of her abilities, either in our research or in the coming battle with Dusk. That is why I brought you here, Sparkplug.”

“Wh… what do you want me to do?” Sparkplug asked, more confused than hesitant.

“You would consider yourself mechanically inclined, would you not?” Luna asked, receiving a small nod in return. “Well, I need you to build a variation of that collar that would allow us to break and reform that line of symbols as needed.” She explained.

Sparkplug looked to the collar again as the pegasus inside yawned and scratched at her chained leg. Already, the wheels in her head started spinning as different ideas came to her. “So… you want a way to unleash her, and then leash her again if she tries anything funny?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Luna nodded, pleased that the gray mare was following along.

“Alright… alright… I think I can work something out.” Sparkplug said before gesturing with her hoof and muttering to herself in deep thought. “Those symbols just need to be in line like that?”

“Precisely. If that line is broken somehow, the symbols will lose their effect.” Luna said.

Sparkplug rubbed her chin curiously before giving a nod. “Ok. I’ve got an idea. It’ll take me some time to make.”

“Can you have it done by the end of the day?” Luna asked, her voice holding some urgency.

“I should… but I would need to start on it soon.” Sparkplug answered.

Luna trailed her eyes over to the one-way glass and the pegasus behind it, adopting a flat expression. “Worry not… this won’t take long.” She said, already walking over to the door at the back of the room.

Sparkplug watched as the alicorn approached the door and paused in front of it. She lifted a hoof and rested it on the handle, seemingly working herself up to actually opening it. Finally, she took an even breath and entered the room.

As soon as Luna entered, the pegasus chained to the table and the guard at the back of the room looked up to her. However, whereas the guard quickly returned to a passive stance staring ahead, Raincloud kept her gaze squarely directed at the alicorn.

“Well, well… if it isn’t her royal highness, Princess Moonbutt.” Raincloud lifted an eyebrow. “You came all this way to see little ol’ me? You shouldn’t have…” She deadpanned.

Luna twitched her brows downward at the pegasus. “Good evening, Raincloud. I see you haven’t changed at all since we last spoke.” She noted flatly as she made her way over to the table, opting to stand rather than take a seat.

“So… long night?” Raincloud asked, noting the alicorn’s injuries. “Y’know… I might not get out much, but even I could tell it was dark for way too long. Everything ok up in high society? What, did Celestia get lost?”

Luna blinked, not removing her thoroughly annoyed stare from the pegasus for an instant. Raincloud didn’t seem fazed in the least.

“What? Did she die or something? Is that why you came to me?” Raincloud snorted. “Sorry, but I don’t do the whole bringing back the dead thing… personal rule… also, I can’t do it, so there’s that.”

“My sister’s health is not your concern, Raincloud,” Luna said. “Although, you are correct in assuming that your services are needed.”

“And why exactly should I help you? You know, I’ve been in here for a while now, and I haven’t complained…” Raincloud said before skewing her expression a bit. “Ok, maybe I complained a little bit, but that’s beside the point.” She leaned back in her chair, putting a foreleg over the back. “Give me a good reason why I should help you.”

“Need I remind you that you are serving time for a very serious list of crimes?” Luna raised an eyebrow.

Raincloud squinted in faux disbelief. “What? Aww… come on, what’s a little attempted murder and conspiracy to overthrow the crown between friends?”

Luna snorted and adopted a stern look in her eyes. “I do not have the time or the patience for idle chatter with you. Will you help or not?”

“Jeez... touchy today, aren’t we?” Raincloud muttered. “Alright… let’s at least stop beating around the bush. What do you want?”

“What I want, is to recruit you to assist us with defeating a vampire lord,” Luna explained, not even batting an eye.

Raincloud blinked. “Pardon?”

Instead of answering, Luna lit up her horn and reached into her saddlebag. She produced a leather-bound tome, which the pegasus immediately recognized to be one of the books from the mansion, and opened it to a page before putting it on the table and scooting it forward.

“We believe that this passage describes the entity we are battling,” Luna said as she watched the pegasus pick up the book and give the pages a once over. She seemed to actually be making sense of what she was seeing, so that was a good sign at least.

As she got further down the page, Raincloud cocked an eyebrow and drew air between her teeth. “Yikes… that is one nasty customer.”

“That is one way of putting it,” Luna noted.

Raincloud set the book down and looked back to the alicorn, her eyes half focused on her and half lost to thought. “So, you want me to help you kill one of these?”

“Assuming this passage is about what we think it is, yes,” Luna said. “Naturally, you can translate it for us and we can confirm our suspicions after we have made an arrangement.”

“Mmhmm…” Raincloud made an odd noise with her mouth as she leaned forward. “And what’s in it for me?”

“Is your survival not enough of an incentive for you?” Luna narrowed her eyes at the grayish-blue mare.

“Pfft… why should I be worried? I’m nice and safe in here, and I seriously doubt that you’re cruel enough to go dangling me in front of this thing without a way to defend myself.” Raincloud said, tapping her collar pointedly.

Luna merely stared at the pegasus, a thoroughly unimpressed look stuck on her face. “The individual that has afflicted himself with this condition,” She tapped the book, “has a bit of a distaste for anyone who isn’t an alicorn. If he succeeded in killing us, he would eventually turn this city upside down looking for food sources and ponies to torture. It wouldn’t be long before he found this place and everyone inside of it.”

“Well, maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad?” Raincloud said, tapping her hind hooves against the floor restlessly. “I mean, hay, it can’t be much worse than staring at a set of bars day in and day out.”

The alicorn felt the muscles in her neck tense as she growled under her breath. She felt like the pegasus was trying to get her to strangle her, and it might have been working. Finally, she sighed and rubbed a hoof along her face before lowering her head slightly.

“Very well…” Luna huffed, looking up at the mare through her brows. “What do you want, Raincloud?”

Raincloud smirked impishly. “I thought you’d never ask.” She chortled before adopting a serious expression. “I want a book from the mansion.”

Luna reeled her head back and gave the pegasus a wary stare. “Hast thou lost thine mind?”

“Relax… I’m not after any spells or junk like that. I don’t even care about the book itself… I want something that’s inside of the book. A personal item, if you will.” Raincloud added.

“And just what is this personal item?” Luna asked.

Raincloud quieted down abruptly and adopted a look in her eyes that was unexpected to the alicorn. Discomfort.

“I’m… not at liberty to say,” Raincloud stated, trailing her eyes to the side.

“Raincloud, I know you must understand that to even consider this request, I need to know exactly what you’re asking for,” Luna said.

There was an irritated grumble, though it was softer than the displeased noises that usually came from the pegasus. Somehow, behind the stony and indifferent exterior that Raincloud had near constantly, Luna could make out a bit of sadness.

“It’s something important to me. Is that good enough for you?” Raincloud said at last.

Luna silently watched the troubled mare for a moment before softening her expression. “If we get this item for you, you will help us?”

“Yeah…” The pegasus nodded. “I’ll give it a shot. But you should know, if the thing in this book really is what you’re fighting, we’re in for a rough time.”

“Believe me when I tell you that you have no idea,” Luna said. She stuck out her hoof begrudgingly, half expecting to be ignored. Raincloud looked at the alicorn for a moment before slowly reaching out and making contact. They both gave a single, firm shake as their deal was struck, however tenuous it might have been.

Back at the castle, Rainbow Dash was still asleep in her shared room with Fluttershy. However, while the yellow mare was somewhat peaceful in her slumber, Rainbow seemed to be having more of an uneasy rest.

Rainbow Dash fitted and fidgeted as her eyes rolled under their lids. Finally, she came to her senses and opened her eyes, only to find her vision blurred by tears.

There was an intense feeling of bittersweet sadness in her heart as memories of her dream still flashed before her. She could still feel the warm embrace of fur against her chest and hear the smooth familiar voice in her ears, but all at once, the realization that it had only been a dream hit her, and it hit hard.

“Blue Bolt…” She whimpered softly, letting the sadness out in a silent cry as her throat tickled and the tears fell down her face. After a few quiet sobs, she wiped her eyes and sat up. She stared at the covers for the longest time, just processing existence and everything that had happened.

Over in the other bed in the room, Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes as well. After blinking a few times and adjusting to the light filtering into the room through the curtains, she stretched and sat up in bed.

As the yellow mare rubbed her eyes and looked over, she was surprised to see that her friend was awake as well. Not only was she awake, but Rainbow Dash was hugging herself and staring down gloomily, her eyes glistening with freshly spent tears.

“Dashie…?” Fluttershy called, her voice still finding a hard time past her dry throat.

Looking up and realizing that she wasn't alone anymore, Rainbow Dash quickly turned away and wiped her eyes again. “Oh… hey, Flutters. Morning there.” She said, trying to hide a sniffle and failing.

Fluttershy frowned as she watched her friend forcing a neutral exterior. “Are you ok? You’re crying.”

“What?” Rainbow blinked, faking surprise as she checked her cheeks with a hoof, only to ‘discover’ that they were damp. “Yeah, yeah… I’m fine. It was just some stupid dream or something.” She puffed some hair out of her face and licked her hoof so she could straighten the mischievous mane.

Noticing that her friend was still worried, Rainbow Dash stretched and hopped out of bed. “I don’t know about you, but I need some fresh air and sunlight. How about we take a quick fly around the castle and then grab something to eat?”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. Her frown lessened slightly, but still remained. “Ok. That sounds nice.” She reasoned, throwing her blanket off and quickly making her bed before joining her friend in heading out of the room. At any rate, she was happy to help the cyan mare with getting her mind off of everything for a while.

The pair stepped out into the hallway, briefly admiring the newly returned sunlight. It seemed like just moments ago that they wondered if they would ever see the sun again.

Just as they were about to walk off, however, another door opened in front of them and a groggy-looking pink pony walked out into the hall. She turned and noticed the two pegasi, her previously dreary features brightening, though not to the degree that they usually did.

“Morning, sleepyheads.” Pinkie greeted, her voice still a bit drowsy and perhaps holding a bit of gloom from earlier. Still, she seemed to have cheered up, even if only a little.

“Morning, Pinkie.” Fluttershy smiled, pleased to see her pink friend somewhat returning to her usual bouncy self. Her mane and tail had even puffed out again.

The pink mare looked between the two pegasi curiously. “Where are you guys off to?”

“We were gonna get out and do some flying before breakfast, but I guess we could just skip that and head straight for breakfast if you want to join us?” Rainbow offered, recognizing that familiar look in her friend’s eyes.

Hearing this, Pinkie’s face lit up. “Ooo, that sounds great! I found this new place down in the business district that’s supposed to be really good.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Come on, let’s get down there before they stop serving breakfast.”

“Uh… Rainbow, isn’t it already a bit late for breakfast?” Fluttershy asked, though truth be told, it was a little hard to tell what time it technically was right now.

“Fluttershy, with everything we’ve been through, I think we’ve earned an omelet or two, and Princess help the poor sap that tries to say no to us,” Rainbow said as she started walking down the hall.

Pinkie giggled at the thought of Rainbow Dash going ham on some chef, while Fluttershy merely cringed with worry. She didn’t want her friend getting kicked out of another restaurant in Canterlot, especially after the souffle debacle just a few months prior.

After a few minutes spent walking down the grandiose halls, Fluttershy and Pinkie found themselves behind their friend by a fair distance. Rainbow had been keeping ahead of them just enough to be out of conversational distance. It could have been her eagerness to get outside and get some food, but somehow Fluttershy didn’t believe that.

Looking beside her to Pinkie, she found the pink mare watching Rainbow as well with a similar uneasy expression. Perhaps noticing her subtle frown and occasional glancing, Pinkie leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

“Is she ok?” Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy darted her eyes to check if Rainbow was watching them before turning to her pink friend. “I… don’t think so.”

“We should make her feel better.” Pinkie suggested, ever helpful.

“I’m not sure how we could…” Fluttershy’s eyes dulled.

Pinkie lifted a hoof pensively and hummed, the cogs already turning in her head. “Ooo, I know! We could go borrow some spare strobes and have a strobe fight! That oughta cheer her up!” She perked up at the thought, while Fluttershy merely gave her a wary look.

“I don’t know if Glimmer and the others would be comfortable with us misusing their equipment like that,” Fluttershy said.

Pinkie didn’t seem fazed in the least. “It’s not misusing if it serves a purpose. Especially an important one. Cheering up the both of you is pretty important, don’t you think?” She reasoned.

Fluttershy wrinkled her mouth, unable to deny the pink mare’s point. “Well, yes, it is really important, but…”

“Hey.” Rainbow Dash called from up ahead. The pair looked up to see her standing in the opening to the entrance hall, looking back at them with a raised brow. “You two coming, or are you just gonna stay here and chat?”

“Uh…” Fluttershy felt her face heating up uncomfortably as she darted her eyes between Pinkie and the pegasus, unsure of what to say.

Pinkie placed a foreleg around the nervous mare. “Of course we are! We’re right behind you!” She waved and smiled enthusiastically.

Rainbow gave the pair an odd look for a moment. She then shrugged and chalked it up to Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie and simply turned around. “Well, hurry it up. I’m starving.”

Fluttershy deflated with relief as she watched her friend walking along. She was glad that Pinkie was quick on her hooves. Looking beside her, she noticed the party pony looking back with a convincing pout and begging eyes.

“Umm… let’s shelf the strobe fight…” Fluttershy said before her resolve melted away as her bouncy friend drooped her ears. “For now, anyway.”

Immediately, Pinkie flipped her expression upside down and beamed happily. “Yay!”

Catching up with Rainbow Dash, the pair joined her in walking toward the front doors. They couldn’t wait to get back out into the city and enjoy the day, especially after everything they had been through. They just needed to forget about their problems for a while and spend time with each other.

However, before they could open the doors themselves, the doors creaked open as the two guards outside pushed them apart, welcoming in a small entourage of ponies, foremost of which was Princess Luna. Sparkplug was also present, along with a couple of guards, who were escorting a certain pegasus mare.

A certain pegasus mare that was immediately familiar to Rainbow and her friends.

Raincloud paused and looked ahead at the three mares, who were all locked to the spot and staring back at her. “Oh, great...” She sighed.

“Hey! I remember you!” Pinkie stated, pointing an accusatory hoof at the gray mare, who seemed to be in hoof cuffs. “You’re that big meanie that tried to kill us!”

“To be fair, my brother was the one that tried to kill you, puffball. I tried to kill your friends… big difference.” Raincloud deadpanned.

“Oh…” Pinkie paused briefly, contemplating Raincloud’s logic before returning a glare to her face. “Well, you’re still a big meanie!”

Raincloud crinkled her eyes in annoyance. “You know, the whole trying to kill you thing is still on the table if you want.” She said before getting a nudge in the side by Sparkplug. She glared at the earth pony, causing a nervous flinch and a slight repositioning away from her.

Rainbow Dash produced an irritated sigh as she looked at Princess Luna. “What is she doing here?”

“Hey, I thought you liked me or something?” Raincloud interrupted.

“I visited you like twice… once because you asked for me, and once to try and reform you into a functioning member of society instead of… you.” Rainbow narrowed her eyes sarcastically. “You almost killed me and my friends. I sure as hay don’t like you.”

“Well, good… the feeling’s mutual,” Raincloud grumbled as she looked to the side.

Luna glanced between the pale pegasus and the three mares sympathetically. “I am sorry, girls. I did not expect you to be here right now.”

“Isn’t she… umm… s-supposed to be in jail right now?” Fluttershy asked, hiding behind Rainbow Dash as she stole a nervous glance at the blue pegasus. Even if Raincloud was without shadow magic, she was still afraid of her.

“Normally, yes, Raincloud would be incarcerated,” Luna said, “but in light of our… situation with Dusk, I thought it prudent to use all of the tools at our disposal.”

“Did you just call me a tool?” Raincloud blinked before skewing a brow.

Rainbow Dash wrinkled her expression at the pale mare before turning to Luna and sighing. “Princess… I really hope for all our sakes that this doesn’t blow up in your face.” She said before looking back at her friends. “Come on, girls. Let’s leave them to work. They obviously have their hooves full right now.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie watched their friend leaving out of the front door. Soon after, Pinkie followed behind, blowing a raspberry at Raincloud as she passed, uncaring of the glare being shot into the back of her head.

“Uh… Hi... Heh heh-” Fluttershy sweated nervously as she saw Raincloud shifting to look over to her. “W-wait for me, girls!” She called after her friends before hurrying off.

Once the three mares were gone from view, Raincloud shifted her attention to the group escorting her and the palace around her. “You know, this place is a lot fancier looking when it isn’t covered in blood and scorch marks. I wish we had your cleaning guys back at the mansion.” She smirked before getting a hoof roughly clamped onto her shoulder.

“Move along, Raincloud. We have work to do.” Luna reminded, nudging the pegasus forward in a not so gentle manner.

“Yeah, yeah… keep your tiara on, Moony. I’m going.” Raincloud grumbled as she reluctantly walked forward.

Meanwhile, Luna sighed and leaned in closer to a nearby guard. “Can you please send all the coffee and headache medication we have to the study?”

The guard was quick to give a stoic nod. “Right away, Princess.”

Sparkplug watched as the alicorn and the guards followed close behind Raincloud, making extra sure that she stayed on track. “This… is going to be a long day.” She muttered to herself before following after.

Chapter 29: Bittersweet

Twilight suddenly found herself awake once more. Her eyes slowly creaked open, the rays of the midday sun streaming through her window and making her already blurred senses struggle to acclimate.

Remembering that Spike was asleep next to her, she stopped moving and carefully turned her head beside her. Strangely, she only found an empty spot on her pillow, with no sign of the young dragon anywhere.

With a yawn interrupting the passing thought of concern she had, the unicorn sat up and stretched, allowing the blankets to slide off of her form. After a moment to reflect on her thoughts, a few sad memories causing her to trail her eyes down, she sighed and shook herself awake so she could start the day, or at least catch up to it.

“Spike?” She called as she descended from the nook that held her bed. “You in here?”

Unfortunately, looking around yielded no sign of the dragon. She could, however, see a note posted to her door, and judging from the neat handwriting which she immediately recognized, Spike must have written it.

Twilight took the note up in her magic and brought it closer, muttering under her breath as she read it. “Twilight, I didn’t want to wake you, so I stepped out to get some air. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you later.” She frowned slightly as she finished the message. “Oh, Spike…”

She had hoped that the dragon would feel better after getting all of his pent-up regrets off his chest, but apparently, he still felt like he wanted to be alone.

Setting the note aside, she paid one last lingering thought on her young assistant before exiting the room. There was still much to be done before nightfall, and now that she had some sleep in her system, she was ready to do whatever she could to help her friends prepare for what came next.

Or at least, she was mostly ready, as a pang of hunger made her pause briefly. She hadn’t eaten anything since last night, and it was starting to catch up with her.

“Right… breakfast first.” She noted to herself before walking ahead with a new destination in mind.

Eventually, as she was making her way through the palace halls, she found herself crossing the guest rooms again just in time to see a door open up ahead. Rarity and Applejack stepped out of their room, looking mildly drowsy as Twilight had when initially waking up, but marginally better than they had before getting some much-needed rest.

“Hey, Rarity, Applejack.” Twilight greeted as she approached.

Rarity cringed a bit and put a hoof to her lips. “Sssh… Don’t be so loud, please. The girls are still asleep.”

“Oh… sorry.” Twilight smiled nervously, using a much softer tone, even though she hadn’t really been raising her voice to begin with.

“Poor things took forever to pass out. I think they need all the rest they can get after all they went through.” Rarity said, glancing toward the door with eyes full of worry. Almost everyone in their group went through some hardship last night, but she dreaded the thought of the three fillies’ suffering the most, and Spike, of course.

Applejack frowned a bit as she too thought about the trio. Then, she managed a more upbeat expression as she shifted her attention to the purple mare. “So, where’re you off to, Twilight?”

“I was on my way to grab a bite to eat.” Twilight explained before gesturing a hoof toward the pair. “Do you two want to join me?”

Rarity hummed at the prospect. “That sounds delightful.”

“Yeah. I don’t know ‘bout y’all, but I feel like I could eat a whole barrel of pancakes right now.” Applejack added.

Twilight chuckled a bit as they all started walking together. “Lucky for you, the head chef learned to keep extra batter on hoof after some of my early morning cramming sessions. You’d be surprised how many of my final grades were fueled by maple syrup.”

A few minutes went by as the trio made their way to the dining hall. It felt good to have some lighthearted conversation again, even if all three of them could tell that there was a weight hanging above their heads filled with thoughts of the past and what awaited them in the future. Still, they had each other, and for right now, that was all that mattered.

Up ahead, they could see their destination coming into view. The hallway opened up into the massive room, with the equally massive table and chairs waiting for them. Such a setting was perhaps overkill for a casual breakfast, but being friends with the princesses had benefits.

They vaguely expected to find their three other friends there, but apparently, Rainbow Dash and the others had opted to go off elsewhere, if they were even awake.

A short time later, Twilight and her friends settled in and were waited upon by some of the palace’s servants, who ferried their meal requests off to the kitchen before ferrying their requested meals back shortly after.

Applejack rubbed her hooves eagerly at the piping hot plate in front of her. “Boy howdy, this might not be as good as Granny Smith’s home-cookin', but it sure is close.”

“Careful, Applejack. If Granny Smith heard you say that, she’d never let you hear the end of it.” Rarity cautioned.

“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing she’ll never find out… right?” Applejack said, giving both the unicorns a flat look before sharing a chuckle with them.

The trio chatted and enjoyed each other’s company and their meals for a while. However, a few minutes in, they were interrupted as they heard some hoofsteps echoing down the hall to their side.

They all turned to see a young white and black earth stallion limping into the dining hall, a thick cast around his hind leg. Twilight had seen him briefly as they stepped out of the carriages last night, and Applejack and Rarity knew him to be Blank Page, Scholarly Scribble’s brother.

The stallion seemed a bit sheepish as he noticed the three mares looking his way. “Umm… should I not be here? I was told I could come here for some food, but if you three are busy-”

“Nonsense, partner. Come on up and join us.” Applejack said in a friendly manner.

“You sure you don’t mind?” Page asked.

Rarity lit her horn and pulled back a chair. “Of course not, darling. Please, come take a seat and we can get something sent out for you.”

With all three mares offering him welcoming smiles, Blank Page relaxed and smiled himself. He slowly made his way over and joined them at the table, taking a moment to adjust himself so he could be somewhat comfortable with his injured leg.

“Sorry… I was so occupied last night, I don’t think we were properly introduced.” Twilight said. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. What’s your name?”

“Blank Page.” The stallion replied before turning to the other two. “And you must be Applejack and Rarity, right?”

Applejack chuckled as she looked down to her cutie mark. “What gave it away?”

“You know… my sister and I are… w-well, I don’t know if I want to say fans, but…” Page swallowed uncomfortably and gave a nervous titter. “Let’s just say, it’s a little weird to be having breakfast with some national heroines.”

“Oh, pish posh, we aren’t quite that famous…” Rarity waved an airy hoof and chortled giddily before going quiet, “Are we?”

“Yeah… Well, to some ponies you are.” Page said. He gestured a hoof to Twilight. “I mean, my sister looked up to you a lot when she was coming out of college."

"Really?" Twilight asked, growing red around the face and adopting a slight sheepish smile. "Gosh… I never thought about being somepony's role model."

Page nodded. "Well, you became the Princess’s student as a filly and then saved the world. I can think of worse role models." He chuckled softly. Then, he grew quiet abruptly and trailed his eyes down, causing the energy at the table to drop. "Scribble always had confidence issues. She felt like she couldn’t write anything without me looking it over first… I was happy to help, but… I just wanted her to grow into the potential I saw in her."

Twilight and her friends watched with sympathetic frowns as the stallion stared down at the table, his eyes struggling to keep from trembling. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop a tickle from building in his throat.

"It's ok, sugarcube." Applejack said reassuringly. "She'll be back to normal before ya know it."

"Yes. Glitterball and the others are the foremost experts in their field. They'll take good care of Scribble." Rarity added.

Blank Page's gloomy expression lessened briefly as he saw the three mares offering him their sympathies. However, he soon sighed and propped his head on his hooves, staring down at the table somberly. "We should never have gone to that stupid castle… None of this would have happened if it wasn't for us."

Twilight furrowed her brow slightly amid her soft gaze. "What do you mean by that, Page?"

The stallion seemed hesitant to meet any of their concerned stares, but eventually, he relented. "We went up there for Scribble to write a piece about the castle and its history. We thought it would be empty, but… then we found that alicorn. I don’t know how, but we must have woken him up." Page's eyes grew distant as he struggled to find his words for a moment. "He killed our friends… I thought for sure he killed Scribble too, but I guess he just made her like him."

The revelation of how Dusk came to be revived was shocking to say the least. However, none of the three mares could find it in them to put any blame on the stallion or his sister. After all, they couldn’t have known that their actions would lead to so much suffering for so many. Not only that, but they themselves had suffered because of it as well.

"Oh my gosh…" Twilight frowned softly. Page expected her to be expressing outrage at him, but instead, she seemed sympathetic. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Page."

Page looked up in surprise. "Don’t… I… We caused so much trouble for you guys."

"You didn’t know any of this would happen, darling." Rarity said.

"B'sides that, it's a wonder you even survived," Applejack added.

The young stallion was speechless at the compassion he was receiving. "I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much for saving me and Scribble."

Twilight flashed a warm smile. “It was no problem. I’m just glad that we made it out of there. Oh, and don’t worry, I’m sure Scribble will be-”

Just then, Twilight paused abruptly as a familiar gray mare came trotting into the room. Sparkplug’s eyes lit up as she happened upon the group, paying particular attention to the stallion.

“There you are!” She panted briefly, resting a hoof on her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. “I’ve been looking for you all over.”

“What is it, Sparkplug?” Twilight asked.

“Is something wrong?” Rarity added.

Sparkplug seemed unsure about that, which only made the group more tense. Still, what she had to say was important, that much they were sure of. “It’s Scribble… She’s awake!”

Immediately, Blank Page shot up from his seat so fast that he cringed a bit from hurting his leg. “She is?! Wh… is s-she ok? Is she cured?!” He begged the question.

“I don’t know.” Sparkplug’s expression fell with sympathy. “A guard just came and told us. Nopony’s gone in and checked on her yet. Princess Luna and the others are heading over already, but they sent me to come find you… They figured you deserve to be there.”

The gray mare’s words weren’t exactly reassuring. In fact, they left a pit of dread in Page’s and even Twilight and the other’s guts.

“Well, what are we waitin’ for?!” Applejack asked, standing up and egging the others into action.

With that, the group all got up from the table and started to follow the gray mare. Twilight helped Blank Page with walking faster, but even then, she could tell that they weren’t going as fast as any of them would like.
.
..
…
It took a few minutes to cross the palace at their pace. Everyone was anxious to some degree, but they were also worried, not only for the fate of Scribble, but for Page as well. So much had been taken from them already. They just hoped and prayed that this one bit of good wouldn’t be ripped away from them, away from the stallion that had helped save the Crusaders.

Eventually, they could see Glimmer Shine and Sunspot up ahead, standing outside of a room alongside a guard. They were all staring at the door, which was cracked open slightly, with varying degrees of concern on their faces.

Noticing the arrival of the four mares and the young stallion, the pair of monster hunters turned to see them approaching.

“Girls… I didn’t think you were awake.” Glimmer noted.

“We just got up a while ago,” Twilight said before she and everyone else shifted their attention to the room as the door opened, revealing Princess Luna stepping out.

“Princess Luna…” Blank Page stared at the alicorn briefly, a bit stunned and unsure of how to react to seeing one of Equestria’s diarchs. However, he quickly shifted his focus back to his sister, a worried frown forming as he did. “How is she? Is she ok?”

In response to the stallion’s question, Luna smiled softly and merely stepped aside, allowing the group to view into the room. And sitting there just behind the alicorn, was a young peach earth mare.

Her fur was no longer the deathly pale shade that Twilight and the others knew her by up until now. It was healthy, vibrant, and more resemblant of an average pony. And although there was a bit of a drowsy daze in her eyes, they weren’t an ominous shade of red, instead looking sky blue like her brother’s.

Blank Page inched forward and out from under Twilight’s foreleg, standing on his own as he stared ahead with mouth agape in silent shock. He eyed the peach mare up and down as she stared back, equally surprised to see him.

“Scribble…?” He spoke timidly, pausing his approach to see how she reacted.

Scholarly Scribble started to smile as she saw her brother, only to stop herself partway through and hold a hoof up to cover her mouth. However, after a moment, she trailed her eyes down in surprise and lowered her hoof, revealing a set of pearly white teeth with no fangs in sight. Finally, her expression brightened into a wide, joyous grin as she looked up to her brother and reached forward, wrapping her forelegs around him.

“Page…” Scribble clenched her eyes shut, a few tears welling up as she squeezed him tight. “You feel so warm…”

“So do you.” Page chuckled softly. He pulled back slightly, revealing his own teary eyes as he looked down at her. He placed a hoof against her chest, only to have his smile deepen as he felt her heart beating once more.

The others couldn’t help but share in the siblings’ serene happiness. Many of them had siblings as well, and they couldn’t imagine going through what the two earth ponies had. They were just glad that this story had a happy ending, unlike so many others.

“I can’t believe it’s finally over… I’m back.” Scribble said.

“You never left.” Page said, though his expression fell slightly at her words. “But… for a while there, I was so scared I was going to lose you. Honestly, if they didn’t find that cure… I don’t know what I would have done.” He glanced back at the group behind him, flashing a grateful smile.

Suddenly, Scribble’s eyes widened and a sense of alarm washed over her as something occurred to her. “Wait… where’s Glitterball?!” She pulled away from her brother and looked at the princess and the others desperately.

“Glitter?” Twilight skewed her expression with concern at the sudden shift in the mare’s behavior. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to her?” She asked, glancing between Luna, Glimmer Shine, and Sunspot with growing unease.

“She’s not hurt, is she?” Rarity brought a hoof toward her mouth.

Scribble’s lip wrinkled with guilt. “Before, that alicorn ordered me to attack her. I… she… s-she-”

“She’s perfectly fine. Don’t worry.” Another voice came from outside.

Sunspot and the others all turned, only for her and Glimmer to widen their eyes as they saw none other than their unicorn friend. The white mare looked like she could barely walk, with a thick bandage around her stomach to indicate her wound. Yet, somehow, there she was, slowly shuffling forward like the little pony that could.

“Glitter?!” Glimmer Shine’s jaw dropped.

“What are you doing out of bed?!” Sunspot fretted, rushing to the unicorn’s side to help her, only to be graciously waved off.

“It’s alright, Sunspot.” Glitter said, briefly pausing to cringe and hold a hoof to her underside. “I’m ok…”

Applejack winced sympathetically. “You sure don’t look ok.”

“Why has everypony I’ve seen told me that today?” Glitter managed a smirk. Then, her expression suddenly fell into stunned silence as she laid eyes on the peach mare.

Scribble could barely meet her gaze. She expected the white mare to be furious or at least upset, but strangely, Glitterball seemed glad to see her.

“Look at you… It worked!” Glitter gave a joyous half chuckle, only to drop her smile as the peach pony’s eyes trembled. Then, before she could even react or say anything further, Scribble rushed up and gently wrapped her forelegs around Glitter’s form.

“Glitterball, I’m so sorry!” Scribble nestled further into the unicorn’s neck, a fresh set of remorseful tears welling up in her closed eyes.

Glitter curved her mouth up into a soft smile and allowed the younger mare to get her emotions out for a moment. She patted her back before pulling away slightly and resting a hoof on the side of Scribble’s shoulder, much to her surprise.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Scribble.” Glitter said.

Scribble tried to wrangle her trembling lips into forming words, but not much came out. “But… but I-I…”

“But nothing.” Glitterball insisted, her tone soft and comforting. “That wasn't you… you know it, and I know it. There wasn't anything you could do to stop yourself. I’m just glad we stopped you before you drank any blood.”

If Scribble was holding herself together at all before, that was the crack that broke the dam. She sniffed, and although her lips were still trembling, they curved up into a heartfelt smile. This time, Glitter was the one to initiate a much-needed hug.

“Thank you… Thank you so much.” Scribble half sobbed as she wept over the unicorn’s shoulder. Glitter didn’t seem to mind.

The others waited as the peach mare got her emotions under control for a few moments. Where before the atmosphere between them had been vaguely tense and full of dread for what the future held, these few moments were full of genuine warmth and happiness for all involved.

However, they couldn’t ignore the specter of the future forever.

Blank Page sat next to his sister, keeping a hoof on her back as he looked around at the group. "So, what happens now?"

Luna was the first to answer. "Well, now that both of you are in relatively good health, I think it would be best for you to head home as soon as possible."

Scribble skewed her brow slightly at that. "What do you mean?"

"It isn’t safe for you here," Luna frowned, a more severe look in her eyes, "and I'm afraid that traveling at night isn't safe either, so you will have to stay in the city tonight. We will cover your expenses, of course, and we will send a guard with you to ensure that you make it home safely tomorrow."

"No… I mean, what are you going to do about that alicorn?" Scribble fretted.

Nobody seemed to have an answer for that. There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone glanced among themselves and the two siblings.

Finally, it was Applejack who spoke up. "Don’t worry about us, sugarcube. We'll be alright. After all, this ain’t our first rodeo."

“Yeah,” Sunspot added, managing some semblance of enthusiasm. “In fact, we’re already working on a plan to beat that pale jerk.”

While the pegasus’ statement wasn't exactly comforting to either Scribble or Page, it was surprising to Glitterball, who skewed a brow and turned to her teammates.

“We are?” Glitter blinked. “Gosh, how much did I miss while I was out?”

“Ooh… uh… heh…” Sunspot cringed nervously as she realized that the unicorn hadn’t been present for a lot of things. Particularly, the acquisition of a certain gray business partner from their past. She looked to Glimmer Shine, hoping that he would save her the trouble of explaining.

Glimmer Shine rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and drew air between his teeth as Glitter looked to him with understandable confusion. “Yeah… about that-”
.
..
…

Over in the study, Raincloud tapped her hind hoof against the desk in front of her as she lazed back on her floor cushion. Almost half an hour had gone by since Luna and the three monster hunters had left to go check on Scribble, whoever that was.

And as much as spending her time studying through books on obscure magic and monsters with a room full of people that she mutually disliked was boring to her, she was starting to miss it.

“Ugh…” The gray pegasus groaned as she craned her neck to stare toward the door upside down. She found herself staring at the guard posted nearby, blinking for a moment as he remained unmoving and unexpressive as ever. “Don’t you guys get bored standing around doing nothing all day?” She asked.

The guard didn’t even shift his eyes to her, though the slight wrinkle of annoyance on his lips broke the statue-like facade that he and many other trained stallions in his position held while on duty.

“So,” Raincloud started, rolling over and propping her head up on her hooves as she looked to the stallion with an impish smirk, “have the princesses ever gotten up to anything… scandalous?” She waggled her brows. Only stern silence came as a response. “What? No love affairs? No secret cloning facilities with the express purpose of making more guards? Like, seriously, why do you all look the same?”

This time, she elicited an agitated snort, which she took as a mini victory. She could practically see him contemplating if his duty, honor, and pay were worth putting up with her any longer.

“Is it fur dye?” Raincloud asked. She smirked, even though she still received no answer. “It’s fur dye, isn’t it?”

The stallion finally looked at her, his eyes flattened and an expression on his face that spoke volumes, even if he didn’t.

“You’re no fun,” Raincloud grumbled as she deflated into her cushion. She started gearing herself up to take a nap when the sound of the doors opening made her perk up.

Much to her relief, she found Princess Luna returning with the three members of spirit in tow. However, they had another among their numbers this time.

Trailing along behind the group, moving slowly due to a plainly apparent injury, was a white unicorn mare with a colorfully bespeckled ponytail mane and a severely unenthused expression on her face that seemed to be directed straight at Raincloud.

“Oh, hey…” Raincloud stood up, looking at the unicorn curiously. “Long time no see, Sprinkles.”

Glitterball internalized a sigh and put on a strained smile. “Hello, Raincloud. I’d say it’s nice to see you… but I won’t.”

Raincloud lifted a brow as the unicorn cringed slightly and brought a hoof to her bandaged stomach. “Yikes. What happened to you? Did you lose a fight with a porcupine?”

“Something like that.” Glitter said before adopting a serious expression. “Enough about me. I’m told that you can translate some passages describing what that Dusk creep is?”

Luna narrowed her eyes slightly at the gray pegasus. “Speaking of which, you were supposed to keep working on that while we were away, Raincloud.”

“Relax, your royal grouchiness,” Raincloud replied flatly as she lifted a hoof to point at the desk behind her. “I already finished.”

“You did?” Luna perked up slightly. She walked up to the desk and picked up some of the papers strewn about with her magic.

Glitter and her teammates keenly gathered behind the alicorn, gauging Luna’s expression as she read through Raincloud’s work. However, as she got further and further into the passages, Luna’s eyes grew wary and a sense of dread slowly washed over her.

“No…” Luna muttered to herself as she shook her head.

Sunspot was surprised to see the alicorn so somber. “Princess…?”

Luna turned toward the ponies watching her. She took a steady breath before exhaling and managing a more neutral expression. “I was afraid of this… It seems as though the type of vampire Dusk turned himself into has no particular weaknesses.”

“Oh no…” Glitterball brought a hoof up to her mouth, her eyes wavering at the grim revelation.

Sparkplug was surprised and more than a touch unsettled to see her normally confident teammates showing nearly as much fear as she was feeling. “So… w-what does that mean for us?”

“Hate to be the one to break it to you, Sparky, but it probably means we’re all gonna die,” Raincloud said aloofly.

“Don’t say that!” Sunspot chided.

“What? It’s the truth.” Raincloud shrugged before adopting a surprisingly sober look on her face as she looked around at the group. “I know you were banking on me blasting this guy to kingdom come with my shadow magic, but I doubt very seriously if that would work. He’s like a damn cockroach. You can keep shooting him and he’ll just keep coming back… I mean, hay, the best chance you had was sending the human after him, but since you came to me for help, I’ll bet ol’ Tommy boy got himself killed.”

Glimmer Shine turned to the gray pegasus with a bit of a glare. “Raincloud!”

Hearing this, Raincloud sighed and trailed her eyes down. “So he is gone… Damn. We are so screwed.”

Somehow, hearing that coming from the gray pegasus served as an emotional punch to the gut for much of the group. Glitter and the others had been getting by on an optimistic drive to keep going and protect their friends, however daunting their foe was.

Now, however, the weight of their situation was coming down on their shoulders. If Tom couldn’t beat the pale alicorn, how could mere mortals like them hope to stand up against him?

“Do not lose hope,” Luna spoke, causing everyone to look up. She had a certain air of determination behind all of the dread and worry in her face as she turned to her team of devoted monster hunters, not as their leader or princess, but as their friend. “We can’t allow ourselves to give up. If we are to be defeated, then it should be while standing tall in defiance.”

“But… Princess, how are we supposed to win against him?” Sparkplug asked softly.

Luna regarded the gray mare’s question for a moment, pressing her lips together as thoughts of failure threatened to overtake her. She swallowed her fears for a moment so she could address them like the leader they expected her to be. “Simple… First, we stop thinking of him as immortal. He isn’t unkillable.”

“He seemed pretty darn close from where I was sitting.” Glimmer Shine noted, a corner of his mouth twitching as his shoulder wound reminded him of its presence.

“He is certainly strong,” Luna said, a more serious quality to her, “but even his power has a limit. His regeneration, along with all of his other powers, relies heavily on how much blood he has consumed. All we need to do is push him past his breaking point, and then he will be vulnerable to a killing blow.”

Even with the alicorn’s words of encouragement, the others could still feel just how insurmountable the wall in front of them seemed. Still, if they didn’t fight back, who would?

Eventually, it was Raincloud who spoke up next. “Well… since we’re all dead meat anyway, we might as well go down swinging.” She reasoned. The others looked over and saw a familiarly devious smirk on her face that they remembered despising in the past. “If putting the hurt on this asshole is the name of the game, I think I’ve got an idea or two that could help out.”

Sunspot sighed at this, “There’s no way I’m letting her put up more of a fight than me. I’m game for getting some payback on that creep if all of you are.” She looked around at her friends eagerly.

“Count me in,” Glitterball stated, managing to stand tall despite her injury.

“Welp,” Glimmer Shine stretched his neck and limbs, “I’ve got nothing planned for tomorrow. Let’s go kill us a vampire lord.”

With no one else left unspoken, all eyes in the room shifted to Sparkplug. The gray mare still seemed uneasy, not that everyone else wasn't as well, but she was wearing it more visibly than they were.

“Sparkplug,” Luna started, causing the earth pony’s darting gaze to straighten, “Are you going to join us? If you wish to back out of this fight, now is the time… We won’t think any less of you.”

Sparkplug stared at the alicorn and her teammates for a moment before looking down to her injured leg. The bandaged forelimb served as a reminder of everything that Dusk and his minions were capable of if left unchecked.

Finally, she took an even breath before looking up.

“Princess… I joined this team to make a difference. If I can help put a stop to this, even a little bit, then I’m going to stay and fight.” Sparkplug explained in a surprisingly resolute tone.

Luna and the other members of Spirit smiled at their friend’s bravery. The alicorn regarded each of them for a moment longer before nodding and adopting a more determined smirk.

“Then, let’s get started. We have until sundown to finalize our plan of battle.”

Chapter 30: Tension

The chill of the night crept through the streets of Canterlot in a flash. A low fog clung to the air, only weakly staved off by the city lights. One might call the sight eerie, even if they didn’t know about the danger somewhere out there that was now free to walk the earth unfettered.

For the first couple of hours, the castle was on high alert. Guards and scouts were working extra diligently, Luna and Cadence were using their magical senses to try and cast a net of awareness around the immediate area, and Twilight and her friends were all ready to band together and fight at a moment’s notice.

But, that moment didn’t come. Not after one hour, or the next, or the next.

Eventually, Twilight found herself stepping outside into the royal gardens, where Luna and Cadence were waiting with Shining Armor and a small troop of guards.

The group were watching the skies above and what could be seen of the countryside below. There was still a certain level of tension among them, but this was slowly fading into complacency, which was a danger that no one wanted to become ignorant of.

“Anything new?” Twilight asked as she walked up to the two alicorns and her brother.

Luna and the others looked to the unicorn with a certain lack of energy in their faces that seemed to answer her question before they even spoke.

“I’m afraid not.” Luna explained. “As far as we are aware, there haven’t been any sightings of Dusk or any reported attacks or missing ponies.”

Twilight couldn’t keep a frown from forming. She trailed her eyes down and sighed before returning her gaze to the princess of the night. “I suppose there’s a chance that he won’t even come for us tonight.”

Cadence adopted a grim look that was very unlike her. “That may be true… but that doesn’t mean he’s just out there doing nothing. He could be turning more ponies and rebuilding his numbers.”

“Well, if he is, he’s being very cautious about it.” Shining said. “None of my men have received any reports of any suspicious activity, and there haven’t been any towns that have gone dark yet.”

There was a tense groan, drawing everyone’s attention to an extremely stiff looking Twilight. “I hate not knowing what’s about to happen. The girls are getting pretty antsy… and I can’t blame them.”

“Not to worry, young Sparkle. Raincloud and the others are still working on our trump card as we speak.” Luna said, bringing a hoof to the unicorn’s shoulder.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a trump card. It hinges on him being in the entrance hall for it to even work… if it would even work.” Cadence deflated slightly, letting her shoulders sink as she realized how flimsy their strategy was.

Twilight gave her former foalsitter what she hoped was a reassuring look. “Well… if it doesn’t, we still have the Elements of Harmony. They’ll work…” She softened her eyes, allowing them to waver momentarily. “They have to work.”

Meanwhile, in the entrance hall, Glimmer Shine, his team, and their unlikely ally were hard at work on their supposed trump card.

Trump card, in most cases, implied singular objects that gave a clear advantage. That wasn't entirely accurate. A more accurate term in this case, would be throwing the book at the problem.

The team of five were employing every supernatural safeguard or magical spell they had in their arsenal to create a killbox of sorts in the castle’s main entrance. Glitterball, Sunspot and Raincloud were drawing runes across the floor and walls, and Sparkplug and Glimmer Shine were setting up warding symbols at every doorway and window.

Stealing a glance up, Sparkplug paused what she was doing as she watched Raincloud etch mystical symbols into the floor with shadow magic. The purple and black energy wreathed her hoof like fire, though it didn’t seem to affect her. Even from where she was sitting, Sparkplug could feel the already scarce heat being pulled from the air by the unnatural cold of the dark energy.

Raincloud looked up abruptly, meeting her gaze with dark blue eyes, which quickly narrowed upon noticing the gray pony staring. Sparkplug quickly dodged her gaze back to her work, but she could feel the pegasus’ eyes still lingering, though perhaps not on her. She picked up the remote on the floor next to her and put it in a pocket on her vest before returning to her task.

Up off the ground, Sunspot squinted her eyes and focused, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she made careful and precise movements with the brush. Given enough paint and enough attempts, even she was capable of impeccable art, and the runes she was drawing on the many marble pillars were fairly impressive looking. However, she wasn't going for looks. She was going for effect.

“Are we sure these are going to work?” Sunspot asked, pointing a not so carefully hidden look of annoyance down to the pale blue mare on the ground.

“Not as well as you think.” Raincloud reported without even looking up.

Sunspot furrowed her brows as she processed the mare’s response. “What the hay is that supposed to mean?”

Raincloud groaned under her breath and paused what she was doing so she could cast a flat stare upwards. “I’m not a miracle worker, Carrot Head. We’re dealing with a nigh immortal creature of darkness here, not your average run of the mill vampire. These hexes and spells should sap some of his strength, but it’s up to us to do the rest.”

“Carrot Head?!” Sunspot’s lips curled as the words bellowed out. She practically receded in the air before lunging down slightly and pointing a foreleg at the pale pegasus. “Don’t make me come down there, you little wannabe goth primadonna!”

“Oh, be my guest. That way I can shave off that rat’s nest you call a mane!” Raincloud retorted, lifting her still aglow hoof and letting a small spout of purple flame shoot into the air like a blowtorch.

“LADIES!” Glitterball shouted, deafening the room and causing an abrupt silence. “You’re both pretty. Now, can we get back to work before the big scary alicorn comes and redefines ‘exsanguination’ on all of us?”

There was a blissful silence after that as the two stunned pegasi blinked at the surprisingly vocal unicorn.

Sunspot grumbled under her breath as she returned to her scribbling on the pillar. “She started it…”

Meanwhile, Glimmer Shine looked up from the book he was reading to give the white mare an appreciative smile. “It’s times like these that I’m glad to have you with us, Glitter.”

“What would you do without me?” Glitter replied with a playful smirk.

However, Glimmer Shine’s smile faded as he watched the unicorn cringe softly and bring a hoof to her bandaged stomach. “Let’s hope we never have to find out.” He muttered to himself before returning to the book in front of him.

Elsewhere, the rest of the element bearers were making their own preparations for the battle ahead. Though, the only preparations they had to make were mental.

There was a palpable air of tension present through the monotony of waiting. None of the five mares could bring themselves to address it, but everyone was thinking about it. Tonight could have been the last night of their lives, or whenever the alicorn decided to attack.

Rainbow Dash fidgeted with the silver dagger in her hooves as she lay across an entire couch, propping her hind legs over the armrest. It was the only weapon she and the others had, but she knew it to be little more than an inconvenience to the alicorn.

Killing monsters was supposed to be relatively simple. Just find a weakness and exploit it. But what were they supposed to do about a regenerating foe with seemingly no weakness?

A drawn out sigh made Dash lift her head, only to spot Pinkie Pie in the middle of the floor, looking more bored than concerned. Still, even she had a troubled frown on her face as she stared at the ceiling wistfully.

“I wonder what the Cake’s are doing?” Pinkie pondered, pausing her hoof tapping that had been going on for a solid minute. “I hope they’re not worried about me... I know! I’ll write a letter to them tomorrow.”

“I should probably write to Lyra and tell her I’ll be up here longer than I thought. After all, she was only supposed to watch the animals for me for a few days.” Fluttershy mused before trailing her eyes down as a thought occurred to her. She might not even make it through the night to get to write such a letter. And for all she knew, Dusk wouldn’t just stop at eradicating Canterlot.

Perhaps noticing her friend looking more dismal than usual, Rainbow Dash sat up and softened her features. “I’m sure she won’t mind. After all, we’re only going to be up here a while longer.”

The attempt to cheer her up only garnered a slight reversal of her frown, but Fluttershy quickly returned to a neutral expression with distant eyes. “I hope so… I-I just want all of this to end.”

“You and me both, sugarcube.” Applejack frowned sympathetically as she saw the familiar twinge of heartbreak working its way back up in the yellow mare’s eyes. She wondered if any of them would be alright again.

Then, there was an abrupt knock at the door, followed by the door itself slowly opening. The group looked over to where an average pony would stand, instead finding empty air. They had to trail their eyes down a bit until they could see a tiny white unicorn filly entering the room.

“Sweetie?” Rarity spoke, setting aside her silver dagger and getting up from her chair. “What are you doing up this late?”

The filly seemed hesitant to answer. She had a certain watery look to her eyes that told of recent crying. “I can’t sleep… I had a bad dream.” Sweetie explained, her voice cracking and muffled simultaneously by drowsiness.

As her sisterly instincts kicked in, Rarity strolled over to her young sibling and knelt down. “You know, dreams are nothing to lose sleep over, darling. They can’t hurt you.”

“I know…” Sweetie Belle said, looking up with big eyes that trembled and shimmered lightly. The sight alone could have softened the features of the most hardened guard in the castle. “I just… w-wanted to see you.”

Rarity glanced back at her friends, who were offering her understanding expressions. Finally, she exhaled softly and lit up her horn. “Come along, Sweetie. Let’s get you back to bed. I’ll stay until you go back to sleep.” She cooed, gently lifting the filly up and onto her back as she stepped out of the room.

“You will…?” Sweetie sniffled as she buried herself into her sister’s fur.

“Of course I will. But first, why don’t you tell me what that horrible dream of yours was about?” Rarity asked.

There was a bit of a pause after that.

Rarity glanced back toward the filly. “Sweetie?”

“I’m sorry.”

Rarity stopped walking for a moment. “Sorry? Whatever for?” She chuckled lightly and smiled, only to have her mouth droop as she saw her sister with a face like a melodramatic puppy.

“I… kind of lied about having a bad dream.” Sweetie said, hugging her sister’s back a bit tighter and hiding her face. “I just wanted an excuse to come see you and talk to you.”

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle felt her body lifting into the air once more. She was gently whisked over her sister’s head and spun around, now staring face to face with a very concerned looking Rarity.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” She asked as she set her sister on the floor. “You don’t need to lie to talk to me about something.”

“I know… I just… I just…” Sweetie Belle lowered her head, hiding the fact that she was starting to tear up, until she felt a hoof tilting her chin up. There was no hiding it now. “Do you have to fight that Dusk guy?”

“Umm… darling, what do you mean?” Rarity asked after a pause, a bit taken aback by the filly’s question. Firstly, she had to take a minute to piece together Sweetie’s words behind her sobs. Then she actually had to think of an answer.

Sweetie Belle took a moment to stop her breath from trembling and her eyes from pouring tears. “It’s just that… he’s so scary… a-and strong. I don’t want something bad to happen to you like… l-like… T-Tom.” She sniffled.

Rarity’s face scrunched into a conflicted half smile half sympathetic wince. She could feel her heart snapping in two just from seeing her sister so hurt. ‘Oh, Sweetie…” She reached down and wrapped her forelegs around the tiny marshmallow and picked her up into a warm hug.

After a tender moment, Rarity pulled the young filly away and looked at her with a bit of a frown, which didn’t make her feel any better. “I’m sorry, but I have to fight.”

“What?” Sweetie Belle’s mouth dropped open in silent denial, her brows knitting together and her eyes showing fearful concern. “No… please don’t. I don’t want you to… y-you’ll get hurt!”

“Sweetie...” Rarity spoke softly, hoping to quiet her sister’s frantic spiraling.

“You can’t beat him! Not even Tom could beat him!” Sweetie cried. “You’ll just end up getting k-”

“Sweetie.” Rarity spoke again, this time successfully capturing the filly’s attention. She honestly wasn't sure if Sweetie genuinely stopped to listen to her, or if she just ran out of breath, but she didn’t care. “I’m sorry… I wish I could tell you everything will be ok, but I can’t. I don’t know what will happen next.”

Feeling a few tears welling up, Rarity blinked hard and exhaled softly before continuing. “I know Tom lost to him… but we can still win. Tom was… having some trouble with his powers when he lost.”

“That’s why he…” Sweetie started, unable to finish as she trailed her eyes down.

“Yes, darling… that’s why.” Rarity nodded, trying not to let her broken heart reach her face in the pursuit of comforting her sister. “It was a series of bad things happening all at once… and I’m afraid he simply couldn’t handle it all by himself.” She trailed her eyes away, briefly letting darker thoughts of regret into her mind. “But he gave us a chance… and I will not simply waste it because I might get hurt.”

“But-”

“No buts, Sweetie.” Rarity said before softening her expression. “Look… I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make it back to you safely. I have the others to help look out for me. I know they wouldn’t let anything happen to me… just like I won’t let anything happen to them. Just like you and your friends would protect each other no matter what… understand?”

Sweetie Belle looked into her sister’s face, still wanting to say something in protest. However, words seemed to escape her.

Appreciating that the filly was at least processing her words, Rarity smiled softly before lifting her sister back up and over her back. “Come along then. It is entirely too late for you to be up thinking about such dreadful things.”

A begrudging groan came as the young unicorn splayed out on her sister’s back. “Do I have to? I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.”

“Oh, I think you will. Like I said, I will stay with you until you drift off.” Rarity said. The conflicted sigh against her neck told her that the filly was still unsure. “What if I took you and the others for ice cream tomorrow? Would that persuade you?” She asked with a sly grin.

Sweetie Belle lifted her head and perked her ears eagerly, but then restrained herself. Still, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t turn down the promise of ice cream for herself or her friends. She was sure she would get an earful from both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom if they found out she did.

“Ok… but only if you promise to be extra careful.”

Rarity felt the corners of her mouth tugging up warmly. “I promise.”

“Pinkie promise?” Sweetie added.

A soft snort came as Rarity turned her head. “You know, it isn’t actually a Pinkie promise if Pinkie isn’t the one you’re promising to.”

Sweetie Belle looked at her plainly. “We could go back and make it official.”

“I think a good old fashioned Rarity promise will do for now, don’t you think?” Rarity mused.

“Ugh… fine.” Sweetie rolled her eyes. After a few moments of walking, she trailed her eyes down before shifting them back up toward the white mare. “Hey, sis’?”

“Yes?” Rarity acknowledged without even moving her head or stopping. She knew she couldn’t take too long away from her friends just in case.

There was another slight pause from the filly, until Rarity felt a tiny set of forelegs wrapping around her neck softly.

“Love you.”

Her previously broken heart melted back into one piece. “I love you too, darling.”

After some time spent staring out into empty skies and dull countryside, worrying over something that she had no control over, Twilight decided that she needed a break. Really, everyone needed a break.

As she made her way inside, with Princess Luna and her brother tagging along, Twilight sighed wearily. "I don’t know how much longer I can keep waiting like this."

"Unfortunately, it is an unavoidable necessity." Luna said, offering the unicorn an understanding expression. "I merely wish Cadence would have joined us. I am certain that the guards could keep an eye on matters for a few minutes."

"She likes it out in the gardens." Shining Armor chimed in. "It relaxes her… but I think some food would help."

"My thoughts exactly." Twilight managed a smile, her eyes trailing off into blank space as she pictured a midnight snack. Usually, she wasn't awake to indulge herself with such a thing, but if she was going to be up at odd hours, she might as well get something out of it.

Meanwhile, Luna had her mind set on other things. "You two go on ahead. I am going to check on my sister."

Hearing Celestia being brought up immediately caused a somber air to wash over Twilight and Shining. They were so caught up with waiting for a potential attack that they hadn’t even thought about the pale alicorn.

"Should we pick something up and bring it to the two of you?" Twilight offered.

Luna let a small smile tug at her lips before it immediately gave up. "No thank you, Twilight. I am not hungry… and I'm afraid that regular food tastes repulsive to a vampire." She explained. Earlier, she had attempted to get Celestia to eat something to stave off the looming hunger, but the pale mare gagged and nearly returned it to her expediently.

Noticing a veiled sense of sadness and worry in the alicorn’s eyes, Twilight frowned softly. She could practically hear the pain in the alicorn’s voice from having to refer to her own sister as a creature of the night.

"We'll cure her in no time at all." Twilight assured, though she couldn’t hide the worry in her own eyes.

Luna started to reply, but was interrupted by hoof beats coming down the hall. They all looked up to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walking towards them.

“Hey, girls.” Twilight greeted, showing a genuine smile. “What are you two doing?”

Rainbow Dash responded with a dull sigh. “We’re taking a walk. Well… I’m taking a walk, and Fluttershy came with me.”

“Hmm… it seems that we are not the only ones feeling restless.” Luna noted.

“At least we’re all raring to go.” Shining Armor said.

“How’s that little project Glimmer and the others are working on coming along?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow curiously.

Luna wrinkled her lip briefly, trying to think of how best to answer that. “Well… Raincloud’s help has certainly expedited the process. They have already finished the major spellwork. However, I’m afraid that all of their work will only give us a slight edge.”

“Slight?” Fluttershy chimed in.

“How slight of an edge are we talking?” Rainbow narrowed her eyes a bit.

Seeing that the alicorn was hesitant to explain, Twilight spoke in her place. “I’ve read over the passages that Raincloud translated. Dusk isn’t exactly something we can just kill in one go like a regular vampire.” She let her eyes shimmer a bit with worry as she continued. “He’s… kind of like a slayer in a sense. His body can regenerate based on how much blood he has consumed, on top of his other abilities. He can be burned, cut, or stabbed with silver,” She gestured a hoof to Rainbow Dash, “and heal back to normal like nothing ever happened.”

“Oh… n-no.” Fluttershy cowered down and softened her eyes, even starting to tremble a bit.

Rainbow Dash frowned as she saw such fear in her friend’s face. “What about sunlight? Can’t Princess Celestia just raise the sun for a minute when he comes? He can’t regenerate if he’s a smoking pile of ash.”

“That is a good idea, Rainbow Dash.” Luna said before her expression fell slightly. “Unfortunately… given what happened with Scholarly Scribble earlier, I’m afraid that Dusk could issue a command to my sister and prevent her from raising the sun. That is even assuming he wouldn’t anticipate the sun rising and wear some kind of protection. As much as I wish there were another way… we will have to fight him.”

“But… how can we win against something that neither you or Princess Celestia could beat?” Shining asked, an uncharacteristic sense of hopelessness in his voice that caught the others off guard.

“It is simple in theory.” Luna explained, adopting a more determined tone of voice in the hopes of reassuring the group. “We keep damaging him, until he can no longer keep up with it. Once his stores of stamina are used up, we should be able to exploit his weakness to silver or fire to finish him off for good.”

The princess’s words filled much of the group with a rising sense of hope. The insurmountable wall barreling toward them was now vulnerable, even if only slightly. There was a chance for them.

Meanwhile, a certain yellow mare still wore a somber frown. “Princess… you said that we have to keep damaging him until his powers run out, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes.” Luna replied, her slight smile fading as she already caught on to what the pegasus was getting at.

“Then, wouldn’t that mean that a lot of us might…” The timid mare trailed her eyes down, her jaw trembling slightly as she struggled to get out the rest of her sentence. “Die?”

A troubled silence fell over the group. They all knew that there was a very real possibility that even if they won, they might lose some people. But the reality of the situation was much worse than they imagined. They were about to fight a war that they were not prepared to win. A war of atrophy.

After a moment, Rainbow Dash lifted her head and adopted a solemn look in her eyes. “Don’t worry, Flutters… I won’t let that happen, even if I have to beat Dusk down myself.”

Twilight and Fluttershy were taken aback by their friend’s resolve. They hadn’t seen her look so grave before. They didn’t like it. Even Shining Armor was unsettled, for he recognized that look. He had seen it before. It was the look of someone who thought they had nothing to lose.

Luna watched Rainbow for a moment before clearing her throat uncomfortably. “While I appreciate the determination, I would remind you that you need not do this alone, Rainbow Dash. We are all in this together now. And while I pray that the Elements of Harmony will successfully subdue Dusk, if they do not…” She paused for a moment, looking between the four ponies and thinking to the others. “I am honored to lay down my life and fight for the good of Equestria with you all… my friends.”

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and even Shining Armor couldn’t help but smile warmly. They might have been in for a fight they couldn’t win, but they wouldn’t go down without doing everything in their power to protect their friends. After everything they had been through, they weren’t about to let Equestria get taken over by some tyrannical alicorn, vampire or otherwise.

And then, just as they were starting to feel good about their situation, a feminine scream pierced the air.

Everyone’s ears stood on end and they immediately stiffened up. Then, their hearts plummeted as they recognized the direction and source of the blood curdling shriek.

Twilight and Shining Armor looked at each other with wide eyes before darting their gaze down the hall, toward the gardens.

“Cadence!”

Chapter 31: The Best Laid Plans...

With a wash of terror and dread filling every fiber of their beings, Twilight and the others all ran as fast as they could toward the gardens. The sound of Cadence’s scream still ringing in their ears, fueling them to move just that much faster.

Shining Armor, through sheer panic-fueled will to reach his love, to make sure she was safe, pulled ahead of the group and practically skidded past the doors leading outside. He made it two steps onto the grass before freezing, his jaw falling open and a shaky breath abruptly escaping as he stared ahead. And as Twilight and the others caught up, they soon saw why.

The garden was an absolute blood bath. Bodies littered the ground, some scattered around, some closer to the center as if they were caught unaware and then rushed to retaliate against some attack.

All of the guards that were left to watch the area were lying in crumpled heaps where they fell, slashes opened into their throats or holes punched clean through their bodies and even their gilded armor. Sprays of crimson stained the grass. The flowers. The hedges. All of the beauty of the area was covered and overwhelmed with the blood that was now pooling beneath the bodies.

But strangely, the blood was moving. In fact, it was floating into the air, being pulled toward the center of the area. And standing in the middle of it all, was a pale figure with eyes burning as bright as the blood around him, wings outstretched and crimson flowing into the cuts across his form.

“Dusk!” Luna grit her teeth, inching forward to stand between the others and their enemy protectively.

Rainbow Dash unfurled her wings and got light on her hooves as she saw the imminent threat before her. She then turned to her fellow pegasus.

Fluttershy was staring ahead in silent horror, her eyes tracing between each of the fallen stallions and her bottom lip quivering.

“Fluttershy, get the others!” Rainbow instructed, both to unite their friends and to keep the yellow mare out of the fight for a moment.

Fluttershy snapped out of her trance-like stare and darted her eyes to her friends. “O-ok!” She stammered, nearly tripping over herself as she headed off into a gallop back into the palace.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor was darting his eyes around for a different reason. He scanned the area, eyes going over every equine form he could find, his heart dropping to his stomach the more dead he saw.

Until finally, he found her.

A pink shape in the grass, a dozen or so feet away from Dusk.

Her motionless form was marred with cuts down her side and limbs. She was facing away from the group, but even from where they stood they could see a puddle of blood formed underneath her.

All of the world faded before Shining Armor’s eyes. He lurched back, producing a shaky gasp as the color drained from his face. “CADENCE!”

Before they could even react, Twilight and the others watched as the stallion bolted forward, uncaring of the pale alicorn waiting for them.

“Shining, wait!” Twilight reached out for her brother to no avail. As she too noticed the body of her former foalsitter, her eyes widened and her heart plummeted. She started rushing forward as well, with Luna and Rainbow Dash following close behind.

Up ahead, Shining Armor ran to his wife and slid to a halt before dropping to his haunches. He hovered his hooves over her, freezing momentarily as he saw her entire stomach region covered in red.

“Cadence?!” He called, feverishly shaking her in the hopes of finding a sign of life. “Cadence, please wake up!” He snapped his hoof to her neck, desperately feeling for a pulse with tears streaming down his face.

It took a second, but he found the comforting thump of his wife’s heart, still beating away in spite of how she appeared. A sense of relief washed over him, which was swiftly replaced by anger as a cold chuckle entered his ears.

Dusk waved a hoof around, bringing attention to the streams of blood flowing towards him and into his three wounds from all of the guards. “Apologies for stopping by without a proper announcement, but I see you’ve prepared a welcome for me regardless.” He grinned at the group, barely even hiding his enjoyment as the streams ended, leaving all of the guards mere dehydrated husks.

Shining looked up as he heard crunching grass behind him, only to see the others rushing over. Twilight dropped to his level and rested a hoof on Cadence’s side, while Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash kept their steely gaze fixed on Dusk.

“You are most certainly not welcome here, child,” Luna said, letting her horn shine brighter as she prepared a spell.

“Child?” Dusk snorted, bringing his hoof to his chest and giving a twitch of his wings. “Come now, Princess. We aren’t that far displaced in terms of age. In fact, I dare say that Celestia was grooming me to be your replacement.”

A growl passed through Luna’s clenched teeth. She flexed her hoof, digging into the dirt beneath her as her whole body vibrated with rage. However, before she could explode, Shining Armor stepped forward instead.

The stallion lit up his own horn, which turned a vibrant orange as he prepared a blast of fire. He glared into the alicorn’s glowing eyes, uncaring of the sheer evil radiating from them. “You’re going to pay.”

Dusk narrowed his eyes. “From the way you speak, you must think yourself far more important than you really are. Still… I will humor you. What exactly have I done to you that you would make such hollow threats?”

A cloud of steam puffed out as the white stallion snorted and hardened his features. “For starters, you hurt my friends… you foalnap my sister, my brother, and some literal foals,” He growled, growing angrier with each passing word as he stepped forward. “You change Celestia into some monster like you. You killed a good friend of mine and a lot of good ponies. And to top it all off… you hurt my wife!”

Dusk’s eyes widened, but not from fear, from revelation. “Oh, so you’re her husband?” He asked, shaking his head and putting a hoof to his forehead. “I was wondering when my children told me about a princess of love that married some captain of the guard. This makes so much more sense.” He smiled and chuckled to himself, which only further served to boil Shining’s blood. “At any rate… I’m not certain why you think I’ve hurt her. I merely knocked her out.”

Shining Armor jabbed a hoof behind him in an accusing manner. “Does that look like you just knocked her out?!”

“Oh… you poor fool. You didn’t think that puddle you were so ignorantly stepping in was her blood, did you?” He asked, a corner of his mouth lifting smugly.

Suddenly, a hint of movement caught Twilight’s eye. She looked down to Cadence’s body, only to notice the blood running off, leaving behind pristine and untouched pink fur as it flowed into the puddle on the ground, which in turn was rising into spear-like points-

And pointing right at her brother.

“SHINING, LOOK OUT!” Twilight cried, lighting up her horn far too late to do anything.

Shining Armor whipped his head back, only to widen his eyes as he saw a series of bloody projectiles in mid-flight, heading straight for him. His mind screamed for him to move, but he knew he couldn’t react in time. All he could do was flinch back in refusal as the crimson spears darted forward.

Then, instead of feeling the pain of being pierced into, Shining saw a flash of blue light as a magical barrier appeared before him, shielding him from the makeshift arrows and scattering them into liquid against its glowing surface.

The others watched as Luna stepped forward, horn aglow and eyes burning into Dusk’s general direction. She paused just ahead of the still-rattled Shining Armor and dropped the shield around him, instead conjuring two floating swords seemingly made of condensed moonlight and pointing them toward the alicorn.

“You shall not harm anyone else so long as I draw breath, monster!” She declared.

“Princess…” Shining looked to the wounded mare, frowning as he saw a certain amount of shaking in her limbs. She hadn’t fully recovered from the last battle she had with Dusk, and it was easy to tell.

Luna stole a darting glance at the stallion and the others behind her before turning her attention back to Dusk. “Get Cadence and the others back and keep them safe. I will hold him off for as long as I can.”

Before Shining could respond, a slight chortle brought everyone’s attention back to the pale alicorn. He had an amused look about him as he sized up the princess of the night.

“So long as you draw breath?” Dusk asked. “I would be careful with what you wish, Princess. It just might come true.” He said as a pair of blood tendrils rose up from his wrists, tips curved lazily and pointing toward the blue mare like a snake watching a potential threat.

Twilight watched uneasily as Luna prepared to do battle. She wanted to help somehow, but at the same time, she was nervous about fighting such a powerful foe. Looking off to the side at Rainbow Dash, she could see the pegasus struggling with similar emotions, only there was a distinctive lack of fear. The pegasus seemed worried to be sure, but it didn’t seem to be focused on herself.

Suddenly, a slight groan beneath them drew the two mare’s attention down to Cadence. Miraculously, the pink alicorn was starting to stir, and her eyes clenched under their lids.

“Wh… hngh…” Cadence muttered as she lifted her head drowsily. She blinked hard, her vision clarifying to the sight of a purple unicorn and cyan pegasus staring down at her with concerned faces.

“Cadence? Can you hear me?” Twilight asked softly, resting a hoof on her side. It looked like she was relatively unharmed, with only a few bruises and cuts present.

“Twilight…?” Cadence spoke, a bit of urgency behind the drowsiness in her voice. “Wh… what happened?” She asked, looking around for a moment. As she caught a glimpse of a dead guard a few feet away, a sudden look of alarmed revelation came over her. “Dusk!” She gasped, trying to get up, only to cringe softly from her battered body.

“Take it easy. Can you stand?” Twilight asked.

Cadence took a quick breath and pushed through whatever pain she felt so she could get to her hooves. She shook the last of the drowsy haze from her head and leveled her eyes on the situation around her. Her features softened as she saw all of the death and carnage around her, before hardening again as she looked ahead to the pale alicorn. “I can do better than that… I can fight.”

“Let’s make this creep pay.” Rainbow Dash said, flipping her silver dagger around in her hoof and staring ahead, mouth set into a grim line.

Twilight stood up, her jaw tensing as she thought back to the friend she had lost because of the pale stallion. He was right within her reach, but she couldn’t save him. She had made such a big deal about him letting her help, but she couldn’t deliver when the chips were down.

Lighting up her horn, she resolved to make up for past mistakes.

“This is for you, Tom.” She muttered to herself as she lowered into a battle stance.

-Elsewhere-

Glitterball stood up, her joints and back popping, eliciting a groan of pleasure. She wiped her forehead and scratched at the edge of her neck concealed by her vest before admiring her handiwork. "There… that’s the last of them."

Glimmer Shine walked up beside her and looked at the line of symbols she had just drawn along the floor. The whole room was covered in a mismatched scrawl of the arcane glyphs thanks to the efforts of his team and their begrudging partner. "Good job, everyone. I think we're as ready as we'll ever be."

"Thank Celestia for that." Sunspot sighed, sliding down to a seated position. Her forelegs were covered in splotches of red and blue paint. She looked like she had gotten into a fight with a clown and lost.

"Aw, don't be such a baby," Raincloud said, pausing as she stretched her neck, craning back until she was nearly looking at the orange pegasus upside down. "It wasn’t that bad."

Sunspot flattened her expression at the gray pegasus. "Easy for you to say with your freaky deaky shadow powers."

Raincloud narrowed her eyes, letting a few unpleasant thoughts into her mind as she stared daggers at her fellow pegasus. She lifted a hoof, contemplating shaving off a little fur from Sunspot’s head until a series of clicks came from the collar on her neck.

"Speaking of which," Sparkplug said, remote in hoof as she watched the bands spinning back into place and locking on Raincloud's collar, "I think it's time for your power privileges to be over for now."

"I don’t appreciate being treated like a filly getting a toy taken away," Raincloud said, giving the gray mare a thoroughly unimpressed look.

"Well, you probably should have thought about that before you broke like… all the laws." Sparkplug retorted.

Raincloud felt her eyebrow twitch. "You’re so lucky I'm contractually obligated to be on my best behavior, or I'd sock you so hard you'd need an ultrasound at your next dental visit."

"Somehow, I believe every word of that." Sparkplug said, taking a nervous step back.

Glimmer Shine snorted and shook his head, unable to hide a smirk. "Sparkplug, what have I told you about antagonizing our scary associates?"

"To my knowledge, nothing." Sparkplug scratched the back of her head.

"In all fairness, this is the first time we've had scary associates. It kind of goes against the job description." Glitterball reasoned.

“Well, hopefully this will all be over soon so we can go back to fighting the scum of the earth instead of working with it,” Sunspot added.

“Ahem…” Raincloud cleared her throat loudly. “Whenever you guys are done talking about me to my face, your discount glowsticks are… uh, glowing.” She pointed to one of the vials on Sunspot’s suit.

Looking down, Sunspot noticed the vial in question to be her detector vial. It was glowing softly and even vibrating a bit.

Glimmer Shine and Glitterball pulled their own vials from their vests, only to discover them to be glowing as well. The yellow liquid inside was getting brighter, and it was pointing toward the front doors.

“That can’t be good…” Glitterball muttered. By now, she and her other teammates had gotten up and huddled together as they faced the entrance.

Then, some muffled shouts and a disturbingly familiar snarling sound came from outside.

Raincloud stared at the doors warily as the noises grew louder. She had heard monsters before, but nothing quite like that. “Hey, Sparky,” She said, turning to the gray mare behind her, “undo this collar, would ya?” She tapped the annoying device around her neck that was keeping her from using her powers at will.

Sparkplug darted her nervous gaze away from the doors and over to the pale pegasus, and then at the remote stuffed into one of her front pockets.

Noticing the gray pony’s hesitance, Raincloud groaned and rolled her eyes. “Look, you wanted me to fight the big fight with you, and it looks like it’s about that time. I can’t do much if I can’t use my magic, now can I?”

Before Sparkplug could make the decision on her own, Glimmer Shine stepped in front of her, his intense eyes locking with hers.

“Do it, Sparkplug.” He instructed.

“But-”

“Just trust me on this. We need all the help we can get.” Glimmer insisted. “Unlock her collar, then leave the remote with Glitter so you can go get Princess Luna and the o-”

The front doors opened with a crash, sending an utterly terrified-looking unicorn guard smacking into the floor. He had blood all over his chest piece, but it didn’t look like his.

“Help! Somepony!” He cried, but his pleas were almost drowned out by the now intensified sounds of screaming and unnatural barks and snarls.

From what the team of ponies could see past the guard, the stairs outside were a battle zone. At least two guards could be seen on the floor lifeless. Two others were fighting and losing against gaunt blurs of red eyes and teeth. One poor soul was getting ripped apart on the ground, screaming and kicking to no avail as the feral beast on top of him overtook him.

Glimmer Shine and Glitterball reached for their dagger and crossbow respectively, while Sunspot flexed her wings in preparation to go save the wounded guard at the door. Before anyone could react further, however, the stallion was set upon by a pale maw of teeth clamping down on his hind legs and dragged out of sight.

As the stallion’s screams died down, three new shapes entered the doorway and stepped inside, immediately recognizable as strigoi, seemingly created from dead guards.

“Sweet Celestia…” Sparkplug backed up, utterly horrified by the carnage outside. It was hard to tell how many of the feral creatures there were from the many blurred shapes leaping around to chase after some guard, but there were at least a dozen.

“Uh, guys… maybe now is a good time to activate those spells we worked so hard on?” Sunspot reasoned, keeping in front of Glitterball and Sparkplug alongside Glimmer Shine.

“I don’t think they would work for this many targets.” Glitterball muttered nervously. “We designed them to drain the energy from one powerful vampire, not a lot of weaker ones.”

With that, a spine-tingling roar came from the beast in the middle as its two companions lowered themselves in preparation to pounce.

Glimmer Shine grit his teeth at the three creatures and clutched his dagger tight in his hoof. “Alright, new plan. Don’t die!” He announced, just as the beasts charged forward.

With a quick button press from Sparkplug, Raincloud charged forward as the collar around her neck clicked and spun, freeing the flow of energy within her and allowing her to light her hoof aflame with purple fire.

The pegasus yelled and shot her hoof out just as one of the creatures pounced at her, lanky forelegs reaching out to her. A shockwave of air erupted in front of her, creating a thunderous noise and sending the pale pony flying backward and out of the doors, where a few of the beasts outside paused what they were doing to watch as one of their own sailed above their heads.

Not one to be outdone by a former enemy, Sunspot gave a beat of her wings and intercepted one of the creatures heading toward Glimmer Shine. She knocked it off balance, and while it was rolling to a stop off to the side, she produced her own silver knife and leaped toward it.

Glitterball swiftly aimed her crossbow at the last creature as it charged her stallion friend. She fired, the bolt’s tip glinting in the light as it zipped straight into the lithe pony’s ribs. Glimmer Shine flinched and shielded his face with a foreleg as a burning mass of dust crashed into him, though all he felt was a warm draft and some particles hitting him.

As Sunspot finished dispatching her creature, she looked over to see her friends standing victorious. However, nobody could celebrate in time as more feral noises came from the entrance.

“Holy hayseed!” Sunspot yelped as a veritable pack of the emaciated creatures came bolting into the palace. Two of them broke off and headed for her, while the other five went for the others. She barely had time to dodge out of the way before a gnashing set of teeth snapped shut mere inches away from her face.

Glitterball dropped her crossbow in a panic, while Sparkplug fumbled to take out her dagger. The unicorn lit up her horn and conjured a wall of light, acting as a barrier that managed to occupy two of the beasts.

Raincloud used her shadow magic to pull one of the creatures toward her, distracting it enough that she could deal with it. However, that still left two of the creatures free to sprint right toward Glimmer Shine and Sparkplug.

“AH!” Sparkplug ducked as a maw of teeth sailed right over her head. She whipped around, the knife in her hoof trembling as the beast skidded on the marble floor and faced her.

Meanwhile, Glimmer Shine failed to make a strike at his creature before the monstrous stallion pounced on him. He shot his hooves out and yelped as he was sent to the floor. While his back throbbed and the wound on his shoulder burned, he managed to keep the snapping jaws far enough away from him to save himself.

Then, from the back of the room, the sound of armor-clad hooves fast approaching drew Glimmer Shine’s eyes briefly.

A small band of four guards came rushing into the room, whereupon they looked ahead with wide eyes at the fierce battle going on.

“A little help here, guys?!” Glimmer asked desperately as he struggled to keep his hold on the beast trying its best to bite at him.

The guards all shared a brief look with each other before steeling their expressions and drawing their silver weapons. Charging forward, they all spread out and did their best to assist the team of monster hunters in defending the entry hall.

Sparkplug deflated with relief as one of the guards slashed at the creature focused on her, reducing it to ash from a nasty cut to its chest. She gave the stallion a passing look of gratitude before turning her attention back to the door, where even more of the creatures were making their way inside.

“Oh, buck all kinds of duck…” She muttered tensely before tightening her grip on her knife and drawing air between her teeth as she ran into the fray.

Dusk looked around at the formidable group of Equestria’s greatest heroes. They were watching him like a hawk, waiting for him to make the first move. Of course they would be cautious. After all, they already knew what he was capable of, and what he had done to them in the past.

However, the alicorn himself seemed out of place in a mounting battle, as he didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his opponents.

“While I must applaud your tenacity, I feel the need to remind you that I have already defeated you and Celestia once before.” He said, casting his cold eyes toward Luna. “Not to mention that poor excuse for a hero, Thomas." Dusk stated.

An angry growl came from Rainbow Dash as she stepped forward. "Don’t even say his name, you freak!"

Dusk lifted his brows at the cyan mare’s pointed glare and twitching wings. "Hmm… touchy subject, is it? I suppose it would be. After all, you could have saved him if you moved just a bit faster."

Seeing the sadistic grin on the alicorn’s face made Rainbow’s blood boil. She grit her teeth and snorted, her body instinctively lowering and her wings arching in preparation to swoop forward. "Why you little…!"

Then, before the cyan mare could take off, a magenta aura flashed in front of her, halting her movement.

Rainbow looked over, eyes still carrying the rage against the alicorn, only to see her unicorn friend wearing a soft expression of worry.

"Wait, Rainbow." Twilight pleaded. "He's just trying to get under your skin so you'll make a mistake."

Thinking back to her previous battle with Dusk, Rainbow softened her expression slightly and brought a hoof to her neck as she eyed the two tendrils swaying unnaturally by the alicorn’s sides. She grit her teeth a moment longer, her rage still trying its best to surge through her, until she sighed and nodded. “You’re right… We need to be smart about this.”

Hearing who that was coming from made Twilight realize just how serious their situation was. Both she and Rainbow knew that their best shot at beating the pale stallion was using the elements, and that required the bearers to all be alive to use them. As much as they wanted to, they couldn’t just dive into combat alongside their friends willy nilly and risk it all.

Equestria needed them to win. Their friends and families needed them to win. They had no other choice.

Spotting some movement from the two tendrils, Luna widened her eyes and raced to project a shield around herself and Shining Armor. However, Twilight, Cadence, and Rainbow Dash were too far away to fit inside her barrier.

“Twilight, Cadence, defend yourselves!” She exclaimed.

Twilight shot back from her rampant thoughts and looked ahead, only to see a blur of red as the two tendrils shot towards her and her pegasus friend. “Eeep!” She squeaked with fear, lighting up her horn and racing to project a shield.

A magenta barrier appeared, which quickly flashed blue as Cadence joined in. Rainbow Dash flinched back as the twin streams of blood darted closer.

Then, just before impacting either of the shields, the two tendrils broke off at sharp angles, heading to either side of the area.

The group watched the tendrils from within their magical domes with looks of confusion on their faces. Some watched Dusk, wondering what ploy he had in mind, while others kept their stares focused on the crimson trails zipping through the air.

Then, all at once, they realized where the tendrils were heading.

Twilight and the others watched as the two streams broke off into several smaller lines. Each line flowed toward one of the bodies of the guards scattered around the area, forcibly entering their wounds and disappearing within.

“What the…?” Rainbow’s mouth wrinkled with disgust as the bodies twitched from the sheer force and volume of blood flowing into them.

“What’s he doing?” Cadence asked, genuinely at a loss for what was going on. The pale stallion just drained all of the blood from the guards’ bodies, so why would he be putting blood back in them?

However, Twilight’s features dropped as she realized what the stallion had planned. “Oh no…”

All at once, the streams of blood feeding into the bodies ceased, but that didn’t stop them from twitching. The ponies watched in mounting horror as the formerly white and brown fur coats of the fallen stallions started to gray and wither.

Skin shriveled and fell away from bone. Flesh simultaneously wrinkled and stretched as the framework it sat on changed. The limbs of the guards lengthened in a slow, painful-looking spectacle that produced a series of muted pops and a sound like rope stretching.

Red lights came to life in sunken eyes as the rest of the visage of a proud defender of Equestria was replaced by that of a twisted monster. Soon enough, all seven of the guards stood up, given new unholy existence as the disfigured creatures known as strigoi.

Cadence gasped and stopped a hoof from shooting to her mouth as she darted her eyes between the seven snarling and drooling figures now surrounding them. “Oh my gosh… what… what has he done to them?”

“We’ve seen these before.” Twilight explained tensely. “They’re mindless slaves… slaves with sharp teeth and crazy strength.”

Rainbow Dash felt a shiver down her back as she was faced with the same monstrosities that killed her friend. Their sunken eyes and expressionless faces would haunt her dreams for years to come. Still, she tensed her muscles and kept her cool. For the moment at least, there was a magical barrier between her friends and the beasts.

“Does your vile heart hold nothing sacred, Dusk?” Luna asked, staring daggers into the pale stallion. “You already took these ponies’ lives. Can’t you at least let them rest in peace?!”

“Oh, but they are so much more useful to me this way. I find the idea of you doing battle against those sworn to serve you quite amusing.” Dusk retorted.

The smug look on the alicorn’s face made Luna’s teeth grind. Still, she couldn’t do much at the moment. Both she and Shining Armor would be overwhelmed in moments if they dropped the shield now.

Shining Armor looked around at the many soulless creatures stalking them like vultures. He couldn’t stop a bit of fear from welling up as he thought back to the last time he fought the fierce beasts.

“Can he get through your shield?” He whispered, nodding subtly toward Dusk.

Luna wrinkled her expression as she noted how fatigued she was. “I am not certain… I did not have the opportunity to test a shield when I last fought him.” She explained, looking to her faintly shimmering barrier with a hint of unease. “Supernatural beings like him tend to have an adverse effect on magic, but I do not know if this would apply to all spells.”

“So, what do we do?” Shining asked again.

After a moment of thought, Luna turned to him with a more serious air about her. “Perhaps we can pick them off one by one if I drop the shield and put it back up as soon as you dispatch one?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Shining nodded. “We could probably take out a few of them before Dusk tries something different to stop-”

Then, the sound of frantic hooves behind them interrupted the stallion.

Everyone looked back to the doorway back into the castle, only to see a familiar set of four mares rushing out, a panic-fueled need to come to their friends’ aid burning in their faces.

“Oh no…” Shining’s pupils shrank as he saw Fluttershy returning with the rest of their friends in tow.

“Oh dear…” Luna’s face paled as well.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Cadence all felt their hearts sink as they realized what was about to happen.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie rushed to the front of the group and hopped onto the grass like an agile cat before darting her eyes around the area, silver dagger in hoof. “Guys, we’re here! Where is…”

The pink mare trailed off as a series of growls ahead of her drew her attention to the scene waiting for them. By now, all eyes in the garden were fixed squarely on them, including the empty red glow of all the strigoi.

“...Uh oh.”

“Sweet apple pie…” Applejack muttered, the color leaving her face as she lowered into a defensive stance.

Rarity widened her eyes and allowed Fluttershy to shrink behind her as the both of them took in everything waiting for them, from the blood on the grounds, to their friends trapped in protective bubbles, to the pale alicorn and all of his vicious minions.

“Merciful Celestia… What on earth is-”

“Guys! Get out of there!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed frantically from within the bubble she was safe inside.

Before anyone else could react, a brief chuckle came from Dusk as he eyed between the four newly arrived ponies. “Hmm… fancy that, some new toys to play with.” He grinned, casting his invisible influence to his servants as he lifted a foreleg. “Kill them!”

With that, a collective snarl came before a series of barks announced the blur of teeth and lithe forms sprinting forward. All seven of the withered ponies all passed around or over the two protective bubbles to get at their new targets.

Pinkie and the others all felt their breath catch in their chests as a pack of former guards on supernatural steroids came charging at them with fangs bared and death in their sunken eyes.

“AHHHH!!!”

Chapter 32: The Fallen

Pandemonium.

The entry hall of the royal castle, normally peaceful and elegant, was in the midst of the worst battle it had seen since the hooded ponies invaded. The entire room and the area outside were steeped in pandemonium.

A myriad of shouts, feral barks and growls, and the ring of silver weapons filled the air as the members of Spirit and their allies tried to fend off the small horde of vampiric ponies.

Glimmer Shine and a unicorn guard stood back to back, dodging swipes and pounces from two of the creatures and trying to land a decisive strike.

Glimmer held his dagger and a hoof against the chest of the surprisingly swift creature as it lunged for him, keeping its snapping jaws at bay with his strength until it realized it was being burned by contact with the silver blade and backed off.

“Gah!” The guard behind him yelped, followed by a loud thump.

The yellow stallion turned and widened his eyes as he spotted the unicorn on the ground with a strigoi on top, ready to bite.

“Holy…!” Glimmer stammered before rushing to aid his companion. He stabbed his dagger into the beast’s side. With a pained howl, the withered pony erupted into flames and collapsed into ash, freeing the guard.

The unicorn stallion took a stiff breath and looked up to the younger pony, sharing a grateful nod before the both of them darted their eyes to the side at an abrupt snarl.

Glimmer Shine Widened his eyes and flinched back as he spotted the first creature in mid-flight, coming toward him with elongated forelegs reaching out. “AHH!”

Before death incarnate could reach him, Glimmer was surprised to see a brown aura wrap around the strigoi, suspending it in the air. He looked to the side to see the guard already struggling to keep the supernatural creature from breaking free.

Wasting no time, Glimmer made a stab at the trapped creature, but not before it could buck to the side, awkwardly locomoting through the air and putting even more stress on the guard. So much stress, in fact, that the creature flopped back to the ground as the aura around it vanished and the unicorn yelped in pain.

A few feet away, Sparkplug and Glitterball were having their own problems.

Glitterball was doing her best to assist whoever she could at range with her crossbow and magic, while Sparkplug was using a dagger to keep one of the creatures away from her friend.

“There’s too many of them!” Sparkplug exclaimed as two more of the beasts found their way over to join the one trying to get at her. She stabbed one as it lunged toward her. Glitter encased another in a magical bubble, but the third managed to jump at the two of them before either could react.

Suddenly, a crossbow bolt pierced the creature in the back, scattering it to ash. The two mares uncovered their faces and looked up as a blur of black and orange flew overhead. It took a moment for them to realize that it was Sunspot with her bow drawn.

“Where did all these things come from?!” Sunspot asked as she dove down to help a group of guards that were struggling with a pack of the creatures.

“It looks like Dusk took out a few patrols around the city. He must be here somewhere.” Glimmer Shine noted as he briefly counted how many were visible. For this many guards to have gone missing without being noticed, it must have happened recently.

“Someone needs to fire your scouts!” Raincloud shouted as she sent a pair of the beasts flying and cut another’s head off near the door with a shadowy blade. Even she was starting to get tired from fighting so many of the pale ponies.

Suddenly, the pale blue mare felt her ears shoot up as a fearful squeal filled the air. She looked to the side, only to spot her new allies in trouble.

Two more of the creatures had pounced into Glitterball and Sparkplug. Both ponies were struggling to keep the beasts at bay, but it seemed like the unicorn was having the most trouble.

Glitter cringed with pain as her previously sealed-up injury burned from being so violently stretched. However, she couldn’t focus on this for long, as the withered pony on top of her snapped and bit at her with feverish tenacity.

“Somepony help!” She cried.

Off to the side, Sunspot’s face paled as she saw her friends in peril. “Guys!” She reached out, preparing to dart off to help before getting tackled to the floor by another of the creatures.

Still absorbed in his own battle, Glimmer Shine looked over to see the three mares struggling to stay alive. The other guards in the room were occupied, as was he, so nobody was available to help.

Nobody, that is, except a certain pegasus.

“Raincloud, help them!” Glimmer shouted to the pale mare as he ducked under a swiping foreleg.

The stallion’s frantic commands and the fearful yelps of the trapped mares might have stirred Raincloud to act. However, something else caught her eye.

Looking beside her, she noticed the front doors of the palace, open wide and letting in the pale moonlight. There weren’t many of the creatures left out there, and they didn’t pose much of a threat to her anyway.

The only thing between her and freedom was the collar around her neck, and the thick cord keeping her wings tucked in.

“Raincloud!” Sunspot yelled, struggling to stand up while also keeping the vampire from biting her. She wasn't doing as poorly as Glitterball was, but she still couldn’t ignore the creature to assist her friends.

Raincloud looked over to see the suited pegasus glaring at her, silently communicating a threat, or rather, a promise that if she betrayed them now, she would pay. She looked down to her own hoof, contemplating for a moment, before letting a smirk across her face and a spout of dark energy across her foreleg.

In one swift motion, the pale mare swiped down at her midsection, cutting the rope binding her and allowing her wings to spread. She looked back to the team of ponies and the guards, who by now were also stealing stunned glances her way in between fighting. “Sorry guys… it’s been swell, but I’ve got other places to be… namely, anywhere but here!”

And with that, she ran for the door and took off into the air.

Sunspot watched the pale pony swiftly growing smaller against the sky, her blood boiling and her teeth grinding progressively more and more. She used this anger to help her fend off the creature struggling with her with one hoof while she reached for her dagger on the floor, but the blade was just out of reach.

Just then, a mechanical click and a swoosh sounded out, followed by the creature fighting her erupting into a pained howl as a silver bolt struck its form. Sunspot looked to the side as the creature collapsed to ash, only to find Sparkplug aiming her crossbow with her injured foreleg while fighting off her own creature with the other.

In one swift move, the gray mare dug into a pocket on her vest and pulled out another silver bolt, which she then stabbed into the beast’s side. Once the weight was lifted off of her, she breathed a quick sigh before shooting to her hooves and turning to Sunspot.

“Go after her! I’ve got Glitter!” She exclaimed, already rushing forward and wrapping her hooves around the creature pinning the unicorn to the floor.

Sunspot locked eyes with the gray mare, surprised to see a level of determination normally reserved for a seasoned soldier that perfectly understood their role in a battle. She looked around, making sure nobody else needed her immediate assistance, received an approving nod from Glimmer Shine, and took off like a bat out of Tartarus out the front doors and into the air.

.
..
…
Meanwhile, several yards away in the skies above Canterlot, Raincloud was putting as much distance as she could between her and her former captors. However, even if she had escaped seemingly scott free, there was one lingering reminder from her supposed comrades that she couldn’t get rid of.

Her collar.

The pegasus grunted and heaved as she pulled on the metallic contraption with all of her might. The device had activated and spun closed after she took off, almost like it had to be within a certain distance of the remote to even stay open.

“Grr… that damn gearhead is smarter than I gave her credit for.” She grumbled in annoyance as she let her hooves fall away from the collar. She would have to get it off later, without her shadow magic. A slight complication, but not one she couldn’t handle with enough time.

However, it seemed like time might not be on her side.

Noticing an out-of-place shadow on the clouds beneath her, trailing behind her own silhouette, Raincloud looked back, only to reel in surprise as she spotted a familiar orange shape hot on her tail.

“Oh boy…” She cringed uneasily before sighing and shaking her head. “Alright, carrot head. You want to do this? Let’s do this.” She muttered to herself before banking down and to the side.

Sunspot narrowed her eyes as she followed after. If Raincloud wanted a chase, she would get one. She picked up speed as her elusive target flew closer to the city. And as Raincloud zipped between two buildings, her suspicions were confirmed. The grayish mare was trying to lose her through a mixture of speed and breaking sight.

With the ease and grace of a bird of prey, Sunspot twisted her body and drew in her wings, gliding between the towers where she fell down and out the other side before stretching her wings back out and flapping. She spotted Raincloud further ahead, trying to change directions.

Weaving above and around some other buildings, the ex Wonderbolt followed the convict through the upper plazas, ducking through alleys, windows, arches. Wherever her bold target dared to go in an attempt to shake her, she either followed or went around, keeping pace and slowly closing the distance between them.

Ponies on the ground would almost be impressed by the display of the two pegasi if they weren’t flying by with little care for how disruptive they were. They nearly knocked into bystanders on balconies or back streets, clipped into clotheslines hanging between buildings, and even managed to knock over a few tables in an outdoor restaurant.

Raincloud panted lightly, her breathing taxed but not overwhelmed, as she looked behind her. She was outclassed and she knew it. Without her shadow magic to give her the upper hoof, the orange mare’s experience was going to win in this little chase sooner or later.

Speaking of the orange mare, she was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

Where before, she had been right on Raincloud’s tail like she was attached by an invisible chain, now she was missing entirely.

Raincloud darted her eyes around as she rounded a curve in the street. Had she lost her? Were her constant maneuvers and detours enough to give the orange mare the slip? Perhaps if she acted fast enough, she could land and blend in with a crowd while the suited pony searched overhead.

And then a blur of black and orange slammed into her from above, sending her down to mingle with a crowd much sooner and rougher than she wanted.

A series of gasps and startled yelps from bystanders filled the street as two full-grown pegasi crashed to the ground. The pair bounced and skidded to a stop, with the pale blue one on the bottom taking most of the impact.

Sunspot panted, her eyes hardened with anger as she looked down at the mare pinned under her hooves. She lifted her head briefly, taking note of where she was and the small crowd of ponies keeping their distance and watching them like they were crazy. A few ponies seemed to recognize her, but they also recognized that it was probably best to keep out of her way.

“Did you really think you could out fly a Wonderbolt?!” Sunspot glared down at the other mare, who was still recovering from the rough landing they had.

Raincloud squinted an eye open and tried to lift up, only to be stopped by two hooves being pressed into her shoulders. Her hind legs were pinned too, and judging from the ringing pain in her back and head, the orange mare hadn’t at all braked in the air to slow their fall.

“Can… can you… blame a girl for… trying?” She coughed.

Sunspot growled under her breath and prepared to reach to her suit so she could grab some restraints, when Raincloud abruptly jerked her head upwards, knocking foreheads together and sending the orange pony reeling back.

“OW!” Sunspot yelped. “Mother b-” She started until she felt one of the gray mare’s forelegs jerking out and away from her hoof.

With a cringe-worthy smack, Raincloud punched Sunspot square in the side of the face. Using the stunning recoil, she kicked out from under the other pony and scrambled to get away. Once she was free, she broke off into a sprint.

“Stop right there!” Sunspot yelled as a slight click sounded out. “You take one more step and I will shoot you.”

Raincloud paused. She slowly turned around, half expecting the suited mare to have drawn her crossbow, only to see her holding a vial out. She snorted softly and lifted the corners of her mouth ever so slightly. “Haven’t we been through this before? I’m not scared of your fancy pop guns.”

*POP*

With a startling crack, a bolt of green light zipped into the ground at Raincloud’s hooves, leaving behind a smoking pinhole. Several members of the crowd yelped and drew back even further.

Looking up, Raincloud saw the vial in Sunspot’s hooves smoking lightly from the tip. There were slits of glass in its sides revealing a green glow that slowly dimmed. This was not one of the team’s usual pieces of equipment. This was an actual weapon.

“Ok…” Raincloud said, slowly lifting her hooves into the air. “Ok… you got me.”

“Yeah… I thought so.” Sunspot muttered. She then turned to see the gathering of ponies watching her, some whispering to each other nervously and pointing. “Sorry for the noise, folks. Official royal business, move along.” She waved, making sure to keep her vial pointed toward Raincloud.

After a moment of hesitation, the ponies all started walking toward their previous destinations. Perhaps they would have to think again before ignoring a seemingly harmless curfew order from the Princess.

Once the scene had cleared a bit, Sunspot walked over to her former colleague, now prisoner, keeping her eyes on the pegasus the whole time. She knew something like this was going to happen right when this idea came up. At least she was the one that got to deal out the karmic retribution this time.

Making her way behind Raincloud, Sunspot took a foreleg and wrenched it behind the pale mare, taking pains to be not quite rough enough to constitute abuse, but just rough enough to give her some satisfaction. The pegasus cringed and grunted, but that was just about all she could do. She knew she was beaten. She played her hoof and lost.

Once her new prisoner was safely locked into hoof cuffs, Sunspot took a moment to bring a hoof to her bruised muzzle. Her nose stung as she touched it, and as she recoiled slightly, she noticed some blood on her hoof.

“A headbutt? Really?” She muttered, thoroughly annoyed. “Who does that?”

Raincloud hid a smirk, which was swiftly replaced with a cringe as a hoof was roughly clamped on her shoulder and a very irritated-looking orange mare came around to glare at her.

“For your sake, you better hope that nobody got hurt while we were away, or the best you can hope for is just going back to jail.” Sunspot said before standing up and spreading her wings as she grabbed the pale mare by the foreleg. “Come on, get to flying. I know you can handle being off-balance after that stunt you pulled.”

- A few minutes ago -

“AHHH!!!”

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy screamed as the pack of feral ponies rushed for them. Rarity was too stunned to react further than a series of panicked stammers. She fumbled with her silver dagger, twitching it back and forth as she tried and failed to decide which creature to attempt and retaliate against.

Applejack stepped in front of her friends and tensed up as she readied her meager weapon. Before she could even raise her blade, she realized that she wouldn’t be able to do much against all of the creatures. Even if all of her friends acted in perfect harmony, they would still be overwhelmed.

The group flinched back as three of the beasts reached them and pounced. Just before a set of vicious teeth clamped down onto Applejack’s foreleg, a luminous blade of energy swiped in from the side, stabbing itself into the closest creature.

In a flash, a ball of fire slammed into another of the beasts, while the third was wrapped in a purple aura and yanked away.

As the pale ponies settled from the sudden attacks, Applejack and the others looked up to see their friends, shields down and horns lit up.

Luna glanced between the four creatures left standing while the others recovered on the ground. The one that was struck by flame ended up being overtaken and turned to ash, leaving the rest to turn toward their new foes.

"Girls! Keep back and wait for your opening!" She yelled.

"Princess, look out!" Shining Armor shouted, conjuring a small shield behind the alicorn as a series of crimson bullets nearly pierced into her.

Both of them ducked as a bloody tendril slashed over their heads, nearly taking a few strands of their manes with it.

"Remember who you're fighting, Luna. It will keep you alive longer!" Dusk stated, waving a hoof around and controlling a stream of blood floating out of his wrist.

While Cadence stayed behind with Luna and Shining, waiting for a chance to assist the pair, Rainbow Dash and Twilight fell back to the rest of their friends.

Rainbow leaped into the air and used her wings to speed over and kick one of the strigoi as it started turning back to the group of four mares. She spun around and faced three more of the creatures, only to have one of them break off and head back towards Shining Armor and Luna.

"Uh oh!" Rainbow paled as she watched the beast heading towards the pair. It seemed like four of the creatures were focusing on her and her friends, while the others were focused on Luna, Shining, and Cadence.

"Dash, look out!" Applejack exclaimed, rushing to tackle one of the beasts as it got up from the floor and leaped for the pegasus.

"Woah!" Rainbow widened her eyes as she turned to see the orange mare stabbing a dagger into one of the creatures. "Thanks for the assist."

"Girls! A little help here!" Rarity squealed as she hesitantly squared off with three of the creatures with Pinkie and Fluttershy.

Just then, Twilight appeared in front of the three mares in a flash of purple. She faced the feral ponies and conjured a wall of light before sending it blasting forward. The wall collided with all three of the creatures, knocking them down like a set of bowling pins and distancing them.

Twilight formed a slight smile at her work before a grave expression returned to her face as she saw her brother and the two alicorns fighting off attacks from Dusk and the other strigoi.

"Did you guys bring the elements?" She asked, somewhat urgently, as she turned back to her friends.

Rarity glanced back to the palace behind her and lit up her horn, producing a familiar brown bag before placing it back out of sight. "I never come to a battle without the proper accessories, darling."

"Good… Be ready to use them at a moment’s notice. Something tells me that we won't have much of an opening." Twilight said, turning to the battle ahead of her uneasily.

"Umm… Twilight, I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but how are we going to get enough time to use the elements with all of these monsters around?" Fluttershy asked, glancing around at the various strigoi still recovering from being knocked to the floor.

“That’s simple.” Rainbow Dash chimed in eagerly. “We thin the herd.”

Without even conferring with her friends, the cyan mare turned to the lone strigoi to their right, still recovering from her swift kick before. Rainbow let a determined smirk cross her face as she swooped over with dagger in hoof and prepared what she imagined to be the death blow for the beast.

With a mighty yell, Rainbow stabbed her foreleg out, putting all of her momentum behind the attack. However, the creature had managed to just barely get to its hooves in time to spot the pegasus in mid-flight. At the last moment, it jumped to the side, letting the pony’s attack miss and leaving her exposed.

“Ack!” Rainbow squawked in surprise and reeled her whole body back, barely getting clear in time to miss a snap from the creature’s powerful jaws by the graces of her powerful wings. She kept fluttering back, keeping her dagger out in front of her as she sized up her opponent with a bit more tact and caution.

“Hey, ugly!” A voice came bellowing from the side, drawing both the monster and Rainbow’s attention to see Applejack sprinting into the fray.

The orange mare threw caution into the wind and her body into the feral pony before it could even react. She managed to send it to the ground, kicking up some dirt and ruining some of the few flowers in the area untouched by the battle.

“Holy hay, Applejack! Are you crazy?!” Rainbow Dash asked, half concerned and half impressed by her bold friend’s actions.

Applejack responded with a grunt as she tried her best to keep the feral pony pinned on the ground, taking pains to keep its head immobilized so it couldn’t snap at her. “Y’know, Dash, it might be nice if’n you could lend me a hoof with this feller!” She exclaimed, struggling to keep from getting socked in the face by an elongated foreleg.

Suddenly, the beast bucked its whole body upwards. With its immense strength, it sent Applejack sliding forward. As her hooves briefly fell away from the beast’s head, she cringed and reeled back away from a vicious snap of teeth mere inches away from her face.

A hoof smacked across her side, knocking her off and leaving a hefty bruise. She ignored the throbbing pain in her ribs and reached for her misplaced dagger, only to fail as the creature got upright before her.

Just as she prepared to feel her flesh getting ripped into, a cyan blur shot up from behind the creature and a silver blade was jammed into the back of its skull, coming straight through the mouth.

Applejack watched the feral stallion swiftly convert to glowing ash before scattering to the wind, leaving her staring at her pegasus friend, who had more than a bit of smug confidence to her expression.

“See? I had it handled.” Rainbow stated, offering a hoof to help the farmer back to her own four limbs. “Although, I gotta admit, you did pretty good yourself.”

Applejack gave the cyan pony a flat look. If she had been a bit more careful, she wouldn’t have needed help in the first place. “I guess I’ll take the compliment.” She said, managing a slight smile as Rainbow pulled her to her hooves. The two of them looked at the dim remaining embers in the grass that once was a vicious monster before turning to the rest of the battle. “Two down…”

“A lot more to go.” Rainbow finished, trying to keep the twinge of unease building inside of her from showing outwardly.

Meanwhile, while the two mares were dispatching their creature, Twilight and the others were dealing with three of the beasts.

“Ok, you big meanies! Bring it on!” Pinkie stated, balancing on one leg and waving her dagger around like a skilled fencer at one of the beasts. She and her friends had spread out slightly to make it easier to dodge and to make it more likely for the creatures to pick individual targets, with Rarity, Twilight, and herself in front, and Fluttershy close behind.

The leftmost pony sniffed at the shiny object the pink mare was swishing about. It snarled as the odor stung its nose and swiped a foreleg at her, knocking the blade from her hooves and casting it off to the side.

Immediately, any bravado or confidence Pinkie had vanished with her weapon. “Uh oh…” She muttered, flashing a nervous smile and hoping that she could challenge the creature to some other form of combat more suited to her. As it lowered into a hostile stance and growled at her, these hopes were all but dashed.

“AHH!” Pinkie yelped as the creature lunged for her, teeth bared and red eyes burning into her own.

Just then, Rarity stepped forward bravely and lit up her horn. She wrapped her aura around the feral pony in midair, using all of her strength to power through and toss it back with a mighty yell. “Take that, you malnourished cur!”

Pinkie smiled at her unicorn savior, but the relief and joy were short-lived as the both of them noticed a second creature heading straight for them.

Seeing her friends in danger, Fluttershy cringed and acted as fast as she could. “Rarity, catch!” She yelled, tossing her dagger to someone more willing and qualified at using it.

Rarity spotted the silvery weapon twirling into the air ahead of her. In one swift motion, she grasped the dagger with her magic and stabbed it into the approaching creature. “Hyah!”

With a pained howl, the former guard caught the blade in its chest. Its body crumbled to fiery dust soon after, ending its tormented existence and its never-ending hunger.

“Nice one, Fluttershy!” Pinkie cheered.

Fluttershy smiled awkwardly. “Heh… you should be thanking Rarity.”

“The perfect catch can’t happen without the perfect throw, darling,” Rarity added, tossing the dagger up and catching it again in her aura.

Hearing some magical discharges, the three mares looked over to see Twilight firing magenta bolts of light into the third creature. It took about three bloody holes opened into its form before it was blown tumbling back to the ground a few feet away.

“Keep up the good work, girls,” Twilight said, noticing how many of the beasts her friends had already taken care of. As she turned to see the one she just knocked away already getting up, she mentally cursed. The holes in its body were slowly closing up. With limited silver weaponry, and flora all around making fire-based spells a liability, she would have to get creative with how she dealt with the creatures.

Then, an idea popped into her head. They didn’t necessarily have to kill all of the beasts right away, they just needed to knock them down far enough away from them to give them time to activate the elements. Once Dusk was gone, his minions would most likely follow.

“Rarity, how do you feel about bowling?” Twilight asked, looking at her friend and eyeing to the creature closest to them.

“Is now really the time to ask about that, Twilight?” Rarity gave her purple friend a flat look before bringing a hoof to her chin pensively. “Although, if you must know, I find it a touch too noisy to enjoy.”

Twilight stared at her friend for a second and fought the urge to face hoof. “Just help me with this one!” She instructed, letting her horn glow brighter and straining to pick up the closest creature before it could start sprinting toward them.

“Oh… I see what you’re doing.” Rarity smiled, and then adopted a more serious look as she wrapped her own aura around the floating beast.

With their efforts combined, the two mares managed to fling the creature far and fast, completely overpowering its supernatural resistance to magic and sending it flying, where it sailed through the air-

-and into the creature Twilight first knocked away. The two beasts collided with a mighty thwack, and the both of them rolled and tumbled with a series of not-so-happy sounding snarls and yips as they got even further from the six mares.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack rejoined their friends just in time to watch the spectacle. The cyan mare threw her hooves up triumphantly and laughed. “Haha! Strike!”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her forehead. Even with Rarity’s help, throwing the beast with that much momentum was a hard task. “Good… that should give us a minute.” She turned to the others. “Rarity, go grab the elements and-”

Suddenly, Twilight widened her eyes as she looked off toward the side, and then at her yellow friend.

“Fluttershy, get down!”

“Wha-” Fluttershy started, turning her head to where the unicorn had looked with a bit of alarm. However, she cut off abruptly as a gasp escaped her, her wide eyes being met by a streak of red heading straight for her.

The crimson stream zipped through the air like a thin spear, coming between the shy mare’s eyes. It would have pierced straight through, had it not been for a set of orange forelegs wrapping around and pulling her out of the way. However, the pegasus couldn’t get fully clear of its path before it raked across her cheek, leaving a trickle of her own blood and causing a painful yelp as it shot past and into the palace wall behind them.

The others watched with jaws agape and wide eyes as Applejack landed on the ground with Fluttershy in her grasp. They started to approach the pair to assess damage when another yell from Rainbow Dash drew their attention away.

“Scatter!” The cyan mare exclaimed, pointing ahead frantically. No sooner did she get her frantic statement out was she forced to dodge upwards as another crimson snake zipped past her. However, instead of colliding with the far wall like the last projectile, this stream slowed and curved back toward the ponies.

Twilight and the others darted their heads forward, only to spot even more attacks coming their way.

Pinkie yelped and dove to the floor, covering her head with her hooves as a stream of blood whizzed past. Rarity squeaked fearfully as she dodged side to side, narrowly missing getting run through on a few occasions as two more streams joined the fray and curved back.

Applejack looked up to see one of the streams curving back towards her and Fluttershy. She did her best to shield her friend, but before an impact could be made, a magenta forcefield appeared in front of them just in time to scatter the crimson spear into liquid droplets.

Twilight cringed as she followed the three remaining streams flying through the air. One was chasing Rainbow Dash around, while the other two seemed to be zipping around aimlessly. Then, a shooting pain erupted across her back. “Agh!”

“Twilight!” Pinkie gasped as she watched a stream clip the unicorn, leaving behind a shallow gash that looked worse than it probably was.

“GAH!” Rainbow Dash yelped from above as she had a hole punched clean through her foreleg by the surprisingly nimble stream of fluid.

She clutched the injured limb to her chest and staggered in the air, nearly plummeting before she caught herself with her wings. However, she couldn’t linger for very long as the floating stream whipped back around and started heading toward her again.

As she groaned through clenched teeth, her back stinging as she stood up, Twilight looked up to spot her cyan friend struggling with an injury of her own. However, what was most concerning was the sight of all three remaining blood missiles heading for the pegasus.

With time running out for the wounded pegasus, Twilight raced to light up her horn once more and projected a bubble around Rainbow Dash in midair.

Rainbow nearly bumped into the top of the magical barrier as it appeared, but she managed to flutter down just in time. As she turned to the ground to see her unicorn friend, the outside of the bubble was suddenly spattered with red from three distinct wet impacts.

“Phew…” She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had a moment of rest. As she sank down and sat on the bottom of the bubble, Twilight lowered her back to the ground before letting the barrier fade.

“Is everypony ok?” Rarity asked, looking to the various injuries her friends had sustained with soft eyes. Twilight and Fluttershy’s cuts were cringe-worthy enough, but Rainbow’s bleeding foreleg made the white mare frown with concern.

Before anyone could answer, an amused cackle brought their attention to the side.

Off in the distance, Dusk was beside himself laughing. He had a hoof outstretched in their direction, seemingly the source of the bloody projectiles. “My, my, I have not had this much fun in what seems like centuries!”

Then, the pale stallion grunted in pain as his whole body flew back into a tree behind him, wrapped in a faintly shimmering deep blue aura.

“Remember who you are fighting, Dusk,” Luna said, managing a smirk through her exhausted features. She had been preoccupied with fighting off the lone strigoi and Dusk’s attacks, but once the alicorn started focusing on the six mares, she had an opening to knock away the feral creature and shift her focus to him.

As a flash of orange filled the air, Luna glanced over to see a flaming silhouette of a pony being held aloft by a magenta aura before it turned to ash. Shining Armor and Cadence had apparently also used their new opening to the fullest and dispatched the strigoi attacking them.

“Guh…” Dusk grunted, lifting his head up shakily before it was shoved back into the tree. He glared at the blue alicorn momentarily before chuckling to himself. “I suppose that is what happens when one… what was the phrase? Goofs off.” He muttered before looking off toward what remained of his scattered minions. One was struggling to get upright again, while the other two were seemingly unconscious in a heap. “Get off your worthless hides and attack her!” He commanded, his eyes flaring up for a moment.

Almost like a switch was flipped, all three of the remaining strigoi sprang to life. The two that were unconscious shot up clumsily and unknotted themselves before standing up, while the other one stiffened and turned its head to look at its new target with a vicious snarl.

Luna eyed at the three beasts nervously, sweat forming on her brow. However, it wasn't from fear. It was from magical strain. Her horn was sparking and fitting as she struggled to keep the unnatural pony pinned to the tree against his will.

“Shining, Cadence! I require your aid!” She pleaded, desperate to not let their enemy gain the upper hand again.

The trio of monsters barked and suddenly leaped forward into a sprint straight toward the princess of the night. She couldn’t move or retaliate against them without letting Dusk go, so all she could do was watch as they drew closer.

Then, a light blue bubble sprang up, encasing all three of the creatures and causing two of them to thump into a transparent wall with a sound like glass being struck by a bird.

“Leave my auntie alone!” Cadence exclaimed, her horn glowing fiercely and a look of determination on her face.

Luna smiled at her niece before suddenly yelping and clutching a hoof to her head as a great strain was put on her magic. She squinted an eye open and looked up, only to see Dusk struggling to his hooves through her hold on him.

The pale alicorn cringed, though it seemed less out of pain and more out of exertion, as he made jerky movements to push up and away from the tree. His legs wavered, but soon he pushed himself to a standing position once more, his mouth now curled with anger and his fangs exposed in a snarl.

“If you think… that I will be defeated… by petty magic…” He grunted, his movements getting easier to make the weaker Luna got. “Then you… are sorely mistaken!”

“Gah!” Luna fell back to her haunches, her horn dimming as the connection was broken with one last powerful jerk.

Then, just as Dusk started walking forward, he hit his muzzle onto a freshly appeared barrier made of magenta light. Confused, and more than a little irritated, he looked out to see a certain unicorn stallion with horn aglow, much like the pink alicorn beside him.

“Woohoo! Go, Shining!” Pinkie cheered from back near the entrance with the others.

Shining turned to the six mares with a slight smirk. However, he still had a serious air about him as he turned to see the pale alicorn and the three creatures being held at bay. “Twilight! Now’s your chance!”

“On it!” Twilight exclaimed with a firm nod. She then turned to her friends, particularly the white mare next to her, with an urgent expression. “Rarity, grab the-”

“Already ahead of you, darling!” Rarity stated, running back to the entrance and pulling out a familiar brown bag.

As the group came together and picked up their respective elements, Twilight cast a worried frown to her cyan friend as the pegasus winced from the still bleeding hole in her foreleg. “Are you up to doing this, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash noticed her friends giving her stares of concern. She could barely put weight on the injured limb right now. Still, she flashed her usual confident smirk to put them at ease. “I wouldn’t miss putting this creep in his place even if I was missing a leg.” She assured, snugging the element of loyalty against her neck.

Twilight smiled at the determined pegasus and the rest of her friends. They had all fought so valiantly alongside her to make sure that this wasn't just a final stand, but a battle to be won. Now, victory was within their grasp.

However, her smile faded into an irritated scowl as she heard a smug laugh from the pale alicorn.

Dusk contorted his face up into a wide, closed-lipped grin as he spotted the legendary objects of power, the likes of which made many of Equestria’s mightiest villains tremble with fear. “I suppose you expect me to simply allow you to put those on and use them?” He condescended. Just then, a stream of blood leaked out of his neck and floated into the air, stopping just shy of his magical prison. “Well, I can assure you that I will not.”

“Like we’d give you the chance!” Rainbow Dash boasted as she got into formation with her friends. “This is for Tom, Blue Bolt, and everyone else you’ve hurt.” She said, staring into the stallion with a fiery intensity.

“Nobody messes with my friends and family and gets away with it!” Applejack stamped a hoof.

Rarity smiled, keeping her steely gaze fixed ahead as her thoughts turned to her sister. You don’t have to cry anymore, Sweetie.

At the front of the formation, Twilight felt a sense of determination and confidence as she stood with her friends, staring down a monster. However, Dusk didn’t seem particularly upset or nervous. He was still looking at them like buzzing flies.

“You told me that we weren’t equals when we first met… and you know what? You were right,” Twilight said. “You’re the lowest, most cold-hearted, detestable individual I have ever met. You think that you can just step on whoever you want, just because they’re beneath you…”

The unicorn intensified her stare as a low hum filled the air and the elements started glowing.

“But now it’s time for you to get what you deserve, and I’m only glad that I’m one of the ones that are giving it to you,” Twilight stated. Soon, she could feel a tingle around her body as the power within the tiara and the necklaces was called forth.

Then, the sound of earth shifting came, and a blur of red sprang up and out of the ground. In an instant, the blur shot forward, cutting through the air on a direct path for the six mares, whereupon it drifted to the side and aimed right for Rarity.

The white mare stared ahead, reality slowing to a crawl as the crimson bullet drew nearer. The elements hadn’t activated, so she could still move, but it happened so fast that few would be able to react in time.

Her body tensed. Her thoughts raced as she locked eyes on the razor-thin point of the stream, turning not toward her imminent demise, but toward her sister.

Sweetie…

Then, the sound of flesh being pierced rang out.

Twilight and the others froze. It happened so quickly that many of them didn't even have time to watch. With their hearts caught between beats, they turned their heads, eyes wide and jaws falling agape.

They were met by the sight of a crimson arrow, surrounded all around by a spray of blood as it pierced clean through the chest-

-of a cyan pegasus.

"DASHIE!!" Fluttershy screamed as she watched her lifelong friend collapsing to the floor beside Rarity, having pushed the white mare out of the way. A gaping hole was left in Rainbow’s form that was already pouring blood from both sides.

Rarity landed on her tail end roughly after being shoved. She looked up, a startled gasp escaping her, as she witnessed her friend’s body crumpling to the grass in a bloody heap. “Rainbow Dash…?! RAINBOW DASH!” She shot forward, gently turning the pegasus over and recoiling briefly at what she saw.

The pegasus was bleeding heavily, her chest fluff already matted and stained red from the sheer flow of her own lifeblood. There was a pained and dazed look in her eyes as she stared up at the unicorn above her.

However, what caught Rarity the most off guard was that she was smiling. At death’s door, she was smiling, as if she had accomplished her sole mission of making sure her friends didn’t come to harm.

Up ahead, Luna looked back at the six mares in shock as she heard the panicked shouts and cries of alarm. Her pupils shrank as she saw one of the proud bearers of harmony on the ground, barely clinging to life from a mortal injury. “Hh… how did…?” She muttered, her eyes shifting back ahead until another rumble came from the ground.

Off to the side, Cadence watched as a spurt of red shot up from a newly formed hole in the grass before she could even react and pierced through her husband’s shoulder.

“GAAAHH!” Shining cried as he fell to the ground, clutching his only good foreleg to the agonizing wound he now had.

“Shining!” Cadence reached for the stallion, only to draw her eyes down and flinch back with a startled yelp as another crimson stream erupted from the ground, this time nearly taking her head off.

Twilight looked up from her friends gathering around Rainbow Dash to see the shield around Dusk fading. And as the magenta tint around the alicorn faded, she soon saw how he had attacked them from within the barrier.

Two streams of blood were flowing out of Dusk’s wrists, concealed from view by his posture and flowing into the ground behind his forelegs. The smile was still on his face, bigger than ever as he looked out at the chaos he caused.

“No!” Luna cried in refusal, lighting up her horn and focusing on a spell to retaliate. However, before she could even form enough energy to do anything meaningful, the ground split beside her as a crimson snake shot up and wrapped around her neck before whipping her to the ground with a painful jerk.

The blue mare choked and coughed as she clutched her hooves to her neck. The tendril around her throat was unrelenting, and it squeezed harder the more she struggled against it.

“Princess!” Twilight reached for the pinned alicorn.

“You’re going to give me what I deserve, Twilight Sparkle?” Dusk scoffed, his eyes narrowing and an icy intensity falling over them as they settled on the purple mare. “Let me tell you what I deserve.”

“Twilight, look out!” Applejack yelled as she watched another stream of blood flying out of Dusk’s neck and toward her friend.

Twilight was frozen to the spot in horrified shock. Watching her friend getting impaled and seeing her brother, her foalsitter, and her mentor’s sister getting attacked was too much for her. She scarcely managed to react to her friend’s warning in time to dart her eyes ahead, only to feel a thin rope wrapping around her neck and pulling taut.

“Gack!” The unicorn sputtered, her hooves reaching to her neck as she was lifted off the ground and pulled forward with unnatural force for such a spindly tendril.

Cadence looked up to see her sister-in-law being carried toward the pale stallion, her heart dropping to her stomach as she did. “Twilight, no!” She whirled around, ready to shoot a blast at the alicorn and break his concentration. “Leave her alone you heartless-”

*Thwack*

Then, her vision blurred and her legs buckled as a tendril whipped into the back of her head. Her angered grimace faded into a dazed stupor as she slid to the ground.

As the pink mare lost consciousness, the forcefield around the three feral creatures faded. They all stepped forward, snarling and baring their teeth in an almost joyful display, even if their master had commanded them to stay put and let him have his fun.

Dusk eyed around at the others for a moment before turning his gaze to Twilight as she was pulled right up to him by the stream protruding from his neck. “I deserved to be recognized for my talents… I deserved to be feared and respected by all. I deserved to rule by Celestia’s side! But clearly, fate had other plans.” He growled through his teeth, his face wrinkling with anger briefly before he relaxed his expression, even managing a smile. “But now… fate bows to me, and soon, so will all of the world.”

“Twilight!” Applejack exclaimed. Both she and Pinkie started to rush forward, daggers at the ready to attempt and rescue their friend when a few more holes suddenly opened up in the grass ahead of them.

Three bloody tendrils snaked into the air, pointing at them menacingly, but not striking. They cowered back, preparing for the inevitable, but it strangely never came. It seemed as though these tendrils were to keep them from interfering.

Meanwhile, Twilight stared into the luminous red eyes of the alicorn, tears streaming down her face from a mixture of sorrow and the strain to her windpipe. This was it. She lost, and now she and her friends were at the mercy of the alicorn.

She feared something like this happening, but she never imagined it would end up so bad.

“You know, at first I was going to make Celestia kill you.” Dusk explained, bringing a hoof up and lifting Twilight’s chin. “But then I realized how much of a waste that would be. After all, the moment she tasted your blood, she would no longer care that she was slaughtering her beloved student.”

Twilight kicked at the air and gasped for each breath. She tried to light up her horn and teleport away, but she couldn’t focus through the pain in her neck and her racing heart. Even despite her situation, she turned her head away as the alicorn drew closer to her to the point where she could feel his cold breath on her face.

“Now, I’ve come up with a better plan. All I have to do is kill you and bring you back. Then, I will make Celestia watch as you kill all of your former friends and drain them dry.” He said, his mouth splitting into a devilish grin as he opened his maw wide, drawing the unicorn closer and setting a hoof on her back.

“NO!” Shining Armor cried, watching with one eye squinted open in pain and reaching toward his sister from the ground as the alicorn drew her in. “TWILIGHT!”

“Please, don’t hurt her!” Fluttershy joined the choir of voices calling out for their unicorn friend. Her eyes were freely flowing with tears, unable to cope with potentially watching two friends die.

The shouts from her brother and her friends barely reached Twilight’s ears as her life flashed before her eyes. She clenched her lids shut, letting a fresh set of tears fall down her face in one final act of denial to her fate.

Princess… Spike… Tom… Everyone… I’m sorry.

*Crack*

A deafening boom of thunder filled the air as the garden was briefly bathed in light. Everyone, even Dusk, stopped what they were doing and looked up.

The sky was clear as ever, with the moon clearly visible overhead. Yet somehow, another bolt of lightning split the air.

Fluttershy lifted a hoof to the side of her face as the wind suddenly picked up, blowing her mane to the side wildly. Oddly, it wasn't a cold wind as would have been expected in the fall. It was warm.

“What’s happening?” Rarity asked, looking around the cloudless sky with confusion and a hint of fear.

“I don’t know…” Applejack raised her voice over the rising wind, clamping a hoof down onto her head to keep her hat in place and holding a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s side. “It can’t be much worse than what we’re dealin’ with already!”

Over at the back of the garden, Twilight fell onto her back as the pale stallion abruptly let her go. He slowly receded all of his tendrils as well, freeing Luna and allowing her to gasp for air.

Dusk stared up into the sky for a moment before turning toward the sourceless wind. He narrowed his eyes curiously, seemingly just as confused as to what was going on. “What sort of magic is this…?” He spoke to nobody in particular before casting his gaze to the blue alicorn still recovering on the ground a few feet away. “Luna, is this your doing? Perhaps one of your monster hunters?”

Luna didn’t answer him. She was too busy staring off into the distance, processing the strange energy she was feeling. “What on earth?” She muttered. It was everywhere and nowhere, sourceless but all around, and it seemed to be gathering in a spot just ahead between her and the element bearers.

The lightning flashed more and more, though the sound of thunder had since ceased. Suddenly, the wind died down to a slight breeze.

“Hey… look over there!” Pinkie announced, pointing a hoof forward as she caught a hint of light.

Everyone who was able turned their heads to where their pink friend was pointing, only to spot tiny flecks of orange sparking to life in the air a few feet off the ground. It resembled the embers that the vampires turned to upon death, but these were seemingly coming out of nowhere.

More and more of the embers appeared, floating a short ways into the wind before blinking out, until suddenly a more solid-looking flame sprang to life in four spots on the ground.

The four flames were spaced evenly apart, and they didn’t seem to be spreading to the grass around them. Instead, they started traveling upwards in a mixture of sparks, embers, and licks of fire.

Everyone was transfixed on the strange spectacle with anything from curious awe to confused bewilderment on their faces as the embers continued to rise. They seemed to be filling out a shape as they went, and nearly all at once, Twilight and the others realized that the shape being formed was that of hooved legs.

Soon, the flames converged in the air, forming an equine body. A tail, bits of a mane, then a head. Once the shape had filled out completely, ember and flame dimmed and fell away, leaving behind dark blue fur and black hair.

A stallion was left standing in the middle of the garden as the wind died down and the sky returned to calm blackness. Not only that, but a pegasus stallion. And as the group stared at him in stunned silence, they realized something.

They recognized him.

Fluttershy’s mouth fell agape and her eyes went round. She stammered, her voice having left her behind amidst all the shock, trauma, and now confusion she had gone through. “B… Blue Bolt?”

Sure enough, there he was, standing a mere few feet away from her. He didn’t look terribly different from the last time she saw him. He still had his Nightmare Night costume on, or at least most of it. The monocle and tophat were missing, leaving him clad in his fancy-looking black and blue vest.

The stallion stared ahead blankly, his eyes glowing a dull orange before suddenly fading back to their usual blue coloring as a sense of clarity came over him. He scanned his head side to side with a wrinkled brow.

He almost seemed confused, and as if to further this observation, he muttered a single question.

“Wh… where the hay am I?”

Chapter 33: On Feathery Wings

Several minutes had passed since the fighting began in the entry hall of the castle. After a long and arduous battle, Glimmer Shine’s team and the guards managed to slay the last of the beasts.

However, the fight hadn’t been without its losses.

Three guards had perished outside when the beasts first arrived, and of the ones that came afterward, two were injured to some severity. Then there was Sunspot to consider. The group hadn’t heard from her since she left to capture Raincloud.

Glimmer Shine wiped the sweat from his brow as he finished bandaging a unicorn guard’s foreleg into a splint. Although he hated seeing such a grievous injury, he was thankful it wasn't worse. He was lucky he only got away with a few cuts and bruises himself.

Hearing some painful cringes and groans behind him, he turned and got up to walk over to his teammates. He found Sparkplug lying on her back, panting heavily with her silver blade still in hoof, and Glitterball sitting on the floor, hunched over and clutching a hoof to her midsection worrisomely.

“Are you ok?” Glimmer asked as he sat down beside the unicorn.

Glitterball glanced up to her friend and leader before wincing again and gritting her teeth. “Ngh… I think I popped my stitches.” She explained, pulling her hoof back for a moment to reveal a concerning amount of blood.

Glimmer’s features fell as he confirmed what the unicorn had suspected. Nearly all of the stitches along her stomach were busted, and the wound was opening again. “That’s not good…” He muttered to himself.

“Is she going to be ok?” Sparkplug asked, sitting up and not even making an attempt to hide her concern.

“She should be fine.” Glimmer said before turning to the unicorn, reaching into a pocket on his vest, and pulling out the meager remains of his medical supplies. “Here, let’s get you wrapped up so you don’t pass out before we can get you back to the med bay.”

“Great…” Glitter sighed in defeat. “At this rate, I’ll have enough bandages to make my own mummy costume for next Nightmare Night.”

After a few minutes spent patching the white mare up and taking stock of everything that just happened, the trio looked up suddenly as they heard a fluttering sound. They were surprised to see a familiar orange pegasus landing at the front door and entering with a certain gray prisoner in tow.

“Sunspot.” Glimmer said, managing a smile for the first time in a while as he got up and walked over to his teammate. “Thank Celestia you’re ok. We were starting to worry about you.”

“I see you’ve caught our little runaway,” Sparkplug added, shooting the gray mare an irritated glare.

Raincloud returned the earth pony’s glare with equal intensity. “Bite me.”

“No thanks. I’ve had enough biting for a while.” Sparkplug replied, crinkling her face slightly as she rubbed her good hoof over some shallow cuts she had along her neck from some close calls, not to mention her still bandaged up foreleg.

Taking a look around the room and noting a distinct lack of bloodthirsty pony monsters, Sunspot smirked. “I see you guys cleaned up while I was gone.”

“Believe me, it wasn't easy.” Glitterball chimed in as she slowly made her way over, clutching her now bandaged stomach loosely.

“Have you heard anything from anypony?” Sunspot asked, growing more somber as she looked between her teammates. “Any other attacks? Any news on Dusk?”

Glimmer Shine shook his head uneasily. “No… Nothing. Most of the guards that heard came running right away to help.” He turned to the side, looking toward one of the doorways distantly. “But I think we need to go check on the others. I highly doubt that this was the main attack.”

Sunspot, Sparkplug, and Glitterball looked at the stallion with varying degrees of unease and worry showing through their faces as they thought of their friends and Princess Luna. Anything could have been happening to them while they were busy fighting the creatures.

-Elsewhere-

Fluttershy and her friends stared for the longest time at the blue stallion that just appeared out of nowhere. Some were still in shock at seeing him alive again, while others were confused as to how or why he was here.

“Fluttershy… I thought you guys said that Blue Bolt died?” Pinkie leaned in and whispered to the pegasus. Normally, she wouldn’t broach such a hurtful subject to her friend, but it was hard to be sad about a death when the person that died was standing in front of them.

“He did… I saw him myself.” Fluttershy said, not taking her eyes off the stallion. “I… I-I don’t know what’s going on anymore.” She lowered her head, feeling more than a bit overwhelmed, until a soft noise beneath her drew her attention back to her injured friend.

Rainbow Dash groaned softly as she was fitting and limply twitching her forelegs. She loosely held a hoof toward her wound, indicating some level of consciousness, but judging from the look in her fluttering eyes, she was fading fast.

“Stay with us, Dashie… please.” Fluttershy cradled her friend’s head with one hoof while pressing the other to the hole in the cyan mare’s chest, hoping to stunt the bleeding enough.

Applejack frowned as she looked down to her wounded friend. Rarity seemed particularly distraught, though everyone was huddled around wearing worried expressions. “Girls… we’ve got to get her out of here.”

“We can’t move her like this. She would die before we could get her to the infirmary.” Rarity fretted.

“She’s dyin’ now, Rare!” Applejack said before softening her eyes as she heard a restrained whine from Fluttershy. The sight of the yellow mare fighting back tears nearly broke her heart as much as the state of her cyan friend did.

Meanwhile, Twilight was still where she had fallen after Dusk dropped her. She hadn’t moved, not just from her exhaustion and pain, but also because she was frozen to the spot like her friends. Even Luna and Shining Armor were watching the blue pony in stunned silence.

“Is… is this really happening?” Twilight muttered to herself. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. All signs pointed to one reason for why the stallion had so suddenly appeared before them, but her mind was too scattered to fully accept it.

“Hmm…” Dusk took a step or two forward, his mouth curved with intrigue. “What have we here?”

In the center of the garden, the pegasus stallion still seemed confused and dazed. “What’s going on…?” Blue Bolt asked, his eyes steadily losing focus until he put a hoof to his head. “Ngh… why do I feel so weird?”

Pushing herself up on her forelegs, Luna stared at the blue stallion in disbelief. Could he really be a slayer? If he was, he could be the answer they had been praying for. However, before she could dwell on these thoughts, a feral growl from off to the side drew her attention away.

The trio of strigoi that had been watching the newly arrived pony with snarling teeth and lowered stances started barking viciously. Then, one of them bounded forward at a full sprint toward the imminent threat to themselves and their master.

Luna widened her eyes as she realized that she couldn’t react in time to do anything but warn the stallion. “Blue Bolt, watch o-”

Before the alicorn could even get the words out, a shrill hiss of air expelled itself from Blue Bolt’s lungs as a puff of blue mist came from his mouth. He held a hoof to his throat, having not expected such a reaction. Just then, however, his eyes narrowed in confusion and he turned toward the approaching beast.

“What the- WOAH!” He yelped, immediately recognizing one of the beasts that he had encountered with Rainbow Dash. A wash of terror filled his body, forcing his muscles to seize as he recoiled back and brought a foreleg up to shield his face.

The ponies watching flinched, expecting to witness the stallion getting tackled to the ground and mauled.

What happened instead, was a flash of embers erupting out of the beast’s neck as it closed in on the hapless pony. As its body collapsed into ash around Blue Bolt, he was still left flinching his eyes closed. However, everyone else could immediately see why the beast had spontaneously combusted.

After a solid second of nothing happening, Blue Bolt squinted an eye open, only to realize that he was unharmed. Looking ahead to where the beast once was, he found his foreleg still held up, and much to his surprise, he also found something sticking out of his wrist.

A silvery metallic circlet was around his hoof, with a hollow band in its center that went all the way around. Seemingly attached at this hollow track, was a triangular blade with a pattern on its face composed of many stylish lines of darker metal curving back and forth, almost resemblant of a half sun.

“Huh…?” Blue Bolt cocked a brow as he examined the strange blade. As he moved his hoof, the blade moved around the circlet, spinning loosely with momentum and gravity. He tested it for a moment until suddenly the blade clicked into place and moved no further, seemingly at his whim.

Looking to his other foreleg, nothing was present on that one. However, after a brief moment of thought, a series of embers and flames flickered to life around his free wrist, taking shape into another exact circlet and blade.

Circlets formed around his hind hooves as well, all identical to the first in every way, save for the reversed angle of the blades and patterns on opposite limbs. Somehow, seeing the weapons made a smile form across his face.

“That’s new...” He muttered, before another bark ahead of him drew his attention up to see the other two creatures coming his way. “Oh man!”

Twilight and the others watched as the stallion backpedaled away from the two beasts nervously. As one got close and made a snap at him, he awkwardly shoved it away before glancing down at the blades on his wrists. He rotated one of them before locking it in place and throwing a punch across the creature’s neck.

The swing missed as the beast ducked under it, leaving Blue to recoil with a surprised yelp and nearly lose his footing over a loose tree root before recovering and striking again. The way he moved and attacked suggested no prior combat experience, yet somehow he also had a certain familiarity with his weapons already. It was like he had the instincts of what to do, but not the knowledge of how best to pull it off.

With a snarl and a pounce, one of the creatures nearly landed on top of the stallion, only to miss and come back down just behind him as he used his wings to dodge to the side. Spotting an opportunity, Blue kicked out a hind leg, aiming past the creature so the bladed circlet could hit its mark.

The angular blade carved into the beast’s neck, nearly decapitating it. Even if it didn’t go all the way, the supernatural essence of the weapon was enough to cause a ring of embers to start to spread, overtaking the creature’s head before it could even make a sound.

Blue Bolt smirked triumphantly. However, as he turned his head forward again, he was suddenly met muzzle to teeth of the last creature mid pounce.

“Ack!” He startled, only to be cut off as a full-grown pony crashed into him, sending him onto his back against the unforgiving ground. As he hit his head, the sudden pain was apparently enough to break his subtle concentration over his weapons, causing them to vanish into embers.

“Blue!” Fluttershy gasped, bringing up her wing to cover her eyes, only to peak out slightly shortly after.

The feral pony lunged down toward its prey, only to be pushed back by a set of hooves. Blue Bolt turned his face to the side, cringing at the foul breath being forced out of the creature’s mouth each time it snapped at him.

He looked to his hooves, only to see that his weapons were gone. Even if he had use of them, he could hardly get a good stab off with the creature fighting to get closer to him.

“Guh… Get… off of me!” Blue protested, lifting his hoof and jamming it into the beast’s neck in an attempt at preventing it from biting. “Get off!”

Suddenly, the creature was enveloped in a surge of pale blue light. The ponies watching lost sight of the beast as the light flowed out of the stallion’s hoof, overtaking everything above him as it traveled up with a low hum that was familiar to the group. The only sign of the creature that could be discerned was a few embers scattering to the sides and out of the cone of light.

As the light died down, Blue Bolt opened his eyes hesitantly and looked up. He blinked, seeing nothing but fading steam and a few ashes in the air above him where before there was a monster.

“Woo!” Pinkie Pie cheered from off to the side. “Gooo Blue Bolt!”

“Did… did I do that?” Blue sat up, looking at his outstretched hoof curiously. A soft blue glow was present across its surface, almost looking like it was coming from within.

The glow quickly faded, leaving him perplexed and a bit amazed. He trailed his gaze to the side, really noticing the four mares behind him for the first time.

His expression fell as he noticed their injuries, and then his eyes widened as he saw a certain cyan mare lying on the ground in a pool of blood. “Rainbow Dash?!”

Before anyone else could say anything, a few clops came from Dusk, drawing the stallion’s attention away from his friends. The alicorn had an amused smile on his face as he watched the pegasus.

“Well, well, it seems that I may have a show yet.” He chuckled giddily. “What a delightful display that was, Sir… Bolt, I believe it was?”

Blue Bolt stood up, turning to face the pale alicorn with an angry glower contorting his features. One look at the red eyes, pale complexion, and slash wounds across the body, told him that this was another monster.

“Did you do all of this?” Blue asked, motioning towards Twilight and the others. His expression grew darker and his voice shifted to a low growl as he pointed back at the cyan mare. “Did you do that… to her?”

“Not spectacularly fast on the uptake, are we?” Dusk sighed. “But, if you insist on knowing, yes. I am responsible for laying low the element of loyalty.” He pulled a corner of his mouth up. “Really, I did the poor girl a favor. With that temper, if not me, someone else would have put her in her place when she bit off more than she could chew. At least her death will be relatively quick this way.”

Off to the side, Twilight felt her teeth grinding from listening to the alicorn. She lit up her horn, preparing to blast him into next week, uncaring of whether or not he would heal. “Why you little-”

*Fwoosh*

A sudden crackle of flame and the ringing of metal made the unicorn pause abruptly. She looked to the side, only to reel back slightly as she spotted Blue Bolt.

The stallion had summoned his spirit weapons again, most likely on sheer instinct. He was glaring ahead at the alicorn with death in his eyes, which were glowing orange. And as he unfurled his wings and stretched them in preparation to lunge forward, the deep blue of his feathers was overshadowed by a warm glow spreading out across the two appendages like heated metal.

“You… mother… BUCKER!” Blue yelled, leaping forward and giving a mighty flap of his wings, perhaps mightier than he first realized. In a blur of orange and blue, the stallion was across the garden and hovering a mere foot and a half away from Dusk’s face.

Applejack and the others covered their faces as a shockwave of air was kicked up from the sheer force and speed the pegasus displayed. They barely had time to blink before Blue was gone like he was shot from a cannon toward the alicorn.

Surprised, but not overly alarmed, Dusk summoned tendrils of blood from both his wrists and his neck. He pointed the three makeshift spears toward the pegasus and sent them shooting forward, piercing his body.

Twilight’s face paled as she watched three exit wounds form, two in the chest and one in the neck, and spurt blood as the bloody projectiles carried through. “NO!” She cried, reaching toward the stallion in denial.

Strangely though, the one that seemed the least affected by the brutal attack was Blue Bolt himself. He still wore an angry scowl on his face as he continued forward with his unnatural momentum. He pumped his foreleg back before sending it forward with all his strength and a fierce yell.

As his blade neared Dusk’s face, it started to glow orange in a similar fashion to his wings. A low hum was coming off the blade’s surface, faster and more hostile sounding than the hum that came with the blue light.

Dusk’s eyes rounded slightly and he dodged his head to the side. However, the pegasus was moving faster than a normal pony should have been able to, managing to move fast enough to barely keep up with the vampire’s unnatural reflexes, and sending Blue’s hoof into the alicorn’s face.

With a bone-crunching crack, which was more than likely the crunching of actual bones, Dusk was sent flying back like he was flung off of a trampoline. He went crashing through a hedge, leaving a near-perfect outline of his body as he went tumbling into the next section of the garden.

Blue Bolt panted heavily, his hoof still stuck in the air. His blade wasn't glowing anymore, as if it had spent its power to give his punch some extra oomph.

Suddenly, he cringed and grit his teeth as the three holes in his form came alight around the edges. In a seemingly painful display of ember and ash, the wounds sealed up perfectly, not even leaving any scars. If Twilight and the others had any doubts, they were gone now. Blue Bolt was a slayer, tried and true.

“Ok… that’s new too.” Blue Bolt said, taking a moment of pause to look at his chest, which was now devoid of wounds.

Hearing some grunts beside him, the stallion looked over to see Twilight struggling to her own four hooves again. He rushed over and gave her some help standing up. “Sweet Celestia… are you ok, Twilight?” He asked with a concerned frown.

Twilight stared at him for a moment, still not quite done processing that she was talking to a dead pony, before finding the mental clarity to speak. “Y-yeah… more or less.” She said, glancing to the side briefly before turning back to the stallion with a more serious look in her eyes. “Blue Bolt, you need to go help Rainbow Dash. She’s hurt bad.”

Blue Bolt seemed to agree as he looked toward the group of mares further away, his eyes shimmering with concern as he saw his friend. However, he was also incredibly confused. “What can I do for her? I’m no doctor.”

“It’s a long story.” Twilight groaned, running a hoof down her face as she tried and failed to find a quick way to explain the stallion’s situation to him. “Look, just trust me on this, you’re the only one that can save her. You need to-”

A sound like a whip cracking rang out as a blur of red and magenta came from the side. Twilight turned her head just in time to see a tendril of blood striking a magical shield floating just above her and Blue. And judging from the color of the shield, she knew just who was casting it.

“Twilight, Blue, look out!” Shining Armor yelled, having managed to get to his knees.

The pair looked ahead to the tendril’s source, following it through the hole in the hedge to a familiar dark form approaching them. The figure lifted its foreleg, and another tendril shot out toward them at rapid speeds.

Without a second thought, Blue Bolt pushed Twilight out of the way as the tendril approached her. It circled its new target, going out of its way to pin the stallion’s forelegs to his chest before wrapping itself around his waist and lifting him into the air.

Twilight looked up from where she landed and widened her eyes as she saw the blue pegasus struggling to break free to no avail. “Blue Bolt!”

Through his previous exit, Dusk stepped back into the garden with an irritated scowl on his face. His red eyes were wrinkled, and his jaw was practically vibrating with anger, or perhaps it was still loose from the strike he endured previously. Either way, he was very aware of the stallion’s abilities now, and he was not very pleased.

“Nobody… in this forsaken kingdom… has ever had the gall to strike my face before,” Dusk growled. He curled his hoof inwards, and the tendril holding Blue reciprocated his motion, tightening around the pegasus’ waist and producing a disconcerting crackle.

“GAH!” Blue shouted, his head rocking back either from pain or from his body being squeezed.

“I was having fun before… now I’m just angry!” Dusk stamped his other hoof on the ground before clenching the tendril even tighter. A bit of blood spouted out of the pegasus’ mouth as a strangled cry of pain died out and the crunching of bone filled the air.

Then, a series of magical discharges sounded out, and the alicorn was struck by bolts of magenta and blue light. He yelped in pain and jolted to the side as many bloody holes were punched into his form, actually managing to disrupt his concentration enough to drop the tendril holding Blue Bolt.

The pegasus flopped back to terra firma with a breathless croak before panting heavily. He could feel a burning sensation inside of himself as whatever damage he sustained started to mend.

As the assault ended, Dusk looked down to see a smoking hole left in his foreleg, along with much of his side and neck. He then trailed his fierce gaze over to see a certain unicorn and alicorn with their horns lit up.

Twilight and Luna were staring back at the pale pony with steely gazes, more than a bit of discouragement welling up inside of them as they watched his wounds sealing up. However, the unicorn’s eyes twitched in fear as Dusk ignored her and started to approach the wounded princess.

“Luna… you blasted wench,” Dusk said through clenched teeth, a feral noise simmering in his throat and death in his eyes. “I will have you bathe in the blood of your loved ones before you die!”

A pair of tendrils slowly snaked up out of the stallion’s wrists. Luna watched with a tense grimace as he approached her. She tried to back away, but her hind legs gave out the moment she tried to put weight on them.

“Princess!” Twilight reached out to the alicorn, before suddenly looking off to the side.

In his rage, Dusk didn’t hear the sound of hooves rushing toward him until they were right on top of him. He whirled around, ready to impale whoever was foolish enough to approach him, only to flinch back as he saw Blue Bolt mid-strike, a pair of bladed bracelets appearing out of fire around both forelegs.

The first blade was stabbed sideways into the alicorn’s chest, burying most of the way in with a satisfying squelch.

“AGH!!” Dusk screamed, reaching a hoof to his wound in agony. The tendrils dropped to the grass as scattered blood as he lost control over them.

As the alicorn grit his teeth and tried to dodge out of the way of the second strike, Blue rotated the other blade before clicking it into a new position and making a slash with its edge. Metal sliced through flesh, sending a spatter of blood out of Dusk’s neck and immediately leaving smoldering ash along the edges of the wound.

Dusk fell backward to the ground, the first blade ripping out of his chest as he went. He clutched both of his still burning injuries and clenched his teeth, feeling the most pain he ever had in his life.

Not wanting to leave a fight half-finished, Blue Bolt repositioned his blade again and leaped forward, preparing to stab down into the pale pony’s head.

Before the pegasus had scarcely even left the ground, however, Dusk waved a foreleg across the air, sending a spray of blood out of his wrist and forming it into a band which shot forward, wrapping itself around Blue’s neck and sending him backward.

Dusk scrambled to his hooves and backpedaled away from the pegasus struggling on the ground. He pressed on his chest wound and then lifted his hoof away, only to pale even more so than usual as he noticed the injury healing slower than it was supposed to. “No… how could this be?” He muttered under his breath before shooting his head up as he heard a sound like rope being cut.

The blue pegasus had apparently used his blades to slice the cord around his neck, returning it to crimson liquid and freeing him to stand up and breathe. He glared at the vampiric alicorn and readied himself to fight once more.

“You will learn to regret this,” Dusk grunted, seemingly struggling to get the words out. “The next time we meet, you will beg me for forgiveness!”

Blue Bolt crinkled his eyes. “What do you mean next time? I’m not letting you get away!” He lowered his stance, ready to pounce at the slightest twitch of a wing or the slightest hint of red.

Instead of attacking with his blood, however, Dusk lit up his horn. Before anyone could even think to react, a bright flash filled the area, blinding everyone who was looking ahead. By the time the light faded, Dusk was gone.

Luna looked up and narrowed her eyes as she found the alicorn flying away into the night sky. She was equal parts relieved and uneasy. For one thing, she and her friends had survived the impossible, but for another, the pale stallion was still alive as well.

Twilight walked over and helped her brother with standing up. She softened her expression as she saw the grizzly-looking hole in his shoulder. Then, she hobbled over alongside Princess Luna to properly greet their blue savior.

“That was amazing, Blue Bolt… you actually scared him off!” Twilight said, managing a slight grin.

“I’m… still not entirely sure what’s going on, but I’m glad I could help… however much it mattered. He got away.” Blue Bolt sighed a bit.

“Hey, I’d count this as a victory. We’d all be dead if you didn’t show up.” Shining Armor said.

Then, a cry of despair came from off to the side.

“No!”

Twilight and the others turned toward the noise, only to be met with the sight of Applejack and the others huddling around Fluttershy, who was, in turn, hovering over Rainbow Dash’s still form with tears in her eyes.

“Oh no… Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shot forward suddenly, leaving Shining Armor to be supported by Princess Luna as she rushed to her friends. Blue Bolt quickly joined the unicorn, while the others were left behind at their considerably slower pace.

The pair slowed to a stop and watched as Fluttershy gently shook the cyan mare, her jaw trembling and her eyes clouded with tears. “Dashie!”

Rainbow Dash’s face was slack and unmoving. Her complexion was pale as death, and with the wound on both sides of her trickling blood out at a steady pace, she looked dead.

Twilight knelt down and gingerly moved the distraught pegasus aside so she could take one of Rainbow’s forelegs and check for a pulse.

The others watched, feverish and hearts beating out of their chests.

“Is she alive?” Rarity asked desperately.

The purple mare didn’t answer for a few seconds. She just stared into the middle distance for a moment, feeling for any signs of life. Eventually, she rushed a shaky hoof to the pegasus’ neck, her jaw falling open in silent shock before a slight sigh of relief escaped her and she looked up.

“She has a pulse… but just barely. We’re losing her.” Twilight reported, struggling to keep it together herself as she looked to the blue stallion. “Blue Bolt… please, you have to heal her.”

“But… I don’t-” Blue started hesitantly until he was interrupted by the unicorn.

“You’re a slayer now!” Twilight stated before catching herself and forcing a calming breath. “Look, there’s no time to explain, but you’ve got Tom’s powers now. You can project this healing light out of your hoof. I don’t know how it works… but you kind of already did it when you killed that monster. Just try doing that, and think about wanting to save her. Please…” She muttered, a few tears rolling down her face as she looked down to Rainbow. “Before it’s too late.”

Blue Bolt stammered silently, beginning to form a hesitant statement until he looked down to Rainbow Dash. She didn’t have long left in this world, and while he might not have understood how yet, he did have strange new abilities.

Looking down to his hoof, and then to the dying mare, the stallion felt a sense of dread in his heart. What if he failed? What if he let her die?

No. How could he ever forgive himself if he let her down after everything she had done for him? He couldn’t fail her. He wouldn’t.

Taking a steady breath, Blue sat down and lowered his hoof toward the wound on Rainbow’s chest. He closed his eyes and concentrated, filling his mind with images of their time spent together and silently praying, willing for her to be saved.

And then, much like instinct had guided him to summon his new weapons and use them appropriately, he felt a nudge in his mind. A memory, but it wasn't his. He tensed his hoof and felt a slight warmth forming at its tip as a low hum filled the air.

Rarity gasped softly, and the others shifted their weight forward as a comforting and familiar blue light flowed out of the stallion’s hoof. They were somewhat used to seeing it, but not coming from him. However, they didn’t care who it was coming from as it gently enveloped Rainbow’s body.

The ponies watched, silently hoping against all hope that the light would work. They knew Tom sometimes had difficulty using his healing powers, especially after a taxing fight. However, if the stallion did feel taxed by his abilities, he wasn't showing it just yet.

After a few moments, Blue let the light fade and opened his eyes. He wasn't sure what to expect.

He looked down, and where before there was a bloody opening through the cyan mare’s form, there was now pristine fur once more, at least in the spot the hole once was. There was still blood staining the area around the wound, even though it was gone. Even her foreleg had been healed.

The collectively held breath the group was maintaining finally left them as a series of relieved smiles started to form, soon to be replaced by outright cheerful grins.

“You did it!” Pinkie Pie cheered excitedly, reaching over and hugging the nearest pony, which just so happened to be Rarity, whose black-stained mascara was running down her face as joyful tears fell.

“I did it…?” Blue Bolt blinked.

“He did it!” Applejack hooted, giving the stallion a hearty pat on the back that probably would have dislodged a rib or two if he wasn't supernaturally enhanced. “Blue Bolt, you beautiful son of a gal!”

Suddenly, a noise and a fidget came from their cyan friend, silencing everyone and garnering their full attention.

“Ngh… wh… what’s with all the racket? Can’t a pony take a nap in peace?” Rainbow Dash mumbled, limply bringing a hoof up and rubbing her still closed eyes. She fluttered her lids, barely taking in the world above her in a blurry mess of colors and shapes.

However, as she pushed herself up with her forelegs a bit and blinked a few times, her vision slowly came back to her, and what she saw next didn’t quite process right away.

She stared up at the blue stallion, and he stared down at her. There was a certain look of confusion about her that gave an outsider looking in a hint that the gears turning in her head were grinding to a halt.

“Blue Bolt…?” She muttered, half convinced that she was merely still half asleep.

The stallion gave an awkward chuckle and a small wave. “Uh… Heh… Hi.”

Then, Rainbow's half-lidded eyes shot open, and she reeled back to the grass beneath her with a yell.

“BWAAAHHH!!” She scrambled back, crawling away while staring ahead with face as pale as it was when she was bleeding out. “GHOST! VAMPIRE! BODY SNATCHER!” She yelled, pointing a shaky hoof at the stallion as she slunk up the stone wall of the palace behind her.

“No, no, no!” Fluttershy rushed over to her friend, initially worried that Rainbow would hurt herself. Thankfully, one look at her back revealed that the wound had been sealed up on both sides. “Dashie, it’s really him.” She explained, hoping to calm the defensive pegasus before she started searching for a big stick.

“It is…?” Rainbow asked, darting her eyes between her friends and Blue Bolt, her voice still laced with adrenaline like she wasn't entirely convinced. “But… but… that’s not possible. He was dead!”

“Yuh-huh. We almost died too!” Pinkie Pie chimed in, ever helpful. “But then the sky got all flashy, and the wind got all wooshy, and then he appeared out of this really cool fire! Then he kicked that Dusk meanie around for a bit and healed you.”

Rainbow cocked her head to the side a solid five degrees. “Who the what now?”

Seeing the confusion understandably still present in the cyan pony’s face, Twilight decided to step in. “Rainbow, he’s… like Tom.”

“Wait… you mean-”

“Yes. He’s a slayer.” Twilight nodded, turning to the stallion with an odd mixture of emotions churning around inside of her. The only reason the pegasus was here now was because Tom died, but if he hadn’t shown up, who knew what would have happened?

Rainbow turned to her old friend, her eyes still showing a hint of doubt. Only this time, it was more like she was doubting that she wasn't dreaming all of this up. “You mean… it’s really you?” She asked softly, hoping that he wasn't going to just fade away right in front of her.

“You think you could get rid of me that easily?” Blue smiled.

Suddenly, he was surprised to feel the cyan mare stepping forward and wrapping her hooves around him. She rested her head on his shoulder, uncaring of the tears welling up in her eyes as she squeezed him close.

Blue rested a hoof on her back, silently enjoying the warm embrace, when she suddenly backed up and lightly punched the side of his foreleg.

“You big jerk!” Rainbow said angrily. “What were you thinking going and dying on me like that?!”

“Wh… what?” Blue cowered back hesitantly.

“I cried like a baby in front of Sunspot because of you! You broke poor Fluttershy’s heart. We were gonna have to go to your funeral! Do you know how many black outfits I own? Let me answer that for you! None! Zero! Nada!” Rainbow fumed before taking a few breaths.

“You know, I’m sure you could have asked Rarity for a black dress.” Twilight offered softly.

“I’m not sure if that’s the issue here, darling,” Rarity added, cleaning herself up from her earlier bout of crying.

“Umm… I’m sorry?” Blue said with a half-shrug.

Rainbow sighed. “Just don’t do it again, and we’re square.”

“Square?” He blinked. “Haven’t I saved your tail more often than you’ve saved mine? I mean hay, I just stopped you from dying literally a minute ago.”

“Well…” Rainbow smirked. “What were you gonna do? Just let me die?”

Blue Bolt deflated and let a snort past his nose. “You’re lucky you’re endearing.”

“You’re darn right I am.” Rainbow folded her forelegs and stuck out her tongue.

Then, the group turned as they heard hoofsteps approaching. They found Princess Luna walking up to them alone. Shining Armor was further back, gently helping his wife back to consciousness and checking her for injuries.

The princess of the night still bore many fresh wounds, and her form shook slightly from her old ones. Still, she managed to smile as she looked at the blue pegasus.

“I was never one to believe in luck… but you may have just changed my mind, Blue Bolt. It was most fortunate you arrived when you did… however it may have happened.” She said, shifting her eyes to the sky in brief thought before turning back to the stallion and warming her expression. “But, however it did happen, you have my eternal gratitude for saving us in our time of need.”

Blue Bolt rubbed the back of his neck, his face reddening a bit with flattery. “There’s no need to thank me, Princess… I was just doing what I could. I still don’t understand what’s going on or why I’ve become a… err…”

“A slayer.” Twilight chimed in.

“Yeah, that.” Blue gave the unicorn an appreciative nod before looking around at the others. “But, if it means that I get to be here with you guys again, then I’d say it’s the best thing to ever happen to m-”

The group watched as the stallion trailed off abruptly. His eyes lost focus, and he stared ahead blankly for a moment with mouth agape.

“Blue Bolt…?” Luna narrowed a brow. “Is something wrong?”

Blue didn’t answer. Instead, he started muttering incoherently as his eyes glowed orange, similar to how they did during the fight with Dusk. He cringed softly, clenching his eyes shut and bringing a hoof to his head. He nearly fell over as he stumbled to the side, only to be caught by Applejack and Pinkie Pie.

“You ok there, partner?” Applejack asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

“Gh… sss… ss…” Blue panted, his whole body starting to shake. “Sss… stop…” He slurred.

“Blue…?” Rainbow Dash reached out and put a hoof on the stallion’s side, staring at him with concern. He felt markedly warmer than he did before. “What’s wrong?”

Then, the stallion’s face went slack and his body went to the ground as he collapsed right at their hooves.

“BLUE!”

Chapter 34: Revelation

The world was distant and cold as Blue Bolt’s mind drifted in and out of focus.

Was he dead? He did seem to remember dying. Then again, if he were dead, he wouldn’t feel himself moving.

“Blue… can you hear me?” A feminine voice echoed through his ears, sourceless but familiar. He tried to respond, but his body wouldn’t listen to his whims as he drifted in calm blackness.

A cacophony of other voices filled his mind, sounding like they were only present in his head, similar to what he had felt before he passed out. Faint images flashed before him. Words, books, creatures, people. Not ponies, though. All of them were speaking in his ear at once. Dozens of voices, dozens of thoughts, none of which were his own. It was suffocating.

Then, it started to calm again. Somehow, he could feel himself being pulled somewhere, like a memory. Or was it a dream? He couldn’t see anything still, though the faintest flashes of a comforting light came to mind, along with another voice.

...Darkness has befallen their world…

The voice spoke. It was soft but masculine. He didn’t recognize it, but he had heard it before. Was this a memory? He couldn’t tell, and any attempts to gather his consciousness were met by fuzz and blur.

“What do we do with him?” A timid voice came, full of concern and barely loud enough to hear.

“Put him in our room for now. He’ll probably need rest if he wakes up… when he wakes up.” The first voice responded. Now that he thought about it, it sounded like Rainbow Dash.

His mind faded again. It was frustrating to some degree. He almost felt the tips of his hooves that time, only to have his progress ripped away again. His head started to buzz, and the choir of voices from before returned, though only briefly as his mind started to drift back to that faint light.

… Your life has ended… Tragic, and before your time... And yet, there is a fire inside you… a desire to protect those that you love… those that cannot protect themselves…

Blue’s eyes rolled under their lids and his body tensed ever so slightly. For the briefest moments, he could feel again. He felt his heart pounding in his ears. He felt himself being carried. Then, it all faded again.

… I could kindle that fire within you…

The voice beckoned. Strangely, he heard his own voice, but he wasn't speaking, at least not in the present moment. Why didn’t he remember this?

“Wh… what do you mean? Who are you?” He asked, his voice sounding so small and insignificant. He was lost somewhere. Somewhere foreign. Somewhere scary. He was scared, so it must have been scary. However, the other voice had a calming effect on him somehow.

…I could give you another chance… I could shape you into a tool for good... You would wield great power to fight back against the dark... However, it would take a great deal of spirit and will to go down this path…

“Spirit…? Will…?” Blue’s voice asked again. He stopped questioning why. Memory or dream, he just wanted to wake up.

...Your hardships would be many... The pain you would feel, plentiful… Will you accept…? Would you willingly choose to be their light through the darkness…?

“Come on, Blue… you just got back. Wake up already, you featherhead.” Rainbow Dash’s voice came, brimming with worry.

“Is he going to be ok?” Fluttershy asked. Even in his delirium, Blue could almost see the soft frown on her face.

Then, for one reason or another, his thoughts shifted to the moments leading up to his death. He could still feel the burn of the creature’s teeth clamping down on his neck, the cool dampness of Rainbow’s tears on his fur, the soft tremble to her voice as she tried to comfort him. He was gone before either one of them could say goodbye.

This… this isn’t fair… He thought. I want to see them again… I want to protect them!

...Will you accept…?

“...Yes…”

He couldn’t see. Yet, somehow, Blue felt the owner of the voice smile at him, filling his mind with warmth for the first time since he passed out as the light grew more intense.

...Then go forth… my angel of justice…

.
..
…

Rainbow Dash sat at the foot of her bed, her legs dangling off the side as she stared down at the unconscious stallion under the sheets.

She still wasn't done processing the fact that he was back. Blue Bolt, the same awkward, funny, sweet-hearted pony she had known since school, a slayer? It was a strange thought, and she wasn't sure how it made her feel. After all, he was dead. What did that mean for his longevity? How long would he stay with them now? If his current state was anything to go by, she was right to have a knot in her stomach.

Fluttershy watched as Rainbow Dash gently stroked Blue’s mane, staring absentmindedly at his peaceful-looking face for the longest time. She wasn't sure what to say. She was just as much an emotional mess as Rainbow was right now. They almost died for Celestia’s sake.

“Come on, Blue… you just got back.” Rainbow Dash muttered softly, unable to hide the worry in her eyes as she felt his forehead. He still felt warm, though he was a little less clammy than before. “Wake up already, you featherhead.”

Fluttershy felt a tug at her heart as she thought about the state of her friend. As far as she knew, Tom didn’t go through anything like this when he became a slayer. Was something wrong? Was he ever going to wake up again?

Unable to fight a tremble in her lips, she drew in a shaky breath and finally spoke a question she had been hoping to keep to herself. “Is he going to be ok?”

Rainbow Dash looked up, and although she would soon shift to her usual reassuring expression, there was a brief moment of contemplation where her frown deepened. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s… he’s a slayer after all.” She produced a hollow chuckle. “This is the first time a pony’s been turned into a slayer. There’s probably some kinks to work out for the new biology.”

Fluttershy wasn't sure if Rainbow was trying to convince her, or herself.

The door to the room opened abruptly, and two ponies came inside in somewhat of a rush. The two pegasi immediately recognized the newcomers to be Sparkplug and Glitterball.

Sparkplug entered first, with her unicorn friend trailing behind and holding a hoof to her bandaged chest. “Oh, thank Celestia you guys are alright.” The gray mare stated.

Glitterball seemed relieved to see the two mares unharmed as well, but her main focus was on the stallion lying in bed. “Oh, wow… uh… she wasn't kidding, was she?” She muttered, a bit stunned to see a stallion she thought dead.

“Did you really think the princess would joke about something like this?” Sparkplug asked.

“Well, no, but…” Glitter paused, taking a moment to gesture to Blue Bolt. “I guess I had to see it for myself to believe it… and… there it… ahem, ‘he’ is.”

Rainbow Dash ignored the brief slip up from the unicorn. She was used to such social awkwardness from Twilight. She was more focused on the pair themselves. “Where have you guys been?! We almost died fighting Dusk! I mean… I guess I’m glad you didn’t almost die too, but dang.”

“Oh no, we almost died too.” Sparkplug clarified bluntly.

“Wh-bu-the what?!” Rainbow blinked and shook her head at the sudden news, sudden to her at least.

“Oh my gosh…” Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth and stared at the two ponies with newfound sympathy.

“Relax. It was just some of those freaky stretchy feral vampire things.” Sparkplug waved a hoof dismissively, chuckling a bit longer than was probably necessary as a few close calls flashed in her mind. “No big deal.”

“Where are Sunspot and Glimmer Shine?” Rainbow asked. “Are they ok? Are you ok? You don’t look ok.” She frowned at Glitterball.

“Rainbow, please… I’m fine. Sunspot and Glimmer are too.” Glitter explained. “Glimmer is helping Shining Armor and Princess Luna down to the med bay, and Sunspot is…” She trailed off hesitantly before sighing. “Well, Sunspot is in the equipment room getting ready to ship Raincloud back off to prison.”

Rainbow Dash skewed her expression a bit. “Hang on… Raincloud is going back already? I thought we were using her?”

“Yeah, well, that was before she tried to bail on us when we really needed her help.” Sparkplug narrowed her brows. “Pretty sure we came at least forty percent closer to dying because of her.”

Hearing this, both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were shocked, but Rainbow seemed to be the most affected by it. The cyan mare’s eyes flashed from outrage, to disgust, to disappointment, and back to outrage, all in the course of a few seconds.

Suddenly, Rainbow hopped off the bed and moved toward the door with some urgency.

“Woah… where are you off to?” Sparkplug asked.

The pegasus paused, turning to the others before sighing. “Just going to get something off my chest.” She muttered, thoroughly unenthused, before looking up to Fluttershy. “If anything happens with him, you come find me, ok?”

“Of course.” Fluttershy nodded.

Satisfied that the stallion would be in good hooves in her absence, Rainbow smiled a bit and walked out of the room. Just before she left, though, she turned and talked over her shoulder as she zipped away. “Oh, and if Twilight drops by, ask her to hold off on any weird experiments with him!”

Glitterball and Sparkplug flinched as an air current blew their manes back in their faces from the door closing so fast. Fluttershy, on the other hand, seemed to be used to her cyan friend making such rapid exits.

“Where is Twilight, anyway?” Glitter asked, patting her mane back down and turning to the yellow pony. “I didn’t see her when we passed by the others on our way here.”

“I’m not sure. She talked with Princess Luna, and then she rushed off somewhere. I think it had something to do with Blue.” Fluttershy explained, thinking back to the determined look the unicorn had as she separated from the group.

The two vested ponies frowned as they saw a certain heart-rending sorrow in the pegasus’ eyes as she watched her friend breathing silently. To say that she had been through a lot was putting it mildly. And now, she had gotten a lost friend back, only to have them fall unconscious mere minutes later.

Glitter ignored the wound on her stomach reminding her of its presence as she ambled over to the yellow mare and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Fluttershy looked up to see a compassionate smile on the unicorn’s face.

“He’ll be ok,” Glitterball assured plainly.

A slight smile tugged at Fluttershy’s lips, though it only lasted a brief moment as she turned to Blue Bolt again. She rested a hoof on the blanket over his chest gingerly, only to remove it as she felt his heart beating rapidly enough to carry through the fabric.

“I hope so…”

Elsewhere in the castle, Twilight was trotting toward some yet unseen destination with eyes distant in thought.

The battle had made her muscles stiff, and she was certain that she would be sore in the morning, but that was not an issue for right now. Right now, she had more important things on her mind. Namely, what was happening to the newly arrived blue pegasus.

Why had he passed out so suddenly? Why did he have vastly different powers than her human friend? Then again, maybe this was normal for slayers? After all, the only point of comparison she had was the blue-suited boy, and he was gone, no matter how much she didn’t want to admit it.

“Ugh… I wish Tom were here.” She sighed, trying not to fall into a downward spiral of mopiness before she reached her destination. If she was being honest, she knew less about slayers than she would like. Sure, the boy had told her a lot to satisfy her late-night questions, to the point where she was half convinced he was making things up just to get her to be quiet faster, but there was also a lot that he didn’t tell her about, either intentionally or not.

Finally, her journey came to a stop as she rounded a corner. Up ahead, she could see a pair of guards standing watch outside of a door, and not just any door. The door to the secure storage.

Wasting no time, Twilight waltzed up to the guards, who offered her a friendly enough smile as she approached.

“Could you please give me the keys to the storage room? I’d like to do some research.” Twilight said, holding her hoof out expectantly. After a moment, the unicorn blinked and looked down, only to see her hoof still empty.

The guard on the left, apparently the master of the keys on this given night, had a sympathetic look to his otherwise stoic face. “I’m sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but nopony gets through here without word from one of the princesses.”

“But… I’m the princess’s student. Doesn’t that count for anything around here?” Twilight asked, getting a bit flustered.

“Be that as it may… we’re under very strict orders to keep anyone out unless they’ve been vouched for beforehand. Please understand. There are some very dangerous items in that storeroom.” The guard explained.

I understand that, but this is important! Twilight internalized a groan, her frustrations only escaping outwardly as a light sigh.

“Let her through.” A familiar voice came from the hall behind the purple mare. Both she and the guards looked over to see a certain pink alicorn walking up.

“Cadence? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked.

Cadence smirked at her sister-in-law. “Vouching for you, what does it look like I’m doing?” She said. “You seemed like you were in a hurry when you ran off, so I figured it would be for the best if you didn’t get caught up in any red tape.” She looked over to the two guards and flashed a bit of a smile. “May we please get inside?”

The guard was already handing over the keys before she even finished speaking. “Of course, Princess Cadence.” He said, and with a slight bow from each of them, they stepped back to let the pair through.

Twilight smiled a bit as she and her foalsitter passed through the door and into the study area. “I didn’t think you were given charge over this room?”

“Technically, I wasn't.” Cadence chuckled. “Being a princess does have its perks.”

The two made their way through the room, ignoring everything inside except for the locked door at the back.

Cadence watched as Twilight fiddled with the ring of keys for a moment before opening the door, their eyes trailing up to the taller room full of shelves as a series of magical lamps lit themselves.

“So… what exactly is it you’re looking for in here?” Cadence asked.

“I’m hoping I can find something about what’s happening to Blue Bolt in the slayer’s journal.” Twilight explained as she scanned the rows of containers and the labels beside them with her eyes. “I’ve… never actually read it before, but Tom told me once that it had a lot of information on slayers… even some entries written by actual slayers.”

Cadence offered the unicorn an impressed smile, even if she wasn't paying attention to it. “That’s a good idea.”

“Maybe… but we won’t know until we find the thing.” Twilight groaned softly. It seemed as though the contents of this room weren’t sorted, or if they were, she couldn’t tell by what criteria they were cataloged. Perhaps level of danger? “Could you split off that way and help me find it?”

“Right.” Cadence nodded before shifting her eyes to the side, a bit taken aback by just how many shelves and containers there were.

Over the course of the next few minutes, the two mares searched high and low, turning the storage room upside down looking for the journal.

Finally, after the tedium was starting to leave lasting mental scars, Cadence got up on her hind legs and checked yet another row.

And then, her eyes brightened as she spotted it. A label with cursive script on it that simply read 'Slayer's Journal'.

"Found it!" She announced triumphantly.

Further down the room, Twilight’s head popped out from behind a shelf. "You did?" She grinned eagerly.

In an instant, the unicorn skipped over to the shelf that the alicorn was waiting at. She checked the number on the case and quickly fished out a key with a matching number.

Once they opened the case, the pair found a comparatively small journal inside, clean, but well worn with age.

Twilight gently took the book into her corona and lifted it out, her eyes already growing wide in wonder as she pictured all of the information waiting inside.

Perhaps noticing the buildup of giddy laughter waiting to break free, Cadence put a hoof around the unicorn’s shoulder and led her back out into the study. "Let’s get somewhere a bit more comfortable before we lose our minds, ‘kay?" She suggested, making a mental note to ask one of the guards outside for some hopefully calming tea, and maybe a paper bag.

Soon after, Cadence lit the nearby fireplace and settled in as Twilight fought off every instinct to go off into a fit of cheerful vibrating that would make Pinkie Pie jealous so she could simply get on with reading the journal before her.

The unicorn opened the book to the first page, which seemed to be a preface of sorts. She cleared her throat and buried her head in its pages before reading what she found aloud.

'Of all the mysterious wonders of the paranormal world, the one that shines brightest is undoubtedly that of the entity known as a slayer. These nigh immortal beings have gone by many names over the years. The hands of mercy. The phoenix fire. The ghosts of justice. However they are named, these individuals have mostly fallen into the realm of myth and legend… until now. Within these pages, I seek to inform of all that I am able to discern of the facts surrounding the slayers.'

“Hmm…” Cadence muttered as she scanned the first few pages along with the unicorn. “It seems that the person who wrote this is at least somewhat familiar with the supernatural world.” She noted.

“I guess they would have to be to write such an accurate book about slayers.” Twilight mused. As she skimmed over much of the material, she found entries detailing sparsely collected information on a slayer’s abilities, their spirit weapons, their healing powers. All stuff that she generally already knew, though it was retold with a certain artistic flair that she would have to fully enjoy later at a slower pace.

Right now, however, she had a job to do, so there was no time to stop and fawn over old books.

Then, Cadence’s eyes stopped over a certain page. As she read the entry with a bit more focus, she leaned forward with intrigue. “Hold on… I think I found something.” She muttered before bringing her hoof up and tracing it along as she read aloud. “‘Curiously enough, slayers are vastly different at the time of their apparent rebirth than they are for the majority of their existence. Their powers are increased twofold, and they are capable of using their abilities for longer without fatigue. While the exact time frame varies between slayers, the two I have had the fortune to interview on the subject claim that this period of enhanced strength lasts for roughly three days, after which their abilities dull to a more standard level.’”

“Yeah… I think I remember Tom telling us something like that when we first met him.” Twilight said, gently taking the book a bit closer to her so she could read on. However, her eyes narrowed as she noticed that the entry continued on. “What the…?”

“Is something the matter?” Cadence asked, watching as the unicorn went over something several times, mouthing it to herself to check if she was reading it correctly.

Twilight lowered the book, her gaze still unfocused. “‘Though these fantastical abilities fade after a short period, a slayer may regain use of them with enough effort or during moments of emotional duress. It is said to be a difficult task… sometimes taking several years to master.’”

“That’s… interesting,” Cadence said, narrowing her brows as she noticed a troubled look still stuck on the unicorn’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Twilight said softly. “It’s just… Tom told us that slayers don’t last much longer than a couple of years.” Her ears fell slightly, unsure of what to make of this information. “Why would he lie about something like this?”

After a moment of uneasy thought, Cadence’s expression lowered sympathetically. “Maybe…”

“Maybe what?” Twilight asked, turning to the alicorn.

Cadence sighed softly. “Maybe he just didn’t want you getting too attached to him?”

Twilight didn’t have a response to that, at least not at first. She looked at the princess of love with soft eyes, occasionally darting her gaze to the floor in thought. “No. That… that can’t be right.”

“Twilight,” Cadence said, putting a hoof on her sister-in-law’s shoulder. “I didn’t want to talk about this with you… but the day before Nightmare Night, I noticed something bothering him. Now I realize that it was because he was having trouble with his powers… but it seemed like it was more than that.”

“Wh… what do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“He didn’t seem worried to me. He seemed like he was… sad.” Cadence frowned.

As she looked up, she saw the unicorn fighting off tears, somewhat unsuccessfully.

“You know… I was wondering why Tom reacted like he did to us finding out about his powers.” Twilight said quietly. “He acted like he was expecting things to end up like this. Now that I think about it… he was always like that. He always focused on us… never on him… like he was enjoying it while he could.” She felt a sob building in her throat, but she managed to hold it in with trembling lips as she bowed her head and sniffled. “Why didn’t I notice sooner?”

Suddenly, she felt her excess tears being lifted away. As she looked up, she found Cadence with horn aglow and soft features.

“You didn’t notice, because he didn’t want you to notice, Twilight,” Cadence said in an understanding tone. “Sometimes the biggest frowns hide behind the widest smiles… but that doesn’t mean that those smiles weren’t genuine.” The unicorn shifted closer as she reached out and hugged her. “He loved you… and if he hid things from you, it was only because he didn’t want you to hurt the way he did. Trust me… I’m the princess of love. It’s my job to know how people really feel.”

Twilight sniffled once more, getting the last tears out of her system and onto her foalsitter’s pristine pink fur. Thankfully, Cadence didn’t seem to mind. “Being a princess has its perks… right?” She lifted her head up to look at the alicorn, a small smile plastered on her face.

Cadence smiled as well. “That’s right.” She patted the mare on the back and let her go. “Now… let’s find a way to help our new friend, shall we?” She suggested, taking the journal up in her aura.

Twilight nodded, and the two of them got back to work. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had already lost their friend once, and if she had anything to say about it, she wouldn’t let them go through that pain again.

Meanwhile, while Twilight and Cadence were smiling and working through their emotions in a healthy manner, a certain cyan pegasus was about to vent herself in a decidedly different manner.

Rainbow Dash stormed through the hallways until she found the equipment room. There were a few guards or servants along her path that got one look at her before backing out of the way immediately. There was a saying among the people of Ponyville, and the denizens of the royal palace knew it by heart as well.

Tartarus hath no fury like an element scorned.

As she reached the door, she started to slam it open, before she stopped her hoof and sighed. Taking a few breaths, she decided to go with the calm approach. For now.

Rainbow stepped into the room, only to find the two pegasi she was looking for. Sunspot was busy fiddling with the collar around Raincloud’s neck, ensuring that it was secure before they headed off. The orange mare was without her suit, and she had a few gauze pads and bandages spread out across her body, with a notable pair of smaller pads rolled up and stuffed up her nose.

Sunspot looked up to see the cyan mare, an eyebrow-raising as she saw such a sour look on her friend’s face. “Hey, Dash… is something up?” She asked, her voice muffled slightly by the obstruction in her nose.

“Not exactly.” Rainbow deadpanned, already glaring at the gray pony. “I just heard about that featherbrained stunt that she pulled.”

“Hey!” Raincloud protested before the collar around her neck was roughly jostled by an orange hoof. She tried to reach up, but the hoof cuffs around her wrists made it difficult.

“Shut it, you.” Sunspot sighed before turning to the cyan mare again. “Yeah, I wasn't too pleased about it myself. I’m still not. Why are you here, though?”

Rainbow Dash wrinkled her lip at the simple enough question. “Well, if it’s ok with you, I’d like a minute or two alone with her to have a… private conversation.”

“Private conversation?” Raincloud skewed a brow. “What am I, pony of interest?”

Sunspot flattened her expression at the gray mare before looking to Rainbow Dash with a bit of curiosity showing through. “Uh… ok, I guess. Why would you want to talk with her?”

“No offense, but that’s kind of personal,” Rainbow said.

“Alright.” Sunspot shrugged, starting for the door. “I’ll be close by when you’re done. Oh yeah, try not to let her get close to you. She has a hard head.” She pointed to her banged-up muzzle, shooting a not so well hidden glare at the captive pony before exiting the room.

Once she heard the hoofsteps getting far enough away, confirming that they were alone, Rainbow turned to her fellow pegasus with a thoroughly unenthused look on her face.

Raincloud had her usual expression on, which was one of smug sarcasm with a touch of passive annoyance. “You know, if you’re here to confess your undying love for me, I feel like I should just nip this in the bud and say I don’t swing that way.”

If looks could kill, the whole room would be a death trap.

“Have you made it your mission in life to be the most unpleasant pony in Equestria?” Rainbow asked flatly.

“Why, is there a prize?”

Rainbow Dash growled through her teeth, the anger she was trying to keep inside now boiling to the surface. “Would you stop it with the sarcasm for five seconds?! Do you even realize how deep of a hole you’ve dug for yourself?!”

Raincloud was a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst, not that she would show that outwardly. “Uh… no?” She said, hoping to follow along with what the pegasus wanted to hear.

“You almost got my friends killed!”

“They had things under control… more or less,” Raincloud muttered. “And there wasn't going to be another opportunity like that for me.” She said, only to narrow her eyes as the cyan mare snorted. “Look, I don’t need to explain myself to you. You’re not my mother, and even if you were, I’d tell you the same thing! You must be high if you think I wasn't going to take the first opportunity to get out of here that dropped into my lap!”

“Get out of here. Yeah, sure. That’s a great plan you got there, genius.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “What would you do next, huh? Live out the rest of your days as a criminal being hunted down by every guard in Equestria? At least if you tried to play nice, you could have maybe gotten out in a few years!”

“Play nice?” Raincloud snorted, plopping down onto her haunches. “Don’t make me gag.”

Rainbow Dash softened her expression briefly. “Oh… ok. I’m sorry. Excuse me for thinking maybe you could reform into someone that isn’t a total jerk.”

“Bite me, Rainbow Douche.” Raincloud narrowed her eyes. “Like you said before, just because you saved my life once and visited me in jail a couple of times, doesn’t make us friends. I don’t know if you’ve noticed… but I do NOT want to be here!” She jingled the metallic cuffs for show.

“Trust me, I know. Anyone with half a brain can tell that you hate everyone and everything, and wouldn’t lift a hoof to help anyone if you didn’t get something for yourself!” Rainbow jabbed a hoof at the gray mare. “What did you even ask for to do this, huh? We both know you asked the princess for something.”

Raincloud looked annoyed for a moment until she refrained from going off and actually softened her expression a bit.

“Well?” Rainbow huffed. “What, you suddenly want to be quiet? Normally we can’t get you to shut up.”

“It was a book from the mansion, ok?” Raincloud answered finally. “Happy now?”

“Oh… well that changes things, doesn’t it?” Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically. “I’ll bet you were planning on smuggling in some kind of spell or something to help you break out. Not that it matters now! You’re not getting it, and you’ll be lucky if you ever even see the sun again!”

Surprisingly, as she looked over to the gray mare, Rainbow saw her with her eyes to the floor and a look on her face that any other pony might describe as forlorn.

“It was a journal,” Raincloud muttered.

“Huh?” Rainbow tilted her head, half because she barely heard, and half because she was so taken aback by the sudden change in behavior.

“It… belonged to my brother,” Raincloud explained. “Dust Kicker brought it with us when we first joined Raven Feather. He used to… draw these stupid pictures of us in it when we were younger. I just… wanted to have it.” She said softly, taking a breath before looking up to the cyan mare. “Look… I get that I’m a jerk… I get that you hate me like everyone else… but can you please talk to the princess and ask her to get me that book. I don’t care if I never get out of whatever hole she throws me into… as long as I have that.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the gray pony, contemplating her request and a few other things for a moment. She knew that the pegasus was being genuine. She didn’t figure Raincloud had it in her to fake being this vulnerable. However, that didn’t excuse everything she had done.

“No…” Rainbow answered finally.

Raincloud seemed like she was expecting such an answer as she flattened her ears. “That’s… fair.” She sighed.

“Not unless you do something first.”

Raincloud looked up, one of her brows rising as she stared at the cyan mare with a hint of unease. “What did you have in mind?”

The slight smile did nothing to ease the gray mare’s discomfort.
.
..
…
Sunspot looked up suddenly as she heard the door to her side opening. She leaned forward off the wall and turned to see Rainbow Dash walking over to her.

“All done?”

“Not exactly…” Rainbow wrinkled her expression a bit as she chose her next words carefully. “Sunspot, I need to ask you something.”

The orange mare was a bit surprised to see her friend acting so strange. “What’s up?” She asked, though she had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what came next.

“I know how this sounds… but do you think you could hold off on taking Raincloud back to jail?” Rainbow asked gingerly.

“Uh… why?” Sunspot narrowed her eyes. “Princess Luna told me to take her back, I can’t just disobey an order like that.”

“That’s actually part of why I need you to wait. I want to talk to Princess Luna about… maybe getting her to work for us a bit longer.” She cringed hesitantly, only to receive the stunned reaction she was expecting.

“What?! Are you crazy?!” Sunspot asked. “She almost got us killed! Glitter popped her stitches because of that little-”

“I know, Sunspot.” Rainbow Dash interrupted, an understanding grimace stuck on her face. “I know what she did… but believe it or not, she’s sorry for all of that. Even the headbutt.”

“She is?” Sunspot asked, the most disbelief Rainbow had ever seen on another pony plastered all over her face.

“Yes. She is.”

“Oh, this I’ve gotta see.” Sunspot said. Then, she turned past the cyan mare and started walking over toward the door.

Rainbow smiled a bit before joining the orange mare.

Just before reaching the door to the room, Sunspot paused and turned to her cyan companion. “Hey, Dash.”

Rainbow paused and removed her hoof from the door handle. “Yeah?”

“Why do you care what happens to her?” Sunspot asked. “She’s been just as big of a nuisance to you as anyone else. Hay, she tried to kill you and the others a few times back in the day.”

There was a bit of a silence after that. Rainbow Dash looked down as if she wasn't sure of the answer herself. “I… I don’t know. I guess I just feel bad for her.” She admitted. “I mean, it’s not entirely her fault she ended up this way, you know? Ponies treated her like dirt for most of her life because of something she had no control over. And… if I didn’t at least try to help her, I feel like it would fly in the face of everything I stand for.”

Sunspot couldn’t help but smile a bit. This must have been what it meant to represent an element of harmony. “Well, for both your sakes, this better be a good apology.” She stated before entering the room.

Rainbow Dash pulled the corners of her mouth up joyfully as she followed the orange mare into the room. They were both met with the sight of Raincloud, sitting where they left her, wearing a decidedly uncomfortable expression that only seemed to deepen as the two approached.

“Raincloud… isn’t there something you want to say?” Rainbow Dash asked pointedly.

There was a sigh that sounded like it carried part of the gray mare’s soul with it. “Do I have to?” She asked before a glare made her quiet down. “Alright, fine…” She turned to the orange mare and opened her mouth, but nothing came out for a while.

The pair watched as the captive pony struggled to vocalize like it was causing her physical pain. Sunspot didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she was enjoying the show.

“I’m sorry that I ran off on you guys…” Raincloud admitted, begrudging but genuine.

“And?” Rainbow prodded.

Raincloud groaned and trailed her eyes to the side. “And… I’m sorry that you were too slow to dodge out of the way of-”

“Ahem.” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, hardening her stare a bit.

“Grr… I’m sorry that I broke your nose.” Raincloud finished, meeting the orange mare’s gaze for the first time.

Sunspot had her forelegs crossed as she watched the gray mare intently. There was an amused snort, and her stoic exterior swiftly cracked alongside a smile as she devolved into a series of choked laughter.

Raincloud sighed with annoyance and trailed her eyes away. “This is why I don’t normally do this.”

“I’m sorry.” Sunspot said, wiping a tear from her eye. “That was just priceless. Oh, man… I’m gonna remember that till I’m old and gray.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the orange pegasus, trying to hide how uneasy she was. “Well…?”

Dropping into a more serious expression, Sunspot turned to her friend before glancing at the gray mare. She wrinkled her mouth pensively, before finally sighing. “Alright… I’ll at least let you talk to Princess Luna about this, but it’s your job to convince her.”

“Thank you, Sunspot.” Rainbow Dash said with a warm smile.

Raincloud cleared her throat uncomfortably, drawing the pair’s attention to her. “Now that we’re all chummy again, does someone want to take these cuffs off me?” She asked, holding up her hooves. “These things chafe like crazy.”

Sunspot gave the mare a flat look before sharing a slight smirk with Rainbow Dash. “Yeah… I think we’ll keep those on for now.”

The irritated groan that followed only made their smiles deepen.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Princess Luna was slowly making her way toward her sister’s room. She hadn’t checked in with the sickly alicorn since the attack, so she had much to inform her of. Besides, it was almost time to raise the sun again, and she also just wanted to see how Celestia was faring.

The trip took a little longer than usual. Her movements were stiff, and she had to pause a few times and wait for her limbs to cooperate. The new bandages and medications she had received were taking a bit of the edge off, but she still hurt a lot.

Eventually, she managed to make it all the way to Celestia’s bed chambers. There were two guards stationed outside that stiffened up a bit upon noticing the alicorn approaching before they widened their eyes as they saw what kind of shape she was in.

“Princess Luna!” One of the stallions rushed forward and helped the wounded alicorn with standing. “Are you certain you should be walking around?”

Luna graciously leaned off of the stallion and stepped aside. “I appreciate your concern, but I am fine. I need to see my sister.” She stated, turning to the doors ahead.

Just then, a familiar-sounding groan echoed from within the room. Luna’s eyes softened with worry as she listened to the pained sounds.

“She’s been like that for the past few hours.” The guard informed somberly. “We’ve tried comforting her, but nothing works.”

"I was afraid of this," Luna muttered, her eyes falling to the floor briefly. She made her way up to the doors, resting her aura on them as she turned and gave an appreciative nod to the two stallions before making her way inside.

Almost immediately, she had to cast a light spell to be able to see. Her soft blue-tinted glow filled the room, revealing the heavy fabric draped over the balcony doors further back, and the tall figure sitting on the edge of the bed.

Luna watched as the silhouette of her sister doubled over and clutched at her stomach, producing another soft moan before looking up and noticing her visitor.

"Ss… sister?" Celestia spoke, her voice sounding strained and hoarse. She had a slight shake to her form, which was made apparent as she lifted her head up.

"Tia..." Luna frowned. "Is it safe to approach?"

The pale monarch managed a smile through her tense features. "Y-yes… I am still in possession of all my… m-mental faculties."

That was good, though she was approaching regardless of the answer.

Luna sidled over and sat down next to her shivering mess of a sister, examining her as she did.

The sickly alicorn had somehow gotten even paler since their last meeting. Her eyes were heavy, with dark circles around them. Her stomach, which she was keeping at least one hoof clutched to at all times, was shriveled and gaunt, with her ribs starting to show. If she looked like death froze over before, it seemed to have thawed out.

"Oh… sister." Luna brought a hoof to her mouth.

Celestia cringed as another wave of hunger pangs rocked her body. She shakily lifted a hoof and placed it on the younger alicorn’s shoulder. "I-I… I’ll be fine." She assured, though somehow Luna didn't believe her. "More importantly… ngh… what happened? I felt Dusk’s presence. I… I tried to go warn you, but I couldn’t move."

"I suspected as much." Luna pursed her lips. "You are correct… Dusk did attack."

Celestia raised off the bed slightly. "Is everyone ok? What about Twilight and the others?!"

Luna gently pressed her sister back onto the bed, a bit unsettled at just how easy it was. "That is part of why I am here, actually. Everyone is fine… relatively speaking. A dozen or so guards lost their lives…" She took a moment to pause and bow her head respectfully. Celestia frowned deeply. "Rainbow Dash very nearly lost her life."

"Oh my word…" Celestia flattened her ears against her head. "What happened? You said she is fine, yes?"

"Yes, yes," Luna assured. She sighed as she thought about how best to explain. "Though, it is a miracle that any of us made it through the encounter. Dusk had us beaten… Twilight and the others didn’t even get a chance to use the elements."

Celestia looked simultaneously confused and uneasy. "Are you certain you’re not a spirit or a hallucination? Because it does not sound like this story has a happy ending." She said, gently patting her hoof on Luna’s shoulder to ensure she was real.

Luna chuckled softly and shook her head. "No, I am still among the living."

"Good…" Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. "That is more than I can say about myself. Care to explain this miracle of yours?"

"That is… a rather difficult question to answer. I fear you will not believe me."

Celestia smirked softly. "You are speaking with a vampire, sister. Our sense of what is believable has changed a bit in recent months."

“Very well…” Luna exhaled. “I’m not certain if this was ever brought up to you in light of recent events, but Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s friend… that pegasus fellow, Blue Bolt. He died during Dusk’s initial invasion when you were taken.”

“Oh…” Celestia lowered her head somberly, a regretful frown stuck on her face as she thought about how much the two mares must have suffered. “That is… terrible.”

“Indeed it was, but it is also the reason we are currently speaking,” Luna said.

The pale alicorn narrowed her brows. “I’m not certain I follow.”

Luna’s mouth fell into a somber line. “You recall Tom’s description of the origins of a slayer, yes? An individual felled by evil forces and brought back with supernatural powers to combat said evil forces.”

“Wait… surely you don’t mean-” Celestia trailed off, her eyes widening in revelation.

“That is exactly what I mean, sister,” Luna said, shifting her gaze toward the balcony, where just a sliver of moonlight could be seen coming through a crack in the curtains. “I’m not certain what force is behind the creation of slayers… but I think I can say with confidence that it is sentient, and it sought to aid us in our hour of need. Just as we were about to lose more lives… Blue Bolt appeared out of thin air and fought Dusk off. That is how Rainbow Dash survived… she was dying, but Blue Bolt healed her.”

“So… he has the same powers as Tom did?” Celestia asked.

“Ehm… yes and no,” Luna said. “He displayed Tom’s abilities, but he also had access to a few different ones as well. Unfortunately… he acted rather strangely before suddenly passing out. We’re not sure what is wrong with him.”

“Oh my…” Celestia softened her features with sympathetic worry. It would never cease to trouble her that slayers always ended up harming themselves to protect her friends. “I doubt very seriously if this is just some random malady, given slayers’ regenerative abilities.”

“Indeed. Young Twilight is investigating the slayer’s journal for clues as to what could be ailing him, but in the meantime, we must simply wait and hope that he awakes soon.” Luna explained.

“But Dusk is gone?” Celestia asked, receiving a nod in response. “I presume he retreated?” She added, her eyes dimming a bit in disappointment. It would be too much to hope that the alicorn was slain, but then, if he were, she would probably know already.

“With his tail tucked between his legs,” Luna smirked. “I must admit, it was rather cathartic to watch Blue Bolt beat him silly after everything he has done to us.”

“I wish I could have been there,” Celestia said, perhaps carrying some veiled remorse for not being able to protect her sister and student. Still, she was glad that everyone was alive.

Luna watched as the older mare got up from the bed with great effort. She looked like she could barely stand, wavering and trembling like a newborn fawn trying to walk for the first time. Still, Celestia turned to her sister with a determined look in her eyes.

“Ngh… Correct me if I’m… w-wrong, but is it not time to raise the s-sun?” She asked.

Getting off the bed, Luna frowned and went to shoulder the pale alicorn’s teetering weight before she fell over. “Sister, you needn’t worry about such things right now. You need rest.”

“We cannot wait until I am better to raise the sun, Luna.” Celestia turned her head toward the younger mare. “As it s-stands… I will not be better for days. In that time, we cannot allow Dusk to move… unhindered. Besides… it is not n-natural for it to be dark so long.”

Luna gave her sister a conflicted look. She was intimately familiar with the importance of proper balance between the day and night, at least now she was. “Then I will raise the sun myself.”

Celestia smiled weakly. “I appreciate your determination, sister, and... I would perhaps venture that it would be within your abilities by this point, but not in your current state.” She said, showing more than a bit of concern as she looked to the many bandages around Luna’s form. “It would... take a tremendous amount of m-magical power to sway my sun without familiarity with it, as I’m sure it would for your moon as well.”

Suddenly, Celestia nearly went to the floor. She clenched her eyes shut and grit her teeth, clutching a hoof to her stomach and grunting.

“Sister!” Luna crouched down and held a hoof to the pale mare’s side. Celestia forced an eye open, though there was still a pained grimace on her face as she drew air between her teeth.

“I am f-fine… I… I-I…” She shook her head, before exhaling forcefully and fighting to catch her breath again. “I’m merely feeling… faint.”

Luna gently nudged her sister back toward the bed, and either from exhaustion or begrudging need of a short rest, Celestia didn’t offer much resistance and instead sat down once more.

“Oh… sister.” Luna frowned, bringing her hoof down and resting it atop one of Celestia’s.

Then, there was an abrupt knock at the doors, followed by a familiar voice.

“Luna, are you in there?” Cadence asked. Even through her muffled voice, the two sisters could detect a hint of urgency.

“Yes,” Luna answered.

“Please, come in,” Celestia spoke.

After a moment of hesitation, the doors cracked open and the pink alicorn stepped inside. She took one look at her aunts before her mouth fell agape at the state of the white mare.

“Oh my gosh… Celestia.” Cadence frowned.

Celestia made an effort to straighten up her posture and lift her head, though she could do little to affect the pained look in her eyes. “Nevermind me, Cadence. What is the matter?” She presumed. She had known the pink mare long enough to know when she had something to say.

It took a minute for Cadence to suppress her worry enough to get back on track. “Twilight and I have been looking through the slayer’s journal.” She explained, shifting her focus to Luna. “We think we’ve found out what’s wrong with Blue Bolt.”

“You have?” Luna asked, brightening up a bit. “That is wonderful.”

“That’s not all,” Cadence said, a bit of a serious air falling over her that caught the older alicorns off guard. She looked between the pair, paying particular attention to Celestia.

“You two need to hear this.”

Chapter 35: Shot in the Dark

As the pale glow of the moon and the night sky outside painted the nearby window shades of blue, Fluttershy sat by her friend’s bedside and watched over him as he silently slept.

The yellow mare rubbed her own foreleg as she stared at him, her mind wandering through many uneasy or bittersweet thoughts as she did.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the last time she saw him. The pool of blood, the grizzly wound on his neck, the sight of Rainbow Dash crying over him, hooves covered in crimson as he just laid there. It was too much for her at the time to fully process. She didn’t get a chance to.

She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

“Blue…” She muttered softly, casting her eyes down. “I… I-I know you can’t hear me, but-” Her voice wavered slightly as she rested a hoof on the side of the covers, sliding it down until she could feel his hoof underneath. “I just want you to know… I’m so glad you’re back. When you died, I-I felt like… like things would never get better. We almost lost Twilight, and Spike, and the kids… then we lost Tom.”

The stallion remained still and unmoving, despite the small grip on his hoof and the tears falling onto his blanket.

“But even if we won back then… even if we defeated Dusk… you were still gone.” She whimpered, taking a moment to wipe her eyes on a foreleg. Then, a smile graced her gentle features. “Thank you for coming back… and please… please wake up.” She squeezed his foreleg.

A creak off to the side made the yellow mare lift her head. The door to the room opened, allowing Sparkplug to come inside. She had a pair of ceramic cups on her back that were steaming softly, with an enticingly bitter aroma drifting off them.

“Hey.” Sparkplug greeted softly, walking up to the shy mare and taking one of the cups off of her back. “I thought you could use a little pick-me-up, so I made some hot cocoa.”

Fluttershy accepted the cup from her, peering down into a delicious-looking swirl of marshmallow and chocolate before looking up and smiling. “Thank you so much, Sparkplug. That’s so nice.”

The gray mare waved a hoof dismissively as she took a sip from her own cup, only to recoil slightly from a burnt mouth. “Don’t mention it.” She coughed under her breath, her throat protesting under the hot magma that she just tried to swig down.

Seeing her friend’s duress, Fluttershy opted to blow on her cup a bit before sampling it. Once she did, she could immediately feel her stresses melting away, evidenced by a relaxed exhale.

“How is your foreleg feeling?” Fluttershy asked, looking at the old wound and letting her mouth curl down.

“It’s still pretty tender.” Sparkplug admitted. She cast her gaze over to the sleeping stallion, her thoughts wandering as she did. “You think Blue Bolt could maybe… I don’t know, heal it up a little bit when he wakes up?”

“Well, I suppose he is a slayer now,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t think he’d mind… but whenever Tom used to heal someone, it took a lot out of him.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Sparkplug sighed. “We should probably let him take it easy until we know what made him pass out in the first place.”

Then, a slight murmur made the pair give pause. They looked at each other, silently confirming that they even heard something, before turning to the blue pegasus.

“Blue…?” Fluttershy asked, setting her cup down on a nearby table before leaning in closer to watch her friend. Much to her excitement, she saw his face wrinkle as another soft groan escaped him and he started to stir. “He’s waking up!” She gasped.

“Oh!” Sparkplug nearly spilled her cocoa as she raced to set it down. She gathered around the stallion’s bedside, watching eagerly with Fluttershy as his movements gradually increased.

“Sparkplug, go find Rainbow Dash and the others!” Fluttershy stated urgently.

The gray pony was already halfway to the door by the time she responded. “On it!” She called behind her as she hurried as fast as she could out into the hallway.

Fluttershy held a hoof behind Blue Bolt’s head as he blearily sat up. He hunched over, his hooves pooling in his lap heavily as he squinted his eyes open. The surroundings he was met with were vastly different from those he remembered passing out in.

“Hmmph…” He mumbled, shifting his head to look around before stopping abruptly as he noticed a blur of yellow and pink beside him. Blinking a few times, his vision clarified enough to identify the shape as a pony. “Fluttershy?”

Before he could say anything further, the mare beside him collapsed into his form, wrapping her forelegs around his waist and nesting her head into his shoulder. The strands of pink hair tickling his face and the slight squeeze she gave him were enough to wake him the rest of the way up.

“Blue Bolt,” Fluttershy muttered softly. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”

“Uh…” Blue looked more than a bit confused at first, but soon he smiled and returned the hug. “It’s good to see you too, Fluttershy.”

The stallion peered around as he embraced his friend, his mind still piecing things together. However, there seemed to be some pieces missing. “What happened?” He asked.

Fluttershy pulled back and looked at him, a concerned frown formed on her lips. “You don’t remember? You started acting funny, then you passed out.”

“That explains why my brain feels like custard.” He noted, rubbing his temple and giving it a slight knock before dragging his hoof down his face. He shook the last of the drowsiness from his head and stretched his neck, rotating in the bed so he could face the yellow mare better.

“Are you feeling ok?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah… better than ok, actually,” Blue said, looking down at his body curiously. “I feel… I don’t know… energized? Like I could run a mile and not even feel it.” He rested a hoof against his chest, only to recoil slightly as he felt his heart racing. “Woah, that is… not normal.”

“I wish I could help, but… I’m not really sure what it’s like for a new slayer.” Fluttershy deflated slightly.

Ignoring his companion’s regretful gloom, Blue Bolt leaned forward curiously. “So… I’m like Tom now? What does that even mean? I’ve heard you guys talk about him and his powers before, but… this is just weird.” He held a hoof in front of him and marveled at it as a soft blue glow surrounded its tip.

“W-well,” Fluttershy wrinkled her lip, struggling to try and think of a good way to satisfy her friend’s questions. “I think Twilight would be better at this… she knows more about what a slayer is. The best I could tell you right now is to… I guess experiment. Although… m-maybe you should hold off on using your powers right now? Just in case you pass out again.”

“I guess.” Blue shrugged. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure if he knew how to use all of his powers on command, so it wasn't exactly much of an issue for him.

Before long, the pair looked up abruptly as the door opened in a blur, allowing a very out-of-breath Rainbow Dash to come to a stop.

“Blue!” Rainbow’s face lit up as she saw the stallion up and about. Without warning, she rushed over to him and started giving him what he assumed to be a medical examination, if said examination was performed by someone who didn’t even know what they were examining for. “Are you ok? Do you feel faint?”

Blue Bolt squinted one eye as Rainbow forcibly opened the other, leaning in and getting close enough that he could practically see himself in her colorful orbs. “Uh… I’m good… I think?”

“Slow down, Rainbow. You’re gonna send the poor feller into shock.” A familiar southern drawl announced its presence as Applejack walked into the room, followed closely by Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

“Darling, it’s wonderful to see you awake!” Rarity smiled warmly at the stallion. “You look much better than you did before. Although… we simply must get you out of that vest. The time for ill-advised galavanting around town clad in equally ill-advised outfits has passed.” She reasoned, pointing out his costume with a sympathetic shake of the head.

Blue raised a brow at the unicorn’s behavior. Though the others were used to it by now, he certainly was still adjusting. “Right… Sorry, I guess I’ve been a little busy, what with me being dead and all.” He stated casually, though not without a certain amount of dry sarcasm to his voice, as he slipped out of the vest and set it aside.

“Well, now you’re alive!” Pinkie announced cheerfully, plopping down onto the bed next to the stallion and catching him off guard slightly. “And it’s a good thing too, because I realized I never got to ask you when your birthday is. How can I throw you a birthday party if I don’t know when your birthday is?!”

“I’m sure you’d find a way.” Applejack chimed in.

“Well, I guess I could just guess, but that would be really hard.” Pinkie reasoned. “And a birthday party isn’t as special if it isn’t on your birthday.” Then, suddenly, she gasped and widened her eyes, a sign that the others knew to be wary of. “Is today your birthday?! You just got reborn! You have two birthdays now! I am SO jealous!”

Seeing the stallion receding into the back wall with the most uncomfortable expression she had ever seen on another pony, Rainbow Dash stepped in and put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Give him some space, Pinkie. He needs rest.”

Blue Bolt snorted softly, letting an amused smile tug at his mouth. “Girls, I’m fine, really. I’m healthy as a horse.” He insisted.

“You have amazing slayer powers, and somehow you just passed out cold. You are far from fine, Blue.” Rainbow looked at him flatly.

“Rainbow, I’m telling you,” Blue protested, “I’ve never felt better in my l-” Suddenly, he clutched a hoof to his head and cringed as a shooting pain racked his mind. “Gah!”

A few gasps of shock came from the group as they watched the stallion riding out whatever experience he was going through.

“Blue?! What’s wrong?!” Rainbow asked desperately. She reeled back slightly as Blue Bolt squinted an eye open, revealing that the soft shade of blue was overshadowed by a fiery glow.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the concerned crowd of ponies watching, Blue Bolt heard a strangely familiar myriad of whispering voices in his head. His thoughts raced as information zipped in and out of focus, like memories. Memories that weren’t his.

Then, Blue fell back, coming to a stop against the wall behind the bed. He panted lightly, still resting a hoof to his temple, though his pain and the strange glow in his eyes were gone.

“Ugh… what the hay was that?” He asked nobody in particular, sitting back up with mild fatigue.

“Are you ok?” Fluttershy asked.

“Y-yeah.” Blue nodded softly as he lowered his hoof. “Ngh…” He blinked hard. “Why do I suddenly know everything there is to know about vampires, ghouls, and demons?”

“That’s… odd.” Rarity lifted a brow.

“Actually, I think I can answer that.” A familiar knowledgeable voice came into the room.

The group looked over as the door swung open. Entering into the already crowded space was a familiar purple unicorn with Sparkplug and Cadence in tow.

Rainbow Dash felt a bit of relief as she watched Twilight walk over to the stallion and examine him. She could always trust her friend to find out about any problem. “Did you find something?”

“You could say that,” Twilight said, briefly feeling Blue’s forehead and squinting curiously at the result.

Blue Bolt felt supremely uncomfortable being the subject of two examinations like this. At least the unicorn seemed to know what she was doing, unlike a certain friend of his. “So, what is it?”

Twilight drew air between her teeth and cringed sympathetically. “Well… I’m still not a hundred percent certain, but I think it has to do with how long it took you to become a slayer.” She explained. “The slayer journal talks about different subjects in varying amounts of detail, but from what I’ve seen, all documented cases of people turning into slayers have taken anywhere from a week to a month after the person died.”

“Blue died, what? Two days ago?” Applejack asked curiously.

“It’s hard to say.” Rarity noted, taking a glance out of the nearby window. “Time has been rather difficult to keep track of as of late with the sun staying down for so long.”

Rainbow Dash looked between the stallion and Twilight with more than a hint of unease in her eyes. “So… is something wrong with him?”

“That’s… hard for me to say.” Twilight frowned. “After they get reborn, a slayer typically already has all of the knowledge they need on monsters, magic, and how to use their powers. But since Blue Bolt is still… adjusting to his powers, it might be a sign that he is having complications from being reborn so soon.”

The room devolved into silent noises of concern as everyone turned to the blue pegasus with worried frowns and soft eyes. Blue Bolt, not wanting to make his friends feel upset for him, put on a reassuring smile.

“Well, whatever is wrong with me, I’m sure that it’s fine. After all, a few headaches and some fainting spells are way better than how I was yesterday.” He stated lightheartedly.

“I still say you should take it easy.” Rainbow Dash said. “If you’re adjusting to your powers, some RnR should help.”

“Actually… that might not be an option just yet.” Cadence chimed in hesitantly.

Now, the others were looking at her and Twilight.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow wrinkled her expression.

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck as she looked to Blue Bolt, a certain somber air about her that caught the others off guard. “We wanted to ask you something, Blue. Something important.”

“Sure… go ahead,” Blue said, leaning forward and listening intently.

“We…” Twilight curled her mouth downward. She started to say something, only to stop again shortly after. Finally, she sighed. “We think you can save Princess Celestia.”

“What?” Rarity chimed in.

Pinkie gasped. “He can?”

“Wait… what’s wrong with the Princess?” Blue skewed his expression with confusion.

Twilight kicked herself mentally for not remembering that the stallion just popped back into existence. Her expression only fell further as she thought back to her mentor’s condition. “Back on Nightmare Night, that alicorn you fought off, Dusk, he attacked the Princess and defeated her. He…” She swallowed uncomfortably. “He changed her into a vampire… like him. We’ve been trying to cure her since we got back, but we don’t have a key ingredient in the cure.”

“And you think I can help her?” Blue asked curiously.

“Y-yes,” Twilight admitted.

“That’s… great, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash stated with a bright smile. However, the unicorn’s expression made any cheer building in the room drain. Cadence seemed equally uneasy, which only made things worse. “Right? That’s great, right?”

“Well...” Twilight trailed her eyes down.

Seeing the unicorn struggling to vocalize such troubling news, Cadence took it upon herself. “A slayer can use their powers to cure a fledgling vampire… but the process could kill her.”

As the other proverbial shoe dropped, so did the jaws of nearly everyone present.

“K-kill her?” Fluttershy softened her expression, her eyes flashing with a hint of fear. With everything that was happening, she wasn't sure if she could take losing someone else, especially not the Princess.

“Can’t we just wait until we find whatever junk you need for the other cure?” Applejack asked.

Twilight shook her head somberly. “She… won’t make it that long.” She said softly. “Her body is wasting away. We’ve been searching for that missing ingredient, but no luck. I’m no expert… but even I can tell she doesn’t have long left. If she keeps going like this for another day or two, and we don’t cure her… she will die.”

“Oh dear…” Rarity brought a hoof up partway to her muzzle. There was a troubled silence after her initial reaction as everyone stared ahead with stunned denial written all over their faces.

Blue Bolt trailed his eyes down to his hoof, his mouth set into a grim line as he thought to his situation. He wasn't one to believe in destiny. After what happened to his wing, how could he? But now, he had been brought back from the dead and given otherworldly powers. That kind of thing didn’t happen without a reason.

The others looked up suddenly to see the stallion getting off the bed. He stood tall and looked to Twilight and Cadence with determined resolve in his eyes.

“Have you told her about this?” He asked.

“Yes.” Twilight nodded, already seeing where he was going with this.

“Has she made a decision yet?” Blue added.

Cadence softened her eyes at the stallion. “She wanted to know if you were ok with it. It could be very taxing on you.”

Without even hesitating, Blue let a pleased smirk cross his face. “Let’s do it.”

“Woah, hey.” Rainbow Dash chimed in, getting in front of the stallion and resting a hoof on his shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this right now, Blue? What if you pass out again… or worse? I’m sure the Princess would agree that you can wait a little-”

Blue Bolt reached up and gently took her hoof away. “Rainbow… I need to do this.” He said, looking at her with surprisingly saddened eyes. “When that thing killed me, the only thing I could think about was how I failed you. It’s a miracle you survived. I let you down… and I don’t want to do that to anyone else now that I’m back.”

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure what to say to that, or even if she rightly could say something to that. She was left standing there with soft eyes as the stallion walked up to Twilight and Cadence.

“Now… where do we start?” He asked eagerly.

The two mares shared an uneasy look with each other before shifting their eyes to the pegasus.

“Well…” Twilight started, taking a moment to swallow her apprehensions.

A few minutes later, preparations were swiftly underway, not that there was much to prepare.

The small group gathered for this monumental task was huddled around in Celestia’s bed chambers. Luna was present, along with Cadence and Twilight. Glimmer Shine and Sunspot were also on standby, ready to step in if something went horribly awry.

Sunspot watched uneasily as Luna wrapped a thick chain around the pale alicorn, binding her to a decorative marble pillar. “Is the chain really necessary?”

Luna looked up from her work to see the others wearing uncomfortable expressions. “Unfortunately so. We must ensure that she stays still, for her safety… and ours.”

“It is quite alright, Sunspot.” Celestia smiled at the pair of monster hunters. “If you wish, you may wait outside until you are needed, though I doubt you will be.”

“No… I’m staying.” Sunspot said.

“You wanted us to be here, so we’re here for you.” Glimmer Shine added.

Celestia couldn’t help but feel a slight warmth in her still heart. She then shifted her eyes up to the purple unicorn watching nearby with an uneasy frown. “Twilight… could you come here a moment?”

The unicorn seemed hesitant, like she already had an idea of what her mentor was going to say, but she walked over as requested. “Yes, Princess?”

Taking a moment to reach her foreleg up, which was made difficult by the chains around her waist, Celestia took her student and held her close, resting her chin on Twilight’s head.

“I am so proud of you.” The alicorn said. “You’ve grown more than I could have imagined on that day so long ago. However many mistakes I have made in the past… I can say with confidence that making you my student was not one of them.”

Hearing a slight whine, Celestia looked down to see the unicorn with tears in her eyes. She was burying her face into the alicorn’s chest fluff like she never wanted to leave.

“Why are you crying, my student?” Celestia asked softly.

Twilight sniffled and wiped her face before hesitantly meeting her mentor’s gaze. “Because… it sounds like you’re… s-saying goodbye.”

Celestia smiled softly, not allowing a pang of weakness and hunger to reach her face. “If I wanted to say goodbye, I would say goodbye. For now… I merely wish to say that no matter what happens here, you will be fine.” She assured, allowing the unicorn to wrap her forelegs around, or at least as best she could.

“Twilight,” Cadence spoke up, walking over with her mouth curved down into a sympathetic frown. “We should let them get started.”

“Actually… I think I’m going to stay.” Twilight said, a sense of confident resolve behind the somberness in her eyes.

Celestia frowned at the unicorn. “Twilight, I don’t want you to watch this.” She fretted, only to fall silent as the purple mare held her hoof.

“I’m not leaving you… no matter what.” Twilight insisted. The pale alicorn couldn’t keep a smile from crossing her face.

Luna finished securing the chains around the pillar before making her way around. She frowned as she saw her sister in such a state. She hated every bit of this, but she knew that it was necessary.

“Are you ready, sister?” She asked, perhaps choosing not to say any last words as a way to cope.

“I am.” Celestia nodded. Twilight and Cadence backed away, leaving plenty of room for whatever was about to happen.

The alicorn sisters looked up as Blue Bolt approached them. He had a certain look to his eyes that told that he was uneasy like everyone else, but he was also determined to help however he could.

“What do I need to do?” He asked.

“In theory, it is supposed to be simple,” Luna explained. “You merely need to project your healing light onto her for a prolonged period of time… perhaps with the mental direction of wanting to cure her.”

“In theory?” Blue crinkled his eyes a bit.

Luna trailed her eyes away momentarily. “The process will be… difficult for her. You are essentially burning the affliction out. It will be risky, but…” She took a moment to exhale and center her emotions before continuing. “It is important that you keep going, no matter what.”

“Right…” Blue nodded. He turned to the chained-up alicorn, hesitating a bit as a sense of nervousness welled up inside of him. As he looked down to his hooves, the full realization that the fate of Equestria’s beloved ruler rested squarely in them dawning on him, he exhaled tensely and steeled his expression. “No matter what.”

Celestia and the others watched as the stallion approached her. She could tell that he was scared simply by looking at his jittery movements. She respected that he was brave enough to keep going. She herself was feeling a bit apprehensive, but then again, she was quite literally locked into her decision now.

“Thank you for doing this, Blue Bolt.” She said, flashing a sincere smile.

Blue Bolt returned the gesture, though his mouth quickly curved back into an uneasy frown. “Don’t thank me yet.” He said, lifting a hoof and looking down to it before leveling his gaze back onto her rose-colored eyes. “Are you ready?”

Celestia took a deep, calm breath and wriggled into as much of a comfortable position as she could get. “I am ready if you are.”

Silence took the room for a few moments as Twilight and the others watched the two. They couldn’t shake the hollow feeling in their guts like something terrible was about to happen. Still, this was the best hope the alicorn had.

With all eyes on him, and stress mounting on his shoulders, Blue Bolt pointed his hoof ahead. He offered the pale alicorn a sympathetic cringe and flinched to the side slightly as he focused on channeling his newfound power.

Then, the room was flush with light as a torrent of shining blue energy flooded forward. It crashed into Celestia’s form, enveloping most of her body and running off the pillar like a rock in a waterfall.

“AGHHHHH!!” An agonized scream erupted from the alicorn as she rocked her head back against the pillar. Her body tensed against the chains, but she could only stay still and endure.

Twilight’s ears fell as she barely saw steam rising off of the princess’s silhouette. Cadence reached a hoof up to cover her mouth.

“Tia...” Luna muttered to herself as she watched her sister writhe and cry out against the torment engulfing her. “Hold on.”

Blue Bolt kept his hoof steady despite his remorse. He could practically feel his heart breaking with each pained outburst Celestia made. Still, he focused intently on how important she was to him, to his friends, to the whole of Equestria, keeping the merciful desire to heal her forefront in his mind.

The pale mare strained her forelegs and turned her head, barely able to keep still as every fiber of her body sizzled and burned. She could feel her tainted essence shriveling up and scorching under the overwhelming light, like it was reaching down into her soul and punishing her for what she had become.

Sunspot inched forward as another blood-curdling scream ripped free of Celestia’s throat, only to stop herself as she felt Glimmer Shine’s hoof on her shoulder. She looked up, offering the stallion a conflicted grimace before seeing that he had an uncertain look on his face too. It was taking everything they had for the both of them to just let this happen.

Suddenly, the series of pained whimpers and cries from Celestia devolved into panting and strained breathing. A feral screech came as she jerked her body again, pulling the chains taut around her. The ponies got a brief glimpse of exposed fangs and flaring red eyes before she shuddered and collapsed back against the pillar in a writhing fit.

Twilight gasped as she saw hints of glowing embers beginning to appear across the alicorn’s body. Celestia’s movements and cries were starting to get weaker as well.

“Princess!” The unicorn turned and quickly trotted over to Luna, unable to hide the panic and fear in her eyes. “We have to stop! It’s killing her!”

Luna glanced between the purple mare and the torrent of light, a palpable sense of doubt and worry in her face as well. “Twilight, I-”

“No!” Celestia cried, creating the first legible sound since the process started. Everyone looked over to see her squinting an eye open amidst her writhing, which was still glowing intensely. “Ngh… k… k-keep… going!” She instructed before trailing off into another scream.

Despite the alicorn’s insistence, Twilight and the others could see her strength fading. The few sparse embers on her form were starting to spread and overtake her.

Then, Twilight’s heart dropped as the cries of agony died down. Celestia’s movements lessened and then stopped entirely as her head limply settled forward. “No!” The unicorn darted forward, only to be stopped abruptly by a pair of pink forelegs grabbing onto her.

Cadence had tears streaming down her face, but still, she held tightly onto the purple mare. “Twilight, there’s nothing we can do! This is the only way!”

“No, let me go!” Twilight protested, struggling weakly against her sister-in-law before looking up with watery eyes, only to see no change in Celestia’s condition. “Blue Bolt, please stop! She can’t take it!”

The stallion glanced back to the unicorn, his expression tense and his eyes soft with doubt before he looked forward to the unmoving alicorn. Should he stop? His mind was flooded with a myriad of conflicting thoughts and emotions as his foreleg trembled lightly.

Finally, he clenched his eyes shut and made his decision.

Bringing his free foreleg up to steady the other, he concentrated every ounce of his will forward. With a strained yell, the torrent of light seemed to speed up and shine more intensely until it completely obscured Celestia from view.

After a few seconds of this, the light died down abruptly and Blue Bolt slumped to the ground, barely catching himself on his fore hooves.

While the stallion was panting and recovering on the ground, all eyes in the room turned to Princess Celestia.

The pale alicorn was still slumped forward and unmoving, though surprisingly enough, she wasn't pale anymore. Her fur had regained its normal, healthy snow color, and her vibrant mane had returned. However, these observations meant nothing if she didn’t wake up.

“Princess!” Twilight rushed forward, pausing before Celestia’s limp form and desperately hoping to get her to stir.

While the others quickly gathered around, Luna rushed behind the pillar and unlocked the chains. The metal bindings fell to the floor with a clatter, allowing the white mare’s body to fall forward before being caught by Cadence and Twilight.

“Sister?” Luna called as she crouched down beside her sibling, cradling her head with a foreleg and examining her for signs of life. “Sister?!”

Celestia’s body was warm. It was a welcome sign, though Luna couldn’t be sure if this was merely a fading side effect of being enveloped in the radiant light for so long.

Twilight felt her heart on the verge of exploding in her chest as she watched her mentor’s unmoving face. “Is she alive?” She quaked.

Desperate for answers as much as, if not more than the group watching, Luna put an ear to her sister’s chest and listened feverishly.

Much to her initial stunned surprise, she heard the reassuring thumping of a heart, strong and steady. For the first few moments, she thought she was imagining it, but the longer she listened, the more a joyous smile began to spread across her face.

“Her heart is beating…!” She tittered, at first small, but then growing as she raised up.

“Does that mean it worked?” Sunspot asked, still holding onto an unhealthy bit of doubt before she allowed herself to get excited. “Is she cured?!”

As if to answer the orange pegasus, a soft mumble drew the group’s attention back down to Celestia. The once pale alicorn’s eyes fitted under their lids as she tensed her limbs.

And then, finally, a pair of vibrant magenta eyes opened and took in their surroundings.

“Judging from your expressions… and the fact that I don’t crave blood anymore…” Celestia muttered, still a bit drowsy, “am I right to assume that it worked?”

Cadence smiled as she lit up her horn and hovered a small mirror over. “Why don’t you take a look for yourself?”

After taking a moment to sit up and shake the drowsiness from her system, Celestia took the mirror out of her niece’s aura and into her own. She brought it up to her face, a bit of hesitance nagging at the corners of her mind until the sight of pristine white fur and colorful hair made all of the stress dissolve away.

The others watched with their own brightening expressions as the white mare briefly examined herself. She took a hoof and lifted her upper lip so she could see her teeth. Miraculously, there were no fangs in sight.

“Oh, thank goodness. Those fangs were beginning to-” Celestia started until Luna rushed forward and wrapped her up into a warm embrace. Soon after, Cadence and Twilight joined in. Sunspot joined in as well briefly, before getting a bit red in the face and remembering to be somewhat professional in the presence of royalty.

“Sister…” Luna pulled back and smiled at the older alicorn, uncaring of the joyful tears welling up in her eyes.

Twilight had similar tears streaming down her face. “We thought you were going to leave us.”

“I was beginning to think the same thing,” Celestia said. She then looked over to the blue stallion off to the side, her expression falling slightly as she saw him still breathing a bit heavily. “I think now would be the perfect time to say thank you, Blue Bolt. You didn’t just save my life… you gave it back to me after I thought it lost forever.”

“I’m just glad it worked.” Blue Bolt said, looking down to his hoof in amazement. “I’m still getting the hang of this whole slayer thing.”

“Well… I’m certain that we can help you adjust.” Celestia smiled warmly before taking a look around at the darkened room. “First, however, I think there are some important matters that need to be tended to. Namely, raising the sun and discussing our plan of dealing with Dusk...” She explained, before suddenly freezing as a pitiful growl came from her stomach.

The others looked at each other, unsure of how to react to the unseemly noise.

“Perhaps some food is in order as well?” Luna suggested as she watched her sister trying against all odds to not shrivel up and react to what must have been a mighty pang of hunger.

Celestia wrinkled her mouth and rested a hoof to her empty stomach as her whole body threatened to buckle inward. “Mmm… y-yes please.” She managed a strained smile.

It took every fiber in Sunspot’s being not to laugh. Even Glimmer Shine was struggling. Finally, it was Twilight who started the chain reaction around the room. Still, Celestia seemed too occupied to join her friends.

Chapter 36: Rise and Shine

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Equestria,

The usually sleepy town of Unicorn Ridge was just beginning to stir. After the unnaturally long night yesterday, the increased guard presence, and the curfew, the ponies of the town were starting to get a little nervous, as many Equestrians were.

After doing their morning chores, Pint Sized and his sister Marigold scampered out their front door eagerly.

"Yay! It's daylight again!" Pint Sized, a beige and brown unicorn colt, exclaimed cheerfully.

"It's not exactly news, Pint. The sun is always up at this time." His slightly older sister Marigold stated, her straight and silky yellow hair flowing as she shifted her head. Judging from her articulate speech and cleaner-looking gray fur coat compared to her sibling, she was understandably the more mature between them.

"Nuh-uh!" Pint retorted. "It was still dark way longer than this yesterday."

"Well… it wasn't supposed to be!"

A smooth, feminine voice from the house behind them made the pair pause and listen. They turned to see an older mare with a similar beige coat to the young colt walking out toward them.

"Settle down, you two." Tender Tulip said, brushing her own lengthy violet mane out of her eyes. "You know you need to finish your chores before you can play."

"But Mo-o-o-m!" Pint Sized whined.

Marigold managed to keep her cool as she looked to her elder. "We already finished our chores, though." She stated.

Tulip merely gave the pair a motherly look. "You and I both know you need to finish tidying up the cellar after you knocked over that shelf last night."

"Aww, but Mom! That will take forever!" Marigold protested. "And besides, we're too small to move everything down there."

Pint Sized sat near his sister and joined her in putting on a pout befitting a puppy dog. He was always glad that she could convince their mother of anything with her smarts and charm.

Tulip remained steadfast for a moment before relenting and forming a smile. "Alright… you can go play for a little bit while I take care of the heavy lifting." She said, causing the pair to perk up immediately. "But, you better be down there in a little bit. We need to get this done before your father gets home."

"Yes, Mom," Marigold said sincerely before turning to her brother. "Come on, Pint! Let's go!"

With an excited giggle, the two scurried off to go play. The older mare watched with a warm smile before sighing and turning.

She walked around her home to the back, where she knew an earthen cellar was waiting for her, along with a terrible mess.

However, as she neared the cellar doors, she paused as she noticed that they were slightly ajar.

"Hmm…?" She tilted her head curiously. Perhaps a stray cat had snuck down there in the night seeking shelter from the cold? Either way, she was going to have to investigate.
.
..
…
Time slipped away faster than Marigold and her brother were expecting. After several minutes had gone by, the filly looked up and toward her house.

"We should really go help Mom now." She said flatly.

Pint Sized sighed and lowered his head in disappointment. "Ok…"

Just then, the pair looked up to spot a stallion clad in royal guard armor walking along the main path heading toward them. Immediately, their expressions brightened.

"Daddy!" They both exclaimed as they darted off toward the brown stallion.

As the two kids came running up to him, the guardsman smiled and knelt down, ignoring the fatigue he felt from a long night at work so he could catch both of them into his forelegs.

"Hey…" He chuckled warmly, boosting his son up on his shoulders and picking up his daughter into a hug. "I thought you guys would be at school by now?"

"Mommy says we didn't have to go today." Pint explained as he rested on the stallion’s back, examining himself in the reflection of the shiny helmet.

The stallion lowered his expression at that. "Oh… I see. I guess they wouldn’t want you to go right now." He muttered to himself before putting on a more lighthearted smile. "Where’s your mother?"

"She’s in the cellar cleaning up the mess from earlier," Marigold explained sheepishly, already expecting what her father was going to say.

The stallion formed a lopsided smirk. "Aren't you supposed to be helping her?"

"Yes…" They both droned.

Marigold looked up as a slight chuckle came from her father, only to see him taking off his helmet and sticking it on her comically undersized head.

"Well, let’s get going, then." He said, grunting slightly as he placed the colt back on the ground before walking toward the house.

The trio made their way around to the back of their home and up to the cellar doors, which were now open.

The brown pony walked up to the mouth of the cellar and prepared to call out to his wife before a slight noise made his ears prick.

It sounded like a distressed yelp, and it sounded familiar.

With expression falling into alarm and disciplined caution, he turned to his children and forced a calmer expression to his face. "Stay here."

"Huh?" Pint Sized tilted his head curiously.

"But… why?" Marigold asked, only to pause as she saw a hint of stern worry in her father's eyes.

"Just do as I say." The stallion said before turning to the mouth of the cellar and walking in slowly.

As he descended further into darkness, refusing to light his horn, the unicorn started to hear voices up ahead, which immediately set him on edge.

"Please, just don't hurt us." A feminine voice whimpered, which he immediately recognized as his wife. And as another, more masculine voice responded, the stallion quietly hurried up and pressed his back to the corner leading to the main room.

He subtly peered out into the lamp-lit space, only to freeze at what he saw.

Tulip was being held up against a shelf by her throat, a crimson lash of what looked to be blood wrapped loosely around her.

A brown-furred stallion with silver hair was staring at her intensely with red eyes. An alicorn. An alicorn that matched a very unsettling description that the guard had heard from higher up the chain of command.

"Worry not… this will only hurt for a moment." The alicorn said. He seemed to be out of breath, but even through the fatigue, he managed a slight smile.

Before the unicorn watching could even think to spring forward and rescue his wife, the crimson band around her neck receded into a single tendril, before suddenly striking forward and slicing her neck from side to side.

A strangled cry of pain came from the mare as a torrent of red sprayed out, staining the earthen floor.

The unicorn guard stared ahead in stunned shock. His legs threatened to give out from underneath him, and his heart was suddenly jackhammering in his chest.

"NO!" He yelled, drawing his sword and leaping out into the room.

While Tulip could only take a blurry look ahead as her life faded from her, the alicorn turned his head to the side and eyed at the brazen unicorn.

"Excellent… I was rather hoping that she didn't live alone." He smirked, revealing a set of fangs as he lifted a hoof and pointed it toward the stallion.

All at once, a bloody tendril snaked out of a wound on the alicorn’s wrist, shooting out and wrapping around the unicorn’s neck before pulling him to the wall.

"Gah!" The guard yelped and clutched at his neck as his sword clattered to the ground. He looked up, only to pale as he watched another grim display.

All of the blood that was pouring out of Tulip's neck suddenly started floating through the air, being pulled along with the blood on the floor toward the alicorn and into a slash on his neck.

While the guard watched with tears streaming down his face as the mare’s lifeless body slumped to the floor, Dusk produced a relaxed groan.

"Ahh… that is better." He said, turning to the pinned guard and smirking. "Although, there is always room for seconds."

"Damn you! The princesses are going to make you pay for this, you monster!" The unicorn barked as he struggled in the air to no avail.

Hearing this seemed to amuse the alicorn more than anything. He casually walked up to the guard, staring right into him with eyes aglow an ominous crimson. "I'll have you know… your princesses are not as dependable as you think." He chuckled before flattening his expression. "Lucky for you… I'm in a bit of a bind here, what with the sun being up. So, you're going to help me gather some things."

The guard grit his teeth against the alicorn’s icy stare. "You'll have to kill me if you want anything useful out of me, freak. I hope you choke on my blood." He spat at Dusk’s hooves.

Then, there was a slight scuffle behind the wall leading to the entrance that caused both of them to pause.

Dusk eyed to the opening beside him warily and sniffed the air for a moment. And as a smile slowly split his features, the unicorn stallion’s pupils shrank.

“Oh, I think you’ll help me,” Dusk said, shifting his gaze to the side and letting two tendrils of blood creep out of his neck. The twin streams snaked along the ground, around the corner, and out of sight.

Soon after, a pair of tiny shrieks emanated from the entryway.

“No!” The guard pleaded. “No, no, no! Please, leave them alone!”

Despite his cries, he watched as the alicorn pulled two small shapes around the corner. Marigold and Pint Sized wriggled against their crimson bonds, but they were helpless as they floated in the air against their will.

“M… M-Mommy…?” Marigold’s voice wavered as she stared ahead at the motionless form of her mother.

“Let us go!” Pint cried, grunting as he tried to push himself out of the alicorn’s bloody grip. “Daddy, help!”

Dusk brought the two foals up to his face and examined them with a toothy grin, relishing the fear in their eyes as he produced a slight feral snarl. “My, aren’t we a brave little pair. As to be expected from a guard’s children, I suppose.” He shifted his cold gaze back to the stallion. “Such a shame that they won’t get a chance to follow in your hoofsteps.”

Without even moving, Dusk let another pair of tendrils snake up out of his free wrist. These streams solidified their tips into spear-like points and hovered just in front of the two kids.

“No… please.” The guard sobbed, utterly defeated, and shook his head. “I’ll do whatever you want… just please don’t hurt them.” He begged, watching stiffly as the alicorn stared at his children for a moment.

Then, the tendrils fell away from them a short ways as Dusk produced a pleased hum.

“There we are. I knew we’d get there eventually.” He smirked as he walked over and tapped the front of the guard’s chestplate. “Listen closely, my little pony… You’re going to go out and get me some things, exactly as I instruct.” The alicorn said, his voice deceptively calm and soft. “You’re going to bring them back here, and you’re going to be perfectly pleased with doing so, because I’m going to be here, foalsitting the little tikes while you’re gone.”

The guard felt his skin crawl as the alicorn brought Marigold over and lowered her so he could pat her mane, letting his hoof lazily rest on her stiff and petrified form.

“Ok… o-ok.” The unicorn nodded. He grunted as the tendril around his neck released suddenly, allowing him to fall to the floor. Before he could even look up, he flinched as he found the alicorn’s face mere inches away from his own, glowing eyes and pointy teeth boring into his soul.

“And if you breathe a word of any of this to anyone else…” Dusk smirked, producing a slight hearty laugh before shifting his expression to an icy glare in an instant as he casually leaned in to whisper in the guard’s ear. “I will personally ensure that these two are flayed alive before anyone can reach them.”

Dusk leaned back, only to see the unicorn staring blankly ahead like he had seen a ghost. The only signs of movement on him were the beads of sweat rolling down his face and the slight tremble of his jaw.

“Now then… listen closely. I require very specific ingredients… and I have much to get done before the day is through, so do be quick about it.”

Back in Canterlot,

With uncertain expectations and a willingness to do whatever he could to help, Blue Bolt followed behind Twilight and Glitterball on their way to the training area.

After a few twists and turns through some barracks and equipment rooms, the trio found themselves stepping outside into the freshly risen sunlight. It felt good to bathe in the warmth of the golden orb once again, but there was too much at hand for them to be able to enjoy it for long.

Glitterball looked out at the flat space ringed by hedges from the nearby gardens, absentmindedly watching as her three teammates finished setting up some training dummies and practice targets for their friend while some guards sparred with wooden swords in the far distance. She then turned to see Twilight standing at the ready, clipboard and notes in hoof with an eager sense of determination in her eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get some rest, Twilight? I’m sure we can take it from here.” Glitter said, offering a brief wave to Sparkplug and Sunspot as they noticed the new arrivals.

Twilight fought off a yawn and let her shoulders sink. Sleep sounded like the best thing ever after all of the stress she just went through, but as she looked back to the blue stallion, she couldn’t help but think about her human friend and how she failed to help him. “It’s fine, Glitter. This will go a lot faster with someone at least a little familiar with how slayers work. Besides… the Princess wants him ready to fight whenever Dusk makes his next move.”

“I didn’t have much trouble with that Dusk guy before,” Blue noted, perhaps wearing a bit of a proud smirk.

“Well, just think of this as a formality then,” Glitterball said. She and her fellow unicorn led their slayer-in-training over to the center of the field where Glimmer Shine and the others were finishing up.

After a quick greeting, attention quickly shifted to Blue Bolt. Everyone looked to him expectantly, and Twilight kept her quill at the ready to make observations on whatever display of power was about to happen.

“Uh…” Blue rubbed a foreleg uncomfortably as he stared at the grouping of training dummies the group left out for him. “Where do I start?”

“Just do what comes naturally.” Sunspot suggested.

Blue Bolt wrinkled his expression at the nonchalant pegasus. “I was dead yesterday, and I just beat up a vampire. Do you really think any of this is natural?”

“Sorry. Just trying to help.” Sunspot shrugged.

Seeing the understandable confusion in the stallion’s face, Twilight decided to step in. “Well… you’ve already gotten familiar with your healing light.” She nodded toward Sparkplug and Glitterball, who were now free of any lingering injuries.

“Thanks again, by the way.” Sparkplug smiled as she rubbed her previously bandaged foreleg.

“Don’t mention it.” Blue returned the gray mare’s smile.

After a moment of thought, Twilight had a look of revelation come over her. “Why don’t you start with your spirit weapons?” She ventured.

“Spirit what now?”

“Spirit weapons. You know, your…” Twilight trailed off as she noticed the stallion’s blank stare. “Right… I guess you don’t know.” She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly before clearing the air once more. “They’re a weapon that’s bound to a slayer. For Tom, it was his claws, and for you… I suppose it’s those blade things you used on Dusk.”

Blue Bolt lifted a hoof and stared at it for a moment before shifting that confused gaze back up to the others. “Uh… ok. And how do I go about using t-” He paused abruptly as a flash of fire enveloped his wrist, leaving behind the aforementioned bladed circlet. “Woah… that is seriously not ok how sudden that is!”

Twilight examined the blade, or at least did her best to examine it while Blue waggled his hoof to test how attached it was. The result seemed to be very. She scribbled down a quick note before shifting her attention back to the stallion. “According to Tom, you should already know how to use your spirit weapons. Why don’t you take a few swings at those dummies and test it out?”

“Go on, you won’t hurt it. These dummies are enchanted to take a beating.” Glimmer Shine said as he noted how hesitant the stallion seemed.

With all eyes on him, Blue Bolt chuckled nervously before nodding. He slowly made his way up to the clusters of wood and hay, looking down to his fancy new blade and then back to the others before forcing a smile to his face. “Ok, here goes… something.” He exhaled tensely before reeling his foreleg back.

A sharp wooden thunk sounded out as Blue struck the middle dummy with the edge of his blade. It barely left a scratch, but he couldn’t be sure if that was because of his strike or the apparent durability of the dummy.

“Ok.” Twilight nodded. “That’s a start.”

Not wanting to be shown up by a hunk of wood, Blue Bolt glanced down to his free hoof and concentrated briefly. In another flash of fire, a second bladed circlet appeared. He flicked his wrist, spinning the blade before clicking it into place and smirking as he turned back to the dummy.

The others watched as the stallion displayed a decently elegant flurry of strikes with his newfound weapons. He even used his wings to hover and rotate his body to put himself in a better position for certain strikes.

“There you go, Blue!” Sparkplug cheered.

Just then, as Blue Bolt was spinning around for a final blow, the blade around his left hoof started to glow intensely as his eyes flared orange.

Without even fully intending to, Blue managed to cut the head off of all three dummies as a burst of orange energy shot from his blade. The crescent-shaped shockwave created a pulse of light and noise as it surged forward, past the dummies, across the training area, and narrowly missed the two sparring guards, who ducked to the floor as the hedge behind them had a large slash opened up into it.

Blue Bolt darted his eyes between his still faintly glowing blade and the line of chaos ahead of him, his features reddening and an awkward cringe forming. “Sorry! My bad!” He waved apologetically to the guards, who were shooting him thoroughly unimpressed looks from a distance.

Meanwhile, Twilight and the others blinked and stared ahead in stunned silence at what they just witnessed. The wooden edges of the three headless dummies were smoldering slightly with a puff of steam lightly trailing off.

“That’s new…” Glimmer Shine muttered, still a bit shocked from watching the three dummies getting cut down with ease.

“That’s… one way to describe it,” Glitterball added, equally at a loss for words.

“I don’t think Tom could do that, could he?” Sunspot asked.

Twilight was still left staring at the far hedge with jaw agape. She took a moment to gather her senses again before looking down and scribbling many notes into her booklet. “No… I don’t think he could.”

Inside of the castle, Rarity and Applejack were walking toward their rooms.

It had been a long night, and to say that the two mares were tired was an understatement to end all understatements. Most of their friends had already retired for a well-earned nap, so why shouldn’t they?

“Ngh…” Applejack winced slightly as a pain in her side made itself known.

Rarity looked over, a corner of her mouth drooping as she saw her friend in discomfort. “Are you alright, darling?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Applejack sighed dismissively. “Just a little sore is all.”

“I know what you mean.” Rarity said, her own aching body making her longing for a nice comfy bed to plop into stronger. “We all took our fair share of punishment back there… Some of us even more so.”

The orange mare was surprised to look over and see her companion wearing a gloomy expression. The unicorn was staring ahead, her eyes trailed down in thought and a forlorn look about her.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Applejack asked.

Rarity looked up and forced a more casual expression to her face as she realized how abruptly quiet she had gotten. “Oh, it’s nothing… I just still can’t believe that Rainbow Dash sacrificed herself to push me out of the way like she did.” She said, a twinge of sadness in her eyes. “She almost died…”

“We all almost died.” Applejack replied.

“I know… but Rainbow got the closest of any of us.” Rarity fretted. “That ghastly blood… tentacle, was aimed for me, but she just… pushed me away without a second thought. She was even smiling… Can you believe that?” She wrinkled her mouth as tears threatened to well up. “Rainbow has always been… shall we say, sparing with her displays of affection for others. Stuff like that is so uncool, I’m sure she’d say. I know she loves us in her own way, but… I never expected her to lay her life down so suddenly for me.”

Applejack rested a hoof on the unicorn’s back as she sniffed and wiped her eyes. “If it makes ya feel any better, I’d do the same thing.”

“Really…?” Rarity looked up, a bit surprised and more than a little flattered.

“Yup. Only reason I didn’t was ‘cuz it happened so fast. I know Blue Bolt saved us by sendin’ that Dusk guy runnin’ scared, but Rainbow is the real hero. After all… if you were the one that got hit with that, it might’a killed you instantly.” Applejack suppressed an uneasy shudder at the thought.

“You’re certainly right about her being a hero… She’s my hero, at the very least.” Rarity smiled warmly. “I simply must make it up to her somehow… after we get some rest.”

A drawn-out yawn came from the orange mare, and her eyelids seemed like they grew heavier. “I hear ya there.”

Without further delay, the pair made it back to their room and quietly opened the door. As expected, they found a trio of fillies fast asleep in their shared bed.

Rarity couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the Crusaders sleeping so peacefully. Sweetie Belle in particular seemed like she needed the rest.

However, as the two mares crept over to their respective beds, the young unicorn creaked open her eyes and lifted her head up.

“Rarity…?” She spoke softly, either out of consideration for her friends or from her drowsy haze.

“Good morning, Sweetie.” Rarity whispered. She set the corner of her sheets down and quietly made her way over to her sister’s bedside.

“You’re ok.” Sweetie smiled eagerly and carefully sat up. She flinched her eyes shut as the older mare ruffled her hair with a magical aura.

“I told you I would be, now didn’t I?” Rarity lifted the corners of her mouth into a warm smile.

“Did… did anything happen?” The filly asked, a hint of unease working its way over her.

Rarity sighed a bit and nodded. “Quite a bit, actually. We fought with that ruffian that foalnapped you and the others.”

“You won, though… right?” Sweetie inferred. After all, the older mare probably wouldn’t be here right now if they lost.

“It’s a long story.” Rarity explained hesitantly, not wanting to go into the wild details just yet. “Just know that everyone is ok, and we’re safe again while the sun is up.”

Sweetie’s expression relaxed as a load of stress vanished. “That’s good.” She trailed her eyes off in thought briefly before a smile crossed her features again. “Does this mean we get to go out for ice cream?”

“Oh… darling, can it wait until later?” Rarity frowned hesitantly. “We’re all very tired, and I would wager that you could use more sleep as well.” She reached over the sleeping form of Apple Bloom to wrap a foreleg around her sibling’s back in a pseudo hug.

“Alright… I’m just glad you’re ok.” The filly said, creating a warm feeling in Rarity’s heart.

“Me too, darling… me too.” Rarity said before turning and shuffling her way back over to her bed.

Sweetie Belle watched the unicorn settling in briefly before lying back down and closing her eyes. Over to the side of the room, Applejack smirked at the heartwarming exchange from the two siblings before pulling her blanket closer and turning over to get some much-needed sleep.

-Later-

As the sun started the second half of its journey through the sky, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stepped outside of the castle walls with their newly resurrected friend in tow.

“Phew… it feels good to get out and relax after all that training.” Blue Bolt deflated a bit. He had a contented smile on his face as he looked at his two best friends.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and punched the stallion’s shoulder lightly. “Glimmer and the others must have worked you hard, huh?”

“Not so much… It was mostly Twilight.” Blue admitted.

“Really?” Fluttershy blinked with surprise.

Blue Bolt smirked tensely and rubbed his neck. With his new powers, his body seemed to restore itself to peak form rather quickly, but even now he could feel a bit of stiffness. “Yeah. She really put me through the paces to find out what I could do.”

“Just be sure to run if you ever see her come up to you wearing safety goggles.” Rainbow Dash said. “I heard that Tom had to beat her off with a stick to stop her from ‘volunteering’ him for some ‘scientific’ research.”

“Uh… noted.” Blue swallowed uneasily.

As they paused before the edge of the castle grounds, Fluttershy turned to the stallion with a bit more curiosity in her eyes. “So, did you learn anything new about your powers?”

“Well… pretty much all of this is new for me. I didn’t really learn anything other than how to use some of this stuff.” Blue explained. “Apparently I’m faster and stronger than I used to be, so there is that.”

“Is that right?” Rainbow Dash lifted a sly brow. She looked skyward, noting the fair weather and open-air around the castle, and grinned. “Why don’t we have a little race? Y’know… for old times’ sake.” She suggested eagerly.

“Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy frowned disapprovingly. “We should let him rest. He’s had a long day.”

Blue Bolt let a smirk slowly build on his face as he looked at the cyan mare. “Actually… I think that’s not a bad idea. I’m a little curious myself if I can finally beat you.” He twitched his wings in anticipation.

“Ohoho… you are so on.” Rainbow lowered her brows into a determined stare.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy watched the pair staring each other down with a bit of hesitance. “Oh dear… I hope the Princess has good insurance.”

A few minutes of formulating a race track later, and the trio were off to the skies.

Blue Bolt and Rainbow Dash stood side by side on a cloud floating near the tallest spires of the castle. Fluttershy was hovering nearby, a crudely fashioned flag in her mouth and more than a bit of anxious anticipation in her eyes, for better or worse.

Rainbow turned to look at her friend and rival with her usual amount of smug confidence. “Remember, first to three laps wins.”

“Heh… try not to go easy on me this time. I want to see who’s faster, fair and square.” Blue replied.

With her job as semi-official officiator, Fluttershy hovered closer to the small row of clouds they had amassed as a starting line and gripped her flag tightly in her mouth. “Ready?”

The pair both nodded, setting their eyes forward and unfurling their wings as they lowered their stances.

“Three…” Fluttershy counted down.

“Two…”

Rainbow Dash popped her neck and adjusted her footing as she tensed her muscles in anticipation.

“One…”

Blue Bolt fluttered his wings and shook any lingering unease from being so high up from his head. Right now, all he was focused on was the race, and nothing could distract him from that.

“Hey…” Rainbow said, turning to him at the last second with an impish smirk. “Loser takes the winner out for dinner.”

“Wait wha-”

“GO!” Fluttershy announced with a wave of her flag.

With little warning, the yellow mare and blue stallion were blown off balance by a rush of air as Rainbow Dash took off. Blue Bolt watched her for a moment before shaking his head in a flustered manner.

“Hey, wait up!” He called after her as he took off as well.

Fluttershy watched the pair as they flew off along the unmarked track around the castle. She was at least glad that they were having fun, and she couldn’t deny that she was eager to see who would win.

As the wind rushed past, blowing back her mane and whipping her fur, Rainbow Dash felt a familiar sense of adrenaline-fueled excitement building inside of her. She hadn’t raced the stallion since they first met, and they had never raced officially before. Not only that, but she was racing a slayer! She was probably the first pony in all of Equestria to do that.

Now, the thought of being the first pony in Equestria to outfly a slayer bubbled up, causing a giddy smile to form. She could do a sonic rainboom in no time and leave him in her dust.

Then again, she did kind of get an unfair start, so maybe she would hold off on going top speed for a while.

As she looked behind her, she saw the stallion slowly catching up. She smirked. After all, they weren’t totally out of each others’ class before, but he did indeed seem to have gotten faster.

Blue Bolt followed Rainbow as she whipped around a spire of the castle and under an archway. He did a corkscrew and leaned into a turn, hoping to gain the slightest edge over her. Eventually, as they looped around and completed the first lap, he was even with her at last.

“You really want to go out for dinner?” He raised his voice so she could hear him amid the rushing wind.

Rainbow trailed her eyes to the side a bit, her face a few shades redder than it normally was, though this could have been from exertion. “Yeah… I mean, why not? It’ll give us an excuse to spend some time together.”

The stallion paused and scrambled to keep his form as he nearly missed a turn. It was easy enough to coast back up to her with a few hard flaps. “You know, my wallet is a little light to be dining out here in Canterlot.”

“Well, then I guess you better win, huh?” Rainbow smirked before pulling away as they entered a dive toward the ground.

Blue Bolt steeled his expression and glanced to his once lame wing. “Come on… let’s see what these babies can do.” He muttered before pushing himself to fly faster.

It was bizarre. Normally by now, he would have been way past out of breath. He could feel his lungs burning, but he wasn't slowing down like he normally would when exhausted. It was like his body was getting energy from somewhere other than the oxygen he was sucking in.

Still, as they finished the second lap, it was clear that the cyan mare was going to give him a run for his money. Literally.

Rainbow Dash was zipping through turns, loops, and twists like a bat out of Tartarus. It wasn't often that she truly got to push herself to her limits. A few times on straightaways, she could feel a cone of air building around her that threatened to break the sound barrier, but she kept herself from fully crossing that threshold. In a way, it made her go faster through turns and curves to not spiral into an out-of-control rainboom.

Then, the final straight away came into view. It was across the length of the entire castle, but it would be over in a few seconds for them.

Blue Bolt tried his best to surpass his friend, but it was clear he reached his limit. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered and proud that Rainbow was as fast as a slayer, or embarrassed that he was this slow after his power boost.

Rainbow looked over her shoulder and smirked. “Sorry, Blue. Better luck next time.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Blue Bolt narrowed his eyes intensely. He dug deep within himself, concentrating on his newfound lifeforce and hoping to use it to push himself over the breaking point. He could recover later. Right now, all that mattered was winning.

Up ahead, Fluttershy could see two colorful blurs fast approaching. However, as she noticed a slight orange glow, she squinted and focused her eyes. “What the…?”

Blue Bolt clenched his eyes as he flapped his wings harder than he ever had in his life. Unbeknownst to him, a cascading flame-like light was washing over his wings, covering them in humming energy. And as he opened his flaring orange eyes and looked ahead, he suddenly found himself going faster.

Much faster.

Rainbow Dash looked to the side to check on her friend, only to watch as a blur of orange and blue careened by in a flash. The shockwave of air knocked her off balance, forcing her to slow herself down to prevent her from knocking into a tower.

Fluttershy squeaked in surprise as the blur of orange light zipped past her, only to reveal the form of Blue Bolt as it abruptly slowed down. She darted her eyes between the stallion and her flag before giving it a wave to bring the race to a close.

Meanwhile, Blue Bolt looked around, finding himself much further ahead than he anticipated. He looked forward, only to widen his eyes as an archway came alarmingly close.

“Woah, woah, WOAH!”

*CRASH*

Rainbow Dash stood hovering in place as she stared at the stallion further ahead, who was now draped over a stone arch. She blinked in stunned silence for a moment before shaking the blur from her head and flying over.

“Ooof…” Blue Bolt groaned as he got an excellent view of the ground below, a few guards casually looking up at him like he was an interesting break in the monotony of their day. “It hurts to be fast.”

“That… was… AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed wildly as she and Fluttershy flew up to the stallion.

“Hwha…?” Blue Bolt muttered, a bit stunned as the pair each took one of his forelegs and lifted him back into the air.

“Blue, you were so cool! I didn’t know you could do that!” Rainbow gushed, a giddy smile on her face.

“Do what?” Blue blinked before skewing a brow. “Did I miss something?”

As if in response to his confusion, Fluttershy pointed forward at him. “Look.”

Blue Bolt complied and turned his head, only to reel back in shock. His wings were glowing orange. The feathery appendages had a fiery shine that was seemingly coming from within, similar to the radiant glow he witnessed inside his hoof after using his healing light. Soon, however, the glow receded away from the tip of his wings back to the base until only his deep blue feathers remained.

“Woah…”

“Something like this happened before when you were fighting Dusk,” Fluttershy commented curiously.

“It did?” Rainbow blinked.

“Yeah. He got really mad after Dusk insulted you, and then all of a sudden he was across the garden in Dusk’s face.” Fluttershy explained.

Rainbow Dash still seemed confused, before a look of revelation and slight embarrassment came over her. “Oh yeah… I was kind of dying then, wasn't I?”

“I guess that explains why I moved so fast back then,” Blue said. “I was too ticked off at that pointy-toothed jerk to notice at first… but I didn’t think my wings were glowing.”

“Your eyes were glowing too.” Rainbow Dash said, still not quite through getting her excitement out as she looked to the stallion with a glint of wonder in her sparkling orbs. “What else can you do?”

“Uh…” Blue rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and chuckled. “I’m not sure.” He said before looking past the two mares to the scattered remains of the finish line, blown to the four winds by his brief burst of speed. “Aren’t you upset that I kind of cheated?”

Rainbow Dash thought the matter over for a moment before shrugging. “Nah… I got what I wanted. Besides, I kind of did you dirty in our first race by holding back.”

“I guess that means you win, Blue.” Fluttershy smiled.

“I guess it does.” Blue smiled as well. Then, as his thoughts drifted, he looked up at the cyan mare with a more impish look to him. “And I guess that means that you owe me dinner.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Rainbow huffed. “I’m a mare of my word. What did you have in mind?”

“Well… I guess I’m in the mood for-”

Suddenly, Blue Bolt paused as a familiar sensation flooded his mind. He clenched his eyes shut and rested a hoof to his head, a cacophony of whispers and flashing images and sensations washing over him.

“Blue?” Rainbow Dash’s expression dropped as she saw the stallion’s distress.

“Are you ok?” Fluttershy hovered close and rested a concerned hoof on his shoulder.

Blue Bolt squinted an eye open, which was glowing orange similar to before. Then, as he focused for a moment, his eyes faded back to blue and the throbbing pain ceased along with the whispers. “Y-yeah… I’m good… I’m good.” He panted briefly before regaining his composure.

Rainbow Dash didn’t seem convinced. “I hope your body gets adjusted to this soon.” She frowned.

“You and me both,” Blue stated. Then, he looked down as he noticed somepony else flying up to them. It was Sunspot, and judging from the uneasy look on her face, she was not here to congratulate him on his victory.

“What’s wrong, Sunspot?” Fluttershy asked as the orange pegasus hovered up to join them.

Sunspot glanced at the two mares briefly before turning to Blue Bolt with a serious air to her eyes. “The princesses want to see you, right now.”

“Who, me?” Blue Bolt asked, a bit surprised, before remembering how important he seemingly was now and what the threat hanging over them was. “What do they want?”

Sunspot took a moment to answer as she reflected on her thoughts silently, a pale expression on her face. “It’s Dusk… He’s been spotted.” She reported.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s faces immediately paled and their jaws fell open. They were dreading what the alicorn was going to do next, and actually getting himself noticed couldn’t have been a good sign.

Meanwhile, Blue Bolt adopted a serious expression as he set his mouth into a sober line. “Lead the way.” He said.

Sunspot nodded and took off toward the ground, toward the entrance to the castle.

“Blue-” Rainbow started, a hint of concern in her eyes, before the stallion flashed her a confident look. Before she could even try to stop him, he was off. Fluttershy held a hoof to hers, either for comfort or assurance.

The two mares watched their friend leaving with nervous pits in their guts. They could only imagine what was about to happen and hope that he and everyone else involved would be alright.

Chapter 37: What We Fight For

Tensions were high as Blue Bolt soared over the countryside below, following alongside Luna, Celestia, and a very reluctant Raincloud.

"Why am I here again?" The pale blue pegasus spoke over the rushing wind, her annoyance audible even through her raised voice.

Luna cast a flat look back at their forced consultant. "Consider this part of your recompense for your earlier sleight against us."

"I said I was sorry," Raincloud whined. "I thought you guys were all about that mushy friendship malarkey?"

"You are fortunate Rainbow Dash vouched for you." Luna narrowed her eyes before rolling them and turning back ahead.

Meanwhile, Celestia was focused on other things. She stared ahead as she flew, her eyes distant in troubled thought.

What horrors were waiting for her? Dusk was apparently vulnerable, so he could have been seeking a source of blood. Truth be told, anything could have happened, especially if she considered that the pale stallion most likely allowed himself to be found.

Noticing the white alicorn with a blank stare and uneasy frown, Blue Bolt flew a bit closer to her. "How long ago did you lose contact with the town?" He asked.

"It's… hard to say," Celestia said. "The guard station didn't make their hourly check-in, so sometime within the last hour."

"Unicorn Ridge isn't that far away from Canterlot, so Dusk probably took shelter there before the sun came up," Luna added, glancing up to the golden orb as it neared the horizon. "Speaking of which… The day is almost over, sister.”

Celestia stared ahead with a bit of intensity to her eyes. “It can wait until we’re done.”

A few minutes later, the group saw the humble town coming into view down below in a clearing.

Unicorn Ridge was a fair bit smaller than Ponyville, with buildings situated in small clusters that roughly formed a 'T' shape from above.

However, as they started their descent, the four could already tell that something was horribly wrong. Celestia and Luna touched down first, just ahead of the first few buildings in the town. They stared ahead with eyes full of shock and color draining from their faces.

Bodies.

The street was covered in bodies.

Old. Young. Big. Small. All were drained of blood, as indicated by a single dry slash wound across their forms. There were even a few animals present, most likely pets. The townsfolk weren’t lying where they fell either. It almost looked like they had been purposefully spread out.

Blue Bolt and Raincloud landed shortly after. They looked at the carnage around them with varying levels of unease between them.

"Mother of mercy…" Blue muttered softly.

"Kid… mercy had nothing to do with this," Raincloud said. It was almost shocking to see the normally cruel pegasus with a disturbed look on her face.

Luna knelt down and rested a hoof on a pegasus colt's side, staring at his pained face with a somber frown for a moment before standing up and turning to the others. "This is unforgivable. He… he slaughtered them."

"And fed on them, more importantly." Raincloud chimed in, a bit more casual than her companions appreciated. "With this much go juice, I'll bet he's set for a few months."

Celestia narrowed her eyes at the gray mare. "Have some respect, Raincloud."

"I do, believe it or not," Raincloud said, pausing at the sheer number of dead and displaying an expression that anyone else might call somber. "I know we killed some folks and tried to kill more back in Raven Feather's group, but that was just business… and maybe a little personal." She shrugged before shaking her head. "But this… this is wrong even in my books."

"Hearing that coming from you only confirms my fears of what we're dealing with." Celestia sighed.

"Sister…"

Celestia and the others looked up to see Luna a short ways ahead. She was pointing behind her, toward something on the ground. And as they approached, they could immediately see what had garnered the blue alicorn’s attention.

A large trail of blood, too large to not have been intentionally placed, stretched out in a path clear of bodies further into the town.

"So… are your alarm bells going off? Because mine are." Raincloud commented.

Celestia followed the winding trail as far as she could with her eyes, a tense knot developing in her stomach. "Blue Bolt… can you sense anything here?" She asked, turning to the stallion with a serious expression.

Blue felt a bit hesitant as all eyes shifted to him. He had gone over how to use his senses with Twilight before, but that was when there was nothing to feel.

"Give me a sec." He said before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then, he exhaled, producing a high-pitched hiss and a plume of mist from his mouth.

After a few moments, Blue Bolt skewed his expression, his still closed eyes crinkling around the edges.

“What the…?”

Celestia and Luna watched the stallion uneasily while Raincloud kept her eyes on their surroundings. After he released a few more puffs of mist, their concern only grew.

“What is it, Blue Bolt?” Luna asked, somewhat impatiently, as she cast a paranoid glance around her.

Finally, Blue opened his eyes. He turned to the royal sisters with a perplexed and mildly unsettled look on his face. “There’s nothing here.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “What?”

Blue Bolt let out one final burst of his senses, only to sigh and shake his head at the result. “I can’t feel anything intense enough to belong to Dusk or any vampires. I… think there’s a faint trail coming from that way, but it’s old.” He pointed back toward where they came, toward Canterlot mountain in the distance. “At least… I think so. I’m still not used to interpreting all this.”

“Well, the trail is most likely from when he arrived.” Luna reasoned, bringing a hoof to her chin pensively. “But how did he disappear?”

“I’m afraid there is one way to find out,” Celestia said, pointing to the trail of blood.

The others all looked at the trail, and then at each other, and then at the white alicorn.

“Are we seriously going to follow that?” Raincloud asked. However, as she looked up, she noticed that everyone was already moving ahead. “Hello…? Ghost of poor decisions present, here.” She said before sighing and slapping a hoof to her face. “I left jail for this?”

With light steps and honed senses, the four followed the crimson path toward whatever end it had in store. If their current surroundings were anything to go by, nothing good was waiting for them. Still, they had to pursue Dusk, if not for justice for every pony they were walking past, then for justice for every innocent life that the pale stallion had cut down.

Eventually, the path came to an end. It curved off the main road and led around the back of what looked to be an ordinary house.

Making their way to the back of the house, the group was met by a pair of wooden doors set at an angle into the earth. A cellar entrance. One door was ajar, and the blood seemed to go right inside.

Celestia looked to her sister and their companions, giving the younger alicorn a solemn nod. Luna then took a familiar remote out of a bag over her side and pushed the button on its face.

All at once, Raincloud’s collar spun to life as the metallic bands rotated, leaving the line of symbols broken. She could immediately feel her shadow magic being freed.

The pale blue pegasus tugged at the collar and looked at the alicorns, a bit surprised. They gave her a grave look that caught her off guard.

“Be prepared for anything,” Luna said.

Blue Bolt nodded. He kept his newly acquired weapons forefront in his mind, ready to summon in an instant, and steeled himself for whatever was waiting for them. Raincloud merely watched quietly as Celestia opened the doors and walked down into the earthen tunnel with her horn alight.

Soon after, all of them stepped inside after their fearless leader. They kept as stealthy as they could and kept close to each other.

Celestia paused before the corner into what must have been the main space of the cellar. The trail of blood sat beneath her hooves, taunting her into following it to its end. Her legs felt stiff as she stared at the wall ahead. Finally, she took a slow breath and forced her body to move.

She almost wished she hadn’t.

Ahead was a humble example of a root cellar. There were shelves full of canned fruits and vegetables, along with some dusty knick-knacks. Boxes full of various things lay underneath the shelves and slumped up against the walls, opulent homes for spiders and forgotten memories.

And, up against the far wall, were four more bodies, and a star on the floor made of blood that held seemingly random objects at its points. There was also a pile of plant matter that had been burned.

Celestia felt her heart plummet as she stared at the bodies, what must have been a once happy family. The carefree mother with violet hair and beige fur, the bold father that was a unicorn guard, and the two innocent children, one filly and one colt. Somehow, seeing these four hurt almost as badly as seeing all of the bodies outside.

Luna’s mouth fell open and a small gasp escaped her as she witnessed the scene ahead of her. Not only that, but her sister’s motionless form staring ahead at the bodies and a message on the wall, seemingly painted with the children’s blood.

‘Quid pro quo, Princess…’

“Sister…” Luna walked over to the deathly silent alicorn and rested a hoof on her shoulder, frowning as she felt how still and devoid of energy her sibling was.

“This is all my fault…” Celestia muttered quietly.

“Sister,” Luna whispered calmly, leaning in close and putting a foreleg around the older mare. “You cannot give him the satisfaction of breaking your heart. He wants you to suffer… If you give up, it would be like letting him win.”

Celestia pulled her mouth back, even biting a trembling lip as she took in a tense breath, before finally exhaling and stiffening her posture. “You are right, Luna… you are right.”

Meanwhile, Raincloud approached the message on the wall and stared at it curiously. “Quid pro quo…?”

“It means something for something.” Blue Bolt answered before skewing a brow, as if he were surprised that he knew that.

Raincloud grumbled and folded her forelegs. “I knew that…” She trailed her eyes down.

“I’m certain Dusk intends this as a warning to me,” Celestia said. “We beat him, so now he is paying us back.” She eyed toward the four bodies before forcing herself to look away, instead shifting her focus to the symbol on the floor. “The more pressing question is what he used this symbol for.”

As if on cue, Raincloud walked up to the symbol and knelt down. She traced her hoof along the crimson lines for a moment as she examined the various ingredients at the points, which included burnt ash, small bones of some sort, and some sort of black powder.

“Looks like a summoning symbol,” Raincloud noted. “I’ve never seen one made using blood magic before.”

“Summoning symbol?” Luna parroted, a growing sense of unease in her eyes.

“What did he summon?” Celestia added, getting up from the floor with newfound paranoia.

“It’s hard to say exactly…” Raincloud muttered as she continued examining the symbol and the ingredients. “The pentagram could point to something demonic, though.”

Blue Bolt’s expression fell. “Demonic…?”

“Yeah… y’know… demons.” Raincloud deadpanned.

“Yeah. I do know… now.” Blue Bolt replied. “I know that’s not a good thing.”

Meanwhile, Luna approached the charred pile of plant matter curiously. “What about this?”

“Smells like… sage and nightshade,” Celestia noted after a few sniffs.

Suddenly, Raincloud got a blank look on her face that slowly shifted to unease. “Uh oh…”

“What is it, Raincloud?” Luna asked.

“I think I just figured out why little boy blue here couldn’t sense anything before,” Raincloud said. “Sage and nightshade can be used to create masking charms.”

Then, before anyone could speak further, Blue Bolt lurched forward abruptly as all the air left his lungs, accompanied by a shrill hiss and a stream of blue vapor.

The stallion coughed a few times and rested a hoof to his neck from the seemingly unpleasant event. However, his eyes went wide with alarm as he turned to the others. “We’ve got company.”

“What?” Celestia leaned forward tensely. She darted her eyes to the entrance briefly before turning back to the pegasus. “What did you feel, Blue Bolt?”

“Something’s out there… a few yards away,” Blue explained before hesitantly using his senses again. The process seemed to go over more smoothly this time now that he was expecting it, but the result didn’t change. “It isn’t moving.”

“Is it Dusk?” Luna asked urgently.

Blue Bolt merely looked to the princess of the night with a grave expression. “No.”

The alicorns weren’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

Deciding to take the lead, Celestia headed back through the earthen tunnel that sloped back up to the outside. Luna and the others soon flanked her, keeping a united front for whatever threat they were about to face.

As they departed the cellar and walked out onto the grass behind the house, Blue Bolt turned to look toward where he sensed the strange entity before pausing and staring ahead. The others gradually turned to where he was looking, only to have similar uneasy expressions come over them.

Finally, Celestia looked over, only to spot what they had already spotted. A lone figure standing in the middle of the street.

Its lithe form was humanoid, though it was concealed underneath a tattered piece of fabric fashioned into a makeshift cloak. The face seemed to be shaded in darkness within the confines of its garment.

There it stood, among a sea of dead ponies, staring ahead at the group silently.

Celestia stared at the figure a moment before exhaling softly through her nose. “Dusk always did have an air for presentation… and I fear we’ve walked right into his trap.”

“Trap or no, I think it is clear at this point that Dusk himself is not here,” Luna said. She inched closer to Blue Bolt and craned her head to the side, not daring to take her eyes off the strange figure for an instant. “Do you know what manner of creature that is, Blue Bolt?”

Blue Bolt shook his head regretfully. “No. I’m sorry, but I didn’t recognize it.”

“Wow, you suck at being a slayer,” Raincloud commented, only to receive some stern looks. “What? It’s true.”

Celestia glared at the pale mare a moment longer before shifting her eyes forward and sighing. “Very well… I suppose we shall have to find out the old-fashioned way who our new friend is.” She said, walking forward with an uneasy sense of resolve.

Without a word, Luna followed after her sister. Blue Bolt followed after the pair, determined to do his part in removing Dusk’s evils from the world one at a time. Raincloud lingered for a moment or two before sighing and following the three.

As they walked, the figure watched them silently. It didn’t move toward or away from them. It didn’t even move in general, almost like a statue. They might have thought it to be a statue if it wasn't for the subtle shifting of its cloak in the breeze.

The white alicorn came to a halt a good distance away from the figure, close enough to examine it or converse with it if it proved to be intelligent, but far enough away to give them ample time to dodge if it attacked.

“Where is your master?” Celestia asked, not really expecting a response.

There was a sort of clicking sound that came from the figure, reminiscent of something an insect might make. And perhaps it was their imagination, but the group could almost swear to see small, oddly shaped protrusions moving from within the cloak.

“Truly, your diplomacy skills are unrivaled, Princess,” Raincloud said, giving the alicorn a flat look.

“Be quiet, Raincloud.” Luna scolded before pausing abruptly as she noticed something. Looking down, she found a trickle of blood flowing near one of the bodies at their hooves, barely large enough to even distinguish among the dirt path.

“Blue Bolt. I know this is very sudden and difficult, but can you please try to concentrate and see if you can’t figure out what this thing is?” Celestia asked, keeping the figure in the corner of her eye at all times. “Slayers have a compendium of monster knowledge built up that they pass down through each individual. Twilight said that some of your abilities may be affected by your sudden rebirth, but you should be able to use them still with enough focus.”

Blue Bolt looked to the princess of the sun nervously. “Uh… I… I guess I can try.” He said before closing his eyes and focusing. He used his senses again, really concentrating on the unique, and admittedly disgusting, feel of the entity ahead of them.

Meanwhile, Luna was lowering herself down and examining the trickle of blood she found. It kept on flowing through the dirt, like a tiny stream being carried by the slight slope of the land. And as she looked up, she noticed another of these streams a bit further away.

Another series of guttural clicks came from the cloaked figure, along with the beginnings of a low snake-like hiss as its hood and the edges of its cloak moved slightly.

“Sister… something is wrong,” Luna said.

Suddenly, Blue Bolt cringed and opened his eyes to reveal a slight glow of orange. “Wait… I’m getting something.” He grunted softly as a slight throb filled his head along with some familiar whispers. The glow soon faded, only to be replaced by a look of horrified revelation. “Oh… oh…!”

Celestia glanced at the stallion uneasily before turning to her sister’s seemingly more immediate problem. “What is it, L-”

Then, before she could even finish her sentence, a deafening half screech half roar filled the air as the figure shed its disguise.

Two long, spindly brown arms tipped with wiry hands and razor-thin bladed digits extended to the sides, shredding the cloak entirely and letting what remained fall. An insectoid maw was revealed, with furry spider fangs at its top mandible and two slightly longer appendages at the sides. It had four beady black eyes, once again likening to a spider’s appearance.

Along with the twig-like arms, four other appendages raised from the creature’s shoulders, two on each side. They lacked digits, instead having black protrusions at their tips that resembled actual blades more than anything organic.

Its whole body was repulsive-looking, a brown carapace covered in sparse, tiny hairs and dozens upon dozens of smaller insect limbs that seemed to serve no purpose, but were fully and separately articulate from each other. Its legs looked like they had many joints, and its feet came to a point with three toes that had black chitinous claws.

The sudden reveal of the creature stunned the ponies for a moment. For all of them save for maybe Raincloud, it was the most horrifying thing they had ever laid their eyes upon, and it sent a feeling of revulsion through their crawling skin briefly akin to an arachnophobe spotting a spider on their wall.

After processing the jolt of fear coursing through him, Blue Bolt sprang into action. He charged ahead of the group, heading to meet their newly revealed foe. A circle of embers sprang to life around his forehooves, and soon his weapons were ready just in time for him to jump up with a slight yell and make a swipe at the creature.

The creature dodged backward in one swift, jerky motion. It then made a swipe of its own at the stallion, using one of the limbs protruding from its shoulder as an organic sword that managed to clip a few hairs from his mane as he ducked below.

“Blue Bolt!” Celestia paled with alarm as she watched the stallion charge into battle with little consideration for his own wellbeing. It was like he was trying to keep them from fighting at all. Still, she wasn't about to let another slayer die on her watch.

Raincloud and Luna watched as the white alicorn lit her horn and galloped forward to assist Blue Bolt. They prepared to charge into the fray as well until Luna felt something grabbing onto her hind leg.

“What the-” Luna paused abruptly and widened her eyes as she turned to see what had grabbed her. It was a hoof, which belonged to one of the dead bodies around her. She watched with mounting horror as the corpse of a green earth pony mare lifted its head up toward her, its blank, glassy eyes open and staring ahead at nothing.

Raincloud rushed over to see what had grabbed the alicorn, only to reel back at what she found. “Holy crap!” She exclaimed.

“Unhoof me!” Luna demanded, yanking her leg away with some resistance and causing the partially risen body to fall again. However, this setback didn’t seem to faze the dead mare at all, as she started getting back up again.

It was then that both Luna and Raincloud noticed what looked to be small streams of blood flowing into the dead mare’s body. They could actually see the spindly streams underneath her skin, bulging out like misplaced veins. However, instead of turning the body into a vampire like Dusk usually did, it seemed as though these streams were merely puppeteering the late pony.

“What unholy trickery is this?” Luna asked, thoroughly disturbed as she took a few steps away from the animate corpse. Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder, only this time it was Raincloud.

“Uh, Princess… I think we’ve got problems. Like… a lot of problems.” The pegasus said, more than a bit of unease in her voice.

Luna looked around, only to see what had spooked her companion. More of the bodies were starting to get up. Around ten of them, in fact. All being manipulated with stiff and unnatural movements that seemed like it would cause physical pain, were the ponies alive.

And coming out of all of the bodies were several streams of blood floating in the air, like crimson strings. They were all coming from behind them, where the insect creature was currently doing battle with Blue Bolt and Celestia.

“I see,” Luna muttered as she backed closer to Raincloud, a small band of lifeless corpses closing in on them. “It would seem that the problem has been doubled.”

“Well… let’s start subtracting,” Raincloud said, lifting a hoof and covering it in shadow energy. Luna followed her example and lit up her horn. As much as she hated the idea of desecrating these poor souls’ bodies further, it couldn’t be helped.

Meanwhile, Celestia and Blue Bolt were locked in battle with the repulsive monster. So far, it had managed to dodge every slash or magical blast they sent its way.

Blue Bolt grunted as a spindly limb caught him across the cheek with its pointed end, leaving a bloody welt behind. The wound quickly healed while he used his blades to parry two of the limbs away.

Celestia fired off a few fireballs toward the beast, but she too was having difficulty landing a hit. Weirdly enough, the creature wasn't using its actual arms to fight. Instead, they were held at its sides with the fingers outstretched.

“You seemed like you figured something out before,” Celestia said as she reeled away from a swiping limb. “Do you know what it is now?”

“Yeah,” Blue replied. “It’s something called a blood widow. They’re a type of lesser demon.” He explained before producing a frightful squeak as he narrowly avoided being impaled through the head. What the creature seemed to lack in strength, it more than made up for in speed and reach.

“Excellent.” Celestia thought. “Demons are weak to slayers. You can bend it to your will if you try.”

“No. I don’t think that would work. They aren’t full-blooded demons. They’re more closely related to vampires… and arachnids.” Blue Bolt said before a smile built on his face. “Hey, I think I’m getting used to this whole inherited memory thing!” He chuckled triumphantly before widening his eyes as the creature screeched at him and made a lunge. “Woah!”

Wondering where her sister and Raincloud were, Celestia glanced over, only to widen her eyes in shock at what she found. The pair were apparently doing battle with a small army of the formerly dead townsfolk.

No. They seemed to still be dead. Their attacks lacked much intelligence, and they seemed almost marionette-esque in their movements, which was all but confirmed as she noticed the thin streams of blood hanging in the air. Streams that seemed to originate from the insect creature’s fingertips.

“Do these blood widows have any special abilities… say, body manipulation?” Celestia asked, just a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

Blue Bolt narrowed his eyes in thought before raising his brows. “Oh yeah… I guess they can do that.”

Celestia snorted softly. “This would have been pertinent information to know before, Blue Bolt.”

“Sorry! I’m new at this!” Blue protested as he tried and failed to land a clean hit on the creature. Suddenly, he paused, eyes wide with pain as the creature stabbed one of its bladed legs through his chest. “Grk!” He lurched forward, a bit of blood shooting from his mouth as he clutched the wound.

“Blue Bolt!” Celestia gasped. Before she could even lift a hoof to help the stallion, the creature picked him up by the leg stabbed into him and used another to slash sideways, creating a fleshy ripping sound and sending him tumbling off of the limb and to the ground with a gruesome spray of blood.

Blue yelped and cried as he clutched a large gash in his side with one hoof while using the other to push himself up. He squinted one eye open and looked up to the alicorn. “I’m ok… I’m… ngh… o-ok.” He assured, though his appearance seemed to claim otherwise.

Frustrated at her friend getting hurt, Celestia growled and clenched her teeth at the monstrous insect. Casting her magic around its lithe form, she wrapped it in an aura and pushed past the disadvantage she had to lift the supernatural creature into the air.

“Blue Bolt, can you stand?” She asked with some urgency, already feeling sweat building up as her magic strained and the creature struggled.

The pegasus took a moment to push himself to his hooves as fire sprang to life across both his injuries. He yelped and took a few shallow breaths to deal with the pain before turning to the alicorn and seeing what she was doing. “On it.” He said, resummoning one of his blades and charging for the floating creature.

Suddenly, Celestia felt a sharp pain in her foreleg. “AGH!” She yelled, losing focus on her magic for the briefest moments. She looked down, only to spot a dead stallion clad in guard attire biting into her leg with unnatural strength, causing a bit of blood to trickle out.

Blue Bolt kicked into the air with his wings and reeled his foreleg back in preparation to strike. However, as he was sending his leg forward, the aura around the creature faded, but not before his blade neared its body.

The spirit weapon raked across the beast’s side, slicing off two of the smaller limbs and opening a decently sized gash that sent a glob of green blood flying out.

Celestia noticed the dead pony’s grip on her leg lessen, which she used to yank her mildly bleeding limb away. She looked back to Luna and Raincloud, only to see the remaining dead ponies freezing momentarily.

The monster shrieked in pain as it fell to the ground. And then, there was a disturbing crack.

Celestia and Blue Bolt watched as the creature’s body suddenly snapped to the side at its waist. Its top half was now at a ninety-degree angle to its bottom half. It plopped to the ground on its back, and like a cockroach fleeing in the light, it used the many small limbs across its body to skitter away and up the side of a nearby house, where it stopped and hissed at the ponies.

Blue Bolt shuddered slightly at the sight of the creature leering at them before turning to the alicorn. “Are the monsters you fight always this weird and creepy?”

Celestia couldn’t deny a slight shiver down her back either. “I’ve seen my fair share of nasty creatures… but I must admit, this one is in the top three.”

“Oh sweet you, it’s getting worse…” Blue Bolt stared ahead, mouth falling agape and face scrunched in revulsion as more cracks rang out.

The creature’s body folded and contorted as it rotated around the wall it was on to make room. Its legs popped and bent, forming a sharp curve like a grasshopper and nestling underneath its body. It rolled its top half back in line with its bottom and stretched out the four limbs on its shoulders, planting them on the wall.

After some wet and disturbing noises, two more of these limbs sprouted from its back, creating a malformed approximation of spider legs as it lifted itself off the wall and roared.

And then, it jumped. Straight at them.

“AHHHH!” Blue Bolt shrieked like a little filly and beat his wings, flying backward and away from the beast as it landed on the ground and took a swipe at him with its primary arms. It seemed like it wasn't caring very much about puppeteering the dead anymore, as it didn’t have any more streams of blood coming from its fingertips.

Celestia took a few steps back to distance herself from the beast as well. It was closer to the ground now as it stood on its spindly former weapons and contorted legs. It didn’t at all look efficient from an aesthetic standpoint, but the results seemed to speak for themselves.

Back on the other side of the town, Luna and Raincloud paused as the bodies they were fighting stopped moving and gradually fell to the ground.

"Uh… Did we win?" Raincloud asked, looking around with a bit of confusion.

Luna looked over to see Blue Bolt and her sister fighting the creature, which seemed to have found a way to become even more repulsive.

"I'm afraid not. It merely stopped focusing on us." The alicorn said tensely.

"Well, let’s go squish this bug and pack it in al…" Raincloud trailed off as she noticed more of the dead bodies getting up. "...ready? What the hay? I thought that thing was busy fighting them?!" She said, backing closer to the house behind her as three ponies shambled toward her.

As more of the bodies started to get up, Luna looked around at the various streams of blood piloting them, only to narrow her eyes. None of the streams seemed to lead toward the creature.

"Raincloud, be on your guard. Something is wrong h-"

Raincloud raised a brow as the alicorn stopped talking abruptly. She looked over to see Luna staring in her direction with wide eyes.

However, before either of them could react further, the pegasus felt something cold and slimy drip onto her shoulder, followed by a loud clicking noise above her.

Trailing her eyes up, Raincloud was met with the sight of another tall cloaked figure standing on the roof staring down at her, a set of mandibles poking out of its hood.

"AHH!" Raincloud yelped and dove to the side. She landed on her back on the ground and pointed her hoof up toward the creature before quickly shooting a spout of dark flames.

The wave of purple fire surged up with a disquieting roar, leaving a wake of smoldering wood and hay as it vanished. But the creature, it seemed, was faster than the pegasus.

Raincloud rolled to her hooves and backpedaled, keeping a foreleg pointed ahead with some shadow energy channeled through it as she darted her eyes around in search of the creature. “Where’d it go?!”

“I lost sight of it,” Luna said as she moved closer to the gray mare and stood side by side with her horn alight. “But it couldn’t have gotten far!”

Raincloud turned a tense eye to the few corpses still shambling toward them. There seemed to be a fraction of them compared to before, but they still presented a problem. “We need to find this freak before he catches us off guard. He’s probably hoping to attack us while we’re busy dealing with these stiffs.”

Hearing this, Luna perked up slightly as an idea popped into her head. “Of course… Follow the blood! The creature must be connected to them to control them!” She stated.

“Hehe… now we’re talking,” Raincloud smirked at the thought of using the monster’s ability against it. She quickly found a set of the crimson strings coming off of one of the bodies and followed them to their source.

The makeshift strings were somewhat hard to keep track of. They went into the grass and blended in surprisingly well due to how thin they were, but eventually, the pegasus found their source. The hooded figure was hiding behind a building, just barely looking out at them.

“Aha!” Raincloud exclaimed, preparing to send a wave of shadows through the ground so she could then explode out a skewer and impale the creature. “Got you now you ugly little- OW!”

Luna looked over as her companion yelped in mild pain. “What is wrong?”

Raincloud mumbled something under her breath that was most likely some kind of profanity as she lifted her hoof. “Gah… something sharp just poked m…” She trailed off abruptly and widened her eyes as she spotted the problem.

Several of the streams of blood were now connected to her foreleg, and she could see tiny serpentine bulges under her skin, crawling up her leg in a disturbing display.

“Uh… UHH!” The pegasus waved her foreleg frantically in an attempt to shake off the crimson strings, but it didn’t do much.

“Good heavens,” Luna muttered as she tried to help the distressed mare somehow. Then, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up, only to spot the creature approaching them.

As expected, it had several strings of blood protruding from under its cloak, some of which were leading to Raincloud. It produced a series of garbles and clicks that almost seemed like it was laughing at them.

“Get your dirty mitts off me!” Raincloud yelled as a crackle of dark flame gathered on her hoof. However, just before she shot the flame toward the creature, her foreleg jerked to the side violently.

The shadowy fireball zipped straight in front of Luna, coming close enough that she could feel how cold it was, before exploding on the ground a few feet away.

“Raincloud!” Luna turned to the pegasus in stunned surprise.

Raincloud seemed just as surprised as the alicorn. “That wasn't me!” She protested before her leg suddenly shot to the ground stiffly. She tried to lift it again, only managing to produce a slight shake. Much to her horror, she looked down and noticed the protruding lines under her skin spreading up her leg and to the rest of her body. “Gah! I can’t… move!”

Luna reeled back as the pegasus suddenly swiped at her with a hoof. She was forced to back up a few steps, only to bump into one of the risen bodies behind her. She was surrounded.

“Raincloud, you must fight it!” Luna pleaded. “I do not wish to hurt you!”

Raincloud grit her teeth and tried to wrench herself free of the bloody strings, but any attempt to do so only resulted in sharp pains throughout her whole body. “Just do what you gotta do! I’m stuck, and I can’t use my shadow magic like this!”

With the gray pegasus and more of the fallen townsfolk slowly closing in around her, Luna cringed regretfully before lighting up her horn. “Forgive me, but I have no choice!” She said. Just then, a wave of concussive energy surged out around her, knocking everypony flying back through the air, including Raincloud.

The pegasus tumbled to the ground with a painful grunt. Still, she couldn’t move to get up with the streams of blood under her skin, keeping her muscles from working properly. “Ngh… I wanna go back to my cell now.” She whined, not even choosing to lift her head.

Luna cast a regretful frown to the pegasus lying in a crumpled heap before steeling her expression and turning toward the creature. “You’ve done enough harm, monster. It is time for you to meet your-”

*Shlick*

“Ngh!”

Luna darted her eyes down as a series of sharp needle-like pains stabbed into her limbs. She paled as she saw several red lines piercing into her legs and working their way up through her skin.

“Let me go!” The alicorn protested, struggling to move away. However, there was nothing she could do with her legs already under the creature’s sway. She was forced to watch with mounting horror as the rest of her body slowly stopped following her commands while the disturbing sensation of tendrils crawling up her skin continued.

The creature slowly approached the now pinned alicorn. It cast off its cloak by extending the four appendages from its shoulders, pointing the razor-sharp blades at Luna.

Luna started sweating nervously as her doom approached. However, as she trailed her eyes up, she noticed that her horn was still alight. “I see… You may be able to control our bodies, but you cannot control our magic.” She leveled her gaze at the creature before forming a determined smirk.

In an instant, the alicorn blinked out of existence, causing the bloody strings that were inside her to fall limply to the ground. She teleported behind the creature, where its speed and agility wouldn’t be able to help it, and immediately fired a blast of energy through its torso.

An unearthly shriek filled the air as a sizable hole was punched clean through the bug monster’s form. Bits of burnt carapace and green fluid flew out of it and plopped to the ground.

However, Luna’s victory was short-lived, as the creature jerked around in its agony and got off a clean slash at her with one of its limbs before it flopped backward to the ground.

“AGH!” Luna yelped as she was sent to the ground hard. She landed on her saddlebag, creating a metallic crunch. She shakily clutched a hoof to her chest, only to feel warm liquid gushing out.

Meanwhile, Raincloud suddenly found control of her body once more. She pushed herself to her hooves, only to pause and hold a hoof to her collar as it activated with a series of clicks and spun closed. “What the…” She trailed off as she looked over to the side. “...Oh, crap.”

The creature was writhing on the ground, its limbs all flailing wildly as it screeched and convulsed from the grievous wound it had sustained. Eventually, it let out one final shriek before falling still.

A short distance away, Luna was lying on the ground amidst a puddle of her own blood. She was breathing heavily and clutching part of a gory slash that went clear across her form diagonally. Blood was leaving her at an alarming rate, and she already seemed to be descending into shock.

Raincloud walked past the motionless creature, sparing a moment to poke it with a hoof before shifting her attention to the wounded alicorn. “Oh man… uh…” She cursed under her breath and held her hooves to the back of her head briefly as she stared at Luna with an overwhelmed expression of shock. Much to the alicorn’s surprise, the pegasus rushed over, cradled a hoof under her neck, and lifted her up slightly.

“Hang in there, Moony. If you die, I won’t hear the end of it.” Raincloud said.

“Hng… Rh… R-Rain...cloud…” Luna muttered weakly through her shallow breaths as she stared up at the pegasus, a trickle of blood falling from her mouth as she let out a wet cough.

Raincloud bit her lip as she struggled to think of something to do, before suddenly a look of revelation came over her. She could use her shadow magic to heal the princess. Of course, she had never done it before, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

“I got it! Hold still, this will be over in a m-” The pegasus trailed off abruptly as she hovered a hoof to the alicorn’s wound, only for nothing to happen. She stared at her hoof momentarily before realizing what was wrong. “Oh, crap… the collar.” She tugged at the restrictive device briefly before shifting her attention to the only way to unlock it.

Looking beneath Luna to the saddlebag, Raincloud fished around for a moment before pulling out the remote, or at least what was left of it. The device was a crushed mess of exposed wires and mechanical bits, and it seemed to have triggered a failsafe in the collar when it was destroyed.

“Oh, for the love of…” Raincloud wrinkled her expression as she practically watched the life leaving the alicorn. She shifted her head to the side as an explosion rang out further away, only to see Celestia and Blue Bolt still in the midst of their fight. “Uh… guys! We’ve got a bit of a problem here!” She shouted.

Celestia spared a moment after dodging a strike from the creature to turn toward the pair. She widened her eyes as she saw the familiar form of her sister on the ground with Raincloud crouched over her, a disturbing amount of red on the ground nearby.

“Sister!” She cried, before an agitated growl drew her attention back just in time to back away from another wayward swipe. The creature wouldn’t let either of them rest for an instant. If they were going to save Luna, they had to deal with it first. Unfortunately, it was too agile, and no matter how many spells she shot toward it, she couldn’t land a hit, and neither could Blue Bolt.

The stallion dodged or parried as much as he could to keep the beast from hitting him, but it was hard to keep up with how fast it was with its claws. “Ngh… Sorry for the pun, but this thing is really starting to bug me!” He stated.

“Indeed,” Celestia said before pausing to duck out of the way of a stab from one of its spider limbs. “Were it only as easy to kill this abomination as it was to swat an insect.”

Suddenly, Blue Bolt flinched back as the creature hopped toward him with its powerful legs. He failed to dodge out of the way in time to stop the beast from landing on him, knocking him to the ground with a painful grunt.

Blue yipped in pain as he reached up and grasped two of its front limbs, but not before one of them cut into his shoulder. He struggled to push back, but then he looked up with wide eyes to see the creature about to slash him with its claws.

Just before the monster could complete its attack, two magical bursts sounded out and a pair of yellow bolts of light slammed into its back, burning it and causing it to arch back with a pained shriek.

Blue Bolt looked up to see Celestia with the tip of her horn crackling with arcane energy. Not one to waste an opportunity, he held out his hoof and flinched his eyes closed nervously as he let loose a wave of positively charged light.

The light engulfed the front of the insectoid creature, and immediately a steaming sound could be heard as it backpedaled off of the pinned pony. By the time Blue let his light die down, it was frantically rubbing its sizzling face while the rest of its tiny limbs twitched and flailed.

“Ha! How’s that for a bug zapper, ugly?” Blue smirked as he got back to his hooves and lowered into a battle stance, ready to launch another attack.

However, before he could even think to lunge forward, the creature jerked to face him and extended its arms with a hiss. Out of its spread digits, streams of blood shot out like liquid from a depressed syringe and flew straight at the stallion.

Blue Bolt flinched back and started to dodge, but he couldn’t stop the crimson strings from piercing into his skin. They entered his legs, his chest, his shoulders; all causing sharp pains that led to the sensation of something forcibly pushing up through his body.

“Gah!” Blue tensed and strained to keep control of his movements. He could already feel his muscles seizing up.

However, before the creature could start to control him, spouts of steam started coming through each entry wound in the stallion’s body. Soon enough, the bloody streams shriveled up and evaporated into droplets, almost like contact with the pegasus was burning them.

As it watched its puppet strings being cut, the demonic insect chirped and clicked angrily, only to jerk its head to the side as the sound of flames roaring to life came from behind it. It narrowly managed to leap to the side in time to avoid a fiery lash whipping down onto its head.

Celestia narrowed her eyes and growled through clenched teeth as her attack missed. The creature was too alert and too fast for its own good. She shuddered to think of the damage it could do if it wasn't limited to this town. However, she couldn’t reflect on troubled thoughts for long, as the beast spun around and shifted its focus to her.

The alicorn blasted a fireball towards the creature as it leaped toward her. With little time to aim her strike, the blast sailed harmlessly underneath the beast, allowing it to knock into her and send her to the ground.

“Ngh!” Celestia grunted as the weight of the creature came crashing on top of her. A few bladed limbs planted into the earth beside her head and around her body, while one lifted up and prepared to impale her. All she could do was grasp the limb with her magic and resist, but then it raised another and even reeled back its hands for a more direct strike.

Blue Bolt widened his eyes as he saw the alicorn struggling to keep all of the creature’s limbs at bay with her straining magic. “Princess!” He yelled, immediately running into a flying leap toward the insect with his blades at the ready.

As he neared, the creature’s back limbs lifted up and caught him before sending him hurtling away. He grunted painfully as he tumbled along the ground before rolling to a stop.

“Blue Bolt…” Celestia called out as she shifted her head to the side. A black pointed appendage was mere inches away from her face, and she was losing ground fast with so many limbs to keep hold of. “Some assistance would be greatly appreciated!”

The stallion sat up and held a hoof to his head before looking forward and paling. He had to do something quick, but what could he do?

Then, an idea popped into his head. One that made him look down to his strange new weapons hesitantly before raising his head toward the alicorn struggling on the ground.

“I hope my aim has improved since training…” He cringed before closing his eyes and concentrating. Soon enough, a familiar rush of energy surged through his limb and into his blades, causing them to glow orange.

A radiant buzzing hum slowly increased in frequency and volume as the glow intensified and some sparkling embers came off the edge of the blade. Blue Bolt opened his eyes, a determined look behind the fiery glow in them, and took aim as best he could.

Please don’t miss, please don’t miss, please don’t miss… He repeated in his head and drew air between his teeth nervously before swinging his foreleg in a slashing motion and averting his eyes.

Just like before, a thin arc of orange energy shot out of the stallion’s blade with a fiery whoosh as it raked across the air. The blade-like edge of light zipped toward the pair struggling on the ground at breakneck speeds.

The creature whipped its head around at the odd noise, and although it only had beady black eyes, there was a look in them that some might describe as fearful as it saw a glowing projectile approaching faster than it could dodge.

Celestia watched as, in a literal flash, a wave of energy sliced through the creature’s neck, sending its head flying off before it vanished skyward. She would have been showered in green goop, were it not for the merciful fact that the wound was instantly cauterized. The monstrous form on top of her seized and twitched before falling sideways as its legs collapsed.

Blue Bolt walked over as the alicorn wiggled sideways to free herself and managed to get to her hooves. They both watched as the creature’s body wriggled and twitched in a disturbing display before all its spider-like limbs curled inward.

“I think I’ve suddenly developed a fear of bugs.” Blue shivered slightly as he watched the diminishing twitches of the dozens of smaller appendages.

Returning her thoughts to her sister, Celestia turned and widened her eyes before galloping forward. “Luna!”

“Oh no…” Blue Bolt frowned before urgently rushing to follow the alicorn.

The two of them came up to see Raincloud crouching over a very pale and weak princess of the night. Luna could hardly keep her eyes open or move. The only thing even keeping her hooves to her wound was the assistance of the pegasus.

“Luna… can you hear me?!” Celestia knelt down and took her sister from Raincloud’s care. Her heart sank as she examined the grizzly wound. If left alone, it would prove to be fatal.

“Ngh…” Luna’s eyes fluttered as she drifted on the edge of consciousness. All she could see was a white blur above her and a familiar voice in her ear. “T..T..ia…?” She muttered weakly.

Celestia gasped softly as her sister’s eyes closed and her head fell back limply. “Blue Bolt-”

The stallion rushed over and knelt down beside the two alicorns. “Way ahead of you.” He said, exhaling tensely as he briefly looked to his bare hoof before lowering it to the slash across Luna’s chest. Much to everyone’s relief, a soft blue light traveled out and washed over Luna’s form.

Soon, color returned to the blue alicorn’s face as the wound started closing up. Once it was gone, with only bloodstained fur left behind as a reminder of its presence, Blue Bolt let his light die down and watched with bated breath alongside Celestia.

Slowly, Luna opened her eyes and sat up. She brought a hoof to her previously wounded chest and looked confused for a moment before seeing the stallion and her sister looking down at her. “Thank you, Blue Bolt. That was… a close call, as they say.” She muttered, still a bit stunned from her sudden injury and even more sudden recovery.

Celestia smiled warmly and wrapped a foreleg around her sister’s neck gently. “Far too close.”

“Blech… I think that’s going to make me sicker than those two freaks.” Raincloud made a gagging motion with her hoof as the two sisters shared a brief embrace.

After expressing their relief and joyfulness from coming out of the battle relatively unscathed, the group got up and took stock of what just happened.

Luna frowned slightly as she held up the broken remains of the remote to Raincloud’s collar. “Blast… I fear Sparkplug will grow to disdain me when I tell her she needs to make another of these.”

“Well, maybe if you didn’t fall on it so hard,” Raincloud said flatly.

Luna cocked an eyebrow. “Didst thou just call me fat?”

“If I answer that, will you hit me?”

Meanwhile, Celestia was examining the creature that Luna killed. It was utterly repulsive even before it had a gaping hole in its chest, but that was nothing new. What did catch her eye, however, was a small ring of blackened plant matter being clutched by one of the smaller appendages on its body.

“Interesting…” She said as she took the small circlet up into her magic. She gave it a slight sniff, the odor burning her nostrils a bit. However, she realized that she recognized it. “Sage and nightshade.”

“So that’s the concealment charm.” Blue Bolt noted before adopting a more paranoid expression. “Hey… how do we know there aren’t more of these things just hiding somewhere?” He asked, taking a darting glance at the town around him.

Raincloud yelled abruptly as she clamped a hoof down on the stallion’s shoulder, making him jump slightly. She chuckled a bit before taking his question to some serious thought and shrugging. “I guess there’s no real way of knowing. I think we’re good though… If there were more of these freaks, they probably would have attacked by now.”

“Indeed. Dusk most likely left them here as a distraction while he somehow fled.” Luna added.

Now that the battle was over and they could return their focus to the pale alicorn, Celestia walked forward along the street a few steps before pausing and staring out into the distance. The many bodies still lying around her still pained her heart and weighed heavy on her mind.

“We must find him… before he suffers anyone else the fate of these poor ponies.” Celestia frowned deeply at the thought of what must have transpired in this once humble town. She could practically hear the terrified screams and lamenting cries now.

Luna walked over to be by her sister’s side. “We will. But for now, let us head home and regroup. Standing here worrying will get us nowhere.”

Celestia looked at her sister’s concerned stare for a moment before exhaling softly and turning. “Come, then. Let’s go.” She said, spreading her wings and taking off into the air.

Blue Bolt followed after, and Raincloud shortly after that. Luna lingered for a moment or two, taking one last look at the fallen ponies around her. She bowed her head remorsefully and whispered an assurance of justice for their wrongfully departed souls before taking off skyward toward her companions.

Chapter 38: Reflection

Back in Canterlot, far away from the horrors Dusk was bringing to life,

Twilight and her friends all got together and went out to enjoy some well-earned time off.

Twilight sat at an outdoor table in one of the upper plazas, flanked by Rarity and Pinkie Pie, while Fluttershy sat across from them. They all had ice cream cones in hoof. The others were up by a little shop with Spike and the Crusaders, still purchasing their own frozen treats.

“Thanks for letting us come along with you guys, Rarity,” Twilight said, looking over to the white mare and flashing an appreciative smile.

“No need to thank me. I promised Sweetie we would come, so there was no sense in not inviting you. After all, the more the merrier.” Rarity chuckled a bit before sinking back and enjoying her strawberry double scoop. She flinched and looked over as a droplet of cream fell on the table nearby, only to see Pinkie Pie demolishing a banana split.

Twilight stared toward the shop ahead, watching Spike and the Crusaders finally receiving their cones of choice from Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She absentmindedly licked her own vanilla cone as she saw the young dragon staying silent nearby while the three fillies cheered happily.

“How has Spike been doing?” Rarity asked, causing the purple mare to look up. She had a bit of a somber look in her eye.

“Is he feeling better than before?” Fluttershy chimed in.

“Well…” Twilight sighed. “It’s hard to say. He opened up to me before, but now he’s just kind of…”

“Existing?” Rarity finished. Taking Twilight’s silence as a response, she exhaled softly and nodded. “Darling, we’ve all been doing a little of that since we’ve gotten back.”

Pinkie nodded, letting her ears droop a bit. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to cheer everyone up, but I can’t figure out how to do that when I can’t even cheer myself up.”

“I know what you mean.” Twilight trailed her eyes down slightly and fidgeted with a strand of her mane.

“You ok?” Fluttershy asked, noticing the unicorn growing distant.

Twilight looked up, her hair still twirled around her hoof as her ice cream cone slowly melted in her aura. “Huh? Oh… Uh, yeah. I’m good.”

Fluttershy wrinkled her mouth a bit before stiffening her expression. “No, Twilight… you’re not good. There’s no way you’re good after everything you’ve been through. You’ve spent this whole time trying to make us feel better… but you need to focus on yourself too.”

The unicorn was a bit caught off guard by how confident the timid mare was. Her eyes were full of concern, and so were Rarity’s and Pinkie’s. Twilight frowned as she thought back to her emotional outburst back when Tom died. She didn’t want to burden her friends like that ever again.

“You know… I guess I have been avoiding thinking about it too much.” Twilight said quietly. “I thought that maybe if I helped Blue Bolt adjust to his powers, that I could make up for letting Tom down… but I still feel this empty pit inside me.” She took a steady breath.

Rarity gave her friend a flat look, her mouth curled down at the edges and her eyes soft and understanding. “Twilight, nothing you do can make up for it…”

Hearing this, Twilight looked down sadly.

“...Because there’s nothing to make up for.” Rarity finished, causing the purple mare to lift her gaze back up. “Darling, you didn’t let him down any more than any of us did.” She gestured over to Pinkie, Fluttershy, and their other two friends a short distance away. “I know it hurts… and I know you well enough to know how you deal with hardships… by overanalyzing every little detail.”

“But I-” Twilight started, only to be interrupted by Pinkie.

“But nothing!” Pinkie leaned forward, a bit of an intense look to her that slowly softened into a concerned frown. “You can’t just try to fill that hole inside you by blaming yourself or trying to make up for something you didn’t even do, Twilight. Because that hole is never going to fill up with anything other than time.” She said.

“Wow…” Twilight took a moment to process her friend’s words before wrinkling her brows. “That’s… surprisingly insightful and poetic, Pinkie.”

Then, the unicorn’s moment of appreciation was ruined as the pink mare dove face first into her banana split, coming back up with white face, cherry eyes, and a smile that would make a monkey jealous.

After cleaning her face off with her tongue and chewing what was left of her treat, Pinkie looked to the others. “People always say I’m deeper than they expected. I don’t get why.”

That managed to get a reserved chuckle out of the others, even Twilight. The unicorn hadn’t laughed in what seemed like forever, so even a small giggle was greatly appreciated.

Before anyone could speak further, the four mares looked up to see their friends walking over and sitting down.

Rainbow Dash looked around at the suppressed smirks and diminished laughter with a raised eyebrow. “What’s got you all so giddy?”

“Oh… it’s nothing. Just some thoughtful conversation.” Twilight said, to which Rainbow could only shrug.
.
..
…
After a few minutes of enjoying their frozen treats and each other's company, it was time to head back to their home away from home.

Applejack smiled and laughed at something Pinkie said. She looked up to her sister, who was currently clinging to her back with an ice cream-induced stomach ache.

“Ooogh… I’m never eatin’ ice cream again.” Apple Bloom groaned, struggling to keep the contents of her stomach situated.

“You said that the last time we had some.” Applejack reasoned with a small smirk. Her gaze then shifted up to the sky. Strangely, it was still daylight out, and the sun had barely moved from its position at the cusp of the horizon. "Shoulda gotten dark by now…" She commented.

"You think something’s wrong with the Princess?" Sweetie Belle asked with a twinge of unease in her voice.

Twilight looked over and flashed a reassuring smile to the children, hoping to quell the anxiousness she knew her friends were feeling as well. "No, she's just on a mission. I'm sure she's just too busy to lower the sun right now." She reasoned, turning back ahead to hide her soft eyes.

"I hope so." Sweetie Belle fretted. "That alicorn guy seemed really focused on her."

Rarity used her aura to pat the young unicorn on the head and flashed a confident smile. "She has Princess Luna and Blue Bolt with her, Sweetie. She's perfectly safe."

Sweetie and the others seemed a bit more at ease, but now Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the ones trailing their eyes down uneasily. They couldn't deny the worry they felt for their friend and the two alicorns.

Seeing the castle coming quickly into view, Twilight and the others decided not to dwell on worrying thoughts, at least not outwardly.

As they were walking into the entry hall, they noticed a slight commotion off to the side.

A few guards were gathered around Shining Armor and Cadence, who were walking out of the room with slight urgency. And while it was hard to make out amidst the small crowd, Twilight and the others noticed a familiar pair of alicorns and a pegasus stallion leaving their view. It seemed as though the royal sisters had returned from their mission.

"Uh… Spike, could you stay with the others for a bit?" Twilight asked, already inching away from the group before outright walking off at a rushed pace.

“Wait for me!” Rainbow Dash quickly zoomed off to follow the unicorn. Soon enough, Fluttershy joined behind her cyan friend, eager to find out if everyone was ok.

Rushing to catch up with the group, Twilight smiled as she saw her mentor and the others unharmed. Her expression fell as she noticed such a troubled look on everyone’s faces.

“Princess!” She called, thankful to be able to peter out to a stop as the alicorns turned to see her. “Thank goodness you’re ok. The sun wasn't going down, so we were starting to get worried for you.”

Celestia’s face softened as she saw her student, though she couldn’t shake the somber expression from it. “I am sorry to have worried you, Twilight. After what we encountered, I must admit that lowering the sun had slipped my mind.”

“What did you encounter?” A second voice came as a familiar cyan pegasus fluttered over, followed closely by Fluttershy. All of them were glad to see that everyone seemed ok, but now their uneasy curiosity for what had happened was the forefront of their focus.

Strangely, Celestia and even Blue Bolt were hesitant to speak. Seeing how uncomfortable her sister was, Luna decided to step in.

“We… found where Dusk took shelter after he fled last night. A town not too far from here. I believe it is called Unicorn Ridge.” The blue alicorn explained, though even she couldn’t shake the unease that came from trying to say out loud what actually happened.

Twilight frowned as she caught on to the shared hesitance of the trio. “How bad was it?”

Celestia sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, letting her head droop slightly before she gathered the strength to stand tall again. “He wiped out the whole town. Mares… foals… he spared no one.”

The three mares gasped. Rainbow Dash recoiled back in the air, and Fluttershy covered her mouth with both hooves.

Twilight pressed her lips together tightly as a mixture of sadness and anger churned inside her. It was a lot to process for her to hear such a terrible thing. She had actually heard of Unicorn Ridge before, so she roughly knew its size and population. “But… but how? It’s broad daylight out there!” She said, a bit exasperated. “How could he have wiped out the town only a few hours ago?”

“Actually, we suspect that he had help.” Luna chimed in. “We found a summoning symbol in the basement of a house, and shortly after, we were attacked by a pair of monsters that were perfectly capable of being out in daylight.”

“We think that Dusk threatened somepony into gathering materials for him. Then, he used those monsters to bring the rest of the townsfolk to him so he could feed on them.” Celestia added.

“Sounds like something a creep like him would do.” Shining Armor wrinkled his expression in disgust.

"You said you fought some monsters… are you ok?" Fluttershy asked softly. She couldn’t see any wounds on the trio, but she knew that anything was on the table when monsters were involved.

Celestia shifted her eyes to Luna briefly, a hint of concern showing through before she turned back to the others. "We suffered some injury, but thankfully Blue Bolt was able to heal us."

"Wow…" Rainbow Dash smiled a bit as she looked at her friend. "You’re really getting the hang of this slayer thing, Blue."

The stallion tittered a bit and rubbed his foreleg. "I'm just glad I could help."

Then, before anyone could speak further, another guard hurriedly trotted up to the group and up to Shining Armor. The stallion whispered into his captain’s ear, causing a few shifts in expression that immediately drew the others' attention.

"Something wrong, Shining?" Cadence asked.

Shining glanced to the others before whispering something back to the guard, who nodded and rushed off. "We just got done searching the town. You were right about those tracks you found. A carriage was missing from the local station."

"So that’s how Dusk fled under the light of day," Celestia said, though she expected something like that from her former student.

"That’s not all," Shining added, his eyes growing a bit more severe. "We did a headcount of all the bodies against the population… Some ponies are missing."

The news was confusing to some of the group at first, until they realized what they were dealing with.

"You think Dusk turned them?" Twilight asked hesitantly. The last thing she wanted her friends to deal with was more vampires.

"I'm afraid that is very likely." Celestia sighed tensely and looked back to Shining Armor. "How many ponies were missing?"

"Only nine, assuming everyone was present when everything went down," Shining replied.

"I feel that we should assume so, unfortunately." Luna shook her head sadly.

"Do we know where they went?" Rainbow Dash asked, holding onto a bit of hope. "Could Blue follow Dusk’s trail?"

The stallion trailed his eyes down slightly. What little hope the group had seemed to shrivel up along with him.

"No good. He used some kind of magical charm to hide himself. I guess it works on slayer sense too." Blue said.

"We will have to send word to be on the lookout for those missing ponies after we set the sun and raise the moon," Celestia suggested, starting to walk off at a hurried pace. "Come, Luna."

Before the two alicorns could leave, Twilight stepped forward. "Wait!" She called.

Celestia turned to see her student wearing an uneasy expression.

"Shouldn't we keep the sun up?" Twilight asked, glancing out of the nearby window. "I… I mean, if Dusk can kill that many people with it up, imagine what he can do when it isn’t!"

Celestia softened her features as she looked at the worried unicorn. "I'm afraid that is not an option. It is not natural to keep the sun up this long, and we have already stretched the day out longer than we should have."

"But… this is an emergency! The night already lasted a long time on Nightmare Night. We can fix the calendars later!" Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"And do you recall how cold it got that night?" Celestia asked, to which the others could only fall silent. "The repercussions of longer days or nights are far worse than misaligned calendars. If the sun were to be up as long as the moon was that night, we would start to have uncontrollable heat waves. Crops would start to die, rivers would dry up."

"But…" Twilight hung her head low and stared at the floor, her jaw agape as words failed her briefly. "We can’t just let him win."

A sudden hoof on her shoulder made Twilight look up. She was met with the sight of her mentor looking at her with soft eyes.

"Worry not, my student… I swear to you that we will not let him win. He will pay dearly for all he has taken from us… from the whole of Equestria." Celestia said. She then looked up at Shining Armor and adopted a more serious expression. "Notify all guards across the country to be on the lookout for those missing ponies, and tell Glimmer Shine and the others to be prepared to retaliate at a moment’s notice."

Shining nodded. "Got it." He glanced to his sister and to Cadence, flashing a slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes before he turned and trotted off.

Celestia gave a reassuring look to Twilight and the others. She then turned to Luna and nodded before heading off, leaving the four mares to themselves and their thoughts.

No matter how much they wanted the sun to stay up, it was time for the night to come, bringing with it whatever it may.

-A few minutes later-

As the moon climbed higher into the sky, the guards around Equestria felt a sense of dread well up inside them as they settled into their shifts. The once peaceful country had been on full alert ever since the events of Nightmare Night, and while most of the events had been kept from the general public, the guards at least knew what they were fighting.

Out in the middle of nowhere, on a lengthy stretch of open wilds between towns, a small team of guards stood watch at a checkpoint of sorts they had set up along the only path for miles. Visibility was poor due to a mist that had rolled in from the nearby hills, and the groupings of trees to their right did little to help.

A younger, more inexperienced guard turned to his only two companions, a more seasoned earth stallion and a unicorn of similar experience. While he was brave as most guards, he couldn’t hide a hint of anxiousness.

“Did you hear that guy we’re looking for attacked the castle again?”

The unicorn looked up at this and sighed. “Yeah. Some dozen of our guys died… Thank goodness the princesses and the elements of harmony are ok.”

“I’ll never understand why those girls insist on being present for such dangerous things.” The other earth guard shook his head uneasily.

“Clearly you’ve never met them.” The unicorn said.

The younger guard raised an eyebrow. “And you have?”

“I saw the captain’s sister, Twilight Sparkle, one time right before the royal wedding.” The unicorn shrugged. “That girl is sweet as they come, but you should see her in action when her friends are in trouble.”

“I’d rather take on changelings than vampires any day.” The young guard said, tensely keeping a grip on his silver blade.

The other earth guard walked over and patted the rookie on the shoulder. “Relax. Our orders are not to engage that alicorn freak. The only way we’ll get into a fight is if we find some poor folks that got changed into one of those monsters. Otherwise, we’re just here to keep an eye on things and radio in if we find anything.” He nodded back toward a box they had set up nearby with a lantern and magical telegraph device on top.

“Hold up, boys… we’ve got company.” The unicorn said, pointing further down the road.

It was hard to see in the fog, but what must have been a carriage drawn by four ponies was approaching.

The other guards stopped their idle chatter and re-adopted their professional personas as they flanked the road.

As the carriage got closer, they started to notice that the four ponies pulling it along were clad in hoods that obscured most of their appearance. There also wasn't anyone sitting atop the carriage, instead most likely housing its passengers inside the main compartment.

The unicorn guard stood in the road and lifted his foreleg in a halting gesture, and after a brief moment, the carriage slowed to a stop.

While the rookie stood nearby and watched, the veteran earth stallion walked up to the side of the carriage and turned to the four ponies drawing it. “Evening, fellas.” He greeted in a somewhat friendly manner. “Mind telling me your business out here?”

Strangely, there was no response.

The unicorn twitched a brow upward at the strange silence of the four. The ponies barely even seemed to acknowledge their presence. Although, he did just barely see a hint of movement within their cloaks that sort of looked red.

Before any of the guards could speak further, the window of the carriage opened and a mare poked her head out. She had snow-white fur and delicate blue hair that fell to her shoulders, which were wrapped in a red shawl.

“Hello, Mr. guard sir… what seems to be the issue?” The somewhat refined-sounding mare asked with a smooth, velvety voice as she shifted her sapphire orbs between them.

“Umm… There’s no issue, ma’am,” The veteran guard said. “We just need to know your business and where you’re headed.”

The mare sighed and seemed to almost deflate onto the windowsill. “Can’t decent ponies travel outside their hometown without being accosted at every turn? What has this country come to?”

“I’m sorry for any inconvenience, ma’am… but you really shouldn’t even be out here this late. Didn’t you know there’s a curfew in place?” The veteran asked.

“Yes, yes… we’re well aware of that business off in Canterlot. I understand the princess, bless her kind heart, is concerned for our wellbeing, but this is just getting silly.” The mare shook her head and sighed before looking back to the guards. “Very well, if you must know… My husband and I have urgent family business in the next town over, and it simply could not wait until morning.” She glanced into the carriage and flashed a patient smile. “It’s rather embarrassing I must admit, but if you really must know, I will tell you.”

The veteran guard shared a quick glance with the unicorn, who could only offer him a shrug in response. He looked over to the rookie, not that the younger stallion had much input to offer either, before finally rubbing his neck uncomfortably. “No, no, there’s no need for that. I believe you. Still… I don’t feel comfortable letting you folks travel at night by yourselves. May I suggest that we send word to the nearest town and get an escort down here for you?”

“You’re too kind.” The mare smiled and flopped a hoof. “But no, I think we’ll be fine.”

Suddenly, a strange clicking sound came from underneath the carriage. The guards weren’t sure what to make of it, and the mare stared down at the ground briefly before looking up to see the stallions about to act on their curiosity and investigate.

“Honey, I thought we had the carriage fixed?” The mare said, leaning back inside briefly.

Another voice came, masculine and somewhat gruff. “Erm… Sorry, dear. I guess they must have missed something.”

The mare shook her head with a tight-lipped smile as she turned to the guards. “Don’t mind this creaky old thing. Some days it never stays quiet.” She chuckled as she forcefully tapped the side of the carriage.

“Right…” The veteran said. He then cleared his throat and looked down the road for a moment before turning back to the mare with a slight smile. “Well, I’d hate to keep you any longer. You folks stay safe, and keep to the road, you hear?” He cautioned.

“Thank you so much, Mr. guard sir. You three stay safe yourselves… Whole of Equestria’s turned on its head with that talk of vampires and the princess getting attacked.” The mare said before turning and leaning out of the window a bit more. “Ok, boys, get a move on! We want to get there as soon as possible!” She instructed to the four ponies at the front of the carriage.

The guards watched as the team of ponies took off at a gallop. Soon, they lost sight of the carriage as it vanished into the fog.

Then, a series of high-pitched beeps made them look to the side. The telegraph device on the nearby table was coming alive with a message.

"What is it?" The rookie guard asked before falling silent as the unicorn shushed him.

"Sounds like… new orders from Canterlot." The unicorn reported before settling in to decipher the rest of the message.
.
..
…
Meanwhile, the white mare with blue hair leaned back into the carriage and patted her mane. Her fur suddenly paled slightly, and her sapphire eyes shifted to a ruby red as she poked her abruptly elongated fangs with her tongue before turning to her companions.

“Very good.” A hooded figure chuckled as he leaned forward. He let his cloak down, revealing the silver hair and brown fur of Prince Dusk. “It’s always a pleasure to see someone so quick on their hooves.”

“Thank you, my Prince.” The mare said graciously before her expression soured as a series of muted clicks came from outside.

A loud sigh came from beside the mare as another cloaked pony stomped his hoof on the floor. “Be quiet down there, freak! You almost got us caught!”

“My Prince… if I may be so bold as to speak freely, may I ask why that horrid creature is still with us?” A second mare asked from beside the alicorn. There were around five other ponies in the carriage with Dusk, with two of them cramped uncomfortably to their side to give their master as much space as possible.

Dusk’s expression furrowed as he thought to the insect monster that was currently hiding underneath the carriage, puppeteering the four ponies in front into pulling them along. “It is a necessary evil, I’m afraid. It has proven rather useful in allowing us to move freely and discreetly.”

“But why couldn’t we just pull the carriage?” The first stallion asked cluelessly. “We can make ourselves look normal.” He gestured to the mare that just sweet-talked their way past the guards.

The mare in question narrowed her eyes at the stallion. “Because the sun was up, simpleton. Do you want to burn to a crisp?”

“Well, it isn’t up now, is it?” The stallion retorted, leaning closer to glare at the mare.

A slight growl made everyone fall silent and stiffen up as they turned to see Dusk wearing a displeased expression. They quickly got back into place and silently hoped that he wasn't about to feed them to the creature below.

After getting his point across, Dusk relaxed a bit and exhaled softly with annoyance as he realized how curious his new children were.

“If you must know, my little ponies, we are traveling in such discomfort to stay hidden. I could reveal myself to Celestia and her whelps any time I want…” His eyes grew a bit more distant and intense as he went on, causing some of the pale ponies to shrink back into their seats. “But after that slayer up and appeared out of nowhere and humiliated me like that… I want to get some special payback. That is where all of you come in.”

The blue-haired mare bowed her head respectfully. “Anything to serve your will, my Prince.”

“What would you ask of us?” The stallion leaned forward, eager to please.

Dusk smirked as he looked around at his small gathering of servants. He then reached into his cloak and pulled out some empty glass vials. “For starters, I want you to take these.” He said as he held out one of his wrists to each vial and let some of his blood spill into them from his ever-present wounds. “You will need them to give yourselves more numbers to work with in my absence.”

“You’re leaving us?” The second mare asked before shrinking back timidly. “I-I mean… of course, my Prince. Whatever you desire. But… might I ask why?”

“All in due time, my child…” Dusk said softly, his calm voice somehow simultaneously soothing the mare and instilling a slight tenseness in her form. He shifted to look out the window at the moon rising higher into the sky, his lips curling up in a grin as his fangs poked out slightly.

“All in due time…”

Chapter 39: The Calm Between

The soft sound of metallic clicking and scuffing filled the equipment room as the members of Spirit bided their time. Sparkplug was sitting on a crate by the armor racks, tinkering with a small rectangular device in her hooves absentmindedly.

Glitterball was sitting at the other end of the room. The unicorn was busy polishing her new crossbow and making sure it was in working order. She had a certain anxious look about her that most everyone was feeling internally.

Over to the side, Glimmer Shine was seemingly doing some warm-up exercises, with his fully outfitted vest sitting nearby, ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Everyone looked up as an audible groan announced the presence of Sunspot. The orange mare was dragging her flight suit behind her, and she had bags under her eyes. She plopped down on the floor next to Sparkplug and began checking through her equipment to make sure everything was ready.

“Sweet Celestia, Sunspot. You look terrible.” Sparkplug noted.

Sunspot grumbled and looked over to the earth pony, though her eyes struggled to focus for a moment. “That’s what happens when you haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in three days and try to take a nap.”

“Was it worth it?” Glitterball asked.

“Not really, no.” Sunspot said before sighing and looking down to her suit. She thought for a moment, the cogs in her head slowly forcing through the sleep-induced gunk to turn, before picking up her strobe and unceremoniously pointing it at her face.

The others all paused what they were doing as the pegasus flinched her eyes closed and fired a couple of bolts of light at herself, causing some colorful sparkles to fly off her face before she shook herself and conked the side of her head with a hoof.

“Who needs coffee anyway?” Sunspot reasoned as she replaced the vial into its rightful holster. She then looked over to the gray mare next to her and lifted a brow curiously. “What’cha got there, Sparkplug?”

Sparkplug paused her tinkering and looked down to the device in her hooves. “Oh, this?” She forced a chuckle before trailing off. “It’s the first thing I ever built. A prototype E.M.F meter… I just kinda like to…” She wrinkled her lip for a moment, “play with it sometimes.”

Sunspot softened her expression and nodded to herself. She could tell that the tense situation around them was starting to get to the gray mare, to all of them. However, as her attention shifted over to Glimmer Shine, she paused in surprise.

The stallion had a sort of intense look on his face that Sunspot hadn’t seen many times before. He was staring off into space while he warmed up, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.

“Everything ok over there, Glimmer?” Sunspot asked, her lighthearted voice a bit soft and hesitant.

Glimmer Shine paused his sit-ups and leaned forward, letting his hooves rest in his lap as he noticed everyone looking his way. He had barely talked to anyone since arriving, and while Glitterball and Sparkplug knew why, Sunspot apparently did not.

“You haven’t heard what happened on the Princesses’ mission?” He asked, making efforts to relax his face.

“Uh… something happened?” Sunspot narrowed her brows. “All I heard was that they found where Dusk had been and that they wanted us to be prepared. They got home alright, so I assumed everything was good.” She looked around, only to see Glitterball and Sparkplug avoiding her gaze, which only served to make her more uneasy. “Everything’s not good… is it?”

Glimmer wrinkled his mouth a bit as he contemplated how to break the news to his friend. Seeing no gentle way of putting it, he exhaled softly before looking her right in the eyes. “Dusk wiped out a town… killed everypony in it.”

The stallion’s words hit the orange mare like a punch to the gut. Her shoulders slowly sank and her mouth fell open as she stared at him, then at the others, hoping against all hope that she misheard as she often did.

“H-how…” Sunspot swallowed to stop her lips from quaking. “How many?”

“Roughly one hundred.” Glimmer explained. He trailed his eyes down and seemed to struggle to speak any further. “It was a small town, but…”

“It still matters.” Sunspot said, to which the others could only give a somber nod.

Glimmer Shine lowered his head and let his ears droop as his troubled thoughts ran wild. His eyes were soft, and his mouth curled down sharply.

Much to the three mares’ surprise, they started to see the shimmering of tears dotting the corners of his eyes. The stallion quickly wiped his face and hid a sniff.

“Glimmer, what’s wrong?” Glitterball asked, setting down her crossbow and turning to give him her full focus.

Looking out of the corner of his eye to see his teammates staring at him with soft expressions, Glimmer stiffened his posture and forced a more neutral expression to his face that didn’t seem easy to maintain. “Nothing. I’m good.”

“You don’t look good to me.” Sunspot said. “Come on… we’re all friends here. You wouldn’t leave me alone if I started the waterworks.” She reasoned.

“It’s not healthy to keep your emotions all bottled up,” Sparkplug added.

Glimmer Shine shifted his body to the side so he wasn't directly looking at any of the three mares. He wrinkled his mouth and opened his jaw, attempting to get words out a few times before stopping. Finally, he took a steady breath and relaxed ever so slightly.

“You know… after Pepper and the others died,” He brought a hoof up to rub the back of his head uncomfortably, “I made a promise to myself. I promised that I would become a fearless leader for you guys… like Brimstoke was. I wanted to be able to handle any situation so that I could stop ponies from dying.”

Sunspot, Glitterball, and Sparkplug remained silent as the stallion paused for a moment. They felt their frowns deepening as they could hear his breathing quicken and see more tears welling up.

“But… I have no idea what I’m doing.” Glimmer said, finally looking over to them. “No matter how hard I try, people keep dying. Tom died, the girls almost died, the Princesses… Even you’ve almost died, and not just from Dusk or his freaks. I just… I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this. If Pepper, or Neon, or Brimstoke… or Tom were here… I can’t help but think that they’d be disappointed in me. I let them down before, and now I’m letting all of you down.”

The others watched for a moment as the stallion tried and failed to recompose himself. He just sat there, looking at the floor and occasionally wiping his face, trying not to draw the attention that was already on him.

Glitterball stood up and walked over to the stallion, who quickly turned his head as she sat down next to him. “Hey…” She gently placed a hoof on one of his, causing him to meet her soft gaze. “You listen to me, Mr. You haven’t let anyone down.”

“But-”

“No. I don’t want to hear it.” Glitter said, like a mother comforting their child. “Look, Glimmer… I don’t need to tell you that this world can be cruel sometimes. People die, especially when monsters are involved. Princess Luna brought us all together because she thought we could make a difference… and we have. If it wasn't for all of us, a lot more ponies would have died. I heard Brimstoke talk about you after the academy. You were at the top of your class… all of us were. We were all the best that the Wonderbolts or the guards had to offer... Uh… except Sparkplug,” She paused and looked over to the gray mare, “but I’m sure she would have made a great guard after what she’s done with us.”

Sparkplug smiled, though she didn’t want to ruin the moment the stallion was having. “Thanks, Glitter.”

Glitter returned the smile briefly before looking back to Glimmer Shine. “You think any of us knew how to kill vampires and ghosts before we started this job? I mean, just look at Sunspot. She had like no fighting experience at all, and look at her now!”

“Uh… thanks… I think.” Sunspot said.

Glimmer Shine’s mouth twitched upwards, though it quickly returned to a grim line as he glanced away with worried eyes. “I know… I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“Simple,” Glitter said, leaning forward and wrapping her forelegs around the stallion’s waist. He paused, a bit surprised as she nestled her head into his chest. “Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, and you’ll keep your promise just fine… fearless leader.”

Much to Glimmer Shine’s surprise, Sunspot and Sparkplug walked over and joined in with the unicorn into a group hug. The gray mare snuck in between the pair and rested a hoof on both of them, while the pegasus wrapped her forelegs around Glimmer’s shoulders and unfurled her wings to cover everyone in a warm embrace.

And then, for the first time in a while, Glimmer Shine felt a genuine smile grace his features.

Elsewhere in the castle,

Fluttershy was just returning to her shared room, a tray carefully balanced on her back with a variety of snacks on it. As she opened the door and peered inside, she was a bit surprised at what she found.

Rainbow Dash was there, which was to be expected. The pair had been hanging out for a few minutes, talking with each other like old times until they both got peckish. What was surprising, however, was the anxious expression on the normally confident mare’s face. She was kicking her hind leg against the side of her bed and staring at the floor, chewing a lip the whole time.

Noticing her friend returning, Rainbow immediately stiffened her posture and relaxed her tense features. “Oh, good… you’re back. I was about to starve.” She smiled eagerly as the yellow mare left the door ajar slightly and entered the room with her haul in tow.

After setting the tray down and settling in on the bed next to her friend, Fluttershy looked at the cyan pony with a bit of a frown. “Something wrong?”

“Huh?” Rainbow blinked, pausing midway through chewing a hay fritter to look at her friend. “No… not last I checked. I mean, there’s still a freakishly overpowered vampire alicorn on the loose, but that’s out of my hooves.”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, a hint of suspicion in her otherwise soft and friendly voice. “It looked like something was bothering you.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively, looking off to the side. “You worry too much, Flutters. I’m fine.”

“Does this have something to do with Blue?” Fluttershy said, causing her friend to pause abruptly. “You’ve been looking kind of sad around him ever since he got back with the princesses.” She inferred.

“Well…” After a few moments of stalling and trying to think of a way out of this conversation, Rainbow sighed and deflated her shoulders a bit. “Alright, you got me.”

“What’s wrong, Rainbow?” Fluttershy set her food down and turned to her friend with soft eyes.

The cyan mare let her hooves pool in her lap. She pursed her lips briefly and shifted in her seat before finally speaking. “It’s just… I’m worried about him, y’know?” She explained, casual but diminished. “I mean, he’s a slayer now… You know what that means, right?”

Fluttershy thought about it for a moment before shaking her head slightly. “Umm… I’m not sure I do.”

“Tom said that slayers struggle just to exist. Every day they go out and fight monsters, and one day that stress just gets too hard for them to handle, and they just… fade away.” Rainbow trailed off, perhaps letting some sad memories surface again. “How long before that happens to Blue? What if he’s just on borrowed time or something? What if… what if he fights Dusk and he dies again?!” Her voice wavered a bit before she took a few breaths and calmed herself down, though she still looked visibly upset.

“Dashie…” Fluttershy rested a hoof on her friend’s shoulder, frowning a bit at how tense it was. “Blue has the best chance of beating Dusk out of any of us.”

Rainbow merely trailed her eyes down and inched her head forward. “So did Tom…” She muttered to herself somberly.

A sudden knock, followed by the already ajar door creaking open, made the two mares look up to see a certain blue stallion entering the room.

“Blue?” Rainbow leaned back a bit, a hint of unease in her face as she saw a somber look on his.

“Sorry… I was heading back to my room, and I couldn’t help but overhear.” Blue explained, his expression shifting from concern to calm intensity as he stood in the center of the room, his full attention on the cyan mare.

“Blue, don’t worry about it.” Rainbow insisted. “I was just venting a little. I’m sure you’ll be f-”

“I don’t care,” Blue said flatly, causing both Rainbow and Fluttershy to give pause.

Rainbow skewed a brow. “Wh… what?”

“This whole slayer thing… Fighting monsters, dying horribly. I don’t care.” Blue continued, looking down at his body pensively. “I see this as an opportunity to spend more time with you guys and do some good along the way. A year… a week… it doesn’t matter.” He looked back to them and smiled. “I’m already dead, Rainbow. If I am on borrowed time, I want to make the most of it.”

“Blue…” Fluttershy muttered, a worried frown forming as she saw a familiar look in the stallion’s eyes. She had seen it from Tom right before he fought Dusk. It was acceptance.

Rainbow Dash stared at the stallion silently for a moment before setting her pouch of snacks aside and opening her forelegs. “Come here.”

Blue Bolt shifted his weight back and skewed his expression in surprise. “Uh…”

“Come here! Don’t make it awkward, jeez.” Rainbow insisted.

“Oookay…?” Blue slowly shuffled forward until he was right before the bed. He looked over to Fluttershy, who was equally confused. Normally, the cyan mare wasn't so open with displays of affection.

Finally, Blue gave in and opened his forelegs to wrap around her. She leaned forward and hugged him around the shoulders for a moment…

And then a sharp pain came from his back.

“Ow!” Blue yelped and pulled away, looking up in protest to see Rainbow glowering at him.

“You feel that?” She asked.

Blue rubbed the spot where he was pinched with an irritated frown. “Yes, actually!”

“Good.” Rainbow nodded, satisfied with herself. “You’re not already dead, got it? And you’re not just here to die again. I don’t want to hear any more doom and gloom from you. Tom started thinking like that, and it got him so messed up that he lost his powers!”

“You were the one who started it with the doom and gloom!” Blue protested.

“Yeah, and I’m over it. You’re not dying on me twice. I have friends that deal with ghosts all the time, and I can personally ensure that you get punched in the afterlife!”

Blue Bolt looked over to Fluttershy stiffly, hoping for any sign that Rainbow was joking. The sympathetic look of hesitation he got only made him more afraid. At this rate, Dusk was the least terrifying thing he had to worry about.

“With friends like you, who needs enemies?” Blue tittered awkwardly.

Rainbow managed a smile. “You got that right.”

“Can I at least get an actual hug?” Blue asked, widening his forelegs pitifully.

Rainbow Dash sighed. She did sort of owe him at least that for pinching him. “Fine… come here, you big softy.” She smiled a bit as she embraced her friend. Fluttershy even leaned over and joined in.

However, soon after, a muffled munching noise made Rainbow’s smile fade, only to be replaced with irritated surprise. She pulled back, only to see the stallion reeling back with a hayfritter clutched in his mouth.

“Hey!” She shouted, taking hold of her now lighter pouch of snacks defensively. “You little thief!”

“Come on, what’s a few hayfritters between friends?” Blue smirked, his voice muffled by the fritter still held tightly in his teeth.

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed and a low growl came through grinding teeth. “Fluttershy… could you go get Twilight for me? I’m about to stress test a slayer’s healing powers!”

“Uh…” Blue swallowed the last bites of the fritter uncomfortably as beads of sweat started to form on his face. He took a few careful steps toward the door, like someone slowly retreating away from a wild animal, before turning to the yellow mare. “It was nice seeing you, Fluttershy, but uh… I think I need to go now… heh.”

“Blue BOOOLT!”

“Bye now!” The stallion said before turning tail and running as fast as he could out of the room.

Over on the other side of the castle, Twilight walked through the marble halls on her way toward her mentor’s private study. Her mind was heavy with thoughts about Dusk and everything he could have been doing, so she wanted to at least discuss a plan with the wise alicorn, to ease her anxieties if nothing else.

However, as she neared the door and raised her hoof to knock, she paused abruptly as she heard a familiar voice on the other side.

“Ow!” The voice exclaimed, seemingly in pain. “Not so tight!”

“Hold still, Raincloud. You’re making it worse for yourself.” Celestia chided, her patient voice laced with annoyance.

Twilight knocked on the door and slowly opened it. She stuck her head inside hesitantly before spotting her mentor and the pale blue pegasus.

Celestia was fiddling with the collar around Raincloud’s neck, much to the mare’s discomfort. Both of them paused and looked up to see the unicorn poking into the room.

“Uh… am I interrupting something?” Twilight asked sheepishly.

“Kinda,” Raincloud said, struggling to keep still while the alicorn pulled and pushed on her collar to get it back into place. “I tried telling her to put a sock on the doorknob, but apparently that would get across the wrong ide-ACK!” She clutched a hoof to her neck as her collar was suddenly yanked.

“What did I tell you about snide remarks?” Celestia narrowed her eyes down at the still-struggling pegasus.

“Hey… we agreed I get three a day. I still have two left!”

Twilight started to recede back. “I can see that you’re busy. I’ll just come back later.”

“No, no…” Celestia sighed, casting one last dirty look at Raincloud before softening her expression. “Please, come in, Twilight.”

As instructed, Twilight entered all the way and closed the door behind her. She watched the alicorn fiddling with the mechanical parts of the collar, a myriad of tools floating in her aura that she would use for moments at a time. “What are you doing?” The unicorn asked, a bit curious.

Celestia finished screwing something in and closed a panel on the side of the collar before setting her tools down. “The remote to Raincloud’s collar broke on our mission. The collar itself was damaged as well, so I need to fix it before I can sync up the new one.”

“Can’t we get Sparky to do this?” Raincloud whined. “At least she was gentle.”

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before threatening her on multiple occasions?” Celestia lifted a brow at the pegasus as she made some finishing adjustments.

“Aww, come on… I’ll play nice. Promise. Anything to get away from you and your clodhoppers.” Raincloud wrinkled her mouth in annoyance as she was jostled around again. “I thought princesses were supposed to be dainty or some crap?”

“And I thought you were tough enough to not whine like a filly at a little tug?” Celestia retorted. “There’s no need for Sparkplug to deal with you when she and the others have so much on their plates already. You’re lucky that she had the forethought to write down repair instructions and make spare remotes in the first… ngh... place.” She grunted as she finished tightening a particularly stubborn bolt. Much to Raincloud’s relief, she stepped back and picked up the spare remote off the nearby desk and clicked the button to test it.

As expected, the collar whirred to life, spinning the metallic inner circle closed and reforming the line of symbols once again.

“There we are.” Celestia smiled, equally pleased to be done with such an arduous task as the pegasus was glad to be free.

The gray mare let out a relaxed breath as she adjusted the collar to be somewhat comfortable, her eyes tracing along the remote still in the alicorn’s magical grip. “Spare remotes, huh?” She muttered under her breath before pausing as she shifted her attention to the unicorn that had been silently watching.

Twilight felt a twinge of discomfort well up inside her as she stared her former enemy in the face. She knew that Raincloud was in the castle shortly after the pegasus arrived, but she hadn’t met face to face with her yet, and it wasn't exactly an accident.

“Raincloud.” Twilight greeted flatly, trying her hardest to remain cordial.

Raincloud sighed. “Look, if you want to say anything, just get it out. Come on… let’s hear it.”

Twilight took an even breath as she contemplated saying something. Princess knew that she had a lot of somethings to say. Like, an unhealthy amount of somethings that could fund a therapist all the way to retirement. Celestia and even Raincloud were surprised at how calm she was being.

“Rainbow Dash thinks that you can become a better person… so I’m not going to start any fights with you,” Twilight said.

“Wow… I thought you’d be livid with me after I went after you and your pet dragon.” Raincloud raised her brows, while Twilight merely twitched hers.

“Spike is not my pet. He is my friend, and you almost killed him… on top of everything else. If things weren’t so dire, and I were a more violent person, I’d have half a mind to tie up your wings and dangle you off the top of the palace.” Twilight said with a surprising intensity in her eyes.

Raincloud inched back and softened her expression the slightest bit. She wasn't expecting to feel intimidated by Twilight Sparkle of all ponies.

“Unfortunately, dire times make for strange bedfellows.” Celestia chimed in to clear the air. “Enough reminiscing on past… unpleasantries. Did you want something, Twilight?”

“Actually, I was just wondering…” The unicorn trailed her eyes away briefly, letting her mouth fall before picking it up again as she looked to her mentor. “Do we have any plans to deal with Dusk that don’t involve Blue Bolt getting involved?”

“What prompted such a question, if I might ask?” Celestia softened her expression as she detected a hint of sadness in her student’s eyes.

Twilight let her shoulders sink a bit and lowered her head. “It’s just… I don’t want him to end up like Tom.” She said with some difficulty. “I wasn't here when Blue died… but I know that it must have destroyed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I don’t want them to have to go through that again… and I don’t want Blue’s second chance to be wasted.”

“Honestly, if he takes that Dusk freak with him when he goes, would it really be wasting it?” Raincloud asked.

Celestia cast a flat look at the pegasus and narrowed her eyes. “Raincloud, could you go ask one of the guards outside to escort you back to your room?”

“Aww, come on. I was just getting used to stretching my legs again!” The pegasus protested.

“Raincloud.” Celestia intoned.

Raincloud sighed and rolled her eyes as she started for the door at a dramatic saunter. “Yes, mooom!”

After the door opened and closed, leaving them by themselves, Celestia turned back to her student and walked closer. She placed a gentle hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder and looked her in the eye with a soft expression.

“Twilight… I understand your concern for Blue Bolt. I know that losing Tom was and still is hard for you and the others, and I know that you’re afraid for what might happen if Blue were to face Dusk again... But, think of it like this.” She explained. “A slayer is someone with a righteous heart. Someone that would not stand idly by while an evil such as Dusk threatens the world. Even if we made a plan that didn’t involve him, I’m certain that young Blue Bolt would want to fight anyway.”

Twilight seemed to understand the alicorn’s words, but she still harbored a bit of unease in her face. “But… but what if-”

“I know, Twilight… I know,” Celestia said somberly, lowering her head for a moment as painful memories of her fight with the human and his eventual death surfaced. “I wish I could just defeat Dusk by myself, but I’m afraid that if we are to win, we must work together… all of us.” She managed a smile. “Besides, I’m quite sure we have nothing to worry about. After witnessing Blue Bolt’s abilities first hoof on our mission, I can say with confidence that he can defeat Dusk.”

Twilight paused as she noticed the alicorn lowering her head in thought. Celestia pulled her mouth tight and her eyes wavered as she seemingly dwelled on some unpleasant thoughts. Somehow, the unicorn knew just what her mentor was thinking.

“Princess…” Twilight spoke softly, causing the alicorn to lift her head again. “I know I have no right to say this… especially with how I’ve been acting… but,” She paused for a moment, shifting her eyes to the side before meeting her mentor’s gaze with calm and collected confidence, “it’s not your fault. What happened to that town… what happened to Tom, and all of the other people Dusk has killed. That blood is not on you, no matter how much you might think it is. Dusk is a monster… and he would have ended up the same if he never met you.”

Celestia lifted the corners of her mouth, though her smile didn’t seem to reach her eyes.

That may be true, but he is a monster that I had caged… and I let him out into the world…

“Thank you, Twilight. I… needed to hear that,” She rested a hoof on the younger mare’s shoulder and flashed one of her trademark warm smiles. Twilight found herself smiling as well.

Before the conversation could wind to a close and the two could go their separate ways, the doors to the study opened with haste as a familiar blue alicorn came rushing into the room with wide eyes and pale face.

“Sister!” Luna exclaimed before catching her breath.

Celestia shared an uneasy look with Twilight as she walked closer to her exhausted sibling. “What is wrong, Luna?”

“It’s Dusk!” Luna stated. “He’s been sighted in New Hoofshire.”

A wave of dread and alarm washed over both student and teacher as they imagined what cruel fate could befall the ponies there. New Hoofshire was closer to a city than a town, and the death toll could be horrifyingly high when compared to the measly hundred souls lost in his last attack.

“Notify Blue Bolt and Shining Armor. I want enough transports to get Glimmer Shine’s team and us four there immediately!” Celestia instructed, already starting to rush out of the room.

Luna stopped her sister for a moment, her already alarmed expression growing more serious as she continued. “That’s not all… We just got a report of a town being attacked by some of the ponies missing from Unicorn Ridge.”

“Where?” Twilight asked, darting her eyes between the two alicorns. “What town is it?”

Luna stared at the unicorn for a moment, perhaps a few moments too long, with hesitance in her eyes. “Ponyville…”

The moment the words left Luna’s mouth, Twilight and Celestia both looked like their hearts just exploded. Their jaws fell open, and their blood ran cold in their veins as all of the color drained from their faces.

Chapter 40: Incursion

It took roughly an hour to get to Ponyville from Canterlot by train. A little less if it was a particularly fast train such as a royal express.

That hour was turning out to be the tensest period in Twilight and her friends’ lives.

The purple mare and her fellow element bearers were huddled together in a compartment along with Shining Armor, the members of Spirit, and Blue Bolt. Most all of them were deathly silent, and the stress in the air was palpable. Some were able to internalize their anxious thoughts, but others were antsier and unrestful.

Fluttershy in particular seemed like she could barely keep still. She was shifting her weight around almost constantly, with a pale look on her face all the while. “This… this can’t be happening. Is this our fault?”

“No, Fluttershy, it ain’t our fault.” Applejack said, making efforts to keep calm enough to ease the panic in the air.

“I don’t see how it isn’t.” Rainbow chimed in flatly. She had a grim expression on her face and a bit of a waver to her eyes. “That creep obviously did this on purpose just to get back at us.”

Pinkie groaned and dragged her hooves down the sides of her head as she vibrated in her seat. “Are we sure we can’t go any faster?” She whined. “We have to get there before anyone gets hurt!” She said before suddenly growing pale and gasping. “Oh my gosh… what about the Cake’s?! They don’t know anything about fighting monsters!”

“Oh no…” Applejack widened her eyes at her friend’s revelation. “What if they are tryin’ to get back at us? What if they go after our friends and family?!” She lifted up from her seat slightly, thoughts of her brother and Granny Smith racing through her head.

“Everyone settle down.” Glimmer Shine spoke up and gestured for the group to sit back and stay calm. “We’re not gonna let them hurt anyone. Once we get there, we can figure out what’s going on and how to handle this.”

“Glimmer’s right. The guards in town might not be trained for this kind of thing, but they can hold their own. I know that they would do anything they can to protect the townsfolk.” Shining Armor added.

“I just wish we had more numbers to work with.” Blue Bolt chimed in tensely before looking up to the yellow stallion and his team. “Why didn’t you guys bring Raincloud? She could really help here.”

Before any of the four monster hunters could speak up, Rainbow Dash beat them to the punch. “Because we don’t trust her enough for something this important.”

“Yeah. She ran out on us when we needed her to have our backs before, who knows what she would do if we left her unattended now?” Sunspot added.

Blue Bolt sighed and lowered his head as he saw the group’s point. “I guess we are going to be too busy to keep an eye on her.”

“I think a better question is why are you here, Blue?” Sparkplug asked. “The princesses are going after Dusk! Shouldn’t you be with them?” She suggested with a hint of concern in her voice.

The stallion merely sighed as he cast an uneasy glance out of the window at the darkened horizon outside. “I offered to go, but they wanted me here with you. They said they could handle it.”

“I hope they’re alright.” Rarity fretted.

“Hey…” Twilight spoke up, causing the white mare and many of the others to look over. She had a soft look of confidence in her eyes that swiftly garnered their full attention. “If the princesses say they can handle it, I believe them, and you should too. That means they trust us to take care of this so they can focus on Dusk. We need to be strong right now… if not for each other, or for them, then for the ponies that are in danger.”

It took a few moments for the unicorn’s uplifting words to spread a feeling of confidence in the group, but once the spread started, the atmosphere swiftly changed from anxious worry to steely resolve.

“You’re right, Twilight. We’re going to make these creeps sorry they ever messed with our friends.” Rainbow Dash smirked confidently.

“Yeah! We’re gonna show those pointy-toothed meanies who’s boss!” Pinkie cheered.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to roast some vamps!” Sunspot chuckled eagerly.

Soon, the train car was filled with confident cheers and determined smiles.

Meanwhile, Twilight leaned up against the corner of her seat and the wall of the train and stared out the nearby window blankly. Her eyes softened as her mind shifted to the two alicorns and the grave threat they were facing.

Princess… Please be ok.

Elsewhere, soaring across the night skies in a race to reach their destination as soon as possible, Celestia and Luna were mostly silent as they thought about what was waiting for them in New Hoofshire.

Would there be another massacre? Was there even a city left for them to get to? Any number of maddeningly dreadful thoughts were bouncing through their heads, and although they hadn’t communicated much on their hurried flight, occasional glances between each other told them that they were both doing the same thing.

Luna clutched the silver dagger in her hoof, keeping it close to her chest and gripping it tightly against the chill wind surging past. She glanced down at it before looking over to her sister, who was flying slightly ahead.

“You know, it has just occurred to me how spectacularly foolish this decision may be.” The blue alicorn said, breaking the long and dreadful stretch of silence between them.

Celestia turned her head back to see her sister wearing an uneasy frown. “Only just now, sister?” She gave a hollow chuckle as she faced ahead again. “I realized it as soon as we left. Still… we have no choice.”

If they were being honest, they both knew that this was a trap. Dusk wasn't stupid after all. However, they truly had no choice, not when innocent lives were at stake. Twilight and the others needed all the help they could get in Ponyville, and they weren’t about to endanger anyone’s lives by asking them to fight Dusk when they weren’t all together.

“I know,” Luna replied somberly. “I merely wish that this wasn't a one-way trip.”

This made the older mare look back again, only to pause slightly at what she saw. Luna had a sort of sad look in her eyes as she gazed at her sister.

“You think too little of us if you think this is a one-way trip,” Celestia said. “We will be fine. Although… I feel I should remind you that you can head back if you have reservations. This is my fight, not yours.”

“I never said anything about leaving you, Tia,” Luna said sincerely. “However, I feel I should remind you that Dusk has defeated both of us in combat.”

Celestia didn’t look back. Instead, she stared at the horizon ahead with steely eyes and mouth set in a grim line. “This is true… but he hasn’t beaten both of us together yet.”

Luna had nothing to say to that. Part of her admired how optimistic her sister was in the face of such dire odds, but another part of her couldn’t let go of the dreadful pit in her gut.

Eventually, they could spot their destination coming into view in the distance. New Hoofshire was a decently sized hub of civilization, and one of the last settlements in view of Canterlot mountain, though only just barely.

The city was roughly arranged in a circle similar to Ponyville, though it had a square in the center that was reserved for municipal buildings. Being among the more urban settlements in Equestria, most of the buildings were actually made of cement and bricks, and even the few structures made of stone and hay were modeled and painted in such a way to blend in with the rest of the city.

Celestia noticed several windows and lamp posts that were aglow. There were no flames, and no bodies lining the streets. This was a good sign, though she still wore a troubled expression as she looked down and noticed a gathering of ponies on the very edge of town.

“It looks like the guards have rounded up some of the townsfolk,” Celestia noted.

“Thank goodness they are still alive,” Luna said. However, she raised an eyebrow as she noticed that most of them were all staring in a single direction. “Perhaps they can tell us where Dusk is?”

With a nod of agreement, Celestia started to descend toward the ground. Luna quickly followed after her sister, and soon enough the two of them approached the small crowd on the ground.

Many confused ponies were doing their best to weather the cold as they stared at the guards ahead of them and muttered among themselves. Some of them wore pale faces and trembling eyes, seemingly indicating that they had run into the cause for their sudden gathering.

One pony looked up and noticed the two alicorns coming in for a landing, and as more and more of the crowd shifted their gaze up and recognized the royal sisters, they all parted like a school of fish.

A unicorn guard, most likely the highest ranking officer present at the moment judging from his armor, turned and saw the two rulers of Equestria making their way through the crowd and up to the makeshift barricade they had created to protect the civilians.

“Your Highnesses… I didn’t expect you to be the ones to answer our signal.” The unicorn said, stiffening his posture and giving a brief salute before returning to all fours.

Celestia glanced at the guard and flashed a slight smile before her eyes were drawn ahead. The street was completely empty, save for a lone figure sitting a fair distance away. A lone figure with glowing red eyes, making it easier to make him out against the dark buildings.

It was Dusk, and he wasn't alone. There was another silhouette on the ground in front of him, but this one wasn't moving, and it was far too tall to be a pony.

“What’s the situation?” She asked, somewhat urgently, as she returned her gaze to the unicorn guard, keeping ready to react if she so much as spotted a hint of undue movement from the pale stallion.

The guard glanced behind him in a paranoid manner for a moment before looking to the alicorn sisters with a bit of a confused expression. “He walked into town about half an hour ago with some kinda bug monster. We kept our distance and started getting folks away, but he just ignored us.”

“That body he’s sitting by… is that the monster of which you speak?” Luna asked, lifting a curious eyebrow. She thought she recognized the deformed shape and brown coloring of one of the monsters Dusk summoned back in Unicorn Ridge, but this one seemed far more docile than she would have expected.

“Yes.” The guard turned to look at the distant pony with a wary stare. “But he killed the thing right after he got here. Then he sat down and started drawing something on the ground with its blood. He’s been like that up until now.”

“And he hasn’t harmed anyone?” Celestia probed, receiving a head shake from the guard. “No demands? No threats?”

“No ma’am. He hasn’t left that spot.”

Celestia didn’t like that. Not one bit. She knew that Dusk was planning something, but she couldn’t fathom what it was. Even when he was her student, she always felt like she could never get in his head or predict what he was thinking. She suppressed a shudder as she thought about all the dark desires he kept from her from the very start.

“If he’s drawing something on the ground, we must assume it is magical in nature.” Luna cautioned.

“Yes… the question is, what kind of magic?” Celestia tensed her jaw and exhaled through her nose sharply. She thought for a moment before turning to the guard once more. “How many ponies are still unaccounted for?”

“We’re still evacuating as we speak. Most of the buildings in the immediate vicinity got cleared out pretty fast, but it’s been hard to get folks out without being seen. I’d say there’s still a few dozen in a block radius… probably more further away.” He explained, a twinge of concern in his voice. The princesses could sense that he, much like all the guards present, were stressing out underneath their disciplined exterior from having such a cold-blooded monster so close to their fellow ponies.

Celestia stiffened her expression and looked to the unicorn with steely eyes, causing him to straighten his posture ever so slightly. “Get the civilians to a safe distance, and tell your men still in the city to get as many ponies out as fast and as discreetly as they can. If something goes horribly wrong, send word back to Cadence and run for your lives.”

There was a moment of hesitance before the stallion nodded. “Y-yes Princess.” He said before turning to the other guards. “You heard her, let’s get these ponies back, on the double!”

With that, all the guards saluted their leader before springing into action. Like a diligent dog herding sheep, they corralled the anxious crowd and slowly but surely got them moving out away from the town.

The unicorn guard started walking away to join them, though he stopped for a moment and stood like a statue briefly before turning around. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna…”

Both alicorns turned to see the hardened stallion wearing a soft frown and a concerned look in his eyes.

“Stay safe.” He said after some effort to get over talking so freely with his rulers.

The two sisters couldn’t help but smile, and Celestia gave him a confident nod. “Thank you.”

With another salute, the guard was off, leaving them to themselves and the task ahead of them once more.

Turning back around, Celestia pulled her mouth tight as she stared at the lone figure down the street. Somehow, a twinge of fear was working its way through her body, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. Still, she eased the tension in her limbs by thinking of everyone that was relying on her to win this fight at any cost.

“Sister… Do you recall the last time we almost died fighting a single opponent?” Celestia asked, more curious and lighthearted than the blue alicorn was expecting.

Luna gave the matter some thought before wrinkling her expression. “Goodness… I believe that was a few millennia ago. Wasn't it Discord?”

“Ah, yes… now I remember.” Celestia nodded to herself, her expression still flat and her gaze still fixed on the pale stallion. She turned to her sister and softened her features ever so slightly, and for the briefest moment, as they locked eyes, they both understood just what was about to happen. “Shall we… for old times’ sake?”

Luna felt a pang in her heart as her eyes trembled ever so slightly. She took an even breath and leveled her gaze forward, her expression shifting and hardening as she tightened her grip on her silver weapon. “For old times’ sake.”

And with that, they started walking.

Meanwhile, back with Twilight’s group, tensions lifted as the train neared their home. Mere hours ago, the six mares were looking forward to the time that they could finally return to Ponyville, but now the sight of the sparsely lit town only filled them with dread.

As they pulled into the station, everyone was already on their hooves and ready to go. Twilight and the others had silver daggers and strobes, while Shining Armor carried a silver shortsword in a sheath around his hips.

Blue Bolt was standing near Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, offering them some comforting confidence if they looked his way. On the inside though, he was just as tense as they were.

The members of Spirit had all of their gear ready to go, and they were ready and willing to do whatever it took to protect their fellow ponies.

Once the train came to a full stop, Twilight and her friends led the anxious rush toward the exit. They could already spot a few guards waiting for them on the otherwise empty platform as they stepped out into the night air.

One of the guards walked up to the group and saluted as Shining Armor stepped out.

“What are we looking at here?” Shining asked immediately, voicing the urgent tension of the group before they could explode into a series of panicked voices all asking the same question at once.

The guard seemed to understand the unease the group was feeling, as he and his men were also sporting grave expressions. “Sir… I’m afraid that we’ve been overrun. A group of those pale ponies came and attacked a few civilians before splitting off. We’ve tried to push them back, but they’re dug in… and many of them have hostages.”

“Hostages?” Twilight inched forward and let her jaw drop as she stared at the guard.

“Oh my word…” Rarity brought a hoof up to her mouth partway.

Shining Armor drew air between his teeth as he realized how bad things were. He struggled with his racing thoughts for a moment before coming back into focus and looking to the guard with a more serious expression. “How many are there? And how many hostages?”

“Our estimates put their numbers at around two dozen, and they have about as many hostages put together.” The guard explained. “Most of them are holed up in town hall, but they also have positions in three other locations.”

“What other locations?” Rainbow Dash chimed in impatiently.

“Sweet Apple Acres, for one.” The guard said, much to the horror of a certain orange mare.

“Sweet Celestia… No…” Applejack’s face lost all color as she stared ahead blankly. She nearly stumbled to the side, her legs growing weak at the mere mention of her family home. Glitterball and Rarity helped steady her and offered her what little comfort and assurances that they could.

“Where else?” Shining Armor prodded grimly.

The guard hesitated and cast his eyes around the group uneasily as he saw the orange mare’s reaction. He could tell that they wouldn’t like what he had to say next. “A smaller group of them have apparently dug in over at Sugarcube Corner. Unfortunately, the Cake’s were still closing up at the time. We’ve also gotten reports of a group of them out on the outskirts of town by Ms. Fluttershy’s home.”

Hearing this, Pinkie immediately widened her eyes and gasped. “Oh no, it’s worse than I thought!”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy felt a rush of alarm as she thought about all of her animals back at home. However, it took her a few moments to remember the worst part, whereupon her pupils shrank. “Oh my gosh, Lyra! I almost forgot she was watching my house for me!”

“Has anyone gotten hurt yet?” Twilight asked, her soft eyes holding a bit of desperate determination to them.

“Other than a few of our men in critical condition from the first scuffle and some folks getting roughed up, not that we know of. We can’t get close enough to confirm the status of every hostage… they’ve threatened to start killing ponies if we advance. We managed to kill one or two of them before they split off, but they were just too strong and too fast.” The guard explained regretfully.

“We need to get in those places and get close enough without them hurting anyone.” Glimmer Shine stated before exhaling sharply. “I think we need to split up if we’re going to have any chance of saving everyone.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Agreed. Question is, who do we send where?” He looked around at the group with a conflicted expression.

Applejack stepped forward. “I’m goin’ to the farm, no if’s or and’s about it. I’ll take any help I can get, though.”

“And I’m going to save the Cake’s.” Pinkie stated. “But… I don’t know how much I can do by myself…” She deflated slightly as she fidgeted with her strobe.

“No one’s going by themselves,” Glitterball said. “In fact, I think one of us should go to each location. That way, each group can keep in touch with each other at all times if things change or someone needs more help.” She suggested, looking to her teammates and tapping a hoof to her ear pointedly.

Sparkplug smiled at the unicorn’s quick thinking. “Good idea, Glitter.”

Twilight bit her lip in thought briefly before exhaling and raising her head. “You said that the largest group of them is at town hall?” She asked, looking to the guard and receiving a nod in response. “Ok. I think that Blue Bolt and I should go down that way.” She suggested, unsure of whether or not that would be wasting their most useful tool, not that she thought of the pegasus as a tool.

“Works for me.” Blue Bolt said. “With how fast I can fly now, I can be across town in a few minutes if anyone needs help.”

“I’ll come with you.” Glitterball volunteered, moving closer to the purple mare and their resident slayer.

“I think it’s safe to say we should keep even teams.” Sunspot chimed in. “In that case, I’ll head with Fluttershy to go save Lyra.”

Rainbow Dash immediately stepped closer to her yellow friend. “Me too.” She stated. Fluttershy was just glad to not go it alone. After all, she put Lyra in that situation to begin with, so she felt responsible enough to go no matter what.

However, before discussions could continue, Pinkie groaned anxiously and darted her head off toward the town, seemingly contemplating something briefly before bolting off. “I’m sorry, but I need to go help the Cake’s!” She called behind her.

“Pinkie, wait up!” Shining Armor reached after the pink mare before sighing in frustration and taking a few steps outside of the group. He then turned back to the others and singled out the gray mare standing among her teammates. “Sparkplug, you’re with me. Let’s go after her.”

Sparkplug seemed a bit nervous to be called into action so directly, but she nodded stiffly before following the stallion. “O-ok!”

“Stay safe! We’ll keep in touch!” Shining Armor said, briefly turning to look at Twilight in particular before running off to catch up with Pinkie.

“Guess that leaves us with you, Applejack.” Glimmer Shine said as he glanced between the orange mare and Rarity, who was the only other unassigned member of the group other than him.

Rarity stepped closer to her friend and flashed a reassuring smile. “They’ll be fine, darling. We’ll make sure of it.”

“Thanks… both of you.” Applejack said with a warm smile tugging at her lips. “I couldn’t ask for better ponies to get in a tussle with.”

“I’m… not so certain about that, but I will do what I can.” Rarity waggled her strobe, unable to hide a bit of a nervous jitter in her limbs. Glimmer Shine seemed anxious as well, but he was hiding it better than most behind a wall of determination.

“Alright, everypony! Let’s move it! We’ve got a town to save!” Twilight rallied her friends with a repeated wave of her hoof. Soon enough, her group split off into their respective teams and galloped toward their destinations, hoping to reach them in time to stop anyone from getting hurt.
.
..
…

“Pinkie!”

A voice called from behind the pink mare as she sprinted through town at a dizzying pace. She dug her hind hooves into the dirt and skidded to a halt, leaving a bit of a rut in the ground as she turned her head to see Shining Armor and Sparkplug following after her.

The stallion came to a stop before her and panted briefly, having been given a thorough workout just to keep up with her. Sparkplug seemed even worse off as she lurched to a stop behind Shining.

“You can’t just…” Shining lifted a hoof to signal that he needed a minute to breathe. “You can’t just run off on your own like that. This is a dangerous situation!”

Pinkie frowned a bit. “I know. I’m sorry, but… I couldn’t stand still any longer while the Cake’s were in danger!”

“Well, we’re here now. The least we can do is help you out.” Shining said with a slight smile. “Right, Sparkplug?”

The pair turned and paused in surprise as they saw the gray mare looking like she was about to keel over. Her tongue was lolling out of her mouth and her legs were wobbling as she panted heavily.

“How… do you people… do this so often?” Sparkplug muttered, utterly exhausted. It wasn't necessarily the distance they ran, though they were in the market area already. With how fast Pinkie was going, they might as well have just run a marathon. And while Shining Armor was a royal guard, captain thereof, in fact, Sparkplug had no formal training whatsoever to help spare her now combusting lungs and leg muscles.

Pinkie felt a little bad from forcing the gray mare through such an ordeal. Still, she allowed her expression to brighten as she looked to her friends, who were willing to risk their lives just to help her and her second family. “Let’s go.” She suggested before taking off again, thankfully at a bit of a slower pace.

Shining Armor quickly followed after, and after some recovering, Sparkplug begrudgingly followed as well.

A few minutes of trotting later, the trio could spot Sugarcube Corner coming into view up ahead. The first thing they noticed was a small gathering of guards and other shocked onlookers camped out a healthy distance from the building.

Pinkie Pie immediately rushed up to the first guard she could reach and got far closer than he was perhaps used to before flying off the handle with a series of questions that almost blurred together.

“What’s going on?! Are the Cake’s ok?! How many are in there?! What are they doing?!”

The guard gently pushed the frantic mare back to a more respectable distance and tried to gather the high-pitched gibberish she was spewing into words. He started to ask her to stay back when he noticed Captain Shining Armor of all ponies walking over alongside a uniformed member of the newly christened royal monster-hunting team. Pinkie wasn't just here to worry, she was here to get things done.

“Erm… It’s hard to say how many are inside. There are at least three that we’ve seen. As for the Cake’s,” He paused uncomfortably, which only made the pink mare’s heart pound faster, “we know Cupcake is still alive, as they’ve threatened us with her life and the lives of some customers a few times when we tried to get close. We haven’t seen Carrot Cake since we’ve gotten here.”

“What about the upper floors?” Shining asked, glancing up to the colorful mess that housed Pinkie’s living quarters. “A team of pegasi could get up there and sneak inside.”

“We thought of that already, sir. Unfortunately, it seems as though one of them is up there keeping an eye on things.” The guard explained, turning along with the others to look up at the nearest window. It was hard to make out in the dark, but the ponies could see a silhouette moving away from the window in Pinkie’s room.

“You said that they were threatening to kill Mrs. Cake and some customers if you got close? How many customers were in there when everything went down?” Sparkplug asked, trying to get every piece to this delicate puzzle before they came up with a solution.

Before the guard could speak, one of the ponies off to the side perked up a bit and took a step forward. It was an earth pony mare with lime green fur and striped orange and yellow mane. Pinkie recognized her as one of their regulars at the Corner.

“There’s two!” The mare chimed in before quieting down and looking a bit sheepish. Once she saw that everyone was putting their attention on her, she took a shaky breath before continuing. “I was in there with a friend of mine. Other than us and the Cake’s, there was one other stallion. I stepped out right before those monsters came and forced their way in. Please, you have to save her and the others!”

Seeing another pony in as much distress as she was, Pinkie forced a calmer expression to her face and even put on a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Team Spirit is on the case!” She gave Sparkplug a forceful pat on the back to draw attention to the gray mare and her very official-looking tactical vest.

After lurching forward a bit and cringing, Sparkplug smiled wider than was probably necessary. “T-that’s right. No vampires are going to hurt anyone on my watch.” She chuckled nervously, hoping that the mare didn’t realize that she was effectively the rookie of the team.

“Your friend is in good hooves. We handle this kind of thing all the time.” Pinkie assured.

“R-really?” The mare asked, looking at the trio all dewy-eyed.

“You bet.” Shining Armor nodded confidently. “Just keep back and let us work our magic.”

The green pony and even some of the others watching all shifted from fearful stares to excited smiles. “Thank you!” She called after the trio as they walked toward the building, offering them a wave along with the gathered crowd so as to not make any excess noise and alert the pale ponies inside.

After smiling and waving at the crowd behind them for a short ways, Sparkplug turned to her two comrades and leaned in closer to them. “Guys, do we have a plan? Because all of those ponies think we have a plan.”

Shining Armor pulled his mouth back stiffly and took in a whistling breath before looking ahead at the proud bakery. “It’s going to be tricky getting in there without them noticing. We can’t give them time to react, or they might hurt someone.”

“They’re probably watching the front door.” Pinkie pointed out, a bit disheartened.

“Upstairs would probably be our best bet, but we can’t get up there. Even if we could, there’s a guy watching the windows up there.”

“We can get up there.” Pinkie stated casually.

Shining skewed a brow. “Really?”

The pink mare nodded plainly.

“How?”

Pinkie merely pointed a hoof toward the side of the building. “Simple. I have a shortcut down from my room. I usually use it to sneak out if it’s too busy downstairs, but it can go both ways.”

The stallion lingered on the odd factoid the pink mare just laid on him for a moment before choosing to just go along with it. “Oookay… That takes care of getting up there, and we could probably take out that guy in your room if we had a distraction.”

“How are we gonna distract a vampire?” Pinkie ventured.

Sparkplug twitched her brows downward before raising them slightly. “Actually, I think I can take care of that.”

“You can?” Pinkie asked, drawing in an excited breath. “I knew you were good at this stuff, Sparkplug!”

“Uh… thanks.” Sparkplug said. “Although, you should probably wait until we don’t die horribly to start throwing around cheer.”

Hearing a sudden crash and a high-pitched yell from inside the building, the trio turned their heads toward the Corner with mounting concern. They couldn’t identify the source of the crash or who the voice belonged to, but they could hear a faint animalistic growl before that too faded into uneasy silence.

“Come on. We need to hurry and get in there.” Shining Armor suggested. The two mares nodded before Pinkie led them around the side of the building and toward the back. They could only hope that they weren’t too late to save those trapped inside.

Chapter 41: Holding Fast

The air was deathly silent on the streets of New Hoofshire. Houses remained still and lifeless, devoid of their owners. Even the winter winds from before seemed to have left the area for fear of bearing witness to what was about to take place.

Celestia and Luna too were silent in their walk down the street. Both of them had a myriad of different thoughts swirling about their heads, and both of them were ready to lay down their lives to protect the ponies still trapped in the surrounding area, hoping to remain unseen by the pale horror currently sitting by himself.

The vampiric alicorn had scarcely lifted his head to notice the two sisters as they made their approach, though notice them he most assuredly had to have. Celestia felt her jaw clench as she imagined what he had planned for them, for the whole of Equestria.

Both of them came to a stop several feet away. They could see what he was doing now. He was apparently still drawing a large symbol on the ground, using his silver magical aura to spread around globs of green blood from his slain minion. This symbol was more circular, resembling the ones that the pair were used to dealing with from Raven Feather’s group. However, its purpose was a mystery, for the moment at any rate.

As if to acknowledge that they were waiting for him to speak, Dusk paused what he was doing and produced an exaggerated sigh. “I was expecting you to bring along that slayer fellow.” He said with a disappointed frown. “Perhaps I underestimated your bravery… or your foolishness.”

“I thought his powers would be of better use elsewhere,” Celestia replied, not once taking her eyes off him. Luna stood at the ready beside her sister, waiting for this ‘discussion’ to go where they both knew it would eventually.

Dusk looked up at this. “Interesting. So you would rather use your best piece to face a lesser threat if it means keeping your other pieces safe. It very much reminds me of how you play chess.” He flattened his brows. “You do remember our games, don’t you? Back when I was your student.”

“I remember you hastily sacrificing your pieces for some half-baked strategy that usually never worked out. I also remember you being a sore loser.” Celestia said. “Enough talk of the past, Dusk. What are you doing here?”

“Odd… I always remember winning.” Dusk grew silent for a moment, skewing an eyebrow before tilting his head and returning a more serious expression to his face. “As for what I’m doing here… I thought it prudent to remind you just what it is I’m after.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes and glared at the stallion. “You feel that I betrayed your trust, so now you want me and everyone I love to suffer… because that’s what you enjoy most, Dusk. You enjoy watching others suffer.”

“You still don’t see how wrong you were after all this time?!” Dusk shot to his hooves and took a step forward before forcing himself to stop. He took a few breaths before easing his glare into a steely stare. “I thought the world of you. You always encouraged me to never limit myself… to pursue whatever avenue of thought most intrigued me. You gave me the chance to study more magic than I ever thought possible, and yet now I’m the villain for doing what you taught me to do?! You remind me more and more of my parents… and just like them, you will get what is owed to you.”

Suddenly, Celestia’s intense gaze softened as a look of revelation came over her. “The fire… your parents. You did that?!”

“Good heavens…” Luna muttered, face pale with horror as she realized how much of a monster the stallion was, even from a young age.

Dusk smirked, seemingly confirming Celestia’s assumption, before he straightened his expression. “They never understood me… not like I thought you did. One thing led to another, and… I had to take care of the problem if I was to ever pursue my dream of meeting you.”

“Over half a dozen ponies died in that fire! There were servants and guards that lost their lives trying to get everyone out!” Celestia fumed.

“They were mere pawns, Princess. Just like this detestable abomination here.” He kicked the body of the bug demon. “And as in chess… sometimes you must sacrifice some pawns to take a bigger piece.” He smiled, showing off his fangs. “What pieces are you willing to lose to save the rest, I wonder?”

Celestia grew uneasy as she watched the stallion look over to her sister. Then, without warning, a shot of blood zipped out of one of the wounds on his wrists and went straight toward Luna like a shot from a cannon.

Luna widened her eyes in surprise and raced to light her horn and cast some sort of protection spell around herself. A shield popped up in front of her, splattering the tip of the crimson tendril into liquid, but it wasn't from her. She shared a grateful look to her sister, who was at the ready with horn already aglow, before readying herself for battle.

Going on the offensive, Celestia fired off a few condensed bolts of sunlight at the stallion. Luna joined in by lobbing some slower moving orbs of magic that curved and spiraled in odd directions alongside her sister’s beams of orange light. The combined strengths of the attacks flew toward Dusk.

With a crooked smile and a pleased look in his eye, Dusk planted his hoof into the center of the symbol, causing it to pulse green dimly. He then leaped back with unnatural speed and distance as the area ahead of him exploded in a rain of projectiles hitting the ground, sending flames and pulses of multicolored lights up into a cloud of debris. Concerningly enough, the symbol remained undamaged.

In response to their attack, Dusk leaned his head back and exposed the slash across his neck. A surge of red spray gushed out and flowed into the air like a miniature tide before crashing to the ground and heading toward the sisters.

Realizing how much trouble they were in, both Celestia and Luna snapped their wings open and kicked off the ground as the crimson wave flowed under them. Then, the wave lifted into the air after them and started to give chase, carried by whatever unnatural influence the stallion had over his own blood.

While the primary body of fluid seemed to be following Celestia, Luna had to dodge to the side as a smaller droplet shot out at her like a speeding bullet, and then another.

Celestia put a shield in front of her as a series of spiked tendrils extended toward her out of the living mass of blood. Much to her dismay, the wave curled around to the side, trying to get to her. She was forced to shift her frontal shield to a magical bubble around herself as she was practically swallowed whole by red.

“Sister!” Luna gasped as she watched the shifting mass of blood wrap around Celestia’s shield.

As a series of muffled thumps slammed into her shield, Celestia grit her teeth under the magical strain. She could see numerous points of the liquid around her receding and quickly shooting back forward like miniature battering rams that were much stronger than she remembered Dusk’s attacks being. Her alarm only grew as she noticed small cracks starting to form in her barrier.

Then, Dusk suddenly grunted in pain as something pierced into him from behind. He looked up as a luminous blade of blue energy clipped his side, followed by another nearly striking him in the head. He ducked down in the air and avoided several more of the miniature blades as they flew past before gathering near a very angry-looking Luna.

The blue alicorn looked to the side as she noticed the red shell around her sister falling like rain off an awning. She smirked as her attempt at distracting him succeeded, even if only briefly. Still, Celestia used this opportunity to drop her shield and teleport over toward Luna.

“What is your plan, Dusk?” Celestia demanded after catching her breath a moment. “What is that symbol for?!”

Dusk glanced at the symbol he had been drawing on the ground briefly and chuckled. It now held an ominous pale green glow. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Before anything further could be said, both sisters looked over with wide eyes as the floating mass of blood where Celestia’s bubble formerly sat stopped falling. The crimson liquid spread out into a large sheet before dozens of tiny points along its surface started shooting out at high speeds toward the two alicorns.

Both of them gave a swift flap of their wings and swooped down in different directions as the miniature bullets zipped toward them. Seeing that they were evading, Dusk formed the smaller droplets into bigger globs and made them give chase to the pair.

Luna stole a glance behind her, only to spot a pair of crimson snakes gliding through the air, swirling around each other and following her through each turn, dive, or climb. She widened her eyes and narrowly avoided being skewered by another group of the floating tendrils right in front of her by pulling in her wings and dropping like a stone for a moment.

Meanwhile, Celestia cringed as she corkscrewed between a converging mess of bloody spears, one of them clipping her side and another clipping the edge of her wing. The freshly made cuts stung and sent a few droplets of her own blood falling toward the ground, but she kept going.

The pair kept dodging and narrowly avoiding certain disaster as the trails of blood lazily followed after, using superior numbers instead of speed to cut off their every escape route. Eventually, they found themselves flying toward each other, only to realize just how many streams of fluid were following them by seeing the other.

Celestia nodded to Luna as she lit her horn ever so slightly and looked to the ground. It didn’t take long for the blue mare to catch on, as she too nodded and readied herself as they both neared a head-on collision.

Then, just before they reached each other, both alicorns blinked out of existence, leaving the masses of blood to slam into each other and form back into loosely floating globs.

Dusk formed a lopsided smile as he stared up at the space where the two sisters just vanished from. His ear immediately pricked and rotated to the side to meet the sound of a soft magical hum and the hissing of flames.

The stallion leaped forward as an orange light enveloped him from the side, followed by a wave of flames surging past where he just was. He turned his head to see Celestia on the ground near a building, glaring at him with a trail of flames licking the ground in front of her.

As he prepared to dodge again, fully expecting Luna to attack next, Dusk suddenly found his body enveloped by a magical aura. Celestia could already feel his strength sapping her magical stamina, but she didn’t need to hold him long as a series of zaps filled the air along with blue light.

In a blur, a few bolts of luminous blue energy burned into Dusk’s form, piercing his body and leaving smoking holes behind. Luna walked forward from down the street, coming into line with her sister as she peppered the stallion with attacks.

Finally, one of her blasts sent him flying backward and skidding along the ground. His body was riddled with grievous injuries. Any mortal pony would be dead by now if they suffered a similar assault, but both sisters knew that they weren’t facing a pony anymore.

Dusk sat straight up as his body continued to sizzle. He looked down to his foreleg, which had two holes burned clean through it, almost resembling a changeling with flesh and bone instead of chitin and shell. He also had a few holes in his chest and stomach, with a particularly large one where his heart was.

Almost immediately, his wounds began to close up as blood oozed from them. Seeing the masses of blood from before falling from the sky and pooling on the ground just ahead, Dusk pulled all of it back into his slash wounds, speeding up the healing process until no trace of the sisters' assault was left.

“A fine first offensive…” He looked ahead at the two sisters glaring at him from down the street before a bit of movement caught his eye. Turning his head, he noticed a pair of guards ushering ponies down a fire-escape into an alleyway in the distance. This made him chuckle as a devilish grin formed on his face. “Let’s see if you can keep from losing too many pawns.” He said, lifting a single foreleg and pointing it to the side.

Celestia and Luna paused as the stallion produced a single stream of blood and allowed it to float out of his wrist. It wasn't pointing at them. And as they followed its direction, their faces paled as they saw innocent ponies in harm’s way.

Then, before they could even react, the stream of blood shot forward at dizzying speeds. It zipped up toward the ponies, who all gasped and recoiled while the guards could only stare with wide eyes.

“No!” Celestia cried, reaching a hoof out in defiance because it was all she could do in time. Any shield she could put up wouldn’t cover every angle due to the obstacles around the ponies.

However, instead of impaling the ponies on the fire-escape, the bloody spear zipped to the side at the last minute, digging itself into the brick wall of the building the escape was anchored to. A trail of dust and debris raked across the length of the escape as the bricks right behind the metal anchor points crumbled to nothing.

The fire-escape groaned and creaked as more weight was put onto the upper portions of it. The ponies frozen in fear jumped back as the stream of blood exploded out of the wall on the other side, this time piercing clean through one side of the stairs leading up, and then the other.

Seeing what the stallion was attempting to do, Luna grit her teeth and fired another bolt of energy at him. “Leave them alone, you monster!”

In response to this, Dusk tilted his chin up and exposed the slash on his neck. A torrent of blood surged out and with unnatural speed curved down and then up, forming a seemingly thin barrier in front of him. The bolt of energy collided with the wall of blood, exploding on impact. A sizable hole was left in the wall, but this quickly closed up as Luna fired two more shots, only to see the same result.

A metallic crunch and a terrified series of yelps and squeaks drew the sisters’ attention back to the ponies on the fire-escape. They were hugging each other close while the guards stood over them, trying to make themselves as small as possible to avoid the lone stream of blood whipping around. However, the stream seemed to purposefully avoid them, instead going out of its way to completely shred all points of contact the metal platform they were on had with the rest of the fire-escape.

Suddenly, the whole level of the fire-escape the ponies were on shifted violently and dipped downward, sending two mares over the side until they grabbed onto the edge with their hooves. A lone stallion and one of the guards tried to pull them back up, but before they could make any progress, the whole platform they were on was freed from the wall, and with the stairs leading up and down severed, nothing was stopping the hefty platform from tumbling down, taking the terrified citizens with it.

The two mares screamed, and the stallion covered his eyes as they neared the ground. Then, their bodies slowed to a gentle stop in midair as they were enveloped by blue and yellow auras.

Both of the guards narrowly avoided smacking into the ground as a magical tug slowed their descent. As they landed, they looked up to see the royal sisters standing over them, horns alight and relieved expressions on their faces.

Luna looked up with a start and raced to project her magic around the broken portion of the fire-escape as it clanged down the side of the building. She caught it before it landed on the group before gently floating it to a rest on the ground.

One of the two mares, who was still in tears from nearly falling to her death, deflated to the ground and looked at the two alicorns. “Thank you so much, Princess!”

“You are most welcome, but I am afraid this is no time for pleasantries,” Celestia said, a more urgent look returning to her eyes as she glanced behind her.

Understanding the severity of the situation, the two guards got in front of the civilians and gave a stoic nod to the two alicorns. “We’ll keep them safe, Princess. You have our word.”

“Good. Run as far as you can until you get out of the city. We will hold him off while you flee.” Luna said.

Just then, a magical chime sound faded into a steady hum, and as they both looked out onto the street, the sisters were met by a green light. The symbol that Dusk was working on was glowing brighter now, and he was standing right in the center of it.

The stallion laughed as the many circles and glyphs shifted from a sickly green glow to a deep red, luminous after-images of the symbol lifting into the air slightly like a mirage. “You two are so predictable when it comes to your subjects. I’ll bet I could kill one or both of you if I used the right bait… but of course, where would the fun in that be?”

Celestia walked out of the alleyway and stood in line with Luna as they both stared at the light show ahead of them. Glancing back to see the ponies already fleeing down the alleyway and out onto another street, they realized that they were now alone to deal with whatever was happening. In a way, that was good.

“Enough games, Dusk!” Celestia demanded. “Whatever you are planning, you will fail!”

Dusk watched as the pair lit up their horns and glared at him, ready to react to any action from him or his symbol. “I hope you have more to offer this game than hollow words, Princess… because in case you haven’t noticed...”

*Fwoosh*

All at once, a wave of energy shot out of the symbol around Dusk and into the sky. It collided with the clouds above, sending out a shockwave of fading red tint before seemingly vanishing. The symbol on the ground wasn't glowing or humming anymore, and it had returned to mere green blood on the pavement.

Celestia and Luna trailed their eyes away from the now undulating clouds to see Dusk wearing a crooked grin.

“...I’ve just put you in check.”

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville...

Applejack, Rarity, and Glimmer Shine slowed to a halt as they finally reached the front gate to Sweet Apple Acres.

The orange mare panted lightly and rested her forehooves on the wooden fence as she stared ahead at the seemingly still peaceful orchards. Nothing looked out of place, and she could still see the silhouette of the farmhouse and the barn in the distance. However, deep down she knew that they were on the precipice of something terrible happening.

“Land sakes… I hope they’re alright.” Applejack fretted. “Big Mac’s tough, but he’s never had to actually fight anyone before… ‘specially not a vampire!”

Rarity placed a reassuring hoof on her friend’s back, but the gesture seemed hollow with the concerned look on her face. She knew that Applejack was right. The stallion was basically defenseless against the pale ponies without silver, not that he would even know to use silver if he had any. And if, Princess forbid, the worst happened, Granny Smith was even more defenseless.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” Glimmer Shine suggested, which the two mares seemed eager to oblige. All three of them bolted down the main path toward the Apple family home, desperately holding onto whatever hope they could to stave off the dread in their guts.

As they neared the house, they noticed the sounds of what could only be some kind of struggle. Feral growls and hisses were accompanied by unfamiliar yells and the ringing of blades. Much to their surprise, they saw a group of about five of the pale ponies out in front of the house being held off by what looked to be a trio of guards.

The stallions were doing their best to stand their ground with their silver blades, but they couldn’t land any solid hits, and they were outnumbered. And cowering in fear in the open doorway behind them was none other than Granny Smith.

“Good heavens.” Rarity widened her eyes as she saw the fighting going on.

Some of the guards already bore bloody cuts and bruises from their struggle. One even had a partial bite mark on his shoulder. A bite mark that did not just have two holes, but many.

Seeing her grandmother helplessly watching while a band of strangers risked their lives fighting off some vicious monsters, Applejack furrowed her expression and steadied her hat before rushing forward, silver dagger clutched in her hoof. “Hang on, fellas! The cavalry’s here!”

Rarity and Glimmer Shine followed after as their friend led the charge. The yellow stallion got out his crossbow and unfolded it as he ran, while Rarity merely shifted her strobe into her magical grasp and kept it close.

One of the guards bumped into the porch of the house behind him as he dodged a swipe from a pale gray stallion with brown hair. He made a swipe with his blade, only to have it be evaded and swiped out of his hooves with great strength.

The pale stallion growled, red eyes flaring and burning a hole in the guard’s very being as he bared glistening fangs in the moonlight. The other two guards were spread out, and far too busy with their own fights to help their colleague. He was about to die, and he knew it.

Just before the guard could accept his fate, the pale stallion arched back and yelled in pain as a silver blade was planted between his shoulders. The vampire’s form was burned away, leaving a collapsing ashen skeleton behind and revealing Applejack standing there.

“You ok, hun?” She asked softly, extending her free hoof to him.

The guard looked around, only to see that his two companions were gaining the upper hand in their own fights, thanks mostly in part to the efforts of Rarity and Glimmer Shine taking the pressure off.

“Yeah…” He grunted softly as some wounds and sore muscles notified him of their presence. Still, he managed a smile as he accepted the mare’s help back to his hooves. “Thanks.”

Seeing that her friends had things mostly handled for the moment, Applejack rushed up the steps to the porch and around to the front door, where a very petrified Granny Smith was surprised to see her.

“Applejack?” The Apple family matron’s creaky voice was shaken with fear, but her wrinkled face brightened as the orange mare wrapped her up in a hug and pulled close.

“Granny… I’m so glad you’re ok.” Applejack pulled away, keeping her hooves on the elderly mare’s shoulders and staring at her with shimmering eyes. She glanced back at the fight taking place outside before returning her gaze to Granny Smith, only now her relief was replaced with worried alarm. “Where’s Big Mac?”

The green mare immediately had a twinkle of fear come over her eyes. “When those toothy varmints came, the guards tried to keep ‘em away from us, but three of ‘em came barkin’ and snappin’ like a bunch’a rabid weasels. Big Mac got ‘em to chase him and ran off toward the treehouse. That was a few minutes ago.” She explained.

Hearing the description of the creatures, Applejack’s eyes went wide. “Oh no… don’t tell me…” She muttered to herself before looking around. The house seemed undisturbed, and judging from a shivering mess in the shape of a dog in the corner, she wagered that none of the vampires had made it inside. “Granny, take Winona and lock yourself in your room. I’ll come get you after we sort out this mess.”

“Applejack, you best bring you and your brother back here in one piece, or I’ll beat the life back into both of ya. Ya hear?” Granny said, taking one of her granddaughter’s hooves in her own for a moment.

“Yes, ma’am.” Applejack smiled softly before turning and heading back out of the door. She leaned over the railing on the porch to see how the battle was going.

Rarity and one of the guards were fighting off two of the pale ponies, while Glimmer Shine and the other two guards were fighting the rest.

The unicorn managed to distract one of the creatures with her strobe, allowing the guard to get in a good stab that ended up killing the pale pony. Glimmer’s group was doing well enough, though they were fighting a more defensive battle than an offensive one, happy to get away with preventing any hits from the opposition rather than be frustrated at the fact that they couldn’t land a hit either.

“Guys, Big Mac is in trouble! It sounds like a couple of them stroganoff critters!” Applejack stated, face full of urgency. If she didn’t think she needed help, she would have already been off.

Glimmer Shine shoved one of the creatures away before pausing abruptly and skewing a brow. “Stroganoff?” He muttered to himself before widening his eyes. “Oh… OH! That’s bad!” He said before yelping and ducking underneath a pale hoof swiping his way. Luckily, one of the other guards made a lunge with his sword, dissuading the vampire from another attack. “I can handle this, you two go on ahead! I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

Rarity glanced back to see her friend in desperate need of help. She flinched back in fear as a feral hiss preluded a pounce from one of the pale ponies. However, before the undead mare could collide with her, the guard she was with stepped in front of her and blunted the attack with his sword. He nodded to her confidently, and although she was conflicted, she had to help Applejack.

“Lead the way, Applejack!” She exclaimed as she turned tail and galloped around the side of the house with the orange mare already ahead of her. The two ponies beat hoof as fast as they could to come to the aid of the stoic stallion.

Around the house and through an open space, then through a thicket of trees. They ran, and ran, ignoring the pounding of their hearts in their chests as horrifying images flashed in their heads.

Applejack couldn’t shake the fear from her eyes. Her whole body was refusing the thought of her brother, the nicest, gentlest stallion in all of Ponyville, being run down by a pair of the vicious feral ponies that almost killed her and her friends on multiple occasions.

She wasn't much bothered by their soulless eyes or mouths full of sharp teeth when she fought with them. Just another terrifying image to block out of her mind later. Now, however, the thought of them alone sent chills down her back.

Hang in there, Big Mac… Don’t you die before I get there!

Meanwhile,

Far away from the tense battles going on under the night sky, off in the safe confines of the royal castle in Canterlot, Cadence was restlessly walking the castle halls.

She had to admit to feeling frustrated and uneasy when Celestia asked her to stay behind. They needed help, if not in the fight with Dusk, then with fending off the attack on Ponyville. Still, she understood why everyone needed her here. After all, she was the princess of love, and as such, she was woefully inexperienced in combat.

And, of course, someone needed to stay behind and watch the castle while everyone was away. Equestria needed someone left to pick up the pieces if everything went horribly wrong, and someone needed to be there to keep the children safe.

Even so, she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread in her heart as she stared out of a passing window up at the moon. “Shining… Twilight… everyone. Please be safe.” She muttered to herself.

“Cadence…?” A small voice spoke up beside her that she immediately recognized.

Sure enough, as she turned her head, the alicorn was greeted by the sight of a young dragon watching her with soft, slightly drowsy eyes.

“Spike? What are you doing here?” She asked, a bit concerned.

“Oh, y’know… I was just, uh…” Spike let his shoulders sink and sighed, remembering that it was pointless to try and hide his emotions from the pink alicorn. “I couldn’t sleep… Not with Twilight and the others out there.”

Cadence felt a tug at her heart as she saw the worry in the young drake’s face. He had been through so much already, and now he had to wonder whether or not his friends would be ok.

“Well,” She started, thinking for a moment, “do you want to walk and talk with me?”

He looked up at this. “Really?”

“Yeah. I mean… I haven’t been able to sleep either.” Cadence admitted. “But, maybe we can make each other feel more at ease. If you want, you can even sit on my back.” She managed a smile. “How about it?”

Spike fidgeted with a claw for a moment as he considered the offer. He looked back where he came, seemingly wondering if it would be better to just decline. Then again, moping around by himself wasn't helping anything or anyone, certainly not himself.

“Ok. I think that would be cool.” He reciprocated her smile, however small it was.

Seeing the unease fading from his face ever so slightly, Cadence’s smile deepened. She lit up her horn and gently picked him up before whisking him over and onto her back. He settled in like it was second nature, which it probably was with how often Twilight carried him. “Are you hungry?”

“Well… Twilight usually doesn’t let me get midnight snacks.” Spike said, though he didn’t seem terribly opposed to the idea.

Cadence chuckled a bit. “I won’t tell her if you won’t.” She said, pleased at the eager smile she saw forming on his face. “Come on. I know where Celestia’s stash is.”

With that, the pair returned to walking through the halls of the castle, though both of their spirits were now marginally higher than they were before.
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..
…
Eventually, Cadence’s path took them through the downstairs guest rooms. Most of them were empty now, with only three fillies occupying the one Rarity and Applejack were using. She hoped that the Crusaders were asleep. Then again, she wasn't sure if they were even aware of the mission their sisters and friends had gone on.

However, as she was passing through, a sudden noise made her pause.

“What was that?” Spike asked, confirming that the noise wasn't just in her mind.

Cadence hushed the dragon softly before walking back a few steps. Another muted thump came, like something falling to the floor. Now that she was being more attentive, she noticed a hint of light coming through the seam of one of the doors, which was barely ajar.

Sparkplug’s room…? She thought to herself. The last thing she expected was to find some activity in one of the empty rooms around her, especially the gray mare’s. She knew for a fact Sparkplug was in Ponyville with the others, so who was currently making that noise?

Spike suddenly found himself being lifted off of the alicorn’s back and back to the floor. He started to look at her in confusion, only to see a slight air of seriousness on her face that made him quiet down.

“Stay here for a sec.” She whispered before walking forward.

“Cadence…” Spike muttered, unsure of how to feel. The castle was safe enough, and he couldn’t fathom who would want to lurk around in one of his friend’s rooms, but he couldn’t help but feel a little worry for the young alicorn as she stealthily approached the door.

After flashing a reassuring look to the dragon behind her, Cadence shifted her full attention to the door. She put her ear to it, only to pause as she heard a soft, mildly irritated sounding voice inside, followed by another rustle.

Taking care to be as quiet as possible, she grabbed the edge of the door with her magic and swung it open. There was a single lantern alight in the room, and sure enough, someone was in there.

A familiar pale grayish-blue pegasus mare was currently rifling through the wardrobe at the back of the room, sifting through Sparkplug’s belongings and hastily casting them aside as if she were looking for something. She pulled up a vial full of yellow liquid, seemingly a spare from the gray mare’s gear, and scowled at it silently before tossing it behind her and continuing her search.

“Gah… where did that stupid gearhead hide them?” Raincloud muttered to herself in annoyance as she stuffed her head into the space of the wardrobe, making sure to examine every nook and cranny.

Cadence watched the vial clatter along the floor before stepping on it lightly, bringing it to a stop, and flattening her expression as she looked at the pegasus. Then, she cleared her throat, causing the pegasus to freeze.

Like a filly with her hoof caught in the cookie jar, Raincloud sighed and let her ears droop before stiffening back up and slowly turning around. As she noticed the pink alicorn, very much reminding her of a displeased parental figure, she smiled nervously.

“Hey! If it isn’t my favorite Princess!” She forced a laugh before trailing off uncomfortably as the alicorn’s glare remained unchanged.

“Raincloud, what are you doing here?” Cadence asked with eyes narrowed, not necessarily in anger, but more so in annoyed disbelief.

Raincloud gave the question some thought. Either that or she was internally screaming, going off the blank look of panic in her eyes. “I was just looking for the bathroom… and then I got lost… aaand then-” She darted her eyes to the mess behind her, and then back to Cadence. “And then I tripped and fell into the closet.”

“Is that so?” Cadence lifted a brow.

“Uh-huh.” Raincloud nodded.

Cadence had to admire that she was staying on her sinking ship for this long. “Interesting… because, I kind of think that you were looking for a remote to your collar so you could escape.” She said casually before narrowing her eyes again. “They’re not in here, by the way.”

Raincloud blinked. “They aren’t?”

“No.” Cadence shook her head. “Sparkplug told us where she put them in case we needed to know.”

“Wow… she really is responsible, isn’t she?” Raincloud chuckled lightheartedly, though Cadence could spot a slight crinkle of her eyes.

“Yeah, unlike some ponies I know.” Cadence snorted softly. “How did you get past the guards outside your room?”

“Psshh…” Raincloud rolled her eyes. “You think this is the first time I’ve snuck out of somewhere? Besides, those bozos you have playing soldier couldn’t guard a goldfish from a cat.”

This only made Cadence’s scowl deepen. “I think it’s time we got you back to your room. I’ll have to let Celestia decide how to punish you when she gets back.” She said.

Then, the sound of the door creaking open drew both mares’ attention away. Cadence paused as she saw Spike walking in, already staring at the gray pegasus.

The dragon’s eyes were fixed on Raincloud with a sense of fear in them. His form adopted a slight tremor as memories of his last encounter with the pegasus flashed through his mind. He could still remember the icy chill of terror he felt as a glowing visage of purple and black stared back at him before almost killing him and Twilight. His midsection tingled as he recalled the pain. It was the worst thing he had ever experienced.

“Well… this is awkward.” Raincloud cringed uncomfortably.

Cadence walked over and sat down, looking at the dragon with soft eyes. “Spike, are you ok?”

Spike forced himself to look over to the alicorn, his body relaxing ever so slightly as he did. Still, he seemed a bit pale around the scales as he eyed at the pegasus out of the corner of his vision. “Yeah. I’m good… I just, uh… haven’t seen her since… you know. She was with the hooded ponies.” He whispered uneasily.

“Relax, kid,” Raincloud said. “I don’t even have my shadow with me anymore, and even if I did, I am under a strict no-killing policy.” She assured, though it didn’t seem to have the intended effect.

Cadence shot the pegasus a dirty look. She didn’t exactly expect her to say ‘sorry for trying to kill you and your friends’ but anything was probably better than that. “Sorry, Spike… I think we’re going to have to take a little detour. Then it’ll just be you and me again, ok?”

“Ok,” Spike said, rubbing his shoulder slightly and avoiding eye contact with the pegasus before Cadence put a hoof on his shoulder and led him toward the door.

“You don’t even have to talk to her. Just pretend she isn’t here.” Cadence said with a sympathetic frown.

“But… I am here. Like, right here.” Raincloud let her ears droop a bit as the pair ignored her.

“Come on, Raincloud,” Cadence called from outside, not sounding the least bit amused.

The pegasus let out an annoyed sigh and kicked the vial on the floor aside before begrudgingly dousing the lantern and following after the alicorn. “Stupid collar… stupid remote… stupid princess and her stupid… face.” She grumbled.

As the door to the room closed, the vial rolled to a gentle stop, punctuating the mess left behind. However, in the dark space of the quaint bedroom, a yellow pulsing light sprang to life as the glass charm vibrated and teetered back and forth.

Chapter 42: Sugar Crash

“Ngh… ow!”

Shining Armor grunted as Pinkie balanced on his back. Sparkplug stood back and watched as the pair were struggling to free what appeared to be a metal contraption of some sort built into the rear of Sugarcube Corner.

“Are you almost done, Pinkie?” Shining asked, a bit weary from the strain being put onto him.

“Almost got it.” Pinkie reported, swiping a hoof up at the device and trying to unhook it.

Sparkplug hid an amused chuckle at the admittedly humorous sight. “You know, this would have been a lot easier if you just used magic.”

“I tried that! It was… gah! Stuck!” Shining yelped as Pinkie almost lost balance, thankfully managing to save herself by planting a hoof on his neck.

“You gotta know how to do it, silly!” Pinkie stated. Just before the unicorn could get any more annoyed, a metallic click sounded out. “There. I got it!” She reported with an accomplished smile.

Shining and Sparkplug backed up as a grating creak came from the metal staircase. The painted steps lowered to the ground, allowing them relatively easy access to the upper level of the building.

“I was thinking more like you lift Pinkie up there with magic and then teleport, but this works too.” Sparkplug shrugged.

Shining flattened his expression at the gray mare and sighed before shifting his attention to the rickety-looking contraption before them. “So this is your shortcut?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. It looked like at one point it was used as some kind of fire escape, but now it seemed like the pink mare got the most use out of it.

“Yep! We can get all the way up to my room, no problem.” Pinkie reported.

The pair looked over as Sparkplug started to walk further down the back street. She turned to them and flashed a worried expression.

“I hope you guys know what you’re doing.” Sparkplug said.

Shining Armor turned to see Pinkie sporting a confident smile before reciprocating his own to the gray mare. “We’ll be ok. Just hang out by the front door and wait for our signal once you get done with that distraction.”

“Signal?” Sparkplug asked.

“You’ll know it when it happens.”

Meanwhile, Pinkie adopted a more curious expression as she thought of their plan. “Hey, what are you going to do to distract that guy?” She glanced upward to the top of the building, where a bloodthirsty creature of the night was standing watch in her bedroom. “How will we know when to move?”

Sparkplug glanced down to her vest, a hint of hesitance in her eyes before she looked at the pair and forced a smile. “You’ll know it when it happens. Good luck in there.”

With their plan set out before them, the trio got to work. As Sparkplug ran further down the street, off to do whatever it was she was about to do, Shining and Pinkie Pie started their climb.

The metal staircases and walkways leading up the rear of the building were sturdy enough, though they weren’t a constant. After they reached the roof, they then had to scale an even thinner staircase leading up the tower to Pinkie’s room. Shining almost lost his footing, but he was quick to recover. Pinkie, naturally, was like an agile cat slinking along the chocolate-colored tiles with grace and light hooves.

Once they climbed about halfway up to the cupcake at the top, they adopted a stealthier approach, or at least as much as they could on metal. They weren’t sure if the pale pony in Pinkie’s room could hear them from inside, but they weren’t taking any chances.

Finally, they both reached the top. The staircase ended right at a window leading into the bedroom.

Shining Armor cautiously poked his head up to peer inside the glass. Pinkie started to look as well, only to have the stallion quickly pull her back as he slipped to the side. She looked to him, confused as to the sudden shift in attitude, before noticing a shadow moving past the window.

“That must be him.” Pinkie whispered.

Shining kept both of their bodies out of sight for a moment before relaxing ever so slightly. “Yeah…”

Pinkie looked down to the glass vial held in her hoof, something like anxiousness shimmering in her eyes. “Strobes don’t work to actually hurt them. Sorry, but I think you’re going to have to do most of the work.”

Shining glanced down to the silver blade strapped to his guard uniform before flashing a reassuring expression to his companion. “Don’t worry, I can handle it.” He said.

“Now we just wait for Sparkplug.” Pinkie sighed, trying not to let her nerves get to her. Instead, she shifted her thoughts to a more curious direction. “I wonder what she’s going to do?”

She didn’t have to wonder long, as soon after, a loud series of crackles and pops came from the street below. The pair looked down, only to spot a veritable lightshow of sparks like someone had set off a firework.

Hearing hoofsteps approaching the window, they both got to either side and hugged the wall just in time for the window to open with a slight squeak. A discolored gold unicorn mare with polka-dotted red and blue hair came leaning outside, confusion and annoyance evident in her narrowed red eyes.

“What the buck?” She muttered, watching the sparkles with bewilderment and irritation.

Before she could formulate any further thoughts on the distraction, a sharp pain dug into her back and her eyes went wide. She produced a grunt, which quickly shifted to a pained yelp as her body started burning up. She managed to look to the side just in time to see Shining Armor before ash and ember overtook her and her disintegrating remains were carried away with the wind.

Shining Armor stared at his now visible silver dagger as he held it in the air briefly, a slight frown on his face. “Sorry…” He muttered, wishing the mare to finally be at rest, before turning to Pinkie.

She was wearing a similarly unsettled expression as she too dwelled on the fact that they just killed somepony. Well, perhaps they didn’t kill her. More accurately, they finished the process of Dusk killing her.

“Come on. The Cake’s and those other ponies need us.” Shining said, putting his knife back in its sheath and offering the pink mare a look of sympathy before nodding his head to the side.

Pinkie adopted a serious expression and nodded as well before climbing through the window. She was finally home after so long, and it was time to evict some unwelcome guests.

With some mixture of stealth and urgency, Shining followed his companion inside and stepped hoof into Pinkie’s room. The area was dark, with no lights on at all.

“Oh man…” Pinkie’s voice grew softer as she looked around. Even in the dark, she could see how much of a mess the room was.

Unidentifiable debris littered the floor, and something cold and sticky was underhoof. Her bedsheets and pillows seemed to have been thrown to the floor, and her bed was even crooked as if something had knocked into it with great force.

“I just cleaned in here.” Pinkie deflated slightly, more in passing than anything else.

Shining Armor lit up his horn, casting magenta-tinted light around the room. Immediately, both of them widened their eyes.

It was much worse in the light.

The unidentifiable debris turned out to be white stuffing, apparently having come from a pillow that was ripped to shreds and cast aside. There was a broken picture frame on the ground, most likely knocked from its table. Stuffed animals littered the floor, with one leaking cotton from a torn stitch.

What was most alarming, however, was the cold and sticky substance Pinkie had stepped in. Even against the deep red carpet, there was no mistaking it. It was blood.

All at once, a grim thought popped into her head. Her eyes widened, and her pupils shrank as a gasp escaped her. “Oh my gosh, Gummy!”

Shining Armor softened his expression as the pink mare started turning the room upside down in a rabid search. “Gummy… You mean your alligator?”

“Yes!” Pinkie said, holding up a pair of pillows and looking underneath. “He’s the only one that usually comes up here! Gummy?! Where are you?!” She fretted, her heart beating faster the more places she searched, only to end up empty hooved. She dreaded the thought of finding her beloved pet half-eaten somewhere. Or maybe she wouldn’t find him at all?

Shining grew more concerned as the pink mare sat on her bed, hugging her knees and starting to hyperventilate and rock back and forth.

“Where is he… He’s not here. He’s not… he’s…” She paused, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Hey…” Shining walked over and sat down in front of her, hoping to get her to calm down somewhat. “We’ll find him. I know he’s ok, wherever he i-”

A sudden scuff made both of them freeze. They turned toward the source of the noise, only to spot the door to Pinkie’s bathroom.

They hadn’t noticed it before, but the few scattered streaks of blood seemed to lead under the door. There were also several scuff marks near the knob, and a small crack going down the center of the door itself.

Pinkie shared an uncertain look with Shining Armor before quietly getting out of bed. Both of them approached the door, unsure of what they would find.

Shining tried the knob with his magic, but he was met by stiff resistance. There was a muffled sound behind the door. It almost sounded like panicked breathing.

“Hello? Is somepony in there?” Pinkie spoke up softly. “It’s safe to come out now.”

After a moment of nothing happening, they both started to think that the door was going to remain shut. Then, without warning, it cracked open slowly, allowing an equine silhouette to peer out briefly, and then come all the way out.

“Pinkie…?” A familiar voice asked, though it was diminished and more than a bit fearful.

Pinkie’s mouth fell open into a joyous smile. “Mr. Cake!”

Sure enough, it was Carrot Cake, co-owner of Sugarcube Corner, and closest family to Pinkie Pie. Closest by distance, anyway. He was clad in his usual apron, though it was scuffed up, and his hat was missing entirely. Worryingly enough, he was also bleeding from a nasty bite on his shoulder.

“Oh my gosh, you’re hurt.” Pinkie frowned as she saw how banged up the stallion looked. The blood on her floor must have belonged to him.

Mr. Cake cringed as Shining Armor took him aside and examined his wound. Even being gentle as a seasoned guard could be, it still stung like crazy.

“Sorry to make such a mess of your room, Pinkie.” The beige stallion smiled nervously. “I was up here, checking on Gummy when I heard some commotion downstairs. These ponies stormed in and threatened us. I tried to do something, but one of them chased me up here and bit me! Can you believe that? I hate to say it too, but something must have been wrong with her. Her eyes were all red, and her fur looked so pale!”

“That’s because she was a vampire.” Pinkie stated casually.

Mr. Cake blinked, unsure if what he heard was simply Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. “Come again?”

“Vampires.” Shining Armor repeated, understanding of just how confused the stallion was. “Fangs, thirst for blood, the whole kitten kaboodle. We’re trying to get a handle on it.”

“Umm… ok.” Mr. Cake stared at the two blankly, still processing things. He knew the pink mare and her friends got up to some weird antics and adventures, especially recently, but this was a bit much. “That definitely explains some things… like the curfew. And the extra guards. Is that why the sun didn’t come up for a long time the other night? Is the princess ok?”

“Princess Celestia is fine… last we checked,” Shining muttered the last part to himself as he trailed his eyes away.

“What was that?”

“N-nothing!”

Meanwhile, Pinkie returned a more concerned look to her face as her thoughts shifted elsewhere. “You said you were checking on Gummy when you got stuck up here. Is he ok? Where is he?” She asked, trying not to get too desperate.

In quiet response, Mr. Cake backed up and receded into the bathroom once more. He knelt down and picked something up out of sight, only to come back with a familiar alligator in his forelegs.

“Gummy!” Pinkie gasped excitedly as she took the alligator from him and smooshed him up against her face in a tight hug. Gummy opened his toothless maw and lovingly nibbled on some of her mane.

“That mare seemed pretty violent, so I didn’t want to leave him alone with her.” Mr. Cake admitted, smiling warmly at the sight before him. Even Shining Armor felt a tug at his heart that softened his features.

Pinkie held her pet at limb’s length and nuzzled the tip of his snout with her nose. He blinked one purple eye at a time and stared at her. “Oh, Gummy! I’m never letting anything scare you again!” She cooed, frowning sympathetically at him. He was stiff as a board.

However, she had more important things to take care of at the moment, evidenced as she looked up to Mr. Cake with a serious expression.

“We’re going to go save Mrs. Cake and the others. You two stay here.” She said, giving Gummy back to the stallion.

“Pinkie, I-” Mr. Cake stammered, unsure of what to say as he looked between the pair. Finally, he sighed and returned to a neutral expression. “Be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’ll take care of her.” Shining Armor assured. “And don’t worry, we’ll save your wife and the others. I promise… one husband to another.”

Then, a loud thump came from downstairs, followed by some muffled shouting and cries. The sound immediately cemented a feeling of alarm into their guts.

“Come on! We have to hurry!” Pinkie said, already rushing out of the room.

Shining followed after, hoping to keep her from getting into trouble. “Wait up, Pinkie! We need to stay hidden!”

Thankfully, Pinkie was at least being quiet as she scampered down the stairs toward the main floor. She paused before the opening to the bakery itself, allowing the unicorn to catch up with her.

They both silently surveyed the scene before them for a moment, eyes growing wide with alarm as they saw how bad things were.

It seemed as though the intel they received from the guards and the shaken mare outside was accurate. There were five ponies total in the room, with two of them being vampires.

Mrs. Cake and a persimmon-furred earth mare with white hair were cowering behind the counter as a pale teal and green pegasus mare kept them in line. Over by some tables, a lone earth stallion with fiery red fur and gray hair was on the floor, surrounded and covered in broken glass. Standing over him, was another pale mare that used to be yellow with striped orange and brown hair.

“I told you to sit down and shut up, didn’t I?!” The mare snarled, eyes flaring and fangs bared. The stallion grit his teeth and hugged the floor, clutching his shoulder limply.

“Please, don’t hurt him!” Mrs. Cake squeaked timidly, much to the annoyance of the mare behind the counter.

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth to hide a gasp as the pale pegasus smacked the blue mare across the face, nearly sending her to the floor with a red mark already formed.

“Stow it, chubs, or you’re next!” The mare threatened.

Mrs. Cake could only oblige and stay quiet on the floor, stifling a few sobs as tears welled in her eyes. The other customer hugged herself and cowered up against the counter, silently wishing that this was just a nightmare.

Feeling a sudden change in temperature, Shining looked to the side, only to recoil in surprise as he noticed Pinkie red in the face. A fierce growl came, though not from one of the pale ponies, and the stallion could almost see his companion vibrating with rage.

Just before Pinkie rushed off, she was held back as Shining grabbed her. He looked at her with soft features and whispered. “We need to be smart about this.”

Pinkie seemed hesitant to relent, but eventually, she did.

Then, however, a muffled croak drew their attention to the side. The yellow mare had a hoof planted on the stallion’s neck and was pressing down hard.

“The Prince said to cause trouble until the element bearers got here. I say, what better way to cause trouble than to toss a dead body from the roof?” She grinned.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” The other pale mare chuckled deviously as her partner pressed down harder on the stallion’s throat, much to his agony. They were actually going to do it.

Shining cringed uneasily as he realized that they were out of time. They would have to act now if they were going to prevent anyone from dying.

“Follow my lead!” Shining whispered tensely to Pinkie before getting up and rushing down the stairs, dagger drawn. Pinkie was happy to finally be doing something proactive, but she couldn’t deny a feeling of nervousness that someone was going to get hurt.
.
..
…
Meanwhile, outside, Sparkplug was crouched down near the front door, waiting for whatever signal her friends were going to make. Her fur still smelled like smoke and chemicals from her own signal of sorts. She was glad it worked well enough to get Pinkie and Shining inside, but now she didn’t know what they were doing or if they were ok.

Looking out to the small gathering in the middle of the street, they were all watching her expectantly, like she was some kind of authority on the situation. It only served to make her all the more tense.

“Come on, guys… give me something to work with here.” Sparkplug huffed.

*Crash*

All at once, a thunderous shattering of glass and a mare’s scream made the gray pony and everyone else watching dart their eyes toward one of the windows on the left. A flaming equine shape was careening through a sea of broken glass before crumbling to the ground in a scattered heap of bones, which themselves crumbled into dust.

Sparkplug was left wide-eyed and slack-jawed at this sudden disturbance for a brief moment before she shook herself to her senses. “Oh man!” She exclaimed before turning back to the door and rushing inside.

As she threw open the front door and entered the bakery, the vested mare was met by a chaotic scene. Pinkie Pie was near the stairs at the back, while Shining Armor was by the now broken window with silver dagger in hoof, a terrified stallion on the ground beneath him.

A persimmon mare was hugging the wall behind the counter, while Mrs. Cake and another pale pony were looking toward the front door at the newly arrived monster hunter.

Seeing the vampiric mare so close to two innocent and defenseless ponies, and seeing the cold red eyes meeting hers before darting to the side, Sparkplug realized that she had to act fast. Her hooves fumbled along her vest, managing to pull out and unfold her crossbow in one motion. Pushing through her pounding heart and shaking hooves, she stiffened up and took swift aim before letting loose a silver bolt.

The tiny projectile sailed through the air toward the pale mare. The pegasus cringed in anticipation and dodged to the side, narrowly missing a head-on impact and instead catching the bolt as it grazed her cheek, leaving a smoldering line behind.

“Ow!” The teal mare yelped before growling and glaring at Sparkplug, who was already fumbling to load in another bolt. Suddenly, she shifted her attention to Mrs. Cake and formed a toothy smirk.

Seeing what was about to happen, Pinkie widened her eyes and leaped forward. “Mrs. Cake!”

In a blur of time, Shining Armor and Sparkplug both raced to help their friend already in midair. The pale mare was lunging for Cupcake’s throat, fangs bared and eyes glowing. Pinkie reached out as she sailed toward the pair, hoping to get there in time.

And then, a pileup happened as all three ponies collided and vanished behind the counter.

There were some assorted scuffles and grunts, even a bang or two as the sounds of struggling came. The frightened mare off to the side was watching, too petrified to move.

“Pinkie!” Shining Armor exclaimed, readying his knife as he rushed up to the counter.

Sparkplug finished loading her bow and rushed over as well.

By the time they reached the counter, they recoiled abruptly as the pale mare popped back up, only she wasn't alone. The pegasus had a tight grip around Pinkie’s neck, and judging from the look in her eyes, she wasn't afraid to trade lives.

“Alright, you two! Drop your weapons, or I’ll kill her!” The pegasus said, squeezing the pink mare roughly and causing a fearful squeak. Pinkie tried to struggle loose, but any attempt only resulted in the hold over her getting tighter.

Shining Armor felt his heart sink as he realized that they were beaten. However, as he trailed his eyes to the floor behind the counter, he noticed Mrs. Cake still on the ground, clutching a superficial cut on her shoulder. They briefly locked eyes, and for a moment, she nodded to him.

“Ok… Ok…” Shining said, tossing the knife over the counter, where it clattered to the floor and slid a short ways until it was near enough to the blue mare that she could reach it. Thankfully, the pale pegasus seemed more focused on Sparkplug and Shining than where their weapons were ending up.

“Alright, now you!” The pegasus instructed, shifting her eyes over to Sparkplug.

Sparkplug felt her whole body getting tense as she shakily trailed her eyes from her crossbow to Pinkie, and then to Shining Armor. She seemed like she didn’t know what to do.

After getting some silent cues from Shining Armor, an impatient growl from the pegasus, and a fearful whine from Pinkie, Sparkplug cringed hesitantly before folding her bow back up and tossing it over the counter. “Fine…”

“Good…” The pegasus relaxed ever so slightly, though she kept a tight grip on Pinkie the whole way. Much to everyone’s dismay, she started backing further away from the group, further away from Mrs. Cake and the knife. “Now, here’s the deal. I know your little friends are going to be here eventually, but if you want little Miss Puffball here to be alive to see them, you’re going to do exactly what I say, when I say it. Understand?”

Shining Armor wrinkled his mouth and tensed his jaw. He needed a way to get the pegasus to move closer without noticing Mrs. Cake. When suddenly, an idea popped into his head. “Is that what Dusk sent you here to do? Botch a hostage situation?” He smirked. “Doesn’t seem like a very good plan if you ask me.”

As expected, a pair of red eyes hardened and glared at the unicorn as a faint snarl filled the air. “Don’t talk about the Prince like that!” She clenched her hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder, causing the pink mare to stiffen up.

“Uh… Shining. Do you really think it’s a good idea to get on her bad side right now?” Sparkplug whispered tensely, shooting the unicorn the most uncomfortable expression she could at the moment.

Instead of backpedaling, Shining seemed to be unfazed by the facial cues and wary stares he was getting from near everyone in the room. “Oh, I’m sure this Prince of yours had a well-thought-out plan. Too bad he picked you to be a part of it. Then again… maybe he isn’t too smart. After all, he turned you out of everyone else he could have picked.”

Pinkie could feel the pegasus vibrating with pure hatred. A cold puff of air hit the back of her mane as the pale pony’s breathing quickened and grew more intense. Then, she suddenly found herself being half dragged half carried forward toward the counter.

The pegasus mare stomped over and shoved Pinkie down onto the countertop with one hoof before smacking the other down next to her. “You really think I care about dying?! If my Prince were here, I know for a fact that he would love to see the looks on your faces after I snap her neck!” She yelled, picking Pinkie back up and putting her hooves on either side of her head.

Sparkplug and Shining Armor gasped in alarm and started to reach forward. However, instead of hearing a chilling snapping sound, they heard a fleshy piercing sound instead, followed closely by a pained yell.

Faltering slightly and looking down with face full of agony, the pegasus noticed a familiar silver knife sticking out of her hind leg, which was now swiftly disintegrating into ash and ember. She also saw Mrs. Cake on the floor, staring back up at her with an intense glare.

“Get your dirty hooves off my Pinkie!” The blue mare stated.

“Gahh! Why you little- Oof!”

Just then, the pegasus received an elbow to the gut as Pinkie broke free. The strike sent her reeling off balance now that she only had one leg. She would have fallen over, if not for a magical aura wrapping around her and pulling her down face-first into the countertop.

“Sparkplug, now!” Shining Armor said urgently.

Not wasting a moment, Sparkplug reached down to her vest and pulled out her own silver knife. She rushed up to the counter and planted it down into the mare’s back just as she was starting to buck upwards. The blade impaled the pegasus with ease, and almost immediately, an orange light sparked to life as her form started combusting.

“NghAHH!!” The mare’s cries trailed off and abruptly stopped as her body was overcome by flame. She collapsed into dust, with only a single identifiable part of her skull still keeping its shape for a moment before that too crumbled under its own weight.

A few silent moments passed by as everyone breathed and rested their racing hearts. Even the two civilians watching the ordeal felt exhausted by proxy.

Finally, Shining Armor looked up to the pink mare, a glimmer of worry in his eyes. “Are you ok, Pinkie?”

Pinkie nodded, her movements holding the slightest jitter. “I am now… thanks to you guys.” She said, casting a thankful smile to her two companions before sliding that look to the blue mare getting up off the floor. “Mrs. Cake… you saved me.” She rushed forward and hugged the older pony tightly, taking care not to agitate the bite on her shoulder. “Thank you so much.”

“Dohh, don’t be so modest, dearie. If you didn’t show up, I’d still be in a world of trouble. We all would.” Mrs. Cake said as she looked at the two customers in the room.

“Y-yeah… thank you.” The persimmon mare off to the side piped up, flashing a small smile under her still shot nerves.

“Thanks for the save.” The red stallion added with a croak, rubbing a hoof to his tender neck.

“We were happy to help,” Shining said. “And, uh… sorry about the window.” He cringed a bit as he turned to see the mess he made.

Mrs. Cake stared at the gaping hole in her bakery and all the glass scattered around with a calm, if a little drained, expression. She seemed to internalize whatever reaction she had to it before bringing a smile back to her face. “I suppose I should just consider us even… although, maybe I still owe you some. After all, you three were so brave back there with how you handled those hooligans.”

Sparkplug chuckled awkwardly and held a hoof to the back of her head. A hint of red was working its way to her cheeks. “Don’t mention it. They did most of the work. I was just the distraction.”

Suddenly, Pinkie perked up at this. “That reminds me. What did you do to cause all those pops and sparkles outside, Sparkplug?” She asked.

“Oh, that? Heh...” Sparkplug got a bit sheepish as she reached down to her vest and pulled up a pull cord with two vials on it. One had red sand inside, while the other was empty, with its cap missing entirely. “Glitter walked me through how to make some of our charms, so I know our detectors are highly flammable.” She explained before her eyes suddenly became nervous and intense. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Heh… don’t worry, your secret is safe with us,” Shining smirked a bit. Then, his expression fell back into a sober line as he shifted his attention back to their current situation. “And speaking of the others, we should probably check in and see if anyone needs our help.”

“Good idea.” Pinkie agreed instantly. “Oooh, I hope everyone’s ok.” She fretted.

“I’m sure they’re doing better than we were.” Sparkplug said confidently, though she couldn’t shake a hint of unease from her eyes as she thought about her friends. “I hope…”

Against the chill night air, against the nagging panic in the back of their minds, Twilight and her two new friends ran for the central hub of Ponyville. The beating heart of the humble town. The Square.

Of course, calling it a square wasn't exactly accurate. The whole town was built in a circle, spreading out from the central building that was currently under siege by supernatural assailants.

The trio beat hoof over the bridge spanning the stream that ran through the town. Already they could see a gathering of ponies in the square ahead.

A team of guards was camped a healthy distance away from the town hall, along with several Ponyville denizens. A few pegasi guards were hovering in the air overhead, but even they were keeping back. Everyone was watching the seemingly quiet building in a tense vigil. The lights were on, but there was no sign of activity in the windows or on the balconies, save for one pale figure on the second floor keeping an eye on the crowd.

As the trio weaved through the crowd and got closer to the perimeter kept by the guards, a unicorn stallion of apparently high rank noticed them and held a hoof up.

“Miss Twilight, I’m sorry, but you and your friends are going to have to back…” He trailed off as he noticed the presence of Glitterball, an official member of a royal task force of sorts.

“The princesses sent us. We’re here to help.” Glitterball said.

Twilight cast her eyes up to the second floor, only to see the lone figure on the balcony looking her way before they suddenly receded back into the building. “How many ponies are in there?” She asked, hiding her concern behind a serious front as she turned to the guard.

“We counted six.” The stallion explained. “Miss Mare, her staff, and a hoof full of visitors. We’re not sure where they are in the building, and they’ve threatened to kill everyone if we get close.”

“That’s not good…” Twilight trailed her eyes down briefly, a palpable sense of unease within them before she looked back up. “What about the vampires? How many of them?”

The guard seemed discouraged at this. “We’ve counted at least three different ones, but we don’t know for sure. They got in and got ahold of the building before everything else happened, so we got here too late to see.”

As if in response to this, Blue Bolt stepped forward slightly and closed his eyes. Twilight and Glitter, and even a few perplexed guards and townsfolk watched as he took a breath before exhaling an eerie hiss. A cloud of blue vapor escaped his lungs, and the slightest of shivers went down his back as he let himself sink into the myriad of feelings washing over him. Then, he opened his eyes and turned to his companions.

“I’m feeling eight of them. Four on the first, and four on the second floors.” Blue reported.

“Eight of them?” Twilight softened her expression with worry. They knew that they would most likely be outnumbered, but not by this much. “I think that rules out a direct assault.”

“Yeah. They would have time to hurt some of the hostages before we could do anything.” Glitter nodded, putting her own mind to work alongside the purple mare to try and come up with a strategy.

“What about sneaking in there?” Blue Bolt suggested. “They’re split up, and I think the hostages are too. We could probably take out four of them at a time if we attack both floors at once.”

The idea seemed sound, but somehow Twilight wasn't convinced. “I don’t know… I think we would need more help if we were going to do something like that.” She said, looking around at the team of guards. There were six total, counting the unicorn and the two pegasi up top. It wasn't necessarily a matter of their numbers, but their capability. The guards only had silver blades. They needed range on their side if they were going to just burst in guns blazing.

Glitterball sighed hesitantly and brought a hoof up to her ear. “I’ll see if any of the others are free to help.” She said, a hint of doubt to her voice, before pressing her hoof down and focusing on her friends. “This is Glitter. We’re at a bit of a standstill over here at the square. Is anypony able to come over and help?”

A few moments went by with seemingly no response before a familiar voice piped up.

“This is Sparkplug. We just wrapped things up at Sugarcube Corner. We can be there in a few minutes.”

“Sparkplug’s group is on their way,” Glitter reported with a slight smile.

“Good. It’ll really help to have Shining here.” Twilight reasoned. The more unicorns they had, the more options they had when they finally did make their move. Having more crossbows, poppers, and strobes didn’t hurt either.

Suddenly, Glitterball’s expression shifted as another voice rang in her ears. She put her hoof back up, focusing the sound and listening intently before her eyes widened and a look of alarm came over her.

“Glitter…?” Twilight asked. “Something wrong?”

“Sssh!” Glitterball hushed the others urgently before returning her full attention to the voice in her head. Her face paled abruptly, and a slight gasp escaped her. “Ok… Ok, got it!” She exclaimed before she dropped her hoof and turned to them, paying particular attention to the pegasus stallion. “Blue, you need to get to Sweet Apple Acres, right now!”

“Wh...what?” Blue tilted his head, a bit concerned and confused.

“Now, Blue!” Glitter insisted.

The stallion scrambled into action and spread his wings. “Ok!” He stammered, still not entirely processing the adrenaline of the situation before taking off. He didn’t want to leave his friends, but judging from the grave expression on the unicorn’s face, something was terribly wrong.

As the stallion zipped off into the night, Twilight turned to her unicorn companion with newfound urgency. “What’s wrong, Glitter?” She asked.

Glitter merely shook her head. “I’m not sure… Glimmer didn’t specify, but-” She swallowed uncomfortably, “I think someone’s hurt.”

A look of fear came over Twilight’s face as she thought about her friends over at the farm. She thought Applejack, Rarity, and Glimmer Shine could take care of themselves. Then again, maybe it wasn't one of them that was hurt, and that thought made her shiver in revulsion.

“Can this night get any worse?” She sighed tensely as she cast her gaze back to the town hall.

Glitter frowned as she watched the purple mare staring ahead, her breathing starting to quicken ever so slightly. The situation was starting to overwhelm her, not that it wasn't understandable. Glitter was having to use every bit of her training not to descend into a nervous wreck so she could stay focused.

Then, a noise echoed into the square, making the two unicorns’ ears prick suddenly. It didn’t come from the building in front of them. In fact, it sounded like the clap of thunder.

Twilight spun around and looked up. The night sky had been clear throughout the ride up to Ponyville for miles. It was still clear, however, the faint noise seemed to indicate a great distance.

Finally, she saw it. Out on the horizon, a bank of rolling storm clouds was rising into the air. It wasn't getting closer, but judging from the near-constant flashes of lightning, it must have been strong. Her brows narrowed the more she stared at it. She could almost swear that she could see a hint of red in the clouds.

“What now?” Glitterball huffed in concern as she stared at the flashing mass of clouds in the distance. She and her team had a bad track record with sudden changes of weather.

Then, Twilight’s face paled as she realized something. The direction she was staring, the distance of the storm, it all seemed to point toward one thing, or rather, one location. New Hoofshire.

“Oh no… Princess…”

Chapter 43: Teacher Vs. Student

The moon vanished from sight over the skies of New Hoofshire as clouds gathered. Thunder shook the few remaining citizens to the core as they desperately tried to hide or flee. The wind picked up, creating a disconcerting rustle of fallen leaves and debris to accompany the frequent flashes of light.

And right in the thick of things, a fierce battle was still being fought between the royal sisters and Celestia’s monstrous former student.

Luna narrowly avoided a long-reaching tendril of blood whipping at her as she fired off a few bolts of blue energy. She hovered up toward her sister, who joined in her attack by sending a barrage of fireballs down at the pale alicorn.

Much like both of their individual fights with Dusk, he was dodging nearly every attack they sent his way. They were managing to hit him more often than they did when they were alone, but any damage he took seemed a minor inconvenience more than anything.

Celestia stole a glance upwards as a particularly loud crackle of thunder came, accentuated by a flash of lightning. The clouds above her had an ominous-looking red tint to them, and they were roiling and shifting around in a disconcerting display.

“What manner of spell is this, Dusk?! What did you do?!” She shouted down as she swooped to the side, avoiding a small number of crimson bullets zipping toward her.

Down on the ground, Dusk continued to dodge explosions, flames, and lasers without so much as an exhausted grimace. All the while, he would send half-hearted attacks at the pair, usually one at a time. He was toying with them, and they knew it.

“If you must know, it’s an advanced form of blood magic,” Dusk answered, gesturing off toward the symbol on the ground. “Fascinating topic, really. Thankfully, the previous owner of my castle hideaway was a kindred spirit of mine, and so graciously left behind a plethora of materials for me to peruse. He was a better teacher to me than you ever were, and I’ve never even met him.”

Celestia snorted at this. “Perhaps I did fail you as a teacher. I thought I was molding you into a caring and wise pony.”

“What? Like you failed to do for your sister?” Dusk retorted, causing the white mare to fall silent briefly. He smiled at this reaction. “Oh, don’t act like it was a secret. I should have known far sooner than I did, I admit, but it was plain to see you were just using me to fill the void in your soul.”

A sudden barrage of magical blasts made the pale stallion shift to the defensive. He looked up, only to see Luna hovering further down toward him with an angry scowl on her face.

“Enough!” She shouted. “I will not stand idly by while you besmirch my sister’s name with such slander!”

Dusk chuckled. “Slander? Just look at her! Every word of it is true.”

Looking over, Luna noticed Celestia staring down with soft eyes and pursed lips. Still, she turned back to Dusk and glared at him once more. “She wasn't using you… She was offering you a great kindness in taking you under her wing, especially at such a hard time! Just because you were too blind to realize your monstrous crimes, does not mean that she is at fault for punishing you!”

A soft growl passed between clenched teeth as Dusk glared up at the blue alicorn. His ruby eyes intensified, and a sense of cold-blooded hatred could clearly be seen.

“I think it’s time you stopped meddling in matters that don’t involve you, Luna.” He said quietly, not once breaking eye contact as two streams of blood slowly lifted out of his wrists. However, before he could act any further, his body was enveloped in a blue magical aura.

Dusk struggled in place, but the magical hold over him held firm. Up above, Luna could be seen with visible discomfort on her face, but a sense of determination in her eyes.

“No… I think it is time that you received your dues.” She said before turning to Celestia with somewhat of an urgent expression. “Now, sister! Hit him with sunlight!”

Not one to waste an opportunity, Celestia snapped herself from her uneasy thoughts and lit her horn. She knew that her sister couldn’t hold him for long, and she also knew that the stallion could easily dodge such a slow attack with ease. However, one thing that she knew for certain. She was not going to miss.

Celestia’s horn slowly intensified its glow as its tip was enveloped in a radiant golden light. A low hum started building in volume and pitch.

And then, a blinding light.

The entire area was enveloped in a bright yellowish glow as a cone of scorching fury was sent toward the ground. Any and all ponies within a mile radius could see the light above the otherwise darkened city.

Almost immediately, Dusk produced a raw scream of pain as his form vanished into the glow. The pavement around him started to sizzle like it was a hot summer day, or perhaps it was merely the stallion that was sizzling.

Luna could feel her magical hold straining. Even under the blinding light, Dusk was still struggling to get free. Despite her sister being the one casting such powerful magic, it seemed as though she was the one about to buckle under the pressure.

“Stay strong, Luna! We must keep him restrained until he is ash!” Celestia yelled over the sounds of magical energy and agonizing screaming.

“I am trying, sister! Please hurry… Ngh… I’m not certain how much longer I can hold him!” Luna replied.

Celestia grit her teeth as she poured more energy into her horn. There was only so much power she could produce in a continuous beam without scorching the earth beneath her. Thankfully, she didn’t need to produce flames for the stallion to burn, she merely needed concentrated sunlight.

Just then, something wet dripped onto Celestia’s muzzle from above, followed closely by another droplet. Gradually, more and more drops of water came from the sky as the clouds seemingly opened up in a light shower that was only growing by the minute.

Luna looked up into the swirling clouds above, only to shield her face from the downpour. The rain looked oddly darker than water should have. And as she caught a few droplets on her lips, she noticed the unmistakable taste of copper. “Blood…?”

“Luna, look out!” Celestia exclaimed, drawing the younger alicorn’s attention back down.

Much to her horror, Luna widened her eyes as she caught a glimpse of movement through the crimson rain. A flying tendril was zipping out of the cone of sunlight toward her.

Beating her wings, Luna dodged to the side just enough to mostly escape the bloody bullet. However, she wasn't fast enough to prevent the projectile from piercing clean through her shoulder.

“GAHH!” Luna yelped, clutching her newfound wound and struggling to right herself in the air.

Meanwhile, the bloody projectile whipped back around in the air after punching through the blue mare, heading straight for Celestia. The white alicorn quickly projected a shield around herself, forcing an end to the continuous beam of light. And while the crimson bolt scattered to liquid against her shield, she knew that they were in big trouble now.

Both sisters looked down to see a few whiffs of smoke trailing up into the air amid the scarlet rain. They could immediately make out the form of Dusk, though he seemed like he was barely standing.

The stallion’s body was mostly charred, with only a few patches of smoldering fur remaining. There were even large holes in his form that had burned clean through to his bones. He was breathing heavily, and he took a labored step forward before lowering his head and seemingly trying to stay upright.

Still, in spite of all of this, the exhausted panting and wheezes slowly shifted to choked laughter as his form started to mend. New flesh and fur slowly shifted into being out of a layer of blood. The whole process seemed to happen quicker than they expected from such a grave set of wounds.

Finally, Dusk lifted one of his formerly skeletal hooves and examined it for a moment before trailing his eyes up to the storm above and the two alicorns in the air. “You like it? I must admit, I had hoped to use this on that slayer of yours… but, it serves just as well to keep me from wasting too much energy recovering from your irritating power. Not that I need much help.” He said, chuckling warmly at the pair.

Celestia growled in frustration as she saw the smug confidence on his face. He wasn't worried at all, like he wasn't even counting on the rain of blood to give him the edge he needed to free himself. Without a larger, more permanent source of sunlight, he could simply lash out at her or Luna and get her to stop. And now, even if she wanted to accept the risks of raising the sun prematurely, there was a thick covering of clouds protecting him.

However, a slight glint of fear came over her as she watched the stallion shift his attention back over to Luna.

“And now that I don’t need to conserve my energy… let’s have some fun, shall we?” Dusk grinned.

“Luna, get close to me!” Celestia called, reaching a hoof out to her sister.

Luna scarcely had time to react to her sister’s words. All at once, a series of spurting sounds came through the downpour as Dusk waved a foreleg across the air, sending out a dozen small blood streams that each zipped into the air toward her.

The crimson bullets all blended into the constant rain of blood, making it hard to keep track of them. Not that it was easy before to keep track of them with their blinding speed. Luna widened her eyes and dove down. She would have tried to think of some kind of spell to use to protect herself or get away, but around that time, a burning pain erupted across her side.

Luna yelped and spun around in the air, letting herself fall to hopefully gain more speed as she clutched her side. However, opening her eyes revealed a cluster of tiny spears all heading straight for her at once. She flinched and felt her body seize up as she realized that she couldn’t dodge them in time.

Just then, she bumped into something solid behind her. A wall of light appeared out of nowhere, shielding her from the numerous impacts about to take place. Before she could even fully process what was going on, she felt a hoof on her good shoulder and turned to see her sister apparently standing beside her in midair.

“Are you ok, sister?” Celestia frowned as she examined the wounded alicorn. The hole in her shoulder and the slash in her side were bleeding somewhat profusely.

Luna turned to see the last few blood bullets striking the outside of Celestia’s magical bubble before breathing a slight sigh of relief. “I am now… More importantly, what do we do?”

“I’m not sure,” Celestia replied tensely as she glanced down toward Dusk, or at least where she thought he was. With the red rain spilling off of her barrier, it was nigh impossible to make out any shapes outside. “I’m afraid any hope we had of running down his stamina is gone now.”

“Quite.” Luna cringed and drew air between her teeth as she lifted a hoof from her shoulder, only to have the tip of her shoe completely stained red. “I hate to say it, but I think we should start thinking of a way to escape.”

“We can’t flee while there are still ponies in the city,” Celestia replied.

Luna let her head thump against the back of the bubble behind her and sighed. “I know…”

“Still, I think you’re right,” Celestia added. “Cast a detection spell and see how many are left. Maybe we can somehow help them get to safety while evading Dusk’s-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Celestia was interrupted by a shattering sound.

Luna suddenly felt the solid bubble beneath her give way. All the color left her face as she stared ahead wide-eyed.

A single shot of blood had pierced through the bubble, breaking it apart as it flew forward. Celestia barely had time to react to the pain of her magic being overwhelmed, as a new pain erupted in her stomach. Another spurt of red flew out as the alicorn was nearly impaled clean through to the other side.

“AGH!” Celestia yelled and clutched her stomach as she fell toward the ground.

“SISTER!” Luna cried, zipping down through the air and reaching for the plummeting alicorn.

The two sisters fell dangerously close to the earth. Celestia started to flap her wings and right herself, allowing Luna to catch up and slow their descent to a safe level as they landed on the street. The older mare’s face was contorted in pain, and blood was already leaking out from under her hooves.

Luna started to try and help Celestia somehow when her ears suddenly pricked up. She spun around just in time to catch sight of a series of crimson needles flying through the rain toward both of them. She produced a startled gasp and lit up her horn, racing to save herself and her sister.

The pair blinked out of existence and back just in time to watch the bloody projectiles striking the ground where they just were, creating a sizable spray of debris and cracking the pavement as they punched through.

An out of place noise in the rain. Another attack. Luna just caught a glimpse of the crimson whip leaving scattered blood droplets in its wake, about to add her and Celestia’s blood to the red tide falling.

She teleported again, and again. More attacks followed. A whip here, a set of skewers there. Her head was throbbing and her lungs were struggling to keep up.

Finally, she couldn’t keep up anymore. A solid tendril smacked into the blue mare, knocking her away from her sister and sending her tumbling down the street.

Celestia lifted her head and grit her teeth against the burning pain in her stomach to light her horn. As more flying trails of blood prepared to impale Luna, she projected a shield just in time to stop them. Then, a strangled croak escaped her as a tendril wrapped around her throat, allowing her just enough time to grasp at it with her hooves before it yanked hard.

With the older alicorn getting dragged through the blood-soaked cobble and mud, Luna pushed herself to her hooves and whipped her head toward Dusk, who was still standing a dozen or so feet away from either of them. Letting loose a few bolts of magic in his direction was only met by tendrils of blood appearing out of nowhere and swatting them, blending into the rain as if they only just came into being solely to spite her attacks.

Dusk seemed thoroughly amused as he watched the strength leaving the two mares. He pulled his foreleg in, tightening the stream curling out of his wrist until it yanked on Celestia’s neck, creating a satisfying choked gasp. He would have enjoyed it a while longer if it wasn't for Luna picking up a nearby carriage with her magic and swatting him like a fly. She picked up the carriage again and slammed it back down a few times, creating a thunderous clamor.

Luna managed a smirk through her exhaustion as the tendril around Celestia collapsed into liquid. However, her mouth fell open as the top of the carriage suddenly exploded into a shower of splinters, with numerous blood streams piercing it before leveling out and heading straight toward her.

The most she could do was put up a shield, but much like before, the barrage shattered the barrier like fragile glass.

Down the street, Celestia’s eyes shot open as she heard a pained yell cut off abruptly. She lifted her head up, her heart skipping a beat as she saw her sister being pinned to the wall of the building behind her. Several tendrils were stabbed into her chest, forelegs, and stomach.

“LUNA!” Celestia cried. She forced herself to sit up, but a stabbing pain from her wound forced her to stop. After a moment, she pushed through the pain and managed to stand on shaky legs. She had to move forward. She had to reach her.

Without so much as a warning, her legs were swept out from underneath her by a bloody lash, sending her to the harsh ground where she settled with a sharp grunt.

She tried to get back up, managing to plant a single hoof on solid ground. Her muscles were refusing her commands, having lost too much energy from the fight and the bloodloss. However, before she could continue her struggle, a hoof roughly pushed down on her side, pinning her just enough to dissuade any movement.

Looking up with one eye flinched closed from the pain, she found a set of burning red eyes standing out from the rain, staring down at her with a prideful smirk.

“Well… if nothing else, I must admire your tenacity, Princess.” Dusk said, craning his neck slightly to better allow the streams of blood to retract back into his body. “After I nearly killed you and Luna the first time, I never expected you to come after me alone.”

Celestia averted her eyes from him and clenched her teeth. She used this moment to look up toward her sister, who was now slumped against the side of the building now that the tendrils piercing her were gone.

The white mare felt her heart race as she entertained the dreaded thought that Luna was already dead, but some sluggish movement from her sister brought her some relief before the hoof stepping on her shifted down to her wound, bringing her attention back with a restrained yelp.

Dusk reveled in his former mentor’s pain for a moment before leaning in close. “Ready to admit your wrongs? Maybe I can find it in my heart to forgive you for everything you did to me?”

Through all the pain, through all the exhaustion and suffering, Celestia had a fiery edge burning in her dull eyes. “To my dying breath… I will never absolve your actions.”

“Hmm…” Dusk pursed his lips pensively and looked up for a moment before stepping off her and walking forward a few steps. He looked over to Luna briefly before turning back and smiling. “And what about her dying breath?” He asked.

Although she didn’t want to let him affect her, Celestia’s glare softened ever so slightly and a glint of fear came through the malice in her eyes. “Dusk… we both know that this fight is between us. Leave her alone.” She threatened, though her words were less impactful as she struggled to push herself up.

Dusk snickered a bit and turned back around. He waited for her to get all four hooves planted on the ground again, even lowering himself to be at her level. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’m not going to kill you or Luna… not just yet. After all, I want you both to be there when I take everything from you.”

And with that, the stallion turned and walked away, leaving Celestia to sit with her thoughts amid the pouring rain. She tried to get up and chase after him, but just getting up was difficult enough, so much so that she nearly stumbled back to the ground.

After taking a few labored breaths, she looked up to see Dusk standing several feet away over by the glowing symbol on the ground, by the corpse of his former minion. He knelt down and removed the oversized cloak from the creature, ignoring how filthy it must have been by now and wrapping himself in it before shooting a devilish smile back at the white mare and spreading his wings.

Celestia growled in frustration as she watched him preparing to escape her grasp once more. “I won’t let you win, Dusk! You hear me?!” She shouted over the rain.

“Well… then, by all means, feel free to try and stop me. You know where I’ll be.” The pale alicorn said, taking a moment to enjoy the sheer anger and desperation radiating off her before leaping into the air and flying away.

She watched him vanish into the crimson sky, clutching one hoof to her largest wound and trying to get a handle on her erratic breathing. Shoving her worrisome thoughts from her mind, she turned down the street with newfound alarm in her eyes. “Luna…!”

It took her a minute to walk over to her sister, or perhaps hobble was a better term. She was battered, bruised, and bleeding, and as terrible as she felt, she feared that Luna had it worse.

Thankfully, her racing heart calmed as she saw the scope of the younger alicorn’s injuries. Her body was littered in mercifully shallow puncture wounds. Just another way for Dusk to rub in how much more powerful than them he was. She didn’t exactly care. All she cared about was that Luna was alive.

“Sister…?” Luna muttered weakly as she lifted her head before cringing and hugging her forelegs close. She panted heavily and rested her head against the building behind her. “Wh… what happened? Is h-he gone?”

“I’m afraid so,” Celestia said, a bittersweet air to her voice before she softened her features with concern as she rested a hoof on her sister’s foreleg. “Can you stand?”

“That… is an excellent question,” Luna said, taking a moment to psych herself up before pushing up the brick wall. Simply moving seemed painful for her, which was unsurprising, given the scope of her injuries. Still, surprisingly enough, she managed to get to her own teetering hooves largely on her own merit. “I believe the answer is… sort of.”

Celestia lifted the corners of her mouth ever so slightly as she saw how brave her sister had gotten. She always viewed the younger alicorn with such pride and respect, even before their mettle was being tested like some sort of monthly event.

Noticing a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye, Celestia turned to see a few figures walking toward them from the edge of town. Even through the rain, she could make out the armored forms of her loyal guardsponies. She recalled telling them not to enter the city again, but apparently, their sense of duty involved disobeying an order or two if they thought she needed help.

“Come on, Luna.” She said, wrapping a foreleg around Luna’s barrel and taking pains not to touch any open wounds. “I think between the two of us we can walk. I also think that some first aid is in order.”

“Mmm…” Luna’s smile twitched under the near-constant stinging throughout her body. “Perhaps a bath is in order as well. We should really do something about that symbol… lest we never get the metallic smell out of our coats.”

Celestia blinked a few droplets of blood out of her eyes as she looked up. Supernatural occurrences such as this usually sounded more remarkable on paper, where their after-effects weren’t taken into consideration.

“Yes… that too.” Celestia smiled, though her expression quickly fell into a grim line as she returned her thoughts to Dusk. Something didn’t feel right. He was planning something, but she could only imagine what it was.

And her imagination could come up with some dark and horrifying results.

Chapter 45: Unrest

Across the capital city of Equestria, most ponies were asleep.

Some were blissfully unaware of the struggles happening elsewhere, shaping their futures without them even knowing. Some were more tentative in their rest, tossing and turning and wondering just how many of their fellow equines were going to be hurt in the coming nights until this threat was dealt with, as all others had been. Still, most ponies were asleep.

Scootaloo was not one of these ponies.

The young pegasus was currently staring at the ceiling of her shared room at the palace, as she had been doing for several minutes. Her mind was awash with anxious thoughts about her friends off in Ponyville.

Rainbow Dash and the others had always come out on top before, but this threat, this monstrous alicorn, was different. She could still see the coldness in his glowing eyes as he threatened Twilight with Spike’s life like he was nothing. The sickening smile on his face. She wondered if he wore that same spine-chilling smile as he killed Tom.

With a slight groan, she turned over and thumped her head back onto her pillow, hoping to rid herself of these thoughts with a change in position. It didn’t work.

She opened her tired eyes and blinked, only to find another pair of eyes staring back at her.

“Can’t sleep?” Apple Bloom whispered blankly, sounding tired as if she had been wrestling with the same issue.

Scootaloo stared into her friend’s amber orbs, still half processing the sudden return to social interaction. Just because she couldn’t sleep didn’t mean she was fully awake. “Yeah…” She answered softly, peering over the yellow filly to see Sweetie Belle silent and still, facing the wall of their alcove.

“I’m worried ‘bout the others… what ‘bout you?” Apple Bloom asked, sitting up slightly and trying her best to not disturb their unicorn friend.

Scootaloo started to answer, only to stop herself briefly. “I’m sure they’re fine. But… yeah, I was worried too.”

“Should we get up or somethin’?” The young farmer proposed. “I don’t think one of Ms. Cheerilee’s lectures could knock me out now.”

“And do what?” Scootaloo shrugged. This seemed to put a wrench in the yellow filly’s carefully plotted plan.

“I dunno… Maybe we could find someone to make us a snack?” Apple Bloom said.

“A.B, it’s gotta be like one in the morning or something. Nopony is going to want to make us a snack right now.” Scootaloo lowered her brows slightly.

“Well, someone has to be up. How else is Princess Luna gonna eat when she’s up all night?” Apple Bloom reasoned.

Scootaloo trailed her eyes to the side in thought before nodding at her friend’s logic. “Good point.” She said before frowning a bit as she looked over to their silent friend. “But, I don’t know if I want to leave Sweetie out of whatever we end up doing. What if we end up doing something fun and get our cutie marks without her?”

“Well… Maybe we really just go get a snack and just bring her back somethin’? After all, if she’s gotten to sleep, I think she’s earned it after everythin’ we’ve been through.” The young earth pony said, more happy for the unicorn than jealous, though she couldn’t deny a touch of that as well.

“Yeah…” Scootaloo deflated back under her covers a bit. “You’re right. Maybe we should just try to sleep again?”

“Forty-two…”

A drowsy mumble came from beside them. Both fillies turned to see Sweetie Belle unmoved.

“Huh…?” Scootaloo wrinkled her mouth in confusion.

After a brief moment, the unicorn stirred. She turned over and looked to the pair with a pair of bags under her drowsy eyes, similar to theirs. “There’s forty-two stones in that wall.” Sweetie inched her head toward the alcove behind her. Both her friends were left stunned and speechless. “I couldn’t sleep either…”

Seeing this as a warning for their near future, Scootaloo sat up and stretched her tired body, even producing a loud yawn before shaking herself awake. “Ok, I think that settles it. We need to get up.”

“I think I’d rather sleep… Too bad that ain’t an option.” Apple Bloom sighed as she threw back the covers and followed her orange friend out of bed. She was surprised to feel something weighing her down, only to look back to see Sweetie Belle holding onto her and using her as a means of dragging herself out of bed.

“Mmmph… Sleep sounds nice.” The unicorn mumbled, barely coherent and barely able to keep her eyes open. She pulled the blanket behind her as Apple Bloom struggled to walk across the room with her holding on. She had a surprisingly tight grip for such a tired pony.

With some difficulty, largely due to the two having to hoist their friend to her hooves and nudge her along, the trio exited their room and walked down the halls with their loose objective of food the only thing guiding them.

Through their brief travels, they ran across a couple of guards or traveling servants. A few of them would pause and give the three fillies a lingering stare, but some quick thinking and promises of taking a quick walk dissuaded anyone from sending them back to their room.

Eventually, as they were cutting through an open sitting area off one of the outer hallways, the trio noticed some voices up ahead that sounded familiar as a pair of equine figures came into view. One of them had a small purple shape riding on their back.

“Has anyone ever told you guys that stained glass windows and wall sconces are so past out of style?” A grayish-blue pegasus mare asked, eliciting a tired sigh from the pink alicorn beside her.

“Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?” Cadence droned. Suddenly, she stopped walking and looked ahead with face wrinkled in surprise as she noticed the three fillies. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle…? What are you three doing here?”

The trio adopted a sheepish appearance as the princess of love approached them.

“We couldn’t sleep,” Scootaloo admitted.

“Join the club.” Spike chimed in from atop Cadence's back.

Meanwhile, Raincloud produced an amused snort. “Hey, I’m awake because I chose to be. Maybe you all need some warm milk or something.”

Cadence cast a deflated glare at the pegasus, having lost the energy over repeated incidents to even wrinkle her eyes. However, her features softened as she turned back to see the fillies looking to the gray mare with uneasy expressions, similar to how Spike was earlier.

“Why is she here?” Sweetie Belle asked in a soft voice, flinching back slightly as if she were afraid of the pegasus hearing her.

“Why is that always the first question ponies ask about me?” Raincloud grumbled.

“Maybe if you didn’t try to kill everyone you meet…” Spike muttered under his breath while trailing his eyes up and away.

Raincloud scrunched her face up at the dragon, partly because he was actually above her on the alicorn’s back. “What was that, pint siz...zzzz...uh...” She backed up and smiled nervously as Cadence shot her a particularly potent death glare. For the princess of love, she was certainly showing a lot of veiled anger recently.

After getting the ornery pegasus to quiet down, for the moment, Cadence turned to the fillies and offered them a sympathetic expression. “I know she’s hurt you three in the past, and I know you must be scared of her, but don’t worry. She’s a better pony now… and she’s really sorry for what she did to you. Isn’t that right, Raincloud?”

“I mean… I guess.” Raincloud shrugged half-heartedly, almost like she was trying to annoy the alicorn, which was a strong possibility.

“Whatever.” Scootaloo huffed and turned her nose up at the pegasus. “I’m not scared of you anymore. You’re just a big jerk with superpowers.”

Once their fearless leader spoke up, the other crusaders gained the courage they needed to chime in as well with some vocal agreements.

Hearing this, Raincloud lifted a brow at the orange filly. “Huh… I like you, kid.” She nodded before flattening her expression. “But don’t call me a jerk again.”

Cadence glanced between the fillies and started to say something when a sudden noise made her ears shoot up. It sounded like some faint yells and other such commotion.

“What’s that?” Apple Bloom asked, turning toward the source of the noise behind them. Apparently, they hadn’t noticed that they had walked past a balcony.

While the children were growing a bit concerned at the faint clamor, Cadence lifted Spike off her back and turned to Raincloud with a serious expression. “Stay here for a minute. All of you.” She instructed before trotting toward the balcony. The fillies and dragon watched her uneasily, while Raincloud merely stared toward the outside.

As the pink alicorn drew closer to the balcony, she could identify the yells to be those of guards. Much to her horror, she could also hear some chillingly familiar feral growls.

Cadence cautiously peered over the railing and looked down. She was above and a little to the side of the main entrance. She widened her eyes as she saw what she was dreading most.

A band of nearly a dozen vampires was storming the front doors. The few guards stationed there were quickly overwhelmed, with one being instantly knocked to the ground and ripped into by two of the pale ponies.

While most of his colleagues barged through the doors and entered inside, one of the pale stallions pinned the only remaining guard up against the wall and snarled threateningly at him.

“Where is Princess Cadence?!” The stallion demanded.

The guard was obviously in way over his head, but even through his fear, he refused to answer. Cadence gasped and recoiled back a few steps as she watched the pale pony rip into the defenseless stallion’s neck.

With thoughts racing nearly as fast as her heart, Cadence darted her eyes around as she tried to think of what to do next. She had to protect the children behind her first and foremost. However, as she turned around, she found the crusaders and their dragon friend much closer than she told them to be.

“What’s wrong, Cadence?” Spike prodded gently.

“What were all those yells?” Sweetie added, thoroughly unsettled by now.

Cadence wasted no more time with idle explanation. They had to move. “We need to go. Now.” She stated, already trotting away, or at least starting to.

“Woah, woah, woah, where’s the fire?” Raincloud asked, eliciting an impatient groan from the alicorn, only this time it seemed to be directed at something other than her.

“We don’t have time for this, Raincloud,” Cadence said with a glint of urgency in her eyes.

“Let me guess… more of your fanged friends?” Raincloud inferred.

Cadence didn’t answer verbally, though the look on her face spoke volumes. She knelt down to the four children and looked to them with a serious air about her that immediately garnered their full attention. “Stay close to us, and do not fall behind. Understand?”

“Y-yes Princess,” Scootaloo answered while her friends merely nodded shakily. By now, they were starting to get freaked out at the thought of more ruthless vampires coming after them.

With little more acknowledgment than a slight nod of assurance, Cadence turned and rushed off. Her gray companion, along with Spike and the crusaders all followed after her with varying degrees of hesitance or reluctance between them.

Down a hallway, through a room, around a few confused servants that Cadence quickly bade to hide or run. The three fillies and even the young dragon were starting to wonder if there was a method to the seemingly scattered path they were taking.

“Princess, where are we going?” Apple Bloom piped up, darting her eyes to every doorway and corner around them.

Cadence stole a glance behind her at the children. They were understandably scared, and it wasn't like they could cling to Raincloud for comfort or reassurance. “We’re going to the equipment room to grab something to protect ourselves, and then we’re going to run or hide… probably run.”

“But… Cadence, I don’t understand. Why are they here? Everyone they would want to hurt is away!” Spike reasoned.

“I think they’re after me,” Cadence said, her voice a bit diminished. A series of tiny gasps came from the children.

“Well, that solves things pretty nicely. All we have to do is avoid you.” Raincloud stated sarcastically, though the look in her eye seemed to suggest some sincerity.

“Raincloud, if you’re not being helpful, I am really not in the mood to put up with you right now,” Cadence responded.

“You know, I’d be a lot more helpful if you found one of those spare remotes.” Raincloud tapped her collar pointedly and raised her brows.

“I think I’d rather take my chances with the vampires.” Cadence deadpanned before turning and continuing on her way.

“Hey… just a thought.” The pegasus shrugged.

The three fillies and their dragon friend closely followed the two mares into yet another hallway. This one seemed to be a balcony of sorts, with a railed-off opening into a larger room downstairs full of various paintings depicting the royal sisters and even the elements of harmony.

“Come on. There are some stairs right through here. The equipment room isn’t far.” Cadence beckoned with a hoof, pausing before a door and waiting for her group to catch up before opening it. As she peeked inside, however, she suddenly froze.

A small group of pale ponies was in the next corridor, searching rooms hastily and making a mess of the place.

Cadence closed the door as quickly and quietly as she could and drew air between her teeth. “Horsefeathers…” She muttered.

“Where to now, fearless leader?” Raincloud asked.

Suddenly, Cadence’s ears pricked at the sound of more voices. “Ssshh!” She gestured wildly for the group to be quiet before walking over to the railing and peering over it.

“She’s not here either!” A mare’s voice called from the room below.

“You two look upstairs!” Another voice instructed. Cadence widened her eyes as she saw two pegasi standing below her, who quickly shifted their eyes up.

The others watched as the alicorn backpedaled and darted her eyes around in rapid thought. Finally, she settled eyes on a door and threw her aura around its handle before opening it and quickly ushering them inside. Cadence herself narrowly made it in before they heard the sound of wings flapping as two pale ponies landed on the balcony outside.

Spike and the three fillies felt their hearts skip as they watched the alicorn keeping her back up against the door and holding its handle tightly with her magic. She gestured a hoof to her lips urgently, and even Raincloud was inclined to listen.

Soon, the sound of hoofsteps approached. Cadence winced nervously as she felt resistance on the knob. The pegasus outside was trying to open the door.

Ready to fight or flee at a moment’s notice, Raincloud and the four children watched anxiously as the alicorn held her ground and the knob with equal intensity.

A frustrated sigh came from outside the door, and a couple of particularly hard jostles shook the knob before a thump came, seemingly a kick at the immovable barrier.

“Stupid thing’s locked.” A mare’s voice reported. Everyone deflated a bit with relief.

“Just ignore it. We’ll find a way around.” A stallion stated.

The mare outside let out one final agitated snarl. The monstrous sound sent shivers up the three fillies’ backs.

“That pretty little headache better hope I don’t find her first.”

Then, much to the group’s relief, the sounds of hoofsteps started walking away. Soon, they were left in relative silence once more.

Cadence gave the silence a few moments to sit before dropping to her hooves and turning to the group. “Follow me. We’ll have to go around.”

“You’re going to get all of us killed. You know that, right?” Raincloud muttered flatly.

“Just shut up and move, Raincloud. You wouldn’t be in this mess if you stayed in your room like you were supposed to.” Cadence said through clenched teeth, trying to keep her voice down to not further unnerve their young companions with her spectacular anger. She gave the pegasus a not so gentle shove forward and walked ahead herself.

“Alright, alright, I’m going. Sheesh.”

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom whined nervously as she and her friends followed along behind the two older mares. “I wish Applejack was here.”

“I wish Tom was here…” Sweetie added, on the verge of fearful tears. Nobody seemed to have anything to add to that.

Cadence paused and looked to the fillies and dragon with sympathetic eyes. She wanted nothing more than to assure them that everything was going to be ok, but she knew that it was but a hollow comfort. All she could hope to do was make this assurance a reality.

For the longest few minutes of their short lives, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Spike followed the princess of love and their unlikely ally through the once serene and picturesque halls of the royal palace. They tried their hardest to remain silent as the grave, but every stray hoof fall or scuff against the floor louder than previously thought made them seize up and dart their eyes around.

As they made their way down a lesser-known stairway meant for staff, they could already hear faint commotion around them, either from the pale ponies rushing through in their fervent search or from guards rushing to stop the incursion.

“How much further?” Spike asked.

Cadence looked ahead at a familiar corner and managed a slight smile for the dragon. “Not much.”

Hearing rapid hoofsteps coming from around said corner, Cadence stood in front of the children protectively and lit her horn, while Raincloud merely lowered her stance in preparation to fight with nothing but her bare hooves. The alicorn was relieved to see a pair of guards rushing out into the hallway in a hurry.

Upon nearly running into the group and recognizing the pink mare, the guards skidded to an abrupt halt.

“Princess Cadence.” One of the guards spoke, clearly alarmed by the sudden attack they were just rushing to repel. “It’s not safe for you here. There are-”

“Intruders. Yes, we know.” Cadence said, trying to keep a steady and calm voice. “We were on our way to the equipment room. I believe that they are here for me… and possibly anyone else close to Celestia or the elements.” She glanced at the group of children behind her hesitantly.

The two stallions looked at each other, sharing an uneasy expression for a moment before turning to the princess in their care and stiffening their postures. “Right this way, Princess. We’ll keep you s-”

“THERE SHE IS!”

A feminine voice yelled from down the hall. Cadence and the others turned to see a pale unicorn mare pointing a hoof their way, with a pair of earth pony stallions close behind. Soon, a series of voices and feral barks approached from a doorway near the pale trio as a veritable gang of more vampires came bounding out into the hallway toward them, headed by two strigoi clad in guard armor.

Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their skulls as they saw the small mob rushing toward them.

Immediately, the two guards ran in front of the alicorn’s group and drew their silver blades. One of them turned and shouted behind him.

“Go!” He demanded. Perhaps noting the hesitance in the princess’s eyes, he turned to her with a more serious expression. “We’ll buy you as much time as we can. Get yourselves out of here!”

“Princess!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, having paused with the others as they realized the alicorn wasn't following them.

“Cadence!” Spike yelled.

Cadence didn’t know what to do. She had to protect the kids. This much she was certain about, but she also knew that leaving the two stallions was basically giving them a death sentence.

With the pale horde beating hoof down the deceptively small corridor, and time running out in mere moments, Raincloud grabbed the indecisive alicorn by a foreleg and shook her. “Move it or lose it, crayon head!”

Finally, Cadence tensed her lips and gave in. “I’m sorry!” She shouted behind her to the brave guards before running down the hall with her friends and Raincloud.

The fillies and dragon ran faster than they ever had before down the moonlit corridor. Raincloud and Cadence were just ahead of them, with the alicorn keeping pace with them more than the gray mare.

Spike yelped as he tripped over himself in his hasty scramble. Before he could even lift his head to look behind him, a magical aura wrapped around him and whisked him forward and onto Cadence’s back.

“In here!” Cadence frantically instructed as she threw open a red door and ushered the fillies inside.

Just as Raincloud entered the darkened room and Cadence was about to close the door, she paused as she heard the sounds of some feral growls and shouts from behind. Turning back toward where she had left the two guards, she could faintly see a mess of shadows cast against the back wall depicting swinging blades, reaching hooves, and bared fangs.

A few embers drifted out into the corridor, seemingly indicating that the pair had slain at least one of the creatures, but a pained scream and a spray of blood quickly confirmed what the alicorn had feared.

With heavy heart racing under the fear and adrenaline, Cadence could barely offer the two stallions a somber thought before she ducked into the room and quickly shut the door before anyone could come around the corner.

Spike hopped down and leaned a hand against the wall to rest as he and the fillies surveyed the dark room, only illuminated by Cadence’s soft magical light.

The dragon vaguely recognized this to be the equipment room. He had been here once or twice, mostly due to Twilight visiting Glimmer Shine’s team and asking them about the magical charms that they used. For the fillies, this was their first time seeing it.

The space wasn't cluttered by any means. Glitterball at least seemed to keep the floor space open and the various shelves and containers in some order. It looked very professional and would have been exciting for the children under other circumstances.

Scattered groupings of sealed boxes lined the walls, with one opened one containing what appeared to be guard helmets leftover from before the team of monster hunters moved into the room.

Three tables were in the room, two of which were small ones against the back wall holding the leftovers of a tinkering session. Empty glass vials with different brass caps sitting beside them, along with pouches and containers full of powders, liquids, and other such ingredients were left mostly unattended.

The third table stood in the middle of the room next to a tall shelf lined with books. On this table, there were parts for crossbows and the newest weapon the team was using, a uniquely designed vial with a more encompassing casing, all empty.

“What are we gonna do?” Scootaloo fretted as she looked around the dark room. “We’re sitting ducks in here!”

“It’s ok,” Cadence assured, not able to spare a moment to comfort the fillies otherwise as she sprang into action. She darted her eyes around the room, taking in whatever information she was searching for amid the shelves and tables in an instant, before rushing forward and wrapping her magic around a silver dagger nearby.

Much to nearly everyone’s surprise, she gave it to Raincloud.

“Uh…” The pegasus eyed the weapon in her hoof, and then the pink alicorn, with a raised eyebrow.

“Raincloud, take that and hold the door as long as you can.” Cadence instructed, already rushing off to do something else. “Girls, Spike, come here and help me look for something.” She said, pausing before a large wardrobe of sorts and throwing it open.

The three fillies and their dragon friend stared at the contents of the wardrobe as they approached. It seemed as though the team of ponies used this to store their spare gear. Anywhere from four to five tactical vests, flat and devoid of any equipment, were hanging inside. There were also some miniature shelves and drawers built into the wardrobe that were chock full of spare charms and tools.

“What are we lookin’ for?” Apple Bloom asked curiously as her friends walked up behind the alicorn, who was already rifling through drawers and compartments.

“It’s one of the vials Glitter and the others use, like their strobes. Only, this one has something other than liquid inside. I think it was… some kind of flakes.” Cadence said. She had been on the receiving end of a few letters from Twilight gushing about the unicorn getting the opportunity to examine the team’s equipment, but it was hard to remember in such a rush what each individual vial did.

With a few hesitant glances between each other and the pegasus pressing against the door, Spike and the crusaders got to work.

Sweetie Belle stood on Apple Bloom’s back to reach a higher drawer, while the young farmer searched the few compartments she could reach. Spike opened some compartments along the side, and Scootaloo was practically burying herself inside one of the larger drawers.

It seemed as though at one point the wardrobe had been organized. The group found certain vials and tools next to others of their type. But then, at some point or another, it seemed as though the less tidy members of the team had rifled through and replaced items willy nilly without a care in the world for where they belonged.

If they were being honest, it was probably Sunspot. They would have to remember to be upset at her later for it if they lived.

“Hurry it up, pipsqueaks!” Raincloud whispered urgently from over by the door. She could already hear the sounds of the pale ponies rushing down the hall and checking the other rooms, getting progressively closer to their hideaway. “Unless you want to be a living juice box, you better find those stupid… whatever you’re looking for!”

“You try looking through a bunch of junk and then get back to us!” Spike retorted.

“Clearly you’ve never seen my brother’s room at the mansion,” Raincloud added.

“Ooo!” Sweetie perked up as she held up a vial, drawing Cadence’s attention. “Is this one?”

Cadence inched closer to see the vial in the pale light before her face lit up. “Yes… yes! That’s exactly what we need! Keep looking for more.” She said after taking the vial from the young unicorn and holding it beside her in her aura.

Spike and the others got a good look at the vial before returning to their search with renewed vigor.

A few moments later, Scootaloo cheered triumphantly. “Aha! Here’s one!” She waved the vial in her hoof, jingling the dry flakes inside the glass compartment.

Just then, the sound of the doorknob turning rang out, making everyone freeze. Raincloud cringed and pressed herself against the door harder as more resistance started to push back.

“Hey! They’re in here!” A muffled voice called.

Cadence cursed under her breath and darted her head to the children before looking elsewhere. “Bring these vials with you and follow me.” She instructed, handing the vial she already had to Spike and rushing over to a single shelf standing against the far wall. “Quickly! There’s no time!”

The dragon and the trio of fillies were a little confused and more than a little panicked, but they did as instructed and scampered over behind the alicorn as she stood before the shelf.

Sweetie Belle started to speak, asking what they were going to do, when she was suddenly silenced as Cadence wrapped her magic around the shelf and pushed it aside, revealing a hole in the wall of all things.

The hole led into a small space, just large enough for a small group of adult ponies to stand cozily close together. For them, it would be a bit larger. There were boxes full of bottled water and emergency food inside, along with a magical lantern and some scattered supplies.

“Woah…” Scootaloo looked around the hidden room with a hint of intrigue in her eyes.

“What is this?” Sweetie asked.

“It’s a secret room,” Spike answered, seemingly knowledgeable on the subject. “There are loads of them all around the castle for different things. Twilight used to use them to get around faster or hide when she thought she was in trouble... I’ve never seen this one, though.”

“Everyone inside,” Cadence said, ushering the hesitant children into the small space. She used her magic to light the nearby lantern before lowering herself to be at eye level with the petrified group. “Those vials will keep them from finding you, but they only work at a very small range, so stay close together.”

Scootaloo and her friends looked down at the two vials in their possession. Would they really be enough to keep the pale ponies’ unnatural senses at bay?

“But… Princess, what about you?” Apple Bloom asked, looking to the alicorn and even the gray mare with soft eyes. The others seemed equally concerned.

Cadence started to answer when a loud thump drew her attention behind her. She could see Raincloud struggling to keep the door from just flying open. “We’ll be fine. You four stay in here and stay quiet, no matter what you hear. Understand?” She looked to the dragon and fillies with a serious air behind her reassuring expression as she slowly closed the shelf back over the opening.

“Cadence!” Spike started to reach for her, only to be stopped by the shelf fully obscuring the alicorn from view.

The pink mare cast a regretful look at the shelf before sighing and steeling her expression as she turned around. She grabbed a silver bolt from a prototype crossbow nearby and held it aloft in her magic as she walked toward Raincloud.

The pegasus grunted softly as the door behind her smacked into her back. Her hind hooves dug into the floor, but even then she was having problems with holding fast.

“I hope your hubby taught you how to fight,” Raincloud said, gripping her silver dagger tightly.

Cadence exhaled softly. “I hope you’re more than just shadow magic and a pretty face.”

The pair gave each other a solemn nod, resolving that they were the only thing standing between the other being ripped to shreds, and so forming a temporary alliance.

In one swift motion, Raincloud rushed forward out of the way of the door, allowing it to slam open. Several pale ponies glared at the pair through the newly unblocked doorway, only to widen their eyes as they saw Cadence pointing her glowing horn right at them.

“AH!” A pale mare and a few others yelped as they tripped over themselves to get away. They were the lucky ones.

A crackle of orange sparked from the pink mare’s horn, followed by a roar of fire. A veritable wall of immolation surged through the door. It didn’t seem powerful from a magical standpoint, but it didn’t have to be, as two distinct sets of crumbling ashes were left in its wake.

Once the way was clear again, the pale ponies snarled and charged to avenge their fallen comrades. Five vampires and two strigoi came rushing in, fangs bared and eyes burning with crimson rage.

While Cadence sent her silver bolt zipping into a leaping strigoi’s neck and wrapped the five ponies up in magical auras, Raincloud stabbed her dagger into the remaining strigoi’s ribs as she dodged a leap from it.

As the pegasus turned her head, she received a hoof to the muzzle. The violent strike sent her stumbling back as two more ponies entered the fray.

Cadence was forced to throw all of the floating ponies back before her magic was overwhelmed. She placed a shield in front of herself as two unicorns fired energy bolts at her. The pair of pegasi she saw before tried to flank around both sides of her barrier. She caught one in the back with her floating bolt, while the other made a lunge for her.

He would have connected with her too if he wasn't abruptly reduced to ash by a dagger in the side.

“That all you got, you monster mash dropouts?! I’ve made scarier things than you my bitch!” Raincloud yelled as she cautiously backed away with the pink alicorn beside her.

I really hope that shelf is soundproof… Cadence thought to herself. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been thinking about the innocence of the children behind her being shattered by some colorful language, but it was a better thought to have than how she was probably about to die.

The pale pack of ponies didn’t seem dissuaded by the gray mare’s taunts, instead creeping forward with vicious growls and sadistic chuckles.

Not one to let the enemy make the first move, Cadence shot out a fireball down the center, hoping to hit most of the creatures. She barely clipped one, as all the others either ducked or jumped out of the way, and the one she clipped wasn't damaged enough to kill.

One of the pale mares made a fierce yell as she charged toward Raincloud. The pegasus swiped at her with the dagger, only to catch a pair of forelegs to the shoulders and get tackled backward before she could connect.

“Raincloud!” Cadence widened her eyes as she saw her ally in trouble. She started to zip her floating bolt toward the pale mare, only to suddenly have her legs pulled out from under her.

As she landed on the floor roughly, the alicorn looked up to see the two unicorns snickering at her with horns aglow. They apparently made good use of the fact that their magic wasn't handicapped by a paranormal entity.

Racing back to at least a sitting position, Cadence started to try to teleport away. Before she could even light her horn, however, she was set upon by an earth pony mare and a unicorn stallion and felt something sharp pressed to her neck.

“Ah, ah, ah.” The mare said, pressing a knife she had apparently found on one of the tables nearby into the alicorn’s throat harshly. “The Prince told us to take you alive, but he can work with a corpse too.”

Meanwhile, over to the side, Raincloud was still caught in her miniature wrestling match despite the fact that the battle had mostly ended. She tried to wrench her dagger hoof free of the mare on top of her, but the vampiric pony was much stronger.

Raincloud grit her teeth and glared up at the beige mare, who had a slight smirk through her own clenched jaw. Both of the pegasus’ forelegs were being held down, and the pale pony seemed to only be letting her continue to fight for the fun of it.

Suddenly, Raincloud thrust her head forward, knocking her skull into the bottom of the mare’s jaw. This was enough of a shock to distract the mare, allowing her to jerk her foreleg free so she could point the dagger forward and stab,

Only to get an inch away from breaking skin before a magical aura jutted her knife to a stop.

Despite her best attempt at a struggle, Raincloud had her silver weapon ripped from her hoof and sent sliding away as her limb was pinned to the floor. She looked up, only to see a pale unicorn, the rest of the vampires, a captured Cadence, and even the mare on top of her staring her way.

“Aww, son of a-”

*Crack*

In an instant, the pale mare bashed her own head into the pegasus’ face, silencing her instantly with a pained grunt. She looked down at the bloodied pony and smirked. “Watch your language, bitch.”

Raincloud took a moment to focus her dazed eyes. Her nose stung, and she could feel warm liquid seeping out. It was broken. “Lousy karmic retribution…” She mumbled, head lolling around and throbbing. Then, she croaked abruptly as she was lifted off the ground by her throat.

With both the alicorn and the pegasus in their possession, the remaining six vampires relaxed a bit.

Their appointed leader, self-appointed or not, seemed to be a pale unicorn mare with green fur and red mane. She sniffed the air for a moment with an irritated expression and walked up to Cadence, who was still being held at knifepoint by a single other pony, inching closer to her face with narrowed eyes.

“What did you do with the kids? Where are they?” She asked, or rather, demanded impatiently.

“I’m not entirely sure what you’re talking about. What kids?” Cadence feigned innocence, only to flinch back slightly at a snarl.

“We don’t have all the time in the world, smartflank. I want to be out of here before more of your little guards show up.” The unicorn grabbed the front of Cadence’s necklace and pulled her close. “I saw all of you out in the hallway, and we’ve already checked the other rooms. Where are they?!”

Despite the mounting pressure from the pale mare and the knife being pressed so hard into her neck that she was certain she was bleeding, Cadence didn’t relent.

Eventually, the pale mare snorted, silently signaling the other pony to ease up on the knife. She turned to look at her companions, eventually settling her eyes on Raincloud. A slight twitch lifted the corner of her lips.

“How about you? You look like a smart girl… street smart, anyway.”

“I take offense to that.” Raincloud retorted, casting a thoroughly unimpressed look at the pale mare, at least until she heard a growl in her ear and felt a hoof grabbing her shoulder and holding her head down, exposing her neck. She trailed her eyes up and to the side, only to see the beige mare holding her with jaw open and fangs ready to sink into her throat.

The hungry mare waited and watched, allowing the green pony to stroll up to Raincloud with a sly grin.

“Still feeling brave?” The green unicorn asked before flattening her expression. “Look… I just fed, so I’m willing to let you live. My friend, on the other hoof, hasn’t eaten in a while.” She said, almost in perfect time for a drop of saliva to hit the pegasus, who wasn't sure whether to be unsettled or disgusted. “Just tell us where the kids are, and we’ll let you walk.”

Raincloud looked at the pale mare and the other pale ponies around her. She looked to Cadence, and down to the side. She didn’t look to the shelf, but she was thinking about it. A lot. Sweat started to form on her forehead as the hooves holding her dug into her shoulder and pulled her mane, brushing against her collar as they shifted.

Her damn collar. It had caused her so many problems recently. She could solve so many problems if it weren’t there. Of course, her ‘allies’ put it on her because they didn’t trust her.

And maybe they were right not to.

“Alright, fine...” The pegasus sighed, lifting a single hoof and pointing right at the hiding spot. “They’re behind that shelf.”

The room fell quiet after that, those words filling the space and then fading to grave silence like the ring of an executioner’s blade.

Cadence felt all of the air leave her lungs in a stunned, quiet rasp. Her jaw hung open as she stared at the pegasus, who wasn't returning her gaze. “Raincloud…” She muttered. She wanted to say so much more. How could you? How dare you? She wasn't one to curse anyone, but right now she felt like swearing like a sailor. Raincloud said nothing further.

The unicorn gave an amused snort. “Cold… I like it.” She said before motioning for the mare to let Raincloud go. She then motioned for two of her companions to follow her. Two of the three ponies watching the door walked over and joined her as she approached the shelf.

“No! Leave them alone!” Cadence cried, trying to rush forward only to get pulled back roughly.

Once they reached the seemingly innocuous shelf, the green mare looked it over for a moment before gesturing for her fellow vampires to move it aside. The unicorn stallion and earth mare got on one side and pushed, and much to their surprise, it actually moved.

The red-haired mare watched as a small space was revealed behind the shelf, smirking at the sight of three shivering fillies huddled at the back with an equally terrified-looking baby dragon standing in front of them.

“Hello there…” The mare said softly.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom screamed, while Spike and Scootaloo merely produced a short sound of terror and a garbled mess of half-formed yells respectively. All at once, they all made a break for it.

Scootaloo got caught almost instantly by the green mare reaching out and snatching her.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle barely made it free of the two other ponies, when they were lifted off the ground against their will by a magical aura.

Spike almost made it the furthest out of any of them. However, he was tripped and sent to the floor by a hoof stepping on his tail, uncaring of the pain such a fall would cause.

Cadence was nearly in tears by the time all the children were captured. “Please, just take me. Dusk just wants me… Just let them go, please! You were ponies once… surely you must have some compassion left in your hearts?”

“Sorry, your highness,” The green mare said, voice dripping with sarcasm, “but the Prince’s plans don’t just involve you. Don’t worry though, I’ll ask him to make it quick… just for you.” She grinned before turning to the others. “Alright, boys… let’s pack it in before we’re up to our eyes in guards.”

Raincloud watched and rubbed her still bleeding muzzle as the pale ponies started to leave. She met eyes with the pink alicorn, only to look away as Cadence gave her a disapproving glare while being led out of the room.

She looked over to see the three fillies and the young dragon still struggling, or at least Scootaloo was still struggling. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were merely flailing uselessly in the air, and Spike was being held too tightly to move his legs.

“Let us go!” Scootaloo cried.

“Raincloud, please!” Sweetie Belle looked to the gray pegasus with fearful tears in her eyes. “Princess Cadence said you were a better pony… so please! Help us!”

If Raincloud did have a heart, it was currently in a blender. She grit her teeth as her conflicted thoughts raced. She did the only thing she could do in the moment. It was the only thing that made sense.

They were outnumbered. They lost. She had to do whatever it took to keep herself alive. After all, the kids would be alright. They were important enough to be taken, so they would be ok for a while longer, right? Either way, it didn’t matter. Her life was more important to her.

The pegasus sighed and lowered her head. She closed her eyes, unable to watch the terrified faces of the three fillies and baby dragon any further.

“Hay with it…”

With that, Raincloud shot forward, reaching for a small object on the floor. She picked up her previously lost dagger and rushed at the earth pony mare at the back of the group that was carrying Spike.

The pegasus yelled and leaped onto the pale pony, plunging her silver knife squarely into the mare’s neck.

Every vampire in the room turned as a blood-curdling scream was drowned out by the whoosh of fire and ash. They saw the gray mare standing there alongside a dazed and surprised dragon on the floor.

“Kill her.” The green mare instructed flatly with a roll of the eyes.

Raincloud immediately rushed after the next pony with death in her eyes. The unicorn carrying Sweetie and Apple Bloom.

In a blur of motion, Raincloud leaped up, reared her foreleg back…

… and failed to touch the ground.

The pegasus’ body gently floated in a colorful aura as the unicorn approached her. She struggled, but her limbs refused her commands. The stallion smirked and wrenched her dagger out of her hoof before spinning it around to face her.

“Let’s see how you like it!”

Then, the dagger flew back before plunging into the gray mare’s chest.

Again. And again. And once more for good measure.

Spike and the three fillies were helpless to do anything but watch as blood sprayed from the pegasus with each strike, her yells growing softer and softer. She barely offered a painful sputter by the end of it before she was tossed to the back of the room, where she landed with a cringe-inducing thud.

“Raincloud!” Spike yelled, absentmindedly reaching for the pegasus that he once feared, now left in a bloody heap on the floor after trying to save him and his friends.

Before one of the other pale ponies could think to grab the dragon again, he whirled around with a fierceness in his eyes and ran up to the smug unicorn.

All at once, the sadistic joy faded from the stallion’s eyes as they widened at a sharp pain. “Gah!” He yelled, nearly losing his magical hold over the fillies. He looked down with an angry growl, only to see a purple dragon biting into his foreleg.

“Get OFF ME!” He bellowed, flicking his foreleg with unnatural strength.

In a blur, Spike was loosed from the unicorn’s leg and sent flying at the back wall. He barely got off the beginnings of a fearful scream before a sickening crack sounded out when his body collided with solid stone. He bounced to the ground and slid down the wall limply, leaving a few spatterings of blood behind.

The crusaders gasped as they watched their friend settle into a motionless heap a short ways away from Raincloud’s body.

“SPIKE!” Scootaloo yelled, struggling even harder against her captor to no avail.

The unicorn stallion looked to the dragon and the blood on the wall, then at his hoof still held aloft, before chuckling. “Ooops. I guess I don’t know my own strength.”

“What do we do with him?” Another pony asked. “I don’t think the Prince wants any dead dragons.”

“Leave him.” The green mare stated. “If he’s dead, he’s dead. If he’s alive, we don’t have time to check. Let’s go!”

And with that, the pale ponies all rushed to join their leader in exiting the room. They had what they came for, and now they were to leave before meeting any further resistance.

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom didn’t even struggle anymore. All they could do was stare at the two motionless figures against the back wall, bleeding out onto the equipment room floor.

Chapter 46: The Price of Failure

A flash of orange streaked across the skies above Ponyville, catching one or two passing stares from ponies still outside.

Blue Bolt flinched and rocked side to side as he decelerated rapidly. His glowing wings caught a wave of wind that threatened to blow him off-kilter, but he held steady. He was starting to get used to using his newfound powers, but the more taxing ones still left a buzz in his head that he had to shake off.

Right now, he couldn’t afford to waste time learning the nuances of hyper fast flight or supernatural headaches. His friends needed him.

Looking down at the landscape below, he could see the last few clusters of buildings on this side of town giving way to grassy plains and rolling hills. He could also see a fenced-off plot of land with numerous apple trees and a very distinct set of buildings up ahead.

“Sweet Apple Acres… thank Celestia,” Blue muttered to himself with a relieved smile. With troubling thoughts of what could have happened to warrant such an urgent call for aid running through his head, he swooped down and headed for the farmhouse.

As he got closer to the ground, he could spot numerous equine shapes out by the front of the house. Most were clad in guard armor, easily visible from above with their colorful plumed helmets. However, one white shape, in particular, seemed to be waving at him.

The stallion fluttered down to a landing right in front of the porch, where a familiar white unicorn was seemingly waiting for him with a pale look about her that didn’t go unnoticed.

“Blue Bolt, thank the stars!” Rarity deflated a bit, her joy at seeing the pegasus quickly replaced with fearful urgency as she turned toward the back of the house, a peculiar-looking vial in her hoof. “Quickly! Follow me!”

“Lead the way,” Blue said, already following after her. Judging from the mare’s trembling eyes and rigid movements, he figured that they didn’t have any time to waste.

As they ran around the house and into the orchards, Rarity consulted the vial in her hoof, seemingly to find out which way to go. The sand inside the charm glowed brightly toward one end, acting as a beacon of sorts.

“What is it?” Blue Bolt asked while he ran. “Is someone hurt?”

Rarity panted softly, already feeling exhausted. The stallion seemed to be effortlessly keeping pace with her. He could probably go faster, she surmised, but right now she was his guide. “It’s Big Macintosh.” She explained, pausing either to catch her breath or her thoughts. “We were fighting some of those dreadful monsters with sunken eyes. He… he got attacked trying to save Applejack.”

“Oh my gosh…” Blue Bolt’s mouth fell open as he envisioned the event in his head. He knew first hoof how vicious the feral ponies could be.

“You can save him, can’t you?” Rarity prodded with voice faintly wavering.

The stallion softened his expression at this and trailed his eyes down. “I hope so.”

After a few more moments of running, Rarity stopped suddenly. A sharp gasp escaped her as she pointed ahead, where three colorful shapes could be seen in the distance. “There!”

With his destination in sight, the stallion steeled himself before aptly bolting forward. Rarity was practically left in his dust, but she didn’t mind showing up last. Right now, he was their only hope.

Up ahead, Applejack and Glimmer Shine were huddled around the red stallion motionless on the ground. The orange mare was in the middle of performing CPR while Glimmer watched. An air of panicked urgency was clearly visible on their faces.

“Come on, Mac. Breathe!” Applejack fought her shaking hooves to continue pumping his chest. Every so often, she would stop her compressions and give the limp pony a breath before returning to her efforts.

However, as she noticed her yellow companion looking up, she darted her gaze forward and immediately perked up at the sight of a familiar pegasus rushing over.

“Blue Bolt!” Applejack immediately stood up and backed away to give the stallion room. “He’s not breathin’! Please…”

“Get those bandages off him.” Blue Bolt instructed as he leveled his hooves to Big Mac’s neck. He barely paused to take a deep breath before projecting his healing light.

Glimmer Shine raced to remove the bloodied gauze pads and expose the stallion’s wounds, not even pausing to note the strange warmth and tingling that came from sticking his hooves into the blue torrent of energy.

Meanwhile, Rarity finally caught up to the group. She gasped softly as she came to a stop next to Applejack, who was staring ahead with wide eyes.

“Oh my…” Rarity put a hoof to her mouth as the shock hit her. She did her best to internalize her own anxiety and rested a foreleg around her friend’s back.

“How long has he been like this?” Blue Bolt asked, glancing over to the yellow stallion beside him. He didn’t want to trouble the orange mare any further.

“He passed out right before you got here.” Glimmer answered. He couldn’t shake the pit in his stomach as he looked over and saw Applejack barely holding it together.

“Y-you can fix him, can’t you?” Applejack looked to the pegasus with more desperation in her eyes than he had ever seen in another pony. Her normally strong form seemed frail and jittery, like the only thing holding her up was the unicorn by her side. “Tom brought Twilight back after she died, and he ain’t even dead yet!”

Blue Bolt felt a tenseness in his limbs, and it wasn't from stamina drain. He barely even felt anything yet from his healing light, but somehow he felt cold despite the warmth radiating from his hooves.

“I-I’m doing everything I can, Applejack.” He replied, swallowing his nerves so he could keep a straight face.

The group collectively held their breath and watched as Blue Bolt desperately tried to pull the eldest Apple child from the jaws of death. While it was hard to see through the luminous wave of energy, they could just barely make out the sight of Big Mac’s wounds sealing up.

After giving the process more time than he thought was needed, Blue Bolt let the light fade. He examined his work while lightly catching his breath, and after a brief investigation, he found no traces of any punctures in the stallion’s throat.

Strangely, however, Big Mac still didn’t stir.

“Did it work?” Applejack asked, inching closer to her sibling until she was across from Blue Bolt. “Wh… why ain’t he wakin’ up?” She looked down, then up to the pegasus, then back down to her brother.

Blue Bolt seemed troubled by this development as well. “I don’t understand… His wounds are gone. I thought this was supposed to restore his strength too?” He muttered, looking down to his hooves. Did he do something wrong?

“Unless…” Glimmer Shine started, only to stop himself.

The others turned to see the vested pony wearing a distant and grim expression.

“Unless what, Glimmer?” Applejack turned to the stallion, keeping one hoof on the side of Big Mac’s form.

Glimmer dodged his eyes to the side. He seemed unable to meet the orange mare’s gaze. “Tom said that his powers normally can’t bring someone back that’s already…”

Even though he couldn’t get the words out, his message was clearly received. No matter how much some didn’t want to receive it.

“No. That ain’t true… he’s not-” Applejack shook her head, her steely eyes starting to water as she turned back to her motionless sibling. “He’s… he’s n-not dead.” Her voice failed her.

Rarity felt her lip trembling as she watched her friend just sitting there like a statue. Her heart only broke more as Applejack collapsed into the red stallion’s form and silently wept as she wrapped her forelegs around him.

Glimmer Shine lowered his head, lifting a foreleg and resting it around Rarity as she sank into his side and sobbed. He had desperately wanted to prevent anyone from ever going through this, but it seemed as though he had failed.

Blue Bolt had failed as well. He shrank back and allowed the orange mare some space as he silently looked down to his hooves. He was supposed to be able to save people now. Was he still just as weak as he had always been?

Applejack cried her eyes out as she hugged Big Mac close. She had so much pent-up emotion building up inside, and only a portion of it was coming out. She couldn’t believe that he was gone.

And then, she felt some movement as the sound of a deep, sucking breath came from beside her, followed by some coughing. Lifting her head, she noticed the red stallion was indeed moving.

“Big Mac?” Applejack blinked in disbelief, her stunned eyes still wet as she watched him open his. “You’re alive?!”

“Ee..yup…” Big Mac muttered, voice a bit creaky and drowsy sounding. He looked around, showing confusion through his unfocused gaze, before grunting slightly and sitting up. “What happened?”

Applejack was still processing things, but she couldn’t help but smile as she leaned back, revealing the pegasus beside them. “Blue Bolt healed you.”

“Hi there…” Blue gave a slightly awkward wave. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Thank ya kindly…” Big Mac said, though there was still a sense of confusion about his face even through the grateful smile. “You healed me?”

“I guess so.” Blue gave a half-hearted chuckle as he looked down to his hoof and let a bit of the soft blue light shine out. “I’m just glad it worked.”

“And thank the princess that it did. We thought we lost you.” Rarity chimed in.

The stallion glanced around at the small gathering around him before settling his eyes on Blue Bolt again, this time putting full focus on his earlier confusion. “Why do you have Tom’s fancy powers?”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions soured. In all the commotion, they hadn’t realized that Big Mac and most everyone in Equestria hadn’t been told about what happened to the human, or how the pegasus died and came back as a new slayer.

“Mac…” Applejack sighed softly, her ears drooping a bit. “A lot’s happened up in Canterlot… a lot of bad.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we have time to fill you in on everything. The others might need our help as we speak.” Glimmer Shine pointed out.

Rarity’s expression fell as she thought about how much danger her friends could have been in. “Perhaps we should check in on them? I’m certain that at the very least, they will want to know that everyone’s ok over here.” She suggested.

“Right.” Glimmer sighed before getting up and taking a few steps away. He put a hoof up to his ear, which glowed near the tip shortly after as he focused on his teammates. “This is Glimmer. The situation’s been taken care of over here. Everyone’s fine.”

A few moments later, a relieved sigh filled his head.

“Thank goodness for that. You were starting to worry us.” Glitterball said.

“Did I miss something?” Sparkplug chimed in, a bit concerned.

Glimmer gave a slight chuckle. “Nothing that didn’t get sorted out. How about down at the square? How are things looking, Glitter?”

“We’re still waiting on backup. We really need the numbers before we make a move. Town Hall’s been quiet, but I’m sure they’re watching the entries like a hawk.” The unicorn explained uneasily.

“We’re almost there. I can see the square now.” Sparkplug assured.

“That’s good…” Glitter said, though her tone seemed to contradict her, “But I still don’t feel good pushing unless we’re really ready to take on eight of them at once. Glimmer, you think you guys could head down here since you’re done?”

Glimmer glanced behind him to see the others all watching. Applejack and Rarity were still huddling next to Big Mac. They were all ready to go, but the two mares, the farmer especially, were still celebrating the fact that Big Mac had survived. He didn’t want to take them away from such pleasantness, but they had a job to do.

“Yeah. We’ll be down there as soon as we can.” Glimmer said before skewing his expression a bit as he thought of something. “What about Sunspot? Any news on their progress?”

“Uh… I haven’t heard from her. Have you, Glitter?” Sparkplug asked.

“No, I haven’t either.” Glitter said, growing a bit concerned. “You there, Sunspot?”

A troubling silence went on for several seconds.

“Sunspot?” Glimmer Shine prodded, only to receive no response. As brash as the pegasus was at times, it wasn't like her to just not answer. Something was wrong. “That’s not good...”

“What’s not good?” Applejack chimed in uneasily.

Glimmer gave the others a brief acknowledging glance before holding up a hoof, signaling for them to give him a minute to finish his conversation. “Girls, I think we’re going to have to take the square without Blue Bolt. It sounds like Sunspot and the others might be in trouble.”

“You think it’s serious enough to warrant Blue flying over there? We’ve got a hostage situation on our hooves, guys. Sunspot and Rainbow Dash are tough enough to handle themselves until you could get there… right?” Sparkplug ventured, though her voice wavered a bit.

“I think it’s better not to risk it. Blue can get there a lot faster and find out what’s going on.” Glitter added.

“My thoughts exactly.” Glimmer sighed tensely. “Besides, we can handle the square. Between you, Twilight, Shining, and Rarity, we should have enough unicorns to immobilize those vamps long enough for the rest of us to take the others out. We’ll be there shortly. Sit tight until then.”

“Roger that.” Glitter replied.

“You got it,” Sparkplug added.

As Glimmer dropped his hoof from his ear and turned around with a less than thrilled expression, the two mares and two stallions listened intently for whatever was to come next.

“Something wrong with Rainbow Dash and the others?” Blue prodded, stepping forward a bit.

“We think so.” Glimmer Shine nodded and set his mouth in a somber line. “Sunspot isn’t answering us.”

Rarity and Applejack’s expressions immediately fell as they thought about their pegasus friends being in danger.

“Oh… I hope nothing’s happened to them.” Rarity fretted. “I knew poor Fluttershy shouldn’t have been so involved.”

“Give her some credit, Rare.” Applejack said, though she wore a troubled expression as well. “She’s a lot tougher than you’d expect in a pinch. B’sides that, she’s got Rainbow and Sunspot to look out for her.”

Blue Bolt looked to Glimmer Shine with a more serious air to his eyes. “What do you want me to do? If I had my say, I’d already be gone to go help them, but I know other lives are at stake here.”

Glimmer was impressed to see the pegasus so eager to try and help as many people as possible. It very much reminded him of their human friend. Blue really was a slayer after all. “We can handle the square.” He glanced at Applejack and Rarity, who seemed eager to agree. “You go see what’s up with those three, and meet up with us once you’re done.”

Blue Bolt looked at the two mares. They offered him confident smiles and a nod or two. He smiled back before turning to the vested pony. “Alright. You guys stay safe.”

And with that, the pegasus took off like a hawk in flight, going fast enough to remind Rarity and Applejack of their cyan friend. Not many pegasi could accomplish that.

Still, as confident as they were in Blue’s ability, they couldn’t help but worry about their friends. With Big Mac right next to them, serving as a sobering reminder of what they were fighting and what could happen in the blink of an eye, they hoped against all hope that the three mares were ok.

-Earlier-

With their target coming into view, Sunspot and her two companions hovered down toward the ground. They paused well above the moonlit pasture that Fluttershy’s cottage sat on and scanned the area for movement.

After finding no signs of life from the air, the trio landed just before the bridge over the stream, the only source of noise in the whole area.

Fluttershy wrinkled her face with concern as she stared at her home. The once serene cottage was still lit from within, almost like nothing was wrong. Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about the teal mare within.

“I hope Lyra’s ok…” She let the hoof with her silver dagger dangle a bit and trailed her shimmering eyes down. Then, a few hoofsteps brought her attention to the side to see her cyan friend walking forward.

“She’ll be fine once we get in there. Right, Sunspot?” Rainbow flashed a confident smirk, hoping to receive the same kind of confidence from the suited mare.

However, Sunspot seemed more uneasy than usual. “I think right now we need to be cautious… and believe me, I know how that sounds coming from me.” She said, pulling up her detector from its cord and holding it out in front of her as she slowly walked over the bridge. Most of the fluid inside was aglow, confirming what they already knew.

“How many do you think there are?” Fluttershy asked as they followed along. She was used to moving softly, drawing as little attention as possible, but now she felt as though even her hoof falls were loud as thunder.

“Hard to say. Going off what that guard said, probably four or five.” Sunspot inferred.

“I’ll take two, and you take two. That’ll leave one for me when I get done with the first two.” Rainbow stated.

Sunspot snorted, “I like the enthusiasm, but let’s not get too carried away. We don’t know if they have any of those weird long-legged ones.”

“I hope not.” Fluttershy stiffened at the mere mention of the beastly ponies.

Rainbow Dash started to go off on some nonchalant dismissal of the feral creatures, either to comfort Fluttershy or boast, when Sunspot’s ear suddenly pricked to the side.

“Sssh!” The suited pegasus halted and faced toward the sound she heard. The other two mares quieted down and shifted their eyes over to where their leader had singled out. They all quickly realized that they were looking at Fluttershy’s shed.

Sunspot pulled out her silver dagger, while Rainbow Dash kept her own at the ready. Fluttershy stayed behind her two friends as they slowly approached the shed.

They gathered before the door. The sound had since ceased, but they were still on high alert. Sunspot nodded to Rainbow Dash, who in turn readied her weapon, before the orange mare reached for the door and threw it open.

“AHH!” A feminine scream greeted the trio as an equine shape fell backward, followed by a loud crash. Fluttershy mirrored the scream and jumped back, while Sunspot and Rainbow Dash merely flinched.

As they took a second to process who they were looking at, they realized that they recognized the pony currently lying on their back in the middle of the shed, covered in empty plant pots and dust.

It was a teal unicorn mare with bluish-white mane. A golden harp adorned her flank, all but confirming what they already knew.

“Lyra?!” Rainbow widened her eyes as she stared at the last pony she expected to see.

Lyra lifted a pot from over her eyes and blinked at the surprised trio. “Rainbow Dash… Fluttershy? What are you doing here? I thought you were off in Canterlot.”

Fluttershy stepped out from the cover of her friends and offered a helping hoof for the mare on the ground. She said, “We came to help as soon as we heard the town was under attack.”

“Wait… the town’s under attack?!” Lyra asked, clearly alarmed. “Does that mean there's more of them?!”

“We’ve got people handling it.” Sunspot chimed in.

Rainbow wrinkled her expression in confusion. “More importantly, what are you doing out here? We thought you were being held hostage by those fanged freaks.”

Suddenly, the fearful unease in the teal mare’s eyes shifted to outright worry as she darted her eyes to the cottage. “It was awful. Bon Bon and I were spending some time together while I was watching your animals for you. I was out here tending the chickens when these… these…”

“Vampires.” All three said in unison.

“Right… Vampires! These vampires just came barging into the house! I tried to go get help, but the two guards that showed up got captured as well. I’ve been hiding out here ever since.” Lyra explained, her ears falling flat against her head. “Please, you have to help them. I overheard them arguing about who was going to get to…” She swallowed uneasily, “k-kill Bon Bon.”

“Oh dear…” Fluttershy brought a hoof closer to herself.

Meanwhile, instead of showing concern, at least outwardly, Rainbow Dash offered the teal mare her usual confident smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll save Bon Bon and those guards no problemo.”

Lyra blinked, “Really? I mean… I know you guys deal with monster attacks often, but this seems different.” She frowned with concern for the three mares.

“Nothing we haven’t dealt with before,” Sunspot added with a hint of pride in her eyes. “Trust me. We’re professionals, right girls?”

Rainbow Dash posed with her dagger as she let out a hearty noise of agreement, while Fluttershy merely smiled uncomfortably and gave a hesitant murmur.

By the end of the display, Lyra wasn't sure what to think, but she didn’t really have a choice in who got to save her and her friend. “Well… l-lead the way.” She gestured nervously, hoping to anyone that was listening that this wasn't going to go as poorly as some of Rainbow Dash’s other endeavors.

With their new companion reluctantly in tow, the three pegasi slowly crept toward the side of the cottage. Sunspot took the lead, sweeping her detector side to side to make sure that all of the signals were coming from in front of them rather than behind.

Once they reached the house itself, they all hunkered down against the wall and moved toward the front. Almost immediately, they could hear muffled noises from inside. It sounded like talking, but they couldn’t determine what was being said or by whom.

Sunspot gestured for her companions to stay put for a moment and rounded the corner. She craned her neck up, barely peeking through the window and into the lit interior of the cottage.

She could instantly see Fluttershy’s living room, mostly intact save for a few overturned pieces of furniture. Six figures were inside.

One was a very petrified-looking Bon Bon. The cream mare was sitting, or rather, cowering on a couch at the back of the room, being watched over by a pale unicorn mare.

Two stallions easily identifiable as guards were tied up on the floor. One was missing his helmet, and the other was bleeding from a bite mark on his shoulder. A petite framed earth mare was stepping on the helmet-less guard roughly while another earth stallion seemingly argued with her.

“We’ve been waiting long enough! I say we eat these three and call it a day!” The stallion snarled hungrily.

“The Prince doesn’t want us to do anything until the elements get here! How can we have hostages if you eat them all?!” The petite mare retorted.

“You could stand to at least eat the mare. I’m amazed these two didn’t snap you in half, toothpick!” The stallion jabbed a hoof at her.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Toothpick!”

A sudden growl made everyone, even the suited pegasus watching from outside, shift their attention to the unicorn mare, who by now was getting hot-headed enough to counteract her pale complexion.

“Would you be quiet for five seconds?! Prince as my witness, I will take one of those silver daggers and end BOTH of you if you don’t shut the buck up!” The unicorn fumed.

The first mare pouted and averted her gaze, forcing Sunspot to duck out of sight for fear of being seen. “He started it.”

Back around the corner, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Lyra looked to their suited leader as she rejoined them in relative safety. They were half expecting her to get caught, but it seemed as though they were still in the clear.

“What’s going on in there?” Rainbow asked.

Sunspot sighed tensely, “Looks like three of them. They’ve got Bon Bon treed and those guards tied up, and it sounds like they’re getting antsy.”

“That’s not good.” Fluttershy cringed nervously at the fight they had ahead of them. They might have had the numbers advantage and the element of surprise, but she knew that the pale ponies were formidable opponents in direct combat.

Meanwhile, Lyra seemed uneasy for an entirely different reason.

“Wait… you said there were three of them?” The teal mare asked pointedly.

Sunspot skewed a brow warily. “Yeah, why?”

“There’s supposed to be six of them!”

Before they could even process a reaction to Lyra’s words, Fluttershy looked over as movement caught her eye. Fast movement.

She turned just in time to watch a pale white shape crash into Sunspot’s back, slamming the suited mare up against the side of the cottage with a painful thud. It was another pegasus, a mare with washed-out white fur and sickly yellow and green hair. The red eyes were a dead giveaway that this was another vampire.

Fluttershy gasped, “Sunspot!”

“Fluttershy, look out!” Rainbow Dash called out from behind the yellow mare.

The next thing she knew, Fluttershy was yanked back just before another equine shape crashed to the ground where she just was.

A gray pegasus stallion with brown hair growled at the three mares, paying particular attention to the cyan one that just pulled his target out of the way. Lyra produced a shrill scream as she fell to her haunches.

“Get them!” Another voice shouted from above. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy darted their eyes up to see a third orange and red pegasus hovering in place above them, pointing a hoof at them.

Sunspot grunted as she struggled against the mare grappling her. She had the clear disadvantage from strength and poor positioning, but she wasn't about to just give up. She elbowed back into the mare’s ribs, eliciting a pained yelp. In turn, the mare grabbed her foreleg and wrenched it to the side.

“Get off me!” Sunspot demanded, though she didn’t exactly expect the vampiric mare to comply.

An elbow pressed into her shoulder, seemingly a response to her resistance. In response to this, Sunspot kicked off the wall of the cottage and gave a flap of her wings, sending her falling backward on top of the mare before the both of them started rolling and flailing at each other.

While the two mares struggled on the ground, Rainbow Dash stood in front of her two friends protectively and brandished her dagger. Fluttershy tried to keep herself from tensing up fearfully as she held her own weapon. Lyra, meanwhile, had nothing to protect herself and was reacting accordingly by cowering close to her allies.

The stallion snarled at the three mares and charged forward with eyes flaring and fangs bared. Rainbow immediately made a lunge for him, only to have her foreleg grabbed and twisted, nearly wrenching the dagger from her hoof.

“Back off, creep!” She punched at his face, but it didn’t seem to have the effect she intended, as his sadistic grin still remained even after two or three hits. Then, he grabbed her other limb and pulled her close.

Seeing her friend in danger, Fluttershy reluctantly rushed into action. She started to move around the side to get a stab in at the stallion, when he suddenly tossed Rainbow Dash to the ground and hissed at her, causing all of the hairs on her neck to stand up.

Much to both mares’ surprise, a fearful yell came from behind as a teal shape charged the stallion. Lyra jumped into him and tackled him, nearly sending him to the ground.

“Gah!” The stallion yelped in surprise, only to harden his expression in annoyance as the seemingly defenseless mare assaulted him. “Get off!”

“Lyra!” Fluttershy paled as she saw the stallion about to reach over and bite into Lyra’s neck. She rushed forward and stabbed her dagger toward his chest, only to garner his full attention. He grabbed her hoof, forcing her into a grapple with him alongside the teal pony.

Rainbow Dash got off the ground and started to rush to help her friends when she suddenly heard the swooping of wings far too late to stop a pair of forelegs from hooking under her shoulders and lifting her up. Her dagger fell out of her grip and uselessly plopped on the ground.

“Woah!” Rainbow flailed against her attacker, even reverse headbutting into him. A masculine grunt all but confirmed that the orange pegasus was a stallion. “Let go of me!”

“Like that’ll happen!” The stallion retorted, doing a surprisingly good job of counteracting her movement in the air. Apparently, vampiric strength applied to wings as well.

Back on the ground, it was a mess of chaotic yelps, grunts, and struggling as both sides fought to gain the upper hand over the other. Lyra and Fluttershy were having a hard time dealing with the pale stallion, while Sunspot was still wrestling with the white mare.

Sunspot choked out a pained noise as she found herself on the bottom of the rolling mass she had been a part of up until now. A hoof was jammed into her throat hard. Her windpipe was being crushed, and she couldn’t breathe.

The pale mare on top of her seemed to enjoy watching her struggle and clutch at her neck. Any time she would reach for her knife or another tool off her suit, the mare would simply grab the offending foreleg or swat it away.

“The Prince will reward me when he hears how I killed you.” The mare chortled sadistically, not even an ounce of remorse or hesitation in her stone-cold eyes.

Really, she was asking for what was coming to her.

With lungs burning and vision blurring, Sunspot punched at the mare with one hoof, easily being blocked. Using this as an opportunity, she quickly jabbed her other hoof at the pale pony’s face, aiming right for the crimson orbs staring down at her.

The white mare jerked both hooves up as the suited pegasus poked her in the eye. “Ow! Why you little-”

She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Sunspot raced a hoof to a pocket and pulled out a silver dagger before jamming it up. The blade pierced right into the mare’s throat, cutting off her words with a shocked gurgle.

Before the pale pegasus could even reach a hoof to her grave injury, her neck exploded into a wave of fire and ash that swiftly overcame her head before racing down through her body. Her form collapsed into dust atop Sunspot, and soon there was nothing left.

Sunspot cringed and shut her eyes, turning her head to the side to avoid the expected shower of particles. She barely had time to process her disgust before she shot off the ground, ready to help her friends.

A darting glance at the scene ahead of her showed the three mares in serious trouble.

Fluttershy and Lyra were struggling with one of the pale stallions, but they were clearly outmatched in terms of strength.

Rainbow Dash was up in the air, with the other stallion holding onto her tightly. It seemed like she wasn’t even making any progress with her flailing and bucking.

Sunspot cursed, "Horsefeathers… Hold on, girls!" She charged forward, ready to assist Fluttershy and Lyra.

However, just as she was making a lunge with her knife, her movements abruptly halted as a faint glow appeared before her vision.

"Ngh… what the hay?!" Sunspot jerked her limbs, but they were stuck in place, with only slight jitters showing how hard she was struggling.

Fluttershy and Lyra looked up at their orange friend, only to have a sense of fear and defeat wash over their faces.

"Oh no…" Fluttershy whined softly. Then, before she could even react, the stallion wrenched her hoof to the side, causing a painful yelp and forcing her to drop her dagger.

Lyra produced a similar yelp as a hoof roughly grabbed the back of her mane.

Sunspot trailed her eyes to the side as a chuckle pricked her ears. She saw the unicorn mare and the stallion from inside the cottage walking over casually.

"Well, well, well." The unicorn sneered, eyeing up Sunspot while her companions finished capturing the other two mares. "Looks like we got ourselves a jackpot. Two elements and one of the Princess’s monster-hunting morons."

The earth stallion looked around as he took hold of Fluttershy from his pegasus companion. He skewed a brow as he seemingly failed to find what he was searching for. “Hey, where’s Silky?”

A slight grunt drew their attention to the side, where Rainbow Dash was being forcibly shoved to the ground after the red stallion landed. He took a moment to keep his hold as the cyan mare wriggled and strained before glaring in Sunspot’s direction. “That featherbrain killed her.”

“Aww… she owed me five bits.” The earth stallion frowned before perking up slightly and turning to their apparent leader. “Hey, can I eat one of them? Surely we don’t need this many.”

The unicorn mare smirked as she patted the side of Sunspot’s face, much to the trapped flyer’s chagrin. “Oh, don’t you worry… I’m sure we’ll all get to eat very soon.”

Sunspot still couldn’t move very much, but she seemed to deflate with worry as she realized how much trouble she and her friends were in. All she could do was limply struggle and watch as the pale ponies ferried her, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Lyra inside the cottage, where an unknowable fate awaited them.

Chapter 47: Frying Pan Into Fire

Twilight exhaled tensely as she stared at town hall, darting her eyes along its many windows and the upper levels while she sat with her companions in wait.

Waiting. It killed her inside to just be waiting when she knew ponies were in danger. Who knew what the innocent hostages inside were being subjected to while help was just sitting around outside because they were too scared to make a move?

“I don’t like this…” She muttered to herself. A sudden hoof on her shoulder made her look up, only to see that Glitterball had apparently heard her.

Glitter smiled, “We have to be strong and hold our heads high. Those ponies are counting on us.”

Although she had guard training, Twilight could tell the white mare was just as anxious as her, if not moreso. That smile looked more fragile the more Glitter tried to keep it up.

“You’re right.” Twilight pulled her rebellious expression into line as she turned back to the square around them.

Numerous ponies had loosely gathered and were staring ahead with pale faces and nervous whispers as they slowly pieced together what was going on. They were all looking to the group of guards and to Twilight and Glitterball, hoping that they would be able to contain the situation and save their friends and fellow ponies.

“Still… I wish we could do more than just sit here.” Twilight sighed.

Glitterball frowned at her sullen companion. She understood perfectly how Twilight felt.

Then, a few sets of hoofbeats came to her attention, causing her to turn around. As she did, Glitter smiled a bit.

“Looks like you might get your wish.”

Twilight looked over to where her companion was already staring, only to notice three familiar ponies trotting over the bridge and into the square. It was Sparkplug, Pinkie Pie, and Shining Armor. The sight of her friends and her brother immediately brightened her expression.

Twilight said, “Thank Celestia you guys are here.”

Shining smiled, and then dulled his expression as he looked up to town hall. “What’s the plan?”

Glitterball gestured to the upper floor, “Blue said that there were four vamps on each floor, but they could have moved since then. My detector isn’t precise enough to track them this close.”

“We’re thinking an all-out assault is going to be our best bet… We just needed more numbers and equipment before we started.” Twilight added.

“Great! Numbers and equipment are just our specialty!” Pinkie beamed, holding her strobe up proudly before her expression furrowed. “Except fractions… I don’t like those.”

“Well, I don’t think they’re going to attack us with math problems, so I think we’re good on that front.” Sparkplug half smirked.

“Sounds like a plan,” Shining said. He waved over one of the nearby guards, the highest-ranking one present, and looked to him with a sober gaze. “Get your men together so we can start assigning positions, but leave a lookout watching both floors. I want us to be ready to bust in there at the first sign of trouble.”

The guard gave a firm nod. “Yes, s-”

Then, before the stallion could even finish, a loud slam rang into the square as the front doors flew open. The more sensitive civilians gasped and reeled back, while Twilight’s group stood firm as a group of ponies walked out.

Three of them were vampires, with all but one being earth ponies. The lone neon green pegasus mare in the center glared out at the crowd from behind her long yellow and red striped mane while her two companions flanking her held two other ponies in their tight grip.

Only, these two weren’t vampires. These were very frightened-looking mares that everyone immediately recognized to be Ditzy Do and Roseluck.

Glitterball and Sparkplug drew their crossbows, while Shining Armor and all of the hornless guards drew their blades. Every other unicorn present lit their horns in a threatening manner, and even Pinkie steeled herself and raised her strobe before the pale pegasus mare spoke.

“Hold it!” She barked. Almost on cue with her words, her two companions stood their hostages on hind legs and grabbed them by the head roughly, eliciting a set of fearful squeaks from the two mares. “If any of you so much as twitch funny, we’ll kill these two!”

The green mare’s words almost seemed to echo from how silent they left the square. Not even the frightened civilians further back were muttering to each other anymore as all eyes stared at the pale trio.

Glitterball and Sparkplug slowly lowered their weapons with reluctant grimaces, while Shining Armor sheathed his blade, dimmed his horn, and signaled for his men to do the same. Pinkie was the last to lower her weapon, but after Twilight sighed tensely and let her magical glow fade, even the pink mare dropped her aggressive stance, but not her icy glare.

The pale pegasus smiled, “Good… now listen up because I ain’t repeating myself. We want to do a trade.”

Shining looked at the group around him before taking a step forward. “A trade? What kind of trade?”

“Simple. These two for two of yours.” The mare answered. “If you don’t agree, we kill them right here and now.”

Ditzy whimpered as the stallion behind her pulled her head back, exposing her neck. Both her skewed eyes were teary and darting along the crowd, paying particular attention to Twilight and her friends. “I don’t want to die.” She muttered.

Roseluck bit her lip to stifle a sob as a cold breath hit her neck. She didn’t want to turn and look, but she knew that a set of red eyes and an amused, hungry grin were bearing down on her. “Please help us.”

Sparkplug felt a sickening knot in her stomach from seeing the defenseless mares in such distress. She darted her eyes along her companions before settling on Shining Armor. “We can’t do this… can we?” She whispered.

“We might not have a choice,” Glitter added tensely.

Shining Armor wrinkled his eyes at the pale ponies’ proposal, but despite how much he disliked the notion, they weren’t in control right now. “And how do we know our people will be safe? How do we know the rest of the hostages are safe?”

“I didn’t say anything about anybody being safe later. All you should care about is right now, and right now, we are going to rip their throats out if you don’t do as we say.” The pegasus mare threatened.

Seeing how bad the situation was, Twilight decided to step in. “What two of us do you want to trade?” She quizzed.

“Twilight…” Pinkie frowned hesitantly as her friend spoke up. She didn’t feel good about any of their options right now, but somehow this felt like letting the pale ponies win.

The pegasus smirked as if she had her answer thought out beforehand. “For starters, you.” She pointed at Twilight, much to everyone’s shock.

“What?!” Shining reeled back. “Why do you want her? I’m the captain of the guard… I would make the better bargaining chip. Take me instead.” He pleaded, stepping in front of his sister.

“Did I stutter?” The pegasus scoffed. “It’s her, or no deal… and you know what that means.”

Suddenly, Roseluck yipped as the stallion behind her pulled her in close and inched his fangs closer to her slender neck. She struggled limply and hyperventilated before eventually figuring that staying still was her best bet.

“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t hurt them!” Shining insisted.

“Well, what’s it gonna be?” The pegasus lifted a brow.

The white stallion’s quickened heart was racing by now. He desperately tried to think of something, anything else that could be done, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how cornered they were.

Then, Twilight slowly stepped forward.

“Twilight… what are you doing?” Shining asked.

Twilight looked to her brother and her friends with a grave expression. “Shining… I can’t let them get hurt.”

“But… but-”

“It’s ok… I trust you. All of you.” Twilight said, casting a look around at the others and smiling softly. Nobody could bring themselves to smile back, save for Pinkie, but even hers was a bittersweet expression.

Then, before anyone could think or say anything further, the pegasus mare cleared her throat impatiently, drawing attention back to herself. She looked to Twilight and gestured behind her, and on cue, the stallion holding Ditzy Do started to walk forward.

“Hurry it up, and no funny business. If we don’t make it back inside, our friends kill the others.” The pegasus warned.

Twilight glanced back to her friends before steeling herself and exhaling softly. Without breaking sight or making any sudden movements, she slowly started walking toward the group.

As the unicorn approached, the pale stallion gradually let go of Ditzy Do. Once Twilight was right in front of him, he shoved the gray pegasus forward roughly and grabbed the purple mare’s foreleg.

“Ow! Not so rough!” Twilight protested as she was pulled back in line with the other vampires. She looked back at the others, only to brighten her expression a bit as she saw Ditzy Do running into the forelegs of a waiting guard.

“Twilight…” The gray pegasus muttered sadly, reaching out a limp hoof before letting it droop as the guards led her away to safety.

Meanwhile, Glitterball kept a tense expression on her face as she watched her purple friend. She turned her head to the side, hiding her ear from view as she casually lifted a hoof up and pretended to scratch it. A slight glow enveloped the tip of her hoof.

“Glimmer, where are you guys?” She whispered.

After a moment, the stallion responded.

“We’re a few minutes out… Why, is something wrong?”

“Just hurry.” Glitter whispered again before dropping her hoof.

“You there.”

A sudden voice made the white mare look up, only to see the green pegasus pointing a hoof her way.

“Me?” Glitter inched back hesitantly.

The pegasus rolled her eyes. “No, the parasprite right behind you. Yes, you!” She shifted her foreleg and pointed to the other stallion that was holding Roseluck. “Get up here. You’re our number two.”

Glitterball hesitated for a moment, but she started to resign herself to her fate until the gray mare beside her stepped in front of her and looked to the vampires boldly.

“Take me instead.” Sparkplug insisted. “Look… she’s new to the team. She’s not very experienced… just let her go.”

Glitter frowned, “Sparkplug… it’s ok.”

“Nice try, but we want her.” The pale pegasus chuckled. “Hurry it up… Oh, and lose the gear. I don’t want you sneaking any of your fancy toys in here.”

The others all looked at their friend with reluctance clear on their faces. Their unease only grew as Glitter sighed and unbuckled her vest.

After slipping off the vest, and by extension, the only real weapons she had, and locking eyes with the pale pegasus as she dropped it, Glitter walked forward and past her friends.

“Stay safe in there...” Pinkie said, more than a bit of worry shimmering in her eyes.

Glitter offered the pink mare a reassuring look as she passed by. She slid that look along to Sparkplug, who looked like she was helplessly watching a friend walk off to their death, and then to Shining Armor.

“We’ll get you out. I promise.” Shining Armor said softly, keeping the pale ponies from seeing or hearing him. He rested a hoof on the white mare’s shoulder, locking eyes with her before briefly glancing to Twilight and softening his expression.

“I’ll keep her safe. Don’t worry.” Glitter assured. As much as she wanted to linger, she decided to move on as to not test their enemies’ patience any further.

Twilight watched as Glitterball solemnly marched up to the pale stallion holding Roseluck. Once the unicorn was close enough, the pale earth pony released his jittery hostage before grabbing Glitter by the foreleg.

“Thank you so much,” Roseluck said, though she looked like she was about to cry from having someone else trade places with her.

Glitterball barely managed to offer the rattled mare a smile before the pale pegasus barked at her.

“Get lost!”

With that, Roseluck stumbled back as a feral hiss and a glowing glare sent her on her way. Once she was clear, she ran to the waiting checkpoint of guards. Almost immediately after, the pale ponies took their new prisoners and started receding back toward the building behind them.

“Good… now all of you better think twice before storming in here. I will personally make sure that these two get killed first!” The pegasus threatened as her two pale companions roughly ushered Twilight and Glitter inside, not even allowing them one last look at their friends before they disappeared within.

Shining Armor growled under his breath as the double doors to town hall slammed shut. “Horsefeathers.”

“What do we do now?” Sparkplug asked. Her voice seemed diminished as she stared blankly at the entrance to the building with sunken shoulders.

Pinkie gestured to the building with alarm in her eyes. “We… we have to do something! We can’t just leave them in there!”

Shining Armor looked to the side as the high-ranking guard from before cleared his throat.

“Sir, what are your orders? We can have a team ready to breach at your command.” The guard offered, though he knew that it was up to his captain.

Shining stared at the building a while in silence before answering, seemingly contemplating something. “Keep your men ready, but tell them to stay back… We wait for Glimmer Shine, Applejack, and Rarity.”

The guard saluted, “Yes sir.” He said before turning and muttering to one of his officers to make sure the order was spread around their small troop gathered around the building.

“Good idea.” Pinkie said. “Glimmer will know what to do!”

Sparkplug nodded. “Yeah… and the added numbers won’t hurt.” She walked over to Glitter’s vest and picked it up, frowning as she did. “Especially now that we’re down two magic users.”

“It was the only choice we had...” Shining Armor said.

Still, he couldn’t shake a feeling of dread as he thought about what his sister and the white mare were going through now.

“...I just hope it was the right choice.”

Twilight grunted as she was nearly shoved to the floor by the pale stallion behind her.

“Get moving! And don’t get any big ideas.” The pale pegasus instructed, waiting impatiently for the purple mare to start moving again.

Trying to look back at Glitterball met her with a very agitated-looking vampire stallion. Figuring that it was best to play along, for now, Twilight reluctantly walked through the lobby of town hall with her white companion in tow and their three captors keeping close tabs on the both of them.

Looking around, the pair could see clear signs of the pale ponies’ first incursion into the quiet building. Several papers and a lamp were scattered from the front desk and lying on the floor. A potted plant was shattered near the front door, and even a painting was knocked from the wall before the hallway they were approaching.

A lone pink unicorn mare with blonde mane, another vampire, was sitting beside one of the front windows. She let the curtains close and turned to her comrades, particularly the pegasus mare. “You’re lucky that worked. I was almost hoping they would kill you.”

The pegasus snorted, “Yeah, yeah. Just keep watching the front door. If anyone breaks in, try to scream real loud before you die.” She said, ignoring the scowl she received as she returned to ferrying their new prisoners.

Twilight and Glitterball could hardly pause and look around for even an instant. Any time they would try to get close to each other or stop and take in their surroundings, they were reminded of just who was in charge through a series of not so gentle nudges and hostile glares.

Still, the two mares tried to keep a level head about things and plan for a way to break themselves and the as of yet unseen hostages out. With Glitter vestless and without her gear, and not a silver weapon in sight, all they had between them was their magic and their wits.

They were hoping that their friends would come through and save the day because right now, they seemed to be in the lion’s den wearing steak perfume.

After curving around the halls of the building, the pale ponies paused before a door ringed with frosted glass panes that held a small placard reading ‘Break Room’. It was hard to make out, but some colorful shapes indicative of ponies were visible on the other side.

The pegasus mare walked up to the door and opened it up before turning and grabbing Twilight’s foreleg. She ignored the noise of distress from the purple pony and looked to her companions. “Alright, take that one upstairs and tie her up. I’ll take little Ms. Magic and make sure she doesn’t pull anything stupid before the Prince gets here.”

Both unicorns felt their bodies tense at the mention of the pale alicorn. Was Dusk really coming to Ponyville? The thought alone sent a cold chill down their backs.

Glitterball looked to Twilight, eyes soft with concern. She then looked over to the pegasus mare and hardened her gaze slightly. “You better not hurt her, or you’ll be sorry.”

The pegasus mare stepped closer to Glitter. A smug smirk split her features right before she socked the unicorn in the mouth.

“Mmph!”

Twilight gasped softly as Glitter cringed and held her muzzle. The white mare started to inch toward the pegasus when the two stallions behind her snarled to remind her of their presence.

“I think I can hurt whoever I want, Confetti Head.” The pegasus said.

While Glitter rubbed her tender cheek and the two stallions nudged her along, she seemed more worried than angry as she paused and looked at her friend.

Twilight didn’t speak for fear of upsetting their captors, but she gave the white mare a look that seemed to say ‘I’ll be fine, take care of yourself.’ Glitter didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she was forced to follow the two stallions anyway.

The pegasus snorted as she watched her companions vanishing down the hall. “You better hope your friend keeps to herself. The guys upstairs might not stop at decking her if she ticks them off.” She chuckled and started ushering Twilight inside the break room.

Inside, Twilight could immediately see some of the hostages, along with a pale earth pony mare keeping an eye on them. There were two of them, with one she recognized to be a local townspony, and one she knew to actually work at town hall.

The townspony, a white and gray earth mare, looked over and lifted her brows in surprise as she saw the resident librarian and element of magic being led into the room. “Twilight… is that you?”

“Oh no… don’t tell me they caught you too.” A black and blue unicorn stallion frowned with worry.

Twilight offered the nervous ponies as much of a reassuring expression as she could. “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be o- Mmph!” She yipped as she was shoved forward into the room, this time falling to the floor and hitting her chin roughly onto the floorboards.

“No mingling. You’re not here to make nice.” The pegasus mare warned before turning to the other vampire in the room. “Watch her for a minute, will ya? I need to go talk with the others about you know what.” She said before walking back out the door and closing it with a slam.

While the white mare helped Twilight up, she was already thinking of how to escape. However, her mind kept running into the obvious problems.

For one, she couldn’t rely on overpowering the lone vampire guarding them without alerting the ones outside, and for another thing, even if she could single-hoofedly fight off the vampires that came for her, she couldn’t risk the vampires upstairs hearing and deciding to execute Glitterball and the other hostages.

No, she would have to play along and sit tight for now, however much she didn’t want to.
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..
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“Gah!”

Glitterball stumbled forward as she was struck from behind. She tensed up as pain shot down her horn and into her head as she bumped the sensitive appendage on the floor. Before she could even think to clutch her head or try to get up, she was forced up by a hoof harshly grabbing her mane and pulling.

The cruel action forced another agonized yelp from her. So much pain at one time made her eyes water slightly.

“Aww, what’s the matter? You gonna cry?” One of the stallions mocked before laughing. “I thought you were supposed to be one of the Princess’ toughest teams… you hunt monsters for crying out loud.”

The other stallion chuckled. “She doesn’t look like much of a monster hunter. Without her fancy gear, she bleeds like the rest of us.” He smirked as he drew near to the unicorn, her snow-white neck making his mouth water.

Glitter flinched and closed her eyes as the stallion loomed closer to her with fangs bared. She couldn’t fight back. This was a hostage situation, and casualties happened in hostage situations. At least she would die instead of someone else.

“Hey, ease up. Sour Patch wants all of them alive for now.” The other stallion reminded, causing the first to pause and snort. Glitter shivered slightly from the tickle of cold air on her neck.

“What does Sour Patch know? One or two dead ponies isn’t gonna matter much when the Prince comes for us.” He mused, annoyance clear in his voice as he turned to the unicorn and gave her a nudge forward.

While she was back where she started, Glitterball suddenly felt very relieved at her current predicament. She opted to remain silent as she reluctantly walked with her captors.

Eventually, they made it all the way around the back of the building. A doorway to the balcony outside could be seen, with a vampiric unicorn stallion keeping watch beside a nearby window. He eyed at the approaching group briefly before returning to his silent vigil.

Glitterball was led up to another door directly across from the balcony exit. This one wasn't labeled, but as the two stallions opened it and shoved her inside, she quickly found it to be an office of sorts.

It wasn't the mayor’s office, as was apparent by its smaller size and lack of obvious identification. No, this seemed to be a shared office for some of the other employees to get their work done.

Two desks were across from each other up against the side walls. A singular bookshelf took up much of the far wall, with a pale unicorn mare leaning up against it. And sitting in the middle of the room, was Mayor Mare and another earth stallion.

The pair weren’t much worse for wear. Other than some disheveling of their hair and a wayward scuff or two, they hadn’t been physically affected by the sudden incursion they now found themselves part of. However, there was a sense of uncertain fear in their eyes.

As soon as Glitter and the two stallions entered, all eyes were on them. Ms. Mayor and the stallion beside her shrank back while their captors forced the white unicorn down next to them. Once they acquired some rope they had stored nearby, the two vampires started tying Glitter’s forehooves behind her back.

“Ngh!” Glitter cringed at the tightening ropes. The stallions barely left room for circulation.

“Wouldn’t want you getting any ideas.” One of the stallions smirked at the bound mare.

Glitter snorted. “Don’t worry… I wouldn’t want to make you jealous.”

The stallion stared at the cocky mare for a moment before suddenly sucker-punching her, sending her to the floor. He ignored the few startled gasps from Ms. Mayor and the other civilian as he glared at the unicorn sluggishly writhing on the ground.

He then looked up to the pale unicorn. “Keep a close eye on this one. She’s one of those monster hunters.”

“And where are you going?” The mare asked, cocking a brow as the pair started to leave.

“Where do you think? We’re going to talk to Sour Patch about what to do next.” One of the stallions replied before the both of them exited the room.

The pale unicorn sighed and grumbled to herself as she settled back in. “Why does that little hussy get to be in charge? The Prince likes me the most.”

Meanwhile, as the door closed, leaving them alone with their lone captor and new companion, Ms. Mayor and the stallion gathered around the battered unicorn on the ground and helped her up.

“Ngh…” Glitter blinked, semi-aware of the black eye she now had. “I’m leaving the snarky comebacks to Sunspot from now on.”

“Oh, you poor thing. Are you alright?” Mayor Mare asked softly, both out of concern for the unicorn and concern for the vampiric pony behind them to hear and get upset.

Glitterball managed a smile. “I’ve been through worse. I’m just glad to see you’re alright, Ms. Mayor.”

“I think ‘alright’ is a bit subjective right now.” The mayor said, casting a side glance to the pale unicorn before settling soft eyes back on the unicorn before her. She inched closer and turned her head to not be heard or seen. “I thought I recognized you. You’re one of those Spirit fellows that work for the Princess. Please tell me you have a plan.”

Glitter shifted her eyes toward the pale mare to make sure she wasn't looking before turning to the de facto leader of Ponyville. “We might be a little short on plans… but I do have an idea.”

“What’s that?”

A sudden throat clearing made both mares freeze. They turned to see the unicorn mare glaring right at them.

“I don’t know what you’re whispering about, but cut it out before I go over there and give both of you black eyes.” The unicorn chided before returning to her own thoughts. She clearly didn’t want to spare the effort to constantly watch them, but she was definitely keeping them in mind.

Both mares diverted their gaze from each other and drifted apart slightly. They remained silent for a few moments, allowing their captor some time to be lulled back into the notion that she was in control. Then again, it was an accurate notion.

Eventually, Glitter made the first move toward communication. She brushed her tail against Mayor Mare’s and tilted her head to make it appear as if she were looking at the wall in the opposite direction. “Act natural.” She whispered.

Ms. Mayor glanced toward the white mare before forcing herself to stop. She looked around the room before settling her gaze on the floor, though she kept an open ear as she waited for her companion to speak again.

After a few moments of silence, Glitter spoke again, just quiet enough to be made out. “I need you to put your hoof to my ear.” She instructed.

Mayor Mare didn’t respond, but she did cast a wrinkled gaze toward the white unicorn to indicate her confusion. Even the stallion beside them was confused, but he continued acting like nothing was even happening.

Seemingly noticing the understandable befuddlement from her companion, Glitter waited a bit before whispering again, “Trust me… and don’t be seen.”

Ms. Mayor looked toward their pale friend, who was still mostly keeping to herself and eyeing toward them every so often. She might not have known what Glitter had planned, but she understood the need for subtlety.

Feeling a nudge on his side, the stallion looked over to see Mayor Mare angled away from him, but she was looking right at him. She discreetly nodded to the side, giving him some potent facial cues and mouthing the words ‘behind us’.

Eventually, the stallion caught her meaning. Although he was nervous, he acted natural as he repositioned himself to be sitting behind the two mares.

The pale unicorn turned and watched the stallion moving, but once she saw nothing further happening, she eased up a bit. After all, she could still see Glitter’s bound hooves, so she knew that they weren’t secretly untying her, which was the only thing she could imagine them wanting to do in secret.

After waiting for a few moments to pass, taking pains to make sure they weren’t found out, Mayor Mare slowly but surely lifted her hoof and pressed it to Glitterball’s ear.

Glitterball knew the communication spell her team used fairly well. After all, she was the one that cast it. She knew that to activate it, all that needed to be done was to concentrate on the individuals she wanted to talk to and put a hoof to her ear, and the spell handled the rest.

A hoof. The question that even she didn’t honestly know the answer to, was whether or not it had to be her hoof. In truth, the gesture was more of a way to make sure the spell wasn't accidentally activated by some wayward thought. The need for it was vague in the spell’s inner workings.

Vague enough, she hoped, that this was going to work.
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…
Back outside, the atmosphere was just as tense as it was in the formerly peaceful building.

Shining Armor, Sparkplug, and Pinkie Pie were still camped out near the front entrance. They, much like the team of guards surrounding the building, were keeping just enough distance to not make the pale ponies nervous.

Sparkplug paced around, Pinkie could hardly keep still, and Shining was staring at the building absentmindedly. They all looked like nervous wrecks in their own ways, not that anyone blamed them.

Suddenly, a hint of movement made Pinkie look up. As she did, her expression brightened and she pointed a hoof. “Look!”

Shining Armor and Sparkplug broke themselves from their troubled thoughts and looked to where their pink friend had pointed. Almost immediately, they spotted three familiar ponies rushing through the square toward them.

It was Glimmer Shine, Rarity, and Applejack.

The trio passed by all of the guards and civilians dotted around the area and made their way up to their eager friends, only to nearly be pounced on by Pinkie Pie. Rarity and Applejack knew enough to brace for impact. Glimmer Shine did not.

“Guys! I’m so glad you’re here!” Pinkie beamed as she eventually let the trio escape her grasp.

“We came as soon as we could.” Glimmer Shine said.

Shining Armor smiled a bit, showing relief over his troubled exterior. “It’s good to see you.”

Meanwhile, Applejack and Rarity looked around in confusion at the strangely small group of their friends. Eventually, even Glimmer Shine paid notice to this.

“Where’s Twilight and Glitterball?” Rarity asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“They took them hostage,” Shining explained, looking to town hall and letting his expression drop.

Glimmer Shine widened his eyes and reeled back. “And you let them?!” He said, more out of shock than anger.

“We didn’t have a choice.” Sparkplug pointed out. “They were going to kill everyone in there if we didn’t.”

“Goodness…” Rarity let her ears fall as she thought about what her friends were being subjected to as they spoke.

Applejack tensed her jaw, as well as her grip on her silver dagger. She had almost lost friends far too many times for her liking, Twilight Sparkle especially. The purple mare practically attracted danger, and she had already died once before because of it. Applejack was not going to let that happen again.

“What’s the plan?” The orange mare asked. “I s’pose bargin’ right in there is out of the question.”

“Actually… I think barging right in there is going to be our only shot.” Shining Armor said.

Rarity frowned at the thought. “Are you certain, darling? Twilight and Glitter’s lives are at stake here… along with Ms. Mayor and whatever other poor souls are in there.”

“I think he’s right.” Glimmer Shine chimed in hesitantly. The others looked over to see the yellow stallion wearing a conflicted grimace. “As much as I don’t like it, I think our only option is to hit them hard before they can act… I just wish we knew more going in.”

Suddenly, Sparkplug’s ear twitched as a familiar voice echoed in her head softly.

“First floor, east side… second floor, north side.”

Sparkplug gasped and shot a hoof to her ear. “Glitter?! Are you there?!”

The voice didn’t come again, but by now her friends were all looking at her curiously.

“What is it?” Shining Armor asked.

“Glitter’s talking to me, but she’s being really quiet.” Sparkplug explained.

Glimmer inched closer to the gray mare eagerly. “She must be around some of those vampires.” He reasoned. “What did she say?”

“She said, first floor, east side, and second floor, north side.” Sparkplug parroted.

“She must be telling us where the hostages are!” Shining Armor grinned. He was proud to have such strong-willed individuals wearing the royal guard name.

Before anyone could speak further, Glimmer Shine put a hoof to his ear and focused. As a slight glow covered his hoof, the others fell silent and watched him. “Glitter, can you hear me? If you can talk, tell us how many vampires are watching you.”

A few moments of silence went by. The stallion started to lose hope that he would ever hear a response when the voice of their unicorn friend softly emanated in both his and Sparkplug’s heads.

“Two… one with me… one watching balcony… maybe more.”

Her words were few and far in between, and they were just loud enough to barely be made out. If it weren’t directly in their heads, they probably wouldn’t hear her.

“She must be upstairs.” Glimmer said, glancing up toward the building briefly.

“Is Twilight with you?” Sparkplug chimed.

Another lengthy pause.

“No…”

Although the news that the two mares were separated was troubling, it still filled them with hope to know roughly where the hostages were.

“Just sit tight and talk to us when you can, Glitter. We’re gonna get you out of there as soon as possible.” Glimmer Shine assured before he dropped his hoof from his ear and turned to the others. He looked to the building thoughtfully before steeling his expression. “Ok, guys, listen up…”
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..
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After some delegation, Rarity, Applejack, and Glimmer Shine watched from a distance as Pinkie Pie crept closer to the east side of the building.

It was decided that the pink mare was the stealthiest among them, given how often she seemingly popped out of nowhere to catch someone off guard, so she was their first pick for this, such a delicate task.

Pinkie slithered along the ground, creeping between two bushes that the group watching were fairly certain didn’t exist before, as she approached the side of the building.

She pressed her back to the outer wall, keeping just below the edge of the circular veranda skirting the building. After cautiously peeking out to make sure nobody was watching through the window ahead, she pulled up the charm vial she had received from Glimmer Shine and pointed it ahead.

The red-tinted sand inside the vial immediately glowed a bright scarlet. The intense glow enveloped all but the edge closest to Pinkie, seemingly indicating that the reading was directly in front of her. And as she swept it from side to side, the shifting glow all but confirmed what she and the others suspected.

Once they saw the pink mare turn to them and give an enthusiastic nod, the trio turned and looked toward the side of the building, the north side to be precise, where Sparkplug and Shining Armor were silently performing their own scouting mission.

“Woah…!” Sparkplug flailed slightly as her form was whisked into the air by a magical aura. The ascent was slow and controlled, but she still felt her stomach drop.

After a momentary pause from Shining Armor and a reassuring nod from the gray mare, she continued on her way up.

Shining lifted her just below the second-floor balcony, using one of the structural pillars for cover on the way up. Once she was stable, she lifted her hooves in front of her, holding her locator charm out like a lifeforce-seeking divining rod.

Once again, the sand in the vial glowed when pointed directly toward where she assumed a room might be located within the walls of the building. She couldn’t peek up for fear of being seen by the pale pony watching the balcony, but this reading combined with Glitter’s intel was good enough.

She nodded to her unicorn companion and covered her eyes to prevent herself from making any fearful noises upon descending. Then, the pair quickly and stealthily made their way back over to their friends.

“That settles it. The hostages must be in two rooms.” Glimmer Shine said.

“If we can get in there, we might be able to take out the vampires watching them before they can react,” Sparkplug added.

Applejack frowned hesitantly. “We better be quick about it. Those pale fellers made it awful clear that they ain’t afraid to trade lives.”

“Is everyone ready?” Shining Armor asked as he looked around the assembled group.

Most of the reactions he got ranged from eagerness to hesitation or some mix of the two. Still, Rarity in particular seemed the most reluctant.

“I don’t know… I’d feel a lot more comfortable with us doing this if Blue Bolt was here.” The white mare admitted.

Glimmer Shine sighed, “It would be pretty handy to have a safety net… but we can’t exactly communicate with him. He isn’t synced up to our spell.”

Seemingly dissatisfied with such a stalemate, Sparkplug put a hoof to her ear with an anxious frown on her face. “Sunspot, are you there? Please tell me you guys are ok.”

Nothing but silence answered her for several seconds, and then for several more.

Finally, the gray mare sighed. “Dangit…”

“We can’t wait any longer. We should go.” Shining Armor suggested. He turned and started giving the order for his men to get into position while the others watched.

Everyone was nervous as they thought of everything that could go wrong. What if they didn’t move fast enough? What if someone got hurt, or worse.

What if someone died?

Rarity glanced up to the night sky, her thoughts drifting to her pegasus friends. “Blue Bolt… please hurry.”

Chapter 48: Home Invasion

Blue Bolt swooped down for a landing just outside of the serene property that Fluttershy’s cottage sat on. He could see the quaint home up ahead, cloaked under darkness as clouds drifted over the moon.

“Girls… please be ok.” He fretted, face wrinkled with concern as he slowly walked forward.

Once he made it over the stream, he adopted a stealthier approach. He paused just after the bridge, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

As the stallion exhaled sharply, a myriad of sensations flooded inwards while a puff of mist drifted outwards. Almost immediately, he could make out a familiar set of auras within the cottage, and even one outside.

Vampires. He was certain of it. The strange knowledge ingrained into his head told him as much, not that he expected to find any other monsters. There were five of them in total, and while he couldn’t tell where Rainbow Dash and the others were, he wagered they would be with the larger group of pale ponies.

How he was going to rescue them was another issue.

Confident as he was in his new abilities, which was to say, not very, he wasn't exactly a trained soldier. Sure, he had some odd fighting knowledge knocking around his head, but most of that was techniques meant for someone with scant fewer legs and more fingers than him.

One slip up, and two of his best friends since highschool and a hoof full of innocent ponies would die. Needless to say, the pressure was getting to him a teensy bit.

He exhaled stiffly, “Come on, Blue… they need you to keep it together.” He looked down to his jittery hooves and made an effort to stop the shaking before leveling his gaze ahead. “Slayer, huh? Let’s test that out.”

With a quick flap, Blue Bolt hovered back up and glided through the air, keeping just above the sightlines of the windows as he approached the cottage.

Almost immediately, he could hear faint noises coming from behind the cottage as he stealthily landed on the edge of the roof.

It sounded like some feral roars, followed by mocking laughter. The roars almost sounded like they belonged to a large animal, like a bear. And as he crept along the roof and looked down into Fluttershy’s backyard, his suspicions were confirmed.

A pale stallion was jubilantly taunting a very injured-looking bear while a group of petrified smaller animals watched from under or around the various chicken coops and other such features nearby.

The bear was limping slightly, and it was holding one of its forearms close to its chest as the stallion waved a knife at it, poking and slashing and making a show of the whole thing.

“Hahaha! What’s the matter, big guy? Can’t catch one little pony?” The stallion taunted. Every time the bear would make a lunge for him, he would quickly back up and dance around it before making another jab with his weapon.

Occasionally, one of the other animals like a squirrel or a fox would get brave and try to approach the pony, hoping to do something to help, only to skitter away in fear as a flash of red and a visage of snarling teeth snapped at them.

Blue Bolt tensed his brow and growled under his breath. The pale stallion was most likely meant to keep an eye on the area outside while the others went about their business, but apparently, he had gotten bored and was using this as entertainment.

Not even wasting a moment on a second thought, Blue unfurled his wings and swooped down.

The pale pony on the ground laughed as the bear nearly stumbled over trying to dodge another of his strikes. “Heh… guess there’s a new link at the top of the food chain.”

“You’re right.”

The pale stallion’s ears shot up at the sudden voice and the sound of wings. “What th- Mmf!”

By the time he spun around, it was too late. He was sent to the dirt below as a dark shape overtook him and a hoof clamped over his mouth. With his unnatural vision, he could see a very unimpressed-looking blue pegasus sitting on top of him.

Looking down at the flash of fire and the ring of metal, the vampiric pony had just enough time to see a blade taking form around Blue’s foreleg before it fully extended, searing into his throat. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.

As the wide red eyes staring up at him vanished into collapsing ash, Blue Bolt softened his expression. He didn’t like how very equine they still were. As monstrous as they had become, they were still a far cry from killing the soulless strigoi.

A slight whine drew him out of his somber thoughts. He turned to see the other animals gathering around the bear, who was coddling a few injuries with a pitiful look on its fuzzy face.

The animals jumped slightly as they turned to see the blue pegasus getting up and turning around with the weapon around his foreleg vanishing into fire. However, they eased up as they sensed no hostility from him and recognized him to be one of Fluttershy’s new friends. New to them at least.

Blue Bolt frowned as he saw the still bleeding lacerations across the bear’s limbs and chest. “Hey there, big fella. You’re one of Fluttershy’s animals, aren’t you?” He asked softly.

A series of deep mumbles and a slight snort served as the bear’s answer.

“I shouldn’t say that… she wouldn’t like anyone claiming you guys belong to her,” Blue said. He was surprised to see the bear and even the other animals look to the cottage with saddened eyes. “You’re worried about her, aren’t you?”

Another whine. For how terrifying he looked, this bear seemed like a big softy, which matched up with the few times Blue had seen Fluttershy interact with him.

Blue smiled a bit, “Don’t worry. I’m going to go save her…” He softened his eyes as he looked to the bear’s injuries again. “But first, let’s get you taken care of.” He lifted his hoof and started to project a soft glow from it.
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..
…
A few moments later, Blue pulled away from the larger animal. “There ya go. See? I told you it wouldn’t hurt.”

The bear looked down at his newly healed leg and arm. Although the warm tingling of the strange light had gone, it seemed to take his injuries with it. He and even a few of the other animals were mesmerized at the miraculous display they just witnessed.

Blue Bolt flinched as the bear stepped forward and dragged its massive tongue up his face. By the time it was over, he was practically sopping wet, with a strand of his hair curled back the wrong way.

“No need to thank me…” He said flatly, taking a hoof and slowly removing the excess saliva from his face. He didn’t dare inhale for fear of finding out what he now smelled like.

Shifting his thoughts back to his friends, he turned toward the cottage, the only source of light as far as the eye could see. One down, four to go.

“Stay here.” He instructed to the animals, hoping that they would understand. Fluttershy made it look so easy to talk with them. Then, without wasting another moment, he extended his wings and hovered back up toward the roof.

All the animals watched as the pegasus crept up to a window and peered inside. After producing a chillingly sharp rasp and a puff of blue mist, he quietly opened the window and landed inside.

Almost immediately, Blue lost all semblance of vision. Outside, there was faint light reflecting off the clouds from the moon hidden above, but in the cramped space of the cottage, it was pitch black.

He was in Fluttershy’s bedroom, or at least he thought he was. Truth be told, he had only seen the upper floor of the shy mare’s home once or twice when she invited him to a sleepover. Navigating it in the dark would be a challenge, but it was nothing his newfound agility and sharp senses couldn’t handle.

*Thump*

“Mmf!”

Then again, maybe not.

Biting his lip and rubbing his now throbbing shin, Blue pricked his ear to listen for any sign that he had been heard.

Thankfully, no further sounds came.

Figuring that it would be better to remain silent, he lifted a hoof in front of him and projected a softer, more translucent version of his blue light. Like a flashlight in the dark, it revealed the bedroom around him, and the night table that he just bumped into.

He used this brief snapshot of vision to navigate to the door, whereupon he dimmed his glow and cautiously slid the door open. Poking his head out, he noticed some faint light coming from one direction of the hallway, from a set of stairs leading down into the main room.

Already, he could hear muffled voices down there. Some were familiar, while others weren’t.

Slowly, carefully, he crept forward. Every hoof fall measured, every creak of the floorboards scrutinized.

Pausing at the mouth of the stairs, Blue remained out of sight and listened briefly. What he heard didn’t exactly comfort him.

“Please! Leave her alone!” A shrill, timid voice rang out, immediately recognizable as Fluttershy.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!” Rainbow Dash added.

Blue poked his head out slightly, offering him the smallest of glimpses into the living room below. He could immediately spot Rainbow Dash on the ground near the stairs.

The cyan mare’s forelegs were bound behind her back and her wings were tied. She was lying on her stomach, looking up with eyes hardened and teeth clenched.

A few feet from her, Sunspot appeared to be lying on her side, unmoving. She was facing away from Blue, but he figured she was unconscious. He hoped she was unconscious at any rate.

Closer to the wall near the front door, a pale unicorn stallion was lifting a teal mare up by her throat. Judging from the few times Blue had seen her around town, this must have been Lyra.

“Put her down, numbskull. She’s no use to us dead.” A feminine voice that Blue didn’t recognize came from somewhere to the left, out of his sight. The unicorn turned his head at this and cast an annoyed glare toward the owner of the voice.

“We’ve still got the guards and that other crybaby! Not to mention the chick in the suit.” He glanced to Sunspot before returning his feverish gaze to Lyra, who by now was trembling in his grasp.

The mare from before gave an agitated sigh, “Yeah, and the more hostages we have, the better chance we can get out of this mess when more of them show up!”

“I thought the Prince was coming to get us?” Another stallion’s voice asked.

“He is, but don’t you want to show him that you’re better than any old pony he turns? If you just eat everyone that comes around, he’ll think you’re a blood starved moron… not that you aren’t.”

Hearing this, the unicorn started to turn around, when suddenly Rainbow Dash snorted.

“You bozos really think that Dusk is coming to save you? Pfft… get out of here! You’re nothing but tools to him! He’ll throw you away the first chance he gets… Matter of fact, I’ll bet he’s expecting us to kill all of you!” Rainbow stated, rolling over slightly to properly point her glare at the pale mare.

There was a slight pause, and then Blue heard hoofsteps approaching the stairs, approaching Rainbow Dash. He softened his expression as he saw an earth pony mare with burning red eyes storm up to the bound pegasus.

With a choked yelp, Rainbow found a pale hoof stepping on her neck and applying pressure. The pale mare lowered herself to be right in the cyan pony’s face and growled.

“Don’t you dare talk about the Prince like that. I’ll break your wings off and snap your neck!”

Rainbow squinted an eye open and twitched her mouth upwards. “We… hrk… we both know… that your ‘Prince’ wants us alive. He wants to kill us himself.”

The pale mare scowled intensely for a moment, but eventually lessened the pressure off Rainbow’s neck. Still, she kept her hoof in place as she contemplated for a moment before smiling and turning toward the unicorn and Lyra.

“Maybe… but he doesn’t give a damn what we do to your friend there.” The pale mare chuckled, eliciting a look of horror to slowly wash over Rainbow’s face. “I changed my mind. Kill her.”

“Wait, no!” Rainbow jerked and tried to get out from the mare’s hold, but she couldn’t do anything.

“Lyra!” Another feminine voice came from out of view. Blue vaguely recognized it to belong to Bon Bon, the local candy mare and Lyra’s friend.

Lyra whimpered as the stallion produced a pleased snarl.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He smirked before opening his maw wide, exposing his fangs.

Just then, a loud creak came from upstairs.

The pale stallion and even the mare froze and pricked their ears up.

“What the hay was that?” The stallion asked, dropping Lyra and leaving her to slide to the floor in a petrified heap as he turned around and faced the stairs.

Stepping off of Rainbow Dash and looking up into the darkness of the upper floor landing, the pale mare sniffed the air a few times before scrunching her nose up in disgust. “I don’t know… but it smells weird.”

Taking a few steps forward until her forehoof was resting on the bottom step, she glared up into the unknown, daring whatever had made that sound to move again. “Whoever you are, you better get down here.” She threatened.

Nothing but silence greeted her.

Rainbow Dash took a quick glance over to the other side of the room, where Fluttershy and Bon Bon were sitting against the couch and the two guards were piled up next to each other. The fear in both mares’ eyes was palpable, and even the two stallions had a worried look about them as the remaining two pale ponies stood by.

She then looked up the stairs where all the red eyes in the room were converged. A mixture of worry and relief swirled around inside of her. Had her friends come to rescue them? She almost wished they hadn’t.

Seeing no response from upstairs, the pale mare narrowed her eyes. “I know you’re up there. If you don’t come down, I’m going to kill someone.”

Again, no response.

Finally, she shrugged. “Alright… her funeral.” She said, walking over and picking up Sunspot by the scruff of her suit. The orange pegasus’ head lolled around, seemingly confirming that she was knocked out.

“Put her down.” Rainbow Dash pleaded. “There’s nobody up there!”

“Shut it!” The pale mare snapped.

Suddenly, Sunspot’s eyes fluttered open. She started to stir with a lethargic moan, but she quickly found her forelegs bound and her body being held aloft. “Wh… wha?!” She jerked back, but the vampiric pony holding her didn’t relent.

Instead, the pale mare growled in annoyance and turned to the flailing pegasus with intense eyes. She opened her mouth and picked Sunspot up further, pulling her close despite her fearful yells and kicks.

“Sunspot!” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy cried in unison.

Just before the orange mare’s neck was pierced, the hurried sound of hoofsteps came from upstairs, followed by a flash of orange and a powerful current of air rushing down.

The pale mare and everyone else trailed their eyes up as a blur of blue and orange bounded off the stairs and sailed through the air toward the pair by the door. Before he could even react, the pale stallion threatening Lyra was knocked flat onto his tail end.

Nearly everyone present recognized the figure standing over the stallion, even despite his glowing eyes and fading fiery wings.

Rainbow Dash smiled eagerly, “Blue!”

The next few moments happened in a blur as both parties reacted.

Blue Bolt turned to the pale stallion on the floor, who took one look at him before turning and lunging for Lyra. Blue sprang forward and swiped his foreleg into the pale pony sideways at the same time he summoned his weapon.

The metallic blade flashed into existence just in time to pierce the stallion’s chest. He gave a pained yelp, which quickly shifted to an agonized scream as a ring of flame overtook his body.

No sooner did the stallion’s skeletal form start to collapse did Blue Bolt lift his other hoof and point it ahead. The pale mare widened her eyes and held Sunspot in front of her like a living shield as a torrent of blue light filled the area.

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Bon Bon, and the two guards flinched their eyes shut or looked away as the light surged forward.

The two vampires at the back of the room yelled in pain as their fur and skin started to singe and burn away. They both scrambled and jumped behind the couch before they could be completely immolated in the radiant flood.

Meanwhile, Sunspot was forced to cooperate as the pale mare clung to her. The vampire was tucking her fragile form in and hugging the orange pony’s chest, but even then parts of her were exposed and mildly burned.

As soon as the light died down, the pale mare threw Sunspot forward and scrambled backward, falling to the floor in her attempt at gaining distance. She looked up to see Blue Bolt approaching, and she couldn’t hide a hint of fear in her eyes.

“Don’t just hide back there, get him!” She yelled to her companions as she raced to her hooves and fled backward.

Almost on cue, a pair of badly burned and slowly regenerating vampires came rushing from behind the couch. They snarled and leaped into a full sprint toward their attacker.

Blue Bolt rushed down to Sunspot and used one of his blades to slice through the ropes around her forelegs.

"Ngh…" Sunspot grunted as Blue simultaneously pulled her backward and up to her hooves. “Thanks for the-” She immediately looked up and widened her eyes as she saw two vampires charging toward them. "BWAH!"

While the orange pegasus was fumbling on her suit to try and find a weapon that hadn't been taken, Blue Bolt stepped in front of her and summoned his other blade.

The two ponies paused and sized him up for a moment before one of them got brave and lunged forward.

Blue made a swipe at the approaching stallion. The curved point of his blade narrowly clipped through a few strands of mane as the pony ducked under the strike.

Not one to waste an opportunity, the stallion grabbed Blue's foreleg and held the blade facing away.

Tensing his jaw, Blue spun his other blade around its circlet before locking it into a new position and stabbing it toward the stallion’s chest. “Let go!”

The pale pony jerked back, but not before catching the tip of the blade in his shoulder. He yelped and clutched at the wound as it started to sizzle and burn. Blue prepared to finish him off, when the other vampire, another mare, suddenly charged forward with a yell, colliding with the pegasus and tackling him to the floor a few feet back.

While Blue was struggling with his own vampire, Sunspot smiled nervously as the wounded pony shifted his eyes to her and growled. She lowered herself into a hesitant battle stance, having found that all of her silver weapons had been taken.

“Can’t we just settle this over cards or something?!” Sunspot squeaked as the stallion lunged toward her. She reached up and tussled with him, pressing one of her hooves into his still-injured shoulder.

Using the momentary distraction caused by his pained outcry, she shoved him backward a short way, giving herself some breathing room. She reached down to her suit once more and pulled out her popper, thankful that the pale ponies couldn’t identify it as a weapon.

The pale stallion growled as he got back to his hooves. He started to make another charge for the orange pegasus when he suddenly felt something impact his side, hard. He stumbled over, nearly losing his footing and going to the floor.

Sunspot looked over to see Rainbow Dash still on the floor, recovering from a kick from both hind legs. It was about all she could do in her current state. Sunspot smiled a bit at her friend’s quick thinking.

Rainbow Dash smirked up at her friend as well, until her eyes widened at something behind the orange pegasus. “Watch out!”

Barely even processing the cyan mare’s warning, Sunspot spun around, only to widen her eyes as she saw a blue shape hurtling toward her. She yelped and stepped to the side just in time for Blue Bolt to sail by and crash to the floor with a painful grunt.

Looking ahead at a feral snarl, Sunspot lifted her popper and flicked off the safety as the pale pony that was wrestling with the blue stallion came charging at her.

The air in the cottage was split by a series of three cracks. Flashes of green light briefly tinted Sunspot and her surroundings as she opened fire. Bolts of arcane energy zipped forward, practically faster than the eye could see, and punched holes in the pale mare’s form. Discolored blood sprayed from both sides of her body.

However, she seemed mostly unfazed and seriously ticked off.

Thinking fast, and thinking back to the advice she received from Tom on killing vampires, Sunspot cringed and took aim for the final shots she could get off before the mare would be on top of her.

As the green bolts ripped into her chest, the vampiric pony stumbled back and widened her eyes. She looked down to a bleeding crater in her form, right around where her heart would be, and watched as orange light flickered to life and started spreading.

While the mare’s curses and yells abruptly faded as her form disintegrated, Sunspot suddenly felt a pair of hooves grasping her by the shoulders and jerking her into the nearby wall.

“Ack!” She squawked, dropping the vial from her hooves from the impact and reaching up. Darting her fearful eyes to the side only revealed an open maw full of teeth.

The orange pegasus seized up and flinched, fully expecting this to be her end.

Then, a stabbing sound and an agonized yelp made her open her eyes, only to see the form of the pale pony holding her being overtaken by fire and ash. An ornate and very sharp-looking blade was jutting into the air where the vampire just was, and it was connected to a metal circlet around a blue hoof.

“You ok?” Blue asked, somewhat urgently. They were still in a combat scenario as long as one of the pale ponies was alive.

“Ye-”

“HOLD IT! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!”

Sunspot was cut off abruptly by a shrill voice.

All eyes in the cottage swiftly converged on the couch toward the back wall, where the pale earth mare, seemingly the leader of this band of vampires, was standing with Fluttershy and Bon Bon held by the neck and head.

The pale mare appeared to be trembling, and her darting pupils were small with fear as she kept a close watch on both Blue Bolt and Sunspot.

“If either of you takes one step closer, I’ll… I-I’ll kill them! I’ll kill t-them both!” She demanded, tightening her grip around the two mares and making them squeak in pain.

“Please no!” Bon Bon whimpered hysterically. She was stiff as a board and afraid to move.

Fluttershy looked between her friends with the fear of death in her eyes. “Blue… S-Sunspot… please…”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash yelled from her position on the ground. She flopped forward, but the bindings around her forelegs made it so she couldn’t move all that well. “Let them go!”

“Bonny!” Lyra gasped and reached a frail hoof out toward her friend.

Meanwhile, Blue Bolt and Sunspot were standing beside each other in the middle of the room, staring at the cornered animal that now had their friends by the neck.

“Now, hold on a minute. Let’s talk this out like grown ponies and-” Blue started, until another series of distressed noises from Fluttershy and Bon Bon made him freeze.

“Stay right there!” The pale mare squealed. She roughly shoved Bon Bon to the floor away from her and put her full focus on Fluttershy, hugging the timid pony close and keeping both hooves around her neck.

She looked to Blue Bolt stiffly. “The Prince t-told us about you! You stay r-right there and keep your hooves on the floor!” She demanded before eyeing to Sunspot. “You too! Keep your hooves off that stupid suit and where I can see them!”

As offended as she should have been, Sunspot was more focused on Fluttershy. She reluctantly stayed as still as she could while she struggled to work out a plan in her head. Most of her weapons were missing, and even if she had her crossbow, she couldn’t get a shot off in time. The pale mare would kill Fluttershy.

The pressure of the situation was clearly reaching her. There was nothing she could think to do. Her limbs started to shake as she envisioned helplessly watching Fluttershy die. She had made a silent promise to herself and to Neon Streak that she would protect the yellow mare and her friends, but now she was about to let that promise shatter.

Then, however, her eyes shifted to the side as she noticed the stallion beside her standing up straight. Blue Bolt had a grim look on his face as he stared the pale pony down and slowly unfurled his wings.

“Blue… what are you doing?” Sunspot whispered tensely, not even risking turning to face the stallion as she watched the pale mare, sweat starting to fall down her face.

Blue Bolt barely even acknowledged her. All of his focus was on the vampire threatening his friend’s life.

He had been through so much with the yellow mare in their relatively short time together. He owed so much to her and Rainbow Dash. He was not about to let some monstrous pony hurt her.

“Hey! Didn’t you hear me?! I said stay back!” The pale mare threatened again, making sure to keep Fluttershy in front of her and in her grasp at all times. She started backing toward the kitchen, taking slow and infrequent movements as she watched the stallion.

Blue didn’t know everything about his new powers. Truth be told, he was winging it most of the time and learning as he went. He knew that he wasn't using the boost of speed from his wings to its full potential, but he also knew that if he tried to focus harder on it, that it would threaten to make him pass out again.

However, as he looked into the trembling violet eyes of his friend, and saw how fearful she was, he suddenly didn’t care.

In the span of three seconds, he acted.

The edges of his wings started to glow orange, each feather warming with supernatural energy working its way to each appendage’s base. His hardened stare lit up a similar color as he tensed his forehooves and leaned forward.

He concentrated on the strange force within him, exercising more control at the cost of more exhaustion. The strange tingle in his head appeared as if reminding him that he wasn't ready for such a display of power. He pushed it aside and focused on his next actions.

Then, he vanished.

Sunspot, Rainbow Dash, and even Lyra flinched as a shockwave of air blew past them. They caught a hint of orange flashing across the room for an instant before they shielded their eyes from the breeze.

When they looked up, Blue Bolt was no longer beside them. They trailed their eyes ahead, only to widen them at what they saw.

Fluttershy was on the ground, sitting and staring up in similarly stunned awe as her friends. The pale mare was staring ahead blankly, eyes wide open and mouth agape, as a familiar blue stallion stood next to her.

His wings were still aglow, and his form seemed still as a statue as he held his foreleg out. The blade around his wrist was stuck into the vampiric pony’s chest.

“Wh… what…” The pale mare muttered, at a loss for words. She never found any more as a wave of fire overtook her.

Silence reigned in the cottage for a solid few seconds after that as everyone processed what just happened. As the realization that they were safe once more sank in, many of them started to relax, though most were still fixated on the act of supernatural power that they just witnessed.

Sunspot blinked, “Holy Luna… Blue, that was amazing!”

“She didn’t even know what hit her!” Rainbow Dash noted from the floor, grinning despite her bindings as Sunspot came over and untied her.

“That was incredible… how did you do that?” Bon Bon asked as she slowly stood up. Before she could get an answer, she turned to see a teal shape rushing across the room toward her. She barely had time to process before Lyra wrapped her up in a tight hug.

“I’m so glad you’re ok!” Lyra said before turning to Blue with joyful tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much, Blue Bolt.”

“Yeah. You really saved our tails.” One of the guards on the ground piped up, sounding very much exhausted and pained.

Blue Bolt let his weapons vanish, though he was still staring into blank space where the pale mare was. “Sure… y-yeah, it was… it was no… problem.” He said, sounding quiet and distant.

Fluttershy’s expression dropped a bit as she watched her friend for a moment. His eyes were unfocused, and he teetered a bit as he took a few steps. “Blue… are you ok?” She asked softly.

By now, Sunspot had finished untying Rainbow Dash, and the two mares had gathered around the stallion.

“I’m fine… I… I-I just… Ngh…” Blue cringed and brought a hoof up to his head. The one eye that wasn't clenched shut glowed orange briefly as the familiar and disorienting tingle came, more intense than before. It reminded him of the first time it happened, right before he passed out.

Rainbow Dash put a hoof to Blue’s forehead. She recoiled and softened her gaze at the result. “He’s burning up. Uh… Fluttershy, get a cold rag or something.”

“O-ok.” Fluttershy nodded sporadically before rushing off into her kitchen.

“What’s going on?” Sunspot asked as she finished untying the guards. She hovered nearby, ready to offer some kind of help to the stallion, who was starting to shake.

“This happened before he passed out last time.” Rainbow explained as she helped her friend to a seated position and supported him so he wouldn’t fall over. “Stay with us, Blue. Just take it easy.”

“Is he ok?” Lyra asked, standing nearby with Bon Bon and watching the group rushing to aid their friend with worried frowns on their faces.

Rainbow Dash turned and started to answer when she paused as Blue Bolt spoke up.

“I’m good… I’m…” He panted, barely audible and starting to hyperventilate slightly. A bit of clarity came back to his eyes for a moment before they drifted into empty space again. “Just… tired.”

Soon after, Fluttershy came rushing back with a moistened rag in her mouth. She sat down next to the stallion and held the cloth to his forehead while whispering reassurances to him and trying her best to comfort him.

While this was going on, one of the guards turned to Sunspot and adopted a more serious expression. “What’s the situation with the other attacks?”

“We’ve got things under control.” Sunspot said.

“Maybe you should check in with everypony?” Fluttershy suggested.

Sunspot frowned a bit at the thought that her teammates were having similar trouble in dealing with the pale ponies. If Blue Bolt hadn’t shown up, who knows what was about to happen to them?

“Yeah. I’ll let them know we’re ok.” She said, lifting a hoof up and pressing it to her ear. “This is Sunspot… Anypony free to respond?”

Almost immediately, a relieved voice echoed in her head.

“Thank Celestia! We were getting worried about you!” Sparkplug said, informal as usual.

Sunspot chuckled half-heartedly, “Sorry guys… I was a little tied up.”

“It’s good to hear from you, Sunspot. Is everyone ok over there?” Glimmer Shine asked.

“More or less.” Sunspot said, taking a concerned glance to Blue Bolt. “Enough about us. What have I missed?”

There was an uncomfortable pause that didn’t go unnoticed.

Sparkplug eventually started, “Well… uh… we’ve gotten the farm and Sugarcube Corner taken care of.”

“That’s good.” Sunspot said, her mouth falling into a flat line despite her words. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me what’s wrong?”

An abject sigh came from Glimmer Shine as he seemingly worked up the nerve needed to explain whatever bad news had befallen them. “Sunspot… it’s not looking good over here at the square. Twilight and Glitter have been taken hostage."

“What?! And you let them?!” Sunspot raised her voice, immediately grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

Although the pegasus’ outrage wasn't specifically directed at her, the familiar reaction struck a chord in Sparkplug. “There wasn't anything we could do.” She said softly.

“There had to be something!” Sunspot shouted before taking notice of the concerned stares she was receiving and quieting down. “How do we just up and lose two people to those freaks?!” She whispered forcefully, turning so that the others couldn’t read her lips.

After a moment, it was Glimmer Shine who answered. “You weren’t there, Sunspot. Some ponies were going to get hurt… and Twilight and Glitter volunteered themselves up so that wouldn’t happen. I get that you’re upset, but this is not the time to be turning on each other.”

Sunspot took a few breaths to get the lingering shock out of her system. “Yeah… yeah, ok. Sorry. What are we doing?”

“Glitter’s been telling us where she and the other hostages are. We’re getting ready to storm inside and take the vampires out before they can hurt anyone.” Glimmer explained.

“That sounds like something I would say. Are we sure someone doesn’t want to come up with a more well thought out plan so we don’t end up getting Glitter and Twilight killed?” Sunspot asked.

There was an uncomfortable sigh. “This is the only plan we have. We’re trying to make it well thought out as we go.” Glimmer said.

“Yeah, and I think the well thought out thing to do here is to get Blue Bolt over here pronto,” Sparkplug added.

Sunspot cringed hesitantly as she looked back to see the stallion still out of it. “Blue is kind of… indisposed right now.”

“Indisposed?” She could practically hear Sparkplug’s eyebrow shooting up. “Well, you better re-dispose him!”

“That’s… not an option. Look, he’s having that thing happen to him that happened before he passed out last time. I think he used too much of his power or something. Whatever. The point is that he can’t help… but I can. I’m heading over there right now.” Sunspot said, already going around the room and collecting her missing gear from the various hiding spots the pale ponies had stashed it.

“As much as I think we could use the help, I’m not sure if we can wait that long.” Glimmer Shine said. “Shining Armor wants us in there as soon as possible… and I can’t exactly blame him. We don’t know what they could be doing to Twilight and the others, and Glitter has been quiet for a while.”

Sunspot nearly tripped over a night table as she struggled to replace her gear onto her suit while also keeping a hoof to her ear. “It’s like you said, Glimmer. I’m not there. You do what you gotta do… just make sure to get to them in one piece if you bust in before I get there.”

“Copy that.” The stallion said, voice full of somber determination.

“What he said.” Sparkplug chimed in.

Soon after, nothing but silence came as her teammates left her to her own devices. They had more important things to do than talk with her, she was sure.

As she let her hoof fall from her ear, Sunspot felt a bit of unease well up inside her as the silence in the room punctuated the end of her conversation. Before anyone even spoke, she knew what was coming.

“What was all that about?” Rainbow Dash asked, prompting the orange mare to turn and face the group.

They were understandably concerned after hearing her outburst and what few words they could make out from her conversation. Even without hearing the other half, it didn’t paint a good picture.

“Is everyone ok?” Fluttershy fretted, her eyes shimmering ever so slightly as she braced herself for whatever bad news awaited.

Sunspot lowered her ears a bit and shifted her eyes to the floor briefly. “Twilight and Glitterball have been taken hostage over at the square.” She explained, figuring that it was best to be upfront. After all, she would want someone to be honest if one of her best friends was in grave danger, which was actually the case.

Rainbow snapped her eyes open. “What?!”

“Oh no…” Fluttershy recoiled back in shock.

“Oh my gosh.” Bon Bon muttered, while Lyra merely gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves. She might not have known who Glitterball was, but the thought of anyone going through what she just did was horrible.

Not satisfied at simply reacting, Rainbow Dash stood up and took a few steps forward. “What are we waiting for? We gotta get over there!”

“No, I gotta get over there. You gotta stay here and keep an eye on Blue until he gets better.” Sunspot stated, firm but friendly enough.

“Sunspot, are we really going to have this fight? Twilight and Glitter need us!” Rainbow insisted.

Sunspot softened her expression. “Rainbow… look around you.” She pointed to the utter mess that Fluttershy’s living room was in. “We almost died. If Blue didn’t show up, who knows what they would have done to us?”

Rainbow Dash wrinkled her expression. “So you’re saying that was my fault?!”

“What? No!” Sunspot shook her head. “I just don’t want you involved! It’s way too dangerous!”

“Oh, so you and the others get to go and risk your lives for Twilight, but I can’t risk my life for Glitter? I thought we were all in this together?!” Rainbow asked, unable to hide a bit of hurt underneath the anger in her voice.

“Girls…” Fluttershy piped up softly, hoping in vain to be able to calm her friends down.

Rainbow stepped forward while Sunspot faced away from her and fiddled with her gear. “This whole time we’ve been fighting these things together! We’ve bled together, we’ve almost died together more times than I can count! Why are you so hung up on us helping now?!”

Finally, Sunspot turned and shouted. “Because I can’t take losing one of you!”

This seemed to make Rainbow Dash give pause. The orange mare’s eyes had a fierce intensity to them, but they were also trembling with sadness and even starting to water at the corners.

“I made a promise that I would keep you guys safe. I hate that you’ve had to fight these things with us… I hate how often you’ve gotten hurt or almost died! You’re civilians for crying out loud!” Sunspot took a shaky breath before continuing. “After Blue died… after Tom… after Dusk almost killed you, I kept telling myself that there was nothing I could do. It was the only thing that kept me going. I’ll do better next time. Next time I’ll save them. But this is different!”

Rainbow Dash softened her expression as she saw a few tears roll down the orange pegasus’ face. “Sunspot…”

“If I let you come with me, and something happens to you, I’ll never forgive myself. Or worse, if something happens to Twilight, or Glitter or somepony else, you’ll end up feeling the same way!” Sunspot panted as she finished, feeling emotionally exhausted. Much to her surprise, Rainbow Dash walked up to her and gave her a brief hug.

“Sunspot… they’re our friends too. You, Glitter, Glimmer, Sparkplug… you’re all our friends. We might not be trained like you guys are, but when one of us is in danger, we all come together to help.” Rainbow smiled as she pulled back. “I know there are risks… and I know that we could get hurt or worse, but Dusk and the rest of his pointy-toothed henchponies don’t care who they hurt. Like it or not, we’re in this together.”

Sunspot looked at Rainbow’s genuine expression and even over at Fluttershy, who was wearing a similar warm smile. The stiff corners of her mouth gradually lifted as a fuzzy sensation broke through all the fear and doubt she had felt. “You’d just come anyway even if I said no, wouldn’t you?” She asked.

“You know me too well,” Rainbow said lightheartedly.

“We can’t both be the stubborn one. We’d get nothing done.” Sunspot chuckled before sighing. “Well… if we are doing this, we better get going.” She said, producing the spare dagger they had and handing it back to the cyan mare.

Rainbow Dash smirked eagerly. She was more than ready to go rescue the two unicorns and whoever else was in danger. Nobody threatened Ponyville or its citizens on her watch, and especially not her friends.

Then, the pair turned as they heard a soft grunt. Much to their surprise, they saw Blue Bolt actually standing up. He was still shaky, albeit less than before, and his eyes looked like he was taking in his surroundings for the first time in a few minutes.

“I’ll go too…” He said, trying and failing to hide a cringe as he struggled to take a step forward. He didn’t make it far before he puttered to a stop, where Fluttershy caught up to him.

“Blue, you should be resting,” Fluttershy said, gently trying to coax him back into a sitting position.

“But… I can’t just let them go alone.” Blue protested.

Eventually, Rainbow Dash walked over to the stubborn stallion. She sighed and pulled a corner of her mouth up as she lifted a hoof and pressed it to his muzzle, pushing him back to his haunches with relative ease.

“Sorry, Blue, but you’re not helping anyone like this. I think you’re gonna have to sit this one out.” She said before shifting her eyes to Fluttershy. “Will you be ok staying here and keeping an eye on him?”

Fluttershy smiled softly. “Only if you promise to be careful.”

“Have you met me?” Rainbow smirked before giving the matter some thought. “Actually, don’t answer that.” She deadpanned as she started to rush back over to the front door, where Sunspot was waiting.

Lyra waved to the pair as they started to leave. “Stay safe you two!”

“Thanks for saving us!” Bon Bon added. Even if Blue Bolt was really the one that did the saving, it was the thought that counted.

“Don’t worry. Next time you see us, Ponyville will be vampire-free!” Sunspot boasted cheerfully as she gave a final wave to her friends before taking off into the night sky.

Rainbow Dash gave a similarly enthusiastic wave before unfurling her wings and shooting off to join the suited mare.

Blue Bolt was left to watch the pair departing, along with the three mares beside him and the two guards. Although he was confident that they would take care of each other, he couldn’t deny a feeling of worrisome doubt. One look at Fluttershy told him that she felt the same way.

Chapter 49: Crisis Point

Inside Ponyville Town Hall, Twilight reluctantly sat and bided her time with the ponies around her.

The two townsponies were understandably nervous as they sat quietly together. Twilight’s presence seemed to reassure them ever so slightly, as was natural for the unicorn and her infectious charm and genuine care for those around her, but they were still fearful of making the slightest peep or movement that could upset the pale mare watching them.

Over by the far wall, the vampiric earth mare was sitting as well, though she wore an impatient expression on her face. Her vibrant red eyes clashed with her washed-out white fur and bouncy blue curls. She looked like she would be some soft-spoken or refined pony, were it not for the corruption flowing through her veins and twisting her personality to her master’s will.

Looking up and catching Twilight’s gaze, the pale mare wrinkled her eyes. “Hey, what are you looking at?” She hissed.

Twilight immediately looked away and kept her eyes low, but she could still feel the piercing red orbs staring into her.

The pale mare watched her prisoner for a moment, paying no mind to the two other ponies tensely waiting and hoping not to be focused on. She snorted, “If you think you’re just waiting for your friends to come save you, think again. When the Prince gets here, they’re all going to die.”

While the thought did settle a twinge of fear into her core, Twilight had her doubts. “Is Dusk really coming here? Or is he just using you as a distraction?”

Hearing this, the smugly amused expression on the earth mare’s face narrowed and tensed. Her jaw trembled as a silent growl reverberated within. Finally, she got up and started walking over to the purple unicorn.

Twilight stiffened up at this expected reaction. The other ponies looked to her with concerned faces. They looked like they wanted to distance themselves or try to help, but they just remained where they were, frozen like statues as the pale pony approached.

“How dare you speak of the Prince like that.” The mare growled, her eyes flaring as the noise shifted to a more feral sound briefly. “We are his children! He would never abandon us!”

Fighting against her instinct to flinch back, Twilight struggled to keep a straight expression. “If that’s the case…” She swallowed, eyes wavering and voice diminished, “then why is he off fighting the princesses while you’re here? What are you even doing here?”

The mare seemed to pause at this briefly, her fierce eyes shifting in thought before she returned her glare in full force. “You’re… you’re trying to trick me into revealing our plan, aren’t you?! They always said you were clever, but I always thought you lucked into being Celestia’s student!”

Although it was probably just the vampiric influence talking, the thought that some ponies genuinely thought that way of her was a touch hurtful. Still, now wasn't the time.

“What plan?” Twilight prodded. “Because it sounds to me like you don’t have a plan to reveal. Does your Prince really think so highly of you if he didn’t even bother letting you in on his- ACK!”

Twilight croaked as a hoof was abruptly shoved into her throat. She was aggressively pushed back toward the wall behind her, and then into it. Her neck burned and her lungs started to strain as the pale mare got on hind legs and lifted her up.

The other two ponies in the room gasped. The lone stallion started to rush forward to assist the purple mare when a vicious growl and a fanged visage of death sent him scrambling back to the floor in fear.

“You insolent little tramp!” The mare snapped. “The Prince doesn’t need to waste his time giving us his every reason for his instructions! He made us stronger, gave us his gift of immortality! The least we can do to repay him is follow his every word! So what if the others are more important than us? Every part of his plan is important!”

Others...? Twilight narrowed her eyes at that. However, she couldn’t react much outwardly, as the pressure on her windpipe mounted.

She clutched her hooves to her throat, but the mare’s unnatural strength was too great. Finally, she tried to light her horn and teleport to the other side of the room. Unfortunately for her, her fading vision and mental clarity made it difficult for her to focus on a spell.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and the pale green pegasus mare from before entered. As she saw the scene before her, she snapped her eyes open. “Hey!”

Almost immediately, the earth mare dropped Twilight, letting the unicorn slide to the floor in a gasping and coughing fit while she faced her comrade.

“I thought you were supposed to be the level-headed one?” The pegasus said, a bit surprised.

The blue-haired mare shifted her eyes to the floor and turned her head to the side. “Sorry… She was speaking ill about the Prince. I… I couldn’t help myself.”

Hearing this, the pegasus narrowed her eyes at Twilight briefly. “Even if she deserves it, you know the Prince wants her in one piece when we get out of here.”

“Speaking of which, what’s the situation out there?” The earth mare asked.

The pegasus let out a stressed exhale as she looked over her shoulder toward the door. “I think the other groups are dead.”

The earth mare suddenly adopted a sober look. “What makes you say that?”

“More of those weirdos in the vests keep showing up, and they weren’t here to begin with.”

“You think they split up when they first arrived?” The earth mare asked.

The pegasus sighed, “Yeah… which means that they’re done with whatever it was they were doing.”

The earth mare looked to the floor briefly. If a vampire could show worry, that was what was currently shimmering in her eyes. She glanced up to Twilight, who was being circled and comforted by the two civilians, and hardened her stare, causing both of them to flinch.

“So, what’s the plan? It could be hours until the Prince comes for us for all we know.” The earth mare said.

The pegasus looked to her companion with a stern expression. “I think we’re fighting a losing battle here. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of them show up and they get brave enough to break in here… especially if that slayer guy is with them.”

“What are you insinuating?” The earth mare inched back, her red eyes soft and fixated on the other mare.

“I think I’m going to have to take her and make a break for it while you guys distract those idiots outside.” The pegasus said, nodding toward Twilight.

Twilight’s eyes went round at the sudden shift in focus to her.

The earth mare seemed shocked as well. “What?! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Look… I’m the only one here with wings. There’s no way any of us would make it out of here on hoof.” The pegasus explained earnestly. “The Prince wants her and her friends, and I would rather cut our losses and deliver her to him than die without doing anything useful.”

There was a bit of a pause after that as the blue-haired pony stewed over her colleague’s words. Judging from her tensed jaw and darting eyes, she seemed conflicted on what to do. Finally, she sighed and shook her head.

However, before she could speak, Twilight interrupted her. “My friends will never let you out of here! They’ve got the whole square surrounded!” She protested before an angry snarl silenced her.

“Quiet, you!” The pegasus shouted.

“Erm…” The earth pony started hesitantly, causing her companion to look back at her. “As much as I hate agreeing with her, she has a point. With how many of us there are, we wouldn’t be able to distract them enough to keep their eyes off you.” She explained. It was unsettling just how fast she accepted giving up her life for a potential gain for her Prince.

The pegasus let a half-smirk tug at her otherwise grim features. “That’s why I sent the boys upstairs to turn that pretty little monster hunter. I’ll bet seeing her coming for their throats would keep them occupied.”

Hearing this, Twilight’s heart dropped. She felt a cold sweat working its way over her. She had to do something to help Glitterball.

Before she could come up with some brazen plan to get past her captors, however, her captors shifted their attention to her.
.
..
…
Outside in the square, tensions were rising as Shining Armor and the others prepared for their assault on Town Hall.

Up on the balcony, Glimmer Shine, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie hugged the wall between windows near the north side of the building.

Getting all of them upstairs discreetly was a bit of a challenge, but with the combined efforts of the few pegasi and unicorns present, they managed to sneak up and over while staying out of view.

While Pinkie kept watch through a window, Rarity did her best to pay close attention to Glimmer Shine as the yellow stallion fitted her with Glitter’s discarded vest and instructed her on some of the more important tools on it.

"My word… how do all of you stand these things?" Rarity protested softly. "They're so scratchy… and the fabric doesn't breathe in the least!"

Glimmer did his best not to externalize a smirk as he finished buckling her in. He could practically see her thinking of how to go about overhauling their uniforms for them. "Sorry. You're the closest to Glitter's size."

"What diet do you use, Rarity?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, it makes sense that Glitter's so thin. She runs around hunting monsters all day."

Rarity chuckled, "A lady never reveals her secret."

“Alright, girls. Game-faces on. As soon as Shining gives the word, we make our move.” Glimmer said, glancing to the window off to the side that would be their entry. As far as they knew, there was meant to be a vampire keeping watch inside, not to mention however many more there were on the second floor.

Pinkie stiffened up slightly and gave a solemn nod. She looked like she was about to go to war, which wasn't much of a stretch.

Rarity merely steadied herself and made a mental note of where all her new equipment was. Although, in truth, she only vaguely knew how to use the crossbow from Glimmer’s instructions, and the popper was too dangerous to everyone else involved without being that useful against the pale ponies, so she was probably going to stick to the silver dagger and strobe.

Seeing his companions ready to go, or at least as ready as they could be, Glimmer held a hoof to his ear and thought to his gray friend down on the first floor.
.
..
…
“Sparkplug, what’s your status?” Glimmer Shine’s voice tickled the inside of her ear.

Sparkplug reached up to her ear on instinct, though she paused to take a look at her companions.

Shining Armor was just before the window that most directly led to the east side of the building. He kept his body pressed against the wall beside him and discreetly peered in as best he could. A stoic expression was stuck on his face that could only come from worrying about one's sister being slaughtered by bloodthirsty monsters.

Applejack was right behind the stallion, clutching a silver dagger tightly and waiting for the signal to be given. She seemed eager and confident enough, but even she had a bit of stiffness to her movements that indicated some level of fear, not that Sparkplug could blame the orange mare.

Sparkplug gave a stressed exhale and lifted her head as she pressed her hoof into her ear. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be… Although, I kinda wish we weren’t spreading the guards out so much.” She said, causing her two companions to look over at the sudden conversation.

“It can’t be helped. We don’t know if Glitter saw all of the hostages on her way to wherever they took her, or if they’ve moved since then.” Glimmer said.

“Ugh… I wish we knew more.” Sparkplug fretted before shifting her thoughts elsewhere. “Glitter, are you there? We could really use some intel out here.”

Nothing but silence responded, even after several seconds. Although the unicorn was normally sporadic in her communications with them, she had always answered by now.

“That’s not good…” Sparkplug sighed, sliding down the wall behind her slightly.

“Is Glitter not answering?” Shining Armor asked, causing the gray mare to look up. She merely shook her head.

“Maybe she just can’t talk right now?” Applejack reasoned, though the look in her eyes seemed to betray her suggestion.

Shining Armor groaned internally before tensing his jaw. “As much as I don’t like it, we can’t risk waiting around much longer. How far out is Sunspot?” He asked, looking to the only one among them able to communicate between their scattered friends.

Sparkplug felt her stomach knotting, but she looked ahead and shifted her thoughts to the suited pegasus anyway. “Sunspot, how soon do you think you’ll get here?” She asked, including Glimmer in the conversation to keep him updated.

After a moment, a slightly strained voice came through in both her and Glimmer’s heads.

“Just a few more minutes. We’re going as fast as we can.” Sunspot assured, voice laced with reluctance and concern.

Glimmer Shine’s trademark conflicted sigh came through. “We’ll try to wait for you, Sunspot, but we have to get in there at the first sign of trouble or if Shining gives the word.”

“Yeah… I know. Just keep everyone alive. If I get there and someone is hurt, I’m kicking all of your tails, understand?”

“Copy that.”

“You got it.” Sparkplug deflated tensely as she dropped her hoof from her ear. Applejack tried to reassure her, but the palpable dread in the air was hard to deny for any of them.

Shining Armor looked back to the window and bit his lip.

“Twilight… Glitter… please be ok.”

“Agh!”

Glitterball yelped as the pale unicorn kicked her side. She curled inward, instinctively trying to protect her stomach, but there wasn't much she could do on the floor with her hooves tied behind her back.

“Did you really think you could pull a fast one on me?!” The unicorn mare bellowed, giving another kick to Glitter’s already bruising abdomen.

It had only been by chance that the vampiric pony noticed the glowing aura around Ms. Mayor’s hoof and Glitter’s ear, or perhaps it was her keen senses at work. Either way, she was taking out her anger on the defenseless unicorn.

“Leave her alone!” Mayor Mare pleaded. Pushing her fear aside, she rushed forward to try and pull the pale pony off Glitterball.

The vampire slapped Ms. Mayor across the face, sending her to the floor with a pained yell. Seeing both mares in danger, the stallion rushed forward as well and tried to tackle the pale unicorn, only to be shoved backward with surprising strength.

“You two stay out of this if you know what’s good for you!” The pale mare growled. She turned and walked back up to Glitterball before lighting up her horn and roughly picking the monster hunter up.

“What were you doing?!” The mare demanded, floating Glitterball up face to snarling face with her.

Glitter flinched and tried to turn her head, but the magical aura around her was impeding her movement. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking ab-”

“Don’t lie! I know an aura when I see one, and I sure as buck didn’t make it!” The pale unicorn reached out and grabbed Glitter’s horn, allowing the white mare to fall slightly to put pressure on the sensitive appendage.

Glitter squeaked in pain and tried to shoot her hooves up, only to find them still restrained. “Ow, ow owww! Please! I didn’t do anything! I… I-I won’t do it again, I swear!”

The red-eyed mare’s tense features were split by a sadistic smirk as she eyed up the horn in her grasp. “Oh, I’m sure you won’t. I’ll make sure.”

Feeling even more pressure and a sharp pain radiate down into her head, Glitterball yelped and clenched her eyes shut. She tried to move her head to somehow lessen the pain, but nothing she did helped.

Over by the stallion still recovering on the floor, Mayor Mare gasped softly and widened her eyes as she watched the monster hunter being tortured right in front of her. The bound unicorn had tears welling up from the sheer amount of pain she was going through.

“Stop! Please!” Ms. Mayor begged. Her cries fell on deaf ears as the sadistic pony kept going.

Then, just before Glitter thought her horn might snap off entirely, the door behind them opened and the pain lessened as the pale mare eased off. The magical aura around her faded, allowing her to flop back to the floor.

She panted softly and waited a moment for the rest of the throbbing pain to fade before squinting her eyes open and looking up to see what had stayed the vampiric mare’s hoof.

The two pale stallions that had ferried her to her latest traumatic experience were entering the room. One was carrying a knife in his mouth, while the other was carrying something small and red that wasn't immediately identifiable, though it looked like glass.

“What is it? Can’t you see I’m busy?” The pale unicorn gestured to Glitterball with a sort of annoyed wrinkle to her brow.

The stallion with the smaller object spoke, “Sour Patch has a new plan.”

“Oh yeah?” The unicorn rolled her eyes. “What’s she got in mind this time?”

“She wants us to cause a distraction so she can take that Sparkle chick to the Prince.”

Hearing this, the pale mare lifted her brows in surprise. “Hmm… sounds dangerous… and fun. It’s about time we did something other than wait around.” She smiled eagerly before adopting a confused expression. “But how does she think we’re going to distract those bozos outside long enough?”

The other stallion transitioned the knife from his mouth to his hoof and looked to the bound mare on the floor. “Simple. She wants us to turn her.” He pointed the knife toward her.

Glitterball’s pupils shrank as all three vampires shifted their attention to her. She looked up at the knife the stallion was carrying, a slight tingle causing her to tuck her chin in to protect her neck. She then looked up to the small red object the other pony was carrying.

As she got a better look at it, she realized it was a vial of liquid, and not just any liquid. It was blood. More than likely Dusk’s blood, which meant only one thing.

“H-Hey… l-let’s not get too hasty now.” Glitterball tried her best to wriggle away using her hind hooves, but she wasn't making much progress. They seemed to be enjoying her attempts for a moment as they slowly inched toward her.

“Heh… You should be thanking us. After everything you’ve done, you still get to receive the Prince’s gift.” The pale unicorn said.

“Wh… what’s this about a gift?” Mayor Mare asked hesitantly. However, it didn’t take much deduction for her to realize what the knife was for. “Leave her alone. Use me inst-” She started to move forward, when the pale unicorn turned and growled at her with eyes flaring and fangs bared, causing her to scramble backward once more.

“Stow it!” The unicorn yelled before calming herself and turning toward Glitterball with a smirk. “Now, come here you little worm.”

Seeing the pale mare’s horn light up and feeling a slight tingle around her form, Glitterball struggled to remain on the floor. However, a magical aura picked her up and gently floated her toward what seemed to be her fate, despite her best wriggles.

“Ngh! Let me go!” Glitter protested. As she was gently floated in front of the unicorn, she yelped again as she was roughly taken by the foreleg and turned to face the two stallions.

“Don’t be such a baby. It only hurts for a minute.” The unicorn grinned.

The two stallions shared a sadistic laugh as they watched the white mare squirm. The one with the vial waited nearby as the one with the knife stepped forward and brought his weapon of choice toward their prisoner.

Glitterball receded backward, but the unicorn behind her kept her from moving. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as the blade drew nearer and nearer to her neck. Her eyes trembled, and her jaw tensed as her life flashed before her eyes.

Off to the side, Mayor Mare watched with a horrified sense of hopelessness welling up inside of her. Was she really about to watch the monster hunter die?

No. She couldn’t just sit by and let that happen. Glitter had risked her life to try and relay critical information to her teammates so that everyone could be saved. And while she herself might not have been the bravest or the best at fighting, she couldn’t just do nothing while another pony was in danger.

Getting to her hooves, the emboldened mayor rushed forward, making a beeline for the unicorn holding Glitter.

She made it about halfway toward a tackle before the pale mare looked to the side and noticed her. Then, she felt her whole body being thrown backward violently, sending her form crashing into the wall behind her.

“Ngh!” Ms. Mayor flinched her eyes shut as her back and head erupted into dizzying pain. She crumpled to the floor in a heap.

The stallion gasped and rushed to the injured mare’s side. “Ms. Mayor!”

Meanwhile, the pale unicorn scoffed at the sight of the brazen pony on the floor. “I warned you about being a-” Suddenly, she felt a pain strike her muzzle as she turned into Glitterball reverse headbutting her. “OW!”

As the pale pony recoiled in pain, Glitter fell back toward the floor. Not wasting her only opportunity, she turned ahead to the stallion with the knife and kicked out her hind leg just before smacking into the ground.

The stallion had the knife knocked up and out of his hoof. While he followed the flying blade with his eyes in stunned surprise, the white mare kicked out again, catching the side of his jaw and sending him reeling back with a pained grunt.

Glitter ignored her sore body and flopped onto her side while simultaneously lighting her horn. She started to wrap her aura around the falling knife when another aura of a different color clashed with hers.

Looking up at the sound of a growl, Glitter shrank back at the sight of the pale unicorn mare glaring down at her, bruised nose and chipped tooth already healing.

However, before the unicorn could do anything, a fierce yell came from the side as the brown stallion charged into the vampiric mare and tackled her.

With the other magical hold over the knife broken, Glitter immediately whisked it toward herself. She barely got it halfway to her bound hooves before she looked up and noticed the pale stallion with the blood vial rushing toward her.

“Eeep!” Glitter seized up in a panic. With frantic thoughts and racing heart, she channeled her magical energies toward another spell and pointed her horn toward the attacking pony.

A blast of concentrated energy shot out of the white mare’s horn and collided with the stallion mid-pounce. It exploded, leaving a slight scorch mark on his fur and sending him flying backward with a yelp.

Shifting her attention to the other stallion, Glitter noticed that he had recovered from her previous kick and was already leaping toward her. She widened her eyes and rolled over as fast as she could, managing to get clear just moments before the pale pony landed with a frustrated grunt.

Not wasting what little time she had, Glitter took the knife still clutched in her corona and zipped it behind her. She didn’t even look, deciding to save time by only using spatial awareness at risk of cutting herself as she slid the blade between the ropes and her hooves and yanked.

The knife made quick work of her bindings, and while she felt a slight pain from an inch-long cut caused by her haste, she didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was free.

With the room descending into chaos, and the three vampires now fully after her and her two reluctant companions, Glitter did the one thing she could do to improve their chances of survival.

She raced her hoof to her ear.

“Guys, help!” She exclaimed, only just managing to get the words out before the stallion she dodged before slammed into her and sent her rolling along the ground.

They rolled to a stop. Glitter found herself being shoved into the floor by her shoulders. She flinched her eyes open, only to hear a snake-like hiss and see a fanged maw lunging down toward her.
.
..
…
Suddenly, both Glimmer Shine and Sparkplug heard their unicorn friend in their ears. Her voice was frantic and laced with fear, and her message was clearly received, sending a wave of adrenaline through both of them.

Glimmer Shine put a hoof to his ear, making sure Sparkplug heard as he turned to Rarity, Pinkie, and the guards around the corner. “Go now! Move, move, move!” He exclaimed before jumping into action.

Downstairs, Sparkplug widened her eyes and stumbled over herself to get the message out to her friends as she rushed toward the window. “Go!”

Not even wasting a moment, Shining signaled with a hoof to the watching teams of guards just in view around the building before lighting his horn and sending a blast of energy through the window.

Applejack and Sparkplug followed the stallion as he jumped through the window into town hall. They circled each other and darted their eyes around, uncaring of the broken glass beneath their hooves.

There was a door ahead of them with a few squares of frosted glass set into it. A break room, judging from the label. And judging from the readings they got from their locator, this was where the hostages were being held on this floor.

Shining unsheathed his dagger and started to wrap his magical hold around the doorknob when the sound of another door bursting open drew his attention away.

Frantic hooves came from the hallway to their left, and soon enough two pale ponies came to a halt before them.

"What the hay?!" An earth mare with blue hair reeled back in surprise at seeing the trio before her. Her companion, a bulky-looking earth stallion, snorted and lowered himself into a fighting stance.

Seeing the threat before them, Applejack stepped forward and spread her weight into a more stable stance. She turned to Shining Armor with a serious look in her eyes. "Go! We'll take care'a these two!"

After a tense breath, Sparkplug pulled her own dagger out and stood with the orange mare. "She's right, we got this!"

Shining cast a concerned glance between the bold mares and their opponents. He didn’t want to leave such powerful foes to them, but there were other lives in danger here. If he waited, the vampires inside the room would most likely harm the hostages.

With a solemn nod, the white stallion turned to the break room door and threw it open. He stepped inside, dagger poised and ready as he quickly scanned the area.

He found ponies in the room alright. However, none of them were pale or had red eyes. And, perhaps more worrisome, there was no sight of Twilight or Glitterball.

A pair consisting of a black and blue unicorn stallion and a white and gray earth mare were huddled in the corner. They jumped slightly when Shining entered, but they were quickly relieved to see another living, breathing pony instead of one of the vampires. Not only that, but it was Prince Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard.

Shining looked around the room once more, briefly glancing back at a few yells and a crash from outside, before shifting his attention to the two civilians.

"Was there anyone else in here with you?" He asked, unable to hide some urgency.

The mare lifted a stiff hoof and pointed back out the door. "They took Twilight just before you got here! They were talking about bringing her to some Prince guy."

All the color drained from Shining’s face as his eyes went round. However, he couldn’t dwell on his shock for long, as the commotion outside grew louder.

"You’re not hurt, are you?" He asked, already taking a few steps back toward the door. Receiving head shakes from both of them, he deflated a bit with relief. "Good. Stay here. You'll be safe until we get rid of those pale jerks."

Back out in the hallway, Applejack struggled against the stallion pinning her to the wall. She got in a few good punches and kicks, but his form looked like it could take a beating even before he became a vampire.

Off to the side, Sparkplug was having her own fight with the pale mare. And with her dagger lying uselessly on the floor beneath her, Applejack was out of options to retaliate.

Throwing a particularly hard headbutt into the stallion’s skull, Applejack was surprised at just how much of a bad idea that was. He barely flinched, and the pain she received wasn't worth the result.

“Guh… get off’a me, you… you overgrown mosquito, you!” She huffed.

The stallion wrinkled his expression and tilted his head, lessening the pressure on her neck slightly in his confusion.

“What?” Applejack sighed. “Sorry if m’ vast southern vernacular don’t include better vampire insults!”

Sparkplug chimed in, “Actually, that one wasn't so b-WAH!” She yelped as the pale mare flung her through the air down the hall.

After stealing a concerned glance at her friend, Applejack turned back ahead as a fierce snarl came from the stallion. She flinched back as she saw him preparing to bite into her.

Then, a stabbing sound came, followed by a pained scream. Before she could even open her eyes, the hold over her neck vanished, allowing her to plop to the floor. As she looked up, she saw a vaguely equine form burning away into a scattering of embers, along with a silver dagger floating in a magenta aura.

“You ok?” A familiar voice asked as a white foreleg stretched toward her. She looked over to see Shining Armor standing there.

“Thank ya kindly, sugar.” Applejack grunted softly as the unicorn helped her to her hooves. Shifting her attention back to Sparkplug, she raced to grab her own dagger off the floor where it fell. However, by the time she picked it up, an agonized yell came from down the hall.

Initially fearing the worst, the pair looked up to see the familiar sight of sparks and embers exploding into a cloud before blinking out, leaving a vest-clad gray mare on the floor sticking a single foreleg up and holding out a silver blade.

Sparkplug coughed a few times, seemingly having gone through a similar strangling to the orange mare, and pushed herself up slightly with her forehooves to look ahead at her friends. “I’m good… I’m good… Just give me a minute.” She flopped her head back down and struggled to catch her breath.

Shining Armor trotted over to the resting mare with a sense of alarm in his eyes. “Sorry, but there’s no time to waste.” He said, practically grabbing her hoof and pulling her up. “They’re planning to get away with Twilight.”

“What?!” Sparkplug widened her eyes.

Applejack gasped as she realized the severity of the situation. If the pale ponies disappeared with the unicorn and brought her back to Dusk, she was as good as dead. “But… how?! We have guards all over the place!”

“That pegasus we saw earlier is probably gonna try to slip by while we’re busy dealing with her friends.” Shining reasoned.

Sparkplug wrinkled her face with concern as she thought back to the pale pegasus. “She did seem like she was calling the shots.”

Not wanting to waste a moment, Shining trotted ahead before turning to the two mares and gesturing. “Come on. We’ve gotta find her!”

With that, Applejack and Sparkplug both rushed off with Shining further down the hallway. They had a deceptively small amount of ground to cover, but not much time to cover it in if they wanted to save Twilight.

Meanwhile, upstairs and a few moments earlier,

*CRASH*

The sound of glass shattering rang out as Glimmer Shine kicked the window. Once the passage was relatively clear, he shielded his face and jumped inside.

Immediately, a pale unicorn stallion stumbled back as Glimmer jumped in, soon followed by Rarity and Pinkie.

Seeing the pale pony snarling and beginning to light his horn, Rarity lit hers first. She wrapped her influence around his whole body and jerked to the side as hard as she could. Although she was hindered by the unnatural essence within him fighting her magic, she managed to slam him into the wall hard enough to cause a pained yelp.

Before he could even recover, the pale unicorn looked up to see Glimmer Shine rushing at him. Glimmer made a stab with his knife, and while the stallion tried to dodge, he wasn't fast enough to get clear before the silver blade plunged into his chest.

“AGHH!!” The stallion rocked his head back and yelled as his form erupted into flames. Soon enough, only a collapsing ashen skeleton was left to mark his presence.

With their adrenaline still pumping, Glimmer and the two mares darted their eyes around the immediate area, searching for wherever was most likely to lead them to their friend. They converged eyes on the lone room set before them. This must have been where Glitter was.

However, as they started to move, a loud thud and some muffled shouts came from within the room, along with a few feral noises that they had come to associate with their vampiric opponents.

“Come on!” Pinkie said, gesturing wildly. “It sounds like she’s in trouble!”

Glimmer and Rarity needed no confirmation of the obvious, but they knew she was right either way.

All three of them rushed to the door. Rarity immediately threw it open with her magic while also grabbing her dagger and keeping it beside her. However, she froze as she saw what was waiting for them.

The room had descended into chaos. Mayor Mare and an earth stallion were each trying and failing at holding their own against two pale stallions.

One of the vampires tossed the earth stallion across the room like he was nothing. He screamed and flailed trying to right himself in the air, but he couldn’t stop his momentum before he crashed into a hanging shelf, knocking over several papers, knick-knacks, and books as he spilled off it and to the floor.

Ms. Mayor wasn't even trying to fight. She was trying to survive. Every time the pale stallion would make a lunge or grab at her, she would deftly duck out of the way and scramble to somewhere else. However, she yelped and smacked into the floor as she felt a yank on her tail.

The fierce fracas was enough to catch Glimmer and the two mares off guard. But as they shifted their eyes to the back of the room, their pupils shrank at what they saw.

A bruised and battered Glitterball was up against the wall on her hind legs, struggling against a pale unicorn mare. She had a black eye, along with several scuffs across her fur and a small cut along her foreleg, but she still had fight left in her, however much it mattered against the super-strong mare.

Suddenly, the pale unicorn gained the upper hoof. She jerked her hoof away from Glitter’s hold and used it to pull the struggling pony close before digging her fangs into a soft, warm neck. A startled yelp died out as Glitter widened her eyes at the abrupt pain.

Glimmer Shine gasped, “Glitter!” Without even missing a beat, he shifted his dagger into his non-dominant hoof and pulled out his crossbow, unfolding it with a flick and leveling it toward the red-eyed unicorn hurting his friend and colleague.

Hearing a distinctly crossbow-like sound, the pale unicorn pricked her ears up and pulled away from her meal. Her mouth was slightly bloodied, as was Glitter’s neck, but it didn’t seem like too much damage had been done.

Turning and seeing the trio in the doorway, with one holding out a crossbow toward her, the vampiric mare barely had time to put two and two together before a searing pain erupted into her shoulder.

“AGH!” She cried, leaning against the wall and clutching her now flaming wound. The ring of embers spreading out nearly overtook her entire foreleg, just stopping shy of its circumference.

That didn’t matter, however, as a white hoof suddenly socked her in the side of the head, sending her flopping backward and to the floor.

Glitterball panted and clutched a hoof to her neck as she fell back into the wall behind her. She cast a sluggish look to her friends in the doorway, a bit of appreciation shining through the pain and exhaustion in her eyes, before shifting her attention to the threats still in the room.

Lighting her horn, the rainbow-haired mare wrapped her magic around the stallion about to pounce on Mayor Mare and threw him toward the wall by the door.

The stallion landed with a grunt and smacked his head, knocking down a small picture frame which also fell on him. He started to get up and glare at Glitter, when a pink blur came from his side, planting a silver blade into his chest.

“Nobody hurts our mayor, meanie!” Pinkie pouted at the disintegrating stallion, though he was already too skeletal to hear or care.

Off to the side, the earth stallion on the floor did his best to shield himself from the pale pony’s assaults. However, as the vanishing yell of the other pale stallion rang out, the vampiric pony was distracted and turned away from him.

Rarity and Glimmer Shine inched back cautiously as they sized up their opponent. Not wanting anyone else to get hurt in close quarters, the unicorn floated her dagger up and sent it flying forward.

The pale stallion dodged to the side of the blade, and again as it turned and sprang forward once more. He would have continued dodging, if he didn’t have one of his hind legs kicked out from behind, causing him to stumble.

Before the vampiric pony could even think about turning to the earth stallion, Rarity whipped her dagger around and plunged it into his neck, flinching her eyes away from the brutal act as she did. The ensuing scream fading into crackling flames and eventual silence filled her with a faint sense of regret, but the thankful look she received from the earth stallion replaced this with a sheepish smile.

Meanwhile, with her shoulder and most of her upper foreleg still smoldering, the pale unicorn cringed in pain as she looked up to see her companions vanquished. She tried to get up, but a yellow hoof gently pushing her other shoulder down kept her pinned to the floor. She looked up, only to find Glimmer Shine standing over her, dagger in hoof.

Glimmer started to reel his foreleg back to stab into the pale pony when he felt his dagger nudge slightly in his grip. Looking up, he noticed a familiar blue aura trying to lift his blade.

Looking ahead, he found Glitterball working her way to all fours again. She was out of breath, her neck was bleeding slightly from two puncture wounds, and her whole form was a bit shaky from a mixture of adrenaline and exhaustion.

Seeing this, Glimmer decided to let go, allowing the knife to float up into Glitter’s magical hold. He figured that she deserved some payback after everything she had been through.

“Ngh… hhh…. Hang on… wait a second...” The pale mare inched away from the battered unicorn looming over her, only to run into a set of yellow forelegs. “We can work something out!”

In between her panting, Glitter frowned a bit as she looked to the blade floating in front of her. However, her expression lifted into a grim line as she shifted her eyes back to the pale mare. “Don’t worry… it’ll only hurt for a minute.”

“Wait… wait, wait, n-AGHHH!”

Mayor Mare lifted a hoof to block out the sight of the mare erupting into flames as she approached the group. “Good heavens…” She muttered, a bit unsettled. Then again, she was glad to be free from the sadistic ponies. “Thank you so much, Ms… Glitter, was it? I think I speak for both of us when I say we are eternally grateful for what you did for us.” She said, glancing back to the stallion, who was wearing a similar expression.

“Yeah… don’t mention it…” Glitter dropped the blade clattering to the floor and shifted her weight forward, letting her shoulders droop and her head hang as she caught her breath.

Suddenly, she was wrapped up into an abrupt hug as Pinkie rushed forward.

“Glitter! I’m so glad you’re ok!” Pinkie squeezed the white mare a bit, taking care not to touch any injuries.

“Thanks, Pinkie…” Glitter managed a genuine smile as the pink mare let her go. She turned to see Glimmer and Rarity huddling close as well, pausing for a second at the sight of the unicorn in what could only be her vest. “Huh… I think that looks better on you than it does on me, Rarity.”

Rarity smiled a bit, “I appreciate the compliment, darling, but I think it’s time I returned this to its rightful owner.” She said, unbuckling the vest and slipping it off before holding it up for Glitter to take.

And take it she did. Glitter held her proud uniform up by one hoof. However, before she could do anything else with it, she cringed and brought her free hoof up to her neck.

“Are you ok?” Glimmer asked, resting a gentle hoof on the mare’s back.

After a moment of dealing with the pain Glitter squinted her eyes open. “Y-yeah…” She said before her thoughts seemed to drift elsewhere as a more grave expression formed. “But we don’t have time to worry about me. We need to save Twilight and the other hostages.”

Glimmer Shine flashed a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Shining and the others already have that taken care o-”

*CRASH*

The familiar sound of shattering glass came from outside, faint and muffled. It almost sounded like it came from beneath them.

Sharing a look of confusion, and then alarm, with the others, Glimmer Shine led the charge by being the first one to rush off toward the door. Rarity and Pinkie followed after, with Glitter bringing up the rear and racing to put on her vest.

A little bit earlier,

The pale pegasus snuck through the downstairs hallways and rooms, trying her hardest to avoid being seen. Ever since she heard the distant breaking of glass, stomping hooves, and shouting, she knew that they were out of time.

“Gah… why are you so heavy?” She cast an annoyed scowl back to the unicorn across her back. Twilight was too unconscious to respond, but she could already hear the irritating comeback. “The Prince better have something special planned for you for how much trouble I’m going through getting your fat flank to him.”

Hearing voices up ahead, she ducked back around the corner and hugged the wall. Peering out ever so slightly revealed a pair of guards in the next hallway.

Thankfully for her, the two armor-clad stallions rushed into a room ahead, most likely part of their systematic clearing of the building in search of hostages.

Tensing her jaw, the pegasus quickly made her way past, hoping not to be seen or heard. Against all odds, she somehow made it around the corner with no issue.

She shifted her eyes around feverishly, searching for something or someone. “Come on… where is she? That featherbrain better not have gotten herself killed. Something tells me I’m going to need her to get out of h-”

“OVER HERE!”

A voice rang out, drawing the pale mare’s attention down the hall to her side. Standing at the end was a gray earth mare in a vest who was staring her way and waving frantically. Soon, one of the other elements of harmony and Prince Shining Armor of all ponies rushed over and noticed what their companion was pointing to.

“Oh, buck my life!” The pegasus exclaimed as she turned and ran down the hallway.

“HEY!” Shining yelled, already starting to sprint off toward the pale pony ferrying his sister.

Even though her unnatural condition meant her heart was still, the pegasus could almost swear it was racing as she raced down the hallway.

Suddenly, she skidded to a halt as she saw some guards up ahead. As loud as she was being, they of course turned their heads to notice her.

“Stop right there!” One of them demanded as they started to move.

The pegasus groaned as she turned back around, “Can’t a girl kidnap a national heroine in peace?!”

She ran again, hoping to duck down some intersection. However, she didn’t get far before she could see Shining Armor and the two mares coming down the hall toward her.

Time wasn't on her side, and she was out of escape routes, or so she initially thought. As she shifted her attention to the windows to her left, she let out a stressed exhale before steeling herself.

Shining gasped as he watched the pale mare take a running start before crashing through the window and spreading her wings just before he and the others could get there.

They all rushed out onto the veranda outside and propped their hooves on the railing as they watched her taking off into the night sky. Shining tried to light his horn and grab his sister, but they were already out of his range.

“We gotta do somethin’! She’s gettin’ away!” Applejack stated before looking at the gray mare beside her. “Sparkplug, shoot her down with that fancy crossbow you guys got!”

Sparkplug reached halfway to her vest for a moment before stopping. “I can’t! I might hit Twilight!”

Hearing more hoofsteps coming up behind them, Shining turned to see a small group of guards rushing over. And among them, there were two pegasi.

“Get after them! Save Twilight!” He pointed toward the fleeing mare.

“Yes sir!” The guards said in unison, already spreading their wings and taking off.

The trio watched as the pair swiftly gained altitude and gave chase to the fleeing vampire. However, before they could get very far, disaster struck.

A magical zap preluded a bolt of energy shooting toward one of the guards. It pierced into his side, clipping part of his wing. He yelped and clutched the injury, dropping several feet before fighting to make a more controlled descent.

Shining and the others widened their eyes as one of the stallions roughly impacted the ground in the square ahead. They turned to where the bolt came from, only to spot another pale pony, a pink unicorn mare with blonde mane, standing just around the side of the building.

“Hey!” Sparkplug yelled. She pulled her dagger out and rushed toward the pale pony.

The unicorn mare noticed Sparkplug coming for her, but instead of focusing on self-preservation, she turned back toward the other guard still flying away and lit her horn.

In the few seconds it took for Sparkplug and Shining Armor to reach her, she cast her magical hold into the sky and just barely caught the guard’s hind leg before yanking down as hard as she could.

With his balance thrown off and a force pulling him down, the stallion was sent crashing into one of the houses on the outside edge of the square. He tumbled off the roof and destroyed an awning on his way down, culminating in a painful-looking, but thankfully survivable crash into the hard ground below.

Realizing that her number was up, the unicorn mare turned to the approaching group and grit her teeth. “Long live the Prince!” She cried before flinching back as Sparkplug tackled her, stabbing a silver blade into her form.

Shining Armor ignored the fading screams and flickering orange light as he turned back to watching his little sister getting further and further away. “No… no, no, no! Twilight!”

Hearing rapid hoofsteps behind them, the trio turned to see Glimmer Shine’s group making their way out onto the veranda with them.

“What’s going on?” Pinkie asked, darting her eyes around the area in mild alarm. “Where’s Twilight?!”

“Oh no… is that her up there?” Glitterball felt her heart sink as she noticed the winged shape in the air carrying a familiar purple form.

Shining tensed his hooves against the railing. “That pegasus is taking her to Dusk… We have to stop her!”

Almost immediately, Glimmer Shine lifted a hoof to his ear as he tensely stared out toward the fleeing pony. “Sunspot, we need you here right now! One of the vampires is getting away with-”

Just then, a rush of air blasted by the building, followed soon after by another. Two blurs of color, one cyan and rainbow, and one orange and black were zooming past and making a beeline for the fleeing pegasus.

“Way ahead of you, Glimmer. Don’t worry, we’ll get her back.” Sunspot’s voice emanated in all three of her teammates’ ears, sounding confident as ever.

Glimmer couldn’t help but smile with relief. “Better late than never…”
.
..
…
Twilight groaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes. Her head was a foggy mess, but she could definitely feel her fur and mane being blown in a breeze.

As her vision clarified, a jolt of adrenaline suddenly went through her as she processed the sight of buildings and trees whizzing by below. Much further below than she was comfortable with.

“AH!” She jerked slightly, only to flail and cling back to the only solid shape underneath her. A familiar-looking pale pegasus.

“Unless you want to paint the town red, I suggest you shut up and hold on.” The pale pegasus turned back to cast an agitated look at the unicorn. However, her expression shifted and her eyes widened briefly as she looked behind. “Oh, crap…”

Without warning, Twilight was forced to cling harder as the pale mare picked up speed. She contemplated trying to teleport away, but as if expecting this, the pegasus lifted higher and higher into the air, sending the purple mare’s heart leaping into her throat.

“Put me down!” Twilight protested, though that was about all she could do. She wanted to punch the mare’s side, but she figured it was best not to agitate her only saving grace from gravity.

“What did I say about shutting up?!” The pegasus yelled. Once again looking behind her and seeing the two shapes giving rapid chase, she grit her teeth.

As the pale mare suddenly angled herself downwards and zipped into a dive, Twilight squealed fearfully and shut her eyes. She thought she might lose her hold numerous times as the pegasus corkscrewed and pulled a few hairpin-turns through the clouds.

Then, with little warning, a colorful shape slammed into the pegasus from above, separating her from Twilight and sending the both of them into a speedy fall toward the town below.

“AHHHH!!” Twilight screamed and clenched her eyes shut as her stomach dropped nearly as fast as she did. However, before she could have her life flash before her, she felt herself being caught midair by something.

Feeling herself in a furred embrace and feeling the familiar steady glide of pegasus wings, she squinted an eye open, only to find a familiar face staring back at her with a sly grin.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight felt all of the tension leaving her body as a smile formed.

“Hey, Twi… I was in the neighborhood and figured you could use a lift.” Rainbow said lightheartedly.

Twilight chuckled, perhaps still feeling a bit of a jolt from almost dying, and deflated back into her friend’s forelegs. “I’ll take you over my last ride any day.”

Shifting her attention back to her orange companion, Rainbow trailed her eyes downward, only to catch sight of Sunspot still plummeting toward the ground in a somewhat controlled descent with the pale pony hitched along for the ride.

“Hold tight. We should help Sunspot take care of that creep.” She said before gently diving down. Twilight put a foreleg around the cyan mare’s shoulder and did her best not to look down as they made their way toward the sleepy streets below.

Meanwhile, Sunspot was approaching the streets at a much faster pace. She kept a firm grasp on the pale pony’s shoulders, keeping her from flailing around too much or breaking off.

The pale pegasus looked up and glared at the suited mare. She tried to push Sunspot away, but nothing she tried worked. Then, before she could even speak a word, they both crashed into a surprisingly unforgiving hay roof and bounced off.

As they rolled off the roof and fell to the ground, Sunspot maneuvered herself to be on top by the final impact. The pale pony had all of the wind knocked out of her and bucked her head up from the force, stifling her pained yelp into a muted sucking sound.

Sunspot reached for a holster sewn into her suit where she kept her dagger. She barely managed to unclasp the top before she felt two hind hooves dig into her stomach as the vampiric mare reared up.

With a mighty push, the pale pony kicked Sunspot off and sent her flying back a half dozen or so feet. She hit the dirt road on her back with a grunt and rolled tail over head before settling to a stop.

“Ngh…” Sunspot flinched a bit before shaking off the pain and looking ahead. Seeing her foe already up and charging, she quickly grabbed her crossbow and flicked it ahead before firing.

The pale pegasus dodged to the side, leaving the silver bolt to zip past uselessly. She yelled as she approached and reared up for a stomp, but Sunspot rolled out of the way as she struck.

Pushing herself back onto all fours, Sunspot dropped her bow and got light on her hooves as another punch was thrown her way, followed by an attempted grab.

“Hold still!” The mare growled.

Sunspot scoffed, “Yeah, right!”

Hearing a swooping sound, both of them turned to see Rainbow Dash hovering down to the street, carrying Twilight with her.

“Never fear, the cavalry’s here!” Rainbow boasted.

“I had it covered.” Sunspot smirked.

Seeing that she was outnumbered, the pegasus inched back and stared at the trio tensely. Finally, she turned tail and bolted down the street toward an alleyway.

Then, just before she reached it, Twilight blinked into existence right in front of her, wearing an understandably displeased expression.

“Don’t make this harder on yourself.” The unicorn said.

Backing up once more, the pale mare turned, only to see Rainbow Dash and Sunspot flanking her. She was trapped, and she knew it. Even with her enhanced abilities, she stood no chance of fighting her way out.

“Wait…” She squeaked before cowering down as Sunspot raised a silver knife high. “Wait, wait, wait! Please don’t kill me!”

As she saw genuine fear in the mare’s crimson eyes, Sunspot hesitated.

“I’m… not like the others! I was just faking it so they wouldn’t hurt me!”

“Oh, please.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Are we really going to buy this?”

However, even Rainbow gave pause as the pegasus trailed her eyes down and showed what they could only imagine being regret in her face. Then, she looked up, and her eyes shifted in color from an eerie red to a soft amber. Her green fur became more vibrant and lively, resembling an actual living pony’s.

“My name is Sour Patch… I… I-I didn’t want to hurt you guys. I didn’t want any of this!” She clasped her hooves together. “I tried resisting, but the Prince kills anyone that fails him. Please… I don’t want to die.”

Sunspot wrinkled her mouth and let her dagger droop. She took a glance at her companions, who both seemed unsure. It had only been half a day at most since the pegasus and the others had been turned, so it was theoretically possible for her to fight off the thirst for this long.

Twilight stared at the cowering mare, sizing her up and searching her eyes for any signs of deceit. Seeing nothing but a fellow pony staring back, she frowned softly before straightening her expression and stepping forward.

“Say you hate Dusk,” Twilight said, a serious air about her.

The pegasus blinked. “Wh… what?”

Twilight inched back but kept her eyes on the mare’s. “If you’re really telling the truth and Dusk doesn’t have full control over you, say you hate him. We can help you… but you have to prove it to us.” She reached a hoof out, letting it linger in the air between them.

“Twilight…” Rainbow Dash muttered uneasily. As much as she wanted to entertain the possibility, she couldn’t stop worrying about what could go wrong.

Sour Patch seemed to contemplate the unicorn’s words for a while.

“I… I…”

Her brow tensed, and her face wrinkled. A silent growl came as she clenched her teeth. Finally, she looked up, eyes flashing red and fur shifting pale as she lunged toward Twilight. “I would never say that about my Prince!”

Rainbow Dash and Sunspot gasped. “Twilight!”

The cyan mare reached to the side where she had placed her own silver dagger, only to strangely find it missing. She started to question this when an abrupt stabbing sound filled the air.

Both pegasi watched as the pale pony stopped in midair before screaming as a torrent of fire and ash overtook her. A lone silver dagger was left floating in the air, held aloft by a magenta aura as Twilight stared ahead grimly.

Twilight watched the last few embers vanish into the night winds. It almost reminded her of watching her human friend disappear. She had a hollow feeling in her stomach despite their victory.

Noticing the somber look on her friend’s face, Rainbow Dash walked up and gently took the dagger out of the unicorn’s magical grasp. She then patted Twilight on the shoulder, letting her hoof linger a bit. “We did it. We saved the town.”

“And with no casualties to boot,” Sunspot added, her mouth curling up ever so slightly.

Twilight pursed her lips and softened her eyes at that before putting on a fragile smile. “Right…”

“Come on… Let’s get back to the others.” Sunspot suggested, already turning around and putting a hoof to her ear so she could let everyone know that they were safe.

Rainbow Dash followed after, sparing a moment to look back to Twilight, who also reluctantly came along. However, the unicorn paused briefly and looked back to nothing but thin air.

I’m sorry, Sour Patch… I wish I could have met you before this happened.

And with that last thought lingering in her mind, Twilight picked up her pace to catch up to her friends. While some small celebration was in order for their success in protecting Ponyville, she knew that the war wasn't over. She only hoped that there would be no further casualties to speak of in the fight with Dusk.

Chapter 50: Something for Something

“Ugh…”

Spike’s eyes creaked open as consciousness found him amidst a blurry landscape of colors, shapes, and shadows. His head was throbbing. His back was throbbing. Really, everything was throbbing. It felt like he had been trampled by a stampede.

As the young drake pushed himself to a seated position, aided in part by the wall he was seemingly slumped against, he took a look around. He was still in the equipment room.

Bringing a hand to the back of his head and rubbing it, he cringed in sharp pain and jerked back. Although it was hard to see from the dim light scattering out from the magical lantern nearby, he could immediately tell that his hand was covered in a concerning amount of blood.

A quick inspection of the wall behind him revealed more of the crimson fluid, with one spot even higher up than he currently was. The pale stallion must have smacked him pretty hard to get him to fly so far, which also explained why his cheek stung.

With more memories of what just happened flooding into his mind, his features fell into a worried frown as he thought to Cadence and the three fillies. They must have been taken away while he was unconscious.

Then, his eyes shot open as he remembered who else he was with.

“Raincloud!” Spike gasped and darted to his feet, uncaring of his stiff muscles. He turned to where he remembered the pegasus being tossed to, only to spot her motionless form still lying where she was before he got knocked out.

The dragon rushed over to the fallen mare and paused beside her. The light from the nearby secret chamber softly illuminated her body, which had four deep wounds steadily leaking blood from her chest and stomach.

“Raincloud, can you hear me?!” He shook her foreleg, desperate to get some kind of reaction. Even if she had tried to kill him before, even if she did sell him and his friends out, and even if part of him still feared her, he didn’t want to see her dead.

“Think, Spike. Uh… Pulse!” He exclaimed to himself as he recalled his training. With heart quickening and a feeling of dread building inside of him, he reached down and placed two fingers on the gray mare’s neck.

Not feeling anything, Spike shifted around. He had learned basic first-aid thanks to Twilight’s need for being prepared, but he was no expert. The longer he didn’t feel anything pressing back on his digits, the more anxious he got.

Then, he flinched back a bit as the pegasus tensed up and took a labored breath before falling into a coughing fit.

Raincloud moaned weakly as she opened her eyes and gently covered one of her wounds with a hoof. She rolled her head to the side, only to notice a small purple shape beside her staring back with green eyes full of a mixture of worry and hesitance.

“You’re alive.” Spike formed a relieved smile, though he knew that the mare was gravely injured. “Don’t worry, I’ll go get some help.” He assured before turning and scampering away.

“Wait!” Raincloud called before cringing and clutching her chest as she tried to move.

The dragon skidded to a halt and turned back to the bloodied pony. “Raincloud… you’re hurt pretty bad. You need medical attention.” He reasoned, walking back over to her slowly.

The pegasus took a few strained breaths and tensed her lips as a wave of pain hit her. She looked down to the floor beside her, which was steadily collecting her blood, before shifting her dull eyes to the dragon.

“Kid… I’ll be dead before you… even get back.” She tried to catch her breath, only to give a few wet coughs instead.

“Wh… what should I do?” Spike asked.

As if to answer him, Raincloud struggled to lift her foreleg and brush a hoof against her collar. “You gotta… f-find the remote.” She wheezed as her fragile lungs threatened another cough. “I can heal… my… myself.”

“You can?” Spike asked, a bit surprised that the mare could use her powers for something so positive.

Raincloud nodded, or at least attempted to. “Yeah… well, I-I’ve never… done it before, but-” She cringed and stifled a yelp as she held one of her wounds. “No time… l-like the present, right?”

Spike cringed nervously as the pressure of the situation swiftly mounted. He had overheard roughly where Sparkplug put the active remote when she told the others and he and Twilight were in the room, but he didn’t know exactly where it was.

“O-ok.” He nodded sporadically. “Just hang in there… I’ll be right back!” He said before turning and rushing toward the door.

“Oh, don’t mind… me. I’ll just be here… turning into a corpse.” Raincloud deadpanned, either from weakness or sarcasm, as she let her head thump back against the wall. If she was going to die, at least she could say that the throes of death didn’t take her scathing cynicism at the end.

Meanwhile, Spike made as much haste as his own battered body would allow as he went down the hall and into another room. This one was a small storage room of sorts, which seemed to have been taken over by Glimmer Shine and his team.

Boxes full of random items ranging from alchemical ingredients, to empty glass beakers, to a few empty charm vials were neatly stored on shelves against the walls. Glitterball had kept this place tidy at least, as there was a clear divide between the magical equipment, the weapons and tools, and the mechanical equipment that must have belonged to Sparkplug.

Spike climbed onto one of the boxes of mechanical odds and ends and gave it a quick search before feverishly turning to another, and another. No matter where he looked, he couldn’t find what he needed.

“Come on, Sparkplug… where did you put it?!” He muttered to himself anxiously. The wounded pegasus didn’t have the time he was currently wasting.

Then, his claws wrapped around a promising shape. And as he pulled the object free of the cluttered mess, his eyes lit up at the sight of a familiar remote.

“Yes!” He formed a relieved smile before suddenly losing his balance and falling backward with a startled yelp. This small setback didn’t deter him, however, as he was back up in an instant and scampering off to the equipment room. “Don’t worry, Raincloud! I’m coming!”

As he rushed back into the room, he felt a nervous pit in his heart as he saw the grayish-blue mare barely moving. Her head was limply propped up by the wall behind her, and she was loosely staring at the ceiling while taking shallow breaths.

Spike looked down to the remote in his hands, and then at her collar. He couldn’t deny a feeling of unease, but this wasn't the time. He pushed the button in the center of the strange device, and almost immediately there was a whir of clicks.

The metal band in the center of Raincloud’s collar spun around until an empty gray slate was left in place of some of the symbols across its surface. It had worked. The pegasus could use shadow magic now.

That is if she could manage it.

Raincloud groaned softly and tried to lift her hoof. She could barely even pick it up, let alone move it to her chest. Eventually, the trembling limb fell back to the floor as she let out an exhausted wheeze.

Seeing the pegasus struggling, Spike rushed over and picked up her foreleg himself. He gently held it to her form, placing her hoof over one of her wounds. “Stay awake, Raincloud! I can’t do this for you!” He pleaded.

However, much to the young dragon’s horror, her eyes began to lose focus and close.

“Raincloud?” He gasped.

Then, just as the dragon was losing hope, he felt the temperature plummet near her hoof as a dim purple glow enveloped its tip. With a disquieting sound, an aura of shifting dark energy formed, concealing one of the wounds from view as it began flowing into her form.

Much to Spike’s amazement, he began to see the other wounds on her chest and stomach closing up. It reminded him of watching Tom heal someone, only it was cold instead of warm, and a sickly shade of purple instead of a comforting blue.

A few moments after all the wounds had closed, the light faded and Raincloud shifted on the ground. With a dreary, although markedly louder and more energetic groan, she sat up and patted her chest.

“Ngh… that sucked.” She huffed, taking note of the puddle of her own blood she was sitting in with a bit of disgust before working her way to her hooves. However, as she stood up, a series of clicks and whirs brought her attention to her collar, which just activated again, and then to the dragon in front of her.

Spike was backing up slowly, not breaking eye contact with her. A distrusting frown was on his face, and more than a hint of hesitance was in his eyes despite how brave he was trying to be.

The pegasus sighed and gestured with her hoof, “Kid, give me that remote.” She instructed, not in a threatening way, but still firm.

Spike arched his body, keeping the remote close to his chest as he darted his eyes between it and the mare now towering over him. Even without her dark powers, she was more than a match for him if she chose to overpower him.

Then, his eye caught something on one of the nearby stools, seemingly leftover from the tinkering sessions the team had.

“Oh… you mean, this remote?” He said, a hint of impish defiance in his voice as he tossed the device to the ground and snatched up a small mallet. Before the pegasus could even move, he raised it high and smashed it down a few times.

The remote bounced and shattered over the course of a few hits. Tiny pieces of it broke off, followed by it snapping in half as the main housing was loosed. Soon, the button on its face was even dislodged, bouncing and rolling on the floor until it came to a stop by Raincloud.

Raincloud trailed her eyes to the scattered pieces on the floor, and then to the dragon. She produced an annoyed grumble, her face tensing a bit, and then deflated.

“Touche…” She said flatly, a thoroughly unimpressed look on her face.

Spike slowly relaxed his tense form, having fully expected her to strike him or at least raise her voice. “You’re not going to… do anything?”

“Not much point in it now.” She reasoned. “Besides… I do kind of owe you some thanks for saving my hide, so… thanks.” She scratched at her mane awkwardly before walking past the dragon toward the door.

Spike did a double-take as she started to leave. “W-wait! Where are you going?!”

The pegasus sighed and rolled her eyes up as she heard scampering behind her. She turned to see the innocent young dragon looking at her with mild concern like he was contemplating trying to stop her.

“Look, charcoal breath… I appreciate you doing me a solid like you did, but I need to get while the getting’s good. If I’m lucky, the guards will still be running around trying to figure out what’s going on, and I can just slip right by.” She explained before turning back around.

Spike said, “You can’t just leave! What about Cadence, and the girls?!”

“Relax, kid. I’m sure your friends and that featherbrained new slayer can find Princess Lovey-Dovey and the brat brigade before anything bad happens. Either way, that’s you guys’ problem.”

“You know, Scootaloo and the others wouldn’t be in this mess if you didn’t sell us out like that!” Spike protested, causing the pegasus to pause midstep.

Raincloud growled under her breath, though Spike couldn’t tell if it was directed at him or not. She turned back to him, eyes hardened in annoyance.

“You know, I didn’t have to almost die saving your ungrateful tail. I could have just let them take you! But nooo, I had to go and get myself stabbed half to death, like that brat Twilight Sparkle and her friends weren’t gonna find some stupid way of saving everyone again like they always do!”

Spike cowered and waited as the pegasus huffed and caught her breath. Eventually, he let his guard lower again and looked to her with soft eyes. “Why do you hate Twilight so much? What did she ever do to you?”

Raincloud shifted her steely gaze for a moment as she gave the matter more thought than she first intended. “You wouldn’t get it… After all, you’re her pet. You’ve had everything you ever wanted handed to you on a silver platter… just like she has.” She said, quiet and composed.

The dragon wasn't sure what to say to that. While he was left staring at her, she tensed her lips and exhaled softly through her nose before turning and leaving.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to leave this dump before-”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Raincloud paused as a series of frantic hoofsteps and voices came from outside, growing louder as they swiftly approached the room.

“Aww, son of a b…” Raincloud caught herself, glancing back to the dragon and puffing out overdramatically.

Soon after, the door to the room flew open, and a team of four guards entered. They all darted their eyes around before settling their gaze on the pegasus and the dragon behind her.

“Step away from him.” One of the guards instructed, keeping his eyes on the gray mare. Two others kept their swords in reach, and the lone unicorn lit his horn.

Raincloud sighed, “Relax, boys. I can’t do anything with this collar on even if I wanted to.” She said before sticking both forelegs out, waiting to be taken into custody once more.

Seeing that she was being at least somewhat cooperative, the guards relaxed ever so slightly. While three of them took the pegasus and started leading her out of the room, one earth stallion walked over to the young dragon and knelt down.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, showing as much concern as a seasoned guard could through his face.

Spike rubbed the back of his head gently, producing a slight grimace as he did. “I bumped my head pretty hard… but I think I’m ok.”

The stallion carefully examined the dragon’s bruised cranium. While there was some drying blood from where it was busted open, it didn’t seem immediately threatening. “We should get you to the med bay… make sure you don’t have a concussion.” He reasoned before adopting a more serious expression. “What happened?”

Spike’s expression fell as he thought to the pink alicorn. “They took Cadence and three of my friends. I’m not sure how long ago… How long has it been since they attacked?”

“We lost them about five minutes ago. They had the Princess and three fillies with them… I assume they must be the three that have been staying with us.” The stallion reported somberly.

“Oh no…” Spike’s face paled as he thought about what was going to happen to his friends. If his previous experience with Dusk and the monstrous ponies was anything to go by, he knew that they were in grave danger. “We have to do something!”

“Don’t worry. We just received word that the Princesses are on their way back, along with Captain Shining Armor and the elements. We’ve also got search parties scouring the mountain and the countryside. We will find them.” The stallion assured. “Right now, let’s get you taken care of.”

Despite how anxious he still was, Spike had no choice but to follow the guard out of the equipment room and toward the infirmary. He almost wished that he had been taken with the others. At least then, maybe he could do something to ensure that the three fillies were safe.

“Twilight… please hurry.”

Elsewhere, the soft and rhythmic clacking of the train coasting over the tracks filled the air, creating a sort of relaxing atmosphere for Twilight and her friends as they returned toward Canterlot.

Instead of the tense ride they had coming up to Ponyville, the train car was full of accomplished smiles and victorious cheer. At least, for the most part, it was.

While her friends beamed and celebrated defeating the pale ponies once more, even sharing some of the more harrowing or exhilarating moments they had with each other, Shining Armor looked over to see his sister staring out the nearby window in deep thought.

Ever since they reunited, the purple mare had had a sort of troubled look to her. He could tell when she had something on her mind, and now it seemed as though that something was preventing her from truly relaxing.

“Something wrong?”

Twilight looked up, only to notice her big brother watching her with a hint of concern in his eyes. “No, nothing… it’s just,” She sighed, “when those ponies were holding me, one of them said something about the others being more important than they were.”

“Hmm…” Shining furrowed his brow a bit as he glanced toward the others, who were all talking amongst themselves. “From what everyone said, it didn’t seem like any of the other groups were really doing anything important… kind of like they had no plan.”

“I know. That’s what’s bothering me.” Twilight said. “They might not have had a plan, but I know Dusk did. He didn’t just send them to attack Ponyville for no reason.”

Shining gave the matter some more thought, but eventually, he shifted his focus back to Twilight and put on a reassuring expression. “Well, there’s no sense in worrying about it right now. Once the princesses get back, we can all discuss what to do next.”

“I hope they’re ok.” Twilight let her ears droop as she thought about her mentor fighting the pale alicorn again. However, she looked up as she felt Shining reach across and put a hoof on her shoulder.

“They will be.” He said, though she couldn’t tell if he actually believed himself.

Back toward the other end of the compartment, Fluttershy and Blue Bolt sat together and watched with passive smiles as their friends shared stories about their individual experiences back in Ponyville.

“What?! You took on three of them?” Rainbow Dash gave a shocked chuckle as she stared at Rarity and Applejack.

“It’s true.” Rarity said. “Well, Applejack and Big Macintosh did most of the work. I was too terrified of those dreadful creatures to do much of anything. Although, I think we can both agree that Blue Bolt was the real hero in that mess.”

“I hear that.” Applejack nodded in wholehearted agreement. She smiled warmly as she turned to the blue stallion. “I don’t think I ever got the chance to thank you for savin’ Big Mac, Blue. So, on behalf of the whole Apple clan, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Blue Bolt gave an awkward chuckle and smiled sheepishly. “Hey, don’t thank me. I’m still getting used to these new powers. I’m just glad it worked.”

“Well, I’d say you’ve earned more than a few thanks.” Glitterball chimed in, rubbing her neck where previously she had a set of puncture wounds. Even her black eye had been healed.

Meanwhile, Sunspot adopted a bit of a concerned expression as she looked to the stallion. “Are you sure you’re ok, Blue? You seemed pretty out of it when we left Fluttershy’s place.”

“Huh? What happened at Fluttershy’s?” Pinkie asked, growing a bit worried herself as she and a few of the others shifted their attention to Blue.

“It’s fine. I just got a little tired is all.” Blue said in a disarming manner.

Fluttershy didn’t seem convinced. “You nearly passed out, Blue.”

“I didn’t, though. That’s a lot better than last time.” Blue pointed out. Seeing his friends still wearing unsure frowns, he sighed. “Look, guys, we should be patting ourselves on the back, not worrying about me. I’m fine.”

The others still seemed unsure, but eventually, they relented and let the subject go. Rainbow Dash stared at the stallion a bit longer than anyone else before she too settled back in for the rest of the trip.
.
..
…
Eventually, the train rounded Canterlot mountain and made it up to the city. The group departed out onto the streets and headed straight for the royal palace.

The streets were unusually empty, even for the night. They saw at most two or three ponies in their whole trip. It was a strange sight for Twilight and the others who were familiar with the city, and it only served to further remind them of how bad things had gotten.

However, as they reached the palace and headed up the steps, it was a completely different story. Guards were rushing in and out of the main doors sporadically, and there were many pegasi visible flying to and fro.

“That’s… not normal.” Glimmer Shine commented as they passed a pair of guards rushing down the steps. They had a certain urgency about them that wasn't exactly comforting.

“Did something happen?” Fluttershy asked, voice laced with concern.

Twilight started to say something assuring, perhaps to set her friends and even herself at ease, until she paused as she noticed something by the doors. There was a stain on the wall that looked like it had been recently cleaned, but whoever cleaned it hadn’t gotten rid of everything.

It looked like a brownish sort of red that was troublingly familiar to them by now.

Shining Armor eyed the stain for a few moments, his expression growing more unsettled by the minute. Finally, he turned to one of the guards standing nearby. “What happened here?”

The stallion didn’t answer at first. He looked to his companion and wrinkled his normally steadfast expression before forcing himself to look his captain in the eye. “We err… we were attacked by those vampires, sir.” He explained, though it seemed like he wasn't saying everything that was troubling his mind.

“What…?” Twilight reeled back in shock.

“But… why?!” Sunspot asked. “Dusk is after us and Princess Celestia. Why would he send his goons here?!”

Suddenly, Shining Armor’s pupils shrank as the realization dawned on him.

Twilight and the others watched as the stallion rushed for the door and headed inside. It took her a moment longer before her face paled as well. “Oh no…”

“Where’s the fire?” Pinkie asked as she watched the unicorn following Shining inside. Not wanting to be left behind, she and the others decided to follow as well.

Bursting through the doors, face full of alarm, Twilight looked ahead and found her brother standing a bit ahead. The entrance hall was just as bustling with guard activity as the outside of the castle was.

Up on the stairs, a smaller group of guards was gathered before two familiar alicorns. Sure enough, Celestia and Luna had gotten back before they did. However, they looked a lot worse for wear than Twilight and her friends had.

The two sisters were both clad in various bandages, with some still holding faint red stains. Luna in particular had practically her whole midsection wrapped up, resembling how she looked when Dusk first attacked on Nightmare Night. They had a certain grave look about them as they talked with the guards before looking up at the new arrivals.

“Princess!” Twilight smiled with relief as she rushed forward to meet her mentor.

Celestia and Luna walked down the steps toward the two unicorns. They were paying particular attention to Shining, and they looked like they had something that needed to be said, but neither of them wanted to say it.

“Twilight… I am glad to see you are all unharmed.” Celestia said, giving a brief friendly nod to the group as they gathered behind the purple mare.

“Glad to see us? We were really worried about you.” Shining noted with a slight smile. However, his bright expression faded the longer they went on with troubled frowns. “What’s going on? The guards said the palace got attacked. Is Cadence alright?”

The two alicorns glanced at each other, but neither answered for the longest time. Luna could hardly bring herself to look at the stallion or even Twilight and the others.

“Princess?” Twilight prodded softly.

Celestia tensed her lips and took a steady breath before setting a hoof on Shining’s shoulder and looking him in the face. “Shining… I’m sorry. They took her.”

“Wh… what?” Shining inched back, not fully processing what she meant.

“I’m told that they came looking for her specifically. She was with the Crusaders when it happened… they took them too.” Celestia explained, standing as stiff as a statue.

A solid moment passed before another voice rang out.

“WHAT?!” Applejack widened her eyes.

Rarity gasped and brought a hoof up to her mouth. “Oh no… Sweetie.”

Luna let her head hang and trailed her eyes to the floor as the group understandably descended into shocked murmurs and attempts to calm or comfort those most affected.

“This… can’t be happening.” Shining ran a hoof down his face and nearly stumbled.

Twilight helped keep her brother standing as she looked back to her friends with a somber frown. She couldn’t imagine what Rarity and Applejack were going through to have their siblings taken by bloodthirsty monsters twice. However, as she followed that avenue of thought, her eyes widened briefly and she turned to the Princess with newfound alarm.

“What about Spike? Is he ok?!”

“Thankfully, yes,” Luna said. “Apparently, they tried to take him, but Raincloud protected him.”

Twilight tilted her head a bit. “Raincloud?” She narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before deflating with relief. However it happened, she was just grateful that the dragon was unharmed. Still, she couldn’t be too happy about the situation as she turned back to her friends.

Applejack was sitting on her haunches while Fluttershy tried to console her. She was staring at the floor with a sort of stunned defeat to her eyes. “No, no, no… This can’t be happenin'. They were s’posed to be safe!”

“We will get them back,” Celestia spoke, a certain level of steely determination to her voice that made everyone look up. She walked over to Applejack and Rarity, taking a glance back at Shining Armor before lowering herself to their level. “I promise you… I will do everything in my power to get your sisters back. Dusk has gone too far… I think it’s time we put an end to this nightmare.”

“Wait… Princess, you don’t mean-” Twilight started, only to be interrupted as the alicorn stood up.

“Yes, Twilight. We’re going to go face him.” Celestia said. She looked around at the others, pausing and flashing a bit of a concerned frown before steeling herself once more. “I cannot speak for all of you… but please understand, this will perhaps be the most dangerous mission of all of our lives. I cannot and will not ask you to accompany us… but if you choose to come along, get your affairs in order and get ready. We leave as soon as preparations are made.”

There was a brief pause before the first person stepped forward. Oddly enough, it was Blue Bolt.

“Whatever you need, Princess. I’ll do whatever it takes to stop that psycho.” Blue said.

“Thank you, Blue Bolt. I dare say that you are our ace in the hole, as it were.” Celestia managed a slight smile. “I hate taking advantage of you and your powers… but you have my eternal gratitude for fighting on our behalf.”

“Well, if he’s going, I’m going too.” Rainbow Dash chimed in without a second thought.

“Me too…” Fluttershy fought her trembling voice and stepped forward, standing with her friends with as much bold resolve as she could muster.

Rarity stepped forward as well, and after wiping a stray tear, she steeled her expression. “I made a promise to Sweetie Belle that I would stay safe… but how can I keep it if she’s gone?”

“We fight… that’s how,” Applejack added as she joined the line and settled her hat on her head. All the fear and remorse in her eyes was replaced with determination and bravery. “My family’s almost been broken twice now… and that’s twice too many in my books.”

Soon enough, everyone was voicing their opinions and stepping forward to join their friends. Glimmer Shine’s team, the other elements of harmony, everypony. They were all sick and tired of their homes and fellow ponies being threatened. They had suffered through loved ones being taken and hardships being thrust on the innocents around them, and they were done standing around and letting it happen.

Celestia was surprised to see everyone so eager to pitch in and join their expedition. Then again, part of her was expecting this to happen. However proud and humbled she felt by everyone’s displays of bravery, she couldn’t shake a feeling of dread inside of her.

Shining Armor shook the stunned sadness from his system and walked up to the white alicorn. “I don’t care how powerful that Dusk guy is. Nobody hurts my friends… and definitely not my wife. It ends tonight.”

Celestia nodded sternly. “It ends tonight.” She said, confident on the surface, but more uncertain underneath.

One way or another…

Chapter 51: One Way Forward, No Way Back

In a room in the palace infirmary, Spike sat at the edge of his bed waiting. He kept his hands clasped in his lap, running one thumb over the other and staring at the floor.

No matter what he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about Cadence and the three fillies. He knew firsthand what it was like being held by the pale alicorn. Cadence was stronger than she looked, and the Crusaders had been through this once before, but he never would have wanted anyone to go through it twice, let alone Scootaloo and the others.

Suddenly, the door clicked open, causing him to look up. His expression immediately brightened as he saw a familiar purple mare entering.

"Twilight!" Spike exclaimed. He hopped off the bed and immediately rushed up to her and into her embrace.

Twilight smiled as she held her young assistant close. She opened her eyes and looked down, only to frown softly as she saw a fresh bandage placed on a spot on the back of his head. "Spike… I'm so glad you're ok."

Feeling him grasp onto her fur and bury his face into her chest, Twilight softened her features as he started to cry.

"Twilight, I'm sorry… They… t-they took Cadence and the girls. I couldn’t stop them."

"Ssshh… it’s ok." Twilight said, gently patting him on the back. "We're going to get them back."

Suddenly, Spike pulled back. He looked up at the unicorn with an expression of mounting shock. "Wait… you’re not going, are you?"

Twilight exhaled softly and straightened her expression. "Yes. I am. We all are."

"No…" Spike muttered, his eyes starting to waver. "Twilight, please… you can't!"

"I have to, Spike. I've already made up my mind." Twilight explained as gently as she could.

Spike’s gaze furrowed with determination even amid his building emotions. “Then take me with you!”

A frown formed on Twilight’s face as she heard the desperation in his voice. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You and I both know it’s too dangerous for you.”

"No… no…" He shook his head, tears welling up and his expression contorting. "Please don't go. I… I-I can't lose you too!"

Seeing the dragon so vulnerable, Twilight’s expression wavered. She lit her horn and pulled him up so she could properly hug him.

After a few moments, she pulled away and set him down. Spike inched back as he noticed she was crying too.

Twilight took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes before looking to him earnestly. "Spike…" She paused briefly, struggling to get the words out. "I love you… and no matter what happens tonight, I will always love you. Never forget that… ok?"

Spike was at a loss for words. He stared at her for the longest time before sniffling and nodding. "I love you too..."
.
..
…
After spending some precious time with her number one assistant, Twilight made her way through the castle toward the Princess’s study.

Reaching the door, she knocked a few times and entered as soon as she heard Celestia’s voice beckoning her inside.

She found the alicorn sitting at the large desk in the center of the room. Celestia no longer had any bandages wrapped around her, as both she and Luna had been healed by Blue Bolt.

Celestia smiled softly as she looked up to her student, but Twilight noticed a thoroughly troubled look on her face before.

"You wanted to see me, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"Yes… I did." Celestia said before gesturing a hoof to a cushion beside her. "Come sit with me, my student."

Twilight hesitated for a moment. She didn't like the somber air the alicorn had. Soon, however, she walked over and made herself comfortable.

Celestia propped herself up on the desk with both hooves and stared intently at a grouping of letters and a familiar set of jeweled necklaces and tiara. It was the Elements of Harmony.

She looked at each, tracing her eyes along the shining jewels in the shape of the bearers' cutie marks, paying particular respect to the element of magic.

"Twilight…" She spoke, not lifting her gaze. Her voice was far more grave than the unicorn was used to. "I'm certain you realize just how dangerous this trip is going to be."

"I do," Twilight answered.

"There is a good chance that… not everyone who goes with us will return. You understand, yes?"

Twilight paused for a moment at this, but she nodded anyway. "I do…"

However, she paused again as she noticed something. The alicorn was tensing her hooves. Her shoulders were stiff, and her eyes were hidden from her posture.

"Then, I want you to listen to me very carefully…"

Twilight waited for her to continue. She trailed her eyes down, realizing at least somewhat what the alicorn was going to say.

However, she looked back up abruptly as a hoof landed on both her shoulders. She inched back, not prepared to see the vibrant eyes of her wise mentor shimmering and full of sadness.

"Please… please don't go. I beg of you." Celestia said.

"Princess…" Twilight muttered, unsure of what to say. She had never seen the alicorn so vulnerable before.

"I hate how much blood has been spilled over my past already… but I don’t think I could survive if your blood was added. So please… stay behind. If you stay, perhaps you could convince your friends to stay as w-"

"Princess."

Celestia trailed off as the unicorn looked at her with soft eyes. However soft they were, there was also a fiery glint in them.

"I can’t just sit idly by while Cadence and the girls are in danger, and I won't just let you fight this battle alone," Twilight said.

“Twilight, this is my battle to fight. I will not have you die for me.” Celestia insisted.

Twilight exhaled softly. “Isn’t that my choice to make?”

This made the alicorn give pause. Eventually, Twilight continued.

“This isn’t about what you did or didn’t do to Dusk. I don’t care what happened between you. You aren’t obligated to die to make up for something that happened a thousand years ago. Besides that, you did nothing wrong.” She said earnestly. “And if I am going to die tonight… It’s not going to be because of you. I’m going to die trying to protect my friends the only way I can.”

Celestia’s mouth pulled into a fragile smile as she looked to her student, a sense of pride showing through the sadness in her eyes. “I was afraid you might say something like that… What am I going to do with you, my faithful student?”

Twilight smiled as well, and as the alicorn opened her forelegs, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her own forelegs around the Princess’s form.

“You should know better… making your princess cry like this.” Celestia jested.

Twilight gave a half-hearted giggle as she found a few tears rolling down her face, only to be absorbed by the alicorn’s chest fluff. “I’m sorry… Do you think you can forgive me?”

“If you promise me you will survive to see the sun… I think I could find it in my heart.” Celestia said.

“I promise.”
.
..
…
A few minutes later, Twilight stepped out of the study, leaving Celestia to her own, hopefully more assured, thoughts.

As she turned to head back toward her room, she paused as she saw Shining Armor leaning up against the wall a few feet away, seemingly waiting on her.

Shining looked up and inspected her for a moment before wrinkling his expression. “Everything ok?”

Twilight blinked as she noted the concern in his voice. However, she then noticed that her eyes were still a little wet. “Oh… Yeah, I’m fine. The Princess and I were just… having a moment.” She explained, wiping a foreleg across her face. “Did you need something?”

Shining remained quiet for a bit. He just looked at her, his eyes soft with thought. “I don’t suppose anything I say could convince you not to go?”

Twilight smiled a bit and shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

Shining smiled as well, though his didn’t reach his whole face. As he watched the purple mare, her innocent determination to protect her loved ones showing through her eyes, a thought popped into his head. For some reason or another, he thought back to his human friend, and the last thing Tom said to him.

Take care of them for me…

Without a word, the stallion got back to all fours and walked over to his sister. Twilight’s expression fell slightly as she saw how somber he was.

Shining placed a hoof on her head and tousled her mane a bit, just enough to cause some annoyance. “You don’t leave my sight… understand?”

“What… like, right now?” Twilight asked.

“You know what I mean.” Shining smiled, and soon she returned the gesture with a slight laugh before adopting her own serious expression.

“Yeah… same goes for you.”

“So…” Shining cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure of how to continue the conversation after such a solemn moment. “You want to grab a quick bite to eat before we go fight some vampires?”

“I like that idea,” Twilight said, taking a moment to notice her appetite. Surprisingly enough, fighting monsters was exhausting work. “You know… I wonder if garlic would actually work to repel a vampire?” She mused.

Shining chuckled at the thought. “Well, you are a scientist. Why don’t you test it out?”

“Sounds like a delicious hypothesis.” Twilight giggled.

With that, the two siblings walked down the hall, with Shining holding a foreleg around his sister as they went.

Meanwhile, in a different part of the palace,

Blue Bolt was sitting in a room by himself. He was busy using his newfound ray of light to transform average candles into blessed candles.

He was still a little fuzzy on the details of what a blessed candle actually was, but they seemed simple enough to make. Just as well, because Princess Luna could only give him a vague description of how Tom used to make them.

After letting some of the radiant light shine out of his hoof and watching the formerly white wax turn a soft shade of blue, the stallion examined the candle briefly, turning it over and giving it a shake before adding it to the bag beside him.

Soon, however, he looked up as he heard the door creak open. He almost expected it to be Princess Luna or one of the members of Spirit checking in on him. Instead, it was a very uncharacteristically somber-looking cyan mare.

“Rainbow Dash?” Blue skewed a brow in surprise.

“Hey, Blue.” Rainbow gave an awkward wave and a half-hearted smile. She looked down to the candles he was making and inched back. “You busy?”

Blue shook his head and set the candles aside. “No, no, by all means, come in.”

He watched as she sidled over and sat down across from him. She had her body turned away from his slightly as she was fidgeting a hoof.

"Something bothering you?" Blue asked, though he already had an idea what was on her mind.

Rainbow chuckled nervously, "Am I being that obvious?" She asked before sighing.

Blue softened his features. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. Normally, she was too concerned with keeping up her cool appearance to let her hair down, but now she seemed so quiet and reserved. It was almost off-putting.

"You know… it’s funny," Blue said, looking down to his own hooves, "I usually get tired before everyone else-"

Rainbow Dash smiled a bit at this. She could relate to being called lazy by those around her.

"-but I haven't slept at all since I passed out that one time… and I don't even feel it. I haven't felt hungry or thirsty either… It’s like I could keep going forever."

"Heh… being a slayer must be pretty cool," Rainbow said, flashing a hollow smile before flattening her expression. "But you do know you can't go on forever, right? You have to be careful how much stamina you use, or… or you'll die."

"With how long you've known me, have you ever known me not to be careful?" He smirked, only to notice that she wasn't reciprocating his lighthearted attitude.

"I'm serious, Blue." Rainbow frowned. "I already watched you die once… I don’t want it to happen again."

Blue exhaled softly and scooted a little closer to her. "Hey… I'm not going anywhere anytime soon if I can help it. Just because I'm not afraid to die again doesn't mean I'm going to welcome it with open forelegs."

Rainbow Dash looked him over for a moment, scrutinizing his expression, before managing a smile. "Good… 'cuz you and me still need to go out to dinner when this is all over."

Blue inched back, feeling a bit of red reach his face. He rubbed his neck awkwardly and chuckled. "That eager to go on a date with me, huh?"

Immediately, Rainbow widened her eyes and scrunched up her face. "What? N-no! I-I just… don’t want you ruining my reputation as an honest mare is all." She said, trying and failing to hide her blushing cheeks.

"I thought Applejack was the honest one?"

Suddenly, Blue Bolt grunted as a candle was shoved into his gut. He looked at it briefly before looking up and seeing the cyan mare scowling at him.

"Just shut up and get back to zapping candles." She said flatly.

Blue felt a tug at his lips as he shook his head and sighed before looking down to the candle and using his light. At least now he had some company to stave off the boredom.

"Man… being a slayer isn't all it's cracked up to be."

While most of the castle was bustling with tense movement and preparations, the atmosphere in Raincloud’s room was anything but.

The gray pegasus was hanging off her bed halfway, having cycled through several positions in her anxious boredom. After what happened with Cadence and the three fillies, she was sure she was in deep trouble, she just didn’t know when or by whom that trouble would be dispensed.

Hearing some muffled hooves approaching outside, and some muted conversation from the two guards posted at her door, she lifted her head and stared forward. Much to her chagrin, the door clicked open, allowing Princess Luna to step inside.

The alicorn had a difficult-to-read expression on her face, though her eyes didn’t hold any irritation or veiled anger as Raincloud expected.

“So… you here to chew me out?” Raincloud asked flatly as she worked her way around to sitting on the edge of the bed.

Luna snorted softly. “As much as Sparkplug would like me to for the mess you made in her room… no, that is not why I am here.”

Raincloud skewed a brow. “Ok, I’ll bite. Why are you here?”

The alicorn softened her features a bit and looked to the pegasus with an almost grateful quality about her, much to the surprise of the gray mare. “Young Spike has told me that you fought and very nearly died trying to protect Cadence and the others. In fact… he tells me that he would have been taken too if you had not intervened.”

Raincloud measured Luna’s expression for a moment. Judging from her lack of hostility, Spike must not have told her everything about what happened in that equipment room, and the pegasus wasn't about to correct her. “Yeah, well… I’m not a total jerk.” She sighed.

“However,” Luna added, letting her expression furrow, “the only reason you were there in the first place was because you tried to escape and Cadence caught you. That is not something that I can easily overlook.”

Hearing this, Raincloud folded her forelegs and prepared for the inevitable. At this rate, she would be lucky if all that happened was her getting sent back to prison.

Then, however, Luna relaxed her features ever so slightly. “Luckily for you, we are in an unusual situation, so I am willing to make a compromise.”

“What kind of compromise?” Raincloud asked hesitantly.

Luna said, “I’m certain you realize that we are about to go after Cadence and the girls.”

“Uh-huh… I also realize that you guys are totally going to die.” Raincloud chimed in.

“Perhaps.” Luna wrinkled her lips briefly. “But to that note, we are going ‘all in’ as it were, to hopefully prevent anyone from dying. If we lose now… it won’t matter who stays behind anyway.”

“And… what does this have to do with me?” Raincloud blinked.

“Raincloud,” Luna hesitated, her mouth agape as she tried to find the right words, “I’m certain that we need not beat around the bush. You are a very powerful individual. Your skill with magics of all varieties makes you a formidable adversary… but also a strong ally. Given the risk of this mission, I cannot force you to go with us, but I can make you a deal.”

Raincloud leaned forward and rested her hooves on her lap. “I’m listening.”

Luna’s mouth curled upwards a bit before she returned her somber expression. “If you assist us in this rescue mission and the fight with Dusk… I will give you what you want.”

“The journal?” Raincloud perked up slightly.

“Yes.” Luna nodded. She then flattened her eyes. “But only if you give us your full cooperation. No more escape attempts. Understand?”

Raincloud trailed her eyes to the side in thought. Was a keepsake from her past really worth dying over? However, as she thought back to the utter looks of betrayal on the three fillies’ faces as they were taken away, her expression wavered.

“Well,” She sighed, “it’s like you said. If you guys lose, it won’t matter who stays behind.” She paused for a moment before straightening her mouth and nodding. “I’m in.”

Luna couldn’t help but smile as she looked at her former foe. There was a time not too long ago when she wanted nothing more to do with the gray pegasus, and now she was about to go on a suicide mission with her. How times had changed.

“Thank you,” Luna said earnestly.

Raincloud scrunched her face up. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it go to your head. You better get it in writing that I get that journal. I don’t want to argue the point with one of your brown-nosed advisors if you and ol’ sunbutt kick the bucket.”

Hearing the return to form, Luna sighed. “Were it only so easy to escape your charming personality.” She muttered to herself while turning and walking away. She paused before the door and turned. “Get yourself ready. I’ll have Sparkplug come inspect your collar and sync up a new remote.” She said before exiting the room.

Raincloud’s expression fell abruptly and she reached out for the alicorn. “Wait! I-I changed my mind! Don’t make me go through that again!”

Luna smirked as she closed the door behind her.

Time seemed to simultaneously be going too fast and not fast enough for the various members of the group. Some spent their time pacing around their rooms worrying, while others tried and mostly failed to distract themselves. Some were spending what little time they had left with their friends.

Most of them decided to write letters to their loved ones back home to be sent in the unfortunate event that they were among the casualties this daring mission could very likely produce.

Eventually, however, the time came for them to reconvene and prepare themselves for the journey ahead.

Twilight sat in the equipment room with her friends, hovering a black tactical vest in her corona and eyeing it up and down. Princess Luna had provided them with the team’s spare equipment. They were using everything they had, even if it wasn't much. They only had four spare vests, with one going to Pinkie and Applejack as well as the purple mare. The only vest with room for wings was given to Rainbow Dash.

“Y’know… I’ve always wanted to wear one of these, but I didn’t think it would happen like this,” Rainbow said as she slipped on the sleek vest.

“For what it’s worth, it looks just as stupid on you as it does on them,” Raincloud added, causing a few unimpressed looks to be sent her way.

Rarity sighed. “Are we certain she has to come with us?”

“Eh, I’m sure we can find some use for her.” Applejack noted.

“Yeah… as vampire bait,” Sunspot added, earning a few chuckles.

Raincloud narrowed her eyes a bit at the pair. “You know, we are about to put our lives in each other’s hooves. Maybe you shouldn’t be irritating someone that could potentially need to save you?”

Twilight snorted a bit and hid a smirk as she buckled into her own vest. “View must be nice from that glass house.”

“What was that?”

“N-nothing!”

“Play nice, Raincloud,” Luna spoke up, casting an impatient look to the gray pegasus before shifting her attention to Glitterball, who was sitting in front of Pinkie Pie with horn alight. “How goes the progress, Glitterball?”

“Almost done.” Glitter said, face a bit scrunched from concentration as she touched her horn to the pink mare’s forehead.

Pinkie giggled and struggled to sit still from the tingling sensation surging through her. After a few moments, the light from Glitter’s horn flashed brighter before she let it dim and backed up with a satisfied smile.

“There you go. You’re all set, Pinkie.” Glitter said.

Pinkie rubbed her hooves together eagerly. “Oooh, can I try it out?”

Glitter shared a hesitant look with her teammates before smiling awkwardly. “Uh… sure.”

With a bright grin, Pinkie placed a hoof to her ear, which subsequently started glowing a vibrant blue. “Hellooo? Is this thing on?”

Glitter’s teammates, along with Twilight, Blue Bolt, Shining Armor, and the alicorn sisters all felt their ears twitch as another copy of the pink mare’s voice emanated from within their heads.

“We’re going to regret picking her, aren’t we?” Shining sighed.

“Thankfully, it’s only temporary,” Twilight added.

Pinkie deflated a bit at this. “Aww…”

Meanwhile, Sparkplug adopted a confused expression as she looked to either Glitterball or the two princesses. “Sorry… I got here late. Why aren’t we doing this for everyone again?” She asked.

Celestia was the first to speak. “The communication spell that you all use has a maximum number of people that can be synced up to it at once.”

“I believe it is ten on the nose,” Luna added.

“Precisely. Which is why we’ve had to select who among us would be most advantageous to be linked up.” Celestia explained, looking over to the four mares that were left out with a bit of a frown. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t include you, girls.”

“Think nothing of it, Princess.” Rarity said.

“Yeah. We’ll just stick with somepony that does have the spell.” Fluttershy added. Truth be told, she was almost glad that the group hadn’t wasted such a useful tool on her. She could hardly think straight in stressful situations, let alone communicate critical information to others.

“What about me? Aren’t I important?” Raincloud asked.

Glimmer Shine exhaled softly, “Raincloud… I think it’s in your best interest that we listen to you as little as possible.”

Sensing the annoyance in the room around her, Raincloud folded her forelegs and muttered to herself. “I hope I die last so I can laugh at all of you.”

Once Applejack finished getting her vest on, Celestia stood up and turned to face the group.

“Now then… I know all of you are unfamiliar with the majority of the equipment you are now wearing. Truth be told, I’m not certain how much of it will end up being useful to us. But, time is short, so Glimmer Shine and the others will have to give you a crash course on the way up.” The alicorn said.

She walked over to the door and paused, turning to look at the group. They all looked uncertain and uneasy, but there was also a hint of bravery shining through.

“I have a suspicion that I already know the answer… but I would be remiss if I did not offer everyone one last chance to back out of this. Are you all certain you wish to do this?” Celestia asked. “Nopony here would think less of you if you want to stay behind.”

One look around at the group told her what she pretty much already knew.

Celestia’s lips curled into a bittersweet smile. “Thank you… I’m proud of you all.” She exhaled softly before stiffening her expression and gesturing toward the door. “Let’s get going, everyone.”

With that, the group did their best to swallow their apprehensions and stood up. Everyone gathered what few bags they were taking and marched through the castle, following Celestia and Luna toward the front entrance.

A few guards and servants watched them as they passed. The guards offered a stoic salute, while the maids and butlers looked at them with uneasy frowns. It was slightly disheartening for them to see ponies looking at them like it was the last time they would be seen alive.

As they passed through the entry hall and out the grand doors into the cold night air, they were met by a small gathering of guards. All of the stallions were arranged to their sides, leading down the steps toward four fully prepared pegasi teams pulling one carriage each.

Once the doors opened and the group stepped outside, all the guards that weren’t drawing the carriages stiffened their postures and saluted.

Twilight and the others looked around at the veritable crowd around them. Even further down the way, some small handful of townsponies had gathered on the property line and were watching to see what was the cause for the sudden assembling of guards.

They all seemed surprised to see the princesses, Elements of Harmony, and the members of Spirit all at once, and their expressions gradually fell as they pieced together how severe the threat must have been to warrant such a force.

While it was a somber thought that they could have been heading straight toward their deaths, the six mares decided not to let their feelings of dread rule them. Rainbow Dash was the first to flash a confident smile and wave at the crowd, and eventually, everyone brightened their expressions with hope and courage as the royal sisters led them down the steps.

As they walked, a few of the ponies watching on the street started to cheer and clop. Gradually, every one of the bystanders joined their small crowd in flinging encouraging statements and applause at the princesses and their national heroes and heroines.

The applause wasn't quite thunderous, given how few ponies were present, but it was enough to stave off the feeling of dread Twilight and the others felt. They all acknowledged the crowd in their own ways, ranging from polite smiles to enthusiastic waves, before they all filed into their respective carriages and settled in for the long trip ahead.

It was bizarre for most of them as the pegasi guards started their takeoff. The last time they went on this ride, they were chasing after Twilight and Celestia along with the kids, and they knew a lot less about their current foe. They almost missed that ignorance.

Of course, their last rescue had been accomplished with a price paid in the blood of a friend. The memory still stung as fresh in their minds as when it was happening in front of them.

And for some, they couldn’t shake the dread in their hearts. The nagging thought at the back of their mind, that even if they were victorious tonight, that it would come at a heavier cost.

Chapter 52: Turbulent Travels

Soaring through the night sky, the cold wind at her back, Cadence reluctantly followed the group of pale ponies as they made their way back to wherever it was that Dusk wanted them to go.

They had met up with a pair of vampiric pegasi just outside the city that had held back from the initial raid on the palace. While the green and red mare and one other pony were being carried around the waist in a somewhat awkward fashion by their winged colleagues, the rest of the group had to make their way on the ground.

Cadence glanced over her shoulder to the young unicorn clinging to her back, and then to the side at the two pegasi carrying the other two fillies. The only reason they hadn’t knocked her out and were allowing her to fly freely, other than the lack of pony-power to carry her, was that they had threatened to kill Scootaloo and Apple Bloom if she tried to escape or fight back.

“Princess…” Sweetie Belle said in a hushed voice, though it was still trembling even with how quiet it was.

Cadence looked back, only to soften her gaze as she saw the shivering white mass and puffy eyes red from the cold.

“I’m scared.” The filly finished, taking a look around at the pale ponies flanking them.

“It’ll be ok, Sweetie,” Cadence said, reaching a hoof around and briefly holding the filly’s own tightly.

“Hey… knock it off back there.” The green mare said, trying her best to turn and glare back at the alicorn. Her awkward positioning made it nigh impossible and somewhat ridiculous looking, but the agitation was clearly there. “We’ve got some time before we reach the Prince, and I don’t want to hear any of you whining.”

Cadence remained quiet for a few moments. However, the shivering on her back and the pale bluish tint slowly coming over Sweetie Belle’s face worried her more than getting yelled at by a vampire.

The pink alicorn flew a little closer to the pegasus carrying the green mare, drawing their attention. “We need to take a break and find somewhere warm. They’re going to catch hypothermia before we even get there.” She pointed out. Even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were showing signs of their temperature dropping. She was too, but her alicorn nature made her sturdier to most things that would plague a normal pony.

“Relax… It’s not that much further. Besides, you should be hoping for them to freeze to death. I’ll bet it’s a lot more merciful than what the Prince has in store.” The green mare smirked.

“At least let me carry them! They can huddle together and stay warmer!” Cadence pleaded.

The cold chuckle that followed wasn't exactly unexpected, but it still made her heart sink.

“Nice try. We’re not putting all our eggs in your basket.” The mare said. However, after a moment, she sighed and lit up her horn.

Much to Cadence’s initial alarm, she heard Sweetie Belle squeak softly in surprise as a magical aura wrapped around the filly and lifted her up. The unicorn floated her precariously over to the other pegasus that was carrying Apple Bloom and set her down. Then, she did the same to Scootaloo, bunching the trio up on one very reluctant pegasus’ back.

“But if it’ll make you shut up, we’ll let the pipsqueaks stay warm.” The unicorn said. Her tone didn’t really convey empathy or care, but Cadence didn’t really mind.

While the three fillies hugged each other close, the pink alicorn smiled a bit. However, her smile quickly faded as she thought ahead to what was waiting for them.

They wouldn’t need to wait long to find out.

Another half-hour or so of flying later, the icy forest below them gave way to a frozen clearing, with a lone hill sitting almost dead center. And at its top, a glum and cheerless stone castle sat like a silent sentinel over the land.

Cadence had never seen the structure before, but for the three fillies, it struck a chord of terror within them to be forcefully returned to the castle. It didn’t take long for the alicorn to piece together from their reactions that this was their final destination.

The pale ponies all descended for a landing and touched down just before the massive front doors. Cadence trailed behind the group, taking a moment to process the sheer size of the structure. The architecture was very unlike any equine buildings she had come across.

The unicorn mare grasped the doors in her corona and pulled. Even with her enhanced strength, it seemed to be a considerable effort. Soon, however, the hulking pieces of timber relented, and the group made their way into the decaying halls.

Although they were mostly free from the chill wind, the stone corridor around them was nearly as cold as the snow and ice outside. The occasional torches struggling to push away the clinging shadows seemed to fail entirely at providing any warmth. It very much felt like they had stepped hoof into a place where darker forces dwelled.

As they walked down the main hall, the pegasus that was still ferrying the three fillies on his back groaned wearily. "Can I put these kids down already?" He asked, looking to the green and red mare.

The mare sighed and rubbed a hoof down her face before turning with a jerk. "Yes! Just stop bugging me about it."

Uncaring of her annoyance, the stallion quickly lowered himself down and started ushering the trio off his back in an impatient fashion. "Get moving. If you fall behind or try to run, we'll use you as a snack."

“Ow!” Apple Bloom yipped as the stallion gave her and her friends’ backsides a slap with his wing, encouraging them to keep pace with the group.

“We get it… You don’t need to be so pushy about it.” Scootaloo muttered under her breath, making sure to keep her eyes to the floor ahead. As annoyed as she was, her fear and their previous experience with upsetting their pale captors gave her ample reason to keep quiet.

Cadence eyed the three fillies and the pale stallion near them. They were just within her reach. If she could only do something to help them.

"Where did the Prince tell us to meet him?" Another vampiric mare asked.

The green mare thought for a moment before shrugging. "I don’t know… he just said to come back to the castle."

An audible scoff made her narrow her eyes as another pegasus stallion gave her a leery look. "Yeah, right. I'll bet you just forgot."

"What was that?" The green mare stopped and glared at the stallion.

"You heard me!"

Then, out of nowhere, a pained yelp and a burst of magic rang out, followed by one of their own being flung down the hall.

The green mare and all the other vampires turned to see Cadence rushing forward with horn alight, heading straight for the three fillies.

"Stop her!" The unicorn yelled.

Scootaloo and her two friends flinched as the pale ponies rushed toward them. However, Cadence ran in front of them and sent a pair of concussive blasts at the closest ones.

"Leave us alone!" Cadence shouted as the pale ponies were sent flying back. She shifted her magical energies to another spell, hoping to encase herself and the crusaders in a forcefield.

However, before she could finish the spell, a whooshing sound rang out as a flash of movement came shooting out from the darkness ahead.

Cadence flinched back as a stream of blood unnaturally jutted to a stop before her, pressing into her neck with a surprisingly sharp tip.

All the pale ponies froze and turned as a hollow step came from down the hall. Soon, a pair of red eyes could be seen amid the shadows as a figure walked toward the group.

"Now, now… let's not do anything we might regret, Princess," Dusk said as he sauntered up to the pink alicorn, the stream of blood from his neck shortening as he stepped into the torchlight.

“M-my Prince!” The green and red mare tripped over herself as she raced to bow her head. The other vampires all did the same and parted to allow the stallion passage.

Scootaloo and her friends cowered back as they watched the pink alicorn standing stiff as a statue while the monstrous pony approached. Their whole bodies were trembling from fear.

Cadence tensed her jaw and started sweating as Dusk lifted her chin with the end of the crimson lash.

"I realize our last meeting wasn't exactly cordial, but I expected a bit more tolerance from the self-proclaimed Princess of Love," Dusk said.

"Even my tolerance has limits, Dusk." Cadence replied. She kept her steely eyes on him, even despite how still she was being as he moved around her.

Dusk quietly eyed her up for a moment before shifting his attention to the three fillies, who all took a step back and whimpered as he locked his piercing gaze on them. “And what have we here? I recognize you three from before. Sisters to two of the elements, as I understand it… am I right?”

Cadence inched forward. “Leave them al-” She paused abruptly as she found the spear-like tip of the tendril pressing firmer into her skin.

The pale alicorn completely ignored her as he leaned in close to the fillies, paying particular attention to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “I must admit, the family resemblance is uncanny.” He said before shifting his eyes to the young pegasus. “And who are you related to, little one? Is it loyalty, or that other one with the big eyes and butterfly mark?”

Scootaloo didn’t answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing but brief stammers came out.

Eventually, the pale unicorn mare with green fur answered for the petrified pegasus. “That one isn’t related to any of the bearers, my Prince. However, I have reason to believe that Rainbow Dash… err… the element of loyalty, is rather fond of her.”

“Excellent.” Dusk smiled, reaching down and patting Scootaloo’s head. He let his hoof linger for a bit as he watched her petrified expression shift to fearful discomfort. “I was going to feed you to my children here, but if that loud-mouthed cur cares for you… I suppose I shall keep you alive a while longer.”

Scootaloo felt a cold chill work its way down her back as the alicorn pulled his hoof away and turned. She let out the breath she was holding and fell back to her waiting friends.

Meanwhile, Cadence had never taken her eyes off the stallion for an instant. If he so much as harmed one hair on any of their heads, she didn’t care if he killed her. She was going to punch him square in the jaw.

“What do you want with us, Dusk?” She asked.

Dusk paused and turned to the pink mare with a lifted brow. “Want with you?” He snorted. “Honestly, nothing. The question you should be asking is what I want with Celestia, which is to say…” He narrowed his eyes. “I want her to know despair.”

It didn’t take much for Cadence to realize where this was going, and she didn’t like it. Dusk looked at them as mere objects, tools to be used for him to dig into Celestia’s skin one way or another.

However, Dusk then turned toward the pale ponies around him. Some of the small group flinched, while others stiffened up as he approached.

“You there.” He said, singling out the green-furred unicorn mare. “How many of you survived the attack?”

The green mare swallowed her unease as she faced her master. “Forgive us, my Prince, but only three others made it. They should be here within the hour.” She explained. Flying was still the fastest route, but as long as they didn’t stop to eat, a small pack of vampires could cross the kingdom within a few hours if they were properly motivated.

“What a shame… I had hoped there would be more of you.” Dusk muttered, a mildly displeased tone to his voice that seemed to further unnerve the green mare. Perhaps noticing her tense form, he chortled softly and lifted a hoof to the side of her face, causing her to flinch. “Do not be afraid, my child… You have done well in bringing me these four.”

Hearing this, the green mare opened her eyes, only to see the alicorn looking at her with soft features. She relaxed and bowed her head once more. “Thank you... you are kinder than we deserve.”

Dusk hummed flatly in acknowledgment as he shifted his thoughts elsewhere, dropping his warm expression. “Come with me, all of you. I will require your aid with my preparations if we are to get everything done before Celestia chases after us.” He said before walking back down the hall.

The pale ponies watched him for a moment before turning to Cadence and the fillies. They started to move to usher them forward when Cadence suddenly whined softly and flinched as the tendril of blood still at her neck pressed into her. She seemed to catch the intent behind the gesture and reluctantly started moving.

“Come on, girls… it’ll be ok,” Cadence said, turning as best she could to the three fillies. She didn’t want to annoy their captors any more than they already had and get someone hurt.

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom glanced at each other for a moment before hesitantly shuffling forward to keep pace with the group. All they could do was silently hope and pray that somepony would come and save all of them before the pale alicorn decided that they were more useful as food.

Meanwhile, miles away, help indeed was on the way toward the lonely castle hideout Dusk called home.

The four carriages flew as fast as the pegasi guards pulling them could muster, but even so, many inside felt that they weren’t going fast enough. Shining Armor in particular was staring out of the window at the rolling horizon nearly every few minutes.

Luna looked up to the troubled unicorn, only to frown softly. Everyone was feeling uneasy to some degree. Her sister, herself, even the slayer sitting across from them. But Shining, Applejack, and Rarity were probably feeling it the most.

“You should get some rest while you still can, Shining Armor,” Luna suggested, causing the stallion to break from his pensive stare.

Shining gave a stressed exhale as he stretched his neck. “I don’t think I could if I tried.”

“I understand the feeling,” Celestia added.

A few moments of silence passed as Shining trailed his eyes down. Eventually, one corner of his mouth pulled up into a half-hearted smirk. “You know… it seems like so long ago that we were heading up there to save you and Twilight. A lot’s happened since then…” He let his shoulders sink.

Celestia’s eyes softened as she thought back to that night. She only learned of Tom’s death after she woke back in Canterlot, but it was still just as crushing, and she still blamed herself. “Indeed. However, we must focus on the present rather than the past… no matter how painful it may be. If we let our fear of losing blind us, then there is no hope of winning.”

“But… we have so much to lose,” Shining said, his voice beginning to shake ever so slightly. He tried to play it off by scratching at his mane, but his movements felt stiff and tremorous.

Luna reached over and placed a hoof on his foreleg. “Then fight like you have nothing to lose.” She said, staring at him with a soft, yet unwavering, gaze.

The unicorn was a bit lost for words at first as he looked at the two princesses. Eventually, he managed a slight smile and returned some semblance of confidence to himself. “Right… whatever it takes to keep everypony safe.”

While his companions settled back into the quiet that held the carriage before, Blue Bolt watched them for a while longer with a myriad of emotions and thoughts welling up inside him. The alicorns and the unicorn stallion were scared like he was, but there was determination burning away in their eyes as well. They knew that they could depend on each other as well as themselves.

They wouldn’t admit it to his face, but he knew that they were depending on him most of all. It was a heavy weight upon his shoulders, and it sent a twinge of nervousness through his core whenever he thought about it too much.

Still, he hadn’t been given such miraculous powers just to waste them. They were willing to give their all to save their loved ones, but he would give his all in their stead. If somebody was going to be broken, he would rather it be him. After all, he could be fixed if he was broken, and he would push through the pain if it meant protecting his friends.

Off in another carriage, Glimmer Shine and his team were also struggling to occupy themselves amidst the tense atmosphere and looming danger ahead of them.

The yellow stallion was huddled together with Sparkplug and Glitterball, offering some reprieve from the cold for the three of them. Sunspot, however, was sitting across from the trio along with Raincloud. The two mares were making sure to hug their respective corners to keep as much distance as possible, even despite the temperature.

Raincloud slowly tapped one of her hind hooves against the bottom of the seat, as she had been doing off and on for the past several minutes. The ride so far had been mostly devoid of any prolonged conversation as everyone remained in their own heads.

Looking up, she could see the members of Spirit each displaying some level of unease. Sparkplug was slowly twirling one of her charm vials back and forth. Glimmer Shine was just sitting quietly with his forelegs folded, staring at the floor.

Glitterball kept trying and failing to sleep before sighing and settling back in for a few, only to start the cycle again. Sunspot looked like she could barely keep still, shifting in her seat and changing positions or looking out of the window near constantly.

“Sheesh… Are all your missions like this?” Raincloud spoke, breaking the silence that everyone had mostly gotten used to.

Glitterball looked up, and although she seemed to instinctively narrow her eyes upon interacting with the gray pegasus, she snorted softly and leaned forward. “Only the ones where we think we’re going to die horribly.”

“So, yeah… at least for me they are.” Sparkplug chimed in.

Raincloud seemed a bit surprised at this. “You know, I used to think a lot more of you guys back when we were trying to kill each other. Raven Feather would flip whenever you ruined one of our plans. You were always this thorn in our sides that wouldn’t go away, no matter what we threw at you.”

“I’m glad to know that you hated us as much as we hated you.” Sunspot said flatly, casting an unimpressed look in her direction.

Raincloud held a hoof to her chest and shrank back. “Ah, come on. Do you really hate me? I mean, I know I broke your nose, and… I think my shadow almost killed you that one time,” She looked to Glitterball and cringed a bit, “but that’s all in the past.”

Glitterball growled under her breath and made an uncharacteristic glare. “You’ve done a lot more than that in the past.”

“Like what?” Raincloud scrunched her face up and shrugged. “We barely even saw each other in person except for when we took down that asshole Shade. And I know that you guys got caught up by some of the monsters I helped summon, but you made it through in one piece.” She said before having a look of revelation come over her. “Oh… uh… most of you, anyway.” She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. However, before she could even think to speak further, she was interrupted by Glimmer Shine.

“Raincloud… I’m only going to tell you this once.” The stallion said, making efforts to keep his voice from becoming a growl. “Don’t ever talk to us about what happened at the mansion again. Don’t even bring it up.”

Raincloud sighed softly before lifting a hoof in a disarming gesture. “Look… I had nothing to do with that. You backed us into a corner, and that was just what Raven Feather decided would buy us the most time. And honestly, you guys are lucky only a few of your team died. Those ghosts were-”

“Lucky?!” Glimmer snapped, causing everyone in the carriage to freeze as he inched off of his seat. “We barely made it out of there with our lives, and you call that lucky?! And we didn’t just lose a few of our ‘team’. We lost friends! I lost my brother in there!”

“Your brother…?” Raincloud asked, her eyes softening ever so slightly. However, this only seemed to annoy the stallion more.

“Yeah, my brother. What? You didn’t even bother to learn who you and your group killed?” Glimmer wrinkled his face in disgust. He took a few breaths and sat back down, seemingly making an effort to calm himself. Still, he looked to the gray mare with a steely glare. “That’s why we hate you, Raincloud… you don’t care about anyone but yourself. You’re a murderer… you’ve ruined lives. It doesn’t matter if you did it directly or not.”

There was a heavy pause after that. Glitter and the others weren’t sure if they should say anything, or what they would even say as they drifted their eyes between the two hesitantly. Sparkplug was shrinking back into her side of the carriage, and Sunspot was distancing herself as much as possible like she thought Glimmer might jump down the pale blue pegasus’ throat.

Raincloud stared at the stallion for a while, mouth agape slightly. She was finding it hard to meet his gaze. Finally, her expression fell into a somber frown. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know.”

Everyone was surprised to hear that, Glimmer perhaps most of all. He was scrutinizing her expression, only to find it sincere. Then again, she had lost her brother as well, so perhaps she understood his feelings on the matter.

“Let’s just not talk about the past anymore. You don’t talk about our friends, and I won’t talk about what you did with the hooded ponies. Deal?” He said, voice still holding a rough edge to it despite his attempt at sounding cordial.

Although she didn’t mean to, Raincloud couldn’t help but snort softly. “Is that really what you called us? That is… such a stupid name.” She cracked a smile.

Glimmer stared at her for a few moments, and as a reserved chortle came from his side as his three teammates slowly cracked up, he relented and smiled as well.

“Yeah… it really is.”

Meanwhile, in yet another carriage.

Twilight looked up from her deep thoughts to take a glance around at her friends. Most everyone was wearing a somber or worried expression on their face. Even Pinkie Pie hadn’t made any attempts at cheering the group up, not that they could blame her.

“Girls…” Twilight paused briefly, causing everyone to look up to her as she contemplated her next words carefully. “I just wanted to say, thank you for always being there for me… and for each other. All of you are the best example of how friendship can be a beautiful thing.”

The air in the carriage quickly became uncomfortable after that as the group looked to the purple mare with slight frowns.

“Twilight, stop. You sound like you’re expecting to die or something.” Pinkie whined softly.

Twilight pressed her lips together and trailed her eyes down for a moment before meeting her friends’ worried stares. “That might end up being what happens, Pinkie… to any of us. And if it does happen,” She hesitated, taking a moment to steady her breath, “I just don’t want there to be anything left unsaid between us.”

“Don’t bother, because that’s not gonna happen.” Rainbow Dash insisted.

“Rainbow…” Twilight frowned.

“I’ve already watched you die once, and I’m not gonna let that happen again… not to any of you,” Rainbow said before softening her expression. “And besides… there’s nothing left unsaid between us. We already know how you feel… and we all feel the same way.” She turned away slightly, her face getting a bit flush.

“I second that,” Rarity added.

Applejack smiled, “What she said.”

Soon, everyone was voicing their agreement. Twilight felt a pang of bittersweet happiness inside of her. She was smiling along with them, but her eyes were welling up a bit.

The others’ cheery expressions lessened as the purple mare let out a quiet sob. She reached up and wiped her eyes, but tears were already falling down her face.

“Are you ok?” Fluttershy asked. Seeing how she was right next to the unicorn, she rested a hoof on Twilight’s back as she got the emotion out of her system.

Twilight sniffed and nodded as she gathered herself. “Y-yeah… I’m fine. It’s just, I-I don’t want to… lose any of you.” Her voice hitched at the mere word.

It was a hard sight for the five mares to see their friend so fragile. There was so much fear and hurt in her eyes, where normally there was determination. She almost seemed certain that they were going to lose someone. They imagined that she had already accepted that there was no other outcome, no matter how much she didn’t want to.

Applejack reached a foreleg over and gently pulled Twilight close, the equipment on both their vests clinking slightly. “It’s alright, sugarcube… let it out.” She said, gently patting the unicorn on the back.

Twilight fought a while longer to keep her emotions in check, but eventually, she relented and let her tears fall while embracing her friend. She wasn't outright crying, only letting out a few shaky sobs, but she definitely needed this outlet for all her pent-up sadness.

Soon, Fluttershy leaned over and joined the pair, uncaring of how scratchy their new uniforms were. Pinkie managed to join as well, standing on her seat and reaching across the aisle with her whole body. Rainbow Dash and Rarity would have joined too, but the awkward space of the carriage dissuaded them from trying. Instead, they offered their friend some warm smiles.

After Twilight had quieted down and her breathing somewhat returned to normal, the group hug gradually vanished. However, Applejack kept a hoof on her shoulder, prompting her to look up.

“You got nothin’ to worry about, Twilight. You ain’t gonna lose any of us… no matter what happens. We’ll always have the memories we’ve made all this time.” Applejack smiled.

“But… I don’t want just memories of you.” Twilight said.

“I mean…” Rarity started, “to be fair, we have basically confirmed that some sort of afterlife exists. We might not get to see each other for a long time… but it would hardly be losing us.”

“Who knows? Maybe we can come back as ghosties and haunt each other?” Pinkie suggested.

“Umm… Pinkie, I love you and all, but I don’t think I would want that.” Fluttershy said, a bit uneasy at the thought.

“Aww, but think of the possibilities! You could have the scariest house in Ponyville for Nightmare Night! Having a ghost friend would be amazing!” Pinkie said. The others weren’t sure if they were comfortable with how eager she was getting at the prospect.

“Alright, alright, enough talk about dying.” Rainbow Dash said before looking at Twilight earnestly. “I guess what we’re trying to say is… We don’t want to lose anyone either. That’s why we all came, right? We want to do our part to make sure that nopony has to just be a memory.”

There was a resounding agreement to that. Soon after, Twilight managed to smile again. “I can get behind that.”
.
..
…
As never-ending as their tense journey seemed to be, it had to come to an end eventually. And after another hour and a half had gone by, Twilight was stirred from her half-sleep by a voice in her head.

“Everyone get ready… we’re here,” Celestia said. Around that time, the carriages dipped downward slightly as the pegasi teams started their descent.

Looking up, Twilight could see that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were asleep as well. Pinkie Pie was looking at her with a certain level of unease in her eyes that told her she had heard the same message.

Twilight reached over and gently stirred the yellow pegasus beside her. “Guys, wake up. It’s time to go.” She said. Applejack and Rarity immediately looked at her, expressions falling into hesitant frowns.

Rainbow Dash groaned softly and lifted her head. She rubbed a hoof around an eye and her temple a few times as she gradually woke up. She might not have completely heard the unicorn’s words, but the looks on her friends’ faces combined with the downward motion of the carriage got the message across.

Poking her head out of the window, Rainbow immediately received a blast of cold air to the face, waking her up the rest of the way. She blinked hard and shielded her face from the snow before looking ahead, only to let her shoulders sink at what she saw.

The familiar sprawling stone fortress atop an icy hill was quickly getting closer. From this angle, she could see into the courtyard and some of the upper walkways. It looked just as abandoned and still as it always had, but somehow it held so much pull over her, seeding a nervous pit in her stomach.

Shortly after, all four carriages landed right in front of the castle, coming to a stop on the massive stone platform leading up to the front steps. Their more direct approach was almost a warning to their enemy that they were not messing around.

Twilight was the first to step out of their carriage. Celestia and Luna, along with most of Glimmer Shine’s team were already out and about, with the others closely following suit.

They were expecting it to be cold, but it didn’t make it any less jarring. Even the vest she was wearing did little to shield her from the biting wind, and with dawn still a few hours away, there was little hope of her getting warm again any time soon.

The purple mare looked up at the front of the castle. Strangely, the hole in the wall that she remembered being there before, the same one Tom used to try and escape, was missing entirely. However curious this should have made her, she couldn’t help but shift her thoughts to her human friend.

She could still see him falling there, disappearing into embers. She had him in her grasp, but still, there was nothing she could do.

Feeling a hoof on her shoulder, Twilight looked up to see Celestia standing there. The alicorn offered her student a sympathetic look before leveling her gaze forward, perhaps dwelling on her own memories of the castle briefly.

Meanwhile, Sparkplug and a lot of the others had noticed the obvious change in the castle’s exterior by now. The gray mare skewed her eyes as she stared at the unbroken face of stone above them. “Hey… wasn't there a hole up there before?”

“I do seem to recall something like that,” Rarity added confidently, not wanting to bring up just why she knew so assuredly that she had seen a hole there. Nobody really wanted to think back to their human friend’s last moments, but the absence of the opening in the castle made it difficult.

Luna glanced around at the others before looking ahead, brow arched in mild confusion. “You’re saying that the castle has changed since you were last here?”

“Definitely.” Shining Armor said. “I didn’t take Dusk for the kind of guy that likes remodeling work… or work in general.”

“How curious…” Celestia said flatly, unsure of what to really think. She couldn’t fathom why or how Dusk would fix such a sizable hole in the castle. At the very least, it denied them a potential entry point, but the possible ramifications of the odd sight were more troubling to her at the moment.

She turned toward the pegasus stallion huddled over by his friends with a more severe look in her eyes. “Blue Bolt, can you feel anything unusual?”

As the group’s eyes shifted to him, Blue exhaled softly before closing his eyes, inhaling, and then focusing on his newfound abilities. A familiar sharp hiss and puff of blue mist accompanied his slow breath, the sound nearly being lost in the whistling wind, and the mist almost resembling everyone else’s visible breath from the cold.

After taking in the strange sensations spreading outward from himself and forming a pseudo awareness of the space around him, Blue opened his eyes, though they had an uneasy look to them as he turned back to the others. “There’s some kind of faint energy all throughout the castle… I think it’s called ambient energy or something. I can’t feel Dusk or any of the other vampires though.”

“Ambient energy?” Fluttershy asked, unsure if she should be nervous from the term alone.

Twilight placed a hoof to her chin, “I think I remember that stuff being left behind when the hooded ponies attacked the school and the hospital back in Ponyville. Tom said that it isn’t directly attached to anything, but it can be used as energy for certain spells or supernatural creatures.”

“Sounds about right.” Raincloud chimed in.

“What does it mean?” Pinkie asked, looking to the gray pegasus in the hopes that her darker knowledge set would give them some enlightenment.

Raincloud shrugged, “Hard to say. It can be a byproduct from a spell, but it also gets left behind from a lot of monsters and other magical sources.”

“Well, whatever it’s from, I think we can take this as a sign that Dusk has been busy,” Glitterball said. She was holding up her detector charm and waving it around the front of the castle, but the result didn’t change from a dim glow no matter where she pointed.

Sparkplug swallowed as she looked to the entrance up ahead. “You think he’s expecting us?”

“I think he’d be stupid not to,” Sunspot added. In all likelihood, Dusk kidnapped Cadence and the girls to push their buttons and make sure they all came along.

“At any rate, I feel we should be cautious in our approach. Our goals are to find Cadence and the young crusaders and put a stop to Dusk and his children, but without knowing where any of them are, I think staying together is our best bet.” Luna suggested.

Celestia narrowed her eyes as she looked to the massive double doors. Cautious approach or not, she didn’t like that they were most likely walking into a trap. “Shining Armor, Blue Bolt, stay up front with us. The rest of you, keep your eyes open and stay close.” She instructed before making her way toward the entrance.

However hesitant they might have been, the others had no choice but to do as they were told. Twilight and her friends huddled up in the center of the group, with Glimmer Shine and his team scattered throughout. Raincloud slowed down as she walked, only to be nudged back into place by Glitterball.

Blue Bolt and Shining Armor moved toward the front. They walked alongside the alicorn sisters as they all diligently moved forward. Whatever they were going to find waiting for them, they had one thought running through their heads; keeping each other safe.

The four at the front of the group fanned out as they reached the grand doors. Celestia and Luna nodded to each other before lighting their horns. They each took one door in their grasp and pulled them apart with a hefty creak, revealing the mouth of the entry hall and the darkness within.

Glimmer Shine and Sunspot each drew their blades and maneuvered to the front. They joined Shining Armor and Blue Bolt in taking the first few steps inside before pausing and surveying the area.

Everything was quiet, save for the wind whipping at their backs. There was a smattering of snow in the shape of hoof prints on the stone floor leading further in before vanishing, seemingly confirming that the group of vampires had been through here.

After scanning the few darkened doorways visible for signs of movement or an early ambush, they motioned for their friends to join them inside. Celestia and Luna ushered the rest of the group in, taking pains to be quiet and keep verbal communication to a minimum.

Then, they closed the doors behind them, sealing them all within shadow.

Chapter 53: Belly of the Beast

A few clicks and magical hums quickly rang out as vest mounted flashlights flicked on and horns cast light spells. The immediate area around the group was lit up once more, with several beams of further illumination traveling a good distance ahead of them.

“Where are we going first?” Rainbow Dash asked in a hushed tone as she gazed down the vast entry corridor. They couldn’t even see the end. “This place is huge.”

“You found the girls downstairs last time… that’s probably where he’s keeping them now,” Shining noted.

“Makes sense. That place looked like a dungeon.” Glimmer Shine added.

Glitterball scrunched up her nose in disgust as she anticipated going back into the dank corridors. “It definitely smelled like one.”

“Downstairs it is. Shining, you lead the way.” Celestia suggested.

Shining nodded and shifted his attention ahead. If he recalled correctly, the route to the stairs wasn't far or particularly complex. What he was worried about was what they could run into on the way there.

Everyone kept their heads on a swivel as they traveled. Being wise to some of the tactics the pale ponies used last time, they made sure to inspect the rooms they passed and keep an eye on the rafters up in the ceiling. Any corner or shadow was a potential ambush location.

Twilight eyed around at the long hallway with an uneasy feeling nagging at the back of her mind. The last time she had been through here, the torches were lit, seemingly as a welcome to her friends as they came to rescue her. Now, however, it was dark as night save for their various light sources.

“I don’t like this… Something doesn’t feel right.” The unicorn noted.

“Nah… really?” Raincloud deadpanned. “What gave it away?”

“Save the sarcasm for later, Raincloud.” Sunspot sighed.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor took a paranoid glance around before looking to his sister. “I agree… It's way too quiet. Dusk’s cronies already tried to ambush us by now last time.”

A sharp hiss drew their attention back to Blue Bolt, who just got done using his senses again. “I still can’t feel anything around us.”

“That isn’t exactly comforting.” Rarity said.

“We already know Dusk is capable of masking his presence from you. Perhaps he has lent his cloaking charms to his children as well?” Luna ventured.

Glitterball held out her detector again and pointed it around. Much to her surprise, she actually got a reading, however imprecise it might have been. Half of the vial was glowing slightly brighter than the other half, but it didn’t narrow down a direction as she moved it, instead shifting broadly within the vial like the bubble in a level.

“Looks like our detectors are working… at least a little. Hopefully, they’ll buzz if one of the vampires gets close.” Glitter said.

Twilight and the others who had received vests briefly looked down to their own charms. They wished that they could rely on them as an early warning, but they weren’t about to take that risk and drop their guard.

“Let’s keep moving,” Celestia said. “Just keep in touch with those around you and keep your wits about you. We don’t know what Dusk has planned for u-”

Just then, as the alicorn stepped on a particular spot of the tattered red carpet stretching through the hall, a magical buzz and a slight red light came from underneath. By the time she lifted her hoof to see the concerning reaction, another noise drew everyone’s attention down the hall.

A low whooshing sound, like a concentrated draft of air, came barreling down the hallway toward them, along with a wave of orange-tinted light. Like the flipping of a switch, all of the areas touched by the surging wave seemed to change.

Twilight and the others froze. Some of them flinched or readied themselves in a fighting stance as the wave passed them in a flash. As they darted their eyes around, they realized that all of the torches around them were now alight. And that wasn't all.

Where before there were cracked stones and splintered wood and fabric, there was now pristine stonework and carpets. Paintings and tapestries lined the walls at odd intervals, along with a few suits of armor with beaked helms.

“Whobuthe wh… whaa…” Rainbow Dash muttered incoherently as she panned her head around before doing a few double takes and spinning around to fully take in her seemingly changed surroundings. “What just happened?” She asked, more than a touch of alarm in her voice.

“That’s… new. That is definitely a new one for me.” Shining was at a loss for words as he slowly eyed around. The orange flickering torchlight was bright enough in most places to render their lights inefficient, so he let his horn dim.

Meanwhile, Celestia looked down to the newly restored rug and pushed it aside with a hoof. As she suspected from the earlier light and sound, a faintly glowing symbol was painted on the stone underneath in what could only be blood.

“Of course… I thought it was unlike Dusk to just leave the entrance unguarded.” Celestia sighed uneasily.

“Well, if he didn’t know we were here before, he definitely does now.” Glimmer Shine said. He flicked his light off for the time being and took a few steps ahead so he could keep an eye on the rest of the hallway.

While some of the others shifted their focus to watching their perimeter, Twilight walked forward to the small group examining the symbol on the ground. She knelt down, tracing a hoof over the air above some of the smaller runes and lines.

It was mostly circular in design, with asymmetrical patterns of lines nested within, and various smaller symbols painstakingly painted within those. And while she couldn’t fathom what the inner workings of it were meant to do, the purple mare did vaguely recognize it.

“These look similar to the type of symbols that Raven Feather used to make.” Twilight reasoned.

“Raincloud, can you make out what it does?” Glitterball asked. As much work as they had put into trying to decipher magical symbols of this sort, Raincloud actually worked on and drew them.

The gray pegasus ambled forward and examined the bloody circle. She muttered to herself as her eyes traced along every grouping of glyphs before her face wrinkled. “It’s not in a language that I know. Some of the glyphs look familiar… and the overall structure looks like something used to trigger a larger spell on command, but I’m not familiar enough with blood magic to tell you exactly what it’s for.”

“Can it be broken?” Celestia asked.

As if in response to this, Raincloud smudged some of the blood on the now dim symbol. It had no discernible effect other than ruining the craftsmanship.

“Unfortunately for us, it looks like this thing was a one and done kind of deal. It triggered whatever it was meant to, and now it has no tie to the actual spell.” The pegasus said, her brow still furrowed in thought. “If I had to wager a guess, I’d say this links to a bigger symbol that maintains… whatever the hay all this is.” She gestured to the surrounding area.

“So, we find that symbol, and we can undo all this cool mood lighting.” Sunspot reasoned. “Sounds just like old times… a little too much like old times.”

Sparkplug blinked at that. “Old times…? You mean, like back when the hooded ponies summoned all those monsters you told me about? Those old times?”

Glimmer Shine nodded in place of Sunspot. “Yeah… Keep your eyes open, guys. Anything is on the table now.”

Fluttershy shrank down a bit, trying and failing to hide her jittery limbs. “I don’t l-like the sound of anything.”

Twilight offered her nervous friend a sympathetic look before settling her eyes ahead and sighing. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. Let’s keep moving.”

With that, the group hesitantly pressed forward, this time at an even slower pace.

A couple of minutes of walking later, the group came out into a relatively open intersection. There was a wider hallway to their right and ahead of them. Strangely, however, Shining Armor and those that had been here before didn’t remember seeing this last time.

“That’s… weird,” Shining said as he looked around. By this time, he expected to find the intersection near the courtyard. He had never even seen an area like this before.

“What is it?” Luna asked, growing a bit concerned by just how many confused and unsettled faces were around her.

Twilight walked forward a bit and looked down the center hallway. It seemed to go on even further. “This isn’t right. This isn’t how the layout was last time.”

“Indeed,” Celestia said. “It would appear that Dusk has created a spell similar to the ones you all encountered during Raven Feather’s attacks on Ponyville. If I recall your letters correctly, you said that the rooms and layout of the school and the hospital shifted and changed.”

“Ugh… don’t remind us.” Rainbow Dash groaned at the thought of traversing another magically created maze. At least this one wouldn’t be full of shadow-hopping monsters waiting to pull her and her friends into the dark and drain their life force, or so she hoped.

Sparkplug backed closer to the rear of the group where Fluttershy and Applejack were. Her movements were starting to get a bit jumpy as her nerves started to get the best of her. She exhaled tensely, “Ok… what’s the game plan now?”

“I don’t suppose it’s too late to head back?” Raincloud ventured with an awkward smile. Half the group turned to her with unimpressed stares.

However, before anyone could voice their annoyance, another sound made their ears prick.

What seemed to be a rapid series of metallic clicks, like the sound of chains releasing tension, came alarmingly closer toward them from above. Raincloud looked up, only to widen her eyes as she saw a set of iron spikes heading straight for her.

“AH!” The pegasus yelped, jumping back and falling onto her tail end just in time for a large gate to come crashing down where she just was. Sparkplug, Applejack, and Fluttershy barely made it clear as well, however, they were on the wrong side of the large obstacle.

Before anyone could react further, more metallic sounds came from the darkened ceiling as two more gates appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

“Twilight, look out!” Shining Armor dove forward, catching his sister and pulling her to the floor and out of the way of one of the gates. The purple mare yelped and covered her head with her hooves.

Soon, the hall was filled with terrified squeals and yells as everyone was scrambling to either help their friends or to get free of one of the descending gates. By the time the dust settled and silence claimed the room again, four gates had come down. Three were blocking each exit to the hallways, and one was in the middle between them, slicing the area in two halves lengthwise.

As everyone gathered themselves and looked up, they realized one thing above all others. They were separated.

Twilight cringed softly as Shining helped to pick her up. Glitterball and Rarity were to her sides, looking similarly confused and shaken after their brief adrenaline rush. Looking ahead, she widened her eyes as she found a barred portcullis stretching the entire width of the hallway.

“Oh no…” She rushed over to the gate and frowned with concern as she saw her scattered friends slowly recovering on the floor.

Her group was toward the front of the hallway, while Blue Bolt and the two princesses were trapped behind a gate toward the adjoining hallway. Sparkplug, Applejack, and Fluttershy were behind everyone and everything on the other side of all the gates toward where they originally came from. Everyone else was in one of the two sections created in the middle, with Sunspot and Glimmer Shine in one half, and Rainbow, Pinkie, and Raincloud in the other.

“Is everyone ok?” Fluttershy asked as she and the other two mares approached the bars on their gate.

Sunspot grunted as she worked her way back to all fours, letting out a puff of air as she did. “Still in one piece… surprisingly.” She cringed as she examined the spikes on the bottom of the gates. Any one of them could have easily been impaled if they didn’t move quick enough.

Off to the side, Celestia lit up her horn and cast her influence to the center of the gate separating her from Rainbow’s group. She tilted her head upwards and heaved with all her might, but the iron obstacle wasn't budging. “Sister, help me with this.”

Luna quickly joined in, wrapping her own aura around a cross-section next to her sister’s colorful glow. After some coordination, they both pulled upwards. The others watched the pair straining and struggling for a few moments before they finally relented.

“Blast it all…” Luna panted briefly and gave an agitated kick to the bars. Shifting her thoughts to another approach, she looked up to the yellow stallion and suited pegasus across from them. “Glimmer Shine, use your-”

A sound like a blow torch cut the alicorn off as the stallion produced a vial from his vest and pressed the button on the bottom, producing a sparking light at its conical tip. “Way ahead of you, princess.” He said before applying his cutter to one of the bars. However, much to his annoyance, it didn’t seem to have an effect, even after several seconds of exposure. “Crud…”

Seeing the failed attempts from the alicorns and the monster hunters, Raincloud walked over to the gate at the front where Twilight and the others were, shifting her focus to Glitterball. “Hey sprinkles, why don’t you let me have a crack at these bars?” She tapped her collar.

Glitter sighed as she pulled the remote out of a pocket and clicked the button. “It’s worth a shot.”

With that, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie backed up hesitantly as the gray mare’s collar disengaged. Raincloud jostled it a bit and smirked as she popped her neck a couple times.

“Woah… let’s not get any big ideas,” Rainbow said.

Raincloud stared at the pair for a moment flatly before suddenly jolting. “Boo!”

“Ah!” Pinkie yelped, falling over. Rainbow Dash had no reaction other than a slight flinch, which she immediately got annoyed and embarrassed for as the gray pegasus started laughing.

“Ha! Classic…” Raincloud smiled, uncaring of the unimpressed looks she was receiving. Finally, she held a hoof up and produced a spout of dark flames, casting a faint purple light on her surroundings as she turned back to the gate in front of her. “Alright, back up. I’ll show you how it's done.” She said, thinning the beam to a single point like a makeshift blowtorch.

Glitterball and her fellow unicorns all backed up a step and gave the pegasus some room to work. As the flames around Raincloud’s hoof sputtered and produced a high-pitched whine on contact with the iron bars, not unlike the sound a saw might make, they took another step back.

Raincloud poured more energy into her foreleg and pushed harder. However, after a few moments of getting stiff resistance, she pulled her hoof away and let it dim, only to lift her brows in surprise. There was no damage visible on the bar. There wasn't even a mark from where she had been cutting. “Holy crap these things are sturdy.” She remarked.

“Well, that’s just great.” Rainbow Dash groaned. “What do we do now?”

“Unless we can find a way through these bars, a whole lot of nothin’.” Applejack stated flatly. At least she and her two companions could head back to the entrance. The two groups in the middle were literally trapped with nowhere to go.

“I knew I should have brought some emergency cupcakes! Now we’re gonna starve!” Pinkie fretted.

“Stay calm, everyone. We can find a way through this as long as we keep our heads.” Celestia said, hoping to ease some of the tensions in the air.

“Yes, do be sure to keep your heads. I have a bit of a collection going, so I want them intact.” A familiar voice echoed through the halls.

Twilight and the others spun around to face their hallway, while Celestia, Luna, and Blue Bolt faced theirs. It was hard to tell where the seemingly sourceless voice was coming from.

“Dusk.” Celestia narrowed her eyes.

A cold chuckle came, setting everyone on edge. Those who had weapons readied them, while everyone on the outside of a gate backed closer together.

“Do forgive me for not greeting you in person. As you can see, I’ve been a touch busy with restoring this, my new home, to some of its former glory… with some special new additions, of course.”

Twilight took a step forward and stared headlong into the darkness at the end of their hallway. “Where are Cadence and the girls?!” She demanded.

“You better not have hurt them, you monster!” Rarity added.

After a moment, a disembodied tsk-ing could be heard.

“Now, now, let’s be patient. I’m certain you’ll find dear Cadence and the young ones soon enough… or, at least what’s left of them.” Dusk said. The group could practically see the sadistic grin on his face. And even if he was making a sick joke, it was enough to send a wave of dread through many of them.

Rainbow Dash stomped over to the gate near Twilight and the others. She grabbed the bars and glared into the distant shadows alongside her friends. “Don’t even think about touching them! If you hurt them I swear I will make you wish that dagger killed you!”

Nothing but silence responded.

“Dusk?” Celestia called to no avail. “Dusk?!”

Then, there was a slight rumble. Everyone felt it in their hooves first, but then it happened again stronger than before.

Fluttershy got light on her hooves and stared down at the floor nervously as the shaking continued. “Wh… w-what’s going on?”

However, the ground wasn't the only thing that was shaking. Applejack looked up to see Pinkie Pie’s tail vibrating, seemingly separate from the tremors in the floor. “Pinkie, your tail!”

The pink mare turned to her friend before looking at her own tail. She noted the bizarre vibration and had a look of alarm come over her. “Uh oh…”

“Don’t tell me that’s your Pinkie sense…” Rainbow Dash said, watching the pink mare uneasily.

“W-what’s that one for?” Rarity asked, not sure if she even wanted to hear the result.

“Uh… let’s see… Vibrating tail, upset tummy…” Pinkie muttered to herself as she tried to determine what her sixth sense was trying to tell her. Suddenly, her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her. “EVERYONE GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!”

No sooner did Pinkie get her message out did the rumbling intensify abruptly. There was a dull crack, and part of the stone floor behind Sparkplug split open.

The gray mare yelped as her back leg suddenly broke through to thin air. She tried to scramble forward, but she found herself falling as the ground beneath her crumbled away. Applejack grabbed onto her hoof and tried to pull her up, but soon the fissure opening up reached her and Fluttershy as well.

“AHH!” The three mares screamed in unison as they fell, the sound growing more distant by the second.

Rainbow Dash gasped as she watched three of her friends vanish into a dark abyss. “Girls!” She yelled, rushing to the bars and staring down with a worried frown. However, she couldn’t dwell on her concern for long, as a few panicked yelps came from behind her.

As the rumbling and shaking continued, more fissures opened up on both sections of the intersection.

Glimmer Shine yelled as he nearly fell through the floor, only to be caught by a now-hovering Sunspot.

“Gotcha!” The suited mare assured as she flew up a bit. The pair watched the floor crumbling away for a moment before shifting their attention to their friends.

“AHHH!” Pinkie Pie squealed as she tried and failed to cling onto the bars ahead of her. Twilight rushed forward and tried to grab onto her friend’s hoof through the bars, but the pink mare plummeted before she could do anything.

“Pinkie!” Twilight cried before a crack beneath her forced her to back up. However, before she or one of the other unicorns beside her could light their horns to try and rescue the pink mare, a cyan blur swooped down into the darkness and came back up carrying a very relieved party pony.

Soon, the rumbling stopped, along with the slight shaking of what remained of the floor. Twilight’s group was shocked to see practically nothing standing in the middle of the intersection.

Only a small sliver of stone was left underneath each of the gates, seemingly preventing anyone from leaving their section even beyond the pits in the floor. Everywhere else was just a deep chasm that led into darkness. Thankfully, the pits stopped before they reached Twilight or Celestia’s groups, though there was a slight hole directly in front of their respective gates.

“Phew…” Pinkie deflated with relief, letting her head fall back into Rainbow Dash’s form. She blinked up at her cyan savior and smiled. “Thanks for catching me.”

“Yeah… don’t mention it,” Rainbow replied.

“Jeez…” Raincloud chimed in, causing the pair to turn and see her hovering next to them. She was staring down into the abyss below. “I’ve heard of open concepts, but this is ridiculous.”

“Is everyone ok?” Blue Bolt asked as he and the two alicorns looked ahead with concerned expressions. With the newfound hole opened up in front of their gate, it was hard for them to see anyone but the two groups in the middle.

“We’re fine over here.” Shining Armor stated.

Twilight frowned as she looked past the intersection to where her three friends were once standing. “But what about Fluttershy and the others?”

As everyone got as close to that side as they could, Luna lifted a hoof to her ear and focused. “Sparkplug, can you hear me? Are you ok?”

A few moments went by, but no response came.

Glitterball lifted a hoof as well. “Sparkplug?” She asked, somewhat desperately.

“This isn’t good.” Glimmer Shine groaned uneasily as he looked down into the hole Sunspot just saved him from. “We’ll have to move on and hope we find them… but it looks like our only option is to go down.”

“Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Purposefully fall into the death trap we just escaped from.” Sunspot remarked.

“I’m afraid that we don’t have much of a choice with these gates here,” Celestia said. She glanced back to the hallway behind her, eyes swimming along with her thoughts before she turned and looked to Twilight’s group as best she could. “Everyone stick together and stay safe. Try to find a way to meet up somewhere.”

Twilight drew her mouth into a tense line, but nodded anyway. “Ok… Remember to stay in touch.” She tapped her ear.

Sunspot sighed tensely as she trailed her eyes down. “Alrighty… Good luck, guys. We’re going in.” She said before slowly hovering down and out of sight.

Raincloud growled under her breath and rolled her eyes as she looked at Rainbow Dash. “Great, I’m stuck with you and the sugar addict.”

“Hey! I can stop whenever I want!” Pinkie jabbed a hoof toward the gray mare awkwardly. She struggled for a moment to try and move with Rainbow Dash holding her under the shoulders before giving up. “Rainbow, fly me over there so I can pout at her!”

“Oh! That reminds me!” Glitterball said. She dug around her vest for a bit before pulling out the remote and clicking the button.

Raincloud looked down as her collar clicked and spun, suppressing her shadow magic once more. “Aww, come on!”

Ignoring the death glares she was getting from the gray pegasus, Glitter walked as close as she could to the bars before taking the remote in her aura and sticking it through to the other side. “Here, take this. You might need it.”

Seeing how Rainbow Dash had her hooves full, Pinkie took the device from the unicorn and examined it. “Neat.” She said before tucking it into a pocket on her snazzy new vest and patting it for assurance.

“Thanks.” Rainbow Dash said. She looked to Twilight, Rarity, and Shining, and although she hid it well, there was a hint of concern in her face. “You guys watch each other’s backs, alright?”

“You too, darling.” Rarity said, her eyes brimming with worry as she glanced up to where Applejack’s group had fallen through the floor. They had only just arrived, and already they were in danger. “Please, stay safe.”

Soon, after offering a few concerned looks to their scattered group of friends, each group eventually made their way down the only path available to them. For some, down was as literal as it could be.

None of them knew what to expect anymore, and that was terrifying. Before, they at least had strength in numbers, but now they had done the one thing they never wanted to do. Split up. However, they were still determined to find Cadence and the crusaders, even if they had to work around a slight detour.

At least, they hoped it was going to be just a slight detour.

Chapter 54: Treading Lightly

Sparkplug groaned softly as she drifted back into consciousness. Her vision consisted of a blur of colors, predominantly orange and yellow.

“Sparkplug!”

A faint voice called to her. She could feel herself being jostled, bringing her scattered senses to focus. As the image above her clarified, she saw the familiar forms of her two friends standing over her wearing worried frowns.

“Ngh… Applejack? Fluttershy?” Sparkplug muttered as she sat up.

Applejack let her shoulders deflate and produced a relaxed exhale. “Thank Celestia you’re ok. We thought you might’a bought the farm for a minute there.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry. She looked to the gray mare with a mixture of sadness and relief in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Sparkplug. I… I tried to catch you, but I wasn't fast enough to reach both of you.”

“It’s ok. The important thing is we’re not hurt… for the most part.” Sparkplug rubbed the back of her head, where a bruise was surely forming, and looked up.

Strangely, there was no hole in the ceiling as she expected. There was just a blank stone face to match the unfurnished corridor around her, being illuminated only by the beam from Applejack’s vest-mounted flashlight.

“What happened? I thought we fell.” She squinted, unsure if she hit her head harder than she thought.

“We did. The hole just closed up behind us.” Applejack said. She stared at the ceiling, her ears drooping as she shifted her troubled thoughts to the others. “I sure hope everyone else made it through ok.”

Fluttershy perked up suddenly. “Ooh! See if you can reach them with the spell!”

“Right…” Sparkplug said, a bit surprised that she didn’t think of that herself. Then again, she was possibly concussed.

The pair watched as the gray mare lifted a hoof to her ear. A comforting blue aura appeared, at least indicating that the spell had some effect. They were honestly expecting some sort of magic to cancel it out entirely with how their luck was going.

“This is Sparkplug… Can anyone hear me?” Sparkplug asked.

Almost immediately, there was a slew of voices in her head that nearly made her flinch.

“Sparkplug!” Pinkie’s voice exclaimed eagerly.

A relieved sigh that sounded like it came from Twilight followed shortly after. “Thank goodness. Are you guys ok?”

“Yeah… We’re all good down here… wherever here is.” Sparkplug trailed off nervously as she shifted her eyes down a dark corridor in front of them. They were butted up against a wall, with nowhere else to go.

“What do you see?” Glimmer Shine asked.

“Uh, other than a creepy dark hallway, not much.” Sparkplug replied.

“Yeah… I’m starting to think creepy dark hallways are a theme with this place.” Shining Armor added.

After a moment, Luna spoke. “It is good to know that you are unharmed, Sparkplug. We’ve all been separated it seems. I’m afraid the only thing you can do right now is press onward wherever you are and try to meet up with us later.”

“Oh, and stay in touch! You’re the only one over there hooked up to the spell, so be sure and let us know if you’re in trouble!” Sunspot added, a bit concerned. This in turn made Sparkplug very concerned.

“Yeah… thanks, guys. No pressure or anything.” Sparkplug said before dropping her hoof and sighing. She looked to her two companions, who were eager to know how their friends were doing and what to do next.

“Well?” Applejack goaded.

“Everyone’s fine… at least as far as I could tell.” Sparkplug said.

“So… w-what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked, turning and shrinking back a bit as she shifted focus to the hallway ahead.

Sparkplug stood up and flicked on her own flashlight, providing them two beams of light to work with. “Well… the general consensus seemed to be keep calm and carry on, so let’s try that.”

Applejack nodded with a nervous smile. “Right… keep calm. Sounds easy enough.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll be dropping that part soon.” Sparkplug swallowed and psyched herself up as she pulled out her dagger and faced ahead. “For now, let’s just carry on.”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment as her friends started walking away. She contemplated staying where she was, but then quickly realized that she would be left in total darkness, so she followed along.

As they walked, their echoing hoofsteps the only sound to be heard in the all-encompassing darkness, they passed by and through various rooms and intersections.

The general aesthetic of the place resembled what they remembered walking through the last time they were in the castle underbelly. Mostly spacious corridors, with a few intermittent stone arches for structural integrity, and a seemingly random mixture of doors versus open doorways.

However, the condition of the building seemed far newer than before. They could actually make out the smooth masonwork of the floor, rather than the rough and dirty mess they expected. It was almost like they were walking through the castle halls around the time they were first built.

Something also felt off about the space. There was a subtle tickle at the back of their necks, a barely noticeable feeling in their guts that told them that they weren’t alone, despite how empty every room seemed. Fluttershy found herself checking behind herself often, which she usually would have felt bad for, except that her two friends were doing it too.

Eventually, the route they had been following for a few minutes came out into a larger room of sorts. The ceiling was concave all the way down its length. There were a few wood and iron devices scattered around, with grates in the floor next to them with dried blood staining all around their surface.

“Ulgh… I thought I smelled something.” Sparkplug covered her face with a foreleg as they walked by.

Fluttershy stared at one of the wooden tables. Judging from the smaller iron shackles bolted off to the sides of the main section, it seemed to be meant for a creature with wings. As she pictured herself being strapped into the horrid device, her mind flashed back to a similar experience from her past. One that she had hoped to forget.

Seeing a distant stare in the timid pegasus’ trembling eyes, Applejack set a hoof on her back and led her away. “Try not to think about it, sugarcube.”

“This place is horrible,” Fluttershy said, lingering on her troubled thoughts for a moment before pushing them aside.

Sparkplug started to say something to offer her friend some comfort when she paused abruptly. The faint smell of copper had intensified, but it seemed to have other elements to it as well, like rotten eggs.

Along with this surge of sickening smells, she rotated her ears to catch a faint wet sound. It was hard to make out, but it almost sounded like the sloshing of liquid. A cold chill went down her neck, and she spun around.

The beam from her flashlight revealed nothing but the door they just came from, and another grate on the floor with more blood draining into it.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Applejack’s voice brought the gray mare out of her paranoid stare. She turned to see her two friends looking at her warily.

Sparkplug checked the area one last time. Perhaps it was only her imagination. “No… it’s nothing.” She said, though her stare lingered despite her words. Finally, she let out a tense exhale and turned to walk ahead. “Let’s keep moving. This place is giving me the creeps.”

“I hear ya there.” Applejack said, suppressing the shiver that came as she gave some thought to their dark surroundings. Both she and Fluttershy quickly joined their friend in moving along. The sooner they found the others, the sooner they could get out of the eerie halls.

Upstairs, or rather, on the main floor, Twilight and her group were attempting to find their way in their new surroundings.

Whatever changes had been made to the castle, it didn’t entirely seem like a completely new space. Every once in a while, they would find a familiar landmark in the form of a room they remembered passing last time, or a fixed version of a particularly unique decoration. It seemed as though the old castle was still here, there were just new sections grafted in between the real rooms.

An observation that was all but confirmed as they suddenly found the courtyard.

The familiar openings out into the snowy space, along with the exterior of the castle and the night sky above, seemed relatively normal. Some of the hallways around them were longer and led to different places, but they could see where the unfamiliar ended and the similar began.

“This place again?” Rarity noted curiously. She looked off to the left, where she could see through the arched openings from the courtyard into more hallways. “Does that mean the stairs are that way?”

“Maybe,” Twilight said before sighing, “but there’s no telling now. Even if it is in the same general direction, there could be any number of new areas between here and there.”

“Well, we aren’t going to find out by just standing here,” Glitterball said. Nobody could find any objections to that, so they started moving again.

Around the outside of the courtyard, skirting familiar territory as much as they could, they followed what used to be the closest way to the stairs.

A few minutes later, they quickly realized that their wishful thinking wasn't going to pay off just yet. They had turned down the hallway to the left like they were supposed to, but instead of finding the stairs, they just found a longer path.

Now it was anyone’s guess as to where they were meant to go, but they tried to stick to the direction that would presumably lead them to the corner of the building.

As they made another turn and walked past an intersection, Rarity suddenly froze as she heard a sharp click and felt something sink beneath her hoof. Trailing her eyes down, her heart sank as well as she noticed some faint red light and a menacing hum coming from under a few stones directly in front of her.

“Umm…” She swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling dry and her mouth trembling as she tried to vocalize. “You guys?”

Twilight, Shining, and Glitterball stopped and turned to see the white mare just standing at the mouth of the intersection. However, the genuine fear in her eyes and her stiff form was enough to communicate that something was amiss.

“What’s wrong, Rarity?” Twilight stepped forward until Rarity held her other hoof out to stop her.

“Stay back.” Rarity said gravely before looking back down to the faint glow. “I… I-I seem to have stepped on something.”

Around this time, the others looked down and noticed the faint glow, as well as the low hum. They could also see that the piece of stone the unicorn was stepping on had sunk into the floor a good couple of inches.

“Oh no…” Twilight darted her eyes between the light on the floor and her friend. She started to approach more cautiously when Glitterball held a hoof out to stop her.

Glitter looked to the two siblings, her eyes holding a serious air behind her concern. “Twilight, Shining, get back.” She instructed before looking ahead at Rarity and putting on as much of a reassuring expression as she could. “Don’t move, Rarity. I’m going to help you.”

Rarity chuckled nervously, “I hadn’t planned on it, darling.”

“Glitter… are you sure about this?” Shining asked hesitantly. From the look of it, Rarity had just walked into a trap, and as much as he didn’t want her to get hurt, he didn’t want Glitter to trigger it when she was close either.

“I’m sure we don’t need three ponies treading around this thing,” Glitterball replied without even turning around. Instead, she slowly and cautiously approached the pinned unicorn, keeping her eyes focused on the floor in front of her in between looking up to Rarity.

As the vested mare approached, Rarity felt her muscles tense slightly as she anticipated getting killed instantly, burned alive, or whatever effect this trap had in store. Thankfully, Glitter was incredibly tactful as she stopped just before the stones where the light was coming from and crouched down.

Lighting up her horn, Glitter gently tugged at one of the stones on top of the light. As she expected from appearances, the loose stone lifted up and away, revealing the last thing she wanted to see so close to a friend. A glowing magical symbol.

This one was smaller than the one they found in the entry hall, and there was a small glowing line connecting the outer edge to the stone Rarity was stepping on.

“Is that as bad as it looks?” Rarity asked. “Because… it looks pretty bad.”

“Talk to us, Glitter. What is it?” Twilight leaned forward, but she couldn’t get a good view of whatever was going on.

Glitterball exhaled slowly and bit her lip as she stared at the symbol. What Raincloud said earlier was true. Most of the glyphs that made up the symbol were unrecognizable to her or anyone else not familiar with blood magic. However, there was one very prominent glyph in the center that she knew.

It simply translated as ‘fire’.

“It’s another symbol… I think it’s hooked up like a tripwire. If she lifts her hoof, it triggers.” Glitter explained, unable to hide the tenseness in her voice.

“Triggers what?” Shining asked, though part of him didn’t want to find out.

Glitter didn’t answer for a few moments. Rarity could see her eyes darting back and forth in rapid thought.

“Let’s not worry about that right now.” Glitter said while slowly but diligently lifting a hoof and digging into a pocket on her vest. Looking up to the unicorn in front of her, she flashed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes before producing a small vial, not too dissimilar from the rest of the charms her team used. “Rarity… I need you to hold very still. I’m going to try to disarm this thing.”

Rarity started to nod but decided against it. “R-right… still. I can do that.” She said, making every effort not to move a muscle. She wasn't even looking down at Glitter or the veritable bomb she was stepping on.

Twilight and Shining watched as Glitterball carefully took the vial in her hoof and lifted it into her corona. Twilight vaguely remembered seeing the charm before. It had a rod going through the center of its glass casing, surrounded by a slimy green liquid and connected to a hollow-tipped spike at the cap.

“What is that?” Twilight asked.

“It’s our spell breaker.” Glitter explained. “It should hopefully cancel out whatever magical energies are fueling this symbol.”

Twilight nodded in remembrance. “Oh… that’s right. I forgot you guys had those.”

“Just be careful.” Shining cautioned, a worried cringe on his face.

“I haven’t gotten this far by being reckless.” Glitter remarked, though as she started to move, she paused and processed a wave of fear and dread before shaking her head and sighing. Then, she got to work.

Rarity chanced looking down, taking pains to be slow and gentle so as to not disturb her hoof or the pressure plate it was standing on. She saw Glitterball in a deep focus, gently lowering the tip of the vial toward the symbol.

Glitter trailed the small charm in the air just above the symbol, seemingly trying to figure out the best place to actually press it down without triggering whatever spell was attached to the symbol. Finally, after finding a spot that seemed better than the rest, she inhaled sharply and held her breath before lowering the tip of the vial.

Rarity flinched her eyes shut and looked away as the spiked tip of the charm made contact with the stone floor within the symbol. Meanwhile, Twilight and Shining watched with feverish focus.

After applying sufficient pressure, the green liquid inside the vial started glowing. Soon after, a small shockwave of air and a magical chime exploded out in a circle, washing over the surface of the symbol.

Much to Glitter’s relief, the ominous red glow of the symbol blinked out as the shockwave dissipated. However, her expression fell back into dismay as she watched the glow return in mere moments.

“Dang it…” She cursed under her breath.

“What is it?” Rarity asked, still clenching her eyes shut nervously. “Did it work?”

Glitter stood up and put the useless vial back into the pocket she got it from. “No, it didn’t.” She huffed, rubbing a hoof along her forehead and tensing up with reluctant fear. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but I think I’m going to have to disable it with my magic.”

“You can do that?” Shining Armor lifted his brows in surprise.

“If it’s anything like the symbols Raven Feather used, a unicorn can interact with the flow of magic within it.” Twilight explained before looking ahead with soft eyes. “But if she makes one change in the wrong place, it could trigger it… or make it worse.”

A slight whine drew their attention up to Rarity, who was not having a good time. “I know I just said dying isn’t so bad, but I really don’t want to die here!”

“You’re not going to die, Rarity. Not any time soon.” Shining said, though his words didn’t seem to have much effect. “Hey, look at us. You’re going to be fine.”

Rarity took a steady breath as she looked at her friends. However, she couldn’t suppress all of the fear she felt. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one standing on a death trap.”

Suddenly, Twilight steeled her expression and started to move forward. “I’ll help. Maybe we can-”

“No!” Glitterball insisted, holding a hoof out to the purple mare.

Twilight paused mid-step as she saw Glitter’s face. There was fear behind her eyes, but there was also determination. “But, Glitter!”

“I can do this.” Glitter said, taking a few calming breaths of her own. “You two need to keep your distance. If this thing does go off, there’s no need for all of us to die.”

“She’s right, Twilight.” Rarity said. Twilight was surprised to look up and see her friend wearing a somewhat calm expression. “If you were in my position, would you want us to risk ourselves for you?”

Twilight exhaled tensely, her eyes starting to shimmer. “That’s not fair, and you know it.”

“And who am I? The element of fairness?” Rarity jested, flashing her friends a genuine smile before turning to Glitterball. “Do whatever you need to do, darling. I trust you.”

Somehow, that didn’t make Glitter feel any better.

With the immense weight of both her and Rarity’s lives on her shoulders, Glitterball steadied herself before lighting her horn and casting her influence into the symbol.

Almost immediately, she could feel the web of magical energies that formed the inner workings of the spell behind the symbol. She could also feel how elegantly crafted it was, and that was immediately terrifying to her. Dusk knew his way around the art of transcribing magic through physical mediums.

The tensest minutes of their lives went by as they watched Glitterball trying to work herself toward understanding every minute thread of energy and what it did. They understood why she wanted to take things slow. One false move and the symbol wouldn’t be the only source of blood stained onto the floor.

Then, she brightened her expression ever so slightly. “Hold on… I think I’ve got it.”

“You do?” Rarity asked.

The vested mare nodded without looking up from her work. Her horn’s glow intensified briefly, and a spot on the symbol lit up blue as her aura interacted with it. “Yeah… yeah… just let me-”

Then, there was a disconcerting sound as Glitter broke something within the symbol. However, instead of the reaction she was expecting, the symbol glowed brighter and brighter, painting both their snow-white forms in red.

Everything slowed to a crawl as both mares realized in an instant what was about to happen. They were powerless to stop it. Glitter’s jaw dropped open and her pupils shrank, while Rarity started to flinch.

Then, they both felt something crash into them as both Twilight and Shining Armor jumped forward, knocking them to the floor. No sooner did they hit the stone than a near-deafening explosion rang out as fire consumed the area.

Glitter held her hooves tightly over her ears and tensed up. Strangely, however, no pain came. And as she looked up, she realized why.

While Shining Armor was trying to shield both her and Rarity with his body, Twilight had her horn lit up and was projecting a forcefield around them. The outside of the magenta bubble was awash with thick smoke.

Twilight panted slightly, either from adrenaline or the strain of holding a barrier against such fiery fury. She looked over to the crumpled heap the other three were in behind her with worried eyes. “Is everyone ok?”

Shining Armor picked himself up off of Rarity, trying not to hurt her any more than he already may have. “Are you ok?”

“Yes…” Rarity blinked, still a bit stunned that she had survived.

Shining then turned to Glitterball. “You ok, Glitter?”

She didn’t answer for the longest time but eventually gave a shaky nod as she was still staring ahead at the fading smoke and scorch marks.

Seeing how all her friends were safe and the danger had passed, Twilight deflated slightly and let her shield drop. “Phew…”

Then, everyone but Rarity heard the familiar voice of Celestia in their ears.

“We just heard an explosion. Is everyone alright?” She asked, voice laced with concern.

Shining chuckled a bit, perhaps feeling a little hysterical, and lifted a hoof to his ear. “Yeah… we’re good. As a side note, everyone watch where you’re stepping and be on the lookout for traps.”

“Holy cow…” Sparkplug chimed in.

“Great. As if this place couldn’t get worse.” Sunspot added.

After a few more moments with no further words from any of their friends, Shining dropped his hoof and got back to all fours before helping Rarity up.

“Thank you for saving us, Twilight. I thought for sure that was it.” Rarity said.

Twilight returned her friend’s smile. “You might not be the element of fairness, but I’m the element of… not letting my friends get blown up.” She tittered awkwardly. “That sounded better in my head.”

Meanwhile, while everyone seemed to be in high spirits, Glitterball was anything but. She turned to the white mare, a stunned look in her eyes and mouth agape. “Rarity… I’m so sorry. I… I-”

Rarity suddenly reached forward and hugged the vested mare, cutting her off. “Thank you so much.” She smiled warmly as she pulled back.

Glitterball was dumbfounded as she saw such a reaction from the unicorn. Rarity wasn't even upset. “But… I-I don’t understand. I almost got you killed.”

“You did your best… and if you didn’t try, I very well could have gotten killed.” Rarity stated. Seeing her friend still wearing a bit of a frown, she placed a hoof on one of Glitter’s forelegs. “Try not to dwell on what went wrong, darling. It can stop you from doing something right.”

Glitterball seemed hesitant to accept the white mare’s words, but eventually, she softened her features. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Soon after, the group of unicorns dusted themselves off and pressed forward. This time, however, all of them were being mindful of where they stepped.

Another few minutes of walking later, Shining slowed to a halt as they rounded a corner. Gradually, Twilight and the others stopped as well. They briefly wondered what had caught the stallion’s attention, when they suddenly noticed what he had already spotted.

Twilight gasped eagerly, “The stairs!”

Sure enough, there they were. The familiar cramped staircase that looped back on itself stood before them, offering them a path up or down.

“It’s about time.” Glitterball sighed with relief. “I was starting to wonder if we would ever find them.”

“Ye of little faith.” Rarity said.

Shining walked up to the mouth of the stairs and paused. He eyed between the two paths available to them with a sense of doubt in his eyes. “Is there any way we can narrow down which way to go? I don’t want to waste any time.”

“Well… I could try my locator,” Glitter suggested, already reaching for the vial in question, “but there’s no telling if it will even work.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Twilight said.

The others watched as Glitterball separated herself from them a short ways. She then clicked the bottom of the vial, causing the sand inside to flash red a few times like a shifting light display before returning to a neutral state.

Glitter slowly waved the vial around, and much to her surprise, the sand toward the tip lit up in a few places. “Well, I’ll be.”

“That’s good, right?” Rarity asked. Generally, the light coming on usually meant that it was working.

Glitter still seemed a bit discouraged. “Technically, yes. It’s working, but I’m getting too many readings here. It’s probably from the princesses and everyone else.” She explained. Practically everywhere she pointed at eye level and at the floor yielded some sort of reading. There were so many in close proximity that sometimes the whole vial would light up from the overlapping signals.

Then, as she pointed it up, the light shrank back to the tip and she paused.

“Hello…” She said, a smile slowly building on her face as she lifted her other hoof to her ear and triggered the communication spell. “Princess, have you or anyone else made it upstairs yet?” She asked.

After a moment, a response came.

“No. We’re still on the ground floor. And unless anything has changed, I believe everyone else is still downstairs. Am I right?” Celestia asked to clarify.

“Yep! Still down here.” Pinkie reported. At least she was still chipper wherever she and the two pegasi were.

“As much as I want to say otherwise, we’re still in the basement.” Sparkplug said, sounding very much tired of being in her current surroundings.

“Believe me, you’ll hear me jumping for joy when we make it out of this dump,” Sunspot added.

Despite her sympathetic feelings for her friends, Glitter pumped her foreleg excitedly. “Yes!” She mouthed, not wanting anyone to hear her.

“Have you found something, Glitterball?” Luna asked, perhaps sensing the raw enthusiasm radiating off the unicorn.

Glitter settled her excess excitement, but she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she responded. “I think we just found where Cadence and the girls are.”

“What?!” Sunspot exclaimed in shock, “That’s great, Glitter!”

“Well done,” Celestia added, more than a touch of happiness bleeding through her usual refinement.

“Uh… thanks. We’ll update you once we find them.” Glitter explained before dropping her hoof and turning to her friends. Understandably, they were excited as well.

“Do you really think that’s them?” Shining asked, looking to the glowing sand in the white mare’s vial and then back at the stairs eagerly.

“Everyone else is downstairs, and Dusk and the other vampires don’t give off heat or life signs. They’re the only ones it could be.” Glitterball said.

Twilight took the first couple of steps up before pausing and gesturing for the others to follow. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get up there!” She said before making her way up the stairs.

Not wanting the purple mare to be alone, Glitterball and Rarity hurried up after her.

Shining Armor lingered for just a moment. He stared up at the ceiling, toward where the reading was coming from, and steeled his expression.

“Hold on, girls. We’re coming.”

And with that, he rushed up after the three mares.

Chapter 55: Keeping Close

The echoing of hooves against brick filled the tunnel ahead of them as Sunspot and Glimmer Shine made their way through the basement. At least, they thought it was still the basement.

After they hovered down from the hole in the floor, they had been aimlessly pressing forward through the various rooms of the castle’s lower level. They had found torture rooms, dungeons, and even a few dead ends.

Eventually, however, they had found a shorter set of stairs leading down into a vast open tunnel, which was what they were currently walking through.

Sunspot narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose up in disgust as she observed their surroundings. There was a shallow curve to the floor, forming a channel for presumably some kind of liquid to travel through. This, combined with the many bricks comprising the walls and floor, made the space resemble a sewer.

Only, it didn’t quite smell like a sewer. The offending odor in the air was far too metallic.

“You know… this isn’t what I had in mind when I pictured saving the world from a bunch of vampires.” Sunspot said flatly, cringing as she turned her flashlight to reveal a rat skeleton.

“And what exactly did you have in mind?” Glimmer asked.

Sunspot wrinkled her expression. “I don’t know! Definitely not… all of this!” She gestured around her. “If Princess Luna had led with the fact that I would be fumbling around in the dark underbelly of a rundown castle, I might have stayed in the Wonderbolts.”

Hearing a slight snort, the pegasus looked to the side and narrowed her eyes as she saw her companion wearing a bit of a smile.

“It’s not all bad.” Glimmer remarked.

“Oh, really?” Sunspot replied.

“Yeah.” He insisted lightheartedly. “I mean, come on. Every colt and filly dreams of fighting monsters and saving the world. We actually get to do it.”

“Assuming we don’t die horribly,” Sunspot added.

Glimmer Shine turned to the pegasus. “You know, you need to learn to roll with the punches if you want to stay sane in this line of work. If you’re serious and negative all the time, you-”

Suddenly, the stallion trailed off and they both stopped walking as a low sound came from up ahead. It sounded like rushing water.

A lot of rushing water.

And as a tidal wave of red fluid came surging down the tunnel toward them too fast for them to react, all they could do was jolt, hold their breath, and stand there while the flow crashed into them.

Soon after, the crimson river diminished until it was only halfway up to their knees, leaving behind a pair of soaked ponies flinching their eyes shut.

Sunspot felt every square inch of her body dripping. Her suit was sopping wet, and her mane was slicked to the back of her neck. It was cold, but thankfully not freezing somehow. Without even opening her eyes, she slowly turned to Glimmer with a decidedly unimpressed look plastered on her face.

“You were saying?”

Glimmer sputtered and blew the excess liquid off of his mouth and nose. “I fink… I fink I got sum in my mouf.” He grimaced and spit off to the side.

It was around this time that the thick copper smell and taste, along with the red tint of the flowing liquid fully sank in. Of course, neither of them could react with too much revulsion. They had been covered in blood before, just not this liberally.

“Ulgh… is this really what I think it is?” Sunspot asked, wringing out some of her mane and cringing with disgust at the cold, slightly viscous liquid dripping out of it.

“It’s definitely not fruit punch,” Glimmer noted with utmost confidence.

“You think it’s…” Sunspot paused hesitantly and softened her eyes, “...real?”

“It feels pretty real.” Glimmer Shine retorted.

Sunspot sighed. “No, I mean, like... do you think all of this is… from somepony?” She lifted a hoof out of the crimson flow, a bit disturbed that there was so much of it.

Glimmer gave the unsettling notion some thought before answering. “I don’t think so. If it was really real, wouldn’t Dusk have just drank it instead of… this?”

“Good point.” Sunspot noted.

“I think it’s just part of whatever spell he used to change the layout. He probably put it here to mess with us.” Glimmer reasoned.

Sunspot exhaled nervously, suppressing a shudder. “I hope you’re right.” She said before moving forward again.

They slogged through the canal for another few minutes, silently contemplating the choices they had made in life to arrive at this point.

Unfortunately, the stream of blood had other unpleasant consequences besides making them want to shave off all their fur. No matter how hard they tried to be stealthy, every movement made a splashing sound that was probably audible for longer than their flashlight beams were visible.

However, their luck seemed to turn around as they saw a set of steps leading up to a stone platform along the side of the tunnel, with another doorway presumably leading out of the space.

Sunspot immediately unfurled her wings and hovered up to the platform, creating a trail of red liquid onto the relatively pristine stone. While Glimmer climbed up the stairs to her, she grabbed the front of her suit and tried to wring it out.

“Ugh… why did I bring my suit? I’m never getting the stains out of this thing.” She whined a bit, already picturing what her old colleagues in the Wonderbolts would say if they could see her now.

“Yeah. Remind me to burn this vest when we make it out of here.” Glimmer added. On the bright side, the majority of their equipment was waterproof, even if it would never smell the same again.

Shifting their attention to the doorway in front of them, they could see that it led to a tight corridor before opening up further down into what appeared to be another larger room, but it was hard to tell at this distance.

“Well… looks like this is our only option.” Glimmer said, glancing back at the tunnel of blood behind them. “Unless you want to go for another dip?”

“I think I’m all dipped out, but you be my guest.” Sunspot said flatly.

“Nah… I’m good.” Glimmer replied, already walking through the doorway. His pegasus friend followed close behind, hoping that there wouldn’t be any more surprises on their way.

As they left the open space, both of them failed to hear or see a small shape breaching the surface of the crimson fluid behind them.

Elsewhere in the lower levels, Raincloud followed along behind Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie through a labyrinth of corridors and rooms.

The oppressive atmosphere and pervasive darkness weren’t bothering the gray pegasus. She was used to being the scariest thing in the shadows, and she lived in a haunted mansion for a good few years.

No, what was bothering her, was her companions.

Pinkie had slowed the trio’s pace a considerable amount as she searched every crack and sconce ahead for signs of boobytraps. After hearing what their friends had gone through upstairs, she was taking no chances. However, the two pegasi wished she would take at least a few.

“Pinkie… I really don’t think we need to be this careful.” Rainbow said as gently as she could while watching the pink mare examine the flagstones with a magnifying glass. She didn’t even know their vests had magnifying glasses, and she was afraid to look on hers for fear of confirming that she was friends with a benevolent trickster.

Pinkie gave a particularly raised stone a wary look, adjusting the magnifying glass further and then closer to her eye before turning to her friend and blinking through it. “You can never be too careful.”

Noticing Raincloud feeling a hoof around her wrist off to the side, Rainbow skewed a brow curiously. “What are you doing?”

“Just checking my pulse,” Raincloud said. “I thought my heart exploded from all this excitement.”

“Would you rather us get eaten by vampires? Because that’s the alternative.” Rainbow said.

Raincloud grumbled under her breath. “I’m considering it.”

Seeing her two companions losing patience by the minute, Pinkie sighed. “Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you get caught in a trap!”

“Oh, thank Celestia.” Raincloud rolled her eyes and deflated with relief as they picked up their pace to a reasonable walk.

A few minutes went by. The path before them showed no signs of ending any time soon. Other than trying to reunite with the others and possibly find Cadence and the fillies or the symbol that was causing all of the spatial warping, they didn’t really have a long-term goal. Still, it felt like they were going in circles, which was not doing wonders for morale.

As her thoughts drifted, Raincloud eventually found herself staring at Pinkie Pie, or rather, her vest. The pink mare had taken charge of the remote that controlled her collar, and while they hadn’t openly said anything about it, she could tell that they were uneasy toward her.

If they continued on like this and actually confronted Dusk, they were dead meat. She knew this, and yet she agreed to come anyway. Did she feel guilty? Was it really worth all this just to try and save three fillies and an alicorn that probably hated her guts by now?

Should she make a move? There were only two of them with her, so this would be the time to do it. If she was being honest, she didn’t hate either of them, and she even felt a little bad that they were going to be slaughtered. Then again, all her being there was going to do was add her body to the pile.

Pinkie Pie turned to look at the gray pegasus, forcing her to dart her gaze away. “So, Raincloud… when’s your birthday?”

“E-excuse me?” Raincloud blinked, having not expected the sudden question.

“You know, your birthday.” Pinkie replied plainly.

Raincloud stared at the pink mare, this time with confusion vaguely showing through her face. “It’s a week after Hearts and Hooves day… why do you want to know?”

“Well…” Pinkie sighed a bit. “I know I said you were a big meanie, and you kind of still are,” She said, ignoring the cocked brow her words caused, “but since you’re helping us save our friends and trying to be better… I wanted to know when to send you a present to thank you.”

“Really?” Raincloud tilted her head, unsure of how to react.

“Yep! I would throw you a little party, but I don’t think the princess would let you out for something like that, and I’m not allowed to visit the jail in Canterlot after the last time I was there.” Pinkie explained.

Rainbow Dash suppressed a snicker at the memory. They were still finding confetti in some of the cells to this day.

Meanwhile, Raincloud was at a loss for words. She didn’t expect any of the group to offer her a kind gesture like that after everything she had done to them. “Uh… thanks.” She trailed her eyes to the side. Despite her uncomfortable expression, there was a bit of red to her cheeks.

Rainbow Dash smiled a bit at how awkward the bluish-gray mare was being. Pinkie Pie had the ability to melt the hardest hearts with her genuine bubbly joy.

However, the cyan pony paused as they came upon a doorway that was wider than most of the ones they had seen before.

Shining her light inside revealed a small workshop of sorts. There were wooden tables with rusted tools on top and a few finished products lying around. Judging from the uncomfortable-looking iron shackles placed on one of the tables, this place must have been used to build and modify torture devices.

As disturbing as the space was upon closer inspection, there was something else that caught Rainbow’s eye. Nestled at the back was a curved stairwell leading up.

“Hey, check it out! There’s some stairs in here!” She pointed out eagerly, already stepping into the room.

Around the time that her companions turned toward her, she stepped on a false stone. There was a metallic clang as a set of iron bars swiftly descended both in the doorway and just before the stairs, effectively locking the pegasus within.

“What the hay?!” Rainbow darted her eyes between the two barricades. She rushed up to the one separating her from her friends and grasped the bars with her hooves.

Pinkie gasped as she watched the cyan mare being blocked inside. “Rainbow Dash!”

“Well, that’s just great. You couldn’t have spent five hours looking for traps where there actually was one?” Raincloud deadpanned as she looked at the pink mare.

Pinkie thought about Raincloud’s words for a moment before her expression fell. “Oh no, you’re right! She’s going to be stuck in there forever, and it’s all my fault!”

Rainbow Dash sighed and looked to her friend with a sympathetic frown as Pinkie slid down the bars, crying like she was already dead. “Calm down, Pinkie. There’s gotta be some way of opening this thing.” She gave the bars a good tug before giving that venture up. “Look for… I don’t know, a switch or something. I’ll see what I can find in here.”

With newfound purpose, Pinkie sprang up and adopted a determined gleam in her eyes. “Okie dokie lokie. Don’t worry, we’ll have you out of there in two shakes of Gummy’s tail!”

And with that, the pink mare started searching high and low for some sort of secret mechanism to free her friend.

Raincloud started searching as well, but her efforts were diminished as an earlier thought popped back into her mind. She turned to look up at Pinkie before trailing her eyes down and giving her mouth a conflicted wrinkle.

Finally, she let her shoulders sink and exhaled softly.

“Hey, puffball…” Raincloud said, her voice a bit flat, but not with sarcasm.

Pinkie looked up from her position of pressing on stones near the door curiously. “What is it? Did you find something?”

Raincloud tensed her jaw and softened her eyes, but stood up anyway. “You know, I could get her out of there if you just… undo this collar.”

Hearing this, Rainbow Dash paused her search of one of the work tables in the room and looked over. By now, she could see the pair through the bars, and Pinkie was suddenly very quiet and looking hesitant.

“Umm…” Pinkie trailed her eyes down to one of her front pockets, then back to the gray mare, who took a step toward her. She smiled widely and took a step back. “Sorry… I don’t think I should do that. I mean, it’s not that I don’t trust you or anything, even if I kinda don’t... it’s just--” She trailed off as she saw Raincloud harden her expression slightly.

“Give me that remote,” Raincloud asked softly, holding up one of her hooves.

“Raincloud, what are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked as she walked back up to the bars.

Raincloud eyed back at the cyan mare, her expression wavering briefly, before turning back to Pinkie. The pink mare had backed up even further, and she jumped slightly as she hit the wall behind her, all the while not taking her eyes off the gray pegasus.

“Raincloud… I thought we were working together now?” Pinkie asked, a bit of genuine hurt in her voice that only made what was coming next feel even worse.

“Just hand over the remote. I’ll even cut her free, and then I’ll be on my way and out of your mane.” Raincloud said earnestly.

Pinkie shook her head and placed a hoof over her chest, particularly over the pocket she was keeping the remote in. “No. I can’t let you do that.” She insisted, shrinking down as the pegasus growled impatiently.

“Look… I don’t want to hurt you, but if that’s what it takes…” Raincloud held a hoof up and planted it on the wall beside Pinkie.

Rainbow Dash pulled the bars and rattled them, but no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn’t give. “Leave her alone!” She yelled, but the gray mare seemed to ignore her. “Raincloud, I swear if you hurt her!”

“Just shut up!” The pegasus turned and snapped. However, as she turned back to the pink mare, Pinkie grabbed her flashlight and pointed it up into Raincloud’s face. “Gah!” She flinched, allowing Pinkie to make a break to the side. Raincloud swiped at her with a hoof, but she didn’t connect. “Get back here!” She yelled, sprinting after the fleeing pony.

Rainbow Dash watched the pair vanish around a corner, her face paling as she heard Pinkie squeal in terror. “Pinkie!” She yelled to the empty hallway outside, giving the bars a few more angry shakes before stepping back and panting.

“Think, Dash, think!” She muttered frantically as she raced to find some way of helping her friend. Shifting her eyes down to her vest, her eyes widened as an idea came to her.

The pegasus sat down and started tearing through her uniform in search of the one thing she needed. She vaguely knew what it looked like, but she couldn’t remember where it was.

“Come on, come on…” She could barely keep her hooves steady the longer she searched. Darting her eyes up at the hallway outside in between rifling pockets only made her more anxious.

Finally, she pulled out the charm she needed. “Ha! Yes!”

Shifting her attention to the bars, she held the cutter to them and pressed the button on the bottom. A bright light sparked to life at its conical tip and a zapping noise could be heard as she held it in place.

“Come on, baby… don’t fail me now.” Rainbow grit her teeth as she waited for a result. The bars to the gates upstairs must have been magically protected from how much resistance they had, but these bars looked different. They were worn in places, and they actually had some give to them.

Her expression brightened as she saw a successful cut being made. Soon enough, she was through the bottom half of one of the bars.

“Yes!” She cheered before doubling her efforts at the top of the bar. She would have to cut out at least two or three bars before she could squeeze through. She only hoped that in that time Raincloud wouldn’t catch up to Pinkie.
.
..
…
“AHH!”

“Stop running!”

Pinkie bolted through the twisting corridor as fast as she could. She could hear the pegasus’ hoofbeats echoing behind her, and they sounded close.

Maybe Raincloud was being honest about not wanting to hurt her? She did seem hesitant about it. Either way, Pinkie wasn't going to let her have the remote. Who was to say that she wouldn’t hurt someone else if she got free with her powers?

With her lungs burning and her stamina running out, she needed options and fast. Raincloud was too fast to lose, and even if she wasn't, there weren’t any branching paths that she could see.

“Raincloud, please stop!” She cried. “You don’t have to be bad anymore! You can-” Then, before she could finish, she felt an equine shape crashing into her and tackling her through a doorway and into the room ahead.

Pinkie yelped before having the wind knocked out of her as she hit the floor. She looked up, only to see the pegasus on top of her.

Raincloud wasted no time in shoving a hoof into the mare’s front pocket. Her annoyed glare intensified as a pink hoof grabbed her wrist. She tried to grab with her other hoof, but Pinkie matched her movement. Now they were grasping each other wildly and struggling against each other.

“Just give it up!” Raincloud shouted.

Pinkie whined and tried her best to wriggle out from under the pegasus, but there was no way she could escape. No nice way, at any rate. Deciding to take matters into her own teeth, she pulled the gray mare’s hoof close and bit into her foreleg.

“OW!” Raincloud yelped.

Using the momentary distraction to her advantage, Pinkie kicked a hind leg into the pegasus’ gut before scrambling to her hooves and pulling away. However, Raincloud immediately growled under her breath and followed after.

“Leave me alone!” Pinkie pleaded as she made her way through the open room she now found herself in. If she weren’t occupied with being a terrified mess, she might have noticed the slight sloshing in front of her. She also might have noticed the sheer drop-off into a canal of blood-red liquid a few feet down.

As she realized that she had run out of ground, Pinkie gasped and skidded to a halt. She peered down into the canal dividing the room in half. It didn’t look like there were any stairs immediately visible leading down.

Turning around, she was immediately met with a hoof grabbing her by the front of her vest, along with a very agitated-looking Raincloud.

“You’re really starting to piss me off!” The pegasus said as she tried to forcibly take the remote.

Pinkie got into a miniature wrestling match with the gray mare as she stood on hind legs and tried to fight back. “Get off me!”

However, before she could try and think of some clever way out of this confrontation, she suddenly found herself being shoved backward. A gray hoof was reaching into her pocket, and a familiar remote pulled free just as she lost her connection with solid ground.

Raincloud cringed a bit as she watched the flailing mare smack into knee-high liquid with an alarmed scream. She could tell it must have hurt, as it took Pinkie a minute to breach the surface again in a dazed and sore mess.

Pinkie sputtered the foul-tasting liquid out of her mouth as she pushed herself up with a groan. She nearly stumbled, but she managed to work herself to all fours and look up to see the gray mare staring down at her. “Raincloud!”

Raincloud shook her head sympathetically. “Sorry, puffball. It’s nothing personal… this jailbird just needs to be free.” She tossed the remote up and caught it again in her hoof before turning around.

She made it one step before catching a cyan hoof straight to the jaw.

Falling to the rough stone beneath her, the remote sliding out of her grip and off to the side, Raincloud brought a hoof to her now throbbing muzzle and looked up.

Standing there, an intense scowl plastered on her face, was Rainbow Dash.

Raincloud looked off to the side, spotting the remote lying near the edge of the canal, before turning back and locking eyes with the cyan mare. Both of them sprang into action at the same time, but Rainbow was faster.

Rainbow Dash rushed over to the remote and scooped it up. Raincloud was prepared to pounce on her when a metallic twang rang out as she spun around with a silver dagger in her other hoof.

“Woah…” Raincloud backed up, holding a hoof up in a disarming manner.

Rainbow Dash panted, still a bit out of breath from running to catch up with the pair. She looked off to the side and down into the canal, where Pinkie Pie was still standing in a veritable river of what could only be blood.

“You ok, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked.

Pinkie waved a bit, sending droplets of crimson flying off and back into the crimson pool. “I’m alright… Just a little bruised… and icky.”

Seeing her friend in such a pitiful condition made Rainbow tense her jaw angrily. She looked back to Raincloud, who took a step back nervously.

The gray mare softened her eyes as she waited for whatever was about to happen. She half expected Rainbow to lash out at her with the dagger, not that she could really blame her.

Rainbow looked between her dagger and the gray mare, her eyes growing harsher, but also more hurt. Finally, she shoved her weapon back into its sheath with an angry huff. “Dangit, Raincloud!”

Raincloud stiffened her posture and wrinkled her mouth as the cyan mare stuffed the remote into a pocket. “Oh, come on! What did you expect me to do? I couldn’t just stay here with you guys and get myself killed by some snaggletoothed freak.”

“I can’t believe it.” Rainbow Dash said as she stomped over to Raincloud. “I can’t believe… that I actually thought you would try and be better!”

Raincloud shrank back slightly at this. Rainbow’s voice was harsh and angry to be sure, but it sounded betrayed and upset more than anything. “I don’t care what you believed…” She said, though her voice was quiet and her eyes wavered a bit. “I never asked to be your charity case, so don’t you dare look at me like you’re disappointed!”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything for the longest time. She just stared at the gray mare with soft eyes as all the tension gradually left her body.

“Fine.” She said finally.

Raincloud blinked, her glare falling into a surprised stare. “F… fine?”

Rainbow Dash let her shoulders sink and lowered her head before looking back up to the pegasus. “If you want to live your life being selfish and pushing everyone away… I won’t stop you. I’m done trying.” She said, voice holding no emotion other than a hint of resignation. “Once we get topside… assuming we can even leave, you’re free to go wait outside with the guards.”

“Just like that…?” Raincloud asked, unsure of how to react.

Rainbow nodded. “Just like that.”

A well of churning emotions bubbled up inside of Raincloud, but she wasn't sure what any of them were. She wasn't even sure how to feel as she stood there silently.

Seeing the gray mare at a loss for words, Rainbow Dash shifted her attention elsewhere. “In the meantime, I think the least you could do is help Pinkie get out of this-” She paused abruptly as she turned, only to see the canal devoid of any ponies, pink or otherwise.

“Pinkie Pie…?” Rainbow walked up to the edge and panned her head around. There was only one exit to the canal, consisting of a more enclosed tunnel further down, but there should have been no reason for the pink mare to move.

“Uh… where’d she go?” Raincloud asked, loosely following behind the cyan pony.

Rainbow Dash spread her wings and hovered down, keeping just above the crimson fluid as she scanned the area. A nauseous pit was forming in her gut as she found no traces of the party pony.

“Oh, hardy har… very funny, Pinks. The joke’s over now, so get out here.” She smiled, half expecting her friend to appear out of nowhere as she usually did. However, her smile wavered as nothing but the faint sound of moving liquid greeted her.

“Pinkie…?” Rainbow called, hovering closer to the mouth of the tunnel. She cupped her hooves over her mouth and raised her voice. “Pinkie?!”

The sound echoed slightly, but no matter how hard she wished for a reply, there was no sign of her pink friend anywhere.

Chapter 56: Knights and Nightmares

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut as Celestia, Luna, and Blue Bolt steadily walked through the castle halls.

Both Celestia and her sister had been through conflict before. Their lives had been put in danger more times than they could count, and they had seen many a terrible foe bested underhoof. However, being careless was a luxury that even they could not afford.

Some would call it being wise, they called it staying alive, which was something they very much wanted to keep doing if everything went as planned.

They kept their eyes shifting about, scanning the area with all the diligence of a soldier checking a perimeter. It was a sobering sight to see two of the most powerful beings in all of Equestrian history acting with such tense unease, but then again, their foe this time was also one of the most powerful beings in perhaps all of history.

Their young companion, to his credit, was also holding a serious air about himself as they walked. He came prepared to do whatever it took to protect his friends, and he would reunite with them if he had to tear down every brick in the castle.

Of course, that would take longer than he cared to calculate, so aptly hoofing it was their go-to option.

Luna trailed her eyes to their rear, not making a show by turning her head. Nothing but tapestries and empty suits of armor were there, as they had been for most of their journey. She wrinkled her lips and turned to Celestia with an uneasy glint in her eyes.

“Sister, do you feel as if we are being watched?” She asked.

Celestia kept her troubled gaze ahead. “I have felt that way since we broke off from the others.”

Luna turned to the stallion beside them. “Blue Bolt… have there been any changes since last you used your senses?”

Although he already suspected the result, Blue inhaled and then exhaled slowly. He could feel a fair bit of energy in the area around them, but once again, none of it felt like it belonged to anything sentient.

“Nope.” He reported, sounding just as monotone as a certain apple farmer, only his flat tone was caused by discontent.

“I’m afraid that we won’t be able to detect Dusk unless he wants us to,” Celestia said.

Luna sighed tensely, “I hate being at such a vast disadvantage.” She said, eyeing over to the bag strung around her hips that was carrying the elements of harmony.

The all-important and admittedly eye-pleasing paperweights only served to remind her of the others, and how them being separated served as such a crippling blow. Without Twilight and the others, even if they did find Dusk, the elements were useless.

“All we can do for now is attempt to find the others… and perhaps find the source of this labyrinth,” Celestia said, casting a tired glance at their surroundings. Much of what they were seeing was probably original to the castle in one way or another, but there was only so much medieval decor one could go through before they started seeing repeats.

“Aren’t you worried that that Dusk guy might try to escape?” Blue Bolt asked.

Celestia almost envied the stallion’s concern. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, someone else beat her to it.

“Escape?” A voice came from down the hall. “Why would I go through all this trouble just to run away when it’s getting good?”

All three of them immediately froze and darted their eyes ahead. Sure enough, emerging from around a corner at the end of the corridor, red eyes softly illuminating the shadows cast onto his face by the nearby torches, was the new prince of Castle Bloodwing.

“You...” Celestia growled under her breath as she lowered her stance. She lit her horn threateningly, with Luna following suit beside her and Blue Bolt summoning his blades as they all squared off against the pale alicorn.

As he usually was whenever they faced him, Dusk didn’t seem particularly bothered by their display of aggression. “What’s the matter, Princess? You seem to have lost your companions.” He curled his lips up into a self-amused smile before resting a hoof to his chest. “Worry not… I am a hospitable host. I will see to it that each and every one of them feels at home.”

While Luna grit her teeth, and Blue Bolt tensed his hooves, Celestia managed to keep her cool and only narrowed her eyes.

“If you are trying to scare me, Dusk, it will not work. I know my student and her friends, and I know they are stronger than you think.” She said.

Dusk hummed curiously. “Perhaps… At any rate, I suspect at least one of them will meet an unfortunate end within the hour. I look forward to seeing the look on your face when you stumble across their mangled corpse… especially if it’s that precious student of yours.”

This seemed to have the desired effect of getting to the white alicorn, as evidenced by her already tense expression souring even more and her horn glowing more intensely.

Despite the death glare being sent his way by the two alicorn sisters, Dusk shifted his attention over to the blue pegasus stallion beside them. “Ah… Mr. Bolt. I had hoped you could join us this fine night. I have not forgotten our last encounter, you know.” He narrowed his eyes.

Blue Bolt stood up tall and thrust a hoof toward the pale alicorn, the ornate blade around his wrist gleaming in the torchlight. “Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting to pound your prissy face into pudding since I first met you. There’s no way I would miss out.”

Dusk growled a bit at this, the sound bordering along the line of going feral. “You should learn to address royalty with respect.”

“That is a poor joke, Dusk.” Luna chimed in. “You may force your slaves to refer to you as prince, but you are as far from royalty as it gets.”

The red glow in the pale stallion’s eyes intensified with his glare. He clenched his jaw, his whole form practically shaking and two streams of blood snaking out of his wrists. “I will live to see your bones turn to dust, Luna.”

Seeing murder in Dusk’s eyes, Celestia stepped forward slightly, shifting his focus to her and away from her sister. “Have you forgotten why we’re here? Your quarrel is with me, not her.”

“Sister…” Luna cast a worried glance at the older alicorn. She was expecting the stallion to just lash out at whoever was the current target of his ire.

After a moment, Dusk released some of the tension in his body. The crimson streams paused and actually started receding as he took a steady breath. “Worry not, my dear mentor. I will have plenty of time to spend with you before the night is over… But, I’m getting ahead of myself.” He ran a hoof through his mane and sighed.

Blue Bolt took a step forward and readied himself. The two sisters looked to him with unease clear in their faces. He looked like he was prepared to charge straight into a fight so they wouldn’t have to face the alicorn themselves.

“Easy, Blue Bolt,” Luna said softly, resting a hoof on his shoulder and pressing him back just enough to get her message across.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t,” Blue stated, not taking his eyes off the alicorn.

Sensing the hostility radiating off the pegasus, Dusk chuckled giddily. “Impatient are we? Good. I like to see that fire in your eyes… especially after the last slayer I fought left me so wanting. But, such was to be expected after all. He wasn't even a pony.”

However, instead of Blue Bolt being angered by this, it seemed as though Celestia and Luna were the most upset. The white alicorn’s expression soured, while Luna grit her teeth and growled.

“Do not speak of Tom in such a manner!” Luna barked.

“Upset, Princess?” Dusk smirked before flattening his expression. “You should be. After all, you were the ones that sent a mere boy to be slaughtered by me. Although… I suppose it was really Twilight Sparkle and her friends’ faults. I gave them an ultimatum, and instead of standing bravely with their ‘friend’ and dying honorably, they chose to flee and leave him as their scapegoat.”

Hearing this, Luna felt her blood begin to boil. As she thought back to the sheer heartbreak, the soul-shattering sadness that clung to the purple mare’s face after they returned, she clenched her teeth and started to see red as she glared at the pale stallion.

Celestia also felt angrier than she had been in a long time, even if she wasn't showing it as outwardly as her sister was. “Enough words, Dusk. We came here to end this, not to listen to your serpent tongue.” She charged up a spell, ready to begin what she knew would be their final battle one way or another.

She let her horn dim and looked on in stunned confusion as Dusk turned and started to walk away.

“Where are you going?!” Celestia shouted, causing him to pause.

“You may have come here to end this, Princess, but I will not have you ruining my fun prematurely. I have much planned for tonight, so as much as I’d like to entertain your feeble attempts at retaliation, I must bid you farewell for now.” Dusk remarked.

Seeing the pale alicorn about to leave after all that, Luna charged her own spell and leaped forward. “You will not get away this time, Dusk!”

Just then, however, Blue Bolt lurched forward as all the air exited his lungs alongside a puff of mist. He widened his eyes at the sensation he felt, darting his gaze up to the wall beside Luna before rushing after her.

“Princess, look out!”

Celestia barely had a moment to react, as did Luna, as a sound like roiling flame faintly emanated out of sight. Just as Blue Bolt got to the blue alicorn’s side and tried to push her out of the way, an explosion of light and fury engulfed the hallway as something blew through the stone wall like it was nothing.

After the smoke and debris settled, Celestia unshielded her face and looked ahead with alarm in her eyes as she saw a gaping hole in the other wall, right across from where the two had been standing moments before.

“Luna! Blue Bolt!” Celestia called after them. A metallic creak drew her attention to the site of the initial explosion, only for her to shrink back.

Through the hole opened up into another room, an equine figure could be seen, at least it resembled an equine at first glance.

As it shambled forward, creating metallic clanks with each movement, she could see glowing red dots staring at her, and what appeared to be thick black smoke billowing out of its form. It walked into the nearby torchlight, allowing her a clearer view of it. The alicorn almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

A suit of armor, not too dissimilar from the ones the trio had been passing in the hall, was standing upright of its own accord. Smoke cascaded out of its every joint and opening, even its four sharp digits and armored beak. And as it turned to Celestia and opened its beak with a rusty-sounding grate, a low, airy growl came out and flame gathered within.

“What in the name of...?” Celestia pushed herself back on her hooves, creating some minute distance from the menacing specter.

Dusk gave an amused snort at her reaction. “You like it? I must say, it isn’t what I originally had in mind to use on you, but I was a touch short on time to be fiddling around with summoning rituals and the like… You understand I’m sure. Luckily, this castle has an overabundance of lost souls that can be repurposed into all sorts of fun creatures.”

“Using more tortured souls for your own betterment…” Celestia creased her eyes, though she kept her focus mostly on the newly arrived creature as it slowly approached. “Why am I not surprised, Dusk?”

“You know me so well.” Dusk grinned. A hollow groan drew his attention over to the living suit of armor briefly before he turned to the side and actually started walking away. “So sorry, Celestia. As much as I would love to stay and watch your performance, I have other things to attend to. Do try not to tire yourself out too much.” He said, an impish tone to his voice as he gave her one last look before rounding the corner.

Celestia produced a throaty growl as she watched the pale alicorn leave. She contemplated following after him, but a swinging iron gauntlet dissuaded her and made her back up a step as the knight stood in her way.

Meanwhile, Luna grunted softly as she lifted her aching head. Her whole body was throbbing, and she faintly smelled of smoke and brimstone.

Her strained vision clarified and she jolted at the sight of a snarling maw of teeth, only for her to realize it to be a taxidermied bear. She had landed in a den of sorts when she and the stallion were sent through the wall, as evidenced by the hunting trophies along the fireplace and outer rim of the room.

As her thoughts shifted to the stallion, her eyes snapped open all the way and she lifted up. Immediately, she found him lying on his side next to her, a scorch mark and a slight hole punched into his ribs.

“Blue Bolt!” She rushed her hooves to his side, framing the wound. It looked like it should have been bleeding, but it was most likely cauterized by the fiery blast.

Blue groaned and coughed as he started to stir, doubtlessly feeling the pain from his burns and brief mingling with solid stone and wood.

“I’m… ngh… I’m ok…” He started to get up before cringing and holding his side as his healing powers kicked in. As counterintuitive as healing burns with fire seemed, everything except for the scorch marks vanished with little trouble.

Luna softened her eyes as she saw him coping with his injury. She couldn’t believe he jumped in front of her like that. Then again, if she had been hit by the blast instead, the damage would have been far longer lasting.

However, before she could even say a passing thank you, the loud crumbling of stone stirred both of them into looking up at a cloud of powder and debris being flung loose as Celestia narrowly dodged a strike from the armor’s clawed gauntlet.

Celestia jumped backward into the room as the knight stood on its hinds and slammed down with both fists where she just was, pulverizing a small chunk of the floor. She might have been larger and taller than its griffon form, but it packed enough power to keep even her wary.

Taking a darting glance back to her companions, her features softened with relief as she saw they were relatively unharmed. She teleported over to them and gave them a concerned look before settling her attention on the specter ahead. “Can you both fight?”

Luna stood up and lowered herself into a fighting stance, as did the pegasus. “I don’t think we have much of a choice in the matter.” She grit her teeth before charging up her horn and letting loose a powerful bolt of energy.

The beam of light zipped toward the suit of armor and impacted right in its chestplate before it bounced uselessly off, impacting the ceiling and punching a small hole through it.

Seeing the creature standing unfazed, Luna’s eyes flashed with unease. She hadn’t expected the attack to do much, but she was hoping to see some damage.

“That’s not good…” Blue Bolt noted, a bit disheartened as he briefly let his stance falter to stare at the knight in shock.

“No…” Celestia grit her teeth as the possessed armor opened its maw again and roared, fire gathering once more in its smoking abyss and its red eyes staring unblinkingly at the trio.

“No, it is not.”

Meanwhile, Twilight’s group was making their way through the second floor, blissfully unaware of the hardships their friends were going through. As worried as they were for the others, they had a job to do, and they were getting close.

Glitterball led the group, using her locator’s brightly glowing tip to navigate toward what they could only hope was Cadence and the three fillies.

Still, even with this beacon, it was hard to find the right path. The lavish rooms and carpeted corridors around them almost seemed to purposefully twist and bend to thwart their attempts at getting any closer to the reading.

Then there were still possible traps and other dangers to consider. Other than the close call before with Rarity, they hadn’t run into any further complications, and that was more worrisome than comforting. There was supposedly an unknown number of vampires still lurking around somewhere, and whatever other monstrous minions Dusk’s twisted imagination could cook up.

Shining glanced up at the vial Glitter was holding in between his borderline paranoid scanning of the area. The red light was tantalizing as a sign that they were about to find his beloved wife and the missing crusaders, but without the training to use it properly, he could only guess at how close it was saying they were.

“How far do you think it is?” Shining asked, trying not to let his feverish nerves make him come off as rude.

Glitter glanced back at the stallion and the two mares. They were understandably anxious, and she couldn’t blame them for wanting constant updates. “It’s hard to say…” She sighed as she returned her gaze to the charm floating from a cord in front of her. “I think we’re almost there, though.”

While Shining was at least somewhat comforted by her answer, Twilight in particular still seemed uneasy about something.

Rarity recognized when her friends were troubled by something. They each had their own tells, and the purple mare staring at the floor with pensive, soft eyes was a dead giveaway. “Is something wrong, Twilight?”

Looking up to see the others turning her way, Twilight exhaled tensely. “No, it’s nothing.”

“Well, if it’s nothing, you shouldn’t feel bad for telling us.” Shining Armor added.

Twilight mulled over her thoughts for another moment before letting her ears droop and looking up. “Well… I was just thinking about what Dusk has guarding Cadence and the girls.”

The thought made the others give pause as they too considered what surprise the alicorn had waiting for them. As if coming to the castle and fighting him wasn't bad enough.

Rarity made an attempt at lightening her troubled expression. “Are you certain he will have something guarding them? I don’t think he knows we can track them… Maybe he is relying on this maze of his to stop us?”

“Trust me,” Twilight said, “I know from experience that he doesn’t leave his prisoners unattended… especially not important ones.”

“Don’t worry. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it. We always do.” Shining assured, though Twilight couldn’t tell who he was trying to comfort.

As they walked, the red sand inside Glitter’s and even Twilight’s charms gradually grew in size and vibrance, until it was taking up all but a small unlit portion near the base.

Then, Glitter stopped walking as they passed a door that was slightly ajar. The light shifted ever so slightly to the right, only to go back as she turned and faced the room before them. Her mouth split into a slowly building smile.

“I think we’re here.” She explained, giving the door a careful push and peering inside.

It was a cozy-looking bedroom, with a circular yellow patterned throw rug sitting before a canopy bed. A bookcase stood at the back wall, with a fireplace off to the far right and a variety of knick-knacks and decorations sprinkled throughout.

Strangely, however, there was no sign of anycreature anywhere, let alone Cadence and the others.

The accomplished smile Glitterball had gradually fell into perplexion and slight worry as she led her understandably confused group into the room.

“Uh… Glitter, are you sure you’re not off by a room or two?” Rarity asked, giving a cursory look around their admittedly lavish surroundings. The bed alone was enough to trigger a few fantasies, but then again, she was a little sleep-deprived.

Twilight wrinkled her brows as she turned back toward the hallway. “I don’t think we came across any paths that would take us further in that direction.” She noted. Judging from the latticed window by the bed, they were along the edge of the building, at least if the moonlight streaming in was an accurate glimpse of the outside world.

Undeterred, Glitter stood in front of the bookcase, her locator hanging in her magical grasp as she stared ahead absentmindedly. “Even before Dusk triggered whatever spell is changing this place, it had secret rooms and hidden passages.” She noted, standing on her hinds and beginning to examine the shelf closely. A tickle at her ankle made her pause.

Shining and the others watched as the unicorn got down and knelt to the floor, examining the seam under the shelf curiously. “You think this shelf moves or something?” He asked.

“I know it does… There’s a draft here.” Glitter stated as she held a hoof close to the seam. “Start looking for a switch. The last one we found was a false torch, so it could be anything.” She hurried to her hooves and immediately began pulling books.

The others shared a brief look with each other before shifting their eyes to the room around them and getting to work turning it over.

Shining helped Glitter with testing the books on the shelf and looking for hidden buttons on the shelf itself.

Rarity rotated a globe in its stand, briefly noting the severely outdated map of the world on its face. Nothing happened, eliciting her to move on.

Twilight padded over to the fireplace. It was impressive-looking, to say the least, but the images of bat-like creatures with gaping maws and sharp claws carved into the sides were a touch disquieting.

She briefly fiddled with some of the objects on the mantle. A small bust of a griffon, an ornate chest, a stack of paper. None of which turned out to hold any secrets. Then, however, she peered closer at the two carved sides of the fireplace. There was space enough in the creatures’ mouths to fit a hoof, or a hand, depending on if this room was even really part of the castle originally.

Not wanting to actually stick her hoof in there, she lit her horn and felt around the inner recess with her magical aura. Much to her surprise, one of the stoney fangs tilted inward, and there was a sharp click.

Shining and Glitterball backed up as the bookshelf abruptly started moving. It slid to the side with a wooden rumble, revealing a dark opening into a small antechamber, with an even darker doorway at the end.

“Open sesame,” Twilight remarked as she and Rarity joined the pair near the newly revealed doorway.

“Nice job, Twilight.” Glitter smiled.

Meanwhile, the excitement quickly faded from Rarity’s face as she peered into the tunnel before them. “Ulgh… Why can’t these secret passages ever lead somewhere pleasant? Like a reading nook… or a spa… or literally anywhere else?”

“Welcome to my world,” Glitterball said flatly.

Taking a moment to pull out his dagger and cast some light into the darkened space, Shining Armor turned to the three mares with a serious expression. “Stay on your tips, everypony.”

Any leftover eagerness left as Twilight and the others shifted gears back into caution mode. Still, behind all the trepidation and unease, their determination to save their friends acted as a steady rock for them to cling to as they slowly walked into the tunnel.

The small space made their hoofsteps echo. They kept their eyes to the next opening ahead, which seemed to lead into a larger space than even the bedroom behind them. Any semblance of decor was gone, replaced with stark stone and cobwebs.

Almost immediately, they could see a faint light coming from up ahead. It was tinted blue, and it had the same familiar vibrance and glimmer at the edges as they were used to from their own light spells.

As they neared the opening, they could hear faint voices as well, which was enough for Shining to pick up the pace slightly until he emerged into the next room.

The instant he set hoof outside of the tunnel, a stone sank underneath him, causing another rumble as the bookshelf far behind them slid back into place. However, the group only paid a passing glance to this, as what was waiting in the room for them held their attention.

Standing in the middle of the large, almost cavernous room, was a pink alicorn and a group of three fillies. They were spaced out and seemingly standing on a raised platform surrounded by tall statues, though most of them were outside of the light Cadence was casting.

“Girls!” Shining beamed happily as he finally laid eyes on his wife and the missing fillies. Thankfully, they seemed to be unharmed, but they didn’t move to greet them.

“Shining? Twilight?” Cadence took a careful step forward before pausing, her mouth falling agape into a relieved grin.

Scootaloo sighed with relief as well. “Thank the Princess you’re here.”

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle immediately perked up from her position near the front of the platform.

Seeing her sister there before her, Rarity gave an elated gasp and rushed forward. “Sweetie!”

Suddenly, Cadence held out a hoof frantically. “Wait! Don’t come up here!” She instructed, causing the whole group to stop their eager approach.

“Cadence… what’s wrong?” Twilight asked, taking a closer look at the strange platform and the statues surrounding the alicorn and the fillies.

Around that time, blue light sprang to life as torches along the walls lit up with unnatural flame. Four short stone pillars at the corners of the platform also sprouted blue fire from recessed tops, offering decently eerie lighting of the whole area and finally revealing what the four were standing on.

It was a large, flat marble surface with a black and white tile pattern. The many statues around them were also made of varyingly colored marble, and they all had different designs that looked strikingly familiar to even the most passive observer.

Cadence and the three fillies were standing on an oversized chessboard.

“What in the name of…” Glitterball muttered as she stared ahead, mouth agape in shock. She couldn’t fathom what purpose the strange feature held, but it couldn’t have been good.

“Cadence, do you know what all of this is for?” Shining asked as he carefully approached the edge of the platform, taking care not to actually step up and onto it. As much as he wanted to rush up and embrace his wife, her warning and the fact that none of them had moved from their respective squares was more than a little worrying.

“It’s a trap.” Cadence explained, though she knew it was fairly obvious by now. “Dusk cast some kind of spell using this board. We can’t leave until we finish the game.”

“Finish the game?” Twilight parroted as she looked to the board. It didn’t look like the start of a game of chess.

There weren’t enough pieces on either side, and they were scattered around at seemingly random, though something told her that their placements were important.

There was also a message written in blood near the edge of the board in bold letters. It simply read ‘How many pawns will you lose?’

“Ok…” Shining huffed and ran a hoof through his mane, letting it linger as he thought about what to do. “That sounds simple enough. We just have to play it out, right?”

Cadence didn’t look confident in that. “I’m afraid that it’s a bit more complicated than that.” She explained, reaching down and picking up a small object she had at her hooves. It was a chess piece. A queen to be precise. And as they looked at the three fillies, they realized that they each had a different one as well. Sweetie Belle seemed to be holding a knight, Apple Bloom held a rook, and Scootaloo held a bishop.

“What are those for?” Rarity asked.

Glitterball bit her lip, “Well… you know how in chess, you play by taking the opponent’s pieces?” She started, receiving understanding, if a little troubled, looks from her companions. “I think Dusk set this up so that,” She swallowed, “they are pieces.”

“Oh, gosh…” Twilight’s pupils shrank as she realized the full ramifications of the situation. She glanced down at the message on the floor, which now sent a shiver down her back as she understood what it meant.

Rarity was unsettled, but she still hadn’t grasped the full picture. “Umm… w-what would happen if… one of them was taken?”

“I don’t think we want to find out,” Shining said, already looking around for alternate solutions.

His eyes wandered around the room. Other than the torches and the chessboard itself, it was mostly empty space. Mostly. There was a set of stone steps recessed into the floor over to the side of the room, leading down to somewhere unknown.

“What’s down there?” Shining asked, hopeful that Cadence knew a bit more about the situation.

Cadence looked over to the stairs in question, which was a little difficult as her view was blocked by a piece. “I’m not sure, but I think that’s where Dusk went to work on the spell. He kept bringing ingredients down there, and I could see a bright light.”

While Rarity stayed behind to keep an eye on Cadence and the fillies, Twilight, Shining, and Glitterball trotted over to the stairs and headed down.

They came out a few steps down into a markedly smaller space with a short ceiling, and almost immediately, they could see a tint of red light ahead of them that made them widen their eyes as they turned.

A colossal magical symbol was drawn on what must have been the underside of the chessboard. It was bewildering to look at with its many complex lines, patterns, and glyphs. It pulsed softly with light and made a barely audible hum.

“Oh…” Glitterball’s jaw dropped.

“My…” Twilight shrank back.

“Gosh…” Shining felt his heart sink along with his shoulders. He couldn’t believe that his wife and three innocent fillies were standing on top of that.

As hesitant as she was, Glitterball stepped over to stand underneath part of the symbol and stared up at it, trying to piece together what it did.

“Glitter, is there any way you can disable this thing?” Shining asked.

Thinking back to the last symbol she messed with, Glitter felt a wash of dread as her lips trembled. Still, she had to keep steady. Her friends needed her. “I… I-I can try, but first I would need to get a better understanding of it.”

Just then, a noise came from upstairs, causing them to prick their ears.

Glitter turned to them urgently. “Go! I’ll see what I can do down here!”

Needing no further confirmation, Twilight and Shining rushed back up the steps and into the larger room.

Immediately, they could see Rarity and even Cadence and the fillies staring ahead as one of the black pieces, a bishop, slid across the board with a low grating noise that filled the room and gave a slight vibration in their hooves.

“What’s happening?! We didn’t do anything!” Twilight asked. Usually, white moved first in chess, but apparently, Dusk wasn't playing fair.

Rarity turned to them with a worried look in her eyes. “I don’t know! It just started moving on its own!”

Apple Bloom cringed nervously as the bishop approached her, or more accurately, the white pawn nearby. “Guys… w-what’s it doing?” She whined softly and shrank back, making sure to stay in the confines of her tile.

“Stay still, Apple Bloom. I don’t think it will hurt you.” Cadence said, though she wore a worried frown nevertheless.

Regardless of whether or not she was prepared for it, Apple Bloom watched the oversized piece approach. It stopped just before the white pawn, and there was a moment of troubled silence.

Then, a bright light flashed on the tile under the pawn before it shattered from the bottom up, creating a shower of marble flecks and a loud rumble.

"AHH!" The yellow filly squealed and jumped at the sudden sight and noise so close to her.

"A.B!" Scootaloo widened her eyes. Thankfully, the young farmer seemed to be unharmed despite the violent reaction.

After a moment, the bishop moved into place where the pawn just was before coming to a stop.

"Ok…" Twilight let out a stressed exhale, her form starting to get a bit jittery. "So that’s what happens… heh." A nervous smile twitched into place.

Another sound of shifting stone came as an hourglass at the back of the room turned itself over, allowing the sand within to slowly pour down.

Shining looked up with mild alarm at this. "Uh… what’s that for?!"

"I think it's our turn." Twilight reasoned, watching the hourglass for a moment before holding a hoof to her ear. "Princess… we’ve found Cadence and the girls, but we've got a big problem."

The seconds ticked by, now accentuated by flowing sand, but still, no response came.

Twilight skewed her expression and trailed her eyes to the side. "Princess…? Hello?" She asked, only to have a similar result. Desperate, she shifted her focus to everyone hooked up to the spell. "Can anypony hear me?!"

Once again, nothing but silence.

"This isn’t good." Rarity fretted. "The door shut behind us when we came in! Are we cut off from communicating with everyone now too?!"

"What’s going on up there?" Glitterball’s voice came from the opening to the stairs.

Shining Armor trotted over and peered downstairs. He could barely spot the white mare still at her position under the symbol.

"We can’t reach the others, and the game just started. It looks like we're on a time limit." He explained, glancing back up before turning to her with an anxious expression. "Any progress down here?"

Glitter darted her eyes between the stallion and the symbol. She struggled to get her words out. "I-I'm trying. I can’t go any faster without risking something going wrong. I'm sorry."

"Hey… take it easy," Shining said, forcing a calmer look to his face despite his own nerves. "It's just chess, right? Twilight can handle this. Just hurry every chance you get."

"Right…" Glitter took a moment to center herself before nodding and getting back to her monumental task.

Shining quickly trotted back over to the chessboard, where Rarity and the others were watching tensely while Twilight darted her eyes along the pieces and the hourglass. "Twilight, please tell me you can handle this?" He asked.

"Umm…" Twilight softened her eyes with worry. "I… I don't…"

"Can't we just get them off there somehow?" Rarity asked, somewhat desperately.

Cadence merely shook her head somberly. "Dusk made it very clear that if we make an unfair move or try to leave, we die."

"Uh, guys… I don’t want to sound like I'm panicking or anything," Scootaloo piped up, looking very much panicked as she pointed to the back wall, "but we're running out of time!"

The others all looked back to the hourglass. Judging by how much sand was left and how fast it was falling, they had about a minute left to take their turn. At least they hoped it was only to take their turn. If they were meant to finish the game in that time, they were doomed.

"Twilight, you're the best chess player I know. I'm afraid that the only way out for us is to play." Cadence said.

Twilight steeled herself and hyped herself up. "Ok… ok. I can do this. I just need to find the right move to make. It's just chess, right?"

"Umm… Twilight," Sweetie Belle said hesitantly, "isn't that pointy-looking one over there about to take me?"

Twilight looked to the piece in question. Much to her surprise, she realized the filly was right. “That’s right. Good catch, Sweetie Belle… I didn’t think you knew about chess.”

“I played a few games with our dad,” Sweetie said, looking up to Rarity, who smiled fondly at the memory, “but I’m not that good. He always beats me.” She let her ears droop a bit.

“Well, don’t worry. I’m going to get all of you out of here so you can beat him one day.” Twilight assured before darting her eyes to the hourglass. The clock was running down, and she had to think fast.

Strategy could come later. All she cared about right now was making sure nothing threatened Cadence or one of the fillies. If she was to think of this as a game of chess, even if it was the strangest and tensest game she would ever play, then the pieces the four were holding must have represented what they were.

“Sweetie, try moving there.” Twilight pointed to a tile two down and one left from where the filly currently was.

Following the purple mare’s hoof and looking down to the piece she held, Sweetie quickly caught on. She walked to the edge of her tile and hesitated.

“Go on, Sweetie. It should be fine.” Cadence said, flashing a reassuring smile to the young unicorn.

“I hope you’re right.” Sweetie Belle cringed briefly and stuck her hoof out. Much to her surprise and relief, nothing bad happened. She opened her eyes and let out a relieved sigh before slowly making her way to the designated tile.

Once the filly stopped in the center of the tile, the sand in the hourglass somehow stopped flowing. Then, like watching a movie in reverse, it quickly flowed back up into the top half before flipping over again and falling still.

Everyone felt some stress vanish after that. Still, they weren’t out of the woods.

Across the board, a black rook started sliding down. It paused before a white bishop between Scootaloo and Cadence, triggering the bishop to explode before it slid into place. Twilight growled silently, though she would rather lose an inanimate object meant to help her win rather than lose one of her friends.

Strangely, the hourglass didn’t flip over again. Perhaps it was only there to keep them from spending too long trying to circumvent the game, wait for help, or plan out their moves. Either way, they still weren’t about to test how long they had before it came into play again.

“That’s a good start.” Rarity noted.

Shining Armor wrinkled his expression. “Not really… We’re at a severe disadvantage right from the get-go.” He said. While his sister was far better than him at chess, even he could tell that the odds were stacked against them. For starters, they hadn’t started their pieces in the proper positions, so protecting Cadence and the others would be harder. Not only that, but they had fewer pieces than the black team.

It seemed like this was designed to be a death trap for the white team, an observation that was chillingly accurate, given that some of their pieces were living beings.

Twilight looked down at the message on the floor. She could almost picture Dusk’s smug expression of sadistic enjoyment as he wrote it. He probably found the prospect of her friends dying by her mistakes hilarious.

But Dusk didn’t count on just how much she was willing to fight to protect her friends, no matter what form that took. No matter how nervous she was, she wasn't going to let any harm come to her foalsitter or the trio of fillies.

“Alright… let’s do this.” Twilight steadied herself and adopted a serious expression.

Chapter 57: Chilling Depths

The light dripping of liquid onto liquid filled the air along with a heavy copper scent, making Sparkplug and the two mares following her cringe with disgust.

They were walking through a room covered in puddles of blood, with two grated trenches to the sides flowing with the stuff. Judging from the occasional splashing and the dripping overhangs of stone near the trenches, the ponies figured that they were the source of all the crimson fluid spattered on the floor nearby.

It was morbid to say the least, even if they were fairly certain that it couldn’t have actually come from living beings. The dank tunnels and rooms they were passing through had been going through similar changes the deeper in they went, becoming more and more disjointed from the original architectural style of the castle.

At least there were some lit torches, making their flashlights a little less necessary.

“Ok…” Sparkplug huffed as she scanned her eyes around. “I’ve been to a few creepy places since I’ve joined the team, but this place is definitely staying on top for a while… I hope.”

“I think most places ‘round Equestria aren’t gonna be this bad… even the haunted ones.” Applejack said, briefly wincing and looking down as she felt a cold wetness under her hoof, only to realize she had stepped in a puddle.

Sparkplug snorted. “You’re telling me this place doesn’t look like it’s haunted?” She said before a soft whine behind her made her look back and frown. “Sorry, Fluttershy. I’m sure there’s no ghosts here.”

“W-would it be too much to ask for there to be nothing here?” Fluttershy asked. The two mares felt bad for her. She looked like she was having a hard time even pressing forward, not that they could blame her. They had the heebie-jeebies themselves.

More minutes passed by, along with more sewer-like rooms. They almost missed the empty and lonely halls of the castle dungeon they had left behind.

Applejack trailed her eyes around, even taking another paranoid glance behind them. They still felt like they were being watched, but all evidence pointed to them being alone. “Sparkplug… we’ve been walkin’ fer a while now. Are you sure you’re readin’ that thing right?”

Feeling the anxiousness in both her companions, Sparkplug looked back down to the vial in her hoof. It was her locator, and the red sand was pointing to a far-off reading.

“Sorry. This thing doesn’t account for walls. As long as we keep moving this way, we should run into whoever is over there… or a way upstairs. I’m fine with whichever comes--”

An out-of-place splash made the gray mare pause and flick her ear to meet it. It was quiet, but it didn’t sound like the near-constant sloshing that came from the various surrounding pools and streams of blood.

“-- first?” She muttered, spinning around and shining her flashlight ahead to get a better look at the area.

There was another opening at the side of the room. They had noticed it when walking in, but as they decided to ignore it, they hadn’t taken a good look with their flashlights. It led to a dark tunnel, with shallow blood gently lapping out of its mouth and feeding into a small pool of the stuff on the inclined floor.

“What is it?” Fluttershy quaked, peering out from behind her friends at the tunnel and expecting to see something horrible dart back into the shadows at the end.

“Uh… nothing, probably. I just thought I heard something.” Sparkplug said, taking a few steps closer and stopping just before the edge of the pool of blood. She examined the tunnel closely, watching and waiting to see if that sound came again.

It did. Apparently, the difference in the direction of flow meeting the pool was creating little sloshing sounds every now and again.

“Sorry… guess it was nothing after all.” Sparkplug sighed and let her shoulders sink.

Applejack frowned understandingly. “Nothin’ to worry about, sugar. This place is making all of us jumpier than a cat in a--” Suddenly, her eyes caught a hint of light. It was coming from another charm on the gray mare’s vest. One she recognized from their brief training and prior experiences with the team.

“Girls… your vests.” Fluttershy pointed out nervously. While Sparkplug looked down to her charm, Applejack looked down as well and noticed her own detector glowing.

Sparkplug grabbed the vial and brought it closer to her shrinking pupils. “That can’t be good.”

Then, before anyone could react further, Sparkplug felt something cold, wet, and sharp wrapping around her hind hoof and digging in before yanking her leg back violently. The gray mare yelped, falling back and smacking into the floor. Her hind legs breached the surface of the shallow pool, which was splashing violently.

Much to the horror of Applejack and Fluttershy, they could see what looked to be a bloody claw clenched around Sparkplug’s leg. And it was pulling her. Fast.

“Sparkplug!” They both yelled in unison.

As their friend screamed fearfully and flailed her forelegs to try and get a solid hold on the progressively shrinking section of dry stone she could reach, Applejack dove forward and grabbed both hooves before pulling back.

Fluttershy grabbed the back of AJ’s vest with her teeth and helped pull. With all of their efforts, they managed to pull Sparkplug free quickly, albeit painfully, and back onto relatively dry solid ground.

Sparkplug shared a look of shock with the pair for a brief second before turning and joining them in looking at the pool of blood.

The four bloody digits were still present, but they quickly receded into the shallow depth of the crimson tide. Then, a shape started to roil and shift at its surface. It rose up, and they expected it to breach the surface, but it never did. Rather, it was the surface. It looked like it was simply made of the crimson fluid.

As the ponies all backed up and got to their hooves, they stared in stunned shock as the mass of blood started to form into a lithe, almost equine shape. It started to make these noises. These gurgling, bubbling noises.

These noises, Fluttershy had heard before. Her eyes widened, and a look of horror slowly washed over her as her mind flashed back to yet another incident from her past that she wanted to forget.

“N-no…” She backed up, shaking her head in utter denial. “No, no, no! Not again!”

Applejack looked over, only to be taken aback by the genuine fear and terror in the pegasus’ trembling eyes. “What is it, Fluttershy?” She asked urgently, darting her head between her friend and the shape rising out of the pool and taking form.

Instead of replying, Fluttershy grabbed her friends by their shoulders and nudged them backward with her. “Run!”

With how frantic the pegasus was being, Applejack and Sparkplug decided that it was best to listen. They took off after the pegasus, but Sparkplug didn’t seem as fast as them as her throbbing hind leg forced her into a half limp.

Then, a muffled cry came from behind them, echoing off the sides of the chamber and making the hairs on their tails stand on end. It was a garbled sort of high-pitched shriek, almost like a drowning bird.

“Fluttershy, what was that thing?!” Sparkplug asked, doing everything she could to keep pace with the pair.

Fluttershy darted her eyes back to the sparsely lit darkness behind them, unable to make out the horrifying sight of what she knew must have been chasing them. She had hoped that she would never see it again. “It’s the same as one of the monsters that the hooded ponies summoned! The one from the school!”

Such information meant little to Sparkplug, and while Applejack might have remembered seeing an artistic depiction of the creature her friends had encountered, she didn’t get the chance to as something caught her attention.

“Ack!”

Sparkplug stumbled to the floor as she stepped on a grate wrong with her bad leg. Barely catching herself on her forehooves before hitting the ground, she pushed herself up and looked back to her ankle. It was hard to tell from the excess blood soaking her fur, but she could see three or four puncture wounds around the area where the creature grabbed her.

Hearing and seeing their friend falling, Applejack and Fluttershy stopped in their tracks.

“Come on, Sparkplug! This ain’t no place to lollygag around!” Applejack said, rushing to the gray mare’s side and helping her up.

Then, just as they were turning to sprint off again, another sound like flowing water came from behind. They all turned, only to spot a bloody claw shooting toward them. Applejack barely had time to flinch before she felt the back of her mane being grabbed and yanked.

The orange mare yelped in a mixture of fear and pain. She was pulled right off her hooves, landing on her back before she started sliding back down the corridor.

“Applejack!” Sparkplug gasped and shot forward, leaping to grab the farmer’s hind legs before she could pick up speed and she was pulled all the way over to whatever was on the other end of the claw. She managed to grab on with both forelegs, but it took her a moment to pull back enough to halt their momentum.

As another bubbling moan came from ahead, all three ponies looked up to see a shape attached to the stretchy claw of blood. And as it slowly shuffled out of the shadows, they could finally make out its features. They almost wished that they couldn’t.

Where before there had been a rising and shifting mass of blood, it seemed to have finished whatever transformation it had started before they ran.

It had formed thin forelimbs bedraggled with shades of darker, thicker blood and capped with clawed hands. Its body had filled out, seemingly resembling a wet, monochromatic visage of fur. Lumps of red fluid stuck to its sides, resembling a pair of what looked to be folded wings slightly different in shape to a pony’s.

A circular skull with tufts of feathers slicked down over dark, empty eye sockets rose up to meet the trio’s petrified stares. And as it opened its darker, slightly more solid-looking beak, it squawked hungrily, the sound fighting to claw out of its gloopy fluid-filled throat.

The griffin-esc creature was slowly moving closer to them while also pulling with its whip-like tendril of a forelimb. It appeared to have no lower half, instead only having a deformed blob of liquid and solid blood that tapered off in a puddle on the ground, which was locomoting forward in a similar unsettlingly awkward fashion to the monster Fluttershy remembered encountering months prior.

Hearing another garbled bleat and seeing the beast reel its other foreleg back, Fluttershy’s face paled. “Guys, look out!”

Sparkplug looked up just in time to see a set of claws whipping toward her in a vertical arc. She yelped and kicked off the ground with her hinds, rotating her body so that she was now on her back. The claw narrowly missed her and scraped along the floor, creating an ear grating sound as it reeled back toward its owner.

Applejack tried to use her hooves to get the bloody claw off of her head, but her hooves couldn’t gain solid contact with it. They just passed through what felt like cold, viscous water where her mane was, but the grip still persisted. In fact, now that Sparkplug wasn't pulling as much, they were going backward again as the monster reeled them in.

“Get this thing off me!” AJ pleaded, trying her best not to look up to see the grinning beak of the creature.

Fluttershy’s very being was shaking with fear, but she couldn’t let it prevent her from saving her friends. She rushed forward, bit down on the end of Sparkplug’s tail, and pulled with all she was worth.

The added efforts of the pegasus were enough to slow them to a stop again, but it wasn't enough to break the monster’s hold on Applejack’s mane. It simply had too good of a grip.

Fluttershy tried pulling harder, and Sparkplug tried to do whatever she could with her awkward positioning. Applejack was just trying not to lose her hat or her head. Still, nothing was working.

Eventually, after one last mighty pull, Fluttershy fell back onto her haunches as the white tail between her teeth slipped free.

“It’s no use!” Sparkplug said, digging into the stone beneath her with her hind hooves.

Applejack grit her teeth as she craned her head back and saw how close they were to the creature. Soon, it wouldn’t need to stretch to reach them with its razor-sharp claws. “Just leave me!” She shouted, though her wide eyes seemed to beg otherwise.

“No way, AJ!” Sparkplug protested, keeping her grip as the orange mare tried to gently kick her off. Her heart was pounding with fear, but she would not abandon a friend. “If this thing’s getting you, it’s gonna have to go through me too!”

Fluttershy held her hooves to the sides of her head and whined as she watched the pair being reeled in, the bloody fishing line slithering back into the creature’s form with each movement. “What do I do?!”

What could she do? The bloody monster was impervious to most any attack. Everything they could try would just go through its body like water. Even Tom’s spirit weapons didn’t work on the one at the school.

Thinking back to her last encounter with this monster, she remembered Twilight’s energy blasts being effective at disrupting its form at the very least.

She also remembered that the gray mare and the others had just recently gotten a shiny new weapon that she hoped would have a similar effect.

“Sparkplug, where’s that popper thing you have?!” Fluttershy asked as she rushed over to the gray mare.

“Uh… l-left bottom pocket!” Sparkplug said after some frantic thought. She would have gotten it for the pegasus, but she was afraid to let go for fear of Applejack being immediately pulled in.

Fluttershy raced her hoof to Sparkplug’s vest, beginning to dig through the pocket she pointed out.

Sparkplug shook her head, “My left! Sorry, sorry!”

“AGHH!”

Suddenly, Applejack shouted in pain.

The pair looked up, only to have the color drain from their faces as they saw the creature’s other hand digging into the orange mare’s shoulder. Its talons were barely visible from how deep in they were. Much to their horror, they noticed the creature’s translucent forelimb shaking slightly, along with a slightly darker liquid flowing out of Applejack’s wound and up into the watery limb.

“Applejack!” Sparkplug cried.

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped and her eyes grew. She knew what was happening. She had gone through the same thing before, and it almost killed her. The creature was siphoning out Applejack’s blood.

With time running out and her heart rate going through the roof, the pegasus rushed to search the correct pocket on Sparkplug’s vest. Feeling a small brass cylinder in her grasp, she pulled it out and quickly oriented it in her hooves.

“Twist, then push!” Sparkplug instructed frantically.

Fluttershy wasn't sure of the finer details of the weapon, but she didn’t care. She twisted the base, which clicked softly and revealed a red notch. Then, she aimed the vial ahead and pushed the easily identifiable button.

*POP*

The orange-tinted light in the tunnel was shattered by a brief flash of green as the vial jumped in Fluttershy’s hoof, causing a startled yip from the pegasus.

A green laser zipped forward, striking the creature in what would loosely translate to its abdomen. The force of the projectile exploded into its watery form, sending crimson liquid spraying out and causing the beast to lurch down and to the side with a pained, sucking gurgle.

Fluttershy took aim again and flinched an eye shut before turning her head and pushing the button a second and third time.

Two more bolts zipped at the creature, striking its other side and its head. Droplets and chunks of blood exploded outward, staining the sides of the tunnel. It didn’t even make a sound other than a disgusting slorp as its blobby mass of a body flopped to the floor and melted back into a puddle of blood.

Applejack felt the grasp on her mane vanish and the stabbing pain in her shoulder lessen as the once semisolid claws liquified. She didn’t care how or if the creature was even dead. All she cared about was getting herself and her friends away.

Grunting in pain as she worked her way back to her stomach and then all fours, she ran past a concerned-looking Sparkplug, who was just about to offer her some help walking, and a jittery-looking Fluttershy, who was still staring at the liquid remains of the creature.

“Let’s get out of here!” Applejack exclaimed.

Sparkplug was surprised at how fast the farmer was going with that shoulder wound. Then again, adrenaline was one hay of a drug.

Seeing Fluttershy still stunned, Sparkplug rushed over and put a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder before pulling away. “Come on, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy took a few steps away, mostly because Sparkplug half pulled her. She glanced back to the bloody puddle that once was the creature, a feeling of dread still working its way through her system, before she followed after the pair.

If she remembered one thing above all else about what she experienced in the school, it was that those creatures did not give up easily.

Elsewhere in the bowels of the castle, Sunspot and Glimmer Shine were still busy navigating the bloody maze around them in hopes of finding a way upstairs.

Their respective uniforms were still soggy, with Sunspot looking the most miserable the stallion had ever seen her. He wasn't having a terribly good time either, with the entirety of his fur coat feeling icky and wrong.

As they walked, they passed through another larger room. They were on a thin platform, with a set of stairs doubling back to the room below. Chains, hooks, and shackles adorned the walls, some of which still holding skeletal remains of what appeared to be griffons. Most of them were missing a lot of bones, but the one slumped by the door at the far side was relatively intact.

Sunspot peered down into the lower area. Part of the floor was submerged under a shallow layer of more blood. She grimaced at the sight. “Dangit… I’m sick of this place.” She muttered, turning to her companion and wrapping her forelegs around his waist before spreading her wings and hovering down and over the blood.

“Just think of how the others are doing.” Glimmer Shine said. He cringed at the sensation of Sunspot’s suit squishing against him. “Hopefully they’ve managed to stay drier than we have.”

As her thoughts shifted to her friends, Sunspot’s expression fell. “I hope they’re ok.”

Glimmer Shine exhaled and softened his eyes as the pegasus set them down where the floor was mostly devoid of blood. “We should probably check on them. It’s been a while since we’ve been in contact anyway.” He noted, holding a hoof up to his ear as they walked toward the exit.

“This is Glimmer. How’s everyone doing?”

Weirdly, there was a longer pause than he was expecting before a response came.

“We are not in the best position to talk currently!” Princess Luna’s voice came, sounding somewhat alarmed and worked up. A loud crash and a metallic clank bled through the call before abruptly stopping as if the alicorn had dropped her hoof suddenly.

Sunspot skewed her brow with concern and slowly lifted her own hoof up. “Everything ok up there, Princess?”

After a few moments, another response came, but it was from Celestia rather than Luna.

“Not exactly!” The alicorn said, also sounding a bit out of breath as a sound like a blade striking iron rang out, along with a faint explosion. “We’ve encountered Dusk. He left this living suit of armor behind to fight us before we lost him... It is… quite strong!” Her voice went up in pitch slightly as she cut out, seemingly dodging something.

Glimmer and Sunspot shared a worried look. There wasn't much of anything they could do to help the princesses and their pegasus friend from where they were.

“Hang in there. We’re still trying to make our way upstairs.” Glimmer said in as reassuring a tone as he could muster. He hated only being able to offer hollow words of encouragement to them. “Anything new with everyone else?” He asked, shifting his thoughts to the others.

Nothing but silence responded. The pair didn’t like how the alicorns were the only ones that spoke up before, so now they were starting to feel outright uneasy.

“Hello…?” Sunspot asked. The troubling radio silence was enough to make them stop walking briefly.

“Pinkie? Glitter?” Glimmer Shine’s expression fell the longer they went with no answer. “Anypony there?”

Then, just as they were thinking they would never get a response, some exhausted panting came through.

“This… this is Sparkplug.” The gray mare spoke, sounding very much exhausted and even a little pained and afraid. “Everyone downstairs needs to... watch out…”

Sunspot wrinkled her brow as they reached the end of the room. She reached for the handle of the door, letting her hoof linger on it as she was focused on her gray friend. “Woah… calm down, Sparkplug. Take a breather and tell us what’s wrong.”

Sparkplug took a few slower breaths, coughing under her burning lungs before speaking again. “There’s this blood monster… We’re not sure if it’s just one or… or--”

“Blood monster?” Glimmer Shine asked. “What are you talking about?”

“AH!”

However, before he could get a response, a startled yelp came, though it wasn't in his head. It was beside him.

Sunspot was reeling back, or at least trying to, as a boney claw reached up and gripped her foreleg tightly. Looking down and following the skeletal limb, they could see the griffin remains on the floor looking up at them, with one bloodshot red eye in its skull. A shrill, unpleasant chirp came from it as it opened its beak.

“Bwah!” Sunspot squeaked, having not expected such a hideous visage looking back at her. “Get off me!”

Seeing his friend in distress, Glimmer widened his eyes and sprang forward. He grabbed her and helped her pull away, managing to break off the skeletal forelimb holding her with a hollow snap and sending both of them falling to their haunches.

The pegasus looked down to her foreleg, which still had the clutching boney claws attached to it, before grabbing it with her free hoof and tossing it away with a startled yelp. It clattered to a stop in front of the griffon skeleton, which was now starting to get up.

Much to their horror, a wriggling sound drew their attention to some sort of red, veiny-looking growth snaking down through its jaw. It almost resembled tendons or tissue, but it moved like it had a life of its own.

As the creature stood and shrieked at them, the bloody growth spidering out across its bones and taking hold, the ponies scrambled back. Glimmer drew his dagger, while Sunspot raced for her popper and stiffly held it out.

“What layer of Tartarus did that thing crawl out of?!” Sunspot asked.

Then, a second low cry came from behind them.

And a third.

And as the pair spun around, their ears slowly fell along with their jaws as they saw more of the skeletons in the room starting to move.

Some were coming down off of hooks on the walls, some were rising up from the pools of blood. All were in various stages of falling apart, and all of them had similar creeping tendrils of red sinew latching onto their bodies.

“I don’t know… but it looks like he brought friends.” Glimmer muttered nervously as he backed closer to the pegasus.

While Glimmer turned and kicked at the skeleton by the door, sending it rolling to the side, Sunspot took aim at one of the others with her popper.

“Take this, you butt ugly bags of bones!” Her eyes flared as she made her first shot. She was starting to get used to the kick and the aim of their newest weapon, so she managed to hit one of the creatures right between the eye sockets.

The skeleton had a sizable hole punched into its skull through both sides and staggered back on its hinds. However, Sunspot’s expression fell as it stopped itself with unnatural movement and settled back onto all fours before screaming at her, a bloody-looking tongue flapping in its beak.

“Glimmer, get that door open.” Sunspot said, backing up while facing the approaching creatures with her popper. She took more shots, but whatever didn’t blast apart a skeleton seemed to be ignored, and even the ones she blasted apart slowly formed back together.

Not one to ignore such a suggestion, the stallion rushed up to the door and tried the handle. His pupils shrank as nothing but stiff resistance met him.

“Oh, buck.”

Sunspot turned her head briefly. “That’s not what I want to hear right now! Please tell me it’s not locked!”

“I could say that, but I think it would be better if I died an honest stallion!” Glimmer replied, starting to frantically reach down to his vest.

“Glimmer!” Sunspot whined. The room was full of energetic cracks of sound and high-pitched wails as the undead horde tried to approach from every angle. In a minute, she would have to start throwing hooves with some skeletons, which was something she did not want to do twice in her lifetime.

“I’m working on it!” Glimmer said, pulling his cutter out of its pocket and pressing it to the area around the lock. “Just keep them back!”

“I’m working on it!” Sunspot retorted.

Then, a distinct lack of a pop and a subsequent discharge of energy made Sunspot pause. She looked down to her weapon, which was steaming at the tip and emitting a slight sizzling sound. The green liquid visible through the slits of glass in its sides was also red instead.

“Oh, buck!” Her eyes widened as she held up her now-useless weapon. She did vaguely remember Glitterball and Tom saying that the poppers could overheat from repeated firing, but she had never stress tested it before now. “Buck, buck, buck!”

Two of the skeletons bleated eagerly as they approached the now defenseless pegasus. They each reached out one clawed hand toward her, ready to rip into her.

Sunspot backed up, only to hit the wall behind her. She drew her dagger and trailed it side to side, unsure of which target would reach her first. Her entire life flashed before her as her vision filled with a horde of hungry beaks and lidless eyes.

Then, the constant sound of sparking energy from Glimmer’s cutter ceased, followed by a wooden creak. Before Sunspot could even break free of her terrified stare, a yellow hoof grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her forward and through the now open door.

“Go! Go, go, go!” Glimmer instructed.

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Sunspot said, not even looking back as they both beat hoof through whatever path awaited them.

The only thing forefront in their mind, other than the pounding of their racing hearts, was finding their friends. Whatever spell Dusk had cast, it had brought along some terrifying creatures with it. The lower levels weren’t safe, and they needed to get upstairs again and back to the others.

Not everyone was focused on leaving the lower levels, however. Something lost had to be found first, and find it, or rather, her, Rainbow Dash would. She had to.

The cyan mare and her reluctant companion were hovering through the darkened tunnel. As tight as it was, they could barely reach full wingspan, and actually had to land and trudge through the shallow crimson liquid in some places. Rainbow didn’t care, even if Raincloud did.

“Blech! Did that fang-faced freak really need to hammer home the fact that he’s a vampire? We get it, you like blood!” The gray mare grumbled, trying not to splash too much and save the rest of her fur.

“Just shut up and keep moving,” Rainbow replied, her focus clearly elsewhere.

Soon, they came out of the tunnel and into another actual room. However, the moment they tried to step out, Rainbow’s foreleg sank into a deep pool of blood. She didn’t even touch the floor by the time she stuck her whole limb in, and she didn’t care enough to go further as she flapped her wings to get airborne.

The whole stretch of room before them was completely submerged in the crimson fluid, save for one walkway of floor at the back. More arched pathways opened up to their sides, revealing that the lake of blood stretched on even past where they were.

These paths also served to make Rainbow’s heart sink. There was no sign of her friend anywhere.

“Pinkie?!” Rainbow cupped her hooves beside her muzzle and shouted, hovering closer to one of the openings to the right. Her voice echoed in the expansive space. “Where are you?!”

Raincloud watched as the cyan mare hovered around, peering down any path she could see in search of the missing mare. “Look, Dash… I feel bad about the puffball, I really do… but there’s no way we’re going to find her.” She explained, a surprisingly conflicted frown on her face.

Rainbow Dash spun in the air to glare at her fellow pegasus. “Raincloud, shut up and help me look, would you?! She wouldn’t have been down here anyway if you didn’t push her!” She jabbed an accusing hoof at her ‘companion’.

Seeing the already tentative tolerance the cyan mare had for her waning, Raincloud shrank back slightly. She pursed her lips and trailed her eyes down as she thought back to her brief struggle with the pink pony.

“I’m sorry,” Raincloud said genuinely. “But we need to think about ourselves for a minute! Something must have snatched her, which means that we’re not alone in here!”

Rainbow stared at the pegasus silently for a moment, her eyes narrowing and a soft growl forming in her throat before she turned away. “It should have been you.” She said coldly before returning to her search.

Then, a sudden noise made both of them freeze. A crash of liquid came from further down the cavernous space, like something breaching the surface. Along with this, a familiar voice yelling for help came before quickly falling silent.

“Pinkie! Hold on, I’m coming!” Rainbow shouted, already shooting off like a dart.

Raincloud briefly turned to the tunnel entrance behind her. She could easily just grab a torch, go back and look for a way out on her own. However, she turned back around and sighed before speeding after the cyan mare. “What am I doing?”

Following the darting flashlight on Rainbow’s vest, Raincloud eventually caught up with the frantic pony at another central intersection.

“Where is she?!” Rainbow repeated, scanning the crimson waters below and the various stretches of stone walkways tucked at the back and front of the area. Seeing nothing but roiling, red-tinted darkness, she held her hooves to her head.

“We’re never gonna find her like this!” Raincloud groaned, still vaguely hoping to make the pegasus beside her see reason.

Then, Rainbow had a blank look fall over her, followed by a wide grin. “You’re a genius, Raincloud!”

Raincloud blinked. “I… am?”

She cocked an eyebrow as she saw Rainbow digging on her vest again before pulling up a vial full of a sand-like substance on an easily accessible cord.

“This puppy can find her, no problem!” Rainbow stated eagerly, only to have her grin crack and fall around the edges as she fiddled with the vial to no result. “Oh, come on… work you stupid little--”

Then, as she clicked the small dial-like cap at the bottom of the charm to the side, the sand inside the vial flashed red a few times before lighting up along the left side.

“Yes!”

“So that’s what they use as a locator,” Raincloud said, briefly lifting her brows in surprise and even begrudging appreciation. Judging from the material, it looked like a decently put-together charm.

Ignoring her fellow pegasus, Rainbow quickly shifted the vial toward the glowing side. The sand lit up more evenly as she leveled it directly ahead. Nothing but more blood.

And as the pieces slowly fit together in her head, her face paling at the realization of the splashing sounds from before, a series of bubbles suddenly floated to the surface.

“Oh my gosh, Pinkie!” Rainbow’s voice cracked and she let the vial recede on its cord before diving down.

Raincloud held a foreleg up to shield her face from the violent splash as the cyan mare disappeared under the surface. Rainbow didn’t even hesitate for a moment. She almost wished she still had somepony who would do something like that for her.

Meanwhile, under the crimson tide, Rainbow Dash immediately lost any semblance of vision. It was hard to keep her eyes open, and all she could see was dark red.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. There was a bright red glow coming from the front of her vest. The locator charm was still on, and she could just barely make out its light growing brighter and fuller as she swam down.

How deep was the bottom? Was there even a bottom? Anything was possible with the labyrinthine spell. She could have been swimming into a never-ending pit.

One thing that did have an end, however, was her lung capacity. She could feel her chest burning and her throat beginning to tickle, her body’s way of telling her that it needed air even if there was none.

Her hooves flailed and searched. She was hoping, praying that she came across her friend.

Then, she saw it. A hint of light streaming up, along with an out-of-place blur. It was another flashlight beam.

Rainbow picked up her speed, kicking and paddling as fast as she could through the soupy mess. She reached out her hoof, and miraculously, touched a solid, familiar form.

She quickly felt around until she was confident she had found her friend’s orientation. Pinkie was still conscious, the frantic hooves blindly brushing against her told her as much. However, judging from the restless movements, she must have been running out of breath.

Wrapping her forelegs around the pink mare’s waist just below the vest’s cutoff, Rainbow began to swim up. Strangely, however, she was met with some resistance.

Something was pulling on Pinkie from below.

With time running out for both of them, Rainbow kicked harder. She even unfurled her powerful wings, uncaring of the sharp twinge of discomfort from her feathers being touched by something so solid. It was hard to move them, and she wasn't getting much lift, but every little bit helped.

Eventually, they broke free of whatever force was trying to drown them. The surface approached. Rainbow’s lungs were on fire. Her vision was blurring, and the need to suck in was getting harder to ignore.

She had to breathe. She had to.

*Gasp*

Just as they breached the surface, Rainbow inhaled. Immediately, she heard some violent coughing and sputtering from the pink mare in her grasp as Pinkie shot back to consciousness, having been on the verge of passing out.

After catching her own breath and shaking her head to rid the excess fluid and hair from her eyes, Rainbow frowned with concern. “Pinkie…” She spit to the side and grunted as her throat spasmed. “Are you ok?”

Pinkie took a moment to collect herself and catch her breath. However, as she did, her eyes widened and a look of terror washed over her. She looked ahead to the cyan mare still gripping her tightly with alarm written all over.

“Get out of the water…” She instructed, voice still a bit strained and craggy.

Rainbow didn’t quite hear or understand her. She was still too focused on the fact that Pinkie was alive to even fully process that she had just pulled her away from something.

“What…?”

Pinkie took her hooves and rested them on Rainbow’s shoulders, trying to convey the severity of the situation. “GET OUT OF THE WATER!”

Then, Rainbow Dash felt something grab onto her hind leg from below.

“Bwa--!” She only managed to get out the beginnings of a startled yelp before she was yanked down. Blood splashed back into her mouth and she flailed, trying to find a solid hold on something by instinct. The only thing she found was Pinkie.

“Rainbow!” Pinkie raced her hooves to grab her friend, just barely taking hold before the pegasus was pulled under. She kicked her hinds as hard as she could to tread liquid. They were both splashing everywhere as they desperately struggled to stay above the surface.

However, it was a losing battle they were fighting. Whatever was pulling them was stronger than Pinkie, and she was the one who was doing most of the work due to Rainbow’s legs being pinned.

Pinkie tilted her chin and flinched her eyes closed as the surface of the crimson fluid started to swallow her. She almost wished that her pegasus friend hadn’t found her. At least Rainbow would have lived on.

Just as the world was about to go dark again, the pink mare felt another set of hooves hooking under her forelegs from above. She looked up, only to see Raincloud flying up and trying to pull the two of them out.

Raincloud grunted and reeled her head back as she pulled with all her might. “Kick like you mean it, puffball! Use that sugar high!”

Slowly but surely, they started to move upwards. Another gasp of air came as Rainbow breached the surface again. Once she was mostly above the crimson water, she flapped her wings like crazy while holding tight onto Pinkie’s form.

All three of them made a beeline to the side, where the closest stone walkway was waiting at the back of the room. Rainbow could almost swear she felt something solid swipe against her hind hoof amidst the lapping waves just before it left the pool. She tucked her legs in and collapsed to the floor, pulling herself and her companions as close to the wall as they could get.

They all just lay there in a wet, shivering pile. Two of them were soaked and exhausted, and one was mildly confused. All of them were alarmed to some degree.

Rainbow Dash coughed as she lifted her head to peer out at the crimson sea before them. “Wh… what was that?”

Pinkie had her eyes glued to the surface of the ‘water’, feverishly searching for signs of undue movement. She coughed a few times herself. “I… I saw it. Before it grabbed me.” She explained, a sense of fear and panic in her eyes that the cyan mare hadn’t seen in a long time. “It looked like that… that monster that attacked the school back when the hooded ponies were around!”

“What… you mean that bloody water monster?” Rainbow asked, growing a bit concerned as well now.

Suddenly, Raincloud’s eyes grew and a look of revelation came over her. “Oh, crap. That thing?!” She shot to her hooves. “If that’s what’s down there, we gotta get the buck out of here!” She stated, already starting to rush down the thin stone path back toward where they came from. Pinkie seemed eager to follow, but Rainbow was still confused.

“Hold on. Why don’t we just fly over? It’ll take less time than-” She started to hover into the air over the blood pool when a pink hoof nudged her back down.

“No, no, no,” Pinkie shook her head rapidly, “You don’t understand. That thing is reeeaaally stretchy! If you fly over it, it’ll just grab you! We need to run before it decides to come up here after us!” She suggested, practically pulling the pegasus along behind her.

Rainbow Dash darted her eyes between her friend and the pool beside them, a glint of fear in their centers. She remembered hearing about the experience Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight had in the school. They all were traumatized by it to some degree, and she now understood why. If something that dangerous was lurking beneath the churning depths, they had to get away and fast.

Deciding to head back toward the way they came in the hopes of reaching that staircase Rainbow Dash found in the trapped workshop, they hurried as fast as they could on their little sliver of solid ground.

Luckily, the stone walkway slipped through the arches and pillars dividing the cavernous space. They could take it all the way back to where they could see the first tunnel.

However, as they came upon said tunnel, they halted to a stop as they realized something.

They were still at the back of the room. There was no viable path over to the mouth of the tunnel, save for going across the expanse of roiling blood.

“Oh no…” Pinkie’s pupils shrank as she realized how much trouble they were in.

Raincloud sighed and gestured a hoof in tense annoyance. “Well, that’s just great! What do we do now?”

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was trying her best to come up with a plan of action. She wasn't the smartest in their group of friends or even the most strategic. Still, she knew how to use her strengths to her advantage.

She contemplated using herself as bait. Then again, that probably wouldn’t work. However good her flying might have been, she didn’t trust Raincloud with Pinkie’s life or her own anymore, if she ever did before. And if she wasn't fast enough and she got grabbed herself, she was as good as dead.

No, the only way out that the cyan mare could see for all of them, was through.

“We’re gonna have to just go for it,” Rainbow said, a feeling of dread firmly cementing itself in her core. Normally, a quick fly over a few feet like this was paltry for her, but now it seemed so much further.

“W-what?!” Pinkie snapped her eyes open and looked at her friend like the pegasus was crazy.

Raincloud skewed her eyes. “Look, I know you like to be all gung ho about things, but maybe we shouldn’t tempt fate a second time?”

“You got any better ideas?” Rainbow asked.

The gray mare wrinkled her expression and trailed her eyes away. “Well… you could, uh… ha… undo my collar?” She smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck as she saw the understandably unimpressed looks she received.

“Yeah, no offense, but I think I’d rather swim.” Rainbow Dash said before sighing and shaking herself awake. She twitched her wings and loosened up her shoulders before turning to her pink friend. “Alright, Pinkie. Come here.” She said, starting to wrap her forelegs around the earth mare’s waist until Pinkie herself stopped her.

Much to the pegasus’ surprise, Pinkie backed away quickly and shook her head. “No… no, no, no, please. Please don’t let it get me.” She quaked, eyes on the verge of tears as she cowered down and hugged the wall.

Rainbow Dash frowned with concern. Facing an old foe like this and almost drowning a second time must have been bringing back traumatic memories for the party pony.

“Hey…” Rainbow said in a soft voice as she knelt down to be at eye level. “Pinkie, look at me.” She rested a gentle hoof on her friend’s shoulder, causing her to jump slightly and look up with those big blue orbs of hers. “I will not let it get you… ok? I’m sorry there isn’t another way. If we want to get out of here and help the others, I need you to be brave for a little bit longer. Do you think you can do that?”

Pinkie stared at the cyan hoof outstretched to her, occasionally shifting her trembling gaze to the murky red waters off to the side. Then, she thought of Fluttershy, Applejack, and Sparkplug. She was traumatized by her own experiences, but she never wanted her friends to experience something similar, especially Fluttershy. Not to mention the other dangers her other friends might have been in.

However much she didn’t want to, she had to brave the waters.

“Okie dokie l-lokie…” Pinkie stammered softly, managing a fragile smile as she took Rainbow’s hoof.

With pressure mounting, the trio prepared themselves for the longest few feet they would ever traverse.

Rainbow Dash hovered up and securely wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie’s form. Raincloud hovered up after the pair, the both of them gaining height before even thinking of going forward.

The pool of blood waited for them patiently. They couldn’t even tell where the creature was or if it even followed them, but somehow they knew. It was just waiting for them to make their move.

After a few sharp breaths to hype herself up, Rainbow exhaled and looked down to Pinkie one last time before turning to Raincloud. “On three… fly like your life depends on it.”

“Thanks for the pep talk, coach,” Raincloud said flatly.

Ignoring the snide remark of her winged companion, Rainbow turned ahead and settled her eyes on the tunnel opening.

“One…”

Her heart started beating faster.

“Two…”

Pinkie felt the cyan mare tighten her grip around her, which she was greatly thankful for. Raincloud cringed and drew air between her teeth as Rainbow hesitated briefly.

“THREE!”

The two flyers did what they were born to do and flew forward, beating their wings as hard as they could.

Pinkie squeezed her eyes shut as they crossed the bloody lake. A soft whine escaped her muzzle and she clasped her forelimbs over Rainbow Dash’s.

Raincloud felt her spine tingle as they both pushed to go faster. Even when carrying a full-grown mare, Rainbow Dash was keeping ahead of her. The mouth of the tunnel drew near, and they started angling down to meet it. They would run all the way to the stairs back where they came if they had to.

Then, just as they were nearing the end, a loud splash came from the crimson waves below.

Raincloud trailed her eyes down just in time to see a bloody claw reaching up at her. She flinched, but she didn’t have time to alter her course before it wrapped its cold talons around her throat.

“Ack!”

Rainbow and Pinkie turned their heads just in time to see their gray companion getting pulled down by a flowing torrent of blood. They widened their eyes.

“Raincloud!”

Raincloud herself barely heard them as she splashed down into the murky depths. She clutched at her throat and kicked her hinds, hoping to get away from the creature’s grasp. Unfortunately for her, it was no use.

She gasped just before she went under, so her lungs were already filling with fluid.

This was it. This was how she died. Of all the things it could have been, she never expected it would be like this, or with her present company. The two mares wouldn’t risk coming to save her. After all, she had betrayed them many times. Part of her wanted to think ill of them, but she was honestly glad that they would escape with their lives.

As her lungs burned and her vision blurred, her thoughts drifted to her brother. If he could see how she went out, he would probably think it was some sick joke. Her? Dying in place of two element bearers? She would have laughed too if she could breathe.

Eventually, she closed her eyes and stopped fighting. There was no point in it anymore. Without her shadow magic, she was helpless against the creature. If she was going to die, she didn’t want to die tired.

The calming waves took her form, cradling her as she fell deeper into the abyss.

Deeper…

Colder…

Darker…
.
..
…
Then, a muffled splash made her open her eyes. After a brief moment, a pair of fumbling hooves brushed against her head before quickly finding her forelegs. They grabbed her, and she grabbed them almost reflexively.

Much to her surprise, Rainbow Dash started pulling her up. She figured it was Rainbow Dash at any rate. Only the cyan mare was this stupid and reckless.

With faint hope filling her, Raincloud renewed her struggle against the creature. She kicked with all her might and flapped her lethargic wings. She could feel the sharp talons on her neck losing their hold.

Then, with one final twinge of pain as the talons scraped her flesh, she was free. The two ponies swam back to the surface as fast as equinely possible before finally breaking through.

Both of them gasped, with Raincloud falling into a coughing fit from all the blood in her lungs. She barely even had time to wipe her eyes or catch her breath before another set of hooves grabbed her from above.

“Come on!” Pinkie Pie egged them on frantically, doing everything she could to get the gray mare into the mouth of the tunnel so Rainbow Dash could get up. The less time they spent in the water, the better.

“Move it or lose it, Raincloud!” Rainbow Dash shouted, giving the lethargic mare a push to help her climb up.

Once Raincloud was back on solid ground, Rainbow Dash scrambled to get up. She cleared the water just as another loud splash came and a hint of movement caught their vision. They didn’t even stop to look.

“Go, go, go!” Rainbow repeated, half-sprinting, half-dragging Raincloud along until the gray mare caught her bearings and picked up speed to match both her and Pinkie.

And then, they ran. They ran far, and they ran fast, hooves splashing and echoing in the tunnel until they eventually came back out in the room with the pit that started this whole escapade.

Whether or not they were being followed, they grabbed Pinkie and flew up and onto solid, dry ground once more. They didn’t stop there either. In fact, they didn’t stop until they were down the hallway by the workshop.

With every fiber of their beings crying out for rest, they puttered to a stop. Pinkie slumped down to her haunches, using the wall behind her for support. Raincloud fell to her knees and stayed there for some time, panting and breathing.

Really, there was a lot of breathing. Air was the best thing ever, and she would never take it for granted again.

Rainbow Dash leaned against the wall, though she managed to stay standing. She was surprised to see Raincloud looking up at her with a stunned expression.

“You… you saved me?” Raincloud muttered.

Rainbow sighed. “I feel like we’ve been through this before, Raincloud. I’m not just going to let you die because you’re a jerk.”

“Besides… you did help save me,” Pinkie added with a bit of a grateful smile.

Raincloud’s ears fell flat against her head. She seemed to be at a loss for words. If somebody stabbed her in the back, she wouldn’t have lifted a hoof to save them, let alone risk her life.

Seeing the gray mare frowning to herself, Rainbow Dash went over and offered a hoof. “Alright, enough with the mushy-feely junk. I’m way too mushy right now as is.” She cringed briefly at her soaked fur. “Besides, we have more important things to worry about.” She said, grunting slightly as she pulled Raincloud back onto all fours.

“Oh my gosh, that’s right!” Pinkie gasped suddenly, lifting a hoof to her ear. “I’ve got to warn the others!”

As the pink mare brought up their friends, Rainbow frowned softly with concern. They narrowly escaped with their lives, but the others might not be so lucky.

The two pegasi watched as Pinkie concentrated on the intended recipients of her message. She inhaled sharply before speeding off into a garble of words that probably came as a startling shock to those who weren’t prepared for it.

“Guys! Stay out of the water! There’s a monster down there!” She explained energetically.

After a few moments, Sparkplug’s voice responded. “Yeah… we already know. Jeez, Pinkie…” She said, probably rubbing her now ringing ear. “You had us worried for a minute there. Everything alright with you guys?”

Pinkie deflated a bit with relief. At least the trio was ok, although the gray mare did have some exhaustion to her voice. “Yep! We had a close call, but everything’s okie dokie artichokie now. We even found a way upstairs!” She beamed as she looked over to the doorway to the workshop ahead, which now had a few broken bars discarded nearby from when Rainbow Dash cut herself free.

“Wow, that’s great, Pinkie!” Sparkplug said. “Listen, don’t wait up for us. You get yourselves out of this place and we’ll catch up when we--”

Suddenly, the gray mare yelped before abruptly falling silent. Pinkie’s eyes grew and she leaned forward. “Sparkplug? Hello? Are you ok?!”

A few moments later, Sparkplug responded, sounding very much alarmed. “Uh, I’m gonna have to get back to you on that, Pinkie!”

After that, nothing but silence.

“Is something wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Pinkie sighed, “I don’t know. She just stopped talking.”

“Well… there’s nothing we can do for them,” Raincloud said, earning a few flat looks. “What? I’m serious. Did you guys see any other path we could have taken to get closer to them? Or have you forgotten about your fancy toys already?” She flicked the still glowing vial on Rainbow’s vest.

The cyan mare looked down. Apparently, in her rush, she hadn’t turned off the locator charm. She took it and quickly scanned it around, only to find nothing but a faint reading back the way they came, where they had found no other branching paths. She let the charm droop in her grasp.

“But… we can’t just do nothing!” Rainbow protested.

Pinkie frowned as well. “I think we’re just going to have to trust them until we can find another way.” She turned toward the workshop. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll find a way to loop back down here after we head up? This place is pretty confusing.”

After a few moments of conflicted thought, Rainbow Dash sighed and let her shoulders sink. “Alright… let’s go. We aren’t helping anyone just standing here.” She reasoned, reluctantly leading the pair into the workshop.

Sure enough, the stairs were still sitting there at the back of the room. Of course, a few bars were blocking the way, but they were nothing a liberal application of their cutters couldn’t solve.

All in all, they felt lucky to be finally leaving the basement, but also a little conflicted and worried. They could only hope that their friends would have similar luck.

Chapter 58: Dark Corners

A few minutes ago, Sparkplug and her group were still hastily walking away from their encounter with the blood monster.

They were walking, mostly because this had been going on for some time, and they were exhausted. Two of them were hurt to some degree, and even though they should have stopped a while ago, they all agreed to put as much distance as possible between them and the creature.

On the plus side, it also allowed them to continue searching for a way out, or to get closer to the reading on their locator and hopefully find somepony else. Because if Sparkplug wanted one thing above all others, it was to not be solely responsible for the lives of her friends.

Thankfully, Applejack and Fluttershy could hold their own, which was a bit surprising in the yellow mare’s case. The way the pegasus took control of the situation and saved both her and Applejack impressed her to no end.

Eventually, however, Sparkplug was the one to peter out to a halt, signaling her companions to stop and rest as well.

Sparkplug leaned against the slightly moistened stone wall beside her. They hadn’t seen any pools of blood for some time, and there were no grates in sight for the creature to sneak up on them from. All in all, they were as safe as they could have been, or so they hoped.

“I think…” Sparkplug panted, “I think we lost it.”

A pained grunt brought both her and Fluttershy’s attention over to see Applejack slumping against the wall and sliding down to a seated position. She was clutching her shoulder, which was still bleeding slightly from where the creature stabbed her.

“Thank goodness for that…” Applejack said, a somewhat dazed look in her eyes.

“Are you ok, Applej-ACK!” Sparkplug yelped as she started to move forward to assist her friend, only to put weight on her bad ankle and nearly falter. She looked down, only to see her own wounds still bleeding a bit.

“I’d ask you the same thing, sugar,” Applejack frowned.

Sparkplug cringed and cradled her hind hoof, doing her best to keep weight off of it. “Ngh… I don’t think I’ll be running any marathons for a while, that’s for sure.”

Seeing the gray mare in stable condition, and seeing how Applejack looked like she was about to pass out, Fluttershy decided to examine the farmer first.

The pegasus softened her features as she sat down next to her friend and examined her shoulder. The wounds were mostly dry and devoid of blood, save for the edges, similar to what she expected to see.

“How do you feel, Applejack?” Fluttershy asked, watching her friend for any signs of fainting.

Applejack made an effort to appear more stable than she felt, but her pale complexion and dazed stare gave her away. “I’m… feelin’ a lil’ woozy, but… I should be fine,” She tried to get up, only to stumble a bit, where the pegasus caught her.

“I was afraid of that,” Fluttershy sighed. “We need to get this wound patched up so you don’t lose any more blood. You’re lucky it didn’t drain you as much as the one at the school did me.”

“Wait… it drained her blood?” Sparkplug asked, her eyes growing with alarm. “Oh my gosh, that’s what you dealt with?! In a school?! With kids?!”

“Yeah, well, blame Raincloud on that one. She’s about the only pony left alive to blame anyway,” Applejack muttered. “But, nopony got hurt too bad, thank Celestia.”

Sparkplug shuddered at the thought of young fillies and colts going through such a horrible thing. She then shifted her attention back to Applejack and frowned. “Hold on. I think we have some medical supplies. They should be… uh…” She paused, checking her own vest for the location. “There we go. Check the pouches on her left side.”

While Sparkplug produced some bandages and got to work mending her own injury, Fluttershy rifled her hoof through Applejack’s vest until she found what she was looking for.

“Hold still, AJ,” Fluttershy said softly, starting the process of cleaning the wound and dressing it.

Applejack didn’t like putting her friend out like this, but she didn’t have much of a choice, so she tried her best to cooperate. Even with how gentle the pegasus was being, it stung enough to make her stifle a cringe.

Thinking back to how they narrowly escaped such a fearsome monster, her mind drifted back to her friends. Specifically, she thought back to how Sunspot and Glimmer Shine had just abruptly cut off communications a few minutes ago.

“You think Sunspot and Glimmer are alright?” Applejack asked.

Sparkplug didn’t look up from wrapping her ankle in gauze, but she softened her eyes with concern as she thought of the pair. “I hope so. I mean… they would have talked to us by now if they could, right?”

“Maybe they’re just busy?” Fluttershy suggested timidly. She looked like she didn’t exactly have faith in herself.

After re-wrapping her ankle to make it looser and somewhat comfortable, Sparkplug sighed. “I’ll see if I can reach them again.” She said, starting to reach a hoof to her ear.

However, before she could even make contact, an unexpectedly loud voice rang in her head, making her flinch.

“Guys! Stay out of the water! There’s a monster down there!” Pinkie Pie informed, probably more energetically than was required.

Applejack and Fluttershy skewed their expressions as they saw their gray friend recovering from seemingly nothing.

“Somethin’ wrong, Sparkplug?” AJ asked with mild concern.

Sparkplug took a second to calm her racing heart and massage her sensitive ear before looking up. “It’s Pinkie Pie.”

Hearing this, both mares perked up eagerly.

“Pinkie?! She’s ok?!” Fluttershy said, putting perhaps too much enthusiasm into her current task, which, unfortunately for Applejack, was pulling the bandages tight. A slight grunt quickly made the pegasus cringe apologetically and fix her work.

“She sure sounds ok,” Sparkplug said before touching her ear and focusing on the pink mare. “Yeah… we already know. Jeez, Pinkie…” She muttered flatly before shifting her focus to slight concern. “You had us worried for a minute there. Everything alright with you guys?”

A moment later, the pink mare chirped happily. “Yep! We had a close call, but everything’s okie dokie artichokie now. We even found a way upstairs!”

That last statement made Sparkplug’s eyes widen. “Wow, that’s great, Pinkie!” She said before dropping her hoof briefly to relay the message to her eagerly waiting companions. “They found a way upstairs!”

As she was inspecting her newly bandaged shoulder, Applejack brightened her expression and looked up. “I knew they would pull through!”

Fluttershy smiled as well. “Leave it to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to come out on top.”

Sparkplug shared in her friends’ excitement for a moment before shifting her attention back to the pink mare in her ear. “Listen, don’t wait up for us. You get yourselves out of this place and we’ll catch up when we--”

Then, before she could finish her sentence, a loud wooden bang echoed from further down the corridor, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and jolt. Sparkplug actually produced a startled yelp and jumped to her hooves as she stared in the direction of the noise.

“Sparkplug? Hello? Are you ok?!” Pinkie’s voice came, brimming with worry.

The gray mare ignored her for a moment and waited, her ears poised forward alongside the other two mares. More echoed sounds came in the form of hurried hoofsteps.

“Uh… I’m gonna have to get back to you on that, Pinkie!” Sparkplug said before dropping her hoof to her vest. She fished out her popper and kept it loosely pointed ahead.

Applejack got in front of Fluttershy and drew her silver blade. Their detectors were still glowing, so they couldn’t rule out any dangers to be the source of the sound.

The three ponies huddled together and watched, ready to fight or flee at a moment’s notice as the sound drew closer. Then, two colorful shapes came down the curved corridor. One of them flinched back and froze upon noticing the trio, while the other jumped and yelped.

“Girls…?...!” A familiar stallion asked, his tense expression fading to a bright smile as he recognized them.

Sparkplug and the others quickly lowered their weapons and gawked at the pair. “Glimmer? Sunspot?!” The gray mare replied, equally as stunned and excited to see them as they were to see her.

Sunspot deflated with relief from her seated position, one foreleg reaching halfway to her suit. “You guys scared the hay out of us!” She said, a joyful smile plastered on her face regardless. Of all the surprises she was anticipating down in the winding tunnels and rooms, this was a pleasant one.

Applejack eyed down to the blade she was still carrying and chuckled awkwardly as she put it away. “Sorry… You kinda scared us too,” She said before skewing her expression as she noted the pair’s appearance. They were soaking wet, and there was a reddish tint to their respective uniforms and fur coats. “Why are you guys all wet?”

Sunspot grumbled under her breath as she looked down at her suit. “Don’t ask.”

Meanwhile, while his teammate was bemoaning their own situation, Glimmer Shine’s expression fell as he noticed the orange mare’s bandaged shoulder and Sparkplug’s ankle. “Oh my gosh, what happened to you two?”

“Monster attack,” Applejack replied, glancing back down the tunnel behind them in a paranoid manner. “Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long in a place like this.”

Sunspot cringed sympathetically at the orange mare’s wound. Sparkplug’s injury looked fairly tame in comparison. “Yikes… those skeletons really did a number on you, didn’t they?”

Suddenly, the three mares paused in confusion and mild concern.

“Wait… skeletons?” Sparkplug wrinkled her expression.

Glimmer and Sunspot looked at each other and blinked before facing the trio.

“Is that… not what attacked you?” Sunspot asked hesitantly.

Fluttershy’s eyes softened with worry, “No. It was one of the things that-”

Then, before the pegasus could finish, another sound echoed from down the tunnel where the two ponies had just come from.

What sounded like a guttural series of growls and screeches were slowly getting louder. While the sounds were plenty unnerving, enough so to make Sparkplug and the others stand up and stare ahead nervously, Sunspot and Glimmer Shine seemed to be the most concerned by them.

“Uh oh...” Glimmer muttered.

“W-what is that?” Applejack asked, unsure if she even wanted an answer.

Sunspot said, “That would be the skeletons,” She took a few nervous steps back toward the tunnel behind them. “We should go… like, right now.”

Sparkplug reached out to stop the pegasus. “Wait! We can’t go that way. Our monster is back there somewhere!”

“Well, where do we go?!” Sunspot asked.

As the noises grew louder and more pronounced, Fluttershy felt her heart rate climbing. “Guys… w-what do we do?”

Glimmer Shine turned toward the noises, his eyes holding a serious air to them behind the unease. "There was another path back where we came from. Come on! Let's get moving before those creeps beat us there!"

The others wasted no time in following behind the stallion as he ran down the tunnel.

Running toward the howling cries and moans of the undead horde proved to be a spine-tingling experience for much of the group, but they had no other choice. All they could do was keep a fast pace and hope they reached their destination before the creatures did.

Shortly, they saw an intersection up ahead with a smaller corridor leading off to the right. Judging from the sounds emanating from it, Sparkplug and the two mares with her quickly figured out that this was where Glimmer and Sunspot came from, and also where the skeletal monsters were approaching from.

As they were running by, Applejack turned and noticed a few red dots glowing just beyond the light of a torch at the mouth of the corridor. Immediately after, a skeletal griffin lurched into the light and shrieked at her.

“Sweet apple pie!” The orange mare jerked back before picking up her pace.

Sunspot turned from the front of the group and saw the first few skeletons pouring out into the tunnel after them, their mismatched eyes and empty sockets staring toward the fleeing ponies.

“Son of a-” The pegasus muttered, pulling out her popper and taking a few shots at the faster-looking skeletons. None of the creatures could really keep up with them at a full sprint, but Sparkplug’s injury was slowing them down enough to cause concern.

“Keep moving!” Glimmer Shine said, ushering Fluttershy and the injured mares ahead while he took up the rear with Sunspot and tried to slow down the advancing horde. They would each take potshots over their shoulder every few moments.

Sparkplug winced in pain as she stumbled to the floor. Even with the added support of the bandage, her ankle could barely support the strain she was putting it through. Fluttershy quickly helped the gray mare up and put a foreleg around her to help her stay mobile as the group kept going down the tunnel.

Eventually, the group arrived at the end of the corridor. Only a single doorway to their left served as a path, so they were inclined to take it.

Applejack was first through the opening, and she paused as she saw what was waiting for them. It was a room with a bridge in the center spanning over a ten-foot-deep pit with more blood at the bottom. There were also various puddles of the crimson fluid scattered around, making the area slick and slippery.

However, what captivated the ponies’ attention as they all filtered into the room, was an elevated platform at the back wall leading to a stairway.

Sparkplug’s face brightened, “There’s our ticket out of here!”

“Not like we have much choice. Let’s book it!” Sunspot suggested after taking a paranoid glance behind them out into the tunnel. She could see the skeletons outside getting uncomfortably close.

With ample motivation in the form of a chorus of unearthly sounds, the ponies all trotted up to the bridge and rushed to cross it as fast as they could without falling off.

Applejack’s hoof nearly slipped out from under her in the center of the bridge, but luckily Glimmer Shine nudged her back onto stable ground.

However, just before they reached the other side, a startled yelp and subsequent grunt of pain made them pause and turn. They saw Sunspot flat on her face, apparently having fallen over as something caught her hind hoof.

Much to their horror, they immediately saw the problem. A bloody claw was reaching up out of the crimson puddle in the center of the bridge and clutching the pegasus’ leg.

“What the h-” Sunspot muttered before widening her eyes as she saw the talons wrapping around her limb, right around the time the claw pulled her backward. “AHH!”

Glimmer Shine yelled, “Sunspot!”

As the pegasus was being pulled back, a grotesque visage of a griffon made out of blood emerged from the living puddle. It started to move sideways and fall off of the bridge, seemingly trying to take Sunspot with it down into the bloody pool below.

Glimmer wasted no time in leaping forward, managing to grab the suited mare’s hooves just as she was falling to the side. She unfurled her wings and did her best to hover in place while the stretchy limb kept pulling her down.

Off to the side, a pair of the horrid-looking skeletons emerged into the room, with more stalking in behind them. The undead creatures didn’t seem to care that another monster was present. All they cared about was reaching the ponies and tearing into them.

Seeing their friends in danger and the undead horde approaching, Sparkplug and the others quickly sprang into action. The gray mare drew her popper, and Applejack drew her strobe tentatively.

“Hold on, Sunspot!” Sparkplug shouted as she took aim with her weapon.

“That was the plan!” The pegasus retorted, face wrinkled from nerves and exertion as she fought to stay above the bridge with Glimmer’s help.

With pressure mounting, Sparkplug trailed the vial in her hooves down toward the midpoint of the bloody forelimb. Her aim was getting better with the popper, but she didn’t want to risk hitting Sunspot.

An apt ‘pop’ rang out as a bolt of green light shot out of the tip of the vial, eliciting a slight flinch from both Fluttershy and Sparkplug herself. The light zipped straight past the intended mark, coming close, but not making contact and instead uselessly splashing into the pit below.

Sparkplug tensed herself and shifted her aim before letting loose two more shots. The first one missed again, but the second exploded into the bloody appendage, sending it spraying out like a burst water balloon as the bolt of energy sailed through. A displeased growl came from the pit below as a familiar beaked skull glared up at the gray mare.

Almost instantly, Sunspot felt the claw around her hind leg giving way and shifting to liquid. Without the strong pull on her form, she quickly hovered back up onto the bridge, where Glimmer Shine was waiting to pull her in and put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

The pair started to cast an impressed and thankful look over to Sparkplug when a particularly close shriek made them dart their eyes behind them. Seeing how close the skeletons had gotten, they both flinched back in alarm.

“Holy-!” Sunspot exclaimed, immediately fumbling on her suit for some kind of weapon.

However, before either of them could react further, a zapping sound behind them signaled a series of colorful orbs of sparkling light to surge past.

Applejack used every bit of her strobe’s rapid fire rate and hammered the button. The vibrant projectiles collided with the two nearest skeletons, exploding into equally vibrant sparkles and creating a sizzling sound.

Much to Glimmer and Sunspot’s surprise, the skeletons produced a pained wail and jerked back. The strange, fleshy tendril snaking through their bodies seemed to shrivel up and blacken, and as the farm pony hit them with more projectiles, one of them actually collapsed to the floor and scattered into a heap of bones.

“Wow… You’d think we would have tried that,” Glimmer said, glancing down to his own strobe and lifting his brows.

“Come on!” Applejack beckoned, keeping her weapon trained on the cautiously approaching horde. “We gotta get outta here ‘fore that bloody critter-”

Then, another splash from the water below drew their attention to the side. The ponies watched as a similar bloody limb to the creature by the bridge stretched up before planting itself onto the cold stone near the exit platform. Soon after, a mass of blood seemed to defy gravity and flow up the limb, pooling into a crimson puddle around the claw.

Fluttershy flinched back as the puddle started forming upwards and taking the shape of the creature. Much to her horror, she darted her eyes back to the pit below the bridge, only to see the same beaked visage growling at Sunspot and Glimmer Shine.

“There’s two of them?!” She squeaked, immediately slinking back to the wall behind her and descending into a panic.

Seeing how Sparkplug used a popper to attack the crimson beasts, Glimmer Shine grabbed his own popper and quickly made it over the bridge so he could stand in front of the mares
protectively.

“Get ready to make a break for the stairs,” He said, taking a darting glance at the skeletons off to the side. Applejack’s occasional strobe fire was dissuading most of them from moving, but it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

A sharp gurgle came from the creature ahead of them as it reeled its forelimb back, immediately sending a wave of alarm through the ponies.

“Look out!” Sparkplug yelled as she and the others either dove to the side or ducked.

Sunspot barely got clear in time before the clawed projectile came rocketing between them. She cringed in pain as it nicked her shoulder, creating a small cut in her suit and even drawing a bit of blood. Applejack narrowly avoided getting impaled as she fell backward, watching the bloody geyser surge over her and into the wall behind the group.

Before the creature could act further, Glimmer Shine rolled from his position on the ground and aimed up before sending two bolts of green energy zipping forward.

One hit near the puddle at the blobby base of the monster, creating a sizable hole in its form. The other impacted its neck, sending its head dropping to the floor before splashing into liquid, with its body drooping and melting soon after.

“Go, go, go!” Glimmer said, scrambling to get to his hooves. Nobody needed to be told twice.

Fluttershy and Sparkplug went after the stallion up the stone steps. The opening into the cramped stairway was just in their reach. They really hoped that it didn’t lead to a dead end.

Sunspot and Applejack took up the rear, with the pegasus keeping her popper in her teeth while clutching her stinging shoulder with one hoof.

Hearing a sound like flowing water, Sunspot looked over just in time to see another bloody claw stretching toward her. “Woah!” She yelped, shrinking back against the wall just in time for the claws to swipe down where she just was and scrape along the stonework as it receded back.

Following the stretchy limb, they noticed that it came from the creature still in the pit. It stopped just at the edge of the trench, holding onto the side while its liquid skin started flowing up and pooling into a larger puddle. It was coming up after the fleeing ponies.

“Get the lead out!” Applejack shouted ahead of her as everyone scrambled to get up and into the stairwell. She and Sunspot got inside just in time to hear a bellowing garble of a roar echo through the claustrophobic space.

Up the stairs they all went, narrowly avoiding tripping several times. The space around them wasn't wet or slick, but the tight spacing of the steps made them difficult to traverse in a hurry.

Glimmer Shine saw a door coming into view at the top of the stairs. He felt a twinge of dread welling up inside of him as he silently prayed that it wasn't locked. And as he picked up his pace and reached the wooden obstacle, it thankfully clicked open at his touch.

The door swung open to reveal a relatively familiar-looking setting. It was a carpeted hallway, with lit torches, paintings, and tapestries adorning the walls.

“Oh, thank Celestia,” Glimmer noted with relief.

“Are we back on the first floor?” Fluttershy asked as she and Sparkplug made it out of the stairwell. She let the gray mare rest against the nearby wall while she took a look around.

However, the faint howls and growls coming up through the stairwell behind them drew their attention back just in time to see Sunspot and Applejack coming through the door in an exhausted state of panic.

Sunspot panted a bit before looking to Glimmer Shine, “We got problems! Those freaks are still following us!”

“What are we gonna do? Outrun them?!” Sparkplug asked. Between her injury and everyone’s collective stamina swiftly running out, she wasn't sure how much longer they could keep ahead of the creatures.

While everyone else was slowly descending into a panic, Glimmer Shine took a moment of thought before quickly springing into action.

“Sunspot, help me make a barrier!” The stallion instructed as he dug through his vest for materials, coming up with a small strip of paper, a quill, and some ink.

Sunspot gave the stallion a wary look as he started feverishly drawing some kind of symbols on the paper. “Are you sure that would work here?” She asked, looking to the door while also digging for her own supplies.

“It’s an interior door. The spell doesn’t say anything about magical mazes!” Glimmer replied. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure how two different kinds of magic overlapping would work. He only hoped that they would just ignore each other.

Applejack watched down the stairs while her two friends worked. Her pupils shrank as she saw a familiar crimson figure slithering up the steps. Once it saw the ponies at the top, it growled and shifted its body eagerly.

And judging from the choir of noises behind the creature, the remaining skeletons weren’t too far behind either.

“Uh… guys, I don’t wanna alarm you or nothin’, but could ya maybe hurry it up?!” Applejack stated nervously.

“Almost got it…” Glimmer said, taking pains not to compromise the accuracy of the symbols he was drawing in his haste. “There!” He stated, dropping the quill to the side and frantically picking the piece of paper up.

The others watched as the stallion rushed to the door and affixed the strip of paper onto the other side. He took a glance down the stairwell toward the approaching monsters and flinched back anxiously as he saw a bloody claw shooting toward him.

With a startled yelp, Glimmer shut the door and pressed his back against it. There was a sizable thunk that made the door shake and jolt slightly. “Sunspot, it’s now or never!”

“I’m trying, I’m trying!” Sunspot cringed as she fought her mounting nerves and the pressure of the situation to draw straight lines and smooth curves. It was hard enough for her to draw in the first place, let alone such a small set of intricate symbols from memory.

Fluttershy backed up to the other side of the hallway until her backside hit the wall. She whined tensely as she stared at the door, all of the noises coming out of it sending her already shocked nerves into overdrive.

Sparkplug backed up as well and even sat down so she could draw her popper and keep it at the ready. Soon, only Glimmer and Sunspot were left near the door, with all eyes on the pegasus.

“Come on…” Sunspot muttered, her brow starting to sweat as she filled in the remaining sections of the spell. She actually had to steady her foreleg with her free hoof to prevent it from jittering and ruining her work. “Come on…”

The shrieks and groans were getting closer and closer. All of the ponies felt their hearts racing. Fluttershy in particular was trembling fearfully as she anticipated watching a bloody puddle slip under the door.

Then, Sunspot’s eyes lit up and a smile split her features as she finished. “Got it!” She exclaimed, picking up the scrap of paper and rushing to the door.

Glimmer Shine scooted to the side, giving the suited mare room to plant the paper into the middle of the door. The moment she did, the ink on the paper lit up a brilliant shade of blue as a shockwave of energy surged out through the door, stopping at the frame.

Almost the instant the light faded, a muted bang sounded out as something crashed into the door from the other side. A luminescent aura flashed to life, covering the entirety of the door, even the seams around its edges. There was a garbled bleat, followed by some more pounding. Thankfully, however, the door remained secure.

Sunspot immediately let out a relieved sigh and deflated back onto her haunches.

While the others were easing up, Sparkplug seemed unconvinced. "Are we good…? Is that going to hold?"

"Trust me, that barrier has kept out things a lot nastier," Glimmer Shine said with a confident smile.

"I don’t know… those things looked pretty nasty," Sunspot said. She skewed her expression in thought before looking to the others curiously. "Hey, didn't they look familiar?"

"Yeah. It's the monster that attacked the school back when the hooded ponies were around." Glimmer Shine explained. He had only seen a picture in a book of a more humanoid-looking version of the creature, but he could never forget it.

"Yikes…" Sunspot said, softening her expression as she looked up to Fluttershy. "That’s what you guys went through? By yourselves?"

Fluttershy rubbed a hoof along her foreleg uncomfortably. “Twilight and the others did most of the work.”

“Don’t be so modest, sugar,” Applejack chimed in. “I heard you saved Twilight’s life… kinda like you and Sparkplug saved mine.” She smiled at the pair.

“Yeah. You’re amazing, Fluttershy,” Sparkplug added.

The praise her friends were giving her made the pegasus’ cheeks redden, however much she had earned it. “I’m just glad we’re all ok…”

“It’s kinda sad when this is ok for us,” Sunspot said, cringing a bit as she looked at the cut on her shoulder. Still, she couldn’t exactly complain, considering Applejack had a worse version of her injury.

“Anything you can walk away from is ok in my books,” Glimmer Shine added optimistically as he stood up and shifted his attention to the hallway around them. He started to say something else when he was suddenly interrupted by a distant rumble.

The ponies all paused and turned toward the faint noise. They could hear the castle shaking from whatever explosive force was just unleashed.

“What was that?” Applejack asked the obvious question.

Glimmer Shine frowned uneasily, “The princesses said they were fighting something earlier.”

“You think they’re still fighting?” Sunspot asked, more than a hint of concern showing through.

“Oh my gosh…” Fluttershy’s ears fell as she imagined what was going on. She was worried about the alicorns, sure, but she also had Blue Bolt to worry about.

Another muffled clamor came, furthering the sense of concern the ponies felt. Even if it wasn't the alicorns, whoever it was sounded like they were in trouble.

“What do we do?” Sparkplug looked around at her friends, uncertainty written all over her face.

Without even taking a moment to think, Glimmer Shine steeled his expression. “What else? We go help.”

“Can we even help?” Sparkplug ventured. “If the princesses are having trouble fighting whatever it is, what can we do?”

“We can try,” Applejack said, a bit of unease behind the determination in her voice. She was going to help her friends, no matter what, even if it was a losing battle.

Sparkplug looked down to her injured ankle, and then around at the others. They all seemed like they had made up their minds, however nervous they might have been. Finally, she sighed and stood up on three legs. “Well, we’ve been getting by alright so far by trying.”

“That’s the spirit,” Sunspot said, briefly curling her mouth up at her own wordplay before letting her expression droop as no one reciprocated her reaction.

With that, they marched forward down the hall. While they were eager to leave the lower levels behind, they couldn’t help but think that the night was far from over, and that their worst experience was still yet to come.

Chapter 59: Iron and Blood

*Boom*

Luna teleported a few feet back as a flash of flaming fury erupted into the wall she was just standing against. She lifted a foreleg and cringed against the shower of ruined stone flecks before pausing for a moment as her hind hoof brushed against snow.

Glancing behind her, she found that their battle had landed her in a courtyard. She recalled seeing the open space from the air, and save for the openings into the twisted maze of halls and rooms, it seemed relatively unchanged by Dusk’s spell. It looked like they could even fly out if they wanted to.

A tin-sounding roar snapped her gaze back ahead to see her sister recoiling from the same armored specter that they had been fighting for the past few minutes.

Blue Bolt was hovering behind the suit of armor and striking at it with his blades every so often before dodging a strike from its surprisingly powerful forelimbs. Any hit he landed seemed to bounce right off, just like the majority of spells she and Celestia had tried.

"We cannot keep this up forever," Luna said as she walked alongside her sister, who was taking a tentative reprieve between attacks.

Celestia produced a frustrated growl. “Blue Bolt said that it must have some sort of weak point.” She said, watching the armor closely for anything useful she could glean.

Apparently, the possessed suit of armor was made up of many wayward spirits charged and forced together with dark magic, which lined up with what Dusk said earlier. Such unstable conglomerations of spirits tended to have weak spots, at least if Blue Bolt’s spotty access to his inherited slayer knowledge was accurate.

“That may be so, but how are we supposed to reveal such a weakness if we can barely interact with it?” Luna asked, a touch disheartened. Nothing they tried had worked. They could barely even pick it up with their magic before it overwhelmed them.

Before Celestia could even think of an answer, the specter kicked Blue Bolt, sending the stallion bouncing along the ground with a series of pained grunts. It shifted its head to look at them, its glowing eyes burning into their forms as it started shambling toward them, building speed as it went.

With little time to react, the sisters did their best to evade. Luna spread her wings and hovered back, while Celestia merely jumped backward as the admittedly smaller suit of armor slammed its iron fists down, cracking the stone where the white mare just was.

With a ringing zap, Luna fired a fairly powerful explosive blast ahead, impacting right into the specter’s side and engulfing it in a fiery cloud of smoke that almost masked the dark smoke already pouring out of it.

Before the cloud even cleared, Celestia fired off two of her own attacks, putting more emphasis on piercing power in the hopes of punching a hole in the knight in frightening armor’s ironclad defenses.

The bolts of magic struck something behind the fading smoke, giving a distinct set of two satisfying clanks that could have been the sound of rending metal.

However, their brief elation was swiftly dashed as the form of the armor stomped forward, unfazed and unaffected entirely, save for its renewed rage evidenced by a demonic roar. As fire quickly gathered in its maw, Luna zipped off into a flying dodge, narrowly avoiding a burning projectile to the face and barely keeping ahead of a few more blasts.

Seeing her sister under attack, Celestia fired off a few more lasers from her horn, hoping to distract the knight. Her blasts struck uselessly into its chest, causing it to pause before glaring at her.

Then, much to her alarm, the armor widened its beak. The flame within intensified for a brief moment before suddenly spouting forward in a torrent reminiscent of a dragon’s breath.

Celestia widened her eyes and quickly cast a shield around herself. Even from behind her magical barrier, she could feel the frigid air heating up from the flames diverging around her like a parted sea.

Up in the air, Luna grit her teeth as she saw the older alicorn literally under fire. There wasn't much she could do other than grab its attention, but they couldn’t just play hot potato with it forever, because eventually, they would end up getting burned.

“Worry not, sister! I will--” Luna started until something abruptly silenced her.

“Hey! Take this you musty tin can!”

Luna and even the knight paused and looked toward the source of the shouting. For the suit of armor, it barely had time to move before a familiar blue stallion was flying toward it, foreleg reeled back and the tip of his hoof glowing bright orange.

With a mighty yell, Blue Bolt punched his hoof forward and collided with the back of the knight’s chest piece. A sonorous bong rang out as the stallion’s unnatural power surged through his hoof tip and sent the hulking knight flying like a sack of potatoes.

The armor sailed across the courtyard, crashing into the wooden remains of a stockade, pulverizing it instantly into a shower of splinters and debris before coming to a stop in a crumbled mess of a stone wall.

Celestia stared at the spectacle for a moment before turning to the stallion. After remembering to pick her jaw off the floor, she chuckled. “I hadn’t realized just how strong you are, Blue Bolt.” She said before pausing as she noticed how out of breath he seemed. However, he quickly recovered, flashing her a sheepish smile.

“Let us not waste this opportunity!” Luna suggested from up in the air. “Sister, help me hold it down. Blue Bolt, see if you can ascertain its weakness!”

"Got it!" Blue Bolt replied as he darted forward toward the knight.

Celestia rushed forward as well, casting her magical influence over the armor the instant she could. A second aura wrapped around hers as her sister joined in the effort.

The armor shook with rage as it found its attempt at lifting up impeded. A booming roar echoed out of its helm and it cast its burning gaze ahead, toward the pegasus stallion approaching it.

Blue Bolt came to a tense stop before the possessed hunk of metal. It was flexing and bucking as hard as it could against the two alicorns' holds.

"Quickly, Blue Bolt!" Celestia said through clenched teeth. "We… cannot hold it for long!"

With the mounting exertion clear on the pair’s faces, Blue gave an admittedly rushed look over the knight for any signs of weakness.

Its armored shell seemed impenetrable from all angles, and there weren’t any openings large enough to offer a glimpse at whatever swirling mass of angry souls lay within, and that was without even considering the thick puffs of pitch-black smoke cascading out of its every nook and cranny.

Whatever knowledge he had of this thing said that there had to be a weak point, but what was he supposed to do if he couldn’t even reach it?

Not one to waste an opportunity, Blue threw caution and planning to the wind and lifted his right forelimb. He spun the blade around his wrist into a better position before locking it into place and beginning to charge it with fiery energy.

However, before he could finish his attack, a different sort of fiery energy gathered within the knight’s open beak.

“Ack!” Blue Bolt squawked as he narrowly avoided a blast of fire surging past him. He darted his gaze to follow the bolt of flame, only to watch it sailing right for Luna.

The alicorn widened her eyes and fell backward through the air, giving a powerful flap of her wings just to get clear of the burning projectile. She started to right herself when she suddenly clutched her head and cried out in pain.

Celestia jolted as well and clenched her eyes shut as a great strain was put on her magic. She looked up, only to see Blue Bolt casting a worried glance her way, and an armored gauntlet reaching up behind him.

Before anyone could react further, the knight struck out, breaking the already fragile hold the alicorns had over it as its metal limb collided with the stallion, creating a bone-jarring sound and sending Blue Bolt flying with a pained cry.

Risking only the slightest moment to watch the stallion bouncing along the ground in concern, Celestia grit her teeth and faced the possessed armor. She fired a concentrated beam at it, actually managing to scorch its chest plate.

More luminous bolts of magic came zipping down and exploding into the knight’s form. It creaked its helm up to gaze at Luna before opening its beak again, this time sending a large spout of flame at the irritating flyer.

Luna yelped as the spout caught the edge of her hip as she evaded. She was forced to the ground, where she scrambled to gain distance.

Celestia reeled back as the knight stomped forward, ignorant of any and all attempts at slowing it. It marched toward her. Unrelenting. Unwavering. Merciless. Bolts of magic bounced off its form or harmlessly fizzled against its metallic skin before fiery projectiles started going the other way.

While Blue Bolt recovered, Luna got in front of him and raised a shield. They both watched as Celestia slowly retreated backward toward them. None of them could go on the offensive with how persistent the specter was being with its fireballs. Any time one of the alicorns even thought of dropping their shields, a fiery impact dissuaded them and pressed them even further back.

Just as they were wondering if they were going to need to run from their dauntless foe, two distinct cracks came from off to the side, swiftly followed by green flashes of light zipping into the armor nearly faster than the eye could see. The bolts didn’t do any discernible damage, but they did make everyone, the knight included, look over.

Two familiar ponies were standing at the mouth of the courtyard, both holding a smoking vial in their hooves. One vested yellow stallion and one suited orange pegasus, both looking mildly disheveled, but nevertheless determined.

“Sunspot? Glimmer Shine?” Celestia said, more than a bit surprised to see the pair.

“Sorry we’re late. We got a little lost downstairs.” Glimmer Shine said with a lighthearted smirk.

Sunspot gave one of her trademark sly grins. “Yeah. I think we took a wrong turn somewhere between the rec room and the torture chamber.”

Then, in the time it took for the knight to open its maw and gather a ball of flame, the color drained from the pair’s faces and they ducked back around the pillars they just exited from with a shrill squeal and a more dignified yelp, though it was hard to tell which noise came from which pony.

“You two need to get out of here! It is entirely too dangerous!” Luna instructed urgently.

The suited pegasus poked her head out and looked to the scorched crater in the floor where she was just standing with wide eyes. “Thanks for the heads up, but I think we can see that just fine.”

“There’s no way we’re leaving you.” Glimmer Shine said, keeping his body pressed up to the edge of his pillar and cautiously leaning out to observe the knight before another fireball forced him to flinch back to safety. “Any tips on what this smoky rust bucket is? Preferably some kind of weakness?”

“We’re kind of trying to figure that out ourselves.” Blue Bolt chimed in. “It’s being controlled by a lot of spirits, so it should have a focal point of some kind, but all that armor is covering it up!”

Sunspot growled in annoyance, “I knew we should have brought Sparkplug. She’s good at fighting haunted hunks of metal.”

“Wrong kind of hunk of metal, but I don’t think she would have wanted to come anyway. With all this fire getting thrown around, someone might get their face burnt off… and she has a particular distaste for surprise facial surgery.” Glimmer said.

“I mean… understandable.” Sunspot tilted her head.

Meanwhile, Celestia tilted her head for a decidedly different reason. “You found Sparkplug?”

Glimmer answered, “Yeah. We ran into her, Applejack, and Fluttershy before we made it back up here. They got a little roughed up by some monsters, and we figured there was a fight over here, so we left them in a room not too far away.”

Hearing that the three mares were safe and relatively unharmed came as a pleasant surprise for the trio. Blue Bolt in particular felt some tension leave his body. He hated not knowing how either of his closest friends were doing, and he dreaded the shy pegasus getting put into any danger, so he was overjoyed.

“I’ll patch them up after we put this freak to bed.” The pegasus stated, returning his steely gaze to the specter and dashing toward it. Now that it was distracted, he hoped to be able to catch it off guard.

With the battle close to recommencing, Luna turned to the two ponies still hiding behind cover with a serious expression. “Stay on the move and keep your distance! It is extremely powerful up close, but its projectiles and flames can be easily dodged. Just help us distract it and look for anything that looks like a weak point!”

“Got it!” Glimmer and Sunspot replied in unison.

Seeing that Blue Bolt was coming in close, Sunspot quickly hovered into the air and popped around the corner, taking a few potshots with her popper. While the knight was firing at her, Glimmer Shine emerged and took a few shots as well, heading forward into the courtyard while still keeping the possessed armor looking in one direction, away from the pegasus stallion.

Moving fast and quiet, Blue Bolt closed the distance between himself and the armor. It still hadn’t noticed him, and it didn’t, right up until he reeled back his foreleg and jammed his blade toward its open helm.

Through one means or another, the knight apparently heard the stallion. It dodged its head back just in time to keep the ornate blade from entering its maw. A scraping sound emanated as metal clashed against metal before Blue found his weapon glancing off. He growled in frustration before jumping back as the knight swiped at him in retaliation.

Sunspot tried to aim a shot into an opening in the armor, but a hastily aimed fireball heading her way dissuaded her as the specter bellowed and whipped around, furiously trying to distance the attacking ponies all around it.

As explosions and flames rocked the peaceful snows of the courtyard, Celestia narrowed her eyes. “This is going to be much harder than I initially thought.” She said before conjuring a shield around Glimmer Shine, and then herself as more fiery projectiles spewed forth.

Elsewhere, safely tucked away from the battle just down the hall, Sparkplug and her two companions rested and licked their wounds.

The room they were in seemed to be a reading area of sorts. It was warmly lit and had two entrances, making it one of the safer feeling rooms they had found. It had a luxurious-looking couch positioned before a lit fireplace, which Applejack and Sparkplug were making use of.

There were also a scattered few bookcases and tables nestled against the walls, alongside a large portrait of a griffin standing atop a hill. Its dimly red eyes and imposing stature were a touch unsettling to look at, so they did their best to ignore it.

Another distant explosion made Fluttershy look up and cast a concerned frown toward the doorway. Even from her chair at the back of the room, she could feel the vibrations.

“I hope they’re ok.” The pegasus fretted.

Applejack sighed and rested a hoof below her bandaged shoulder. “We should be out there helpin’ ‘em, not sittin’ on our tails.”

“You heard Glimmer. We would just get in the way.” Sparkplug said before deflating slightly. “But… I get where you’re coming from. I hate sitting here too.” She looked down to her injured ankle, gingerly trying to put weight on it before cringing and wrinkling her expression in disappointment.

Looking over to her gray friend, Applejack’s frustrated glower melted into an uneasy frown. “Have you heard anythin’ from Twilight and the others?”

The sudden question made Sparkplug’s features fall as well. She didn’t look like she had a lot of hope, but she lifted a hoof to her ear anyway.

“Hello? Is anypony there?” She asked. “Glitter…? Twilight…? Shining?” Several seconds went by, with no response from any of the three unicorns. Sparkplug let her hoof droop and pool in her lap as she stared ahead absentmindedly.

“It’s been way too long for them to be this quiet.” Fluttershy reasoned softly, her ears falling flat against her head and her eyes shimmering with concern. “I hope n-nothing… bad, happened.” She swallowed.

“I’m sure they’re fine.” Applejack said, leaning over the back of the couch to face the pegasus. As much as she tried to appear confident, she didn’t. “I mean… at least one of them would have called for help if they were in real trouble. Maybe somethin’ is messin’ with that spell of yours?”

“Is something like that even possible?” Fluttershy asked, shifting to look at Sparkplug as well.

The gray mare shrank down a bit as her friends shifted their eyes to her in unison. “I… I’m not sure.” She lowered her head. “Glitter would be the one to ask about that…”

An uneasy silence fell over the room, only broken by the popping of the fireplace and the few lamps scattered around, and the occasional rumble from the fight in the courtyard.

Eventually, Sparkplug lifted her head and narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before bringing a hoof to her ear again. “Pinkie, have you guys made it topside yet?” She asked, drawing the silent attention of her two companions.

“Yep! We found a staircase up a while ago. I think we’re on the second floor now.” The pink pony’s voice responded a few moments later.

Slightly relieved that Rainbow and Pinkie were still safe, Sparkplug relaxed into the couch behind her before adopting a more serious expression. “Good. Hey… since you’re up there, can you look for Twilight and the others? We haven’t heard anything from them since they said they were looking for Princess Cadence and the girls up there.”

Pinkie responded after a brief pause. “So, it’s not just me that can’t reach them?” She asked quietly. Seemingly understanding the uneasy silence from Sparkplug, she adopted a more determined tone. “Don’t worry. We’ll find them. We were already kinda on their trail, but this place is so big and confusing, even with your locators…”

Sparkplug gave a half-hearted smile, but it struggled and eventually failed to overtake her concern. “I hear you there.”

Then, the gray mare skewed her expression as she heard a slight protest from Pinkie, followed by another familiar voice coming in slightly quieter.

“Hey, have you guys heard from Blue and the Princesses?! Are they alright?!”

“Gah! Rainbow, not so loud! That’s my ear, not a microphone!” Pinkie whined.

Sparkplug hid a snicker as she heard some muffled apologetic sounding words from the cyan pegasus, along with some faint laughter from a third voice, most likely Raincloud. She knew that background noise could sometimes bleed through the communication spell, but she never thought about other people talking through it that way.

Her ears swiftly drooped as she actually thought about how to answer. After some thought, she spoke. “You can tell Rainbow not to worry. Blue and the Princesses are fine. They’re just… busy right now.” Sparkplug explained, doing her best to sound genuine.

“Okie dokie.” Pinkie replied, pleased to hear such good news. “I’ll let you know if anything changes. You guys stay safe, and tell Fluttershy and Applejack I said hi!”

Sparkplug smiled a bit. “You got it… and you guys stay safe too.” She said before dropping her hoof from her ear and sighing.

Looking over, she discovered Applejack giving her a pensive look.

“You sure you want to lie to them about the princesses like that?” AJ asked in a surprisingly understanding tone.

Sparkplug let her head thump back against the couch. “I didn’t want to worry them… They can’t do anything about it, and they have enough on their plate right now. Besides, I wasn't technically lying. I’m sure Blue and the princesses will be fine.” She said, though her confident stare wavered slightly.

“I sure hope you’re right.” Fluttershy chimed in from the back of the room. She shared a hesitant glance with her friends before letting her head hang from the weight of all the troubling thoughts she had.

However, the yellow mare looked up abruptly as a hint of movement caught her eye.

Fluttershy trailed her gaze to the side, to the back right corner of the room. She could see the shadows cast on the bookshelf there from the torch sconces outside the open doorway to her right.

The thick shadowy lines created by the enclosures for the torches almost seemed to move and shift from the flickering light. If she couldn’t directly see one of the torches herself, she might have been unsettled by them.

Still, somehow she was sure she saw something out of place. A shadow that didn’t belong, that moved just a bit too much. Now, however, everything seemed normal.

After a few paranoid moments spent staring at the opening, and a few quick scans of the room, Fluttershy tucked her legs in close and hugged herself. This far away from the fireplace, she couldn’t tell if the shivers she experienced were from unease or the cold. She only wished that they could accomplish their goal soon and that all her friends would be safe.

“Gah!”

Blue Bolt yelped as he was given another bone-shaking smack across the courtyard from the knight’s seemingly endless rage.

“Watch out!” Sunspot cried as she and Glimmer Shine both dove out of the way of an explosive fireball shooting into the ground where they just were.

Finding himself roughly smacking onto the ground, Glimmer looked up and widened his eyes as he saw more flashes of fire aimed at him. He yelled fearfully and rolled as fast as he could, evading two more explosions sending plumes of dirt and snow scattering into the air.

Then, the stallion suddenly hit something solid, halting his movement. He darted his eyes to the newfound obstacle, only to find that he had rolled all the way to a raised square of cobblestone, most likely meant to hold a tree or some other outdoor plant.

Shifting his wide eyes up to the possessed armor, Glimmer flinched as he saw it with maw open wide and flame already gathering. With his awkward position and the solid wall stopping him, he couldn’t get up and dodge in time.

However, as the fireball shot forward and exploded, he strangely felt no pain. After uncovering his face and looking up, he saw a faintly gold-tinted forcefield in front of him.

“Glimmer Shine, are you alright?” Celestia asked from across the courtyard. With Luna and Blue Bolt fighting to take the knight’s attention away, Glimmer had time to look over and see her with her horn lit up.

“Y-yeah…” He said, still a bit shaken from his close brush with death. “Thanks.”

Hearing the fluttering of wings beside him, the stallion looked over to see his pegasus friend landing with a worried expression.

“Come on, get up. If you stay still too long, you’ll end up a pony flambé.” Sunspot said, offering a hoof to help her friend up faster. The near-constant clangs and zaps of laser fire and the assorted roars and yells from the knight made it sound like a warzone, and the various craters and holes around them helped this comparison.

Blue Bolt grit his teeth as he narrowly dodged a spout of flame in the air. He could barely get close enough to even try to land a strike, not that his strikes were being effective. “We can’t keep this up forever! There has to be some way to beat this thing!”

Then, as Sunspot was getting Glimmer Shine back to his hooves, she looked to the knight and paused. It was looking up at Blue Bolt and Luna flying overhead, so its neck was stretched, partially exposing the inside. It was hard to see, so much so that she had to squint, but she could just make out some multicolored lights gleaming through the smoke.

Sunspot frantically tapped Glimmer Shine on the shoulder and pointed ahead. “Hey, you see that?!”

“See what?” Glimmer asked, making an effort to find whatever it was his teammate was pointing out.

“There! In its neck!” Sunspot insisted. However, she and the stallion were forced to scatter as the knight shifted its attention to them and started stomping toward them.

With surprising speed, the armor got within reach of the pegasus and made a downward strike at her. Sunspot flinched her eyes shut as she took off into the air, narrowly avoiding the clawed gauntlet clipping her tail.

Hearing the distinct sounds of fireballs being sent her way, she dodged to the side and made a swooping arc. While she was evading, she put a hoof to her ear and focused on her companions, making extra sure that she was heard. “Everyone! Aim for its neck! I saw some lights inside at the base!”

Celestia glanced from the pegasus flying about in the air down to the raging knight. It was incredibly hard to make out, but there did seem to be some luminescence underneath the smoke coming from the slats in its neck.

“That must be it.” The alicorn reasoned, feeling freshly invigorated to end this fight. Being careful to time her moment and aim precisely, she shot a paper-thin bolt of magic while the knight was tracking Sunspot.

While her aim was spot on, the knight turned slightly to track Luna instead, causing the minute laser to ping uselessly off its metallic hide.

Celestia growled under her breath before lighting her horn once more. “Sister! Help me hold it down when it’s looking up! Glimmer Shine, Sunspot, Blue Bolt, do whatever it takes to hit its weak point!”

Sunspot landed behind a thick stump and poked her head out. She looked down to her popper briefly, deciding to put it away and pull out her strobe. “Got it!”

Seeing what his teammate was doing, Glimmer Shine did the same and crouched down behind the raised square of stone. “Ready when you guys are.”

“On your signal, sister!” Luna said, prepping her horn while also flying above the knight to get it to look up. When it lost interest in her, she fired a few weak blasts down at it, eliciting an agitated rumble from within it as it lifted its burning eyes to meet her.

Once the knight had exposed its neck as much as possible, Celestia acted in a flash.

“Now!”

All at once, the two alicorns wrapped their auras around the armored specter, using every bit of magical stamina they had to prevent it from moving an inch.

Immediately after, Glimmer Shine popped out of his cover and fired a barrage of strobe bolts at the knight’s neck.

The colorful orbs all near perfectly struck their mark. Many of them exploded on contact with the outer armor, sending a shower of multicolored sparks flying out. Two of them, however, entered through the lowest slat in its neck and exploded within.

Seemingly in response to this, the knight bellowed and shook. Celestia and Luna could feel it straining against them, managing to move ever so slightly. Sweat started forming on their brows as they fought to keep it steady.

“It’s not enough! You must… ngh… hit it directly!” Luna ventured. The shower of energized sparks seemed to hurt it, but a more precise shot would be needed to do the damage they were looking for.

Glimmer Shine grit his teeth and produced a frustrated growl. At this rate, none of them would be able to get in position for a more direct strike in time.

Then, however, he saw Sunspot swooping along the ground, beating her wings to swiftly move toward the knight.

“Sunspot!” Glimmer reached out to the reckless pegasus, but she had her mind set.

Sunspot felt every fiber of her being yelling at her to turn back. The knight could break free at any moment and shatter her fragile body with a single strike or burn her alive. Still, monster hunting was a dangerous business, and if it meant saving her friends from similar danger, she would risk it to end this fight right here and now.

Time seemed to slow to a painful crawl as the pegasus swooped in front of the possessed armor, its metallic form towering above her from her position. She held out her strobe and thrust it forward, hoping to stick the end right into the exposed slats of the knight’s neck.

Just then, a metallic squeak came as the knight opened its helm. The all-encompassing darkness within its form was split by orange light, which painted the pony’s paling face as it lowered its gaze to meet her.

Everyone in the courtyard felt their heart skip a beat. Celestia and Luna raced to try and think of some spell to save the pegasus. However, they knew that they couldn’t cast a different spell in time after using so much effort to keep the knight in place.

Before Sunspot’s life could flash before her eyes, she watched as a blue set of forelegs wrapped around the knight’s helm from behind. With great effort, Blue Bolt managed to lift the armor’s head up just in time for the fireball it shot to be off course, sailing above the suited mare’s head and exploding into the castle wall higher up.

Blue grit his teeth as he put all of his enhanced strength into bending the knight’s gaze skyward once more. It started to move to pry him off or strike him, but before it could, he freed one of his forelegs and lowered it.

In an instant, the stallion’s wrist was wreathed in flame and ember as one of his blades flashed into form. Blue barely gave it time to materialize before he jammed his weapon up and into the thin slat at the base of the knight’s neck.

There was a noise like glass cracking, followed by a flash of multicolored light from within the slats. The knight arched back, and an ear-piercing shriek came free as its form shook and vibrated. The red lights in its eyes blinked out, and a shockwave of smoke was expelled from its body.

Sunspot shielded her face, and Blue Bolt turned his head away. Everyone else watching could see a cloud of smoke dispersing in all directions, which quickly faded.

Celestia and Luna felt the armor going limp in their magical grasp, and as they both let go, the metallic shell that once held such fierce spirits collapsed to the ground and split apart into pieces, accentuated by the empty helm rolling to a stop just in front of Sunspot.

With a newly arrived silence in the courtyard, Sunspot blinked at the sight in front of her. She lifted a shaky hoof to the knight’s helm, still expecting it to get back up, and gave it a light kick. She then looked up to see Blue Bolt panting lightly.

“H-holy cow… You saved my hide, Blue.” She said, a bit shaken by her close call.

“Don’t mention it.” Blue Bolt managed a smile as he finished catching his breath and vanished his blade. “We pega-brothers and sisters gotta stick together, right?”

The pair looked to the side to see their companions coming closer, all wearing pleased grins now that the battle was over without anyone being harmed.

“Well done, Blue Bolt,” Celestia said earnestly.

“That was amazing…” Glimmer Shine added.

Luna patted the pegasus on the shoulder. “Amazing is perhaps putting it lightly. I think I can confidently say that you are finding your wings as a slayer. I’m certain Tom would be proud if he could see how far you’ve come.”

Blue Bolt chuckled nervously and dipped his head. “I don’t know about all that.”

Meanwhile, Sunspot glanced down to the now empty armor and adopted a pensive frown. “So, what exactly was Dusk’s plan leaving this guy here to fight you? What’s he after?”

The suited mare’s question caused an uneasy silence to form for a brief moment as everyone returned their thoughts to their primary goal.

“Knowing Dusk, he most likely used this dreadful spirit to toy with us.” Luna offered with a scowl at the thought of Dusk and his smug smirk.

Celestia pursed her lips and exhaled softly. “I’m afraid it may not be so simple. Dusk might be cocksure and impulsive, but he is also conniving. I’m sure Blue Bolt’s prior victory over him in battle gave him a wake-up call of sorts. One that would make him less likely to underestimate his abilities.” She looked to the pegasus with a hint of unease in her eyes.

“So… what? You think Dusk wanted to test Blue Bolt’s abilities on an expendable target?” Glimmer Shine asked.

“I wouldn’t put it past him… although, I’m quite sure he also reveled at the chance to cause us harm and waste our strength,” Celestia said.

However, the others were surprised to see the blue stallion’s face brimming with determination instead of fear or worry.

“Let him play his games. I’ll beat him no matter what he throws at us.” Blue Bolt stated.

“We shall beat him.” Celestia reminded. “I appreciate your drive, Blue Bolt, but please remember that we are in this together. I have seen too many people go it on their own… and I would rather not lose any more friends to Dusk.”

The blue stallion wasn't sure how to respond, but he gave a reserved nod. Still, the alicorn and even the others could see a gleam in his eye that told of how little he considered her words.

Luna cleared the air and her throat before turning to Glimmer Shine and Sunspot. “I think it is time we took a short rest and regrouped before pressing onward. You said you found Sparkplug and the others, yes?”

“Yeah.” Glimmer nodded. He and Sunspot walked alongside the group and led them in the right direction as they talked.

“You said that they were hurt by some monster? How bad are they?” Blue Bolt asked, his mouth curving downward with worry.

“Nothing too serious.” Sunspot said. “Sparkplug hurt her ankle, and Fluttershy is fine. I think if any of them needed some healing, it would probably be Applejack. She had some of her blood drained, apparently, and her shoulder is kinda messed up.” She added, cringing a bit as she recalled their brief examination of the two mares’ wounds.

Luna’s eyes softened at the thought. “My goodness… Did they encounter some of the vampires?”

“I wish.” Glimmer Shine added. “We dealt with a few different monsters down there. Apparently, they had a run-in with one of those blood creatures that the hooded ponies summoned at the school before you brought us to Ponyville.”

“Oh dear…” Celestia’s eyes widened briefly. She remembered viewing the report that Twilight had written her regarding the event, along with the depiction of the creature from one of the magical tomes recovered from the hooded ponies. “I understand Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were somewhat traumatized from that event. Are they both ok? Have you heard word from Pinkie’s group?”

Glimmer smiled reassuringly. “Pinkie’s fine, at least as far as we could tell. Sparkplug said that Pinkie called her a while ago warning her about the monster and that she found some stairs. I assume some stuff went down, but she didn’t seem upset or particularly scared, so I think she and Rainbow are fine.”

“Unfortunately, that also means Raincloud is probably fine too.” Sunspot grumbled, mostly jokingly. Mostly.

Glimmer Shine chuckled. “Every cloud has a gray lining I guess.”

Luna snorted softly before returning her thoughts to the others and frowning. “And what of Fluttershy? I know she is… umm… what is a polite way to phrase this?” She pondered for a moment. “Sensitive, to a degree. I hate to think of her dealing with old foes and memories like this.”

Sunspot smirked as she looked down the hallway toward where they left the three mares. “She’s fine. In fact, Sparkplug and Applejack told us that she saved them from that freak.”

“Really?” Luna blinked, an impressed smile slowly forming.

“That’s my girl.” Blue Bolt said.

“Are you surprised, sister?” Celestia asked lightheartedly.

Luna chortled softly and shook her head. “Not surprised… merely proud. I suppose I shouldn’t have counted against her… or any of them.”

“Yeah… they put some of the best guards at the academy to shame.” Glimmer Shine noted.

Sunspot puffed out some air. “Now they know how Glimmer must have felt.”

The yellow stallion twitched a brow, though he still wore a lighthearted expression. “Hey, easy now. I was at the top of my class.”

“As you’ve so often told us.” Sunspot shook her head and smirked. “Come on, you can admit it. Pepper coasted you through the tests, didn’t he?” She asked, watching him for a reaction and vaguely hoping that she was just teasing and not actually crossing over into being hurtful.

“Hah…” Glimmer actually laughed briefly. A small smile tugged at his lips, and while his eyes drifted slightly, he still seemed to be happy with whatever thoughts he had. “Not so loud, Sunspot. The princesses are right here.”

Luna and Celestia smiled alongside the stallion, though theirs were fragile as well. They couldn’t imagine how Glimmer felt after that night. For Luna especially, she viewed it as one of her gravest failures.

The blue alicorn walked closer to the stallion and rested a hoof on his shoulder, causing him to pause and look up to her soft face and kind, sapphire eyes.

“He would be proud of you, Glimmer Shine… as we both are.” Luna glanced back to Celestia, who was eager to join with a smile and a nod of agreement.

Glimmer trailed his eyes down and even closed them briefly. He took a breath and then sighed before returning a smile to his face.

“Thank you, Princess. It means a lot to hear you say that… and I’m sure it would have meant a lot to Pepper too.” He said, soft but still earnest. “You know, this one time-”

Then, the yellow stallion was interrupted suddenly by a sharp gasp and a hiss of air as Blue Bolt lurched forward, a trail of blue wisp coming from his mouth.

All at once, both Sunspot and Glimmer Shine heard a distinct buzz and felt a strong vibration against their vests as their detector charms flashed brightly and frequently, a sign that a strong presence had come into close proximity.

Luna’s expression immediately fell. “What is-”

However, before she could even finish her question, Blue Bolt looked ahead with wide eyes and pale face before taking off at a sprint down the hallway.

“Blue! Wait up!” Sunspot called after the stallion, but to no avail. After a shared moment of realizing where he was running toward, both she and Glimmer Shine started running as well, with Celestia and Luna close behind.

They chased the pegasus a short ways down the hallway before he suddenly skidded to a halt before a familiar open doorway into a firelit room. It was familiar to Glimmer and Sunspot, at any rate.

Almost the instant he looked inside, any remaining color in Blue Bolt’s face left and an alarmed gasp escaped him. They piled behind him and peered in, only to grow pale themselves as they immediately understood.

Applejack and Sparkplug were immediately visible in front of a couch nestled before a fireplace. The gray mare was on the floor, clutching her side as blood leaked out around her hooves. Applejack herself was clutching at a crimson tendril wrapped around her neck which stretched from across the room.

And standing at the back doorway, holding a petrified-looking Fluttershy close, was the last person that anyone wanted to see. Prince Dusk.

“Fluttershy!” Blue Bolt immediately rushed into the room, staring daggers into the alicorn.

Glimmer and Sunspot raced for some kind of weapon on their vests, and Celestia and Luna lit their horns as they raced to join the pegasus. They didn’t make it two steps inside before they froze in place at a pained squeak.

Fluttershy squirmed in Dusk’s limp grasp. He was simply keeping a foreleg around her shoulder, but it was soon clear why she was so stiff and hesitant to move. A second blood tendril, separate from the one holding Applejack, was snaking out of the wound across his neck. It went behind the yellow mare until it came back around and pressed into her neck like an iron spike, waiting to pierce skin at the right amount of pressure.

“Ah, ah, ah… let’s not do anything we might regret,” Dusk said calmly, a blood boiling and spine-tingling look of confidence in his eyes.

Celestia begrudgingly dimmed her horn and stopped where she stood. She glanced to the side, to the farm pony stiffly staring at her and the others with wide eyes, and the gray mare barely able to move, before settling her eyes ahead.

“Let them go, Dusk.” She said, firm but restrained, because that was what everyone was, her included.

“You’ll forgive me for holding onto them a while longer,” Dusk said. “I’m surprised that they have so much fight left in them after everything they’ve been through. That gray one over there barely even missed a beat to try and stop me when I grabbed their friend. Honestly, I’m impressed.” He smirked before flattening his expression. “Of course, if anyone else tries that, I’ll aim for the head… and I assure you it won’t be a grazing wound.”

Near the back of the group, Sunspot looked over to Sparkplug with a worried frown and considered moving over to aid her friend before looking back to Dusk tensely and deciding against it. “Sparkplug… are you ok?”

It took a minute for the gray mare to respond. Her vocalizations only consisted of agonized whines and groans, but eventually, she squinted an eye open and nodded before curling in on herself again.

“Look…” Blue Bolt said, making every effort not to sound as livid as he felt. “There’s no reason to bring them into this. You want to fight me? Fine. I’ll fight you all you want if you-”

“If I what? Let them go?” Dusk interrupted. “And what if I didn’t let them go… hmm? What if… I killed one of them? I’d bet you’d still want to fight me then.”

Suddenly, Applejack stiffened up further and gave a distressed croak as she clutched the tendril around her neck, which seemed to tighten ever so slightly and grow taut, even nudging her forward enough that she had to take a step.

Fluttershy flinched her eyes shut as the foreleg around her tensed. Dusk might not have been a full-grown alicorn, but his lithe form dwarfed her in comparison as if to swallow her up. She whined softly and even yipped, her chin lifting up and away in an attempt at getting away from the surprisingly sharp tip pressing into her neck. A slight trickle of her own blood fell down.

Seeing this, Blue Bolt inched forward and clenched his teeth. His eyes held a fiery rage to them, and for an instant, an orange glow seemed to appear.

Not wanting the situation to get any worse, Celestia decided to step in. “Dusk… these ponies have nothing to do with this fight. Just release them.” She took a slow step forward, keeping her horn dim and a disarming calm to her movement. “If you let them go, I will-”

Dusk interrupted her sharply, “So sorry, Celestia, but the time for negotiations is over. I’ll play with you later… right now, I’m more interested in that slayer fellow.” He said, narrowing his eyes briefly as he looked over to the stallion. “How about it, Blue Bolt…? Care to have a little wager with me?”

All eyes tensely shifted to Blue Bolt, who seemed to be entirely unimpressed and thoroughly agitated.

“Against my better judgment…” Blue Bolt said, eyeing to Fluttershy and Applejack and softening his glare slightly before returning it in full force as he looked back to the pale alicorn.

That same, succinct laugh that they had all grown to despise cut through the air like paper as Dusk smirked at him. “I wager that by the end of this conversation, you will give up one of your friends to die.”

“What?!” Blue Bolt reeled back. “No way! I don’t know what sick games you’re used to playing, but I don’t bet with lives… especially not my friends!”

Dusk’s gaze didn’t waver. “Oh… but don’t you want to hear the stakes?” He asked, and without even waiting for a response, he giggled in a self-pleased sort of way and continued. “If I win, I’ll let all your friends go free… minus the one, of course. And if you refuse, well… I’ll just kill everybody like I was going to anyway.”

“Yeah right!” Sunspot chimed in. “As if you’d let us go even if we did listen to you! Which, by the way, is not happening!”

Dusk cocked his head to the side and gave the pegasus an odd look. “I don’t know why you can’t take me at my word. Did I not hold up my bargain with that human friend of yours? If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be breathing to spew your insolence right now.”

Sunspot growled under her breath, but a hoof on her shoulder from Glimmer Shine settled her down, at least enough to stay silent.

Dusk looked back over to Blue Bolt, who by now was starting to sweat nervously. “Have you made a decision yet, Mr. Bolt? I know where you stand as far as physical prowess goes, but how strong is your character?” He prodded. “Are you really willing to let all of your friends die, just because you couldn’t decide which one to sacrifice?”

“Sister… what do we do?” Luna whispered without even breaking eye contact with the stone-hearted killer in front of her.

Celestia wasn't sure what to say. And while she was hiding it well, her heart was starting to pound.

Blue Bolt’s heart was pounding too. His head felt fuzzy, and he was sure it wasn't from exhaustion or his powers acting up. He had spent a fair bit of stamina in that fight with the possessed armor. Could he muster the strength to do something to save the two mares? Could he do it fast enough before Dusk could react?

Sensing Blue Bolt’s hesitance, Applejack gathered her strained breath and spoke. “Forget about me, Blue, just save Flutters-ACK!” She suddenly found her windpipe being restricted even further, causing her to stumble forward and narrowly catch herself on the couch with one hoof, with the other clutched to her neck.

“Applejack!” Blue Bolt started toward the orange mare until he saw the tendril stretching over to her move. It seemed to tighten even further until he decided to back off, whereupon it relaxed enough for the farm pony to gasp in a breath.

“Time is short, Blue Bolt. Who’s it going to be?” Dusk asked. “You can weigh out your options if you like, but I think you’ll find there is only one choice where the majority of your friends live to see another day.”

Seconds twisted and dragged on like hours. Blue Bolt felt so stiff that he was afraid he might snap. He eyed between Fluttershy, then Applejack, then to Celestia and the others, then back to Fluttershy.

She looked so scared and desperate. The faint communication she was able to make from her eyes alone told that she didn’t know what to do either, but she didn’t want anyone to get hurt. She was perhaps even willing for him to pick her if it meant the others were safe, however much she was terrified.

“If you’re having trouble, I can pick for you,” Dusk said.

Like a snake closing in for the kill, the tendril shifted around Fluttershy’s back, pushing itself further into her neck. The pegasus squeaked and flinched her eyes shut, standing up on the tips of her hinds, but even then, the tip of the tendril cut into her, until she couldn’t hold in a pained yip anymore.

Hearing that yell, something snapped in Blue’s eyes. In the span of one second, they shifted from shocked and worried, to appalled, then to angered, then to furious.

And as they shifted from blue to vibrant orange and narrowed, everyone watching felt more deadly intent than they did from Dusk himself.

“Let… her…” Blue growled, his words digging through clenched teeth as the muscles in his neck tensed. In an instant, he unfurled his wings to full span with one stroke. They were already glowing with energy, the feathery tips awash in the blink of an eye like a flash fire.

“GO!”

A wall of wind blew through the room. It extinguished the fireplace, it blew books off of shelves and sent papers fluttering mad in the air, and it made near everyone flinch.

Fluttershy flinched as well. By the time she opened her eyes, the pain in her neck was still present, but the pressure was gone. In fact, Dusk’s foreleg was gone from her shoulder. She barely put two and two together when she noticed liquid dropping to the floor around her.

Applejack dropped to her haunches as the tendril around her turned to broken liquid and quickly fell to the floor. The others looked at her, surprised as she started coughing and rubbing her throat.

However, soon everyone shifted their attention to the side. Blue Bolt was gone, and so was Dusk. Following the trail of wind and debris, they found themselves staring outside into the hallway, and into a hole in the next wall.

Luna blinked, still a bit stunned and not entirely processing what she was seeing. Then, her pupils shrank as she put two and two together, and realized what had just happened, and what was most likely happening now.

“Blue Bolt!” The blue alicorn cried before rushing forward. Everyone else quickly glanced amongst themselves and Luna as the realization dawned on them as well.

Soon, they were all picking up their wounded companions and rushing to assist their friend in what was to be the fight they all knew was coming, but dreaded its arrival with every fiber of their beings.
.
..
...
Meanwhile, Dusk was still locked in his involuntary embrace with Blue Bolt. The pair were flying through stone and wood walls like they were nothing. They had slowed down a bit since their initial burst of speed, but they were still going fast.

Dusk looked up, struggling to even move from the sheer force pushing on him. He saw the pegasus glaring at him, those orange eyes the only burning beacon he could focus on amidst his blurry surroundings.

He tried to summon some blood to skewer the stallion off of him, but the frequent impacts of his body bursting through obstacle after obstacle made it hard to concentrate. Eventually, he tried to lift a hoof and punch at Blue’s face, but before he could even wind back, the pegasus slammed him into a final wall and pumped the brakes hard.

Blue kicked off the alicorn’s chest with his hind legs, using some of the awesome power still flowing through his body to enhance the strength of the motion. He could hear the air leaving Dusk’s lungs along with a pained sputter as the pale pony was sent further into the already crumbling wall. It was hard to tell if the cracking sound was the stonework or Dusk’s ribs.

Giving one final flap to right himself in the air and spin around, Blue skidded to a halt as his hooves met solid ground again. He panted heavily, his glowing wings and eyes swiftly vanishing and leaving him somewhat fatigued.

It was worth it all to see Dusk so out of sorts.

The vampiric alicorn, the immortal predator of the night, full of unnatural grace, charm, and poise, slid to the ground in a most unbecoming heap. Dusk coughed and spit up some blood. He planted a foreleg beside his head and pushed himself up, panting himself to some degree as he looked up and locked eyes with his foe.

“You…”

Dusk said under his breath, either out of exhaustion or pure rage. He pushed himself to all fours and wiped his muzzle, briefly looking down at the blood on his hoof, and then up at Blue.

“You… hornless… soft-minded… pig-headed, whelp!” He fumed.

Blue Bolt couldn’t help but smirk as he lowered himself into a fighting stance and summoned all four of his blades. The fiery embers almost seemed brighter, as if they had met their purpose for creation. “Y’know… Between getting these sweet powers, and getting to wipe the floor with your sorry butt… I’m almost glad I died.”

Seeing the stallion so confident and unwavering in the face of death incarnate, Dusk tensed his expression briefly before relaxing. His cold eyes still held rage, but it was different somehow. It had a sort of calm resolve to it.

“Very well…” Dusk said, looking down to his hoof and licking the blood off of it before planting it back on the ground and letting his signature weapons drift up and out of his wrists. He grinned, baring his fangs with an eager snarl and letting his red eyes flare.

“If you want to skip to the chase… then you had better be ready to run.”

Chapter 61: Little Hope

“Come on… come on…!” Glitter muttered to herself as she feverishly went back and forth, darting her horn and her magical influence to different parts of the symbol above in search of something, anything she could do to help save the alicorn and three fillies.

Time was not on her side, not that it was before. Cadence was about to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the three fillies. She couldn’t let that happen.

Sweat formed on her brow, and the glow around her horn jittered and sparked under the stress. Still, she pushed through her nerves and the insurmountable difficulty of her task to keep going in the hopes that she found some break in the armor of Dusk’s spell.

Magical runes and energies crossed and fed into one another, like tiny threads in a massive web. And if she pulled on the wrong one, she might as well be executing the four ponies on the board herself. It was all so overwhelming.

Suddenly, Glitter’s ears pricked at the sound of faint yells and shouts drifting down from the main area. She couldn’t quite make out what was being said or by whom, but it didn’t bode well.

“GLITTER, HURRY!”

Twilight’s voice broke free of the clamor, coming in clear enough that she must have shouted at the top of her lungs. She sounded distraught and desperate, and now Glitter had a rough idea of what the commotion was about.

A nervous whine escaped her as she desperately kept prying and digging through the inner workings of the spell. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to go faster. Try harder. She had to save them. She had to. But how?

She nearly felt the wave of sorrow and despair overtaking her and paralyzing her form. There wasn't any way she had found so far of breaking the spell.

But maybe she didn’t have to.

The unicorn’s wild eyes clarified as she ran across something. It seemed to be a flow of energy within the spell, used to fuel whatever the primary portion of the symbol was meant to accomplish.

It also didn’t have nearly as many safeguards as everything else did. There was only so much even Dusk could do with a spell while still holding its shape and function.

She couldn’t break the spell entirely, but maybe she could weaken whatever it was meant to do? Doubt nagged at the back of her mind, but it didn’t matter. She was out of time.

Racing to channel the magic through her horn and into the symbol, she broke off as many of the connections as she could find to that particular strand of energy. She could only hope that it was enough.

Then, however, the center of the symbol glowed red, as it had done every single time a piece was destroyed in the game Twilight and the others were playing upstairs. Glitter felt her heart sink.

And then, a shrill scream filled the air, accompanied by a faint whoosh of energy. The sound quickly died, ushering in a deafening silence.

“Oh no…” Glitter’s pupils shrank. She let her horn dim and turned to the stairs behind her before bolting toward them.

Climbing back up in a panic-fueled rush, the unicorn emerged back into the cavernous space of the main room. She turned toward the oversized chessboard, only to stop dead in her tracks at what she found.

Everypony in the room was stiff as a board and pale as a sheet, and they were all staring at a singular spot with slack jaws and wide, teary eyes.

Toward the back of the board on the second to last row, a black bishop stood. And lying there beside it, was a motionless white unicorn filly.

Glitterball raced an already shaking hoof to her mouth, her eyes beginning to water as she took a step back, only to fall to her haunches. “Oh, sweet Celestia, no!”

Up on the board, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both looked like their world was shattering before their eyes. The young pegasus’ mouth trembled and her watering eyes flooded over.

“SWEETIE BELLE!” Scootaloo cried, starting to rush forward until she was suddenly stopped by a blue magical aura.

“Wait, Scootaloo!” Cadence said. She took a moment to take a few shaky breaths and wiped her eyes, letting her hoof linger as she briefly sobbed into it. “We’re… we’re still not done.”

Meanwhile, at the back of the board, Rarity was still stuck staring at the fallen filly. Her eyes had lost a bit of the light they once held, and she looked like a falling feather could make her collapse.

Twilight looked to her friend with soft, sorrowful eyes. She felt so many emotions churning inside of her. Sadness, sympathy, and maybe even regret and shame. If only she had done something different.

Shifting her watery gaze to the board, she looked to the path opened up by the same bishop that had struck the young unicorn down. It seemed as though in its response to Sweetie’s brave maneuver putting it in check, the invisible force making the moves for the black team had been forced to make a grave error.

“Apple Bloom…” Twilight fought to make her voice heard, but even then it sounded hollow and tremulous. “Move all the way to the back. We need to end this… for her.” Her eyes wavered as she looked back to Sweetie Belle’s tiny form.

Apple Bloom didn’t know the importance of the move she was about to make, but somehow she didn’t care. Still, she slowly shuffled forward, keeping her eyes on her destination. She tried her best not to, but she couldn’t help but look over to her unicorn friend as she neared that side of the board. Her heart only ached more as she did.

Soon enough, the yellow filly came to a stop at the very last tile on the board. She turned to see the enemy king, which seemed to have nowhere to go.

Twilight felt a smile trying to form as she triple-checked her work. “Checkmate…”

Suddenly, there was a pulse of translucent red light along the bottom of the board. All of the pieces, black and white, cracked abruptly and shattered into dust. Once the pieces were gone, the red light surged out toward the edges of the board and flashed out of existence. A few seconds later, a muffled click and some rumbling could be heard from the tunnel that led back out toward the door.

Scootaloo slowly uncovered her head and looked around. “Is… is it over?”

In response to this, Cadence walked forward and hesitated at the edge of her square. She stuck a hoof out and cringed briefly before planting it on solid marble and stepping into the next tile. Much to their relief, nothing happened.

“Thank Celestia for that…” Shining Armor muttered. However, his expression dropped once more as he and the others quickly shifted their attention back to their young friend.

Before anyone even started to move toward the back of the room, Rarity rushed up onto the board and quickly crossed the two tiles separating her and her sister. She slid to the floor and immediately put her hooves to her sibling’s side.

“Sweetie! Darling, please wake up!” She begged, gently shaking the filly. Her heart sank as Sweetie Belle simply settled limply.

The filly looked relatively unharmed. Her pink and purple mane was disheveled and sticking out of place in many places. She would have looked like she was peacefully sleeping if it wasn't for the trickle of blood pooling from her mouth.

“Is she…” Twilight failed to finish her timid question. In the blue torchlight, the filly looked deathly pale.

Seeing how Rarity wasn't emotionally prepared to even check for signs of life, Shining Armor stepped forward and knelt down in front of the white mare. He hesitated briefly before sticking a hoof to the filly’s neck. The immediate lack of a response only made his heavy heart plummet. Undeterred, he felt around and focused for a moment.

Then, he felt it. A tiny pulse against his hoof. He almost thought he imagined it until it happened again, and again. Still, as uplifting as the discovery should have been, it somehow didn’t make him feel much better.

“She’s alive… just barely.” Shining explained. “I’m not sure what happened to her… Maybe some internal damage? Either way, she won’t last long like this.” He looked to Rarity somberly.

Not many people would take the news of their little sister dying with composure, and Rarity was no different. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, and she looked like she was on the verge of breaking down crying.

“Is… is there anything we can do to help her?” Rarity asked, gently resting a hoof on Sweetie’s side. She would be holding the filly in her forelegs, but she didn’t want to risk hurting her further.

Twilight, Shining, and Cadence all looked between each other and the white mare, expressions ranging from heartbroken to crestfallen. Between the three of them, they knew enough first aid to get by, but they also knew that what the filly needed wasn't first aid. What the filly needed was otherworldly assistance.

Then, before anyone could even speak up, Glitterball’s eyes filled with sorrowful determination. “Here.” She said, reaching into a particularly large pouch on the side of her vest and pulling out what looked to be medical supplies. Moreover, it was more medical supplies than Twilight had seen in her own vest when she was taking inventory.

“You guys do whatever you can to keep her alive. I’m going to get help.” Glitter stated, setting the supplies down and starting off toward the door.

“Glitter, wait!” Twilight called out to the vested mare, causing her to stop. “You can’t just go out there alone. It’s too dangerous!”

Glitterball hesitated briefly. While she looked like she wanted to go anyway, she did seem to agree with the purple mare. “But… It’s the only way to save Sweetie Belle!” She insisted. “Look, the princesses are probably still downstairs somewhere, which means Blue Bolt is too. I know the way back to the courtyard from here. If I can get them to meet me there, I can bring them back so Blue can heal her.”

“Glitter,” Rarity spoke up, immediately gathering the others’ attention, “I don’t want you getting hurt trying to save Sweetie… and I don’t think Sweetie would want that either.” She looked down to her sister and fought to keep her composure.

“We still don’t know what’s out there. You could run into one of those fanged freaks… or worse.” Shining Armor chimed in.

Glitterball opened her mouth to say something but then trailed her eyes down. She knew the dangers, but she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing but watch a filly die.

“They’re right…” Cadence spoke up suddenly, taking a few steps toward Glitter. “That’s why I’ll go with her.”

“Princess…” Glitter stared at the alicorn in stunned surprise, unsure of what to say.

Shining Armor stood up and walked up to his wife, a concerned expression forming. “Cadence, you should stay here with them. I’ll go instead.”

Seeing the normally bold stallion’s eyes so fragile and full of worry made Cadence soften her expression. He must have been wondering if he would ever see her again ever since he learned she had been taken. With the close bond they shared, it must have torn him up inside as much as it did her.

“Shining… I have to do this.” Cadence said, placing a hoof to the side of his face gingerly. She looked over to Sweetie Belle and the white mare sitting nearby, and then to the two fillies huddled a few feet away. They looked so heartbroken for their unicorn friend, like a piece of their souls had been taken away.

Shining Armor exhaled softly. Somehow, he could tell how important this was to the alicorn. “Ok… But promise me that you’ll be back.”

Cadence’s lips curved into the slightest of warm smiles as she embraced the stallion. “Nothing in this world could keep me from you, my love.” She said, giving him a quick peck on the muzzle before breaking off and hurrying over to Glitterball’s side.

The pair gave each other a somber look as if to say ‘are you really sure you want to do this?’ The answer for both of them was a resounding yes. They then looked back to their friends and offered the briefest of nods before turning and galloping for the door.

Glitter lit her horn as they entered the tunnel, providing some light. However, it wasn't needed for long, as she could immediately see the hidden passage back out into the bedroom was open.

“Good… The door’s open.” She smiled with relief.

Cadence smiled a bit as well. “Believe me, it wouldn’t have been much of an issue if it wasn't.” She remarked. While she might have been the weakest out of the three alicorn rulers of Equestria, Glitter somehow didn’t doubt that.

They beat hoof out into the bedroom. For Cadence, it was somewhat jarring and strange to find somewhere with normal lighting for the first time in hours. Her eyes squinted briefly as she adjusted them to the brighter light.

“You said you know the way to the courtyard?” Cadence asked as they bounded out of the door and into the hallway, letting the unicorn lead the way.

Glitter nodded. “Yeah. Hopefully, the princesses have run across it.” She said. Then, after a few moments of silent thought, she lifted a hoof to her ear. “I’ll call them and see.”

Then, before the white mare could even start to focus on the alicorn sisters and pegasus stallion, another voice rang out from further down the hall behind them.

“HEY! Glitter! Princess Cadence!”

The both of them skidded to a halt. They looked at each other briefly before turning their heads. Much to their surprise, the voice belonged to exactly who it sounded like.

“Pinkie… Rainbow Dash…?!” Glitterball blinked in shock. Sure enough, the two mares were standing at the end of the hall, with their gray companion in tow, wearing a decidedly less enthused expression than her two colleagues.

An audible groan came from Cadence as she noticed the gray pegasus following the pair. “What is she doing here?” She muttered in annoyance and slight anger. The last she had seen of Raincloud, the pegasus had sold her and the kids out. In fact, it wasn't too far of a stretch to say that Sweetie Belle was currently dying because of her.

Then, Glitter’s eyes widened as she thought for a moment. “Answering our prayers, that’s what!” She said before rushing forward, leaving Cadence to stare ahead in confusion briefly, before the same thought occurred to her and all irritation at the gray mare was replaced with hope.

While Pinkie and Rainbow Dash seemed happy to see the pair, Raincloud stared at the pink alicorn with a bit of an uneasy expression.

“Thank goodness we found you. These vials are really hard to read.” Pinkie sighed as she looked down at her detector charm briefly before putting it away.

“Guys, you need to come with us! Hurry!” Glitter explained, gesturing wildly for the trio to join them.

Rainbow Dash’s cheery smile faded as she saw how urgent the two looked. “Woah, where’s the fire?”

“There’s no time. Sweetie Belle is hurt bad. We need you to save her.” Cadence said, looking to Raincloud.

“Me?” Raincloud shrank back a bit. The alicorn had a look to her eyes that silently communicated her displeasure with the pegasus, but the current situation was far too severe to waste time with petty squabbling.

“Oh my gosh… Sweetie Belle?!” Rainbow Dash widened her eyes.

“What are we waiting for?! Lead the way!” Pinkie said.

With that, the group rushed off. Raincloud decided that it was best to follow along. Her companions might drag her along behind them if she tried to slip away, especially Cadence.

Glitter and Cadence ran as fast as they could back to the bedroom. They led the trio through the darkly lit tunnel and out into the cavernous room where the others were still huddled together near the back.

“Oh gosh…” Pinkie gasped softly as she saw the others gathered around a motionless unicorn filly. From this distance, she looked dead.

Twilight and the others looked up, surprised to see Glitter and Cadence back so soon. They were even more surprised to see the three ponies trailing along behind them.

“Rainbow, Pinkie!” Twilight smiled eagerly as the two groups merged. She gave the pair a brief hug.

Rainbow Dash flashed a weak smile at the unicorn and the others before shifting her attention to Sweetie Belle, her features immediately falling as she did. “What happened to her?”

“Dusk trapped us in here with a spell. The four of us were about to die… but Sweetie saved us.” Cadence explained, her eyes softening at the sight of the unconscious filly. She adopted a more serious expression as she looked over to Raincloud. “You need to heal her before it’s too late… You can heal people, can’t you?”

“Uh… yeah,” Raincloud cringed as she saw the condition the young unicorn was in, “assuming she’s not too far gone already. But, I’ll need this collar off.” She looked over to Rainbow Dash, a hint of nervousness flashing in her eyes as she thought to the last time she tried using her powers. At least this was for someone else’s benefit.

“You have the remote with you, I assume?” Cadence asked, somewhat desperately.

Rainbow Dash was already fishing out the small device. “Yeah. Give me a sec.” She stated before finally coming across the remote. She pulled it out, gave the gray pegasus a hidden glare to keep her on her best behavior, and pushed the button.

Immediately, the collar around Raincloud’s neck clicked and whirred as the outer bands rotated, breaking the lines of symbols keeping her powers in check. She looked down to her hoof and allowed a faint aura of pulsating shadows to gather before exhaling softly and turning to Sweetie Belle and Rarity.

The white mare watched the pegasus nervously, unsure of whether to be comfortable with allowing shadow magic to be used on her sister. Who knew what kind of unforeseen side effects the filly could suffer?

“Will it hurt her at all…?” Rarity asked, reaching down and gently brushing her sister’s mane out of her eyes.

“Other than making her cold, no,” Raincloud said. She started to reach a hoof toward Sweetie’s form when Rarity grabbed her and gave her a stern look.

“Raincloud… I don’t trust you with any life, let alone my sister’s life. If it weren’t for the fact that we have no choice, I wouldn’t allow this. If you so much as think about doing anything untoward to her, you won’t have to worry about Dusk or any monster in this dreadful place.” She said in a very calm, yet very icy tone. “Do you understand?”

“Loud and clear…” Raincloud swallowed uncomfortably. The white mare could be surprisingly threatening when she wanted to be, not that the pegasus needed the threat. She might have hurt kids in the past, but now she was at least somewhat trying to turn over a new leaf. Besides, she did sort of get the filly into this mess to begin with, so she figured she owed her that much.

With all eyes in the room bearing down on her, Raincloud took a breath to steady herself before setting her hoof on Sweetie Belle’s side. She closed her eyes and focused, channeling her emotions into the familiar magical energies she had been taught to manipulate.

At the same time, Raincloud’s entire hoof was enveloped in a dark purple aura that shifted and flickered like fire. The aura almost seemed to be flowing toward the motionless unicorn and disappearing into her body.

Around a minute went by in silence before the aura faded from Raincloud’s hoof and she stepped back. Still, Sweetie Belle didn’t stir.

“Did it work…?” Scootaloo piped up from the watching group.

Rarity gently picked up her little sister and propped the young unicorn up on a foreleg. Sweetie was still limp, and she felt icy cold to the touch, though this was hopefully just from the shadowy energies used on her.

Feeling the white mare’s trembling eyes begging the obvious question, Raincloud frowned slightly. “I’ve done everything I can. If she doesn’t wake up now…” She trailed off, finding even herself unable to finish the statement with such heartbroken eyes staring at her.

“Sweetie…” Rarity jostled the filly in her grasp lightly, a fresh set of tears forming the longer her sister remained unresponsive. “Sweetie, please… Come back to us, darling.” She pleaded, her voice sounding fragile as cracked glass.

When her pleas fell on empty silence for one moment, and then the next, and the next, what little hope she was clinging onto abandoned her. She clenched her eyes shut and clutched the filly close, weeping and sobbing into Sweetie’s mane.

The others all watched Rarity embracing her sister with varying amounts of composure, though everyone was starting to lose their grip on their emotions to some degree. Even Raincloud was hanging her head somberly.

Shining Armor put a foreleg around Cadence, who was unable to look away. Pinkie Pie covered her muzzle with both hooves and fought to keep the tickle in her throat at bay as she stared ahead with teary eyes.

Rainbow Dash lowered her head and used a wing to embrace Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, who were both crying and hugging each other. Even the cyan mare herself couldn’t hide the wetness around her eyes.

Glitterball was standing at the back of the group. She couldn’t bring herself to face Rarity, instead choosing to take a few steps away and fight the tide of emotion for a moment longer before covering her face with a foreleg and silently crying into it.

Twilight sniffled and wiped her eyes a few times before looking to her understandably heartbroken friend. Even though she felt like breaking down sobbing herself, she knew that Rarity needed her and the others, perhaps now more than ever before.

However, before the purple mare could even start the difficult process of trying to find something to say, she paused abruptly as she noticed something. She almost thought she imagined it at first, or just didn’t clear her vision of tears enough, but then it happened again.

Sweetie Belle’s hoof was moving ever so slightly.

“Look!” Twilight said, pointing out her discovery for all to see.

Rarity let out a tiny gasp, the air suspended in her lungs as she stared at the filly’s form. She didn’t think Twilight would be one to pull such a cruel joke, but somehow she didn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.

Sweetie Belle mumbled and tensed slightly as her eyes fitted under their lids and eventually fluttered open. She looked up with her unfocused and somewhat drowsy gaze and noticed the white mare above her.

“R...Rarity?” She muttered, starting to look around in confusion before she was abruptly pulled into a warm embrace, which was appreciated from how oddly cold she felt.

“Never do anything like that ever again, young lady!” Rarity half chided, half sobbed. “You scared your poor sister half to death!”

“Sorry…” Sweetie blinked, still not quite done remembering what had happened to warrant such an emotional reaction from the others. As she came back to full mental clarity, she looked around, paying particular attention to the lack of any pieces on the board and the fact that everyone was gathered around. “Did we win…?”

“We didn’t do anything, S.B. That was all you!” Scootaloo cheered excitedly, starting a cascade of other cheers now that the young unicorn was alive and well.

While everyone else was celebrating, Sweetie Belle herself seemed a bit perplexed as she examined herself. She wiggled her forelimbs and looked back to her tail, but nothing was out of place or hurting.

“How am I ok? Last thing I remember was that bright light, and then everything went all dark.” Sweetie said, her brows narrowed in confusion.

“Raincloud saved you.” Apple Bloom stated plainly, pointing to the gray pegasus nestled in with the crowd.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes grew in surprise. “Raincloud?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo added. “I guess she really is a better pony now.”

In response to this, Raincloud smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. “C’mon, kid… I’ve got a reputation to keep. Don’t go telling all your little friends I’m some kind of softy.”

“Trust me, this will be our little secret. If anyone asks, you’re still the same snippy hardflank you’ve always been.” Rainbow Dash stated.

“Hey… cut me some slack. I did just save the little marshmallow after all.” Raincloud protested lightly.

“Well,” Rarity said, keeping a hoof on her sister’s back as she stood up and flashed a grateful smile to the pegasus, “I don’t know about slack, but I can give you my thanks. It will take a lot to make up for the things you’ve done to us… but this is a big step in the right direction.”

“I second that,” Twilight said. “The road to redemption is long and difficult to travel, but if you persevere, you-”

An audible groan cut the unicorn off as Raincloud rolled her eyes hard enough to give herself whiplash.

“There it is. I was wondering when you were going to kill the moment with all that mushy friendship talk. Can we just go back to not wanting to talk to each other? I liked that better.”

Twilight blinked, unsure of how to react. She settled on a sigh of veiled annoyance. “And I was this close to liking you just a little.” She shook her head with a wry smile.

An unrestrained laugh came from the crowd as Rainbow Dash held her sides. Perhaps it was the near-death experience, but Scootaloo and her two friends soon joined in. Even Cadence stifled a smirk and a snort.

After a few moments spent for everyone to get themselves back under control, the group headed out of the darkened space and gradually shifted their attention to the rest of their mission. They had successfully rescued Cadence and the three fillies. Now, the only thing that remained for them was to defeat Dusk.

To that end, however, nobody was really sure what to do next.

“So… what’s the plan now?” Raincloud asked with a shrug.

Cadence looked to Twilight and Shining with a troubled frown. “You tried talking to Celestia earlier. I assume everyone came along, then?”

“Yes… unfortunately, we all got separated by this spell Dusk made.” Twilight huffed in annoyance as she shifted her eyes out of the doorway to the bedroom, where an expansive maze of corridors and rooms waited for them.

“It took a lot for us to even track you guys down.” Shining Armor said.

“Yeah, and we got lucky by finding a stairway up here,” Pinkie added.

Cadence lifted her expression slightly at this. “Well, I think I can help with that at least. I know where Dusk made the symbol that controls that spell.”

Twilight blinked. “You do?”

“Yes. He led us here and trapped us on that board after he made it, so I remember the path.” Cadence explained before letting her ears droop a bit. “Unfortunately, he also left all of his ‘children’ there to watch over the symbol.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Are you kidding? A few vampires are no problem for us at this point. We can dust those guys, break that spell and go find the others in no time!”

“Speaking of the others… how is everyone?” Glitterball piped up, looking at Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. “We haven’t been able to use the communication spell since we came in here.” She gestured behind the group toward the bookcase and the hidden tunnel.

Twilight and everyone else shifted their attention to the pair, anxious to hear if their friends were safe.

"I think everyone is ok." Pinkie assured. "Sparkplug called us a while ago saying they found Sunspot and Glimmer Shine and made it back upstairs. They also said that the princesses were busy with something, so I guess they met up too."

"Yeah, but that was a while ago. Maybe we should check on them?" Rainbow Dash suggested. They all knew that a lot could happen in a few minutes, especially when monsters like Dusk were involved.

Twilight exhaled softly and lifted a hoof to her ear, signaling for the others to be quiet for a moment as she focused on her mentor. “Princess, can you hear me? We’ve found Cadence and the girls, and we’d like to know what you want us to do next.”

No response came for a few moments. Twilight started to think she wasn't going to get an answer until eventually, the alicorn’s voice emanated in her head.

“Twilight, listen to me carefully," Celestia said, sounding out of breath and grave. "Get the girls somewhere safe… outside with the carriages if you can. Then you and the others need to come aid us. We're fighting Dusk."

"What?!" Twilight inched back and gasped softly. "Right now?! Y-you can't be serious!" She stammered, shaking her head as she stared into the distance. The unicorn expected some bloody final confrontation with the vampiric alicorn to happen tonight, but she dreaded the thought of it so much that actually having it happen was more than she was prepared for.

"I'm afraid I am very serious, Twilight. Head to the courtyard when you can, and then follow your detector. It should bring you to-"

Then, Celestia cut off abruptly as a pained yelp tore from her lungs.

Twilight’s face paled. "Princess?! Hello…?! Princess Celestia?!"

Shining Armor and the others frowned as they watched the purple mare growing more alarmed by the minute.

"What’s wrong?" Shining asked, unsure if he really wanted the answer.

"They're fighting Dusk…" Twilight said, dropping her hoof to the floor.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes.

The rest of the group quickly grew alarmed as well, especially the three fillies huddled together near Rarity.

"This can’t be happening!" Scootaloo said.

"Is… is Applejack with them?" Apple Bloom quaked.

Rarity tried her best to comfort the trio. "Calm down, girls. Everything will be fine… The others have Blue Bolt and the princesses with them."

"Besides, I'm sure Princess Celestia has a plan." Pinkie suggested with confidence, before shifting her eyes around hesitantly. "There is a plan, r-right?"

Twilight exhaled and took a moment to center her racing emotions before standing up tall. "Right now, the plan is to get the girls to safety so we can go help them."

"Wait," Cadence said. "Twilight, as much as I don’t like the idea of you fighting, I think you and the others should go help them while we take the girls." She suggested, glancing to Shining Armor and Glitterball.

“Are… are you sure?” Twilight asked, seemingly conflicted on what to do.

“I’m sure that we need to use the elements on Dusk as soon as possible if we want to get an edge over him.” Cadence insisted. Seeing the purple mare still wearing an uncertain expression, she sighed. “Look, we can take care of that spell, drop off the girls outside, and then come and help you.”

Rarity skewed a brow, “You want to drop off the girls after you fight the vampires? Doesn’t that seem dangerous?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take Raincloud with us just in case.” Cadence suggested, causing almost everyone to look at her in surprise.

“Wait, what?” Raincloud did a double-take.

“Umm… I’m not certain if that makes me feel better.” Rarity wrinkled her mouth, not wanting to outright say what was on her mind to a princess. “What if she tries to escape?”

Cadence shifted her gaze over to Raincloud and narrowed her eyes. “Oh, trust me. I don’t think she’d do that… Would you, Raincloud?”

The pale blue pegasus stiffened up. She glanced over to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, who were also giving her a hidden scowl. “Nope… the thought never even crossed my mind.” She stammered with a nervous smile plastered on.

“I don’t know…” Shining Armor chimed in, looking to his sister and the other three mares with a hint of concern in his eyes, “I don’t feel comfortable with letting you go off to fight alone.”

Twilight exhaled softly and lifted a corner of her mouth. “Shining… this is it. It’s all or nothing. I don’t like it any more than you do, but… we’re past the point of no return.”

“Besides that, we’re not going down without a fight.” Rainbow Dash said heartily.

Shining glanced between the four mares, and then to the three fillies, and then to his wife before finally settling his eyes back on Twilight. “You stay alive… ok?”

“You too,” Twilight replied before turning to her friends. “Come on, girls. The others need us.”

While the purple mare and Pinkie started toward the doorway, Rarity stayed behind for a moment to give Sweetie Belle one last hug. Rainbow Dash knelt down and gave Scootaloo a bittersweet smirk and a pat on the head before turning to Glitterball and handing her the remote to Raincloud’s collar.

“You guys take care of yourselves,” Rainbow said.

Glitterball smiled before her expression faded, though she tried to maintain it. “We’ll be there as soon as we can, so try to leave some for me.”

Rainbow Dash returned the unicorn’s smile. “You got it.” She said before turning and hurrying after Twilight and the others, who were now gathered in the hallway outside.

Twilight gave Shining, Cadence, Glitterball, and the three fillies a semi-confident nod before leading her small troop down the hallway to the left in a hurry.

Cadence and her group listened to the sounds of their friends’ hoofbeats getting softer and softer. For many of them, they wondered if they would see the four mares alive again. Scootaloo and her two friends, in particular, seemed sad to see them go.

Finally, the pink alicorn turned to her companions and her husband. “Come on, everyone. We have to hurry.” She gestured for them to follow before leading the way out into the corridors.

Glitterball followed behind the alicorn, with Raincloud reluctantly coming next. Shining ushered the three crusaders forward, keeping an eye on them and making sure no one was left behind.

Shining paused and turned toward the hallway his sister and the others disappeared down. They were already gone from sight, but somehow he had a hard time tearing his eyes away. After a moment or two, he stiffened his resolve and pressed onward, hoping that Twilight and her friends would be safe until he could reunite with them.

Chapter 62: Fighting On

The halls were quiet as Cadence led her small troop back through the castle toward the source of the seemingly endless maze around them. They were hurrying as much as they could, but they were also trying to stay silent. The alicorn might have known the path, but there was no telling what could have been waiting for them along that path.

Shining Armor and Raincloud were near the back, trailing a bit behind the trio of fillies. The crusaders themselves were understandably nervous and even downtrodden over the fierce battle that their friends and sisters were taking part in.

“Mr. Shining Armor,” Sweetie Belle piped up, causing the stallion to lower his head toward her. The frown on her face and her big eyes full of worry were enough to soften even his features. “Do you think Rarity and the others will be ok?”

Shining took a moment to formulate a response. Did he think that? If he really did think the others would be ok, why was he so worried himself?

“They’ve always been ok before, and they’ve handled some serious stuff.” He explained, hoping to instill some confidence in the fillies, even if it was a false hope.

“As someone who was on the sending end of some of that serious stuff…” Raincloud chimed in, taking an uncomfortable pause as she brought up such a touchy subject for the group, “Your big sis will be fine. No need to start the waterworks.”

Sweetie looked at the grayish-blue pegasus, who was trying her hardest to offer a confident smile, but it only felt forced. She looked like she wasn't comfortable with making small talk or trying to cheer them up. It looked very different from how the filly remembered the mare being not too long ago.

“Raincloud, can I ask you something?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Raincloud skewed her expression a bit in surprise. “Uh… sure?”

“Why did you join the hooded ponies?”

The filly’s question seemed simple enough, but somehow it left Raincloud silent for a few moments. She looked over to Shining Armor, who also seemed interested in the answer, and perhaps a little concerned for what she might say.

Of course, she also had to take a moment to try and find a response fit for such young and innocent minds. It was bizarre for her to actually try and break down her feelings on the matter into such base words. She hadn’t paid it this much thought before.

“Umm… Well,” Raincloud started, sighing and wrinkling her mouth as she discarded another possible response, “When I was a kid… I got treated pretty badly by a lot of ponies, and Raven F… uh… the hooded ponies,” She rolled her eyes at the term, “treated me and my brother like actual ponies instead of dirt.”

“Was it because of that scary shadow you have?” Sweetie asked.

Raincloud gave a reserved nod. “Yeah… kinda.”

Sweetie Belle trailed her eyes down in thought briefly before looking up with a softer expression. “Well… If we were the same age, I wouldn’t have treated you bad.”

“Really?” Raincloud blinked in surprise.

“Yeah.” Scootaloo chimed in alongside Apple Bloom.

“We get made fun of all the time ‘cuz we don’t got our cutie marks.” The young farmer added. “I think it woulda taken some time to get used to that shadow of yours… but as long as you weren’t mean, we woulda been your friends.”

Raincloud didn’t have a response to that. She turned her head away from the group and hid the smallest of smiles trying to form, her face reddening a bit from her own reaction. Finally, she coughed into her hoof and scratched her mane awkwardly. “Ahem… well, that’s… uh… that’s nice… You kids aren’t too bad yourselves.”

Up at the front of the group, Cadence couldn’t help but smile slightly as she listened to the conversation going on behind her. It was nice for her to know that the gray mare had a heart after all, even if it was buried under a few layers of ice.

However, as she shifted her eyes beside her, her expression fell as she noticed Glitterball walking along quietly.

The vested unicorn had been keeping to herself for a while now. And while she tried to be discreet about it, Cadence had noticed Glitter looking at either her or the three fillies before quickly avoiding eye contact. In fact, she was particularly singling out Sweetie Belle.

“Is something wrong, Glitter?” Cadence asked, keeping her voice soft so the others couldn’t hear.

Glitterball darted her gaze toward Cadence, having not expected to be called on so suddenly. “What? Umm… no, nothing’s wrong.” She assured with a smile, which started to fade the longer the alicorn looked at her with concerned eyes.

“Does this have to do with what happened back there with Sweetie Belle?” Cadence inferred.

The defeated sigh and drooping ears all but confirmed her theory.

“Glitter… You can’t beat yourself up over that. Sweetie’s fine, and we’re free now. It all worked out ok.” Cadence said. She would have offered the unicorn a comforting hoof on the back, but she still didn’t want to draw any attention from the others.

Glitter frowned and trailed her eyes away. “But it almost didn’t…” She looked back to Sweetie Belle, flashing a convincing smile as Shining and the fillies looked her way before turning ahead again and dropping the act. “I let you guys down… and Sweetie almost died because of it.”

“Glitterball… Let me tell you something.” Cadence said, her voice sounding a bit more diminished and somber. Glitter was surprised to look over and see the alicorn wearing a troubled frown. “We tried to save Sweetie ourselves… Right before that explosion, Twilight, Shining, and I all tried to shield her, but that burst of energy cut right through our magic like it wasn't even there. I’m sure Dusk knew we would try something like that if one of us was about to be taken.”

“Yeah… Magic like that tends to clash with unicorn magic.” Glitter said, her eyes still avoiding the alicorn’s. “That’s also part of the reason why I couldn’t do anything. It was so hard to pick apart that symbol, I just-”

“But you did do something, Glitter. You saved her.” Cadence stated.

Glitter looked up at this. “Huh…? Wh… what do you mean?”

“I know Dusk wouldn’t have pulled any punches. He fully intended us to die if we failed.” Cadence explained. “I don’t know exactly what you did down there… but if you hadn't weakened the spell, Sweetie would have been killed instantly. Raincloud might be the one that healed her… but you’re the one who gave her the chance in the first place.”

The white mare seemed stunned by this. She trailed her eyes down, her mouth agape in silent thought. A slight smile started to cross her features until she paused as she felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see Cadence looking down at her warmly.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you haven’t made a difference, Glitter. What you do… What you, Glimmer Shine, Sunspot, and Sparkplug do every day, is save lives. And no matter what happens tonight... you will always be heroes to me and so many others. Never forget that, ok?”

Glitterball looked over as the rest of the group caught up to them and stopped. They didn’t seem to know the full picture, but the three fillies and even Shining Armor were smiling at her. Finally, she returned her lighthearted expression as the tension and baggage faded from her face.

“Thank you, Princess.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” Cadence said with a bright smile. Then, she started to walk again, turning the corner up ahead. “Now, let’s hurry and get to that sym-”

The group came to a quick stop again as the alicorn paused at the mouth of the next hallway. She was staring ahead at a door to the right, with a hefty-looking padlock affixed to it keeping it closed.

“What’s wrong?” Shining Armor asked as his wife hurried over to the door and examined it.

“This wasn't here before,” Cadence said as she took the padlock in her magical aura.

“Let me guess, that’s where we need to go?” Raincloud deadpanned.

Cadence sighed. “Yes… The symbol is this way.”

“Here, let me see if I can open it with my cutter.” Glitter suggested, starting to fish for the vial in question until the alicorn stopped her.

“No need,” Cadence said, adopting a more serious expression as she let her horn glow brighter. “Everyone get back.”

Scootaloo and her two friends looked between each other, and then up at the others before quickly rushing back around the corner. Shining Armor projected a shield between them and the next hallway, Glitterball kept the three fillies huddled close, and Raincloud covered her ears with both hooves.

After a brief wait, a loud zap came from around the corner, followed by a small explosion. Smoke and light cascaded into the hallway. A few more sordid noises came, ranging from a stereotypical cutting laser, a buzzsaw, a few metallic pings, and even a few frustrated growls from the alicorn herself.

“Horsefeathers!” Cadence huffed finally, signaling Shining Armor to dim his shield and hesitantly poke his head around the corner.

Finding no further explosions or flames, the group cautiously walked back over to find Cadence sitting in front of the door. Scorch marks and cracked stone were all around the door, but the door itself and the lock were both perfectly unscathed.

“Did it not work?” Glitterball asked, walking over and examining the lock with a surprised expression.

Raincloud skewed a brow. “Are you sure you’re the smart one of the team?”

Ignoring the gray mare’s comment, Glitterball cast a few analysis spells over the lock, furrowing her brows at the results a few moments later. “It doesn’t seem like the lock itself is magic… Same goes for the door. There is definitely some sort of spell protecting it, though.”

“We could try that spellbreaker of yours.” Shining offered semi confidently.

Cadence sighed and shook her head. “Given what we already know, it probably wouldn’t work. I doubt even Raincloud’s shadow magic could break through.”

“So… what do we do?” Apple Bloom asked.

“If we can’t break the door or the lock, how are we supposed to get to that symbol?” Scootaloo added, a bit more disheartened.

Cadence and Shining Armor didn’t seem to have an answer. In fact, the alicorn was starting to hang her head in defeat. That is until Glitterball spoke up.

“Maybe we don’t have to break the door or the lock?” The unicorn suggested.

Cadence looked up in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Well… the lock itself isn’t magic. It would probably open if we had the right key.” Glitter said.

“But the key could be anywhere!” Scootaloo said. “For all we know, Dusk has it!”

Glitterball smirked at the group. “Who said anything about actually using a key?” She said, lighting up her horn.

“Huh?” Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion as she watched the unicorn wrap an aura around a spot on her own mane.

“Sometimes the best solution is the simplest solution.” Glitter said as she pulled a hairpin out of her mane, dissolving her ponytail and letting her rainbow-dotted blue hair fall against her neck. She shook her head a bit to settle her hair before taking the pin and bending it.

Then, she dug through a pocket on her vest and produced a small stack of notes with a paperclip on it. She quickly removed the clip before bending it into an L shape. Then, she stuck both into the lock and began fiddling with it.

“You know how to pick locks?” Shining Armor asked, a bit surprised.

“I figured it might come in handy, so I taught myself back in the academy.” Glitter explained without looking up. She licked her lips, letting her tongue stick out slightly as she focused on the task before her. “This might take a minute… bear with me.”

With the key forward out of their hooves, the others all settled in.

Eventually, Cadence found herself looking over to the gray pegasus leaning against a wall. Her thoughts drifted back to the palace in Canterlot when they were first taken by the pale ponies.

Raincloud had sold the fillies and Spike out to save her own skin. She had also attempted to escape from the palace twice that the alicorn knew of. However, now she was seeing a bit of a softer side to the pegasus. There was genuine empathy and sorrow in her eyes when she thought she failed at healing Sweetie Belle.

The gray mare’s intentions troubled Cadence to no end. She was their enemy at one point, and perhaps she still didn’t have their best interests in mind when the chips were down.

“Raincloud… can you come with me for a second?” Cadence asked.

“Huh?” Raincloud looked up, surprised to hear herself being called. “Who, me?”

“Yes,” Cadence said, standing up and walking away from the group. She waited for the pegasus near the mouth of the corner. Raincloud’s expression immediately dropped from the look in the alicorn’s eyes, but she decided it was best to follow along.

Shining Armor watched the two mares about to walk away with a bit of concern. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry, we won’t be far. I just want to… have a talk with her, in private.” Cadence said before the both of them headed around the corner.

Raincloud swallowed uneasily as she followed the alicorn down the hall a fair bit. Once they were out of earshot, Cadence stopped and turned to look at her with a stern expression.

“So… uh,” Raincloud chuckled nervously, “What did you want?” She asked, only to receive no response for a solid few moments. The intense stare she was receiving made the uneasy feeling in her gut intensify.

“Why are you here, Raincloud?” Cadence asked plainly.

“Wh… what do you mean?” Raincloud creased her brows slightly.

“Did Celestia or Luna make you come with them?” Cadence continued, not sounding harsh or accusatory, but still not sounding friendly as she usually did.

Raincloud exhaled through her nose and adopted a neutral expression. “No… They offered to give me something if I came along… something important to me.”

“And was that the only reason why you came?” Cadence prodded, watching carefully for a reaction.

“What’s with the third degree all of a sudden?” Raincloud asked.

Cadence narrowed her eyes. “Because I want to know what kind of pony you are, Raincloud. You act like you’re trying to better yourself and get over your past, but then you turn around and try to betray us every chance you get.” She sighed and shook her head. “On the one hoof, I want to bite your head off for giving away the kids back in Canterlot, but on the other, I’m incredibly thankful that you saved Sweetie Belle and Spike.”

“Uh… which one is winning you over, out of curiosity?” Raincloud smiled nervously.

Cadence gave her a flat look. “I wish you would figure out what you want, Raincloud.”

“Huh?” The pegasus tilted her head in confusion.

“I can’t excuse the things you’ve done in the past… but I can see that there is good in you if you just tried to embrace it. We can’t help you get better if you don’t even try to move past your old life. Raven Feather and the others might have taken you in, but-”

“Hey, don’t bring Raven Feather into this.” Raincloud interrupted, returning an all too familiar sense of annoyance to her eyes. “She’s done more for me than you, Luna, Celestia, and every pony in this stinking kingdom combined. Where was all your friendship and harmony when I needed it, huh?”

Cadence didn’t seem to have an answer for that. She just looked to the pegasus with soft eyes and mouth agape, trying to find something to say.

Raincloud gave her a moment before sighing to herself. “You want to know what I want, Princess? I want to live my life without people like you judging me for something I didn’t even ask for. I don’t care if you can’t forgive me for what I did before… and yeah, I feel bad that some folks had to die, but that was the only way we were going to be heard.”

“That doesn’t excuse you from hurting people,” Cadence said.

“Some people deserve to be hurt…” Raincloud replied flatly.

Cadence paused at that and frowned. She thought for a moment before sighing and letting her head droop slightly. “Did everyone you hurt deserve it?”

This time, Raincloud was the one without an answer. She merely stared at the alicorn for a moment. Finally, she shrugged. “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing, I guess,” Cadence said, a bit disheartened. “Just… promise me that you won’t try to cut and run again.”

“Hey… I think we can both agree that that Dusk asshole has to go. For better or worse, I’m with you for the long haul.” Raincloud said.

Cadence snorted softly. “Well… I’m glad we have some common ground.”

With that, the pair headed back to reconvene with their friends.

As they rounded the corner again, they vaguely hoped to find their friends standing before an open door. Unfortunately, it seemed as though Glitterball was still working on the lock. Shining Armor was keeping watch down the other hallway, while the three fillies were sitting together and trying to occupy themselves without disturbing the unicorn hard at work.

“What’s the holdup, sprinkles?” Raincloud asked aloofly, causing a slight wrinkle in Glitter’s face.

“You think you can do it faster?” Glitter looked up momentarily, casting an icy glare at the pegasus.

“I think the marshmallow over there could do it faster at this point.” Raincloud retorted, pointing over to Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle skewed a brow and leaned in close to Scootaloo. “Was that a compliment?” She whispered, to which the young pegasus shrugged.

“Yikes… what’s got her all… back to normal, I guess?” Shining asked.

“I don’t know, ask your wife…” Raincloud grumbled before standing off to the side and leaning against the wall again.

Shining looked over to Cadence, who could only frown and rub a foreleg uncomfortably.

“I… may have ruffled her feathers a bit.” She said, glancing over to the gray mare, only to receive a thorough snobbing in response.

A distinct click came from the side, followed by Glitterball exclaiming cheerfully. The group looked over, only to see the lock open, and the door ajar slightly.

Cadence smiled. “Well done, Glitter.”

“And I thought Sparkplug was the handy one.” Shining Armor added.

Glitterball grinned and chuckled awkwardly, her face reddening a bit as she gathered her wayward mane in her magical aura and stuck the pin back in. “I have my moments.” She said, patting her newly restored hairdo before stepping aside and gesturing like a doormare toward their path forward. “After you, Princess.”

Cadence carefully pushed the door open the rest of the way. She gave the threshold and the floor beyond a quick scan with her eyes before lifting them up toward the smaller, darker passage.

“It’s not much further… Be on your guard, and be quiet everyone.” She instructed to the group before lighting her horn and stepping inside, with the others following close behind.

Glimmer Shine flinched as a blood bullet pinged into the other side of the wall he was leaning against. He clutched his crossbow tight and grit his teeth before looking over to the side.

Sunspot was across from him, also taking cover near the doorway to the next room between them. She had a popper in her hooves and a shallow cut along her face from a particularly close call.

The pair gave each other a silent look of hesitance before Glimmer decided to poke his head out. He could immediately see the fierce battle taking place between Blue Bolt, Luna, Celestia, and Dusk.

While Blue Bolt was doing most of the close-quarters combat and holding the majority of Dusk’s attention, magical bolts and luminous blades were zipping back and forth from behind walls. Occasionally, Luna could be seen hopping out from one of the walls further in the room, which appeared to be a gallery of paintings, most of which were already destroyed.

A stray noise drew the stallion’s attention to a wisp of crimson shooting right toward him. He widened his eyes and ducked back around the corner just in time for the thin projectile to zoom past and into the wall ahead of them.

Sunspot stared at the newly made hole in the stone bricks with a sense of dread in her eyes. There were bloody tendrils wiggling and waving all over the room. Celestia and Luna had their shields, and Blue Bolt had his regenerative abilities, but if one of them was hit just once in the wrong place, they were dead meat.

It definitely made it hard for them to contribute anything more than the occasional potshot.

Suddenly, a light blinked into existence next to Sunspot, revealing the form of Celestia teleporting in before slumping to the wall with a pained groan. The alicorn was clutching her side, which was dripping blood from a nasty-looking slash.

An alarmed gasp came from behind them, briefly drawing their attention over to where Fluttershy, Applejack, and Sparkplug were huddled past the intersection nearby. Two of the mares were wounded, and Fluttershy had no weapons or combat experience, so they stayed the furthest back from the battle.

“Oh my gosh, are you ok, Princess?!” Fluttershy asked, covering her mouth with both hooves. She started to rush toward them when a distinctly close ping of projectiles striking stone dissuaded her from exposing herself to the corner.

Celestia pushed through the pain enough to stop leaning on the wall and at least get back to her own three hooves. She cringed briefly before looking up to see Sunspot rushing to her side.

“Here, let me see.” The pegasus said, gently coaxing the alicorn to move her hoof, which she eventually did.

As her wound was exposed to the air, Celestia drew air between her teeth sharply. She briefly glanced toward the doorway into the room as best she could before looking down as she heard Sunspot rifling through her equipment and pulling out some bandages.

“Save your supplies. Someone else might need it more than me.” She said.

Sunspot frowned warily. “You can’t keep going like this.”

“None of us can keep going like this.” Glimmer Shine chimed in, a bit of frustration to his voice. “He just keeps healing.” He growled, popping out of cover and quickly taking aim with his crossbow before firing and reeling back. He just barely caught sight of his bolt being knocked from the air by a whipping tendril while Dusk was catching Blue Bolt’s wrists and pushing him back.

“Dang It.” Glimmer huffed. However, he froze suddenly as a hole was opened in the wall beside him as a crimson bullet ripped through, followed by two more.

The stallion and even Sunspot yelped and ran for cover as their shelter was bombarded by dozens of ping-pong ball-sized streams of blood punching through the stone and piercing a good inch into the next wall.

Glimmer Shine had to rush across the hall toward Fluttershy’s group. Applejack helped Sparkplug walk as they put a bit more distance between themselves and the intersection, even though the attack didn’t seem to reach them.

Meanwhile, Sunspot covered her head with a foreleg while blindly rushing forward, hoping to not get hit. She was stopped abruptly by Celestia grabbing her and shielding her, both with a magical barrier and her own body. Thankfully, the barrier seemed to hold up against the barrage until it eventually stopped.

Inside the room, Dusk laughed heartily as he looked at the many holes riddling the stone wall ahead. “What’s the matter, Celestia? Was that love tap a little too rough? You know, if you want to hide behind your precious ponies, you might want to tell them not to poke the bear!”

A fierce yell signaled Blue Bolt rushing in for a slash. Dusk deftly dodged the first strike and then lit up his horn to hold the stallion’s foreleg for the next. Blue Bolt glared at the pale alicorn and swiped with his other foreleg, only to have that one caught in a silver corona as well.

After struggling for a moment, Blue swung his whole body forward, using his pinned limbs as an anchor in midair as he kicked out his hind leg, angling it so the blade attached would hit.

Dusk couldn’t dodge the unexpected strike in time and caught the stinging blade across the neck. He stumbled back a step and dropped his magical hold, letting Blue Bolt drop back to all fours. He started to formulate a retaliation plan, when a magical bolt of energy tore through his barrel, and then another.

While the pale stallion leaped back and took stock of his new grievous injuries, Luna failed to hide a smirk as she stepped forward. “Your fight isn’t just with her, Dusk! We are all here to make sure you pay for your crimes!”

Blue Bolt briefly vanished his blades and wiped some sweat from his forehead before striking another fighting stance alongside the blue alicorn. “You’re one to talk about hiding after you ran from our last fight!”

Dusk cringed and held a hoof to the slash in his neck. His form actually started to waver a bit. However, he quickly dropped the act and shifted his expression to a devious smirk, and returned to all fours, steady as ever. The others watched with dreadful annoyance as all of his wounds, even the glaring holes through his body, sealed up amongst a crimson veil.

“I can assure you, I will not be running anywhere anytime soon. I can keep this up all night… can you?” He twitched a brow as he looked at the pegasus stallion. However, his gaze soon shifted over to Luna. “I know she certainly can’t.”

Dusk prepared to flick his wrist, sending any number of attacks toward the alicorn. However, before he could, Blue Bolt stuck his hoof out and projected a ray of radiant blue light at the vampiric pony.

"Gah!" Dusk yelped as the light engulfed him. His skin and fur immediately began sizzling.

Luna readied herself and prepared to fire off a spell to assist Blue Bolt, but before she could, a sound like crashing waves came as a torrent of blood surged to the floor before swooping up and forming a wall between Dusk and the burning light.

The crimson curtain seemed to be steaming and sizzling heavily, but Dusk seemed to be maintaining it enough to hold its shape.

Blue Bolt growled with frustration and let his light fade as he set his hoof back down. He summoned a blade and prepared to charge a wave of energy when a stream of blood suddenly burst out of the wall and nearly skewered him.

The pegasus and even Luna bolted for cover as more pressurized spouts of blood shot toward them. Luna managed to get behind a stone pillar and shield herself, but she softened her eyes with concern as she saw Blue Bolt still under fire.

Dusk was clearly targeting the pegasus specifically, as the shots being fired weren’t totally blind. In fact, Blue had to skid to a halt as one of the shots zipped in front of him. He didn’t have time to dodge further before a searing pain ripped through his back, and then his chest.

Blue let out a strangled noise of pain before his lungs filled with blood and a gush of the crimson fluid shot from his mouth as he tumbled over. A luminous blue barrier being placed in front of him shielded him from the remaining attacks, but the two gaping wounds through his form were grizzly looking by themselves.

“Now this is what I call a battle!” Dusk proclaimed eagerly as he allowed the wall of blood to recede back into his neck. He grinned as he watched the pegasus writhing on the ground, struggling to push himself up as his wounds healed in a flash of embers. “Any normal pony would be dead by now. I don’t even need to go easy on you!”

Blue Bolt hardened his gaze as he looked up at the alicorn from behind Luna’s shield. He reached up and wiped an unhealthy trickle of blood from his mouth, coughing up a few embers before managing to breathe steadily.

It seemed as though his powers could heal even the most critical damage he sustained. There wasn't even any leftover blood in his lungs anymore, though the intense burning sensation nearly hurt more than the actual blood bullet.

Still, he couldn’t deny a slight feeling of exhaustion starting to make its presence known. He had to catch his breath from time to time when he used his powers or exerted himself, but he usually recovered from it quickly.

Now, however, he was starting to slow down.

“You’ve been going easy on me, huh?” Blue asked as he got back to all fours. He actually stepped around Luna’s barrier, much to her concern. “I’m glad to hear that isn’t all you’ve got. I was starting to get bored.”

Dusk snorted softly and narrowed his expression. “We shall see how bored you are after I slaughter your friends in front of you.”

Blue Bolt readied himself and grit his teeth in preparation for another assault. Dusk even started to raise a fresh set of tendrils from his wrists, when something abruptly stopped him.

A small object sailed through the air between them before bouncing and rolling along the ground. Both the pegasus and even Dusk and Luna looked over to see what could only be a blue-tinted candle coming to a stop near the pale stallion.

A few more candles quickly got tossed into the room, filling the space until there were around a dozen scattered along the floor. Then, a loud clop signaled all of the ignition charms around their wicks to spring to life.

Dusk immediately felt a burning sensation wash over his form as the immediate area was bathed in blue-tinted light. The burning was enough to cause a slight yip and get him to raise a foreleg to cover his face.

“What in the name of-”

Then, before he could even finish, a magical zap came from the back of the room as a bolt of fire sailed right past Blue Bolt and ripped into Dusk’s chest.

As the pale stallion was flinching and yelping in pain from his new injury, a series of loud cracks came from a doorway off to the side as green bolts of light zipped straight into Dusk’s right flank, punching several smaller holes in his ribs and stomach.

Dusk started projecting a few blood tendrils out to block the projectiles, but they were hindered by the burning light of the nearby candles and the alicorn’s lack of concentration. And also by the silver bolt that planted itself in his shoulder.

Looking ahead, Dusk noticed Celestia and Glimmer Shine entering the room. Off to the side in the other doorway, Sunspot was poking around the corner with her popper poised and ready.

However, what mostly caught Dusk’s gaze was a silver dagger held aloft by a blue aura shooting straight toward him.

With a flash of his horn, Dusk blinked out of existence just as the dagger reached him. All eyes in the room shifted around briefly before finding him popping back into view in the far corner, just outside of the glow of the candles on the floor.

"What’s the matter? Scared of a few candles?" Blue Bolt chuckled.

Dusk furrowed his brows as he attempted to lift a tendril over toward one of the candles, only to have it sizzle and shrink. It would have fallen apart entirely if he didn't put more effort into his concentration.

"How curious… these didn’t behave this way when that human used them.” He noted, a clear sense of irritation in his voice.

“That is because Tom intended to trap you, Dusk,” Luna said as she stepped out from behind the pillar she was using as cover. She brought the silver dagger back to her side and glanced to her companions before facing the pale stallion. “We intend to kill you… We are done running as well.”

Dusk hummed to himself as he saw the sheer determination in their eyes. Of course, there was a touch of fear as well, if not for themselves, then for their friends.

He would have to show them why cornering a predator was a poor decision.

“Now, now, Princess… It is most unbecoming of you to tell such lies.” Dusk said, lifting his chin and exposing his neck with a cocksure smirk.

All at once, a torrent of blood sprayed from the gash across his throat, like a busted water main. The blood scattered into droplets and fell over the area in a light rain of crimson fluid. It sizzled lightly as it entered the glow of the many candles, however, it soon started to fall on the exposed flames.

Without the protective properties of using the candles as a barrier, the unnatural blue flames gradually flickered out one by one, until all of them were doused.

Blue Bolt and Luna backed up a step, while Celestia and the others watching tensed themselves, ready to react to anything the pale alicorn would try next. Some of them even contemplated trying to attack, when something caught their attention first.

The droplets of blood pooling on the floor started moving of their own accord, shifting toward Blue Bolt and Luna like dozens of reaching fingers.

A cluster of the blood trails suddenly zipped toward Blue's legs. He quickly lifted his forehoof, and then jumped back as he started getting surrounded.

As the area was swiftly being covered in the crimson streams, Blue turned to the group behind him, paying particular attention to Luna.

"Princess, get b-"

A sound like hail striking glass behind him made the pegasus jolt. He could see a small blue magical shield protecting him from what must have been one of the droplets shooting up toward him. This observation was all but confirmed as two more blood bullets darted past him.

Luna narrowly avoided getting a hole punched into her chest as she quickly put up another shield in front of her. She could hear more pings behind her as Celestia shielded herself and a retreating Glimmer Shine from more of the projectiles.

Off to the side, Sunspot yelped and ran back around the corner as several darts broke free of the floor and shot toward her. Dusk sent several more bullets into the wall, chasing after where he thought the pegasus might be.

Outside in the branching hallways, Fluttershy watched from the intersection as the suited mare ran from numerous projectiles piercing through the stone wall beside her.

Then, Sunspot yelled and collapsed to the floor as one of the projectiles struck her side, sending a spray of blood out.

Fluttershy gasped, "Sunspot!" She started to rush forward to assist the fallen pegasus when Glimmer Shine rushed over and tackled her to the floor.

"Get down!" The stallion yelled to Applejack and Sparkplug up ahead before covering Fluttershy’s form with his body and ducking his head down.

The two mares barely had time to react before several more of the blood streams erupted from the wall. They normally wouldn’t have reached the ponies from their angle, but the streams seemed to curve after breaking through the wall.

Sparkplug screamed and stared ahead like a deer caught in headlights before Applejack took her to the floor. The both of them huddled together and covered their heads as a barrage of pings and impacts came all around them.

Once the noises fell silent, at least out in the hallways, Glimmer Shine slowly looked up. He was met with a trembling pair of eyes as Fluttershy looked up as well. They both briefly checked one another for injuries, and then Applejack and Sparkplug, before abruptly widening their eyes as they thought back to the suited pegasus.

Glimmer shot to his hooves and rushed to the corner. The whole area was covered in small holes, some going deep enough to pierce into other rooms.

He found his friend and teammate clutching her side, a small pool of blood beneath her and a pained grimace on her face.

"Sunspot!" Glimmer started to dart toward her when another stray ping from the gallery walls made him inch back hesitantly.

After waiting a moment and figuring that Dusk was busy focusing on those inside the room, he rushed out and kept low to the ground as he made a break for the wounded pegasus.

Sunspot whined softly and cringed from the burning pain in her side. Her vision was blurred, and her breathing was shallow. Still, she managed to look up as she heard hoofsteps, only to find a familiar yellow stallion rushing over to her.

"Glimmer…?" She muttered, semi-delirious as he picked her up and helped her to her hooves.

The stallion’s expression fell as he saw the bleeding hole in her side. It wasn't very big, and it hadn't punched all the way through judging from the lack of an exit wound, but there was no telling how much damage it had done.

"Can you walk?" Glimmer asked, though he wasn't about to wait around for an answer as he got on the other side of her and put a foreleg around her. "Come on, let’s get you out of here."

The pair trudged back toward Fluttershy and the others as fast as they could. The yellow pegasus anxiously waved them over, occasionally jolting and shrinking down as more sounds of combat came from nearby.

Miraculously, they managed to get back around the corner before quickly ducking into the nearest room. The hallways near the battle clearly weren’t as safe as they thought.

“Holy hay…” Sparkplug flattened her ears and stared ahead with pale face as Glimmer and Fluttershy carefully lowered the wounded pegasus onto the floor. “Is she going to be ok?!”

Sunspot pulled her rebellious expression into a strained smile as she looked up at the others, eyes unfocused and full of pain. “Hhh… n-nothing to… worry about. I’ve… ngh… I’ve been through… w-worse.”

Her words didn’t carry the weight she intended as her head drooped back to the floor in an agonized cringe. She still had a concerning amount of blood spilling out of the wound and down her side, already creating a small pool on the floor.

“You got enough bandages? Because I’m out.” Sparkplug said after checking her vest, only producing a small bottle of disinfectant that was already partially empty.

Glimmer took a calming breath that didn’t seem to work before digging through his own supplies. “We’ll make due.” He said, pushing his nerves down so he could work steadily. “Hold still, Sunspot. This is going to suck for both of us.”

“Your bedside manner needs work…” Sunspot muttered, doing her best to internalize a reaction as the stallion started to clean her wound.

“Yeah, well, Pepper couldn’t teach me everything.” Glimmer remarked.

Then, the sound of hoofsteps approaching their room made the group look up, only to find Celestia entering.

The alicorn took one look at the group huddled around Sunspot before letting her expression fall. “I was afraid of this… How is she?” She asked, taking a brief moment to glance behind her toward the battle still taking place.

“I’m no doctor, but even I can tell she needs more help than we’re givin’ her.” Applejack chimed in.

“Unfortunately, she’s right. There’s no telling how much internal bleeding she has.” Glimmer explained, taking a moment to let out a stressed exhale before facing the princess. “She needs healing, and I’m sure you and Applejack could use some as well if we’re going to stay in this fight.” He noted, gesturing to the wound still present along the alicorn’s side. It had stopped most of the bleeding, but it was still a concerning sight.

“As much as I’d like to get in a few licks, I think Blue Bolt needs to save his strength.” Applejack said. “I don’t know how badly you need it, Princess, but I can hold off.”

Celestia held a hoof to her side and stifled a cringe. “You are absolutely right, Applejack. However, I don’t think we have a choice in Sunspot’s case… She may die if we leave that wound unattended.”

The others watched as the alicorn turned toward the doorway and placed a hoof to her ear, summoning the familiar glow of the communication spell.

“Sister, Blue Bolt, Sunspot is badly hurt and she needs healing. We need to keep Dusk occupied for a few moments so Blue can come and mend her wounds.” Celestia explained, her voice sounding uncharacteristically grave.

No response came for several moments. She didn’t exactly expect an immediate answer. The pair were in the midst of a fierce battle, after all. However, she at least expected Luna to shield herself long enough to give a quick acknowledgment.

“Luna…? Blue Bolt? Can either of you respond?” Celestia asked, starting to head back out into the hallway and looking toward the gallery.

Then, however, a loud explosion rang out into the hall, accompanied by a surprised yelp and a feminine yell that trailed off. Celestia gasped as she saw faint hints of dust and debris shooting out of the doorway ahead.

“What was that?” Fluttershy asked, looking to the alicorn with fresh concern in her eyes. Applejack, Sparkplug, and Glimmer Shine looked concerned too, though the stallion was mostly occupied with trying to keep their pegasus friend alive.

Celestia tensed her jaw as she glanced at the room down the hall, and then back at the others waiting behind her. Sunspot in particular seemed to draw her gaze as she spent a moment in silent, frantic thought before finally acting.

“Stay here.” She instructed simply, offering them a stern look before turning and bolting down the hallway, uncaring of her own injury.

Glimmer and the three mares watched the now empty doorway briefly, their troubled expressions only deepening as they thought of what could have happened. They hated staying out of the fight, but with one of their own wounded, they didn’t have much of a choice. At any rate, if Blue Bolt and the two alicorns couldn’t survive, they were all doomed anyway.

The yellow stallion glanced down as Sunspot moaned quietly. She was trying to hide it, but her expression told of a great deal of pain and fatigue. Even with his help, she had lost a lot of blood.

“Hang in there, Sunspot…” Glimmer said, resting a hoof on her side. “Dying is against company policy, effective immediately.” He cracked a slight smile.

Sunspot smiled as well, though hers quickly faded as she struggled to control her breathing and deal with her pain. The others could only watch and silently pray that she would last long enough to receive the aid she desperately needed.

Chapter 63: The Deep End

As the fierce battle with Dusk was underway downstairs, Cadence and her group pressed onwards through the dimly lit corridor in pursuit of their own goal.

The space was far smaller than the grand halls they were used to traversing thus far. They scarcely had room for two of the adults to walk side by side. It was also darker, and more sinister as a result.

Cadence and Shining Armor were the primary sources of light they had. The alicorn insisted on only giving off as much light as they needed to see, for fear of being discovered. It didn’t help that the corners and rooms around them held depthless shadows that seemed to ebb and recede away from them as if they were swarming masses only being driven back by two glowing horns.

The three fillies creeping along near the middle of the group were petrified by their bleak surroundings and what possibly lay within. They all kept their heads on a swivel, constantly darting eyes and shooting up ears at every stray noise.

Glitterball stayed at the rear of the group. She tried to offer the crusaders some comfort and assurance, but they could tell even she was nervous as she kept her detector in hoof.

“We’re getting close.” Glitter whispered as she looked down to the vial. The yellow liquid inside had started to pulse lightly at the edges, and it was slowly getting brighter and brighter all the way through.

“Yes,” Cadence confirmed. “It’s not much further. Everyone stay on your guard.”

A little while after that, a tiny voice piped up, laced with concern.

“Princess… are you going to have to fight those vampires?”

Cadence and Shining both looked back, only to see Sweetie Belle staring back at them. The filly’s soft eyes were shimmering and a heart-melting frown was on full display.

“That’s right, Sweetie, we are. But don’t worry, you’ll be staying back where it’s safe.” Cadence assured.

Sweetie didn’t seem as comforted as the alicorn had hoped as she let her ears droop. “I’m not worried about us… I’m worried about you.”

That voice mixed with that face could make the stone walls around them soften, so it was no surprise that Cadence had to take a moment to process the wave of warmth washing over her. She couldn’t help but smile.

Before she could answer, however, Shining chuckled softly beside her and spoke in her place. “There’s nothing to worry about there. I won’t let anything bad happen to her… not that she needs my help.” He gave his wife a quick smirk. “Besides that, we have Glitter and Raincloud to pick up the slack… isn’t that right, girls?”

“Right.” Glitterball chimed in, offering a confident nod.

Raincloud looked over, only to find a trio of deceptively small eyes boring into her soul. She also found the eyes of everyone else, silently goading her into giving an appropriate response.

And judging from their furrowing gazes, silence wasn't an appropriate response.

"Uh… Yeah, sure." Raincloud smiled awkwardly. It didn’t seem to have the desired effect.

Sweetie Belle sighed, "Well… please just be careful, ok?"

"We will be as careful as can be," Cadence assured. Then, her soft gaze furrowed as she looked up to the end of the hall.

There was a bend up ahead to the right, with a particularly striking tapestry hung on the wall. It was so faded and covered in dust and cobwebs that it was hard to tell what it depicted, but it did serve as a familiar landmark for the alicorn.

“We’re here,” Cadence said, bringing the group to a halt.

Everyone suddenly grew anxious and somber as the alicorn said that. The deep shadows around them now felt all the more threatening.

“We are?” Shining asked, giving the area a newly paranoid once over, only to find nothing. “You’re sure?”

Cadence merely nodded and pointed ahead. “The room’s right around that corner. It’s the first door on the right.”

With danger literally lurking around the corner, everyone quieted down and went on full alert. After some few moments spent trying to formulate a plan, Glitterball took it upon herself to inch forward and head toward the corner.

The others watched as the unicorn crept closer and closer, measuring each hooffall until she reached the bend. She held her detector close and leaned around the corner ever so slightly.

As she expected, the liquid inside of the charm was glowing brightest when pointing toward a room just a mere few feet away. She could also hear faint voices that sounded like they were arguing within.

Glitter leaned back around and let her detector retract on its cord back to her vest. She walked back over to the others, but even before she got close enough to speak comfortably without fear of being heard, they could tell what she had found from her expression alone.

“That’s it, alright. Sounds like those vampires are dug in.” Glitter said.

“So, what’s the plan?” Raincloud asked aloofly. “I’m all for going in there head-on and dusting them, but I know you guys probably don’t want a convicted felon with anger issues calling the shots.”

Shining tilted his head and lifted his brows. “Fair assessment… but at least you’re self-aware.”

“The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one,” Glitterball added helpfully, earning a flat look from the bluish-gray pegasus.

“I’m of the school of thought of embracing your flaws,” Raincloud said with a slight glare.

“Actually,” Cadence chimed in, looking to the pegasus, “She’s right.”

Scootaloo blinked. “She is?”

“She is?” Shining added, equally confused.

“I am?” Raincloud looked to the alicorn like she was the crazy one.

Seeing no sign that Cadence was joking, Shining Armor started to say something, only to discard the first few thoughts that came to his head. “Cadence, we need to think about this before we just barge in there horns blazing.”

“I have thought about this,” Cadence said. She softened her expression and sighed at the understandable frustration and concern on her husband’s face. “Look… Twilight and the others need us. They need us to break that spell, and they need us to get back to them as soon as possible. We can sit here for ages trying to come up with a plan, but whatever we come up with won’t eliminate all of the risks. We’ll still end up fighting them one way or another.”

Shining and Glitter still seemed uneasy, but she could tell that they understood what she was getting at. The stallion mulled over the issue to himself for a few moments before giving a stressed exhale and looking up.

“We’re really up a creek, aren’t we?” He half smirked.

Cadence mirrored his smile. “And not a paddle in sight.” She said softly, her expression dropping as she saw some hesitant concern return to Shining’s face.

Finally, Shining shook his head and sighed. “Alright… but if we’re doing this, someone has to stay back and watch the kids.” He reasoned, turning to Glitterball. “Sorry, Glitter, I know you probably wanted in on the fun, but there’s no way I’m leaving her.”

Glitterball inched the corners of her mouth up as she started to dig on her vest. “It’s ok… I understand.” She said before pulling out a familiar remote and pushing the button on its face.

Raincloud looked down in surprise as her collar sprang to life. She could feel the flow of magical energies returning to her body as the symbols were broken. “You want me to fight?” She inferred.

“We didn’t bring you for your good looks, honey. Besides, if I hear anything funny over there, you can kiss your power privileges goodbye.” Glitterball said, waggling the remote for show.

Raincloud felt an odd tug at her slack expression as she looked around at the group. The couple that she would be fighting alongside, the fillies that were looking to her with slight smiles. Somehow, fighting a bunch of vampires for a greater cause felt good.

She snorted softly, bobbing her head as she looked down to her own hoof briefly before looking up and flattening her expression at the unicorn. “Don’t call me honey again.”

“Stop calling me sprinkles.” Glitter replied with a slight smirk.

“Touché...” Raincloud said.

“Alright,” Shining chimed in, drawing everyone’s attention to him, “Raincloud, Cadence, follow my lead.” He explained, giving his spare dagger to Cadence and gesturing a hoof as he let his light spell drop and crept around the corner.

Cadence followed suit, letting her horn dim and carrying the dagger in her mouth until it was needed. She gave one last look to Glitterball and the still worried fillies, nodding to them confidently before disappearing around the corner. Raincloud didn’t spend any time with final goodbyes or confident glances. She just followed the pair quietly and kept her head down.

The trio made their way down the next hallway, hugging the right wall as they approached the doorway up ahead. They could hear voices from inside getting loud enough to distinguish what sounded like multiple ponies. For Cadence and Raincloud, they even recognized one of the voices.

“How many were there when they brought you here?” Shining whispered.

“Seven, I think.” Cadence replied after some thought. “Luckily, there weren’t any more of those feral creatures.”

“Still, we’re outnumbered two to one here,” Shining added uneasily.

Cadence managed a smirk. “It can’t be any worse than the wedding. At least Chrysalis didn’t trap me on a giant chessboard.”

“Changelings, vampires… I’m just glad we’re together for it.” Shining said, a warm expression on his face as he stared into his wife’s eyes and took her hoof briefly.

However, their warm moment was cut short as they looked to the side and saw Raincloud making the universal ‘gag me with a spoon’ gesture. She looked like she would prefer getting eaten to being forced to endure their romance.

Cadence sighed and gave the pegasus a flat look before turning toward the door and adopting a serious expression. They had one goal before them, and a room full of bloodthirsty super-powered ponies standing in their way. It was time to put some lost souls to rest, whether or not they were willing.

Raincloud and Shining followed the alicorn’s lead as she casually walked over to the door and entered the room. Almost immediately, they could see and hear the conversations within come to a dead halt as several pairs of red eyes descended on them.

The room was sparsely lit by a pair of torches on the walls across from each other, revealing a gutted dining room. Tables and chairs were kicked over and shoved to the sides hastily, clearing space in the center for a large glowing symbol drawn in blood red.

Around seven vampires were dotted around the room as Cadence said. They were a fairly even mixture of the three races. However, some of them stood out among the group, namely a green-furred unicorn mare with a red mane that was standing a few feet away, her body arched toward one of the others as if they had been chatting before the three intruders strolled in.

The unicorn mare narrowed her eyes at the group. “Oh, great… The walking hearts and hooves day card escaped and brought her hubby, and…” She paused as she looked at the gray mare beside them. “Hey, didn’t we kill you?”

Raincloud smirked. “Is that what you were trying to do? Maybe dainty horn over there didn’t get the memo."

The pale unicorn stallion that stabbed Raincloud seemed particularly surprised and perturbed to see her alive and well. "How the hay…"

"Well, I don't know how you're not six feet under full of holes, but it doesn't matter." The green mare said, stalking forward toward the trio.

A sea of feral growls greeted the trio. Pale faces jeered and flashed fangs dripping eagerly with saliva. They were mostly staying back, probably wary of the silver blades Shining and Cadence had, but they looked ready to rip into the intruders.

"I think I already know the answer… but you were ponies once, so I feel the need to warn you. If you have any shred of free will and self-preservation left in you, stand down." Cadence said, casting her steely gaze around the room, stopping at each pale pony.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Princess…" The mare said, "but we're not afraid to die for our Prince."

"Works for me." Raincloud popped her stiff neck and lifted a hoof. Then, with a disquieting whoosh, dark purple flame wreathed her hoof before she abruptly pointed it to the side.

With little warning, a bolt of crackling shadow energy rocketed towards one of the pale ponies, a pegasus stallion, standing at the side of the room. He barely had time to process what was going on, even with his enhanced reflexes. The pony dodged to the side, but couldn't get clear in time to avoid getting impacted on his ribs, the blast exploding outwards slightly and leaving a charred and oddly cold crater in his form.

As their companion wailed in pain, the green mare and all the vampires in the room immediately sprang to battle.

"Kill them!" The mare exclaimed. Her colleagues didn't exactly need the confirmation as they lunged forward.

“Is it too late to say this was a bad idea?!” Shining Armor stated tensely as he and his two companions reared up to meet the incoming threat.

Cadence immediately made a swipe with her dagger at one of the closer vampires coming in from the side. The pale mare managed to dodge her strike and lunge, but quickly found herself being knocked back by a concussive blast sent by Shining.

Seeing the rest of the group heading straight for them, the two lovers felt their bodies tense. They would have to resort to defensive measures. There just wasn't a way to repel that many of them at once with magic, even between the two of them.

Not with unicorn magic, at any rate.

With a sudden roar of flames, a spray of crackling dark energy flowed out of Raincloud’s hoof, coating the floor in front of the couple and creating a makeshift barrier that was enough to bring the vampires to a screeching halt. Before anyone could even react further, she spread her wings and leaped forward.

Shining and Cadence watched as the pegasus quickly landed in front of one of the pale mares, who immediately started to attack. Before she could, however, Raincloud punched out a foreleg, the shadowy energy wreathing it narrowing into a point and creating a blade of sorts sticking out of her hoof.

The point of pulsating shadow pierced the hapless pony’s forehead. It seemed like it would go through the other side, but instead, Raincloud directed the energy to spread out like a roaring fire, engulfing the mare’s head from within and without. A shrill scream of pain quickly faded as glowing embers and ash started falling out of the flaming arms of purple, and soon the mare’s body collapsed to the side before disintegrating.

After she was finished dispatching the mare, Raincloud looked around the room. All eyes were on her now, even her allies. Many of the vampires were stunned into shocked silence as they watched the roaring purple energy shrink to a small ball in her hoof.

“You guys should have killed me when you had the chance. Now… I think it’s time to take the kiddie gloves off.” She grinned deviously.

The green mare shared a look with her five remaining colleagues. They were suddenly very in touch with certain emotions they thought lost to them since their rebirth.

Still, they weren’t about to give up without a fight. Their master had given them an order, and they would carry it out, even if they died in the process. A myriad of snarls and growls sounded out as the group leaped back into battle.

Meanwhile, Twilight and her three friends were galloping down the stairs to the main floor in their race to aid the others.

They hadn’t come across any dangers in their path thus far, but they were sure to watch their step and use as much caution as they could.

A few minutes of running later, the four mares came to a panting stop out in the courtyard. Twilight scanned around the area briefly as she and the others caught their breath, only to find a veritable war zone.

Black scorch marks and craters of all sizes littered the snow-kissed grounds. There were shattered piles of wood and splinters where once there were stockades. Even the stone walls and pillars surrounding the area were scarred from both explosive and what seemed to be magical impacts.

“Holy cow…” Rainbow Dash commented as she took in the destruction. She hovered up to the stone arch above them and ran a hoof over some of the holes.

“What on earth happened out here?” Rarity added.

“A fight from the looks of it,” Twilight noted the obvious as she walked toward the middle of the courtyard. She looked over to the side, only to pause as she found something out of place.

A broken-up suit of what looked to be armor made for a griffon was lying in a crumpled heap in the snow. Its gilded plates were pristine, save for the snow now covering them. Strangely, there was a faint smell of brimstone present that seemed to originate from it.

“Ooo, that’s cool.” Pinkie marveled over the ornate-looking armor, briefly entertaining the thought of trying it on for size.

“What’s this hunk of junk doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked, giving the armor a slight kick.

Twilight stared at the armor pensively for a few moments, her eyes tracing back and forth as she tried to piece together what could have transpired. The armor could have simply been thrown here by a blast, or perhaps it was brought to life through some magical means? Dusk had summoned creatures to fight in his stead before, so it wouldn’t have been too surprising.

“I’m not sure… but that’s not important right now.” She said, turning toward the mouth of the courtyard. Reaching down to her vest, she brought up one of her detectors off of its cord and switched it on, illuminating the sand within. “We need to find the others.”

“Are you getting something?” Rainbow asked, leaning in close to see the glowing sands, only to skew the results with her presence. Twilight gave her a flat look before breaking off from the group a bit and scanning the vial around.

Almost immediately, she found a substantial reading ahead of them. Nearly half the vial was aglow when pointing that direction, so it must have been relatively close as well.

“I think they’re this way,” Twilight said. After a brief pause, she trotted forward, gesturing for her friends to follow. “Come on.”

And follow they did. The trio kept up with their lavender leader even as she galloped through the halls. They weren’t about to let something like fatigue and exhaustion keep them from helping their friends.

As they went, the group started to notice more destruction around them. There were holes in the walls they were passing on their right, just big enough to fit a pony through. These holes seemed to cut through entire rooms before they came to a stop sometime later. It was at this point that they started to see all too familiar signs of battle.

Pinholes in the walls and floors, slashes, burn marks, cracked stone, and spent crossbow bolts, all leading in a relatively easy-to-follow line further down the hall, snaking in and out of rooms as it went.

Twilight slowed down and stopped before a few streaks of what could only be blood on the wall. The vial in her outstretched hoof showed most of the sand glowing within, only a thin portion near the base remaining dim. They were close, but to what?

They had no way of knowing what had happened since they last contacted the princess. What if that blood didn’t belong to Dusk or Blue Bolt? How many of their friends had been caught up in the battle before they arrived?

Noticing the unease on the unicorn’s face, and perhaps feeling some herself, Rainbow Dash hovered close and rested a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Hey, Twi… we should-”

Then, before the pegasus could finish her reassuring sentiment, a low burst of air came from up ahead as what sounded like an explosion rumbled through the area. Accompanying this explosion was the distinct sound of two different voices crying out in fearful surprise.

It was hard to make out who the voices belonged to this far away, but they could immediately tell it was their friends.

With a wave of alarm washing over them, the four ponies rushed toward the noise. The thought of what was waiting for them raced through their heads nearly as fast as their pounding heartbeat.

They quickly saw another intersection coming into view ahead, with more signs of battle around it. However, what made them come to a stop entirely, was a white alicorn galloping out in front of them and nearly colliding with them.

“Twilight…?” Celestia said, surprised to see the unicorn and her friends.

“Princess…?!” Twilight’s face lit up briefly until she noticed the still-bleeding wound across her mentor’s form. “You’re hurt… What happened?”

“Where are the others?!” Rainbow Dash added impatiently.

“And what was that explosion just now?” Rarity chimed in.

Celestia darted her eyes toward the opening to the gallery just a few feet away. She couldn’t see the center of the room due to the many pillars and walls blocking her view, and Luna, Blue Bolt, and even Dusk were out of sight as well.

“There’s no time for explanations.” The alicorn insisted before craning her neck down to meet Twilight’s eyes. “Twilight, all of you need to regroup with Applejack and Fluttershy. Gather the Elements and meet me in there.” She nodded toward the room in question after pointing out the hallway behind her and the room the others were hiding in.

Twilight could see a grave sense of severity in Celestia’s eyes that clearly conveyed the situation at hand. However, she also had a fair amount of fatigue and pain written on her face that she was doing her best to hide.

“But… Princess-”

“Go!” Celestia stated. Without another word and only a brief glance, she headed into the gallery.

The four mares were left a bit speechless by how abrupt the alicorn left. Then again, this was ground zero for the biggest battle of their lives thus far.

“Are we just going to leave her?” Pinkie asked, casting a worried frown toward the empty doorway of the gallery.

Not even wasting a moment, Twilight steeled her expression and turned away. “No, but we can’t do anything to help without the Elements.”

There didn’t seem to be any objections to that. They were too deep in for objections at this point. They needed to work as a unit, and right now, they needed all members present.

The trio followed Twilight in a mad rush down the hallway. They neared the room Celestia pointed out and skidded to a halt, nearly blowing past it entirely. As they entered, they were greeted with a sight that stunned them into shocked silence.

Applejack and Fluttershy were present alright, but what was currently drawing the four mares’ attention was a suited pegasus lying on the floor with a bloodied bandage adorning her side and a yellow stallion desperately trying to keep her alive.

Looking up, Fluttershy’s eyes lit up as she saw all four of her missing friends together. “Girls!”

Twilight and the others were relieved to see them as well, but Sunspot’s injury and all of the bandaged wounds between them still left their mouths agape in worry. “Oh my gosh, what happened to you guys?!”

“It’s a long story.” Glimmer Shine said, straightening his posture from tending to Sunspot and looking to the group desperately. “Do you have Raincloud with you?”

Rainbow Dash lowered her ears as she glanced at Pinkie. “No… she left with Cadence and the others to go find that symbol.”

“Is she going to be ok?” Rarity fretted. Her heart ached at the sight of the orange pegasus so out of sorts. Between the panting and the feverish look in her eyes, Sunspot seemed like she was barely taking in her surroundings.

“She needs help in a bad way.” Sparkplug said.

“Where’s Blue?” Rainbow asked. “Can’t he come heal her?”

The uneasy silence did little to ease her growing concern.

Finally, Glimmer Shine spoke. “We were fighting Dusk. After Sunspot got hit, we all ducked in here. Princess Celestia came to check on us.”

“So… Princess Luna and Blue were fighting Dusk alone?” Rainbow widened her eyes.

“And now Princess Celestia is fighting too.” Twilight chimed in urgently. “They need help. They need our help.” She looked around at her five best friends before settling eyes on Applejack and Fluttershy. “Where are the Elements?”

Fluttershy got up and walked over to a bag at the side of the room. “Princess Luna left them with us after Dusk showed up.” She explained, starting to unzip the bag and dig through its contents.

“Good.” Twilight gave a pleased nod as Glimmer Shine and Rainbow Dash helped distribute the five necklaces to their appropriate owners. She lit her horn and caught the tiara as Rainbow tossed it to her, giving it a brief look before placing it on her head and straightening it.

“You think they’re going to work on Dusk?” Sparkplug asked hesitantly.

“They didn’t work on that Shade feller.” Applejack noted. Fluttershy and Pinkie felt a shiver go down their backs as they recalled the experience.

“Don’t worry. Shade was a special case.” Twilight assured.

“Well, only one way to find out.” Glimmer Shine said, getting his crossbow out and readying it before turning to the gray mare sitting nearby. “Sparkplug, stay here and keep an eye on Sunspot. Update us if anything changes with her.”

Sparkplug skewed a brow as she saw the stallion standing by the six mares. “You’re going too?” She asked, receiving only a slow nod in response. “But… it’s way too dangerous out there! Just look at what happened to Sunspot!”

“Would you rather they went out there alone?” Glimmer asked.

“No, but at least they have an excuse to go charging into danger. I don’t see you wearing a magical warhead on your neck.” Sparkplug reasoned.

“She’s right, Glimmer,” Twilight added. Glimmer looked over to see the unicorn and all her friends staring at him with concerned faces.

“Yeah, just leave it to us.” Rainbow Dash chimed in.

Glimmer Shine softened his features and sighed as he gave the group a flat look before turning to the wounded pegasus on the floor. “We need Blue to come heal Sunspot, and the only way he can do that is if we keep Dusk busy. I already watched her have a close call… I’m not letting any of you get put on the chopping block if I can help it.”

Twilight and the others couldn’t help but smile at the bold stallion. Even Rainbow Dash felt a tug at her lips. Despite the sheer threat of death they were facing, nobody wanted to leave anyone alone. Still, they had a fight on their hooves whether they liked it or not.

“You watch our backs, we’ll watch yours… sound good?” Twilight offered.

Glimmer smiled in return. “Sounds like a plan. Lead the way, Ms. Magic.”

With that, Sparkplug watched as the group exited the room, leaving her and the suited pegasus alone. She let her gaze linger on the empty doorway for a few moments before a slight groan drew her attention down.

Sunspot’s limbs tensed and shifted limply as she struggled to cling to consciousness. Her eyes started to drift shut, until a hoof landed on her side and jostled her, keeping her at least somewhat lucid.

“Stay with me, Sunspot. Help will be here soon.” Sparkplug assured gently. However, even in her state, the pegasus could hear and see the worry in the gray mare’s voice and face.

*A few minutes earlier*

“AHHH!”

Luna and Blue Bolt cried out as an explosion of light and energy surged out from beneath them. The last thing they expected was for Dusk to use magic on them rather than one of his blood tendrils, which was partly why it had worked so well.

Blue Bolt had tried to push the alicorn out of the way, but before he could, both of them were tossed into the air from the force of the blast.

And then they fell, much further than either of them would have anticipated. It seemed as though the crumbling floor had opened up a hole into a larger chamber, which was all but confirmed as Blue squinted an eye open and caught sight of dimly lit stone walls and a sea of red below.

He tried to spread his wings and break his descent, but he didn’t have time before he and the alicorn beside him splashed down.

It was liquid of some sort, which was mostly good. At least Luna didn’t have to go through a painful impact onto solid ground from such a height. That was about the only good thing about it. The stuff immediately flooded into their mouths, leaving an overwhelming metallic taste.

Blood. It was blood they had just landed in, and a lot of it at that.

After a brief moment spent orienting himself, Blue Bolt swam up and breached the surface again with a sharp gasp. He sputtered and shook the fluid from his face before getting the first real look at where he had fallen to.

The cavernous room around him resembled a sewer of some kind. There were many grates and tunnels letting crimson liquid slosh and flow into the main body he seemed to be floating in. There wasn't much in terms of solid ground, save for a few thin islands of stone up against the walls and a single square platform in the center of the room, just in the shadow of the hole above. It was dark too, with only three torches spaced out and the light shining down from up top to provide any form of illumination.

“Princess?!” He called, turning and looking around him for the missing alicorn. She had landed near him, but she could have been anywhere by now. “Princess Luna?!”

A second breach and gasp of air made the stallion look over to see an utterly drenched blue alicorn bobbing to the surface. Her mane was slicked down to her face, and her tiara was missing entirely.

Seeing her struggling to tread ‘water’, Blue quickly swam over and helped keep her up. “Princess, are you ok?”

Luna cringed softly as a myriad of pains notified her of their presence. On top of her unintentional belly flop from a dozen or so feet up, she had caught a fair amount of the magical explosion that had caused their fall in the first place.

“I… ngh… I can’t move my wing.” She said, reaching a hoof under the blood to clutch the feathery appendage.

Blue Bolt helped her swim a few inches over to the stone platform. It was solid enough as they grasped onto it, but they quickly discovered that their hind legs passed under it below the surface. It seemed to be anchored in place through some unnatural means despite how thin it was. They didn’t care much. Any solid ground was better than the dark depths below.

“Come on. I’ll take a look at your wing once we get up here. Can you climb up?” Blue asked.

“Yes. I think I can man-”

*Ping*

A tiny crimson projectile zipped into the red water between them, immediately sending the pair on full alert. They both looked up, only to see Dusk hovering just before the hole he had created, staring down at them with red eyes shining against his shadowed face. A single short tendril was floating out of his neck and lazily pointing at them.

“Dreadfully sorry about the fall. I didn’t know I still had such magical strength left within me.” He chuckled giddily as he allowed his horn to glow. “I assumed when Celestia took my alicorn magic, she took the majority of all my magic. Perhaps there is still hope yet of me regaining my power?”

Blue Bolt clenched his teeth at the smug alicorn before shifting his attention to the side. Luna was in little condition to fight right now, especially in such a vulnerable position.

“Stay here. I’ll keep him busy.” Blue said before giving a few hard flaps of his wings.

Luna reached out to the pegasus as he took off without her, sending droplets of blood raining down. “Blue Bolt, wait!” She pleaded, but he seemed determined to face the foe before him.

Up above, Dusk curled a corner of his mouth as he saw the stallion rapidly ascending toward him. He took a foreleg and waved it across, letting a band of blood float out of his exposed wrist which shrank to four evenly spaced spears before zipping down.

Blue Bolt banked to the right to dodge the first two and then coasted left to barely miss the other two. He could feel the crimson thorns whizzing past and hear them impacting the lake below.

Summoning one of his blades, Blue immediately charged it with fiery energy, sacrificing some power for speed as he quickly slashed at the air, sending a glowing arc upwards toward the alicorn.

With relative ease, Dusk dodged out of the way of the energy wave, allowing it to strike the ceiling with a small explosion and send some crumbling debris down into the bloody pool. He then flapped hard, flying back and away from an aggressive slash by Blue Bolt, who had now closed the distance between them.

The pegasus growled with frustration as the alicorn angled into a free-fall away from him to gain more distance. It was annoying how much Dusk made it seem like he was playing with his food.

Then, however, a cold and wet substance wrapped around his neck and squeezed tightly, immediately closing his airway. Blue raced his hooves to his throat, only to feel the tell-tale sensation of a liquidy band.

It was at this point that he noticed the two tendrils discreetly snaking out of Dusk’s neck, tucking behind the alicorn’s back and dipping down before making their way over and up through Blue’s blindspot.

With his prey ensnared, Dusk’s toothy smirk grew as he flipped backward in the air. The two tendrils under his control followed his motion, abruptly yanking taut and pulling Blue Bolt forward, and then down before releasing the stallion like an equine slingshot.

The pegasus could only let out a slight yelp of surprise from how little air was in his lungs. He plummeted toward the surface of the bloody pool from the sheer momentum imparted into him from the tendrils. It took a great deal of effort for him to even turn his body enough so he could use his wings to brake.

After a few frantic flaps, he finally halted his plummet just before the crimson waters below.

“Blue Bolt, look out!” Luna called out from off to the side.

Blue barely had any time to react, only managing to turn and look skyward before Dusk slammed into him hooves-first. The pair splashed into the lake of blood and disappeared entirely from Luna’s view.

The force from the alicorn striking him knocked the rest of the wind from Blue’s body and caused him to gasp instinctually. Immediately, his lungs were flooded with liquid, burning and spasming as every instinct of self-preservation in him went haywire.

Feeling a pair of hooves gripping his throat like an iron vice and keeping him under, Blue looked up. It was hard to see through the crimson fluid, but Dusk’s glowing gaze was mere inches from his face.

He re-summoned his blade, the red water around the materializing weapon glowing briefly orange, and tried to swing up at the alicorn. However, he quickly found his foreleg being grabbed by what he presumed to be one of Dusk’s tendrils and bound to his chest. Blue tried the other foreleg, only to have another tendril wrap around and pull that limb in as well.

The burning in his lungs was only getting worse. He flailed and wriggled and struggled, but nothing he did was working. He was drowning, and Dusk was simply going to watch him.

Finally, he could hold his breath no more and instinctively inhaled. Even more fluid entered his lungs, completely filling them this time.

Around that time, any normal pony would have blacked out. However, a few seconds later, Blue squinted an eye open and realized that he was still functioning. He could feel his lungs demanding air, but his body wasn't shutting down.

Through the murky depths, Dusk narrowed his brows curiously. He hadn’t needed to breathe since he became what he was now, but even he knew that any mortal pony should have needed air by now. A slight look of recognition came over him, and he formed the slightest of impressed smiles at his foe.

Still, he wasn't about to make things easy.

Blue suddenly felt the hooves around his throat squeezing tighter and tighter. Even if breathing wasn't a problem, if this kept up, his neck might have snapped from the sheer force alone.

Desperate to break free, and with his forelimbs trapped beyond hope of escape, Blue lowered one of his hind legs and summoned a bladed circlet around it. He quickly rotated it around his ankle until the blade was pointing up. Locking it into place, the pegasus kicked up.

The blade sank into the alicorn’s abdomen, immediately causing him to jerk in pain and briefly release his hold over Blue’s neck. His concentration seemed to fade as well, as the tendrils binding the pegasus’ forelegs weakened enough that Blue could break free and make a slash with one of the other blades.

Dusk kicked off and swam up, but he couldn’t get clear in time before receiving a nasty wound across his barrel. It stung like crazy, but he had grown accustomed to pain in his long life.

Both alicorn and pegasus scrambled for the surface. Dusk breached first, taking to the air with ease and distancing himself from the water slightly. Blue Bolt came shooting up a few moments later in a different spot, coughing and sputtering up all of the liquid in his lungs before leveling his gaze ahead.

Dusk merely hovered in the air, allowing his wounds to heal as he stared down at the stubborn pegasus. “Perhaps I underestimated you, Blue Bolt. You have proven yourself far more resilient than I anticipated.”

“What’s the matter, Dusk?! Don’t start something you can’t finish!” Blue splashed a hoof down angrily.

The alicorn narrowed his eyes at this. “Do not mistake my respect for a call for surrender. I will still crush you under hoof as many times as it takes to exhaust whatever power you hold. But when you are dying, just know that you have put up a better fight than the combined forces of this so-called kingdom.”

He shifted his eyes behind him, toward the center platform where Luna was still sitting. Both she and Blue Bolt tensed as they saw this change in focus.

“Even alicorns die, Blue Bolt. Your actions will not change that.” Dusk said as he exposed his wrists, allowing two tendrils of blood to slither out. The twin streams floated behind the pale stallion until they were pointing down at Luna, whereupon they shot forward at rapid speed.

Blue Bolt gasped and widened his eyes. “Princess!” He reached out toward her briefly before taking off out of the crimson pool. However, he wouldn’t reach her in time.

As the speeding arrows of blood approached, Luna’s eyes flashed with alarm. She ignored the pain in her side to stand up and light her horn. A luminous blue barrier appeared around her.

The two projectiles struck the center of the shield with great force. Luna suddenly felt a pain in her head as her magic was overwhelmed, and then in her shoulder as one of the tendrils pierced through.

“AGH!” The princess of the night yelled in pain as blood and flecks of shattered blue light spattered around her. She fell back from the first hit, allowing the second stream to narrowly miss impacting her side on the way down as she flopped to the stone below.

A set of hooves clattered to a landing in front of her as Blue Bolt came to her side.

“Princess Luna!” Blue knelt down, briefly examining her freshly wounded shoulder, or at least trying to. She was clutching it tightly, which at least served the purpose of stifling the bleeding.

Turning back around and looking up, Blue grit his teeth as he saw Dusk with several more tendrils floating nearby. His mind raced in an attempt at finding a way to protect Luna, but without magic of any sort, what could he do? He could try using himself as a living shield for her, but the bloody missiles could just punch through his fragile form.

Luna struggled to push herself back up. She looked up, one eye squinted shut from the pain, and lit her horn once more. However, the glow surrounding her horn was sporadic and flickering from a mixture of weakness and lack of concentration.

Showing no quarter to his wounded foes, Dusk silently willed all of his tendrils to shoot forward. Around seven or eight of the crimson spears came raining down toward the pair.

Then, before either of them could formulate a reaction, the tendrils all halted and wilted in the air as a bolt of fiery energy came down and pierced Dusk’s chest.

The pale alicorn yelped and fell down toward the bloody pool, a steaming crater of burned flesh, sinew, and bone left in his form. He managed to halt himself with his wings just before splashdown. He looked down, framing his new gaping injury with a hoof before looking skyward with an icy glare.

As expected, a familiar white mare was flying near the mouth of the hole in the ceiling, her horn still glowing and an equally intense glare stuck on her face.

“S-sister!” Luna wasn't exactly surprised to see Celestia coming to her aid. However, with the injury still scarring the white alicorn’s side, she wished that her sibling would stay safe rather than risking herself further.

Celestia looked down toward the pair on the lone island of stone, her expression softening a bit as she saw how out of sorts Luna seemed. “Blue Bolt, heal Luna and then get back to the others! Sunspot is badly hurt, and she needs your aid!”

Blue Bolt felt a pang of concern as he thought back to the earlier barrage of blood shots up above. He had hoped that none of the others were hit by it, but apparently, Sunspot wasn't so lucky. Still, he seemed hesitant to leave.

“But, Princess-”

“Don’t worry…” Celestia said, leveling her gaze back toward Dusk. “He will not kill me… not yet.”

Down below, Dusk growled under his breath, frustrated at being interrupted again. “Do not be so certain, Celestia!” He flicked a foreleg across, sending out three smaller and faster projectiles up toward her.

Celestia evaded the strike with relative ease, however, she was forced to keep flying as he sent more blood bullets and tendrils after her. As she swooped down along the side of the room, she craned her head back around and fired a few blasts at the stallion.

While the teacher and her former student went back and forth in battle, Luna and Blue Bolt finally had their moment of reprieve.

Blue turned to Luna and glanced behind him briefly before sitting down and putting a hoof to her shoulder. “Hold still.”

“Just heal my wing.” Luna insisted. “I can take care of the rest while you go heal S-”

Then, before the princess could finish her statement, a high-pitched hiss of air interrupted her as Blue Bolt lurched forward. A plume of luminous mist poured from his mouth and his eyes briefly lost focus, as if new information flooded his senses.

By now, Luna knew that display to be a bad omen, especially given that it wasn't caused by Dusk’s presence. “What is it? What did you feel?”

Blue Bolt stood up and darted his gaze to the room around them, seemingly trying to trace some unseen entity. “Something’s coming… Feels like more than one.”

Luna stood as well, adopting a more cautious stance as she too looked around. Nothing had changed in the dark, dank expanse around them. There was only the sloshing and lapping of the murky crimson depths to be heard, along with the sounds of battle ahead.

“Where is it?” Luna asked. “Do you know what it is?”

Blue allowed another controlled burst of mist out of his mouth. The result only seemed to alarm and confuse him more. “I don’t know… Something about it feels familiar, but I can’t tell. It feels like… like it’s right next to us.”

The pegasus shifted and turned as he rapidly scanned the room with his eyes. Still, he couldn’t seem to locate whatever source of energy he was tracking. He could tell it belonged to some creature, but he couldn’t see anything.

However, as he was moving, he accidentally overstepped the bounds of the stone platform. His hind leg sank further than he expected, breaching the surface of the crimson water below. He started to pull back at the cold sensation, but before he could, he felt something wrapping around his ankle and pulling hard.

“Woah!” Blue yelped in surprise as he was yanked back.

Luna started to reach out for him, but she missed his forelimbs by inches. By the time she could even think to use her magic on him, his body was pulled into the bloody pool and disappeared under the waves without a sign of whatever had attacked him.

By now, Celestia and Dusk briefly paused their fight to look over at the commotion. While Celestia merely scanned the room before settling her pale gaze on her sister, Dusk felt a slight smirk building as he realized what had happened.

“Blue Bolt…?!” Luna got to the edge of the platform and looked down. There weren’t any shadows or shapes lurking underneath. The pegasus was just gone. “Blue Bolt?!”

Chapter 64: Surface Tension

Up above, the combined Elements of Harmony and their stallion friend charged forward into the gallery room, into battle. They didn’t know what was going to happen once they faced Dusk. All they knew was that they would all do their best to protect their friends and put an end to the nightmare plaguing Equestria.

Twilight and the others kept a tight huddle as they entered the room, with Glimmer Shine working his way in front of them protectively. They darted their gaze around, expecting to find blood tendrils whipping about or bolts of magic flying through the air.

What they found instead, was an empty room with a gaping hole in the floor leading into what must have been a cavernous space.

Hearing faint zaps, explosions, and shouts coming from below, the group quickly rushed over and gathered around the edge.

Twilight stepped up to the pit and gazed down into it. She saw an expansive space full of what must have been hundreds of gallons of blood. The sight wasn't all too unfamiliar for some of the group, and those that had prior experience with the lower levels felt an uneasy pit forming in their guts.

Suddenly, the seven caught sight of two winged figures flying around and doing battle. Fiery light exposed the area as Celestia shot at Dusk in one of the far sides of the room.

And down in the center of the room, almost directly beneath the hole, was a bloodied and battered-looking blue alicorn. She seemed in a great deal of pain from her posture, but her focus seemed to be on the crimson waters below.

“Oh my gosh, is that Princess Luna?” Pinkie asked, voice laced with concern.

Rainbow Dash hovered up slightly, anxious to do something. “Is her wing hurt or something? Why is she down there?”

Although the intense fight going on between Celestia and Dusk worried her, Twilight knew that this was no time to let fear stop her from acting. Luna possibly needed help, and that was all she needed to know.

“Stay here for a minute, I’m going in.” Twilight instructed her friends gravely.

Glimmer Shine skewed a brow. “Going in…? What do you-” Then, as he looked over, the purple mare blinked out of sight amidst a magical glow. She appeared shortly afterward down in the cavernous room, right on the stone platform Luna was on. “Twilight!”

Ignoring the concerned eyes staring at her from above, Twilight steadied herself on her new surroundings and looked around briefly before turning to the alicorn beside her.

Luna looked up to the newly arrived unicorn, her face flashing with worry. “Twilight… what are you doing here?!” She said quietly, looking to the side to see if Dusk had noticed yet. If he had, Celestia seemed to be keeping him occupied.

Twilight knelt beside the alicorn and briefly examined her. “Are you ok? Can you fly?”

“No…” Luna grimaced slightly. “My wing was hurt in the blast Dusk made that sent us down here. Blue Bolt was going to heal it, but…” She trailed off as a particularly close sounding crack drew their attention to a wayward blood tendril. It didn’t look like it was aimed for them, but it was enough to make them tense.

“Where is Blue Bolt?” Twilight asked as she looked around, only to find no sign of the stallion. She was surprised to have the alicorn reach out and pull her back from the edge of the platform.

“Do not go in the blood. Blue Bolt sensed something, and then he got pulled in. Dusk is not the only creature down here with us… and I’m afraid I may know what it is.” Luna explained tensely.

Twilight wrinkled her expression. “Pulled in? Wh… what do you mean? Is something down there?” She turned to the pool of crimson liquid uneasily.

“Something you and your friends are all too familiar with, I’m afraid,” Luna said, glancing up toward the others. Seeing the unicorn’s tense confusion, she frowned. “You recall the monster you faced at the school, yes? The one the hooded ponies summoned?”

Suddenly, a look of shocked revelation came over Twilight’s face. Her wide eyes flashed with memories she had long since tried to forget of her time trudging through damp, musty halls while some unseen horror lurked in every puddle and trench.

“No… please don’t tell me-” Twilight trailed off as she looked to the water. She shuddered as images of a bloody skull staring at her flashed before her mind. Realizing the severity of the situation, she shook her head and took a breath before turning back to the alicorn. “Ok… if that thing is down there, we need to get out of here, right now.” She looked up to the hole above, and then back at Luna, frowning softly as she did. “Can you teleport?”

Luna groaned as she tried channeling the necessary energy through her horn, only to let it dim shortly after. “No… I’m sorry, but I have spent too much energy.” She said. Her frown only deepened as she saw the unicorn diving into her thoughts to try and come up with a solution. “Twilight, don’t worry about me. Get yourself to safety and use the elements on Dusk.”

Instead of listening to the alicorn, Twilight sighed tensely and lifted a hoof to her ear while gazing skyward. Her ear lit up with a blue-tinted glow as she triggered the spell. “Pinkie, tell Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to come down here. We need to carry Princess Luna out.”

After a moment, she saw a pink silhouette up above waving to her and heard a familiar voice in her head.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said.

Twilight grew softer and more grave as she spoke again. “And Pinkie… tell them to be careful. Something’s in the water… something really bad.”

There was a pregnant pause before the pink mare spoke again. “We know… Please be careful down there.” She said, voice soft with worry. Judging from her tone, she knew exactly what the unicorn was talking about.

Shortly after, a pair of familiar pegasi swooped down into the hole and quickly approached the stone platform floating amongst a sea of red. Their faces were grave and tense with fear, and it wasn't just from the battle taking place on the other side of the room.

Rainbow Dash darted her eyes around the dank space. “Where’s Blue Bolt?” She asked.

“He got pulled under.” Twilight eyed down to the sloshing waves hesitantly. The pair understandably gasped with surprise and concern. “Look, there’s not much we can do for him right now. We just have to hope his powers will keep him safe. Right now, we have to get the Princess out. If that monster attacks us, we’re sitting ducks here.”

“Dangit, Blue…” Rainbow growled uneasily, casting her eyes to the crimson depths briefly before shaking her head. “Alright, alright, let’s get moving. Come on, Flutters-”

An out-of-place splash breached the surface of the blood as movement caught the ponies’ eyes. They looked over just in time to watch a bloody claw stretching up into the air and clamping down on the yellow pegasus’ hind leg. In the moment it took for alarm to reach them, the arm reeled back, pulling the shy mare down with it.

“AHHH!” Fluttershy screamed as she was yanked from the air. She hit her upper half on the stone platform, smacking her chin. As she was dragged further, she flailed and dug her forehooves into the stone.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and even Luna all widened their eyes, faces going pale as snow.

“FLUTTERSHY!”

Immediately, Twilight dove forward, grasping the yellow mare’s hooves just as they reached the edge of the platform. Most of Fluttershy’s torso was now under, and her terrified eyes were big as dinner plates.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow Dash assured as she dove down and joined Twilight in pulling, working her forelegs under Fluttershy’s as best she could. Still, even with her help, it was hard to keep the yellow pony from losing ground with their awkward positioning.

A third set of hooves clamped down on Fluttershy’s forelimbs as Luna rushed forward, ignoring all her wounds in an adrenaline-fueled rush. With the alicorn’s help, they started making progress against the creature, managing to get the mare’s chest back up on solid ground.

“Fluttershy!”

“Hold on!”

“You can do it!”

Voices shouted from up above as the others helplessly watched the struggle taking place.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and pulled with all her might. Strangely, this creature was pulling harder than she remembered from before. Either it was from their awkward positioning, or perhaps it was done messing around with its prey after they had escaped so many times. Either way, it was not making it easy for them.

Just then, Twilight looked up at another hint of movement. She shrank back as she saw a blood stream zipping straight for them. “Eeep!” She squeaked in fear, racing to light up her horn and place a barrier in front of her and her friends. She narrowly made it in time, causing the projectile to ping uselessly against her shield.

A few more flying streams of blood came much faster than the first. They crashed into Twilight’s shield and almost immediately shattered it, sending a wave of pain through the unicorn’s head.

Rainbow Dash yelped as she narrowly dodged to the side, just barely getting out of the way as one of the streams zipped past. Thankfully, while they were close to be sure, none of them managed to hit anypony.

However, they did do damage in another way.

As Twilight recoiled in pain, losing focus and instinctively lessening the grip on one hoof, and Rainbow Dash moved to the side, Fluttershy swiftly dipped back down as the force pulling on her was met with less resistance.

“AH!” Fluttershy squeaked in fear as she went down to her neck, the element of kindness fully vanishing from view under the crimson tide. Now, only her head and part of her forelegs were above the surface.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight’s face paled as she and Luna were dragged forward along with the pegasus. She reaffirmed her grip on the yellow mare’s hooves and even lit her horn, wrapping her magic around and using that to pull as well.

Fluttershy could feel the grip on her ankle tighten, the sharp claws digging in and doubtlessly breaking skin. She could almost picture the bloody skull grinning eagerly at her, waiting to pull her under and wait until she drowned before it drained every drop of blood from her body.

“Don’t let it take me! Please!” Fluttershy cried, her eyes streaming tears freely as she fought to stay above water. It pained the others to see so much terror in her face. It also pained them to think that they might lose her.

Rainbow Dash threw caution to the wind and hovered behind the yellow mare, close to the water’s surface. “Hold on, Fluttershy! I’ve got you!” She assured, dipping her forelimbs under the crimson tide and wrapping them around her friend’s waist before flapping like a life depended on it.

Over at the back of the room, Celestia stared ahead with wide eyes as she saw the others losing the fight for Fluttershy’s life. She had tried to keep Dusk from interfering, but she was doing good to keep him from hitting her. There were only so many blood tendrils she could block with a well-placed shield at this distance.

“Girls!” She swooped forward, fully prepared to pull the pegasus out with her magic, until a tight coil wrapped around her neck, forcing her to pause midair with a strangled croak.

A few feet away, Dusk snorted in amusement and allowed every tendril of blood except for one recede into his body. He tugged on the tendril snaking out of his wrist, the one wrapped around his mentor’s neck, and lightly pulled her along.

“Look closely, Celestia. I want you to watch her die… I want you to hear them wail when she goes under.” Dusk said, lighting his horn and forcibly turning her head towards the sight ahead of her instead of toward him. His mouth split with a twisted smirk as he too watched closely.

Then, a series of cracks came from above, followed swiftly by a bolt of green light piercing into Dusk’s side, and another whizzing past uselessly.

“Gah!” The stallion yelped and shrank back in the air. As another bolt whizzed past his head, he looked up toward the ceiling angrily.

Through the hole above, Pinkie Pie, Glimmer Shine, and even Applejack were all wielding their poppers and shooting down.

One of the orange mare’s bolts struck Dusk in the chest, causing another burning pain to course through him. He briefly lost concentration on his blood tendril, which drooped weakly as a result.

“Why you impertinent little- AGH!”

Before the stallion could finish flinging his curses on the meddling ponies’ heads, a fiery ball of magical energy exploded into him, sending him flying back and smacking into the stone wall behind him with a newly acquired crater in his form.

Celestia, horn still ablaze with crackling energy, took an unlabored breath as the coil around her neck fully dissolved. She glanced upwards, flashing an appreciative smile to the trio firing down, before shifting her eyes down and softening them as she saw the others struggling to save Fluttershy.

“Hold on, girls!” She called after them, flying forward and starting to cast her magical influence outward to grab onto the sinking pegasus until a sharp stream of blood shot right in front of her. The alicorn looked to the side just in time to see more wayward streams curving through the air, heading straight for her.

“Not so fast, Celestia!” Dusk yelled, eyes flashing red with anger as he waved a hoof, mentally controlling the crimson spears and sending them chasing after as Celestia scrambled to evade.

Up above, Glimmer Shine and the three mares felt their hearts pounding as the situation worsened.

“Oh no… We have to do something!” Rarity dragged both hooves down her ears and to the sides of her face. She couldn’t bear to watch Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Luna struggling to keep their pegasus friend alive.

Applejack growled through grit teeth. “All we can try to do is keep that creep off’a Princess Celestia so she can help!” She suggested, leveling her popper back and starting to line up a shot.

However, a stray noise pricked Glimmer Shine’s ears. He scarcely had time to react before something crashed up through the stone floor beside him and Pinkie. A blood bullet zipped right by, narrowly avoiding hitting either of them.

“Look out!” Glimmer yelled as more pings and crashes came from below. Rarity shrieked and darted back as several more projectiles came up toward them. The ponies all scattered and leaped to what they presumed to be safety, all the while having miniature geysers of blood shoot up through pinholes in the stone floor around the opening.

Back down in the cavernous room, Twilight gasped in alarm as she saw a hail of blood streams spearing up where her friends were. However, she had something more pressing to worry about as she dug her hind hooves into the platform beneath her, fighting just to hold her ground.

“Pull harder, Rainbow!” She pleaded.

“I’m trying!” Rainbow Dash stated through clenched teeth. By now, she was starting to be submerged as well, but she didn’t care. At any rate, the creature seemed to be fully focused on the yellow mare.

Luna’s expression fell as she watched Fluttershy sink further down. The pegasus was forced to close her mouth to prevent any liquid from getting in. “We are losing her!”

“No!” Twilight’s eyes trembled as she stared at her friend. She could feel her hooves slipping and her magic faltering.

Fluttershy whimpered and took quick, shallow breaths, though she couldn’t make much sound with her mouth under the surface. She shifted her eyes up to meet Twilight’s. The fear and sadness within her shimmering orbs were enough to break the unicorn’s heart even more.

However, a look of somber realization seemed to take hold. Fluttershy seemed to silently communicate so much through her eyes in the span of a few seconds. She knew she wasn't going to make it, but she was at least glad to be surrounded by her friends at the end.

Finally, the pegasus was forced to hold her breath as her entire muzzle went under. She gave Twilight and Luna one last look before clenching her eyes shut.

Then, the tenuous hold Twilight had over her hooves ended.

“Fluttershy!”

The last thing she heard before going under was the unicorn shouting her name.

Without her friends pulling on her, Fluttershy was being dragged down much faster now. However, much to her surprise, Rainbow Dash hadn’t let go.

Rainbow…?

Fluttershy gazed upward. It was hard to make out through the dark fluid, but she could just barely spot the cyan mare’s silhouette, most likely because Rainbow was right on top of her. The forelegs clasped around her waist refused to release her unto her fate.

What are you doing…?! You’ll die too!

She felt a pang of sadness as the other pegasus kept pulling on her in vain. Even though communication had left them on the surface, she could almost hear her friend’s protests.

No way! I’m not letting you die!

Fluttershy brought a hoof to one of Rainbow’s forelegs and squeezed it. The pulls on her stopped for a moment, but the grip didn’t loosen.

Fluttershy… just hang on. I’ll… I’ll save you!

She was sure the pegasus would say, if only she could.

A bittersweet smile crossed Fluttershy’s features amidst the crimson depths. She could feel her lungs crying for air, and she knew her friend must not have been far behind in terms of lung capacity.

Dashie… It’s ok… Please, let go.

She gently tried pulling Rainbow’s forelegs off, but her friend fought against her. She felt the cyan mare’s body hugging close, and the warm sensation of a cheek pressing against hers as a chin rested on her shoulder.

Flutters…

The cyan mare tried so hard not to let her friends see or hear her in an emotional state. Still, Fluttershy could almost feel Rainbow’s body trembling against hers. Just like with Blue Bolt, she was going to have a friend die without saying goodbye.

Her body jerked and she clenched her eyes harder, both out of sadness and because she was out of time. Soon, she would be forced to inhale whether she wanted to or not. It took everything she had not to give in yet. She couldn’t blackout, not while Rainbow was still trying to save her.

She grasped her friend’s forelimbs again with both hooves and tried again. Even if she was at full strength, she probably wouldn’t have won. Still, as they drifted further into the crimson abyss, only one thought was forefront in the yellow mare’s mind.

Let me go…

Chapter 65: Shifting Tides

“NO!”

A sharp cry of denial filled the air as Pinkie Pie reached out to the hole in the floor in front of her, right where she and her friends just witnessed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash being pulled under the crimson tides.

Applejack held onto the pink mare’s vest and kept her from falling in as she fell to the floor in a sobbing mess. The farmer couldn’t deny her own watery eyes as she joined Rarity and Glimmer Shine in staring down into the cavernous space below in a shocked stupor.

Eventually, Rarity couldn’t hold in her own sobs any longer and collapsed into the waiting stallion’s shoulder. She couldn’t believe that their shy and loving friend was gone.

Down below, Luna stood by, staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed into the crimson depths as the purple mare beside her cried and sobbed.

At the back of the room, Celestia was hovering in place and staring ahead. All of the color had left her face, and although she was keeping airborne, her form seemed to shrink and fall slack. Dusk had momentarily stopped attacking her. She knew he was enjoying seeing her so heartbroken, but she didn’t care.

Twilight hiccuped and let out a shaky breath as she stared at her still outstretched hooves. She could practically still feel the pegasus’ own hooves holding onto her for dear life. This was the second friend she had in her grasp, only to have them ripped away.

“Fluttershy… No…” She clenched her eyes shut, letting fresh tears fall as she let her chin thump onto the platform below.

Then, a slight bubbling came to the surface ahead, causing her to open her eyes. Was it Rainbow Dash? She hoped that the cyan mare was alright, but even then, she knew that Rainbow would probably be just as if not more heartbroken than she was.

After all, there was no way that the cyan mare was returning with their friend still in her grasp.

A shape breached the surface of the crimson pool, and Rainbow Dash gasped for air. However, the pegasus wasn't alone.

Luna, Twilight, and near everyone watching had their jaws fall open in stunned surprise. Floating there alongside Rainbow Dash, coughing and sputtering and gasping for air, was none other than a certain yellow mare.

“Fluttershy?!” Twilight blinked, hard. “You’re alive?” She muttered, her voice leaving her behind briefly as her sullen features curved upwards into a joyous smile. “You’re… you’re alive?!”

Almost immediately, the atmosphere in the room shifted from despair and hopelessness to relief and joyous celebration.

“What?” Dusk narrowed his eyes at the impossible sight. How could one of the creatures simply let go once it had its prey? Now, Celestia was the one wearing a triumphant smirk, and he felt a frustrated growl forming.

Twilight lit her horn again and helped Rainbow Dash with lifting the yellow mare out of the bloody pool. The pair looked exhausted both physically and emotionally, to the point where both of them collapsed briefly once they were back on the platform, Rainbow still keeping a foreleg placed over Fluttershy as they both lay there and breathed.

“Are you two ok?” Twilight asked, giving them a brief examination before glancing to the crimson water. “What happened down there?”

Rainbow Dash spoke in between pants. “I don’t know… It… it just… let go.”

Then, another out-of-place sloshing noise came, making everyone look up. Rainbow Dash shot to her hooves, Twilight helped Fluttershy up, and Luna stood in front of the three mares as they all watched the foamy surface, fully expecting one of the creatures to be coming to retrieve its lost prey.

What greeted them instead, was another equine shape breaching the surface as a familiar pegasus stallion gasped for air.

“Blue?!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but form a stunned smile as she saw her friend.

Meanwhile, Twilight noticed that amidst his disheveled and soaked appearance, he had one of his blades formed around a wrist. Was he the reason Fluttershy got freed?

Blue wasted little time with getting his bearings and catching his breath. He hovered up out of the water and looked to the group urgently. “Go! Get the Princess out of here. I’ll keep them off you!” He shifted to look down toward the crimson depths uneasily.

Although they were still reeling from the close call they just had, the four mares quickly shifted back into serious mode. The stallion was right. They had to get out of this room.

“Fluttershy, Rainbow-” Twilight started, when the two pegasi beat her to it.

“On it!” Rainbow Dash chimed, rushing over to the blue alicorn and getting on one side while Fluttershy got on the other. After a moment spent trying to figure out the best way of carrying her, the pair started to lift off.

Shortly after, the ponies heard a guttural, garbled screech. Twilight shrank back from the edge of the platform as she looked down and saw a terrifying visage of congealed blood in the shape of a griffon’s face. Its eyeless stare and stringy tufts of fur atop its head brought her right back to her time in the school, and she couldn’t deny feeling a bit of a chill work its way over her.

“Holy cow!” Rainbow widened her eyes as she looked down. She hadn’t seen one of the creatures in person yet. She had seen a depiction of a more humanoid one from one of the summoning books they acquired, but this one was perhaps even uglier.

The creature wasted no time in shifting its attention to the easiest prey in the room, the slow-moving bunch of flying ponies above it. It opened its beak silently, staring at them for a moment before a sudden geyser shot up beside it in the form of a clawed appendage.

Fluttershy flinched and averted her eyes, while Luna and Rainbow Dash tensely watched the bloody missile approaching. They started to fly to the side, but they wouldn’t get clear in time.

Then, Blue Bolt sprang into action. With his blade still formed, he zipped forward in the air and channeled some energy through his weapon, causing it to glow orange. He swiped across the stretching column of fluid, and while a wave of energy didn’t come out, it did seem to have an enhanced effect on the creature’s normally resilient liquid body.

The bloody limb exploded into a shower of red droplets, and the rest of it started losing shape and falling as scattered fluid as it lost its connection to the monster, until only a smaller stump was left for the creature to pull back with a confused and agitated bleat. It stared at its former limb for a moment before looking back up to the pegasus and squawking angrily.

Blue smirked triumphantly. “Ha! Not so tough on my turf, are you?!”

Up above, Pinkie and the others gradually returned and watched the scene below, waiting to help however they could. While Rarity and the pink mare were a bit unnerved from seeing the bloody creature again, they couldn’t help but feel amazement as Blue Bolt successfully fought back against it. They had thought the creature to be near-invincible and undefeatable, but now their new friend was evening the odds.

However, Pinkie widened her eyes as she shifted them up, letting out an alarmed gasp. “Girls, look out!”

Hearing their friend’s cries, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Luna looked up, only to freeze as they spotted some red-tinted blurs of motion heading straight for them.

“AH!” Rainbow flinched her eyes shut and seized up along with Fluttershy. There wasn't anything they could do to stop what was about to happen.

Then, a flash of magical energy and a series of hollow pings sounded out, causing the pegasi to open their eyes. They saw a lightly magenta tinted barrier in front of them, with droplets of crimson fluid falling off on the outside.

Looking down, they found their unicorn friend with horn at the ready.

Twilight flashed a smile and nodded at the trio before settling her eyes forward again. Her expression fell and tensed as she saw Dusk sending more projectiles their way.

A group of crimson spears came flying toward them. However, a few of them broke off, and instead of flying at the pair carrying Luna, they flew toward Twilight herself, causing the unicorn’s pupils to shrink.

Before the projectiles could reach her, Blue Bolt flew in front of them and summoned his other fore-blade. He rotated the blade into a better position and stuck it out with precision, managing to catch one of the spears on its flat metallic surface. It dispersed with a faint ping and a sizzle.

The next projectile he wouldn’t be able to block with his blade. There wasn't enough time to predict its trajectory as it curved slightly. Instead, he moved in front of it and caught it with his body.

Twilight produced a slight gasp as she heard the stallion stifle a pained cry. The blood bullet pierced his chest and must have lost all momentum inside. However, her worry for the stallion wasn't the only worry she had.

The last stream of blood aiming for the unicorn zipped forward. Blue Bolt tried to swipe it out of the air, but he was too hindered by his fresh injury to be able to reach it. His face paled as he watched it whiz by him. “Twilight!”

Seeing the projectile incoming, and feeling more strain against her shield as the other crimson missiles went after her friends, Twilight cringed and felt her body tense. Still, she managed to leap to the side just in time, leaving the stream to hit the stone platform behind her.

She breathed a sigh of relief, only to cringe again and clutch her head as a great strain was put on her magic. Dusk was still firing on her barrier, and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were hesitant to move any higher as a result.

Celestia seemed to be trying to distract the pale stallion, but with how many tendrils and streams he could loosely control at once, it was hard for her to get close or attack without endangering herself.

Twilight yipped slightly as a particularly strong blood bullet struck her shield. A few small cracks were left behind, which she quickly focused on mending. She couldn’t take much more, and she knew it. “Rainbow, Fluttershy, get out of there!” She yelled.

However, they didn’t even get the chance to heed her words as another volley of spears came, faster than ever before.

Twilight felt her heart racing as she sized up the projectiles. She tried to funnel more energy to her shield, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough. She had to stop her friends from getting hurt. If they fell into the water again, even if the wounds they received weren’t fatal, they were as good as dead.

But what could she do? No matter how much she wished otherwise, part of her knew that the answer was nothing.

Then, just as she was bracing herself for her shield being shattered, a second barrier flashed to life in front of hers, composed of orange-tinted energy.

The nigh unstoppable barrage of projectiles shattered through the orange barrier, causing a slight yell from Celestia. However, going through the alicorn’s shield seemed to weaken them. Twilight felt her magic straining as the spears thundered into her barrier, and it cracked to be sure, but it didn’t break.

Dusk whirled around with an agitated growl as his attacks were thwarted yet again. He saw the white alicorn hovering a dozen feet away, panting slightly as she recovered from having her magic overwhelmed.

“I grow tired of your meddling!” He jabbed a foreleg toward her, shooting a connected tendril out at her.

Celestia cringed as the tendril approached. Could she dodge it? Could she block it with how much stamina she had used?

Her answer didn’t come.

A splash came from below, barely registering in Dusk’s mind as he focused on his mentor. What did register, however, was something nearly striking him, causing him to dip to the side slightly.

A long, stretchy column of blood shot up and passed his head. It appeared to have a darker, taloned hand attached at the end.

“What in the-” Dusk muttered as he looked down, only to find one of the blood monsters poking its disturbing maw out of the surface of the crimson waters and staring up at him. It produced a hungry shriek and swiped its now whip-like forelimb at him.

Dusk trailed his eyes up to the elongated limb. The claws on top made a decent effort of heading toward his neck, but he dodged to the side and let it fall back to the water.

He glared at the creature. “You foul, mindless beast! Do you know who I am?! I summoned you!”

The agitated garble that replied seemed to indicate that the creature didn’t care if it even understood. It sent another geyser-like claw up toward the alicorn, undeterred as a blood tendril snapped at its limb and cut it off at the top. It merely reformed the appendage and tried again.

Back at the center of the room, Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she watched the master getting assaulted by his supposed minion. The indiscriminate bloodthirsty nature of the creature unnerved her before, but now it was coming in handy.

However, a closer-sounding splash made her trail her eyes down, only to widen them as she found another bloody claw shooting for her.

“AH!” She yelped, dodging out of the way just in time to avoid it.

As she flopped to the ground, the unicorn looked up and froze, all of the blood in her veins running cold.

The stretchy limb reeled back in toward an amorphous red shape climbing over the edge of the platform. A griffon’s head and another limb poked out of the flowing mass, staring straight through her as it settled into a puddle on solid ground before rising and taking shape.

It twitched its beak and readied another claw to shoot forward, aiming to grab her. Letting out a garbled roar, it reached out, only to have the trembling purple equine blink out of existence, much to its confusion.

Twilight fell back and rolled to her side as she teleported up to the edge of the hole above. She let out the breath she had sharply inhaled before as Pinkie and the others gathered around her.

“No thanks…” She muttered as she peered down into the hole, spotting the creature on the platform looking around for where she went. “Been there… never want to do that again.” She shuddered slightly and shook her head.

“That was a close call.” Glimmer Shine breathed a sigh of relief as he offered the unicorn some help getting back to all fours.

“I thought that dreadful creature was going to get you for a minute there.” Rarity shivered at the thought. At this rate, her therapist was going to have to break out the jumbo-sized box of tissues from the relapse of suppressed memories that were being dredged up, not to mention all her new trauma.

“Right now, I’m not the one we should be worrying about,” Twilight said as she approached the hole again and looked down. She could see her pegasi friends still carrying the wounded alicorn up toward them. “Come on, girls! A little further!”

Rainbow Dash strained to fly faster. Safety was just a few feet away, but they could only do so much. Carrying one adult-sized pony wasn't exactly easy on a pegasus, but carrying a full-grown alicorn, even with Fluttershy’s help, was proving to be difficult with their exhaustion.

Hearing a slight noise behind them, Rainbow turned her head, only to spot another bloody limb stretching towards them. Having found no other targets, the creature on the platform had shifted its focus back to them.

Thankfully, Blue Bolt swooped in and cut the limb down before it could get too close.

Just as the cyan mare was flashing an appreciative smile to the stallion, she heard another magical hum and some muted pings. Darting her gaze ahead, she saw one of Twilight’s shields blocking some more stray blood spears sent by Dusk.

While Fluttershy tensed nervously at the increased attacks against them, the both of them stayed their course and kept flying higher, trusting that their friends would keep them protected long enough.

Twilight hid a cringe as she kept blocking shots from hitting the trio. So far, Dusk hadn’t sent anything powerful enough to break her shield. Perhaps he was too distracted to put that much control and power behind his blood?

Then, however, her eyes widened as the unthinkable happened.

Instead of crashing right into her barrier, two of the bloody projectiles froze in midair and changed their trajectories, heading underneath and then around the glowing shield. Before Twilight could even try to expand her barrier or form it into an enclosed bubble, the streams were already shooting up toward her friends.

“Girls, look-”

Before the unicorn could even finish her warning, a shrill cry of pain interrupted her as both of the streams hit Fluttershy. One of them clipped her side, while the other pierced through one of her wings.

The yellow mare dropped like a brick out of the air from her injuries, and unprepared for the sudden shift in weight and balance, Rainbow Dash dropped Luna.

“Princess! Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelped in a panic, darting her eyes between the pair. She couldn’t help them both, but she had to do something. Seeing how the alicorn was closer, she zipped down and tried to catch her, but to no avail.

Then, just as she thought all hope was lost, Luna’s weight was suddenly lessened as a magical glow enveloped her, but not a magenta one.

Both Rainbow Dash and Luna looked up to see Rarity with her horn aglow staring back at them, a certain amount of stress in her face that told that this wasn't an easy task.

“Hurry, Rainbow Dash! Get her up here!” Rarity pleaded, fighting against her straining magic to pull the alicorn higher with the cyan mare’s help.

Rainbow was forced to oblige, but she darted her gaze downwards to find her shy friend still plummeting toward the crimson waters. “Fluttershy!”

The yellow mare clutched her newly injured wing tightly against her body and held her slashed side. She looked down through one squinted eye, only to see herself getting closer and closer to the watery grave she thought she had escaped from. She screamed and closed her eyes.

Then, something caught her, but it wasn't the water’s surface. She felt a pair of forelegs holding her form close to a matted fur chest.

“Got you!” Blue Bolt stated in a slightly strained voice as he adjusted his flying to compensate for his passenger’s weight.

Fluttershy looked up, only to find the stallion’s sapphire blue eyes gazing back. Somehow, even through the urgency of the situation and her pain, she felt comforted in his embrace, just like she did when Rainbow Dash was holding her before.

A muffled roar filled the chamber, bringing the pegasus out of her daze and back to reality. She looked over, only to find a set of sharp talons heading straight for her face. She yelped, burying her head into Blue’s chest and hugging her forelegs around him, but he thankfully managed to evade the reaching claw stretching past.

Seeing Rainbow Dash and the alicorn above struggling to get up toward the hole, with Rarity helping to lift and Twilight still trying her best to defend, Blue Bolt cringed nervously.

“This isn’t the time for messing around, Dash! Pull harder!” Blue said as he flew up beneath them and pressed his back into Luna’s stomach, adding his wingpower into the effort.

Rainbow Dash grunted in exertion as she pulled on the alicorn’s upper half. “You’re the one with superpowers! You push harder!”

“Unless you want to do this on your own, both of you push harder!” Rarity yelled, clenching her eyes shut and using every ounce of magical power she had to lift the alicorn’s weight. She wasn't nearly as used to lifting heavier objects with her magic as Twilight was, let alone living things.

“Uh, guys… That monster is still trying!” Pinkie chimed in urgently.

Blue Bolt and the others glanced behind them, only to see a fresh set of clawed appendages shooting up toward them, one lagging behind the other. They quickly realized that they wouldn’t be able to dodge without dropping the alicorn.

Acting quickly, Glimmer Shine dove to the side to get a better angle and held out his popper. He leveled it toward the creature and sent two shots bursting out.

The two bolts of energy impacted, with one striking the creature’s shoulder area, and the second hitting closer to its amorphous base. Both impacts created gaping craters in the crimson beast’s form as liquid exploded out of the way like a burst water balloon. The blood griffon let out an agitated squawk as its unstable form collapsed on itself, briefly submerging it back into its own puddled lower half.

As a result, the two forelimbs stretching up toward the ponies stopped. One of them collapsed entirely into liquid, while the other seemed to wilt and sink more slowly. However, it didn’t entirely lose form, and even started to shake and twitch as the creature below climbed back up and regained its body.

Just as the four flyers were cresting up toward the hole in the ceiling, the stretchy limb swiped at them. It managed to catch Blue Bolt’s hind leg and latch on, digging its claws into his skin.

“Gah!” Blue yelped, but couldn’t react further with the yellow mare in his forelegs.

“Blue!” Fluttershy gasped as she saw how much pain the stallion was in. They both looked down, only to see the creature starting to pull on Blue’s leg and drain his blood out.

Seeing the severity of the situation, Rainbow Dash helped pull Luna’s upper half up so she could grasp the edge of the opening. “Help her up!”

With Twilight and Rarity still occupied, Pinkie, Applejack, and Glimmer Shine all rushed over and pulled the blue alicorn up and onto solid ground once more.

Once the alicorn was safe, they turned back toward the pegasus still fighting to stay hovering near the ceiling, a wave of alarm washing over them.

Blue Bolt grit his teeth as he felt the creature’s pull getting stronger. “Rainbow, take Fluttershy!”

Rainbow Dash hovered down with an anxious, darting quality to her eyes as she contemplated helping the stallion break free or heeding his words. Seeing him barely holding steady, she decided to protect their wounded, flightless friend first.

Fluttershy suddenly found herself being transferred from one pegasus to another as the cyan mare grabbed her and lifted her. However, almost the instant she left Blue’s grasp, the stallion yelped as he was rapidly pulled down.

Rainbow Dash and the others gasped. “Blue!”

With his wings failing him, and the liquid form of the creature siphoning out his blood as it reeled him in, Blue Bolt had to act fast. And act he did.

Using his free hind leg, he summoned one of his spirit weapons and kicked across the stretchy red appendage. It took a couple of tries due to how thin it was and how disoriented he was, but eventually, he made contact. His blade sliced clean through the crimson channel, and because it was stretched so thin, the blade was able to separate it into two halves briefly.

That brief disconnect from the creature’s main body was enough to make the rest of the limb turn to fluid. The claws lost form and fell away from Blue’s leg, revealing a nasty set of puncture wounds that would need healing.

Blue braked in the air and watched as the creature reeled in its limb without its prize. “Ha! Take that, you overgrown jello mold!” He cheered triumphantly.

His celebration would soon be cut short.

“Blue Bolt, watch out!” Celestia shouted from across the room, but by then it was too late. A crimson tendril wrapped around the stallion’s neck tightly before whipping his entire body away and sending him hurtling into one of the stone walls. The alicorn herself couldn’t even watch for long as she was forced to dodge her own series of attacks.

After cracking the wall behind him, and possibly a few bones, Blue Bolt sucked back in the air that was knocked from his lungs as he steadied himself in the air again. He turned to see Dusk still toying with Celestia.

He started to rush off to retaliate until he paused as he heard a familiar voice in his head.

“Blue Bolt, Princess, see if you can hold him still near the opening! We’re going to try using the elements.” Twilight explained.

Glancing up, Blue could spot the purple unicorn and her friends gathered by the edge of the hole. They were all looking down to him with expressions ranging from confidence, to hesitance, to downright nervousness.

Looking down toward Celestia, he could see a certain look on her face that indicated she had heard the same message he had. She couldn’t communicate back very openly for fear of alerting Dusk to their plan, but she did meet Blue’s gaze briefly.

Blue Bolt steeled his expression and lifted a hoof to his ear, briefly concentrating on the white alicorn. “Get ready… I’ll distract him.” He muttered, only loud enough for her to hear through the spell.

There was no sign of a reply, but she seemed to understand as she kept herself roughly behind the pale stallion amid her dodging.

Then, Blue summoned one of his blades and focused for a moment. A warm orange glow washed over the metal, making the intricate half sun etched into it more realistic than a mere depiction. He sized up the shot in his mind, waiting for Dusk to hold still for a few seconds before swiping his foreleg across the air.

A curved wave of energy shot out with a small burst of air. It cut through the space between it and its target in a mere moment.

Dusk whirled his head around at the odd noise, only to catch a glimpse of the projectile heading toward him. He had been on the receiving end of a few of these attacks before, so he knew what to expect.

The alicorn zipped to the side in the air, allowing the wave to sail past him uselessly. He smirked at Blue Bolt. “Is that all?”

He got his answer in the form of a magical discharge behind him. Before he could turn, a concussive blast slammed into his back, sending him flying forward. Dusk produced a slight noise of pain as his body sailed through the air. He flapped hard with his wings, bringing himself to a stop.

As he whirled around to face his attacker, Celestia suddenly wrapped her aura around him, binding his limbs to his chest and restricting his movements.

“Now, girls!” Celestia exclaimed.

Dusk trailed his eyes up, barely able to move his head at all. He spotted the six mares gathered near the hole in the ceiling, an iconic set of jewelry adorning their forms which began to glow slightly. “I see… So the trump card is in play, is it?” He strained, his chest being crushed slightly from the magical aura constricting him.

Up top, Glimmer Shine and Luna backed up as the five mares looked to their lavender leader. Twilight gazed back at them before shifting her eyes up to the tiara on her head, and then down at Dusk.

“This is it, girls. It’s now or never.” She said resolutely. “Everyone ready?”

There were enthusiastic nods and voices of agreement all around. Even those among them that were wounded, battered, and bruised were eager to put an end to this.

With that, they all took their places and allowed their connection with the elements to take over. The necklaces started glowing brighter as a magical hum filled the air. Soon after, luminous outlines of each jewel started flying out around them. A magical aura enveloped Twilight and her friends, and their eyes shone pure white as their bodies lifted into the air.

Down below, Celestia grit her teeth and strained to keep Dusk held in place. She could keep him immobile for short bursts, but soon his unnatural essence would break free of her magic. “Twilight… please, hurry.”

Meanwhile, to his credit, Dusk seemed more inconvenienced than troubled by the constant hum and flying shapes made of light shooting past him.

“The elements of harmony… The most powerful magic Equestria has to offer. Yet, such power is useless if it is tied to such weak mortal lives!” He said. Without even moving, a stream of blood shot out of the wound on his neck and up toward the hole in the ceiling.

Twilight and her friends’ eyes widened, though it was hard to tell with the unnatural glow.

Just then, Blue Bolt flew between the blood bullet and the six mares, blocking the projectile with one of his blades. He scowled down at Dusk, who narrowed his gaze in return.

A bloody geyser tipped with talons shot by, nearly hitting Blue until he dodged out of the way. He darted his gaze to the side, only to see the creature on the platform still trying to reach him. However, that creature wasn't the only one trying to interfere.

A sudden cry of pain came from the back of the room. Blue looked up just in time to see Celestia recovering from a glancing wound across her chest as another stretchy appendage shot past her. The blow was plenty cringe-worthy and concerning in its own right, but what was most concerning was the fact that her horn dimmed briefly.

Blue looked back down to Dusk, whose mouth now curved upwards as the magical hold over his body ceased.

The pale stallion started to cast his gaze upwards, looking to retaliate against the six mares for even daring to try and oppose him, when his surprised vision was filled with the sight of the blue pegasus flying down toward him with reckless abandon.

“What the-”

Dusk only managed to get out some shocked muttering before the bold pegasus slammed into him headfirst. Blue wrapped his forelegs around the alicorn as best he could, trapping Dusk’s forelegs and whirling him around in the air before holding on for dear life.

“Gah!” Unhoof me!” Dusk yelled, trying to squirm out of Blue’s strong grip. When that didn’t work, he fired out a few short streams of blood from his neck and wrists, piercing the pegasus’ body clean through.

Blue clenched his jaw and stifled a pained outcry as he was impaled, but he kept his hold around the alicorn. He even managed to fight Dusk’s superior wingspan to keep himself and his unwitting prisoner in place.

He couldn’t hold the alicorn for long, but he didn’t have to.

With the growing magical energy surging through them, Twilight and the others felt a sense of joy slowly building inside them. They always felt good when they used the elements, when they focused on their loving bonds with each other and all of their friends, but this time was different.

Twilight couldn’t keep a smile from building as she closed her eyes.

Tom… this is for you.

And then, she snapped her eyes open as a rainbow of radiant light burst forth from in front of them.

Luna and Glimmer Shine shielded their faces as the ray of light surged down into the cavernous room. They could barely see what was happening. For a moment, they worried that Dusk wasn't going to be in the path of the elements, but much to their stunned relief, they could see the band of colors heading straight for the alicorn suspended in the air.

Blue Bolt saw the multicolored light heading straight for him. He briefly wondered if this was safe or a good idea. Then again, the elements of harmony were supposed to be a force for good, so they probably wouldn’t hurt him. Even if they did, it would be worth it.

Dusk struggled to break free as he felt and saw the light surging toward him. However, he was too late to act any further before being engulfed by the rainbow.

Almost immediately, everyone present heard the pale stallion scream out in pain as a faint sizzling sound came from within the light. They couldn’t see either Dusk or Blue Bolt anymore, but they knew that they were hit directly.

Eventually, the rainbow faded and vanished entirely, leaving some heavy wisps of smoke behind. Twilight and her friends gently floated back to the ground, and the light faded from their eyes as the magic of the elements slept once more.

Glimmer Shine blinked. “Did… did it work?” He asked, somewhat hopefully.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash gasped as she stared down into the hole. “Look!” She pointed eagerly.

Blue Bolt squinted his eyes open, his vision clarifying and adjusting to the newly dim room. However, he jumped slightly at what he saw right before him.

A pair of sunken, dark pits stared blankly at him, ringed with gaunt, wrinkled skin that clung loosely to a fanged equine skull.

Where before there had been an alicorn in his grasp, there was now a limp, unmoving corpse. The three characteristic wounds still sat across his body, but other than that, some stringy tufts of white hair, and some patches of desiccated brown fur sticking to his body, there were no other signs that this was the same vampiric pony they had fought for so long.

Celestia looked up, only to startle as well as she saw what Blue Bolt was holding. She was surprised, shocked even. Had they done it? Had they won?

A series of cheers and hollering erupted from above as the six mares and even Glimmer Shine and Princess Luna celebrated. They were all bouncing up and down eagerly and hugging each other. At long last, the nightmare was over.

There was no sign of either of the blood monsters. Perhaps the power of the elements had scared them off? Either way, Celestia and Blue Bolt quickly made their way up and out of the cavernous space, bringing Dusk’s husk of a body with them.

Blue unceremoniously dropped the withered alicorn to the floor with a repulsive sound. As they observed previously, he didn’t move or show any signs of reaction as he settled.

“Is he dead?” Applejack asked, hesitantly keeping her distance from the body along with many of her friends.

“He sure looks dead to me.” Rainbow Dash said, briefly contemplating kicking the body.

“But… he’s a vampire. Shouldn’t he be turning to ash like all the others?” Twilight asked with a troubled frown.

Before anyone could answer, a whoosh of fire silenced them as Blue Bolt summoned one of his blades and pointed it down. “Only one way to find out.” He said before raising his foreleg and planting the blade firmly into Dusk’s chest.

The sound made was that of aged, crumbling skin being pierced, like the crinkling of a newspaper. Blue’s blade pierced the alicorn’s body with little difficulty, and while there was some skin turning to cinders along the edge, it didn’t seem to have any other effect, even as Blue removed his weapon.

A few moments later, however, the group made a grim discovery.

The wound in Dusk’s form slowly started to mend as a darkly colored blood-like substance filled it out from within before shifting back to withered skin and fur.

Twilight and the others jumped back, now on alert at the sign of life. Strangely, even with this new development, the rest of Dusk’s body didn’t seem to be restoring itself from its decrepit state.

“What the hay?” Rainbow Dash shook her head and furrowed her expression. “He’s alive?! But… we hit him with the elements and everything! What’s the deal?!”

“Perhaps the elements did not completely exhaust his reserves of energy?” Luna said, adopting a troubled frown as she stared at the corpse before her.

"But… I don’t understand. It doesn't look like he has any blood left in him." Glimmer Shine observed.

"I doubt very seriously if all of the blood he consumed is inside him in a purely physical sense," Celestia added. After all, he had drained an entire village before. "Whether he is in some catatonic state or not, we must not give him a chance to regenerate."

"Sounds good to me." Blue Bolt said, starting to raise his hoof toward the husk of an alicorn and project light from it.

Celestia reached out and stopped him. "Save your strength, Blue Bolt. If he still has his healing abilities, it could take quite a bit of effort to kill him. Besides that, you need to heal Sunspot."

"Oh… that’s right," Blue said, growing a bit anxious as he glanced toward the exit out into the hallway. "But, what do we do about him?" He gestured to Dusk.

"We will have to clear the blizzard outside so I can raise the sun. Even he would not be able to survive direct exposure for long." Celestia reasoned, letting her gaze linger on the shriveled husk that was formerly her first student. A myriad of different emotions welled up inside of her. Relief. Joy. Sadness. Regret.

“At any rate, you all did an excellent job,” Luna said, turning to the ponies gathered around. “Go take a moment to rest while Blue Bolt heals Sunspot. We will stay and keep an eye on Dusk until we can get ahold of Cadence and the others to see their progress.”

Twilight and her friends stared at the alicorn’s body for a moment or two. They were all exhausted, but somehow they couldn’t believe that things were finally over. They had lost so much in the fight with Dusk. Blood, sweat, tears, and even friends.

Still, they couldn’t let themselves fully celebrate just yet. They still had friends in dire straits that needed help.

“Come on, Blue. Sunspot isn’t getting any better with us just waiting here.” Rainbow Dash suggested as they all started to leave.

“I’ll bet she’ll perk right up when we tell her we turned Dusk into a raisin.” Applejack smirked, eliciting a warm chuckle from many of her friends. They all needed the levity after such a tense battle.

Still, Twilight turned and glanced back to see Celestia and Luna sitting before the pale alicorn. Luna had her foreleg around Celestia’s back as the older mare stared down distantly. Twilight felt a tug at her heart. It must have been a complex victory for her mentor.

However, something else made her stop in her tracks.

A hint of movement was coming from off to the side. Something was slithering across the floor. Something red. And as Twilight’s vision strained to make out what she was looking at, her eyes suddenly widened. It was blood, traveling in streams along the ground and heading straight for Dusk’s body.

“Princess, look!” She exclaimed, voice full of alarm as she pointed out the flowing liquid.

Everyone paused and turned to see what the unicorn’s sudden outburst was about. Celestia and Luna’s faces paled as they saw the streams creeping up to the withered body and starting to get pulled up and into the wounds across Dusk’s neck and wrists.

Both alicorns jumped to their hooves and backed up. Celestia lit her horn and charged her fiery energy through it. It didn’t matter how weak she was. She had to stop it. She had to stop him.

Dusk’s leathery skin stretched around the three slashes as the blood entered his system. The ponies could barely see a twitch in his foreleg, and a slight red glow in the centers of his eyes, before his form was obscured by a blinding ray of sunlit fury.

Celestia’s form started to shake as she kept her beam up despite her exhaustion. She had passed her limit for such powerful attacks long ago, but it didn’t matter. The blood was still being pulled into the light despite the sizzling noise and steam rising out.

“Blue Bolt! Take Twilight and the others and-”

*Swish*

The princess of the sun was silenced as a hint of crimson zipped across her. Twilight and the others felt their hearts stop as Celestia started to fall backward, a spray of blood erupting from her now slashed chest.

“Princess!” Twilight yelled.

Luna turned to see her sister falling to the ground, her jaw falling open in shock. Before she could even think of a way to retaliate, she felt her windpipe being constricted by another crimson lash.

All stunned eyes fell on the cloud of smoke and steam lifting from the air ahead of the two sisters, where the blood tendril was snaking out of. A tall, lithe, familiar figure could be seen through the smoke, standing upright.

The smoke cleared, revealing the trail of blood from before still being pulled up into the air and into what was formerly a lifeless husk. Leathery skin filled out and softened, burn marks vanished and mended, leaving behind pristine brown fur.

A displeased groan shifted to a feral growl as Dusk’s form finished restoring itself. He looked down to his foreleg, the same one that had the tendril grabbing Luna attached to it at the wrist, and admired his newly supple skin and shiny fur.

Then, he leveled his eyes at the group ahead, a glint of anger shining in the blood-red irises, which themselves began to glow.

“Now then… You’ve had your chance. I believe it’s my turn.” He said, a devilish grin forming that made the watching ponies’ blood run cold.

Chapter 66: Remnants

Glitterball huddled beside the three nervous fillies, using her horn to provide them some comforting light as they all listened to the sounds of fighting around the corner.

Each wayward shout, magical discharge, or faint explosion would make Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle wince and tense up. Scootaloo tried to keep a brave face, but even she shrank down and joined the clustered ball her friends were forming at the older mare’s hooves.

Glitter flashed the trio a smile as she looked their way before trailing her eyes toward the intersection. She knew Cadence and Shining Armor to be capable enough in their own right, and she also knew Raincloud to be a formidable foe, but she still couldn’t help but worry.

These worried thoughts then shifted to her friends. She inched a hoof off the ground, briefly contemplating trying to reach Glimmer Shine or one of the others. She softened her eyes and wrinkled her mouth slightly before setting her hoof back down. They were probably focused on their own problems, and they didn’t need her distracting them just to make her feel better.

Everyone… please be alright.
.
..
…
A wooden crash rang out as Raincloud sent one of the pale ponies sailing into a table off to the side with enough force to reduce it to splinters.

The trio hadn’t managed to land another fatal hit on any of the vampires since their fight began. The pale ponies weren’t keen on giving up easily.

Shining Armor jumped back to avoid a pounce from a pegasus mare. He stabbed the dagger floating in his magical aura toward her, but she evaded it. He started to redirect his blade for another strike, when another pegasus leaped onto him from the side, nearly sending him to the floor.

“Gah!” Shining dropped his blade from the sudden loss of focus. He tried to shake the stallion off of him, but the pale pony had a good grip around his side. Much to his horror, the mare in front of him capitalized on her companion’s distraction and leaped forward, fangs bared and ready to rip into the unicorn’s throat.

Then, out of nowhere, a second silver blade held aloft by a blue corona jabbed into the mare’s side mid pounce. She scarcely let out the beginnings of a yell before her body erupted into flaming ash.

Before Shining even opened his eyes from the cloud of hot debris hitting his face, the weight of the other pony on top of him suddenly got lighter.

The pale stallion flailed and yelped in surprise as he was lifted up and quickly tossed across the room. Shining looked over to watch the pony nearly land on one of the other vampires before turning and meeting Cadence’s gaze. The couple shared a quick smile and nod of acknowledgment before a sudden growl made both of them freeze.

Cadence turned to see the green-furred unicorn mare’s burning red eyes boring into her. She gasped softly, starting to seize up and relight her horn to try and retaliate, but the mare acted first in the form of a quick and deceptively powerful punch to the chest.

The blow sent the alicorn off of her hooves and flying to the floor behind her. She hit the wall near the door to the room roughly, her entire chest and back throbbing from the pain of the respective impacts.

“Cadence!” Shining widened his eyes as he saw his wife being brutally knocked to the floor. He then narrowed his gaze, turning toward the pale unicorn with a fierce intensity that would have caught most ponies off guard and made them shiver where they stood. However, the green mare seemed unfazed even as the captain of the royal guard lit his horn.

“I’m going to enjoy making her watch while I eat you.” The mare said with a sadistic smile as she lowered herself and lit her horn as well.

While the two lovers prepared to duke it out with the green mare, Raincloud was still dealing with the riff-raff a few feet away.

She dodged out of the way of a careless pounce by an earth stallion, only to rear up and kick him away with her hind legs moments later. While he was tumbling into the shattered remains of a few chairs, Raincloud turned to find three more pale faces waiting for her.

One of the ponies, a pegasus mare that Cadence had tossed, rushed down the other side of the room, seemingly ignoring Raincloud to get back into the fight with Shining and Cadence. However, the remaining two ponies were definitely focused on the gray mare.

A unicorn stallion that Raincloud knew to be the one who stabbed her and left her for dead stared her down with an earth mare by his side. The both of them were wary of her and the powers she had displayed, but they looked ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness.

Raincloud smirked at the unicorn. “What’s the matter? Scared?”

“Not on your life, missy.” The stallion growled.

“Well, come on, then! Quit screwing around. You think you can do a better job of killing me this time?” Raincloud taunted.

The stallion tensed his jaw and narrowed his eyes at the cocky pegasus. However, before he could think to attack, the mare beside him beat him to the punch as she charged forward with an angry cry.

Raincloud dodged the first wildly thrown hoof heading for her jaw. She ducked under the next. As she was crouched down, she channeled her shadow magic to one hoof, enveloping the tip in a pulsating aura of darkness, and punched up into the mare’s gut.

The enhanced blow immediately knocked the wind out of the pale mare’s sails, leaving her to make a sucking croak. She was sent flying straight up into the ceiling above, striking it and bouncing off with another bone-rattling impact. By the time her head fell down enough for her to see the pegasus below her, her eyes widened at the sight of a column of surging purple flame rushing up to meet her.

The unicorn stallion growled uneasily as he heard his companion scream out in pain. The spout of dark energy completely obscured her from view, and as Raincloud let it vanish a few moments later, nothing but a few fleeting embers were left behind.

Raincloud looked down as the purple glow around her hoof shrank back to its tip. She was a bit surprised to see the stallion charging straight for her in a bold display. He quickly swatted away her still glowing hoof before turning toward her with horn aglow.

Before he could shoot off a spell, he suddenly felt a slight tingle envelop his body as a darkly purple-tinged aura faintly appeared before his vision. He found himself being shoved to the wall beside him violently.

The stallion couldn’t move, despite his best efforts. He tried to turn his head to face the mare, only to be abruptly whirled around directly toward her. Raincloud still had a single hoof aglow with shadowy energy, and she seemed to move it whenever she wanted to move him.

“Pay attention, bat breath. Let me show you how it’s done.” Raincloud stated. Without even looking, she held her glowing hoof behind her head.

One of the silver daggers still lying on the floor from where Shining or Cadence dropped it started vibrating as it was covered in a faint aura of similar color. In an instant, it shot off the floor and zipped across the room.

Raincloud pointed her hoof ahead before casually moving out of the way. The stallion flinched as his wide eyes settled on the pointed blade sailing straight toward him at high speeds.

The dagger buried itself into his chest, causing him to jerk against the pegasus’ magical hold and yell as his form burned up in a circle spreading out from the wound. Once the pony’s skeletal form fully collapsed into ash, the dagger was left sticking out of the wall, buried a good inch or two inside.

Hearing three distinct thumps behind her, Raincloud turned to see the green-furred mare and her two remaining companions falling flat on their backs after being knocked away. She also saw Cadence and Shining Armor walking forward, with horns glowing bright and their last silver dagger pointed ahead threateningly.

The green-furred mare panted softly as she pushed herself up on one foreleg. Seeing a gray hoof being planted in front of her, she winced hesitantly and looked up, only to find Raincloud standing there with a pleased smirk.

“Aww, son of a- gack!”

Raincloud planted her hoof down on the unicorn’s neck, stifling her words. “Watch your language… There are kids outside.”

“Oh, now you care about being kid-friendly?” Cadence snorted softly, a wry smile forming as the pegasus gave her a half-lidded stare.

The green-furred mare clutched at the hoof crushing her neck. She looked over, only to see her two companions wearing fearful expressions as they watched the trio and waited for whatever was about to come. The cowards. She would stab them herself if she could move.

“Guh… I… I-I hope you choke on your own blood when the Prince gets done with you.” She croaked out, gathering some saliva in her mouth and spitting up at the pegasus.

Raincloud flinched briefly before slowly bringing one of her wingtips up and wiping her face. She stared at the spit dripping off before stifling a growl and cracking her neck. “I’m really going to enjoy this.”

Just then, the green mare’s eyes widened abruptly as her body jerked. She let out a sharp yelp, which sounded strangled from the pressure Raincloud was still applying to her windpipe. Suddenly, she coughed violently, sending a spray of blood out and onto the floor.

“What the…?” Raincloud backed up, leaving the unicorn mare to clutch her throat and spasm on the ground.

Shining Armor cringed with disgust at the gruesome display as more blood started spewing from the pale mare’s mouth. “Holy hay, Raincloud. What are you doing to her?”

“I’m not doing anything!” Raincloud insisted.

Then, the other two vampiric ponies coughed and sputtered, reaching for their own throats and collapsing to the floor in writhing, convulsing messes. Soon after, they started spitting up blood as well. Or rather, it seemed to flow from them without any input from their bodies.

“What’s happening to them?” Shining asked, backing up a few steps and watching hesitantly for any sign of foul play.

Cadence watched uneasily as the blood being expelled from the three ponies pooled on the ground. Much to her initial confusion and horror, she witnessed it seemingly disappearing through the floor, falling down through the cracks and seams of the stonework as if it was being pulled by some unseen force.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” She muttered.

The green-furred unicorn’s convulsions and strangled noises of pain gradually diminished the more crimson fluid left her. Eventually, her eyes drifted halfway shut and her hooves fell away from her neck as her body settled. With one final sputter and a bubbling exhale, she fell still as the stream of blood leaving her mouth tapered to a stop.

Soon after, starting at her hooves and quickly overtaking her, her body quietly collapsed into ash and vanished.

The other two vampires soon followed suit. Their struggles and coughs and gurgles fading along with the strength in their bodies as the fountains of blood ceased flowing. They were left as mere lifeless corpses on the floor, a final image of the pony they once were that swiftly vanished into embers.

Raincloud and her two companions watched the three pools of crimson fluid disappearing before their eyes until nary a stain was left behind. The pegasus blinked once, then twice. “What… just happened?”

“I’m not sure… but I think it has something to do with Dusk,” Cadence said, casting her eyes up to the symbol at the back of the room.

“What… You think Dusk killed his own minions?” Shining asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. “Why?”

The alicorn ignored his question, instead making her way over toward the back of the room. Toward the symbol. “That’s not important right now. We need to hurry up and break this spell so we can get the girls to safety and go help the others.” She insisted.

However, her enthusiasm was stunted slightly as they drew closer to the symbol. It was smaller than the one Shining had seen on the underside of the chessboard, but it looked equally complex with its many intricate patterns, lines, and sigils.

“Uh…” Shining muttered as he took in the scope of the symbol. “Raincloud, can you-”

He didn’t even have to ask before Raincloud nudged past him. “Yeah, yeah, move over. Let the professionals handle this.” She said, already scanning her eyes over the symbol and mapping out what it did.

Cadence started to say something when they heard hoofsteps approaching from behind. She and Shining turned to see Glitterball walking in with a small troop of fillies hugging close to her legs.

“Glitter?” Cadence said.

“We stopped hearing noises over here and got worried,” Glitterball said, taking a cursory glance around the room. “I take it you handled everything alright?”

Shining nodded, brushing some dust off of his uniform and loosening his stiff muscles from the fight. “Yeah… Now we’re just waiting for Raincloud to break that symbol.”

All eyes shifted back to see the pegasus quietly tracing in the air and pointing with her hoof at seemingly random spots of the symbol. She paused as she noticed everyone looking at her expectantly.

“You can break that symbol, can’t you?” Cadence asked.

Raincloud stretched her forelegs and popped her neck. “It doesn’t look too complicated. Give me a minute.”

With that, the others stepped back as the pegasus wreathed her hoof in purple flames. Despite her assurances, they weren’t sure what would happen as she started lowering her hoof toward sections of the symbol and shooting her shadow energy into it. Some of them even flinched away and covered their face, though the three fillies couldn’t help but sneak a nervous peek or two.

Then, a minute or so later, Raincloud exclaimed in revelation. “Aha! Got it!” She announced triumphantly before planting her hoof down in the symbol’s center.

With little warning, a pulse of sound and light surged out from the symbol. The light intensified, and Glitter and Cadence shielded the trio of fillies as it filled the room, overwhelming their senses.

“AH!” Apple Bloom squeaked fearfully as a rumbling came from the floor. Everything was white visually, and she couldn’t even see her own hooves in front of her face. The only thing telling her she wasn't alone was the two shivering masses huddled next to her, and the set of forelegs wrapped around all three of them from Glitterball.

Then, all at once, everything stopped. The rumbling, the noises, even the light.

Scootaloo was the first to open her eyes. It took her a solid moment or two to blink and adjust to the now dark space.

The now dark, and much smaller space. In fact, it wasn't just smaller, it was completely different.

“What the…?” The young pegasus muttered.

Glitterball and the others all gradually opened their eyes as well. The unicorn shivered slightly at a cold breeze coming through the space, seemingly from outside. She turned to see a large hole in a stone wall.

Cadence examined the rest of the room alongside Shining Armor. They appeared to be in a ruined master bedroom judging from the splintered debris in the shape of a bed in the far corner. However, that wasn't all they noticed.

“Where are we?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I thought we were in a dining room or something?”

“The spell must have shunted us to the closest real space once it ended.” Raincloud reasoned. “As for where we ended up… Your guess is probably better than mine, short stuff. You’ve been here before, I haven’t.”

“I know where we are…” Shining said flatly, drawing the others’ attention.

Glitterball turned to see both Shining and Cadence staring ahead at a spot on the floor. And as she saw what they were looking at, it all clicked together for her, causing her expression to plummet.

There were small, blue candles lying around. A few were lying in the middle of the floor, but two were deliberately placed on either side of the large hole in the wall behind them and by a door to their side. All of them were extinguished, and all of them had auto-igniting charms inscribed on paper slips wrapped around their wicks, which were slightly burnt.

Frozen blood was liberally stained on the stone floors in an erratic trail, along with familiar-looking pinholes and slash marks. And sitting in the middle of one of the smaller puddles was the shattered remains of a faintly luminous sword. Its blade was scattered in dozens of fragments, and its hilt barely had any solid piece left attached to it.

As they saw the sword and slowly pieced it together themselves, Scootaloo and her two friends’ eyes dulled and their faces drooped into sullen frowns.

“So this is… this is where…” Glitter’s lips trembled as she struggled to get the words out. She felt her eyes threatening to shimmer, and the icy wind blowing in from outside wasn't helping.

“Yeah…” Shining Armor replied, glancing behind him at the large hole. He didn’t even need to check. He knew that if he walked over there and looked down, he would see the front of the castle, roughly where he and the others were standing when they failed to save their human friend.

Cadence rested a hoof on the white stallion’s back, causing him to look up. “Shining… are you ok?”

He exhaled softly through his nose and wrinkled his mouth at that, avoiding her loving gaze only to find himself staring at the broken hilt of Tom’s sword again. “I had him…” He tapped his horn. “We all had him… he was right there… and we just…. We just…” He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head.

“That wasn't your fault, and you know that.” Cadence insisted.

Shining sighed and nodded a few times as he centered himself again before facing her. “I know… It’s just… hard to think about.” He looked over to the side, where Glitterball and the three fillies were offering him empathetic frowns. Even Raincloud was in somber silence, though she wasn't sad like they were.

“But let’s leave the thinking for later. Right now, we’ve got a job to do.” He said, standing up and taking a quick breath to steady himself before quickly walking over to the opening on the other side of the room.

Cadence glanced down to the sword on the floor, letting her gaze linger on it for a moment before standing up as well. She knew the stallion was right. They couldn’t mourn friends they had lost, not when they had friends that needed them right now.

“Come on, girls. Let’s get you somewhere safe.” Cadence said, lighting her horn and gently lifting the three fillies onto her back as she walked toward the hole in the wall on the other side of the room.

“Wait!” Scootaloo stammered as she looked at the alicorn and the others nervously. “But… but what are you going to do?”

Cadence paused and formed a stiff smile as she looked back to the fillies. “Don’t worry about that, Scootaloo… everything will be fine.”

“Yeah. You’ll be back home, safe and sound in no time.” Glitterball said. She was wearing a genuine enough smile, but she didn’t seem to be able to meet any of their worried gazes directly.

“Glitterball… w-what about you guys?” Sweetie asked with trembling lips. “I… I don’t want this to be the last time I see you. Please… please say you’ll come back… please tell me you, and Princess Cadence, and... a-and Rarity, and everyone else is coming back.”

Glitter bit her lip and turned away from the fillies. Finally, she hid a sniff and stood on her hind legs so she could embrace the trio for a moment. Then, without a word, she stepped back and allowed Cadence to keep walking.

“Glitter…? Glitter?!” Sweetie moved to Cadence’s tail end so she could keep in line with the unicorn. “Answer me!” She pleaded, but the more sorrowful she got, the more the white mare struggled to maintain eye contact.

“Mr. Shining Armor… You’re gonna be ok, aren’t you?” Apple Bloom asked, still holding onto a bit of denial and optimistic hope, but judging from her trembling eyes, this illusion was quickly being shattered. “M’sis told me that you was one of the bravest guards she knew. I… I-I know she don’t know that many guards, but… you’ll keep her safe, won’t you?”

Shining Armor kept quiet, even as the young farmer’s eyes grew more desperate. He wrinkled his mouth. He wanted to say something. He should have said something, but somehow, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to leave them with the harsh reality he was struggling to face himself, but he couldn’t lie any longer for the sake of cushioning whatever blow was to come.

“Will somepony say something?!” Scootaloo pleaded as Cadence neared the opening and rested her forehooves on the small ledge of crumbled wall. “Please… don’t just tell me you’re all expecting to… to d-”

A hoof suddenly fell down over her head and ruffled her purple mane, causing the few tears forming in her eyes to fall as Scootaloo widened them. She looked over, only to see Raincloud of all ponies hovering alongside them.

“Enough with the waterworks, kid. You’re giving me a headache.” Raincloud said, surprisingly more lighthearted in her soft tone than anyone expected. “I’ll keep an eye out for your sisters… and I guess the rest of them too.” She glanced to Glitterball, Shining, and Cadence and sighed before shaking her head and forming a half-smirk as she looked between the fillies. “Hey… It was kinda cool getting to know you runts. Don’t grow up to be a jerk like me… but also don’t be afraid to show the world who’s boss, ‘kay?”

The fillies were speechless at that. They looked around at the others with a sense of sorrow in their eyes. Nobody wanted to say it, but the trio could see it on their faces. The thing being left unsaid, the word that none of them seemed capable of uttering, was goodbye.

Cadence shared an affirming nod with Shining and Glitter before turning her attention to the opening before her. A path to freedom, but not for her. Not yet anyway.

“Hold on, girls.” She cautioned as she spread her wings and swooped down. Scootaloo and the others nearly fell off as they let their worried stares linger on the three ponies behind them before they were forced to cling to the alicorn’s back.

The trio shivered as their bodies were met with the full force of a wintery gust of snow. They were outside again for the first time in what seemed like forever. This journey was chillingly familiar to them, but instead of flying all the way down the cliff to some awaiting carriages, the alicorn ferried them over a much shorter distance.

Cadence landed and padded over to the first carriage she met, her hooves clopping on the frozen stone forecourt. The team of guards heading the carriage seemed surprised and more than a little stunned to see her.

“Princess Cadence… you’re safe!” One guard remarked with a relieved smile. He started to go off on a series of questions about where the others were when he saw the half-smile she flashed and the trio of fillies shivering on her back and decided against bothering her.

Cadence quickly used her magic to open the carriage door and float the fillies off her back, whisking them inside. She searched through some overhead compartments, thankfully finding some thick blankets and bringing them down.

Scootaloo and her two friends reluctantly sat there as the fuzzy covering was magically wrapped around their forms, creating three pockets for them to poke their heads out of. The young pegasus stood and exited her pocket before climbing over as Cadence closed the door. She jumped up and pulled herself up so she could look out of the window at the alicorn.

“Princess…” Scootaloo started, unsure of what to say as she stared up at the pink mare.

Cadence exhaled softly and brought a hoof up to the side of the window as the other two fillies joined their friend. “I’m sorry, girls… but it’s time for me to go.”

“This isn’t fair!” Sweetie Belle’s lips trembled and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. “Why does everyone have to fight that alicorn…?! Why does he want to hurt you guys?! It’s… it’s not fair!”

Cadence lit her horn and cleared some tears away from the fillies’ eyes. “The world isn’t always fair, my little ponies… but that doesn’t mean you can’t have hope.” She smiled warmly at them, though there was a certain sadness in her eyes as well. “Love and hope… always. Remember that.”

Then, despite the tiny hoof reaching out to her, the alicorn stepped away. She struggled to keep from looking back at them before turning ahead to the team of guards. The pegasus stallions all straightened their posture as she approached.

“Take them back to Ponyville… Leave them with the Apple family over at Sweet Apple Acres.” She instructed.

The stallions seemed surprised and slightly confused by the alicorn’s orders.

“But… Princess, that wouldn’t leave enough carriages for you and the others.” One of them reasoned, a bit of a concerned frown starting to form.

“You can stop in the nearest town and send for another team to bring one here.” Cadence explained with a resolute expression that most weren’t used to seeing from the princess of love. “Listen to me very carefully… Once you drop them off, I want you to send word back to Canterlot. Have these orders distributed to every guard in Equestria.” She paused, her mouth forming a grim line. “If we do not return from this place, have every able-bodied pony in every town informed and armed to protect themselves against this threat as best they can. One of Celestia’s advisors should know more.”

There was a pregnant pause as the guards all processed what they were being told. The alicorn was essentially leaving them with doomsday orders in case she and the other princesses didn’t survive.

The first stallion took an even breath before nodding and saluting, leading the others to follow his example. “Yes, Princess Cadence. We wish you the best.”

And with that, they started pulling away and taking flight.

As the carriage started to pass by, Cadence saw the three fillies looking at her with newfound worry and alarm as they realized they were being taken away.

“Princess!” All three of them called after her, but their voices barely reached her as the team of pegasi took to the air and climbed before curving away. She could just barely see their silhouettes poking out of the window before they vanished into the clouds.

Cadence stared up into the dreary gray expanse for a few moments before a distinctly singular set of clops drew her attention behind her just in time to watch Raincloud setting Glitterball down on solid ground. Shining Armor soon blinked down beside them in a flash of magenta magical energy before the three of them looked around.

“Man… fresh air. I’ve missed this.” Raincloud said before another breeze made her fold her forelegs, hug herself with her wings, and shiver. “Ok, I’m over it. Can we go back inside now?”

“Well… are we all ready to go fight a big scary vampire alicorn?” Shining Armor asked with a semi-lighthearted tone.

“I think we crossed that threshold a while ago.” Glitter said, getting in one last look at the admittedly beautiful sight of the frozen forest far below before she resigned herself to a horrible death in a frigid castle.

Cadence smiled as she walked up to her friends, settling her gaze on her husband and resting a hoof on his shoulder. “To the ends of the earth, my love.”

“Sounds about right,” Shining noted as he looked around before looking back at her and giving her a confident nod.

Then, they all started walking up to the front doors. They stopped before the great wooden gateway as Cadence lit her horn and pulled both open with relative ease, revealing the same layout they had seen when they first found the castle, with no unnaturally long corridors or twisting rooms in sight.

“Hey, Sprinkles…” Raincloud said, turning to Glitterball. “If I die in there, can you please burn this stupid collar for me?” She gave the annoying device a slight tug. Even if it wasn't currently suppressing her magic, it was still uncomfortable to wear.

Glitterball chuckled slightly and smiled. “Only if you promise to stop calling me that.” She said, following the royal couple as they started to enter.

“Fine, fine…” Raincloud sighed, only to narrow a brow pensively as she stared at the unicorn’s mane.

“Confetti head is out too…” Glitter added with a half-lidded stare and a wry smirk.

“Aww, come on! Give me something to work with!”

“My name seems like a good place to start.”

Meanwhile, amidst the pegasus’ annoyed grumbles and Shining Armor’s slight chuckle, Cadence looked over to see his expression drop into a serious, flat stare. Her expression flattened as well, and she stared down the dark corridor ahead with troubled thoughts drifting through her head, even despite her determination.

Twilight… everyone… hold on. We’re coming.

Chapter 67: Last Stand

Sparkplug groaned anxiously as she stared out of the doorway into the hall. She hadn’t heard any signs of battle or her friends in a while, and while the small empty room around her was relatively safe and out of the way, it did little to ease her fears with how silent it was.

What also didn’t ease her fears, was her wounded companion lying on the floor nearby.

Sunspot’s wound wasn't bleeding externally anymore, as evidenced by the bandage around her suit still holding some semblance of white coloring, but there was no telling how much blood she had lost on the inside.

Then, Sparkplug narrowed her eyes and pricked her ears as she noticed her companion’s soft breathing slowing down. The pegasus had been making pained moans and murmurs intermittently for a while now, but now it was troublingly quiet.

Looking over, Sparkplug widened her eyes as she saw Sunspot’s eyes closed and her expression going slack.

“Sunspot?” She jolted to her hooves, cringing briefly as she put weight on her bad ankle. She limped over to the pegasus’ side and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Sunspot?!”

With little more response than a slight twitch and a murmur, Sparkplug felt her heart start to race as she shook harder. “Sunspot, wake up!” She lightly slapped the mare’s face, only to receive the same result.

Darting her eyes around and bringing a trembling hoof to her muzzle, Sparkplug whined as she tried to think of some way to help the pegasus. Her friend didn’t seem to be fully unconscious yet, but she was fading fast, and if she fell asleep, it would be all over.

Then, she settled her eyes on the mare’s wound as a thought popped into her head, one that made her cringe sympathetically. With no other option, she flinched one eye closed and set her hoof over Sunspot’s wound before pressing hard.

After a moment, Sunspot’s expression wrinkled and she shot her hooves to her side as an agonized yell escaped her. “AGHH!”

Sparkplug immediately stopped and looked at the pegasus with face full of remorse. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry! You were…” She paused for a moment to take a breath and exhale shakily. “You’ve got to stay awake, Sunspot.”

“Mmph…” Sunspot tensed her limbs and opened her weary eyes to look up at the gray mare. “I’m awake now…” She mumbled. Her voice might have held some form of dry humor to it if it didn’t sound so weak.

“Try to keep alert. We can’t have you passing out…” Sparkplug said, scooting back slightly. “I know! Why don’t we… talk about something? Yeah, that’ll work. If you’re talking, you’re not asleep!” She reasoned.

Sunspot made an effort to lift her head that didn’t quite stick. She settled for propping a foreleg underneath herself. “What… what do you want to talk about?” She asked before turning her head away and coughing. “I mean… o-other than how I’m dying in some… ngh… stupid castle.”

Sparkplug frowned at that. “You’re not going to die here, so… so stop talking like that.”

“I thought… you wanted me to talk?” Sunspot smiled weakly before another cringe made her curl inward slightly.

Seeing her friend in such a state made Sparkplug’s heart ache. The pegasus was normally so brazen and hardy that it was easy to think she was indestructible. After all, she was one of the founding members of Spirit. She had survived countless monsters and perilous odds so many times before.

Now, however, she looked disturbingly mortal.

“Sunspot, I-”

Sparkplug started to say something when a sudden flash of light and a faint rumbling sound interrupted her. Both ponies had their senses of sight and hearing taken amidst an unexplained tremor. They could almost swear that they could feel the ground shifting beneath them.

Then, all at once, everything stopped. Sparkplug blinked hard, and then again as she found her entire visual frame of reference around her changed. The room around them had changed as well. In fact, they weren’t even in a room anymore. They were in a hallway.

“W-what the?!” Sparkplug startled to her hooves and darted her eyes around her. Her fledgling monster hunter instincts kicked in and she reached a hoof midway to her strobe before she stopped herself. The initial alarm faded, but didn’t vanish as she took in her new surroundings.

“Sparkplug… Am I hallucinating?” Sunspot asked, struggling to focus her eyes and clarify her vision enough to be sure that her senses weren’t failing her near death.

“No… I saw it too.” Sparkplug said. The gray mare creased her eyes in confusion as she took a slower look around. While she half expected her surroundings to change again, they didn’t. They did, however, start to look familiar. “Hey, I recognize this place. This is what the castle looked like before.” She noted. If her estimations were correct, they were in one of the hallways near the courtyard.

“Ngh…” Sunspot grunted as she lifted her head slightly. “You think… t-that... P-Princess Cadence broke that... spell?” She panted.

Before Sparkplug could formulate a response, they both heard another myriad of noises, only these sounded like the all too familiar noises of battle.

Faint cries, yells, and crashes could be heard in the near distance. And while it was hard to make out, Sparkplug could distinguish several small pops and pings in rapid succession. She had come to know this as the sound left behind when Dusk’s blood projectiles struck solid objects.

“Oh no…” Sparkplug’s pupils shrank. The previous battle with Dusk hadn’t exactly been pleasant, but now she could hear a lot more screams and yells, coming from many feminine sources.

Racing a hoof to her ear, she focused on her friends and let the communication spell trigger. “Glimmer, what’s going on over there?!” She asked urgently.

No response came.

Sparkplug’s lips trembled as she swallowed briefly. “Glimmer…? H-Hello…?” She quaked, only to get nothing but silence once again. Shifting her focus and her thoughts to another, she tried again. “Princess Luna? Can you hear me?!”

Again, no answer.

“Pinkie Pie…? Twilight?! Can anypony hear me over there?!”

By now, her heart was pounding again, and her breathing became ragged and shallow as she dropped her hoof to the floor. She cringed and looked down to her hind leg, and then at the hallway ahead, taking one last gulp of air before pressing her lips together tightly and starting to move forward.

Sunspot shifted on the ground as she saw the gray mare walking away with as much urgency as she could have with a limp. “Sparkplug…? Wh… w-what are you… doing?” She cringed, trying to force herself to stand up and follow after her friend, only to fall back the inch or so she lifted.

Sparkplug turned to look over her shoulder at the wounded pegasus before facing ahead. “Stay here, Sunspot. I’ll be right back… You stay alive, you hear me?”

“Wait!” Sunspot protested as loudly as she could, but the gray mare seemed determined. It reminded her of how she helplessly watched Peppermint venture off toward danger, just before his death. “Sparkplug!”

Ignoring the pleas of her friend, and the sharp pains from her ankle, Sparkplug pressed forward. She followed the noises left through an intersection, and up ahead, she could see moonlight faintly filtering in from outside. It must have been the courtyard.

Hearing the noises growing louder as she approached, Sparkplug switched off her flashlight and drew her popper from its holster. Her hoof tensed around the tiny vial, but she kept going despite her fear.

As she got closer to the openings out into the courtyard, she could clearly identify many of the voices and yells she had heard before. It was definitely Twilight and the others. Horns discharging, magical zaps, strobe fire, and clanging metal filled the air. There were also sharp whipping sounds interspaced between the pings and crashes.

Then, as she prepared to poke her head through the archway in front of her, Sparkplug flinched back suddenly as a pained yell came from directly nearby, followed sharply by a pink mare sailing through the air, nearly hitting her.

Sparkplug gasped as she turned to watch a bloodied and battered Pinkie Pie smack into the stone wall behind the archway and collapse into a crumpled heap.

“Pinkie!” She immediately rushed to her friend’s side and examined her.

The party pony’s vest was ripped open in several places, most of which were bleeding at least superficially. A particularly long but shallow slash was across her chest, and her right brow was split open slightly. The glass in her vest-mounted flashlight was shattered, and one of her detectors was broken open, with only the empty cap and some of the jagged glass case left attached to the pull cord. Her fur and mane were scuffed and disheveled heavily, and she looked like she had been through a war.

“Ngh…” Pinkie shakily lifted her head, one eye flinched closed. She took a strained breath as she noticed the gray mare in front of her. “Sparkplug…?”

“Pinkie, are you ok? Can you move?” Sparkplug asked, already starting to help the battered mare up from her seated position.

However, she soon got her answer as Pinkie looked behind her and widened her eyes.

“Look out!” Pinkie pushed through her exhaustion and pain to lunge forward, tackling the gray mare to the floor and dragging her to the side behind one of the arches leading outside.

Just before they got clear, Sparkplug felt something whiz by her side as a loud crash of crumbling stone rang out. She managed to look up just in time to catch a short stream of blood plowing through the wall in front of them, right where they just were.

Sparkplug pressed herself against the edge of the stone barrier behind her and looked out into the courtyard, only to have her face pale at what she found.

Her earlier assessment of Pinkie’s wounds coming from a warzone wasn’t far off. The entire courtyard was a chaotic and terrifying sight to behold.

Blood tendrils and streams whipped and flew around the area with merciless disregard. Some appeared directed, while others were more basic in their movements and trajectories.

Huddled behind a raised stone plot meant for holding outdoor plants, Applejack was doing her best to fire potshots with her strobe, either up in the air or at some of the tendrils in the hopes of breaking them off.

Rarity was lying low to the ground, resting her head against the cold stone beside the farmer. She was cringing painfully, clutching her side and a bleeding slash on her foreleg near the shoulder.

A cyan shape whizzed into view, circling the courtyard and taking evasive action from a few blood shots aiming for her. Rainbow Dash had a cut down her cheek and her flank, but these weren’t very severe. However, as one of the tendrils nearby whipped up at her, she turned to see it much too late and widened her eyes before being swatted out of the air.

The pegasus let out a sharp yelp as the tendril raked up her side. It left a thin bleeding slash and cut her vest, along with sending her tumbling into the wall behind her, and then down onto the stone overhang that sat above each opening back into the castle. The surrounding stone walls also had barely noticeable lines etched into them all around, seemingly coming from missed strikes with these razor-thin whips.

Near the back of the courtyard, Fluttershy and a wounded-looking Celestia huddled together underneath a magenta forcefield. Twilight stood tall in front of her friend and mentor, her teeth grit and her horn alight.

Every few moments, a tendril would whip down onto the unicorn’s barrier, or a blood bullet would ping off the side. Each strike made Twilight flinch slightly as her magical stamina struggled to hold up to the assault.

Glimmer Shine was behind one of the archways opposite Sparkplug and Pinkie. He seemed to be in poor health as well, judging from how he was clutching one shoulder and panting heavily. Suddenly, he jolted in alarm and scrambled to flee as a particularly strong tendril lashed sideways across, cutting through the pillars of each stone archway on his side and even cutting through the wall behind as it chased after him.

Up in the air, Blue Bolt and a hastily healed Luna were both locked in direct combat with the target of all the strobe and popper fire. Dusk himself.

The pale alicorn had numerous tendrils and blood streams snaking and zipping out of each of the three wounds across his body. He seemed to be putting more direct focus into a couple of the tendrils directly connected to him at a time while using more indirect and imprecise control for all of the disconnected tendrils, streams, and projectiles.

Sparkplug cringed as she watched Blue Bolt get swatted out of the air by a rapidly moving tendril, leaving a similar slash to the one she saw on Pinkie, only deeper. She ducked back around the corner and pressed her body up against the arch behind her, her breathing growing more frantic.

“Sweet Celestia…” Sparkplug muttered as she turned to her pink companion, her eyes showing a sense of intense fear and dread. “What happened?! I thought you guys were supposed to use the elements on him?!” She asked, looking to the balloon-shaped gem necklace just above Pinkie’s vest collar.

Pinkie trailed her eyes down, a surprising shimmer of despair and hopelessness behind them. “We did… It didn’t work.” She explained.

Sparkplug caught a gasp with a hoof. She glanced at the chaos and carnage around the corner before turning to the pink mare with a more desperate expression. “Wh… what do we do now?” She quaked.

Pinkie wrinkled her mouth as she looked the gray mare in the eye, unsure of what to say at first. “We… we do our best.” She stated softly, a sad sort of resolve to her words as she rested one hoof on Sparkplug’s shoulder, and the other on her own strobe.

Sparkplug took a shaky breath, a bittersweet smile forming as she looked to the pink mare with trembling eyes. Finally, she opened her forelegs and reached forward, wrapping Pinkie in a brief but warm embrace. Pinkie returned the impromptu hug before the both of them broke off and pressed themselves shoulder to shoulder against the pillar behind them.

The gray mare lifted her popper and flicked off the safety. She looked to the side and gave Pinkie one final nod, which was returned in kind, before they both shifted their eyes to the battle waging nearby.

Outside in the courtyard, Applejack flinched and ducked, shielding her head as a pair of tendrils whipped down, digging into the frozen dirt and stone above her sparse cover and sending a slight spray of debris down onto her and the unicorn beside her.

She took a tense breath and trailed her eyes up toward the alicorn above. He wasn't even really paying attention to them for the most part.

Then, a soft whine drew her attention down to her friend.

“Land sakes… You ok, Rare? How bad is it?” Applejack asked, crouching down and hovering a hoof near the white mare.

Rarity drew air between her teeth and squinted her eyes open as she removed the hoof from her side, exposing a bloody gash to the frigid elements. “Ngh… I… I’m alright, I-I think… It hurts more than anything else.” She assured with a strained voice, though her orange companion wasn't exactly comforted as she clutched the wound again and writhed.

Applejack frowned slightly before a particularly close ping made her prick her ears and dart her head toward the noise. “We can’t stay here… we’re sittin’ ducks. Can ya move?”

“I… I-I can try.” Rarity said, struggling to lift up before she was suddenly shoved back down as Applejack pounced over her, covering her body as best she could while a series of blood bullets impacted all around them.

A few feet away near one of the pillars for a stone overhang, Twilight watched her friends struggling to stay alive with soft eyes and a tensed jaw. She had tried her best to pitch in and attack Dusk to keep his focus off of the others before, but she was quickly forced onto the defensive like many of her friends.

“Ngh!” She flinched as another tendril whipped down into her shield before it wriggled away. A slight crack was left behind in the luminous barrier that didn’t go unnoticed by Fluttershy and Celestia.

“Twilight, Fluttershy, you need to… tch… to keep yourselves safe.” Celestia insisted, pressing a hoof against her chest, over part of a painful-looking slash that was barely leaking blood down her coat.

“But, Princess… we can’t just leave you.” Fluttershy fretted.

Seeing how concerned the pair were, Celestia cringed and pushed herself to her hooves, managing to stand somewhat tall. “I still… have some fight left in me.”

Another sharp yelp drew their attention back to the purple unicorn. Twilight was sweating profusely now, and her horn was sparking. More cracks were spidering out along her shield’s surface.

“I can’t hold this much longer!” Twilight announced.

“Both of you, run for cover!” Celestia instructed as she lit her horn and cast her gaze up towards Dusk. “I will do my best to keep him off you!”

“Princess-” Twilight started to turn and protest, when an overwhelming pain rippled through her head as her barrier shattered. She yelped and clutched her horn, not noticing as a blood bullet whizzed between her and Fluttershy, narrowly missing both of them.

“GO!” Celestia shouted.

Fluttershy rushed forward and helped nudge her unicorn friend into a running gallop. No sooner did they start moving did a tendril whip down behind them, followed swiftly by a few bullets striking the ground and stone.

“AH!” Fluttershy yelped and shrank down as a tendril zipped toward her, only to be stopped abruptly by a glowing yellow shield appearing in the air above her.

“Fluttershy, come on!” Twilight pulled the pegasus by the hoof until she started to run again. She knew they had to find cover of some sort, but they couldn’t just stop and dart to the side. If they changed directions even for an instant, then the projectiles barely missing them wouldn’t miss for long.

Meanwhile, Celestia turned from the fleeing ponies and shot a fireball up toward Dusk, hoping to at least distract him. Her jaw tensed as he whipped a tendril up and swatted it away, destroying both the tendril and the fiery projectile.

Then, before she could even react, a whipping sound came from the side as an unseen tendril zipped low and smacked into her side. Celestia grunted as she was batted away and rolled along the ground. Her ribs stung like crazy, but luckily it hadn’t broken her skin.

Up in the air, Dusk smirked briefly at the sight of his former mentor settling into a crumpled heap. He turned and noticed Luna charging up her horn, barely even lifting a hoof to direct a tendril to swat her away.

Then, he settled his eyes back on the two fleeing ponies nearing the other side of the courtyard. Fluttershy tripped over a raised corner of stone in her haste, causing Twilight to pause and go back to help her.

Both of them looked up and felt their bodies seize in fear as they saw a grouping of pointed blood streams flying straight at them like a volley of arrows.

Twilight flinched and instinctively tried to shield Fluttershy with her body. It was all she could do in time. However, strangely, no pain came. What did come in its place was a series of loud cracks splitting the air, followed by Dusk yelling.

The pair looked up, surprised and initially panicked to see the bloody spears so close, only for them to melt back into liquid and fall to the ground. Up above, Dusk had half a dozen or so tiny holes punched through his form that were still steaming slightly.

Twilight looked down to find their mystery savior, only to spot Pinkie Pie and Sparkplug standing in an archway across the courtyard. The pair were holding out their poppers, which were still smoking at the tips.

The unicorn and pegasus felt gratitude and relief washing over them briefly, before that was quickly replaced with dread and concern as Dusk emitted a low growl and whirled around in the air.

“Oh no…” Twilight’s pupils shrank.

Sparkplug and Pinkie lowered their poppers hesitantly as the pale alicorn shifted focus to them. They both knew what they were getting into, but somehow it still gripped their hearts with fear to see those burning red eyes glaring down at them.

Two tendrils snaked out of Dusk’s wrists as he outstretched his forelegs. The crimson spears curved around each other and raised upwards before zipping down toward the two mares.

With a fearful scream, both ponies scrambled to try and get away, with Pinkie helping as best she could to keep Sparkplug moving quickly despite her injured ankle. But no matter how much she tried, they both knew that she would have been better off saving herself.

Luckily, she didn’t have to.

A winged blur zipped up and blocked both tendrils with a set of metallic pings as Blue Bolt flew straight for Dusk with both blades at the ready. The pegasus reeled back and gave a rapid swing with his right forelimb. Dusk managed to deftly dodge backward, and then duck under Blue’s next swing.

Blue started to swing a third time when the alicorn directed a few wayward blood streams below to fly upwards and form together before thinning out into a spindly pair of tendrils, which quickly wrapped around Blue’s hind legs.

“Woah!” Blue yelped as all of his wingpower was overwhelmed in an instant by a violent pull downward. He was sent hurtling to the ground, bouncing off of it with a pained grunt and coming to a rough stop, his spirit weapons fading into embers from the abrupt jolt to his concentration and consciousness.

Dusk stared down at the stallion with an icy glare and started to direct another attack, when more magical zaps discharged behind him, sharply followed by a pair of blue energy bolts burning into his back.

Then, a few more projectiles of different color and direction slammed into him, causing his body to tense and his back to arch from the pain. He whirled around to find not only Luna up in the air, but Glimmer Shine, Twilight, and Celestia down on the ground, all with their respective weapons readied and steely determination in their eyes.

A frustrated growl ripped free of the pale pony’s throat as he placed a hoof before the wound in his neck, preparing to gather some blood for a counterattack. When suddenly, he heard a rapidly approaching sound of wings and what could only be described as a battle cry.

He turned just in time to catch sight of a cyan blur before two hind hooves rocketed into his chest, sending him flying back with a surprisingly decent amount of speed.

Rainbow Dash panted heavily from her exhausting attack. She had flown out of the airspace of the castle and came crashing back in at full speed. However, she smiled through the fatigue as she watched the alicorn slam into one of the courtyard walls. It was definitely worth the extra effort.

Then, her smile faded as she watched Dusk recover in the air with little more than a slight dip and a belabored shake of the head to even indicate he felt anything.

“How dare you strike me a second time, Loyalty!” Dusk bellowed, eyes flaring red as three streams of blood quickly floated out of his wrists and neck before pointing straight at her.

“Oh, man.” Rainbow squeaked, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

Down on the ground, Blue Bolt gasped and pushed himself up on his forelegs as he saw his friend in peril. “Rainbow!”

Without even wasting a moment, Blue pushed past his still aching body and channeled his newfound powers. His eyes glowed orange, soon followed by his wings unfolding with an unnaturally powerful gust of air as a similar glow washed over them.

Then, like a shot from a cannon, the pegasus was up.

Dusk didn’t even have time to process anything before he suddenly found an equine shape slamming into him, sending him flying backward through the air with a set of hooves at his neck. His tendrils and all the other floating streams of blood around the area collapsed into liquid as the alicorn’s concentration was fully broken.

“Blue!” Rainbow Dash widened her eyes before zipping off to help her friend.

Twilight and the others all watched the cyan mare zipping out of sight. While some started to lick their wounds or look around to check on their friends, the purple mare, Celestia, and Luna all stared up toward the roof of the castle where the battle was seemingly being taken without them.

Up over the castle walls, Dusk and Blue Bolt quickly arced downwards and fell to the rough stone platform that made up the roof.

Dusk impacted first, a slight noise of pain escaping him as he bounced and rolled with the pegasus grappling him the whole way. Blue Bolt did his best to ignore the sensation of his fur and skin scraping against such weathered and icy stone at high speeds so he could maintain his grip.

Finally, the pair crashed to a stop against one of the thin crenellations at the edge of the roof. Blue Bolt ended up on the bottom of the pile, and his hooves were quickly removed from Dusk’s throat as the larger pony stamped down on his shoulders.

“Gah!” Blue cringed and raced to grab the forelegs pressing down on him. He tried to kick with his hinds, but Dusk quickly pinned those underhoof as well.

Dusk briefly noted the orange glow fading from the stallion’s eyes. His own stare hardened and he hissed through clenched teeth. “You are really beginning to annoy me!”

Blood slowly floated out of the alicorn’s neck and formed a sharp point, which was aimed straight at the pinned pegasus. Blue Bolt grit his teeth and raced to think of a plan of attack. With his shoulders pinned, he did the one thing he could think to do and lifted a hoof toward Dusk’s body.

Perhaps noticing this, Dusk’s eyes flashed with revelation and he quickly jumped back just as a beam of light surged upwards.

Blue Bolt lifted himself up and re-aimed his hoof, but before he could discharge another burst, two tendrils zipped toward him and wrapped around his neck. The crushing force lifted him off of the ground before slamming him back down like a ragdoll.

Then, the pegasus was pulled along the ground and slammed headfirst into one of the solid stone crenellations with a skull-rattling impact.

Dusk prepared to send the stallion flying again when the sound of rapidly approaching wingbeats made him turn to see Rainbow Dash rushing toward him with something in her hoof. He flicked a foreleg and sent a blood stream toward her, but she managed to dodge to the side before zipping up to him and slashing out with a silver dagger.

The mare’s quick movement proved too difficult to dodge fully, and Dusk caught the stinging blade across his clavicle. Rainbow flipped the dagger around in her hoof and swung back, burying the blade into his neck before he swatted a tendril at her, knocking her away with a painful yelp.

Rainbow settled on the ground several feet away, bruised but luckily not bloodied from the rash counterattack. She pushed herself up and rubbed her now sore ribs before looking up to see the alicorn.

Dusk tensed his jaw in pain as the dagger sticking into his neck continued to sizzle and burn his flesh. He lifted a hoof up to grab it instinctively, only to flinch as the silvery handle stung even his hardened hooftip. Finally, he lit his horn, wrapping the blade in a similarly colored corona before ripping it out with reckless abandon and throwing it to the floor along with the spurt of blood it caused.

He turned to see Blue Bolt had managed to get upright and was now sizing him up with a threatening glare. Rainbow Dash made it to her hooves as well and drew a vial from her vest that she held with confident resolve and pointed it at him.

“Do you really think you can win against me?” Dusk scoffed, his lips curving upward slightly at the mere thought.

Rainbow Dash started to say something brash and cocky to irritate him more when someone else beat her to it.

“Perhaps not… But that will not stop us from trying.” A familiar voice came as Princess Celestia hovered up to the roof and landed a little behind the cyan mare. Her form was still shaky, and her face told of great exhaustion and pain, but her eyes were still fierce and full of resolve.

Another set of flapping wings signaled Luna swooping up. She chose to stay in the air as she hovered closer to her sister, even despite the slight sting she felt from the rushed healing job Blue Bolt managed to perform on her wing.

“Either you kill us, or we kill you. We will not stop until one of these things has come to pass.” Luna added, shifting her slight grimace of pain into a determined leer.

A slight magical zap came from off to the side as a purple unicorn flashed into existence before lowering herself into a fighting stance and keeping her lit horn pointed at Dusk.

“We’re not letting you hurt anyone else, Dusk. This ends tonight.” Twilight said.

Dusk trailed his gaze between each of them. Being surrounded five to one would have shaken most people’s confidence, especially when among those five were the royal sisters, two element bearers, and a pegasus brought back from death with otherworldly powers.

Dusk, however, could only laugh.

Twilight and the others tensed up as the alicorn threw his head back in wild, self-amused laughter. They knew he could lash out in an instant and kill one of them, their body dropping before anyone could even realize what had happened, so they kept on their guard.

They had heard him laugh before. The sound would probably haunt their dreams for years to come. They had never heard him laugh like this, though. It was genuine, full-blown, hysterical, yet somehow it still sounded cold and sadistic. It went on longer than should have been possible in one breath, but then again, he didn’t need to breathe.

After his outburst had faded, Dusk looked back down. A tight-lipped, wide grin was on his face, and a bloodthirsty glint was in his eyes.

“I think we can finally agree on something, Twilight Sparkle… This ends tonight.” Dusk said, casually moving a foreleg to the side and letting it hang.

Then, he swiped it across, sending a rapidly moving blood bullet straight for Rainbow Dash.

The crimson projectile zipped straight between the cyan mare’s eyes. She only managed to register a flinch and the beginnings of a retreat before it struck.

And it struck hard. So hard, in fact, that it nearly shattered the magenta forcefield that flashed in front of her.

With her breath still held, Rainbow looked over to see Twilight hiding some strain behind a determined smirk. They barely gave each other any further acknowledgment before they returned their attention to their opponent.

Dusk immediately took flight as everyone leaped into action. He whipped two tendrils out of his wrists, cracking some of the stone beneath them before they floated up, poised and ready.

Blue Bolt summoned both his foreblades and leaped into the air toward the alicorn, while Twilight and the two sisters flung spells ahead. Rainbow Dash hovered up and aimed her strobe toward Dusk before firing off a few shots.

The pale stallion evaded most of the projectiles heading his way, though some hit their mark. He whipped one tendril along the ground, sweeping under Celestia’s legs as she took flight and nearly striking Twilight before she jumped over it.

Meanwhile, the other tendril curved around and shot after Blue Bolt. He tried and failed to dodge, leaving the tip of the tendril to pierce clean through his stomach and out the other side. The blow sent a spray of his own blood out and sent him falling sideways with a spent breath carrying a choked cry.

Seeing her friend taking a brutal hit, Rainbow Dash softened her eyes with concern before hardening them as she faced the pale alicorn. She fired a volley of bursts from her strobe toward Dusk. Most of the multicolored orbs were right on target, exploding into colorful sparkles and causing an irritating sizzle wherever they struck.

Luna and Celestia joined the cyan mare in attacking, though their blasts held more power than the measly strobe she was wielding. Luna in particular managed to blow off a good chunk of flesh with a bolt of crackling energy as she swooped past.

While Dusk cast an agitated glare at the three flyers and lashed out with a few tendrils, Twilight took her chance to join the fray. She floated a silver dagger off of her own vest and picked up the fallen dagger Rainbow had used. In a surprise attack, she drove the closer blade into Dusk’s back while he wasn't looking, and then shot her own dagger forward as he reacted to the first impact.

However, Dusk managed to speedily swat the dagger out of the unicorn’s aura with a tendril. He plucked the other dagger out of his back and glared at Twilight before flicking his wrist and sending a pair of blood bullets after her, forcing her to retreat into a sprint with a fearful yelp as the projectiles curved and chased after her.

Hearing Blue Bolt making another charge toward him, Dusk turned and dodged a swipe of the stallion’s blades. He then caught Blue’s foreleg mid stab, staring the pegasus down in a brief power struggle that seemed to be evenly matched before he lit up his horn and knocked Blue away with a concussive blast.

Without even missing a beat, Dusk flicked a tendril out behind him, swatting Rainbow Dash out of the air and down into the stone roof with a sturdy crack. The cyan mare expelled some saliva as all the wind was forcefully knocked from her lungs.

Two more blasts of yellow and blue energy came as Celestia fired from afar and Luna flew above him for a better view. He dodged one and took the other in his stride, barely cringing at the hole scorched in his back. Then, he retaliated in kind by whipping Celestia to the side violently, sending her to the ground with a pained yip.

Returning his attention skyward, he sent a tendril rocketing out of his neck and up toward Luna. The blue alicorn was too occupied watching her sister getting knocked down to notice until it was too late.

“Ack!” Luna started to cry out, only to have the sound die in her throat as the crimson lash wrapped around her entire body. It crushed her chest, making it hard to even breathe properly. It also pinned her wings and her limbs, leaving her at Dusk’s mercy.

Over by the edge of the roof closest to the courtyard, Twilight dove to the floor as the two streams following her struck the ground where she just was. She pushed herself up, only to freeze as she heard a familiar voice crying out in pain.

“Princess Luna!” She gasped as she turned to see Dusk holding Luna up like a balloon attached by a string.

Celestia shakily lifted her head up, her eyes widening at the sight of her sister being constricted by a crimson vine. She turned ahead, watching as Rainbow Dash attempted to fly up to rescue the alicorn, only to be swatted away again by another tendril.

“Hold on, Princess!” Blue Bolt stated, starting to charge up a wave of energy through one of his blades in the hopes of cutting her down. He just barely got the glow to appear before two smaller tendrils zipped toward him and wrapped around his neck, pulling him to the floor and tightening. “Gack!”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Dusk taunted, “no interrupting me when I’m having fun.” He smirked as he shifted his eyes upwards.

Just then, Luna let out an agonized cry as the tendril around her tightened. There was a sound like bones being strained and pressed beyond their intended capacity, and even a few disconcerting pops that the shocked onlookers could only hope were joints.

“Sister!” Celestia reached out toward her trapped sibling to no avail. She shifted her steely gaze down to Dusk and tried to charge a spell, but she quickly found the fatigue in her body was catching up to her. “Dusk, stop this!”

Dusk merely chuckled dryly at the desperation in the alicorn’s voice. “Come now, Celestia. We both knew this was going to happen eventually. You should be thankful I’m putting her out of her misery sooner rather than later.” He said, lifting his empty hoof up as he looked up to Luna before clenching it.

On cue, Luna’s head arched back and a bit of blood spilled down her chin as the tendril squeezed once more.

“Wait!”

A voice cried out, though it wasn't Celestia’s.

Dusk and everyone else looked over toward Twilight, who was staring ahead with a desperate look in her eyes.

“Please… you don’t have to do this,” Twilight said, doing anything she could to stop the alicorn from getting hurt. She would have tried attacking, but she was afraid that would merely anger him and make him kill Luna instantly.

“Hmm?” Dusk raised an eyebrow at the unicorn lazily.

Twilight’s breathing grew rapid and shallow as her mind raced for something to say. Somehow she knew that this wouldn’t work, but she couldn’t accept any other option. Failure meant Luna being crushed to death.

She swallowed hard before making an effort to stop her trembling jaw long enough to speak. “You were Celestia’s student… I know you hate her… and I know you think she wronged you, but surely she must have taught you something about the magic of friendship?”

“Twilight… what are you doing?” Rainbow Dash whispered anxiously toward the unicorn. She was still recovering from the last impact she took. She wanted someone to save Luna somehow, but she didn’t want her friend putting herself in the spotlight either.

Celestia stared at the purple mare uneasily, and then looked back to Dusk and Luna. “Twilight…”

Dusk sat down and eased Luna’s tendril slightly, if only to get her to quiet down for a moment. He looked to the unicorn with a blank and dispassionate stare. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “The magic of friendship? Do not make me laugh… What use could I have for friends? I’d much prefer fearful subjects.”

Twilight softened her eyes at that, mostly out of nervousness. This would perhaps be the hardest sell she would ever make for the beauty of friendship, but she would have to try, at least until she could think of something else. After all, all of their lives were on the line.

“If you rule everyone you meet with fear… you might get what you want in the short term, but you’ll eventually discover that your life will be empty. You won’t be able to trust anyone… or confide in anyone in your time of need.” Twilight explained, a faint sense of optimistic hope in her eyes. “Friends make life better… They listen to you when you need them, they pick you up at your lowest points… and they share your joy at your highest.”

The unicorn took a careful step forward. “Princess Luna thought similarly to you once.” She glanced up to the alicorn with soft eyes, who by now was looking down at her uneasily. “She only saw others as subjects to rule over… to serve and admire her. But she learned that that isn’t true. Every life in Equestria and beyond is unique… and they all have something different to offer each-”

*Shink*

A wet gush sounded out abruptly, cutting the unicorn off.

Celestia, Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Blue Bolt all widened their eyes as they watched a single stream of blood zip toward Twilight and punch through her chest.

Dusk gradually lowered his outstretched hoof and snorted. “I grow bored of you…”

Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop. The breath she had lost slowly returned in the form of a drawn-out gasp as she watched her friend stare blankly ahead.

Twilight slowly looked down, silent and unreactive like nothing had even happened. She pressed a hoof to her chest briefly before pulling it back. It was stained red, and a slow gush of crimson ebbed out from the visually unnoticeable wound, dripping down her vest.

The unicorn’s legs began to shake as she looked back up to her friends. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out other than a slight noise of pain. Her eyes trembled and seemed to struggle to keep focus. She stumbled back one step, then another.

And then her legs buckled underneath her, sending her plummeting backward over the side of the roof and out of sight.

Rainbow Dash stared at the empty space where her friend just was, tears welling in her eyes and an empty feeling in her chest. Flashes of their fight with the hooded ponies came to her. Images of the purple mare’s smiling face being replaced by a single image of her lying motionless in a pool of her own blood.

“TWILIGHT!”

Chapter 68: Bleeding Hearts

Time slowed to a crawl among the ponies watching on the snow-speckled roof of Castle Bloodwing as their dear friend Twilight Sparkle stumbled back and fell, a mortal injury staining her lavender fur crimson. They scarcely had time to call out before she was gone.

Despite their own injuries, despite their exhaustion and pain, Blue Bolt, Luna, Celestia, and Rainbow Dash forgot all else in the world for a second, even the vampiric alicorn that had struck the unicorn down.

“TWILIGHT!”

Rainbow was the first to scream. She ignored her aching body and shot forward, wings beating hard. They almost gave out as she reached the edge just in time to hear a solid thud.

Looking down, the cyan mare just barely caught sight of her unicorn friend bouncing off of the stone overhang below before crashing down into the courtyard with another final thud, where she settled motionless and limp. A myriad of shocked gasps and yells came from below as the others rushed to gather around the purple figure lying on the cold stone.

Blue Bolt stared ahead in stunned shock as Rainbow Dash’s body began to tremble. He could see tears beginning to fall beneath her, and he could hear a few broken sobs and stammers before she finally arched her head back and produced a mournful wail before collapsing to the ground and punching the stone beside her.

Meanwhile, Luna broke away from her own mortified stare to look over at Celestia. The white alicorn was petrified and unmoving, not even blinking as she stared ahead where her student just was.

Tears began welling up in her eyes, but she didn’t react at first. She tried to stop her lips from trembling until finally, she clenched her eyes shut and wailed. “NO!”

Dusk laughed at her miserable cries of grief. “Oh, Celestia… It looks like you failed her as a teacher as well.” He said, causing her to lift her head up to look his way. “You failed to teach her the most important lesson you taught me… You can only rely on yourself.”

Celestia felt her jaw vibrating with anger. Despite the frigid air around her, her core burned intensely with the rage of a thousand suns. She pushed herself up on one hoof, and then another, actually managing to hold her own weight.

However, before she could act on her anger, someone beat her to it.

Rainbow Dash whirled around suddenly. Her face had tears streaming down freely, but it was also contorted with a mixture of grief and fury as she stared daggers into the pale pony.

“You… you…” The pegasus vibrated from the sheer force of her anger, her jaw clenching so hard it was a wonder her teeth didn’t break. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!” She darted forward, clearly lacking any sort of plan or weapon as she charged the alicorn.

“Rainbow Dash, no!” Luna shouted down to no avail. She tried to struggle and break free of the tendril still holding her aloft so she could help the cyan mare, but Dusk had her at his mercy.

Seeing his friend about to rush headlong into danger, Blue Bolt strained and pulled at the crimson lash around his neck. Finding no success, he summoned his blades and tried to cut it off. However, before he could, he felt the tendril further wrapping around his body, pinning his forelegs to his chest in an instant and squeezing hard. “Gah!”

Undeterred by the few tendrils wriggling around in Dusk’s general vicinity, Rainbow Dash flew forward with murder in her eyes.

A sharp whipping sound to her right led her to dodge out of the way of a swinging lash of blood without even slowing down. She curved to the right as two streams fired out of the alicorn’s neck and nearly clipped her until finally, she reeled back and prepared to kick him as hard as she could.

Dusk smirked and stepped around the pegasus’ attack in an instant. While she was still turning her head to face him, he lifted a hoof and two more spindly tendrils zipped out of his wrist before snaking up to her and wrapping around her waist.

“Ack!” Rainbow Dash croaked in pain as she was released from the tendrils and flung to the ground like a point-blank slingshot. She squinted an eye open, only to flinch as she saw the two tendrils forming spear-like tips and arcing down toward her at rapid speeds.

Then, just before disaster struck, a yellow barrier flashed above Rainbow’s body, blocking the twin skewers from piercing her. Rainbow slowly uncovered her face, only to look up in surprise at the shield around her before shifting to look back toward Celestia.

“No,” Celestia stated, her voice low and intense. She shakily got to all fours and stood somewhat tall. Her horn was sparking and fitting, but holding steady as she focused every ounce of willpower she had into her barrier and glared at Dusk. “You will not take another from me.”

Dusk’s expression fell into an almost sad sort of pitiful look as he sighed. “Oh, Celestia… You have not even begun to pay for what you took from me.”

Then, the two tendrils still halting at the surface of Celestia’s forcefield shook and vibrated slightly. Rainbow Dash didn’t quite realize what was going on until a single crack formed.

Celestia winced and made a sharp noise of pain as her magic was tested by a great force. She clutched a hoof to the side of her head before looking up, a glint of desperation returning to her eyes. “No… stop!”

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash watched with a building sense of unease as the shield continued to crack and strain. She tried to move out of the way, but the barrier meant to protect her was also serving to limit her movement.

“Rainbow Dash!” Blue Bolt yelled as he kicked and struggled against his bonds. He couldn’t move his wings, his fore or hind legs, and the bloody rope showed no signs of breaking.

Up above, Luna tried to light her horn and focus on a spell to save the cyan mare when the bonds around her form suddenly squeezed tight once more. She croaked out a pained yell, and despite her best efforts to keep concentration, her horn fizzled out.

Celestia’s mind raced to try and think of something to do. She couldn’t move fast enough to reach the pegasus or the alicorn in time to do anything meaningful, and even if she could, she was fighting just to hold her spell this long.

She also couldn’t do anything else with her magic. If she stopped focusing for even an instant, the barrier would drop and the tendrils would impale Rainbow Dash before any attack she could make would hit.

“Dusk!” Celestia panted, sweat pouring off her face and sticking to her fur in the frigid air as the aura around her horn fluctuated. “Do not do this! I…” She strained to get the words out. She didn’t mean them, but it was the only thing she could think to do. “I… I’m sorry! I’m sorry for everything I did! Taking your magic… banishing you! Please! Punish me, not her!”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She looked to the white alicorn with a saddened and shocked expression. Was the thought of watching her die really enough to get the princess to say such things, even if they were hollow words? Perhaps witnessing Twilight being struck down was too much, even for the alicorn.

However, more crackling noises drew her attention upwards, where the glowing barrier keeping her alive was slowly breaking more and more.

Dusk merely narrowed his eyes at his former mentor. “So sorry, my dearest teacher… You are about a millennium too late for apologies.” He said, bringing his hoof up and clenching it.

All eyes descended on the two tendrils piercing into the surface of the barrier. Rainbow Dash flinched her eyes shut and turned away as best she could while the forcefield cracked even more.

Celestia collapsed to the ground as she tried to move forward. She reached out in defiance, but somehow she couldn’t tear her watery eyes away. “NO!”

Then, two zaps rang out as magenta bolts of magic crashed into Dusk’s form, punching small holes through him and pushing him off balance slightly.

“Ow!” Dusk yipped, losing concentration over some of his tendrils, including the ones pressing down on Rainbow Dash. The twin spears collapsed into liquid and scattered out across Celestia’s remaining shield.

All eyes shifted toward the source of the cyan mare’s miraculous rescue, only to widen in disbelief.

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped open, and a slight gasp escaped. The shield above her faded, allowing her to raise up and get a better look at what she was sure could only be a trick of her grief and adrenaline-addled brain.

Celestia blinked, half-convinced her vision was failing her. She stared ahead, her jaw stammering as she tried to vocalize. “Twilight…?”

Sure enough, standing there at the opposite side of the roof near where she initially fell, was a certain purple unicorn with her horn alight and a determined smirk on her face. Her chest was still stained red slightly, but it seemed to be devoid of any injury.

“Nobody hurts my friends and interrupts one of my friendship speeches!” Twilight declared.

Dusk brought a hoof to the wounds on his side as they closed up. A growl simmered in his throat as he looked up to the unicorn. “How are you still breathing?! You… should… be… DEAD!” He lashed a foreleg out at her, a stream of blood following his motion.

However, before the stream even got halfway to the unicorn, it collapsed into liquid as well as a sharp series of pops rang out and a few thinner green projectiles burned into Dusk’s form from above.

Rainbow and the others looked up, only to widen their eyes in surprise yet again as they spotted a familiar orange pegasus clad in a disheveled black flight suit. “Sunspot?!”

Sunspot chuckled as she blew the gathered steam off the tip of her popper. “You think a little love tap like that is going to keep us down?” She patted her side, where a hole in her suit still sat from her injury, which was now gone much like Twilight’s.

“Don’t get too cocky, carrot head.” Another voice and the flapping of wings preluded a gray pegasus flying up from the courtyard. Raincloud smirked and held out a hoof, allowing some shadow energy to pulse out of its tip. “Both of you would still be sweet-talking the reaper if it wasn't for me.”

A few moments later, more flapping noises came as Cadence hovered up beside Raincloud. The alicorn was holding Glitterball aloft by her hooves. She gently set her passenger down before landing herself. Soon after, a flash of magenta magic appeared beside the group, leaving Shining Armor standing there.

“Sorry we’re late…” Glitter said.

“Did someone call for backup?” Shining added with a determined grin.

Raincloud gave the stallion a flat look. “Really? That’s what you’re going with?”

Shining sighed. “Can’t you just let me have one thing?”

Meanwhile, Dusk looked around at the new arrivals with a growing scowl. His muscles tensed, and a feral noise clawed out of his gnashed fangs. “I’ve had enough of this! DIE!” He yelled, flinging both forelegs open.

In an instant, the two tendrils still holding Luna and Blue Bolt broke apart into dozens upon dozens of individual points of blood, dropping both of them. Blue was already on the ground, so he didn’t have far to fall. Luna, however, plummeted a few feet before managing to slow her descent with her battered wings.

Then, Dusk brought his forelegs forward, and his blood followed his motion. All of the blood droplets lengthened and thinned into needle-sized points before zipping forward, setting everyone on edge.

“AH!” Rainbow Dash scrambled to get away, but she fell back in her panic and shielded herself as best she could with her forelegs.

Seeing her defenseless friend about to be skewered, Twilight gasped and teleported beside the pegasus before putting up a magical bubble around them.

The hail of flying needles surged toward the rest of the group, leaving Luna, Celestia, and Blue Bolt behind and relatively safe. The magic users quickly sprang into action.

Cadence lit her horn and cast a shield around herself and Glitterball. The unicorn was just starting to get alarmed at the sight of so many projectiles heading for her, so she was glad to have the alicorn by her side.

Shining Armor shielded himself, gritting his teeth from the sheer number of things striking his magical barrier. It sounded like the worst hail storm ever to exist, and he could barely hear his own thoughts over the constant clamor.

Sunspot widened her eyes and started to try and evade when she noticed Raincloud flying up next to her. The gray mare stuck out her hoof and gave a hearty yell as she projected her shadow magic outwards. The dark flames spread out in front of them and thinned out into a circular dome, which quickly evaporated any of the blood bullets that struck it.

Raincloud smirked at her fellow pegasus behind the crackling barrier. “I got even for breaking your nose when I healed you. We’ll just call this one a professional courtesy, ‘kay?”

“Yeah… sounds good.” Sunspot chuckled nervously as she listened to the many projectiles impacting the barrier of shadows.

Back on the ground, as the projectiles all struck uselessly against stone or various sources of magic, Twilight turned to her cyan friend.

“Need a hoof?” She smiled as she helped the pegasus back to all fours.

Rainbow Dash briefly hugged the unicorn before lightly punching her on the shoulder. “I thought we agreed no more dying, egghead?” She asked, to which Twilight could only give a sheepish chuckle in response. However, they couldn’t focus on their reunion for long in the midst of battle.

Now that he was free, Blue Bolt rushed back into the fray. With his blades still around his wrists, he flapped hard and took off in a beeline toward the pale alicorn.

Dusk sent a small cluster of blood streams out of his neck toward the stallion. Blue deftly managed to dodge them, his ears twitching as they whizzed past. The last one clipped his cheek, leaving a shallow cut barely worthy of a cringe that he didn’t even bother to heal as he closed the distance between himself and his target.

The pegasus shot out a foreleg in a powerful slash. Dusk ducked under the strike mere inches away from his face, the blade around Blue’s wrist slicing off a few strands of the alicorn’s silvery mane on the way past.

Blue immediately swung again, aiming the tip of his blade in a stabbing motion toward Dusk’s back. While it didn’t bury itself into the alicorn’s form, it did leave a bloody path down his shoulder and neck as Dusk managed to back out of the way a little too late.

With the stinging pain reminding him of just how agonizing the pegasus’ spirit weapon could be, Dusk let out a frustrated yell and lit his horn, expelling a concussive blast that sent Blue Bolt flying away.

Almost immediately after, a ball of pink magical energy exploded into Dusk’s side, making him flinch with pain and whirl around. The alicorn was met with an assault of various projectiles from multiple angles. Enraged, he sent a myriad of tendrils and free-floating streams loose, which spread out and attacked near everyone present.

While Rainbow Dash scattered, Twilight cringed tensely and jumped out of the way as a tendril cracked toward her. She ducked under another as it swung overhead, only for the first to swing back and nearly hit her, forcing her to put up a small shield to block it.

Cadence and Glitterball quickly dodged to either side as a tendril whipped between them, leaving an inch deep cut in the stones beneath. While the unicorn kept running as more streams impacted near her, the alicorn took flight to dodge the incoming projectiles.

Shining Armor ran and jumped, ducked, or dodged out of the way of a few tendrils and blood bullets. He fired a few potshot spells at the vampiric pony before diving into a roll as a particularly fast tendril nearly took his head off. He too was forced to put a shield around himself, just in time to stop a hail of blood streams from piercing into him.

Luna strained to push her battered body into a full gallop toward her sister. She practically collapsed to her knees and nearly ran into her older sibling before clenching her teeth and lifting her head, horn sparking to life.

A markedly paler-looking blue forcefield sprang up around them, lacking the sparkle and sheen usually associated with healthy magic use. The instant one tendril whipped down into it, it nearly shattered as Luna let out a slight yelp.

A different shade of magic pulsed around the barrier, reinforcing it with hints of yellow and orange and allowing it to weather the few more attacks heading their way. Luna squinted one eye open and looked down to see Celestia struggling to keep her horn lit as well.

“Sister… I do not know how long I can keep this up.” Luna admitted. Her whole body was trembling merely trying to stand. She had been exhausted before, but nearly being crushed hadn’t helped her at all.

Celestia cringed as she attempted to lift herself back up to at least a sitting position. She had to use Luna as a support, and even then they both struggled to get her off the ground. “Ngh… I-I… am spent as w-well…” She trailed her eyes down to the battle still taking place around them, and to the ponies risking their lives with them. “I’m afraid… that we must rely upon our friends to finish this fight… if it can even be finished.”

She looked down as she felt a hoof clasping her own, and then back up to her sister.

“Whatever is to come… we face it together,” Luna said, flashing a small smile.

Celestia smiled as well. However, her warm expression was swiftly shattered alongside their shield as a tendril broke through, causing both alicorns to yell in pain.

Amidst the fading flecks of blue and orange energy, Celestia opened her eyes to find a spindly crimson lash wriggling on the ground between her and Luna. Much to her horror, the tendril suddenly moved to wrap around the younger alicorn’s waist before yanking hard.

Luna produced a fearful cry as she was flung off her hooves. Celestia reached a useless hoof out, her face paling as she watched the blue mare getting tossed violently toward the other side of the roof. “Sister!”

The tendril carried Luna for several feet before letting her go, whipping her at high speeds. She impacted the harsh stone of the roof with her hip first, sending her bouncing and rolling in a painful display.

She started an attempt at halting her momentum with her hooves, but her orientation was changing so often that it was hard for her to even find which direction to grab.

Then, Luna suddenly felt the ground disappearing beneath her as she careened off the edge of the roof between some crumbled crenellations.

Alarm took her. Could she orient herself to spread her wings in time? Would the battered appendages even hold her weight anymore?

Thankfully, she didn’t need to find out, as her momentum came to an abrupt halt. She felt something pressing into her back, and something pulling on her hooves. Looking down, she discovered Sunspot holding onto her forelimbs and beating wings to counteract her momentum.

“Push harder, Rainbow!” Sunspot said urgently. The alicorn was mostly off the edge, with only her tail end making contact with the crumbled stones.

A soft grunt came from behind Luna as the pony-shaped lump pushed back against her. Judging from the mane brushing against her, she figured the cyan mare was back to back with her, using her wingpower to keep her from plummeting below.

“Don’t worry, Princess! We’ve… ngh… got you!” Rainbow assured. However, her eyes widened abruptly as she looked over and saw a few pointed streams of blood heading their way.

“Look out!” Sunspot cried, trying her best to pull Luna out of the way. Instead, Luna dove forward and covered the suited mare’s form with her body as best she could, cringing in preparation for the impact.

Then, just before the trio were expecting to be skewered, a fiery whoosh of air sounded out, followed sharply by a yelp of pain from Dusk. Rainbow Dash looked up, only to flinch as she saw the many crimson spears halted in midair mere inches away. A moment later, they melted into scattered liquid.

Up ahead, a flash of dark purple energy split the frigid air as Raincloud swooped down toward Dusk, sending a fiery bolt of shadow magic into his form. It pierced his body a bit before exploding outwards, leaving behind blackened and discolored craters in his form that appeared to be steaming, but were actually misting from the sheer cold.

Dusk snapped his head up toward the brazen pegasus. He dodged the next blast she sent and then swiped a tendril up at her.

Raincloud saw the crimson whip approaching from the side. She quickly funneled shadow energy down her foreleg, forming it into a protective covering before using the limb to block the tendril. As she expected, it exploded on contact, sending droplets scattering onto her fur and the ground below.

“A form of magic usable by pegasi?” Dusk mused, a hint of intrigue to his voice before he narrowed his eyes at the annoying sensation of his wounds closing up. “I shall have to extract the information on it from you once I sire your still twitching corpse.”

“Not even going to buy me dinner first? I thought you were supposed to be classy!” Raincloud aggressively shoved her foreleg forward, expelling the energy gathered on it. With an invisible shockwave of air, Dusk was suddenly flung off his hooves and sent back several feet before he managed to break his momentum with his wings.

Before the pale alicorn could even formulate a plan of retaliation, a searing pain tore a pained cry from his throat and drew his attention down to a silver dagger sticking out of his side, enveloped in a magenta aura.

Then, a magenta magical blast exploded into his other side, followed swiftly by a blue blast, and a different shade of magenta. Green bolts of light zipped down from above, preceded by loud pops.

Dusk shifted his eyes all around him to see Twilight and the other able-bodied magic users laying into him with everything they had. Up above, Rainbow Dash and Sunspot were strafing by and firing down with tiny vials.

As expected, the many wounds across his body started to heal. However, unbeknownst to those observing, Dusk could feel his regenerative abilities starting to struggle under the immense punishment he had endured thus far.

“Blasted elements of harmony…” He muttered through grit teeth. How could he let so much of his stamina be wasted? He should have been able to beat them ten times over with how much blood he had consumed.

And yet, despite how hopeless it seemed for them, even though many of them had suffered brutal injuries and near-fatal wounds, the ponies were still fighting back with a glint of determination in their eyes. The fear he could feel coming off of them didn’t seem to be a fear for their own well-being, but those of their friends, and it was this fear of losing everything that seemed to be driving them forward despite the odds stacked against them.

It was sickening to him.

Dusk’s jaw vibrated tensely as the agitated growl in his throat built and spilled over into a frustrated yell. “How dare you think to stand against me?! Compared to you, I am a GOD!” He stamped his hooves down hard, cracking the stone beneath them.

Twilight and the others tensed and prepared themselves for the expected outburst. They were expecting to have to dodge a vigorous volley of blood bullets, or perhaps some fast-moving tendrils, but strangely, nothing came.

That is, until Twilight furrowed her expression suspiciously and peered closer at the alicorn. She looked down to his forelimbs, only to notice a hint of movement near their bottoms. She could see red streams flowing out of Dusk’s wrist wounds, but they weren’t flowing along the ground. Rather, they were flowing into freshly created holes in the floor just behind his hooves.

The revelation of what he was doing made Twilight widen her eyes. She had seen this tactic before, and it nearly killed Rainbow Dash last time.

“Everypony! Watch out below y-”

The unicorn barely got the words out before a sharp rumble came from below her, swiftly followed by a thin red geyser shooting up and piercing through her shoulder. She immediately cried in agonizing pain and collapsed to the side just in time to miss two more bursts coming up that would have impaled her center mass.

“Twilight!” Cadence gasped and reached out to the unicorn, only to freeze as she heard a slight rumbling underneath her, like something tunneling up through solid stone.

Rapidly approaching hoofsteps came from behind her as Shining Armor raced toward her.

“Cadence, get back!” He yelled, tackling her away, but not before a series of blood bullets pierced up between them. In the time it took for them to hit the ground, both of them felt burning pains as around three or four shots hit each of them.

A few feet away near another edge of the roof, Glitterball’s face paled as she watched the married couple yell and clutch at various wounds as they writhed on the ground. However, she could only express her horror as a startled gulp of air before she too noticed a rumbling noise.

With panicked instinct fueling her, the unicorn darted to the side just in time for a pressurized stream of blood to shoot up and whiz by her ear. She yelped, flattening her ears to her head and continuing to run.

More miniature explosions erupted behind her as a line of crimson spouts shot from the ground like a macabre water feature. She could feel the wind on her tail as a particularly close call bristled the hairs on the fluffy extremity.

Then, Glitter skidded to a halt as a spout popped up right in front of her, causing a fearful yip. Even as she slowed down, she realized her error. She felt the ground breaking beneath her and cringed in preparation for the end.

The end never came. What came in its place was a rough shove by a set of forelegs as a pegasus stallion zoomed up to her.

Glitterball hit the ground and rolled slightly from the force of the stallion pushing her. Almost immediately, she could hear the sound of flesh being pierced, followed sharply by a pained yell. She darted her wide eyes up to see Blue Bolt sprawled on the ground, a cluster of bloody streams shooting up through his body and out the other side.

“Blue Bolt!” Glitter reached out for him, only to look skywards and flinch as she saw the crimson needles halting in the air and descending back toward her. She raced to her hooves and kept running. As much as she wanted to help the stallion, she couldn’t waste the opportunity he gave her.

Up in the air, Rainbow Dash and Sunspot watched their friends being assaulted with horrified expressions of shock.

“Oh my gosh… no!” Sunspot softened her eyes with worry.

Then, a faint crack from below made Rainbow Dash look down, only to gasp as she saw a tendril whipping up, already fully stretched to where it could reach them. “Sunspot, move!” She yelled, but it was far too late.

Sunspot barely got to register her friend’s warning before a hint of red entered her vision from the side. She didn’t even get to turn her head before the tendril whipped across her midsection, clipping her wing, ripping open her suit, and leaving a bloody swath behind.

“AGH!” The orange mare rocked her head back in agony as she was swatted out of the air from the sheer momentum the tendril had. She clutched her now burning stomach and hugged her injured wing tight to her side without even folding it.

She squinted an eye open to see the cold hard stone roof rapidly approaching. There wasn't anything she could do to break her fall, so she braced herself for impact as best she could. Then, just as she was about to strike ground, Rainbow Dash swooped in and caught her.

However, due to her own exhaustion, Rainbow wasn't able to halt all of their momentum. The pair roughly bounced along the ground and rolled together until they separated and came to a stop back to back.

“Ngh…” Rainbow winced as she lifted herself up on one foreleg. She looked over, her expression shifting to concern as she saw the suited pegasus still clutching some nasty-looking injuries. They didn’t look as bad as the previous injury Sunspot had, but they had certainly taken her wing out of commission at the very least.

The cyan mare started to ask if her friend was ok when she paused abruptly at another whipping sound. She froze as she noticed the tendril from before arcing back down toward them. She could probably dodge in time, but Sunspot definitely couldn’t.

However, just as Rainbow was flinching and bracing for the strike, she saw a battered-looking white alicorn rushing in front of them and standing tall in defiance of the approaching whip.

“Princess!” Rainbow Dash gasped before averting her eyes. She was prepared to take the hit for Sunspot, but she never expected Celestia to do the same for her, especially in her condition.

Both pegasi expected to hear the sound of flesh being rent asunder, but strangely it never came. They slowly looked up, only to find Celestia wincing in expectation of a strike that didn’t arrive, along with a tendril floating mere inches from the top of her head.

Celestia opened her eyes and startled slightly as she noticed the tendril frozen in place. Nothing was blocking it from hitting her, and nothing had distracted Dusk enough to lose concentration over it. Rather, it seemed to have stopped of its own accord.

Up ahead, she spotted her former student staring at her with an unimpressed glare.

“Did you know I would stop?” Dusk asked, narrowing his eyes. “Or did you even care…?”

Celestia managed a weak smirk amidst her strained breathing. “If you insist on keeping me alive, it’s your own fault, Dusk. I will not simply stand by and watch you harm my friends.”

Dusk wrinkled his mouth and snorted at this. “You are only making it worse on them, Celestia. If you keep interfering, I will only kill them slower!”

Celestia and the two pegasi behind her darted their eyes up to the tendril, which was now curving and coiling in midair. It formed a sharpened point at its end and maneuvered itself to where it could strike the two mares.

Rainbow Dash tried her best to rush Sunspot to her hooves, but they both knew that they were helpless to dodge this close. Celestia struggled to light her horn and cast a shield around them, but this only resulted in a slight spark that quickly fizzled out.

The tendril shot forward, and Rainbow Dash felt her heart skipping a beat as she watched it head straight for Sunspot’s neck. The orange mare barely even had time to flinch.

Just as the crimson spear was about to contact fur, it suddenly lost all of its power and cohesion, instead spraying into Sunspot’s neck and splashing her like someone had just fired a squirt gun. Around that time, the trio heard something crash to the ground and explode. They looked over just in time to see the aftermath of a band of shadowy energy slicing through the tendril from above before impacting stone.

Dusk brought the stubby remains of the tendril down to his face. Its tip was still misting slightly. He and even the others cast their eyes upwards, only to spot a familiar gray pegasus flying down toward them.

“You dare interrupt me?!” Dusk growled. He pointed his foreleg skyward, sending the rest of the streams and tendrils he had scattered around shooting up toward the bold interloper.

Rainbow Dash watched as Raincloud’s wings suddenly adopted the familiar purple aura of shadow magic. The gray mare seemed to gain a good amount of speed, allowing her to zip between two crossing tendrils trying to pierce her. It was a surreal experience for Rainbow to actually be rooting for the same pony that had tried to kill her and her friends mere months ago, but she didn’t care.

“Go, Raincloud!” She cheered, equal parts nervous and eager as she watched her former foe using shadow magic for good for once.

Amid the crimson snakes rising up to meet her like hungry predators, and the smaller projectiles whizzing by, Raincloud was too occupied with her flying to pay much notice to the cyan mare’s words of encouragement.

She banked to the right, and then the left, narrowly dodging certain death piercing up mere inches away from her with each movement.

A slew of blood bullets came curving from the side to meet her. Raincloud drew air between her teeth and tensed her jaw as she waited for the last possible moment before giving a mighty flap with her magically empowered wings, reversing her downward momentum and lifting her just out of the barrage’s path as it whizzed past.

Dusk narrowed his eyes at the annoying pegasus’ evasive skills. Whatever form of magic she commanded allowed her enough utility to counter his blood attacks given enough time to react. So, he would have to catch her before she could react.

As the gray mare flipped backward into another nose dive with another flap of her wings speeding her on her way, Dusk produced two more tendrils from his wrists and bade them to shoot up toward her.

Raincloud near effortlessly dodged the twin spears. She aimed to land a few feet away from the alicorn, not wanting to be too close so she had time to counter whatever attack he would send her way before attacking herself.

However, the attack she was expecting didn’t come from below.

The two tendrils she just dodged suddenly broke apart into a dozen floating projectiles, which wasted no time with shooting down toward her.

Raincloud looked up and froze. Her instincts cried for her to react and do something to save herself, but there wasn't anything she could do in time.

The crimson needles zipped forward on their path to the ground, uncaring of what got in their way as they struck.

And strike they did, splattering uselessly against a magenta barrier.

Raincloud landed on the roof just as the last of the projectiles finished hitting the forcefield. Both she and Dusk looked over, only to find Twilight still lying on the ground, one eye squinted open with her head lifted and her horn aglow as she clutched her still bleeding injury.

Normally, a wave of conflicted thoughts would be welling up in Raincloud’s mind, but she didn’t waste any time reflecting on being saved by Twilight Sparkle of all ponies, and instead darted her gaze back to meet Dusk’s.

The pale alicorn lifted a hoof as she lifted hers, but she was faster. Raincloud quickly shot a spout of writhing shadows forward. The black and purple cloud impacted Dusk and wrapped around his form, enclosing him within and sending him flying from the sheer force.

A muffled yell could be heard as the amorphous lump sailed over the side of the castle walls and plummeted down. If the ponies were straining their hearing, they could have noticed a faint thud as the alicorn doubtlessly impacted solid ground once more.

While Rainbow Dash, Celestia, and Sunspot were staring at open-air where the pale stallion just was, Raincloud let out a stressed huff and deflated slightly in relief.

“Ok, that probably isn’t going to hold him long. Who’s about to die?” Raincloud asked somewhat urgently as she turned to survey the area.

Twilight whined softly in pain as she struggled to stand up with Luna’s help. It was hard for her to move with her injury, but she was more concerned about her friends, particularly her brother and former foalsitter. She darted her eyes around to find them, only to gasp as she came across their forms.

“Shining! Cadence!” She tried to rush forward, only to fall to one knee again and nearly face plant into the ground.

“Raincloud-” Celestia started, only to pause as the gray mare rushed past and over to the couple lying in a bloody heap.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it!” Raincloud stated. She ran up to the pair, only to slow to a stop and cringe uneasily as she saw them up close.

Shining Armor wasn't moving, and Cadence was barely conscious. They were both covered in puncture wounds, mostly on their underbellies. Judging from the lack of any exit wounds, the streams that pierced them must not have been as strong as they could have been, but the growing pool of blood was a concerning sight.

“Oh, man…” Raincloud muttered before shaking her head and continuing forward. She came around to the front, where Cadence was whining faintly and tensing her muscles in an attempt at moving. “Hey, talk to me, crayon head. Are you as bad as you look?”

Cadence opened her eyes halfway and looked up to the pegasus, but she could only take a sharp breath before falling into a coughing fit.

Raincloud looked down to the gruesome injuries the pair had, and then to one of her hooves hesitantly. She allowed some faint shadow energy to pulse out of its tip, wincing slightly as she did. “Hey… listen, I’m pretty close to being tapped out. I don’t know if I can heal you both all the way, but I’ll try my best.” She said, starting to kneel down and hover her hoof over the alicorn’s largest wound until she was stopped by a pink hoof grabbing her foreleg.

“Ngh… hh… h-heal him… first…” Cadence instructed, her voice barely audible.

Raincloud softened her expression slightly as she glanced at the unmoving unicorn. He seemed to still be breathing, luckily, but he was in far worse shape. “Are you sure?” She asked, not wanting to say out loud if the alicorn wanted her to waste energy on a potential lost cause.

“Yh…” Cadence panted heavily, not finding the strength to vocalize. Instead, she shakily nodded before letting her head thud back against the ground.

Raincloud sighed and shook her head. “I’ll never understand you.” She said before shifting her attention to the stallion and lowering her hoof to his wounds. With a bit of strain on her part, a stream of glowing purple energy flowed outward and covered the bloody marks.

Off to the side, Twilight, Celestia, and Luna all drew closer while Rainbow Dash stayed further back with Sunspot.

“Shining…” Twilight watched her brother’s motionless form with teary eyes as the pegasus tried everything in her power to save him. She wasn't sure how powerful shadow magic healing was in comparison to slayer healing, but she didn’t care at this point as long as he was safe. “Please wake up.”

Amidst the low wind-like rumble of her power ebbing out of her hoof and into the unicorn, Raincloud took a steady breath and fought to keep her foreleg from shaking. She wasn't used to getting to the point where she had to push her abilities this far.

Why was she trying so hard? She should have been saving her remaining strength to fight off Dusk when he inevitably returned. The others had brought her here to help, but they had to know that they couldn’t rely on her this much.

Then again, she felt something stir within her as she watched Cadence stare at Shining Armor’s frail body. Through all the pain, suffering, and exhaustion, there was a certain look of heartbreak and desperate hope in her eyes that the pegasus was familiar with. It reminded her of when she watched her brother die, and how she desperately wished for someone to be able to save him. If only she knew how to heal back then...

“Alright… Come on, you big lug. Quit lazing around and wake up already!” Raincloud said, giving her head a reinvigorating shake and putting more effort into focusing on her waning power.

All of Shining’s wounds had mostly sealed up, but still, he remained unconscious. All eyes watching started to feel a sense of despair nagging at the backs of their minds.

Until...

Shining Armor flexed his limbs and jerked his head slightly as a gasp of air filled his lungs. He coughed once or twice before creaking his eyes open, though he decided to remain on the floor and just breathe.

Twilight felt a crushing weight lift off her shoulders. She smiled and looked to the gray mare with genuine gratitude and joy in her eyes.

Cadence smiled as well, though hers was far weaker. Still, she could deal with her injuries as long as her love was alive and well.

Raincloud sat back and huffed as she let her flow of magic cease. She wanted to take a moment to rest, but she knew that time was not a luxury they had access to. “Ok… I can’t promise you’ll feel like a million bits, but I can at least make sure you don’t bleed out. Just hold still for me, would ya?” She said, turning to Cadence and starting the process of healing her.

Meanwhile, while the gray mare was straining to keep her power going long enough to heal the alicorn, the others shifted their attention off to the side, where Dusk had fallen over the edge.

“Princess…” Twilight started, turning toward her mentor uneasily. “I don’t know how much longer I can fight.” She winced briefly at the hole through her shoulder and her exhaustion. The boost of energy she got from Raincloud healing her was starting to wear off.

Celestia frowned as she noted the unicorn’s exhausted state, as well as her own. “I know, Twilight… Just try to hold out as long as you can.”

“There has to be something we can do!” Sunspot chimed in, yelping slightly as Rainbow Dash helped her stand again. “He can’t… ngh… he can’t have that much strength left!”

“Yeah. We’ve been beating him almost as much as he’s been beating us…” Rainbow noted. “Can’t you raise the sun or something and just fry him?” She looked at the white alicorn hopefully.

Celestia cringed as she steadied herself on her hooves. “I’m afraid not… Even if we could manage to move the sun and moon, this blizzard would protect Dusk from the light of day.” She looked up at the dreary black and gray mess above them.

“And I doubt very seriously if he would give us enough time to clear it, if we could even get up there in our state,” Luna added.

Rainbow Dash shared a look with Sunspot before her expression filled with determination. “Me, Blue, and Raincloud could get it done, isn’t that right, Blue?” She asked, only to receive no response. “Blue Bolt...?”

Confused, the pegasus shifted her attention over to where her friend was, only to pause and soften her eyes.

Off to the side, far away from the main group, Glitterball was supporting the weight of a bloodied and battered-looking blue stallion as he tried to stand up. His form was covered in bleeding wounds that went clear through to the other side.

The sight would be far more fitting of a dead body, but on its own, it wouldn’t be too concerning with his powers. What was concerning, however, was the distant look in his eyes and the tremble of his frail form.

Blue Bolt panted heavily as Glitterball rested a hoof on his side. He cringed as his wounds began to heal, sparking to life with fire and ember before vanishing and leaving behind unspoiled flesh and fur. However, the heavy breathing and slight tremble remained, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.

“Oh my gosh… I can’t believe you saved me like that.” Glitterball said, equal parts grateful and worried. “Are you ok?”

Blue nodded as he struggled to catch his breath. “Yeah…”

“Blue?”

The stallion looked up to see Rainbow Dash walking over to him, a concerned expression on her face. He grit his teeth and stood tall, leaning away from Glitterball’s help despite how hard it was.

“I’m fine…” Blue huffed once more before getting his breathing somewhat under control.

“Are you sure?” Rainbow asked, though she seemed unconvinced as she walked over and rested a hoof on his side, either as comfort or to help take some weight off of him.

“I just needed to catch my breath,” Blue explained before his expression shifted to one of concern as he looked around the area. “Where’s Dusk?”

Rainbow Dash glanced behind her toward the outer edge of the castle before adopting a more serious expression. “Raincloud bought us some time. Listen, we need to get up there and move all these clouds out of the way so the princesses can-”

A faint sound like ripping cloth and dispersing air came, sharply followed by a familiar whipping sound as something struck the side of the castle below hard enough to crack stone.

All eyes shifted toward the open air where the pale alicorn was flung. A sense of chilling dread swiftly worked its way into their cores as they heard the flapping of wings.

And then, they spotted him, a dark shape floating up among the whipping wind and snow. His glowing red eyes burned through the wintery haze as they stared at the group, full of malice and anger.

Twilight lowered herself into a shaky fighting stance, more so out of unease than exhaustion, though she felt that too. She stood in front of Shining Armor and Cadence, who were still recovering on the ground.

Raincloud stopped her healing session with Cadence and stood up so she could face the enemy with everyone else. Did she have enough strength left to counter whatever attack he would doubtlessly send their way?

Everyone else tensely stood and watched, their hearts beating a mile a minute as they prepared for the worst. They had all fought and bled for so long that they weren’t sure if their bodies could take any more running or other strenuous activities.

Dusk, however, looked no worse for wear, save for the seething anger in his eyes telling of how many times he had been frustrated and repelled before.

“Do you pitiful ants... have the slightest IDEA, how pointless this all is?!” Dusk shouted. “You cannot hope to kill me! I have conquered the sands of time, and the very clutches of death!” He drew a hoof across the glaring scar on his neck, a testament to his unnatural existence. “And when I am done draining every last one of you of your blood, you can rest assured that I will personally make sure that each and every one of you kills all of your beloved friends and family!”

The thought of failure and what would happen after left a chill to run down the ponies’ backs as they defiantly faced death incarnate. Everything they’d done, every life they’d strived to save, it would all be rendered pointless if they were killed and brought back as bloodthirsty monsters.

“Stop this, Dusk,” Celestia said as she slowly stepped forward, struggling to stand without faltering. “It is not too late for you to change your ways. I saw a bright future for you once, full of academic prosperity and grand magical discovery… You can still have that if you let your hate go.”

“Oh… do not worry, Celestia,” Dusk said, an icy smile forming as he allowed two tendrils to snake out of his wrists and float beside him. “When all is said and done, I will pursue my studies anew… with you by my side as my devoted assistant. And maybe, just maybe, I will someday give in when you throw yourself at my hooves and grovel for forgiveness.”

Off to the side, Blue Bolt watched tensely as the alicorn hovered there. He could feel the sadistic intent in Dusk’s eyes. If given the opportunity, he would torture everypony for days before finally killing them, only to bring them back and use them as twisted instruments to torture those that remained.

And his bloodlust wouldn’t stop at Celestia, Luna, Twilight, or any of their friends either. He was going to rule Equestria and perhaps even the world, bleeding every poor soul under the moon to sate his desire for food and pleasure for time immemorial.

He couldn’t let that happen. No matter how weak he felt, or how many injuries he suffered. Blue Bolt had been brought back from the jaws of oblivion, back to his friends. He didn’t know anything about being a slayer, but he knew that he wasn't going to waste this second chance to protect those he loved, even if he had to press forward on bloodied hooves and broken bones.

Amid Dusk’s psychotic theatrics, Rainbow Dash looked to the side, only to see her friend stepping away and spreading his wings. He stopped, seemingly in deep, strenuous focus for a moment.

“Blue...?” She asked, soft at first, but growing with alarm as she noticed his eyes starting to glow orange, and a fiery energy slowly building over his wings. “Wait… what are you doing?!”

The stallion turned to her, his teeth grit and his breathing ragged, but a certain look of intense determination in his luminous gaze, even as his form trembled and shook. “Don’t worry… I’ve got this.”

And then, before she could even respond, Blue turned back ahead and grunted softly as he put more effort into his power, allowing the orange glow to fully extend to his wingtips. Then, he took off, leaving behind a shockwave of warm air that blew Rainbow and Glitterball’s hair back.

“BLUE!” Rainbow Dash reached out for him, but he was already well on his way.

The ponies and even Dusk all turned and noticed the orange streak zooming through the air on a beeline for the pale alicorn. Dusk widened his eyes and started to move to retaliate or dodge, but Blue collided with him and tackled him through the air before he could do anything.

With the awesome momentum and force granted by Blue’s slayer power, he barely even slowed down as he struck the alicorn and kept going, taking both himself and Dusk on a mostly straight path away from the castle that gradually started to curve downward until they both sailed toward the ground and out of sight.

“Oh my gosh… what is he thinking?!” Twilight said as she rushed over to the edge with Sunspot, Rainbow Dash, Glitterball, and Raincloud, or at least as fast as she could with her injury.

“It looks like he isn’t thinking, the suicidal featherbrain,” Raincloud commented.

A soft groan drew the four mares’ attention behind them, where Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and even Shining Armor were slowly making their way over. The pink alicorn seemed to be the source of the distressing noises, as she was struggling just to walk.

“There’s... gotta be something we can do to help him,” Shining said in between cringing. His injuries were mostly gone, but he was still feeling their effects, much like his wife.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’m pretty much grounded.” Sunspot said, glancing down to her wing and ignoring a twinge of pain from it. “Unless you think you can muster up some healing?” She looked to Raincloud.

“If you gave me a minute to rest, yeah… But no offense, I don’t think I’d want to waste my energy on you with that dinky injury right now.” Raincloud said.

Sunspot instinctively furrowed her expression, before giving it some thought and nodding. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

Meanwhile, Luna took a sharp breath as she fought against her injuries. Her body still felt brittle and battered, but she pushed through the pain to walk up to the edge of the wall and lift her forehooves onto one of the crenelations. “I will go aid him…” She said, starting to unfold her wings before another wave of pain made her hesitate and hug a hoof to her ribs.

“Sister, you can’t do that in your condition,” Celestia said, slowly walking up and helping the frail alicorn back to a more stable position.

Luna clenched her eyes shut and panted heavily. She tried to fight her sister off, but she merely managed a slight tug in the opposite direction that barely went noticed. “But… I cannot simply do… n-nothing!”

“Princess, neither of you are in any shape to fly, let alone fight.” Twilight fretted as she looked between the two royal sisters.

The purple mare’s expression only fell further as she looked out to the frozen lands surrounding the castle, where one of her friends was now doing battle alone against a daunting foe. She lit her horn, briefly entertaining the idea of teleporting down after the pegasus, only to wince from exertion and let it dim again.

“I… I’m not sure if there’s anything any of us can do, even if we could reach them.”

However, while the others were just standing by and talking about how hopeless things were, Rainbow Dash stared out at the cliff and the clearing below with growing determination in her eyes.

Twilight turned at the sound of wings unfurling, only to see her cyan friend hopping up and jumping over the side of the castle. She gasped and widened her eyes, rushing over onto the crenelations where the pegasus just was. “Rainbow Dash, wait!”

If the cyan mare heard her, she didn’t seem to care as she continued on her flight as fast as she could in her fatigued state.

“Dangit, Dash… what the hay are you doing?!” Sunspot fretted.

“She can’t go down there alone...” Cadence reasoned. “Dusk will rip her apart!”

“Blast it all…” Celestia stamped a hoof angrily, mostly because that was all she could do. “How can this be happening?! We were supposed to do this together!”

Shining Armor groaned in exasperation, “We have to go get her before she gets herself killed! Can anyone still fly?!”

“What about Fluttershy?!” Glitterball suggested, glancing back toward the side of the castle overlooking the courtyard.

“No… she hurt her wing too,” Twilight said, on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She couldn’t believe that there was really no alternative to just sitting back and hoping that her friends would be ok.

Off to the side of the group, Raincloud found herself wearing a conflicted expression as she watched Rainbow Dash vanishing from sight. There was no way that the cyan mare thought she was coming back from this, and yet she was going anyway, all to help a friend.

She had helped Raincloud too, when the gray pegasus thought she was dead to rights, more than once in fact. There were only a few ponies in the world Raincloud could see herself risking life and limb to save despite the odds, and they were all dead.

Why was the cyan pony so frustrating to her? Rainbow Dash had barely even lashed out at her for all she had done, and even when she had, it was well deserved. For all the ponies that had ridiculed, shunned, and bullied her unprovoked, this one pegasus and her friends were shockingly forgiving when Raincloud had betrayed and nearly killed them at every turn.

Finally, the gray mare sighed and let all of her frustrated thoughts go as her shoulders sank. She looked down to her hoof, managing to get some shadow magic to pulse from it, and then leveled her gaze at the frozen clearing below.

“Oh, well… In for a bit, in for a bunch.” She reasoned, popping her neck before turning to the white unicorn beside her. She suddenly reached out, grabbing Glitter’s dagger off her vest and pulling it free of its holster before spreading her wings and taking off after the two pegasi.

Glitterball reached a surprised hoof to her now empty sheath before turning and widening her eyes. “Raincloud!” She shouted after her to no avail. She couldn’t believe that Raincloud of all ponies was risking her life to help their friends.

The others all turned to see the gray mare departing, stunned expressions on their faces. Was the pegasus just trying to do everything she could to kill Dusk before he tortured and killed her and everyone else? Or was there something more altruistic behind her motivations?

Either way, all the ponies could do was helplessly stay behind and watch as the fate of Equestria was wrested from their hooves and placed on the shoulders of three brave pegasi.

Chapter 69: Heroes of the Day

Down in the courtyard, as the battle raged on above them, those that were left behind gathered around and tended to their wounded.

Sparkplug did her best to clean Pinkie Pie’s wound with what meager medical supplies they had left. The slash wound wasn't severe enough to warrant the use of their few remaining bandages, luckily, but the pink mare still winced and cringed like a filly awaiting a shot.

A short distance away, Rarity sat back against one of the pillars to a stone overhang. She did her best to remain still and silent as Glimmer Shine cleaned and wrapped the large wound across her side.

“How’s that?” Glimmer asked as he finished tightening the gauze wrappings.

Rarity grimaced and rested a hoof to the bandage before taking a breath and nodding. “Thank you, darling… t-that’s much better. Although… I do hope that Blue Bolt can heal this before it leaves a scar.” She said, growing quiet as she silently dreaded the thought of how much makeup it would take to hide such a terrible blemish on her pristine fur coat.

Glimmer Shine managed a dry chuckle. “If a scar is your biggest worry by the end of tonight, I’d say we’re doing good.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy sat alone as close to the courtyard as she could while still having stone underneath her. She stared up toward the roof, a worried frown stuck on her face.

They had been able to see and hear signs of their friends fighting for some time now, mostly in the form of projectiles flying or one of their winged friends swooping into and out of view, but it had been quiet for a few minutes.

Hearing hoofsteps approaching, the yellow mare looked over and spotted Applejack walking up and sitting down beside her.

“How’s your wing, sugar?” Applejack asked softly, frowning at the sight of a still-bloodied slash going down her friend’s side.

Fluttershy looked down to the appendage in question. It still stung a lot, even after she managed to fold it, but compared to some of her friends’ injuries, it might as well have been a paper cut.

“It’s ok… for the most part.” She said before shifting her attention to the bloodstained bandage adorning the farmer. “What about you? How’s your shoulder?”

Applejack winced as she turned her neck toward the injury. “It’s seen better days, that’s for sure.”

Fluttershy wrinkled her mouth in a slight mirror of the already small smile the orange mare was sporting. However, even this brief semblance of cheer faded as she returned her gaze up to the roof. “I hope the others are ok…”

Hearing the pegasus bring up their friends made Applejack’s features fall as well. She looked back to the overhang Rarity was leaning against, the same one that Twilight had fallen onto before settling into a bloody heap just minutes ago.

They were all shocked and distraught at seeing the color drain from her face right before their eyes with nothing they could do to help. If Cadence and the others hadn’t shown up with Raincloud, they very well might have watched the unicorn die.

A hollow feeling wormed its way into A.J’s gut as she looked skyward. Would their friends be ok? They had never faced a foe quite as deadly as Dusk before. Some of their members had already suffered mortal injuries that would have claimed their lives in mere minutes had supernatural powers not intervened.

She kept thinking back to watching Twilight fall to the ground. They all knew that some or even all of them might die, but would she be able to keep a strong front if it actually happened?

Fluttershy looked down suddenly as a hoof was put around her shoulder. She was surprised to see the orange mare wearing a strained smile.

“They’ll be fine… They always are.” Applejack said.

The pegasus wasn't sure how to react to that. Judging from the slight tremble in the foreleg around her, she wondered if Applejack was the one worrying the most between them.

Fluttershy started to say something when some movement up above drew everyone’s attention.

They saw Twilight and the others coming up to the edge of the roof just above the overhang. Many of them looked beaten, bruised, and exhausted, so much so that they took a few moments to seemingly figure out how they were going to get down.

Celestia was the first to make a move. She carried Sunspot on her back, hinting at the suited mare’s inability to fly, and sized up the drop below before unfurling her wings and jumping down. The alicorn hovered to the top of the overhang, wincing as she struggled to flap her wings hard enough to break their fall. Then, she ambled over to the edge and hovered down once more into the courtyard.

Glitterball and Luna were next, being levitated down by Twilight and Shining Armor respectively. Once they were on the ground, Glitter turned upward and lit her horn, wrapping her magic around Twilight and gently lifting the mare off the roof. Shining Armor then lifted Cadence down with some help from Twilight and Glitter before being floated down himself.

“Boy, you guys are a sight for sore eyes.” Sparkplug remarked cheerfully as she limped over and hugged Glitterball, who was happy to return the gesture.

“It’s good to see you guys too,” Sunspot added as Glimmer Shine came over and patted her and Glitter on the shoulder.

Twilight smiled as Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy flocked to her side and hugged her as well. After a moment of effort in standing up, Rarity came over and joined her friends.

“We were so worried for you!” Pinkie fretted as she squeezed the purple mare, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically as both of them yelped slightly from their wounds stinging.

However, Fluttershy’s expression dropped as she looked around, only to notice three missing ponies. “Wait… where’s Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt?” She asked uneasily.

“And… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but where’s Raincloud?” Glimmer Shine added.

Twilight and the others immediately grew somber as the three pegasi were brought up. “They…” The purple mare started, struggling to find the words. “Blue Bolt tackled Dusk off the side of the castle. Rainbow and Raincloud went after them.”

Rarity gasped, “On their own?!”

Applejack jolted with alarm. “Mercy sakes. I knew Dash was crazy, but I didn’t think she was this crazy!”

“Dashie… Blue…” Fluttershy muttered to herself, her eyes beginning to tremble at the thought of her oldest friends fighting such a dangerous foe alone. Raincloud was a fierce fighter, but even she could only do so much to help the pair.

“What are we waiting for?!” Pinkie asked, looking to the others urgently. “Shouldn’t we go help them?!”

Twilight fought off a pang of sadness as she struggled to answer that question. She desperately wanted to go help, but she herself felt like she might fall over if she walked faster than a trot. “I’m not sure if we can help them, Pinkie.”

“Whad’ya mean, Twilight?” Applejack asked, a bit surprised at the unicorn. “What are we s’posed to do? Just… just let them die alone?!”

The orange mare’s question left most of the group to fall silent. Many were hanging their heads or avoiding eye contact.

After a moment, Applejack took a steady breath to calm herself before adopting a determined expression. “That’s what we came here for, right? To do this together, no matter what happens. We tried the elements, and we lost… but if Rainbow and Blue and even Raincloud are going to fight to the bitter end, then shouldn’t we be right there with ‘em?”

Finally, it was Twilight who spoke up. “You’re right, Applejack…” She said, sniffing once before wiping some fledgling tears from her eyes. “I hate the idea of just sitting on the sidelines and letting someone else fight for me. The last time we tried to do the safest thing for the most people… Tom died.”

The others remained speechless and waited as the purple mare paused for a moment to get rid of the tickle in her throat.

“I would love to go down there and fight with them to my last breath… but I don’t think it’s that simple anymore,” Twilight said, looking around at the rest of the group. “I don’t know about you, but we can barely walk. The only way down to Rainbow Dash and the others is by flying or teleporting down the cliff, or making it down those stairs we climbed the first time we came here. Even if we did manage to get down without killing ourselves, and we did get to them in time, I’m afraid that we would only be a hindrance to them. If Dusk kills one of us, that’s just more blood for him to use to regenerate.”

A few moments went by as the group digested the unicorn’s words. Some agreed wholeheartedly, while others were more conflicted. Still, everyone could understand where she was coming from as their wounds and exhaustion constantly reminded them of how poorly prepared for combat they were.

“I think she’s right…” Glimmer Shine chimed in.

Sunspot lifted her brows at the stallion. “Glimmer?”

“Me and Glitter seem to be the healthiest ones here,” Glimmer said, gesturing to the white unicorn. She was relatively unharmed, and he only had minor cuts and bruises, with only a slight slash near his shoulder causing some concern.

“I can’t speak for her, but I’d be more than willing to climb down there and go fight with the others.” The stallion continued. “But… like Twilight said, I don’t know if that would be the best option. Blue Bolt is a slayer, and Raincloud has shadow magic to help keep her safe. Rainbow Dash is the one I’m most worried about, but if any of us could dodge Dusk’s attacks and stay in the fight, it would be her. If any of us show up, we would just get in the way and cause more grief for them when they need to be focusing on themselves.”

Applejack rubbed a hoof along her muzzle, pressing it into her clenched eyes as she struggled with her thoughts. She produced a stressed exhale before looking up at the others, then at Celestia. “What do you think, Princess? I don’t wanna end up gettin’ anypony killed chargin’ in there head first, but… I don’t wanna just leave them on their own.” Her voice grew softer as she let her ears droop.

Celestia mulled over the orange mare’s question for a few moments, perhaps struggling with her own thoughts on the matter. Finally, she sighed. “As always… I think the choice is yours to make. Each of you came here to protect your friends and family… and none of that has changed. However, given our… collective exhaustion, I feel that Twilight and Glimmer Shine have brought up valid points. We may very well end up doing more harm than good to Rainbow Dash and the others if we go after them and Dusk targets us.”

Applejack and some of the others looked down with somber expressions at this. How could wanting to help a friend fight for their life feel so conflicting?

“But, with that in mind,” Celestia continued. “If any of you do decide to go… I will go with you and help however I can.”

Luna stiffened her posture as best she could, managing to stand tall with some difficulty. “I will accompany you as well.”

Then, Twilight stepped forward. “Me too…”

Soon, many of the others were voicing their agreement. However, there was still a palpable sense of conflict as everyone mulled over whether actually going was a good idea or not.

Seeing how she was the one to start the other side of the discussion, many of the ponies looked to Applejack to see how she would react.

The orange mare pressed her lips together tightly, her jaw stiff and her hooves tensing as she desperately tried to convince herself wholeheartedly one way or another. Both options felt wrong to her now, and she hated it.

“Let’s at least head outside and see if we can watch ‘em from the cliff. Either way, I do not wanna hide here in this stupid castle and wait around.” Applejack suggested, to which everyone seemed to agree completely.

With that, the ponies all started to gather themselves and head back into the castle corridors. Those that were more steady on their hooves than others helped some that were struggling to walk on their own, like Luna and Cadence. And while they were all unable to go terribly fast, they decided to move at the pace of their slowest members.

The front entrance wasn't that far away anyway, and they would need the rest for whatever was to come next.

Toward the back of the group, Applejack took one last look up at the courtyard roof before securing her hat on her head and pressing onward with her friends.

Blue… I know it ain’t fair to rely on you so much, but please… keep her safe

A few minutes earlier

Both Blue Bolt and Dusk sailed through the air, propelled at great speed by the pegasus’ burst of enhanced wingpower. Neither of them could move very much from the sheer force of the wind forming a cone around them.

Dusk grunted and tried to wrench his forelegs free, but the blue stallion was hugging him tightly, preventing him from using any blood from his wrists while they were pressed to his sides. He couldn’t use any blood from his neck either, as Blue Bolt was keeping himself out of the way of the open wound.

The pair flew in a downward arc toward the snowy field below, getting farther and farther away from the castle with each passing moment until, finally, they struck terra firma once more.

Both of them made slight outbursts of pain as their bodies bounced off of frozen earth, getting surprising air and sending flecks of snow flying up on their way. The second impact came several feet later, causing them to start rolling and tumbling, whereupon they separated.

While Dusk managed to dig in with his hooves somewhat and dramatically slow his momentum, Blue Bolt was forced to hang on for the ride as he continued sliding and rolling even further before he too settled to a gradual stop.

The pegasus’ face and several areas on his body were reddened from grating along the harsh ice and frozen dirt. He was bleeding at least superficially in numerous places too, and he felt like a sock full of coins put through a dryer.

Slowly, painfully, he lifted his head up and planted a single forelimb on the slippery ground. His head was still spinning, and his vision was starting to blur. As he struggled to push himself up, his limbs shook and even gave out, forcing him to start over.

In the distance, he could see an equine silhouette standing and starting to approach. He pushed through the pain to get to his knees and face his foe when a familiar ringing took his hearing and further fogged his mind.

“Ngh…” Blue Bolt faltered, resting on his side and holding a hoof to his head as faint whispers tickled the back of his consciousness. His body started to feel distant and numb, but he fought to keep alert and awake. He knew that using his burst of speed when he was already tired was risky, but he had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this.

The winged figure ahead of him gave a strained chuckle as he approached and saw the state he was in.

“What’s the matter, Blue Bolt…? You look a bit out of sorts…” Dusk said. Even if Blue couldn’t see it amid his blurring vision, he could practically feel the amused smirk on the alicorn’s face.

Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm his pounding heart and push back the dizzying numbness, Blue Bolt tried again to stand up, making more progress this time, albeit slower than he wanted.

Dusk flattened his expression as he watched the pegasus struggling. He cracked his stiff neck, the lingering pains from their collision causing a slight tug at his lips, and lifted a hoof. “Here, let me help you.” He said before swiping his foreleg across.

A thin crimson lash whipped out of his wrist and followed his motion as it stretched over to the pegasus, colliding with Blue’s side and smacking him away like a fly.

The stallion yelped in pain as his side burned, and then again as he tumbled along the ground before smacking back-first into a snow-dusted tree trunk. It was hard to tell if the resulting sound was the icy bark cracking or his spine.

“There we are. Don’t you feel so much more energetic?” Dusk asked. “I find that a good slap to the face is all that’s needed to get the blood pumping in the morning.”

Gritting his teeth under the throbbing pain racking his body, Blue Bolt forced himself up again, managing to shakily get to his hooves. The ringing in his head faded, and his vision clarified, but the feeling of fatigue was still lingering.

However, he couldn’t focus on recovering for long, as a flash of movement came speeding toward him, causing him to widen his eyes and duck to the side.

He could still move with some deftness and speed, but it still wasn't enough to completely dodge the volley of three blood streams. Two of them rocketed into the tree behind him, while the third punched through his collarbone and knocked him back from the force.

“Agh!” Blue yelped and clutched his new injury with his only good forelimb. As he uncovered it and looked down at the bleeding wound, he could already feel and see a ring of embers starting to seal it up.

The pegasus looked up and glared at the pale alicorn. He lurched forward onto all fours and pushed through the pain to rush toward his opponent.

Dusk got light on his hooves as Blue gave a frustrated yell and summoned the infuriating weapons that he had come to know and despise. With a swift strike and an equally swift dodge, the tides shifted the other way momentarily as Blue started driving the alicorn back.

After dodging the second strike, Dusk caught the pegasus’ foreleg, keeping the pointed blade sticking out at him mere inches from his chest.

Blue Bolt struggled to try and push the blade further, but their enhanced strengths seemed to still be evenly matched. Perhaps they had worn the alicorn down more than he thought?

Then, a skull rattling punch came from Dusk’s other hoof, sending Blue to the ground so hard that he nearly tumbled over himself. He tried to shake the blow off and stand up immediately, but this movement was swiftly met by a single tendril coming down and piercing through his chest, pinning him to the ground.

With the burning pain coursing through his body, Blue Bolt arched his back and half yelled, half coughed as blood sputtered from his mouth. He raced his hooves to the tendril, his blades vanishing at the loss of fortitude and concentration needed to keep them material.

He squinted an eye open, only to see more tendrils snaking out of Dusk’s neck and pointing down at him menacingly, reminding him of the legs of a spider raising up to pierce down into some unfortunate prey.

“Let’s see you regenerate once I rip the flesh from your bones!” Dusk cackled.

Then, an audible click rang out, followed swiftly by Dusk’s sadistic grin shifting to a pained look of surprise as something whizzed into his back.

“GAH!”

The alicorn threw his head back at the fiery pain radiating through him. Something silver. It had to be, but it was too small to be a dagger. He whirled around, ready to face whatever foolish soul was bold enough to interrupt him, only to face them much closer than he anticipated in the form of a cyan hind hoof smacking into his jaw at full force.

As the tendrils under the alicorn’s control lost their shape and cohesion, including the one piercing into his chest, Blue Bolt looked up to see a vested pegasus mare landing in front of him, a steely look of determination on her face and a discharged crossbow in one hoof.

“Rain...bow?” He coughed, one final trickle of blood coming free of his throat before he made a sucking noise of pain as his lungs and chest started burning and mending. Once they were finished, he coughed a few more times and panted briefly before looking up to her. “What are you doing here?!”

Rainbow Dash stuck a hoof out and helped pull the stallion to his hooves before turning to watch Dusk starting to get up as well. “Helping you, what does it look like?” She answered plainly, reaching down and fumbling along her vest to find another bolt for her bow.

Blue Bolt stood in front of his friend protectively as Dusk growled and slowly pushed up from the ground.

The alicorn reached a hoof behind him as his healing ability dislodged the burning projectile piercing his flesh. He pulled back a blood-covered silver bolt and stared at it, his hoof sizzling slightly at its touch, before shifting his hateful glare up to the cyan pony.

“Loyalty…” He hissed, clenching his hoof tightly before dropping a smashed lump of silver to the snow below.

Even despite the wave of fear and dread building within her, Rainbow couldn’t help a defiant snort. “The name’s Rainbow Dash. Don’t forget it when I’m-”

Then, before she could even finish her remark, she was cut off by the alicorn flinging a hoof toward her and sending a stream of blood shooting out.

Blue Bolt pushed her to the side, landing on top of her and just narrowly missing the strike himself. They both briefly shared a concerned look before darting their gaze to see Dusk with two tendrils curling out of his wrists in preparation for battle.

The two ponies scrambled to get to their hooves and ready themselves for another dodge, when Dusk suddenly shifted his eyes upwards in brief confusion, and then alarm. Before either Blue or Rainbow knew what was going on, a swooping sound came from behind them, followed by a loud shockwave of air blowing over their heads.

The shockwave slammed into Dusk’s form, blowing him clear off his hooves and sending him flying back several feet alongside a heap of snow.

Rainbow Dash and her friend looked over as another pegasus landed beside them, perhaps the last pony either of them expected to see.

“Raincloud?” Rainbow skewed her expression in surprise.

Raincloud had one hoof outstretched, with a light pulse of purple coloration fading back to her usual gray as she lowered it. She also had a silver dagger under her other hoof. She looked at the pair, and then over at the vampiric alicorn she just sent flying like a sack of helium-filled potatoes.

“So… do we have a plan, or are we just bathing in honey and poking like… all the bears?” She asked.

“That depends.” Blue said, “How much more of that weird magic stuff you got?”

The sight of the gray mare panting and looking a bit ill didn’t exactly comfort them.

“Not much…” Raincloud replied plainly. “Do I get anything cool for joining the biggest idiot club?”

Rainbow chuckled nervously as she turned to look ahead at an even more pissed-off Dusk, if such a thing could exist. “‘I got killed by a psychotic vampire alicorn, and all I got was this stupid shirt’... Yeah, sounds like a real bestseller.”

“It’s going to be if we don’t stop this guy. Any ideas?” Blue asked, only to receive a flat look from the gray mare.

“You’re the big bad slayer of evil, why don’t you tell us?!” Raincloud retorted.

Blue Bolt sighed and leveled his gaze ahead. “Well, it’s like you said… Let’s go poke the bear.” He stated as he started walking forward, a somber sense of resolve on his face.

Raincloud lingered for a moment and watched as Rainbow Dash fluttered into the air and immediately followed after the stallion. The pair looked like they were ready to give their all in this last-ditch effort at stopping the monstrous alicorn.

“Maybe being a vampire won’t be so bad?” Raincloud muttered to herself, shaking her head slowly and silently rethinking her life choices before huffing and trotting after the suicidal pegasi.

Up ahead, the pale alicorn slowly picked himself up from the ground and got to all fours. His mane was disheveled, and his fur was bespeckled with snow. He actually slipped a bit on the icy earth, which only further served to boil his blood.

Dusk turned to see three ponies standing against him defiantly. He clenched his jaw, the red glow in his eyes standing out amid the blowing wind and snow around them, and stamped a hoof down on the brittle ice beneath him.

“I… will not… be upstaged, by the likes of you!” He shouted, the cool sophistication in his voice having long since devolved into unbridled, almost childish, rage.

“Dude… You have got to stop buying into your own hype.” Blue Bolt stared at the alicorn wearily.

“Yeah. What he said.” Rainbow Dash added.

Raincloud raised an eyebrow at the cyan mare. “This coming from the self-described ‘fastest flyer in Equestria’?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be on our side?” Rainbow asked flatly.

Dusk felt his eye twitch from this. Not only did they have the gall to face him, but now they were ignoring him like he was barely a threat.

With a primal yell loud and sudden enough to startle the trio, Dusk whipped a set of tendrils out of his wrists, sending the crimson lashes speeding toward them.

All three of them immediately took to the sky, getting clear just in time to feel the draft of air from the tendrils cracking beneath them. However, they knew by now that evading Dusk’s attacks wasn't so simple.

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder, only to find the tip of one of the tendrils halting unnaturally in the air before darting up after her. She flinched and pushed her wings to beat faster as she curved and spiraled, hoping to use every evasive trick in the book to keep the deadly spear away from her.

Over on the other side of things, Raincloud also noticed one of these tendrils chasing after her, and it was gaining fast. She looked back to her wings and cringed a bit as she focused on her shadow magic.

“Come on, baby… come on!” She muttered to herself tensely, closing her eyes and concentrating like her life depended on it, which weirdly made it harder. Thankfully, however, she could feel the slightest aura of pulsating shadow energy filling her wings with strength and speed just in time to pull away from a close shave.

However, even with this boost in speed, the tendril was still giving her a run for her money. Either it was her exhaustion lessening her abilities, or perhaps Dusk wanted her dead that bad that he was directly controlling the tendril. Either way, she wasn't going to last long like this.

And then, the tendril collapsed into liquid and began to fall to the earth as Blue Bolt slashed one of his blades across a section of it lower down.

Raincloud looked down, surprised and relieved to find her blue-furred savior. He gave her a quick nod, which she reciprocated before they both shifted their attention to Dusk.

The alicorn, as expected, was less than enthused about their survival. He glared up at them before turning to look at the falling spray of his blood. Suddenly, he lifted his hoof and focused his unseen influence over his own crimson life force.

Blue Bolt and Raincloud watched as the spray of blood froze in the air. Almost the instant they realized what was happening and started to flinch, the individual droplets and trails shot toward them.

While he managed to dodge some of the shots, Blue yelped as two struck him, one in the flank, and one punching through both his wing and side. He started falling toward the ground under his lessened wingpower and newfound injuries.

Raincloud flew forward and evaded most of the miniature spears. Then, just as she thought she was home free, she cried out as a searing pain raked across her back as one of the streams clipped her. She could feel blood leaking out, joining the rest of the filth drying into her fur from her earlier dip into the crimson waters. The pain was enough to break her subtle concentration over her shadow magic, causing her to slow down as the glow around her wings faded.

Dusk smirked at the sight of the gray pegasus’ strained flying. He prepared to send up the rest of the broken tendril to impale her when a popping bang came from above and behind him. Two or three pin-sized green projectiles zipped into his back, causing a good deal of pain and even some blood spatter as they punched through his form.

He whirled around, spotting Rainbow Dash high above aiming down at him with one of those infuriating magic vials. He had hoped that the other tendril would keep her busy, but apparently, she noticed its slowed movements as he shifted concentration to Blue Bolt and Raincloud.

The alicorn held a hoof in front of his neck, preparing to gather a ball of blood for an attack when he paused and cringed at the attempt. Trying to force that much blood out of his reserve almost seemed difficult, and it was even taking a minute to heal the small holes in his body.

Rainbow Dash seemed to notice this. She leaned in closer to confirm what she was seeing, only to have a smile tug at her lips. “Yes…” She muttered. Finally, they were making a visible dent in the impossibly perfect armor of constant regeneration the alicorn had. There was yet a light at the end of the tunnel.

But they weren’t out of the woods just yet, for just as they were pushing themselves past the brink and giving this fight their all, Dusk wasn't willing to back down either. He grit his teeth and focused for a moment, managing to expedite the process of healing his wounds. He then turned to the mismatched tendrils still snaking through the air, a glint of malice shining in his eyes.

Much like they had before, both tendrils exploded into dozens of individual droplets of blood, which swiftly elongated before darting through the air toward Rainbow Dash.

The cyan mare widened her eyes as she saw the projectiles incoming. Not only were they heading for her, but many of them were curving and coming in from the sides, above and below, cutting off her escape routes.

Rainbow yelped fearfully and turned away, giving a mighty flap of her wings to hopefully save her life. Somehow, she managed to keep ahead of the many crimson needles.

However, many of the projectiles split off and got ahead of her, boxing her in as she curved around to try and gain speed. She froze as she saw this and cringed, realizing that she wouldn’t be able to get away fast enough with her sudden change in momentum.

Then, just as she flinched her eyes shut and accepted her fate, a gray shape darted in through one of the small gaps in the cage of projectiles and got close to her.

With a fierce yell, Raincloud flung both forelegs out and projected as much shadow energy as she could muster out of her hooves. The swirling purple and black mass flashed out around them and formed a ball.

Rainbow peaked her eyes open amid the sound of dozens of muted impacts. She found her fellow pegasus sweating profusely and straining to maintain the barrier keeping them alive, the two faint auras around the gray mare’s forehooves pulsing and fitting wildly.

“Uh… R-Raincloud?” Rainbow spoke hesitantly as the constant impacts seemed to get closer as the shadowy shell around them got thinner.

“I’m… trying!” Raincloud retorted. Her hooves were shaking, and her jaw was vibrating from how hard she was gritting her teeth.

Then, a bloody needle zipped through the barrier, nearly striking both of them. As Rainbow was reacting to that one, another came from behind her and clipped her side.

“OW!”

While the cyan pony was clutching a nasty cut, Raincloud did her best to keep going despite her fading strength. She thought her heart was going to explode from how hard it was pounding.

She opened her eyes, just in time to see another blood bullet piercing her barrier and heading straight toward her.

“AGH!” Raincloud yelped as the projectile pierced her hind leg, close to the hip. The sudden shock to her system, combined with her exhaustion and stress from trying to overuse shadow magic, seemed to be too much for her as her eyes rolled up and fluttered shut.

Rainbow Dash froze as she saw the gray mare starting to drop out of the air. “Raincloud!” She reached out to catch her companion, only to pause and look up as the barrier around her totally faded, allowing the last few projectiles to zip forward unimpeded.

The cyan mare flinched her eyes shut and covered her head with her forelegs, but after a few seconds, no pain came. She looked up and blinked, finding herself to be relatively intact. Apparently, the last few projectiles weren’t lined up to hit her amid the encroaching darkness, and Dusk hadn’t course-corrected them afterward.

Shifting her attention back to the gray pegasus, Rainbow widened her eyes and trailed them down to find Raincloud still plummeting out of the air. She darted downwards, racing toward the unconscious mare and managing to catch up to her.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow stated, jolting slightly at the added weight as she caught the gray mare in her forelegs.

Raincloud mumbled as her eyes rolled under their creaking lids. Slowly, she started coming to her senses and drowsily gazed up at the cyan mare.

"Mmph… mom, it isn’t even morning." She muttered before the cogs in her head started turning. Then, her look of confusion shifted to surprise, and then veiled embarrassment. "I wasn't talking out loud, was I?"

Rainbow Dash failed to hide a smirk. "I don’t know what you're talking about, sweetie."

Raincloud flattened her lids. "Yeah, you can just let me drop now, thanks." She said before suddenly yelping and reaching down to her hind leg.

Rainbow Dash cringed sympathetically at her companion's wound. However, before she could even ask if the gray mare was ok, a whipping sound drew their attention down.

They spotted Dusk sending another tendril cracking up toward them far too fast to dodge. By now, they knew that such a fast-moving attack would cut deeply into them. They would have braced for the pain, but all they had time for was the beginnings of a flinch.

And then, the tendril scattered into liquid and splashed into them harmlessly.

Surprised and confused by their miraculous survival, the pair looked down, only to find their stallion friend slicing through the base of the tendril near Dusk’s wrist with one of his blades.

Blue Bolt and Dusk locked eyes as he managed to get off that single strike unnoticed. He only got this far because the alicorn was so focused on the two mares. In an instant, both of them reacted.

While Blue swung his already outstretched foreleg, rotating his weapon into a better position as he went, Dusk reeled back. The tip of the ornate blade narrowly missed the alicorn’s neck. Dusk could actually feel a slight sting as the seemingly corrosive material barely nicked his fur.

Dusk reached up a foreleg and blocked a second swing from Blue’s other limb. Then, as the pegasus was reeling his free hoof back for another strike, Dusk lifted his chin and exposed the wound on his neck before a spray of blood gushed out of it, landing in Blue’s eyes.

Blue Bolt instinctively yelped at the sudden assault on his vision and stumbled back. He tried to keep his eyes open, but it was nigh impossible to see anything. While he was frantically wiping one hoof along his face, he reached the other up and leveled it where he remembered Dusk being before letting loose a burst of light.

Nothing happened to indicate that he had hit anything. There was no sizzling sound or noises of pain. There was, however, a frantic voice shouting from above.

“Blue Bolt, look out!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

Spotting movement in his still blurry vision, Blue looked up to see what could only be Dusk flying upwards ahead of him. However, his vision clarified to also see two tendrils heading out of the alicorn’s wrists and down toward the ground.

He looked down, only to find the tips of said tendrils zooming straight toward him.

The pegasus had little time to react, even with his enhanced abilities. He might have been able to dodge if he wasn't so tired already, but in his current state, he could do nothing to stop the crimson spears from impaling into his chest and sending him flying off his hooves from the force.

As the stallion was hurtling away, two injuries that would be fatal to any normal pony piercing through his body, Dusk shifted his attention back up toward the two mares. The alicorn was swiftly met by another pop as a green projectile burned into his side.

Rainbow Dash flew backward away from the alicorn while firing ahead with her weapon of choice, making quick bursts of two or three attacks at a time before giving it time to cool down.

Her eyes flashed with alarm as she saw the alicorn loose a volley of blood bullets, which quickly spread out and sped toward her. Rainbow cringed and put her weapon back in its holster, shifting her full focus to flying as she turned and sped up.

The crimson needles dauntlessly followed the cyan mare as she curved and looped around. They neared closer and closer, causing her to sweat nervously as she watched them over her shoulder. Her mind raced with a way to save herself, before looking ahead and spotting something. With time running out, she flapped her wings hard and pulled ahead by mere inches.

Then, Rainbow Dash yelled fearfully and covered her head as she dove around a frozen rock jutting out of the ground at the last second. As expected, the blood bullets curved to chase her and struck the thick boulder.

She flinched at the resulting pings and cracking noises, hoping against all hope that the rock would be sturdy enough to prevent any of the streams from piercing through and hitting her. Thankfully, the only thing she felt was the slight stinging cold from lying among the snow and ice.

Dusk narrowed his eyes at the annoying pegasus’ lucky break. He started to send a more directed attack toward her that she couldn’t trick, when the sound of flapping wings came behind him and a burning pain seared into his side.

“Gah!” The alicorn yelped as a silver dagger was driven into his abdomen by Raincloud. He grit his teeth and lashed out, whipping his foreleg around and whipping a razor-thin tendril out.

Raincloud saw the attack coming, but it was so sudden and close by that all she had time to do was widen her eyes before the tendril raked across her neck. Her mechanical collar shattered into pieces, and blood gushed out as a deep gash was left in her throat.

Back on the opposite side of the clearing, Rainbow Dash pushed herself up from the snow and looked ahead to check on her gray companion. Her face paled and her eyes went wide as she saw Raincloud flying backward from a strike, a geyser of blood and broken metal pieces flying free from her neck.

“Raincloud!” Rainbow darted forward, leaving behind a small crater of loose snow as she took off.

She made a beeline past Dusk, who seemed to be more focused on trying to get the dagger out of his side, and followed the gray pegasus’ trajectory several feet back, watching as Raincloud skidded along the ground and came to a rough stop against a tree trunk.

As she touched her hooves down to snowy ground once more, she stared ahead with jaw falling open in shock at the state of the wounded mare.

Raincloud was essentially bleeding out from a slit throat, and much of her strength was immediately sapped from the strike and her brief flight. Her ruined collar was elsewhere, having fallen apart once it was broken open, but somehow that wasn't a major concern at the moment.

“Sweet Celestia… Raincloud!” Rainbow Dash knelt down and rested her hooves on the gray mare’s shoulder and chest, which were already running red with blood.

Hearing another whipping sound, Rainbow looked over, only to freeze as she saw more tendrils about to crash down into them. Up ahead, Dusk was casting an angry glare their way, having finally ripped the dagger out of his body with his magic.

Then, just before the tendrils came down and pierced the defenseless mares, a fierce yell came from the side as Blue Bolt galloped forward and tackled Dusk to the ground, breaking his fragile concentration and liquifying the crimson lashes.

While the two stallions were going off into another close-quarters struggle, Rainbow Dash turned back to her gravely wounded companion.

“Raincloud, look at me.” She said, lightly jostling the pegasus bleeding out before her eyes in the hopes of keeping her focused and awake. “You have to heal yourself. Blue isn’t going to get here in time.”

Raincloud made a strangled noise of pain and blinked hard, her wild eyes darting and trembling. She tried to move her foreleg, but she could only get it to her chest before it flopped down uselessly.

Seeing her companion slipping further and further into death, Rainbow Dash felt her heart racing as she grabbed the gray mare’s foreleg and pressed it to her neck. “Come on! You’re not gonna let this be what takes you out, are you?!”

Gradually, but alarmingly fast, Rainbow could feel the strength in the gray mare’s body leaving. A few moments went by as Raincloud took in choking gasps of air and struggled to keep her eyes from drifting shut.

Finally, a pulsating aura of purple energy faintly appeared around her hoof and started flowing into the wound on her neck.

It was far weaker than Rainbow remembered from watching the pegasus heal Sweetie Belle. Raincloud must have been nearly out of stamina even before she had suffered this injury. For several seconds, nothing seemed to come of the mare’s attempts at healing herself as her lifeblood kept gushing out.

Then, slowly but surely, the wound stopped bleeding and started to close. Rainbow Dash held her breath, as did Raincloud as she pushed herself just to keep up this one single task. Eventually, the flowing shadowy energy finally ceased, leaving behind a nasty-looking mess of scar tissue that hadn’t quite vanished.

Thankfully, however, the bleeding had stopped.

Rainbow Dash let out the breath she had been holding and smiled with relief as the gray mare laid back against the tree and panted heavily. “You did it… Oh man, thank goodness for that.” She said before turning as a particularly loud crash and a yell drew her attention back to the battle still waging behind them. “Can you still stand?” She asked, offering Raincloud a hoof up.

Raincloud hesitated from taking the cyan pony’s hoof. As she opened her mouth to speak, nothing but a slight harsh noise came out. She shifted her eyes warily and held a hoof to her neck, trying again only to receive the same result.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked. She frowned with concern as she watched the gray mare gesture to her own neck with a hoof and shake her head. “You can’t talk…?” She asked, receiving an uneasy nod in response.

Rainbow took a closer look at Raincloud’s neck. The scar tissue left behind from her wound certainly looked deep enough to cause problems with her vocal cords.

“Do you have enough energy left to heal it?” She asked before pausing and sighing. “Of course not. You would have already done it if you did… Stupid question, sorry.”

Raincloud gave her a flat look. Rainbow didn’t even need to hear her to understand what she meant.

“Alright…” Rainbow said, straining briefly as she pulled her companion to all fours and helped her steady herself before handing her a vial off her vest. “Take this, and be careful where you point it.”

Raincloud looked down to see that the pegasus had handed her her own popper. After staring at it, and then her for a moment, she nodded once.

“The safety’s off, so just point and shoot… oh, and please don’t pick now to turn on us.” Rainbow Dash reminded, a hint of weariness to her voice.

Raincloud rolled her eyes and grumbled as best she could, which didn’t amount to much, given the trainwreck that was her throat. Still, she couldn’t exactly blame the cyan mare too much for not completely trusting her.

Another thunderous impact drew the mares’ attention down. Several feet away, Blue Bolt was doing his best to dodge a flurry of tendrils striking the ground around him.

He seemed to barely be holding his own, and while his movements were sluggish and difficult, Dusk also seemed to be slowing down, either from exhaustion or to toy with the stallion further.

Rainbow Dash gasped as she watched a tendril swipe sideways into Blue Bolt’s ribs, sending him flying with great force and leaving a bloody gash up his side.

Blue sailed across the clearing at great speed before coming to an abrupt stop against another tree. The first impact rattled his very being, and the second impact with the ground did little to help.

“Ngh…” Blue squinted one eye open as he struggled to get up. He only managed to push himself up on his foreleg, chest heaving and limbs shaking. His side started to burn as his powers kicked in again and mended his newest wound. If he was being honest, he would rather deal with the gash.

“Blue Bolt!”

The faint voice of his friend calling out to him made the stallion look up. All he could see was a red whip crashing down toward him before the world went black.

Chapter 70: To the Bitter End

Everything was a blur as Blue Bolt clung on the very precipice of consciousness. His head was ringing, as was his hearing, though now it wasn't caused by overtaxing himself with his powers. How long had he been out? Had he even been out? It was hard to tell either way.

Spotting some faint silhouettes in the distance, the pegasus tried to clarify his hazy vision enough to see what was going on. He couldn’t make out details, but the color differences were enough for him to roughly determine that he was seeing Rainbow Dash and Raincloud fighting Dusk by themselves.

The cyan blur zipped overhead, firing down multicolored balls of light onto the taller brown shape below. In turn, a wriggling red line shot up, narrowly missing the blur. Another blotch of gray coloring flew the opposite way, occasionally firing off bursts of green light in between avoiding the crimson onslaught.

Blue placed a hoof beside his head and pushed himself up. He shook himself to his senses, blinking hard until his vision was at least somewhat clear. The ringing faded until he could finally hear the cracks, zaps, and frantic wings.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he watched Raincloud get swatted out of the air by a fast-moving tendril. She barely made a sound, which only made the noise and sight more unsettling.

“Raincloud!” Rainbow Dash shouted, her voice sounding faint this far away. Both she and Blue watched as the gray mare flew several feet away before striking ground near a rock and bouncing before rolling to a motionless stop.

Rainbow Dash started to fly after their reluctant companion when she was abruptly swatted to the ground by another tendril. She grunted as the wind got knocked out of her, and then made a sucking noise of pain as she smacked to the ground on her back.

Then, she let out a sharp cry as a set of crimson spears came down and pierced through her shoulders, pinning her to the ground.

Blue Bolt widened his eyes in alarm and stumbled to all fours. “Rainbow!” He yelled, determined to reach her before the alicorn could hurt her any further.

He made it about three steps before he was knocked off his hooves and shoved back into the tree behind him by his throat. A band of blood was pressing into him, connected by a single line leading over to the pale alicorn.

Dusk leveled his gaze at the pegasus against the tree a few feet away. He glanced over to the cyan mare wriggling and shouting, trying to free herself from the agonizing pain, before turning back towards Blue and starting to walk forward.

Seeing death incarnate walking towards him, Blue Bolt raced to retaliate. He swiped his foreleg across the tendril holding him while summoning one of his blades. The weapon formed through glowing embers just in time to cleanly slice through the crimson rope, freeing him.

Not one to allow his enemies to escape easily, Dusk fired a pointed tendril from his neck that speared forward and pierced into Blue Bolt’s stomach with a wet squelch and a pained yell, pinning the pegasus to the tree again.

Then, when Blue tried to slash this tendril, another crimson lash zipped out of the alicorn’s wrist wound. It flew forward in a blur, and before the stallion even knew it, his weapon was halted and even pulled back. Much to his surprise, Blue looked over to see a sizzling tendril wrapped around his blade, not only holding its shape against the burning material, but also pulling with immense strength.

“You… have been a thorn in my side for far too long, Blue Bolt,” Dusk growled as he drew closer.

A renewed yell of pain came from behind the alicorn as Rainbow Dash lurched upwards, a fresh spray of blood flying out from one of the tendrils in her shoulder pulling itself out before stabbing itself back down into her abdomen.

“NO!” Blue Bolt widened his eyes. Gritting his teeth angrily, he summoned his other blade, only to have Dusk send another tendril, this time piercing his foreleg and pinning it to the tree. “Ack!”

“I’ve been thinking about how best to punish you for making a mockery of me back in Canterlot.” Dusk mused, a quiet sort of anger behind his voice that sent a chill down the stallion’s back. “I was thinking of ripping your wings off, and then breaking each of your bones one by one before flaying you alive… but then I realized that death holds no sway over one like yourself. At least… your death.” He smirked as he glanced behind him.

Blue tried to lunge forward at the alicorn, ignoring the crimson spear piercing into him. He would headbutt or bite if he had to. Unfortunately, Dusk merely sent another tendril shooting forward, piercing his abdomen and forcibly pushing his body back against the tree.

“Gah!” Blue yelped, cringing and dealing with his pain for a moment before panting heavily and opening his eyes. He looked over Dusk’s shoulder to see Rainbow Dash writhing in pain and trying in vain to free herself. His face only paled further as he watched the second tendril piercing her rip itself free before shooting back down into her side.

“Please…” Blue said, tears beginning to fill his eyes as he listened to his friend’s diminishing cries of pain. While he didn’t notice it at first, Dusk lifted a brow and then smiled as he saw a bright orange crack form in the pegasus’ blades. “Please, let her go. You wanted to fight me, so here I am… Just leave her alone!”

“Look at her,” Dusk said, stepping closer and bringing a hoof up to grab Blue’s muzzle so he could force the pegasus’ head to turn. “LOOK AT HER! I want you to watch me carve the flesh from her bones… and when she is crying for you to save her, I want the last thing she sees to be your pitiful face!”

More cracks appeared in Blue’s seemingly impervious weapons, spidering out along the blades’ surface like brittle glass. The blade being held by Dusk’s tendril started to shake, either from the metal starting to give way or from Blue Bolt’s foreleg shaking.

Enjoying the look of helplessness in the stallion’s eyes, Dusk leaned in closer, practically breathing down Blue’s neck and staring right into his face. “And after she’s dead… I’m going to bring her back, and force you to watch as she rips out the throat of that foalish yellow pegasus you two seem so fond of. Can you imagine the look on her face? The delicious fear and shock as one of her dear friends sinks their teeth into her neck?”

Hearing this, Blue Bolt froze and stiffened up. No matter how much he didn’t want to, he couldn’t stop himself from picturing Fluttershy and all the others dying horribly in various ways. The mere thought made his heart sink.

Then, he started to tense his jaw amid his labored breathing. With tears still staining his face, his eyes shifted from despairing and fragile, to intense and determined. His foreleg, the one being impaled into the tree, flexed and trembled from exertion.

Much to Dusk’s surprise, the cracks on Blue’s blades started disappearing. In fact, one of the blades started slowly glowing a vibrant shade of orange.

Then, as he glanced up toward the cyan mare bleeding out into the snow in the background, Blue’s eyes started glowing as well.

“I… won’t… let you… hurt them…” Blue growled through clenched teeth. He shifted forward with a slight squelch, causing the tendrils piercing him to dig further in and causing Dusk to flinch slightly in surprise. “I… won’t… LET YOU!”

Without so much as a pained cringe, Blue Bolt pushed past his exhaustion and the tendril impaling his foreleg to punch forward with great force.

Dusk started to dodge the glowing blade, but the pegasus didn’t seem to be entirely aiming to hit him with the blade. Blue’s hoof shot toward his face much faster than he could react to. A loud ‘thwack’ sounded out, followed by an even louder burst of air as all of the energy accumulated in the stallion’s blade shifted and flowed out through the punch, sending Dusk flying away like their first battle back in Canterlot.

Almost immediately, all of the tendrils under Dusk’s control lost their form and collapsed. Blue Bolt fell forward onto all fours roughly. He stood there for a moment, panting heavily and watching the alicorn flying away, before quickly shifting his attention to his wounded friend.

“Rainbow!” He rushed forward as fast as his battered form would allow.

Even before he reached her, he could see the ring of red snow around her as she slowly writhed and loosely clutched her chest and stomach. There were around three or four holes in her form. Almost all of them seemed deep enough to hit vital organs, and they were all pouring blood out onto her vest and fur.

Rainbow Dash shakily lifted her head as the stallion knelt down beside her. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing but a few wet coughs came out at first. “Blue…?” She croaked.

Blue Bolt took her by the hoof as he sized up her wounds before looking her in the face and flashing a weak smile. “Don’t worry… You’re gonna be… just fine.” He said in between breaths, starting to level his other hoof to her form until she reached up and stopped him.

“Blue… s-save… your strength…” Rainbow pleaded, barely able to make herself audible. “Just… just f-finish… Dusk off… Don’t wh… worry about m-me…”

Blue Bolt made an effort to stop his foreleg from shaking that didn’t quite stick. Still, he couldn’t just sit back and let her die. Gently pushing her hoof aside, he lowered his hoof to be just above her largest wound and held it as steady as he could before starting to project his healing light.

Rainbow Dash immediately felt all of her pain melting away as a familiar warmth washed over her. She could even feel her missing strength slowly returning as her wounds sealed up all over her body, allowing her to take a deep, relaxed breath as her lungs unpierced themselves.

Then, perhaps sooner than the stallion intended, the light faded, leaving the frigid air around them to chill Rainbow Dash once again. She looked up, only to find her friend breathing heavily, much like she was. They were both still exhausted, and her sore body seemed to indicate that he hadn’t healed her completely back to normal.

Blue Bolt smiled briefly in spite of the fatigue as he looked down at her. However, his expression fell as he turned to the side and noticed a brown figure standing up in the snow several feet away.

Rainbow Dash noticed him starting to turn and walk away on unsteady limbs. She tried to lift up to follow, only to cringe slightly and hold a hoof to her side. Her wounds were mostly gone, but her body was still battered and bruised as ever.

“Blue, wait… what are you doing?!” Rainbow asked, to which he didn’t provide an answer for several seconds.

The stallion turned to see his friend still on the ground where he left her. He tried and failed to hide a stumble before giving her a sad sort of smile. “Finishing the job.” He stated plainly as he turned back ahead.

To their credit, Dusk was also showing signs of weakness and fatigue. The alicorn’s gait wasn't quite as smooth and powerful anymore, and his body had a slight shake to it, though this could have also been from rage, judging by his expression.

The pair walked toward each other silently until they stopped about a dozen feet apart.

“Do you really think that a mere pony such as yourself can beat me?” Dusk growled, allowing a few smaller tendrils to float out of his neck. “I could crush you right now!”

Blue Bolt gave the alicorn a weary stare, and it wasn't just because of his exhaustion. “Then shut up and do it!” He shouted before lifting his hoof and jutting it forward, putting everything he had into projecting his beam of light.

Almost immediately, Dusk’s form vanished, completely eclipsed by the surge of radiant blue and white. A faint sizzling sound could be heard beneath a slight yell of pain.

However, Dusk didn’t seem to be making any attempts to move out of the way, if he even could. Instead, the alicorn’s retaliation came in another way.

All at once, Blue Bolt flinched as several tendrils surged forward through his light, holding their form just long enough to strike him and pierce through his body. His yelp of pain was stifled as his lungs were pierced, sending a gush of blood out of his mouth. He lurched forward and his foreleg threatened to buckle under his weight, but he grit his teeth and kept himself steady as he focused on maintaining his light.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash watched in stunned shock as this brutal struggle happened right before her eyes. She could just barely see the crimson spears shooting out of the cone of light and ripping into her friend’s body all over, tearing through flesh and bone and sending fountains of blood spraying out on their path.

“Blue!” She rolled onto her stomach and cringed as she started to get up. She had to do something to help before there was nothing left for Blue to even regenerate, if he could regenerate such extensive damage in his state.

Despite the protests of the cyan mare, neither the pegasus nor the alicorn seemed willing to budge an inch. They were locked into this struggle until one of them died, and they both knew that. They weren’t even sure if either of them could move if they wanted to.

Blue Bolt could feel each and every stream of blood punching through him. To say that any mortal pony would be dead by now was an understatement. He was certain that most of his organs were damaged beyond function by now, and that he was only persisting by whatever supernatural power flowed through him.

Still, he kept his trembling hoof outstretched and kept projecting his light. If anything, he was certain that he was doing just as much damage to the pale alicorn.

He had to keep going. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how tired he was. If he failed here, it meant everypony he ever knew dying at the hooves of this alicorn, this monster. Not even that, he was certain that the whole world would soon fall victim to Dusk’s sadistic campaign.

The merciless tendrils kept coming, being shot like pressurized jets out of Dusk’s neck so that he didn’t even have to control them very much. They tore past the only obstacle in their way before joining the rain of blood falling to the ground, creating a pool that had since stopped soaking into the snow and was slowly spreading out.

Then, with one final yell of defiance from both of them fading into silence, the light faded, and the tendrils stopped coming.

Rainbow Dash was left speechless as she stared at two figures in the snow. One was still dripping with blood from near every square inch of his body, while the other was still partially obscured by a cover of steam.

And then, they saw him.

Somehow, Dusk was still standing. Or, perhaps standing wasn't a good word for it, as the muscles and tendons needed to maintain such a stance had been reduced to ash. No, Dusk was simply not falling over.

His form was mostly skeletal, with sparse patches of smoldering fur and flesh clinging to his body. One of his eyes was missing, and his jawbone was half exposed, along with most of his ribs. Even despite his lungs being long gone, he stood there and went through the motions of panting and heaving for air.

Blue Bolt looked worse, if only for the fact that he still had blood and organs to expose. Entire patches of his flesh had been torn away, and numerous holes of varying size had been punched through his body. One of his eyes was bloodied and clenched shut, and one of his ears was missing. Still, he remained standing, his foreleg still outstretched despite the rivers of blood oozing and falling off of him.

Both of them just stood there, whole bodies shaking and taking small, labored breaths. Blue Bolt coughed and fell forward as he let his foreleg drop, while Dusk remained stiff as a board.

Then, both of them started healing.

It was a slow process to be sure, and it almost seemed to be the inverse of what they had just done to each other, with Blue Bolt’s form awash with burning embers and flame, and Dusk’s missing flesh filling out from a thin covering of blood that seemed to apparate out of nowhere.

Both of them seemed to be in immense pain, even as the process finished, as they just remained still and stared at each other.

Blue Bolt fought tooth and nail to just stand up. His legs felt like jelly underneath him, and he barely had the strength to push himself back up. His heart was pounding, and his lungs were on fire. He wasn't even sure if he could walk anymore, let alone use his powers again.

He looked up toward the alicorn, a slight grimace forming on his exhausted features. Just how stubborn was Dusk to survive something like that?

Meanwhile, Dusk stared back at the frail pegasus, a begrudging sort of respect on his otherwise fatigued expression. He couldn’t believe that the stallion was still alive, let alone standing.

Then, without so much as a word between them, the alicorn lifted his foreleg up, and sent two small blood streams shooting out.

The streams were barely a fraction as fast or as large as most of the attacks Dusk had used thus far, but they still had enough power behind them to punch through Blue Bolt’s chest and send him falling backward.

Rainbow Dash gasped as she watched the stallion go to the ground. “No!”

She rushed, or rather, walked forward, nearly stumbling once or twice as she moved toward him. As she reached him, she could already see the sickening pool of blood that had been left behind from the stallion’s intense struggle.

Blue Bolt was barely conscious, and he seemed to be struggling to breathe. Even though he had just survived far worse injuries, Rainbow was afraid that this might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Seeing Dusk starting to approach, Rainbow shot up in alarm and fumbled a hoof to her vest. She got out the first weapon she came across, her crossbow, and pulled it out before unfolding it and loading in a bolt.

Dusk lifted a foreleg toward her and silently willed his blood to impale her. Strangely, however, nothing came out. He looked down to the dry wound on his wrist, a slight mortifying shimmer behind his eyes as he noted how weak he felt.

Ignoring the feeling of dread and horror washing over him, the alicorn shifted his attention to the very ponies that had pushed him this far.

Rainbow Dash nearly tripped over herself as she struggled to load the silver bolt in and pull the string back. Finally, she started to level it toward the alicorn, when the familiar tingle of a magical aura wrapped around her body. She just barely noted hints of a silver glow around her, before her connection with the ground was severed as she was flung away, dropping her crossbow.

“AH!” Rainbow yelped as she hurtled through the air. She tried to spread her wings and break her fall, but she was so exhausted that she barely got one flap in before she impacted and bounced roughly to a stop amid the snow and ice.

She groaned softly in pain and shakily lifted her head, only to widen her eyes as she saw Dusk walking toward her. Her heart started to race, and she desperately reached to her vest for something to defend herself. The only thing she found was her silver dagger.

“Get away from me, you creep!” She threatened, brandishing her dagger and starting to push herself up, when the magical tug from before suddenly wrenched her foreleg to the side, causing a painful squeak and causing her to drop her blade as she was sprawled out onto her back.

Dusk stumbled as he stepped over to the cyan mare, his horn sputtering and sparking as his body trembled and shook. He looked almost more out of sorts than she had been when he almost killed her.

Rainbow Dash tried to squirm free or kick at the alicorn until he abruptly planted a hoof on her neck and pressed down. She croaked with pain and raced her hooves to his wrist, but with her own fading strength, she was powerless to stop him.

“Do you… have any idea… the spectacular depth… of my hatred for you?” Dusk panted, a chilling glint of malice in his unfocused stare. “You… you and your… stupid friends.” He spat out at the mere word, a hint of red still present in his saliva.

Rainbow Dash darted her timid eyes over to her dagger. She reached over toward it while meeting his gaze, her brash and brave exterior cracking under those intense red orbs boring into her soul. It was just out of her reach.

The pressure on her neck intensified, causing her to make more strangled croaks and sputters. She couldn’t breathe.

“I didn’t want… to rush things along… quite so much… but I’m afraid that you leave me no choice,” Dusk said, the slightest of smiles forming even despite how angry and exhausted he was. “Rest assured, Loyalty… You will be the first of your group… to have the honor of joining me, once I drain you of every last drop of blood.”

Under the vampiric alicorn’s immense strength, Rainbow Dash could feel her windpipe being crushed. Her hoof could only feel the tip of the handle to her dagger. There was nothing she could do. She was going to die here.

As they did the last time she neared death, her thoughts drifted to her friends. She could still picture their bright and smiling faces looking at her. However, that image changed as she pictured herself being changed into a bloodthirsty creature of the night and slaughtering them. The thought of their fearful screams and pleas for mercy made a few tears fall down her face.

Girls… I’m sorry…

Then, a click sounded out.

Rainbow Dash was half-convinced that it was the sound of her neck breaking under Dusk’s hoof, but she was still conscious, so this couldn’t have been the case.

Strangely, the pressure on her throat lessened as Dusk let up on her. She squinted open her eyes, only to find him staring ahead with a shocked expression plastered on his face. Then, that expression quickly shifted to pain as he lifted his head back and yelled.

Dusk raced a hoof to the back of his neck, where a burning pain was slowly washing out across his skin.

Rainbow Dash briefly lifted her head to see Blue Bolt standing in the distance, her fallen crossbow held in his outstretched hoof. She barely even wasted a moment on a joyful reaction before darting her hoof to the side and picking up her dagger.

With all the strength she could muster, and a yell full of so much pent-up rage and frustration toward the alicorn, she stabbed her weapon up and into the side of Dusk’s chest, just behind his foreleg.

“Just die!” She shouted, the weight of everything she had lost and stood to lose at his hooves helping her to drive the blade all the way to the handle.

Dusk made a sucking noise of pain as his eyes went wide. He stumbled back away from the cyan mare and fell to his haunches. With his whole foreleg trembling, he brought a hoof up toward the dagger sticking into his heart. A searing pain was working its way through him, and a wave of glowing ash started spreading out from both of the silver objects pierced into him.

Around this time, his unnatural power should have been stopping the spreading destruction of his body. His stores of blood should have been regenerating his damaged tissue and restoring his strength. However, a look of horror slowly washed over his face as he realized that that wasn't happening.

“No…” He muttered, voice faint and frantic with panicked emotion. “It… cannot be…”

Rainbow Dash was surprised to see the alicorn showing genuine fear and terror through his face. She didn’t think that he could feel such emotions, let alone to such intensity. She almost felt bad. Almost.

“No… NO!” Dusk cried in denial as the ashes started to overtake him. His limb closest to the dagger collapsed away into dust and embers scattering into the wind, and he tilted his head up as the burning wave started climbing up his neck.

“NOOOO!”

The alicorn’s scream faded alongside the rest of his body as he crumbled into ashes, much like all of his slain children. Soon after, nothing was left behind but a few floating embers on the wind, and those too faded and blinked out, leaving Rainbow Dash lying in the snow, staring ahead in stunned silence.

She blinked once, and then twice. The full weight of what she had just done hadn’t quite sunk in just yet. She stared down at her hoof, and then at the silver dagger lying in the snow a few feet away.

“We… we did it…” She muttered. A half chuckle forced its way free from her still burning lungs. Her throat was still sore, but she didn’t care as she looked over at her stallion friend still standing there in the distance. Finally, a wide grin formed and she shot her hooves up victoriously. “WE DID IT!!”

Up ahead, Blue Bolt smiled as he watched the cyan mare celebrating their triumph. A slight huff of air came out, mimicking the beginnings of a laugh that couldn’t go any further.

Then, however, he dropped the crossbow from his hoof and fell to the side as his legs gave out.

Seeing this, all of the joy immediately vanished from Rainbow’s eyes.

“BLUE BOLT!”

She raced to her hooves and rushed forward, stumbling and faltering as she went as she pushed her exhausted limbs to move faster. She had to reach him.

The cyan mare nearly fell to her haunches as she came upon the stallion. She sidled down next to him and gently rolled him over. Two gruesome holes were still left in his chest and stomach, and his face had lost a lot of its color.

“Blue, talk to me!” She said, propping his head up under a foreleg and gently trying to rouse him. “Say something!”

A weak cough came as Blue Bolt tensed his face. Even as he slowly opened his eyes, Rainbow Dash shrank back at the sheer lack of energy in them.

“Hhh… heh… n-not bad… for my first few days as a… s-slayer, huh?” He muttered, his voice barely there.

“No… no, no, no! You can’t do this… not again!” Rainbow shook her head, a sense of desperation in her eyes. She looked down to the wounds marring his form, framing the largest one with her free hoof. “Come on, Blue! Heal yourself!”

Blue Bolt cringed and shifted slightly as he brought a hoof up to his stomach. The bloody holes had a faint glow of embers appear around their edges, but this quickly faded as the stallion let out an exhausted huff.

“Sorry… R-Rainbow… I-I… don’t think I… can…” He explained, a softer shimmer in his otherwise sluggish stare. “I… think I’m… gonna have to… m-miss that… dinner.”

Rainbow Dash grabbed his hoof with her own and lowered her head, nuzzling the side of his face as tears fell freely from hers. “No… please…” She choked, “You… y-you can do this! It’s all a matter of willpower! So… quit messing around a-and get up!”

Hearing a faint noise, Rainbow lifted her head and looked down, only to widen her eyes. A flurry of glowing embers was slowly floating free of the stallion’s hind legs, and they were starting to take his body with them as they spread.

“NO!” She looked to the stallion and clutched him tightly. “Blue! Please… don’t leave me!” She cried, her tears falling down and hitting his chest.

Blue Bolt smiled softly as he lay in her grasp and slowly breathed. “You… stay out of trouble… a-and… t-take care of… F-Fluttershy… ok?” He said, struggling to bring his other hoof up to rest on her cheek.

Rainbow Dash reached up to hold the stallion’s hoof against her face. Still, she couldn’t stop her shallow, frantic breathing as she watched more and more of his body disappearing before her. She could feel the slight warmth of the embers as they tickled her form on their way up, not enough to burn her, but enough to provide a slight respite to the frigid wilderness around them.

“No… please…” She whimpered, tightening her grip on his hoof even as it started to emit embers and vanish. “You can’t leave again… Th… t-there’s so much I want to tell you… I… I think I-”

She paused, her mouth agape mid-sentence as she watched him close his eyes peacefully and vanish. The last of the embers floated up, taking any semblance of his touch she still had with them. She lifted her trembling eyes up and watched the last few dots of orange fly up into the air before they blinked out, leaving her cold and alone in the snow.

“Love you…” Rainbow finished, letting her hoof fall limply to her side. She sat there, stiff as a statue, and silently let her tears fall to the ground as she stared at the sky.
.
..
…
A few moments later, Raincloud grunted softly as her senses came back to her. She lifted her head up and creaked her eyes open, only to find herself staring at a rock.

Her body still hurt, especially her head, and she quickly surmised how her sudden bout of unconsciousness came to be as she clutched a hoof to a stinging, tendril-shaped welt across her body.

As she worked her way to a sitting position, rubbing a hoof to her neck and confirming that she still couldn’t speak, she scanned her eyes around to see how screwed they were. She half expected to find Rainbow Dash’s mangled corpse somewhere while Blue Bolt was still off fighting Dusk.

Strangely, however, she found no sign of the alicorn anywhere. She couldn’t find the pegasus stallion either. What she could find was a lone cyan shape sitting in the snow in the distance.

Raincloud softened her expression. She had a feeling she knew exactly what had happened, even if she didn’t believe they could ever win. Still, it was hard to celebrate with the cyan mare sitting there looking so distraught.

After a few moments of sitting by herself, Rainbow Dash’s ears twitched at the sound of hooves crunching in the snow behind her. She turned just in time for a gray hoof to land on her shoulder, only to find Raincloud standing there, looking down at her with a surprisingly sympathetic expression.

Rainbow didn’t much care who it was. Having another pony contact her so gingerly made the wave of emotions she was struggling to process spring forth like a shattering dam. Her eyes flooded with tears, and she quickly reached forward and buried her face into the gray mare’s shoulder as she hugged her tightly.

Raincloud stood there, hoof still outstretched as the cyan mare sobbed openly and squeezed her like a teddy bear. She was visibly uncomfortable with the situation, even if she couldn’t voice it. Still, she eventually decided to just let it happen, and patted the mare’s back awkwardly.

After all, Rainbow had earned a moment to let her emotions out. They had won, and even if it had come at a great cost, they had saved Equestria from a bloody fate.
.
..
…

-A few minutes later-

Twilight and all of her friends waited on the cliff outside the castle, tense and full of worry as they wondered what had become of the three pegasi.

Many of them had blankets from the nearby carriages wrapped around them and were resting as much as they could. If they did still have a fight on their hooves, they wanted to at least be able to move five steps before collapsing.

No matter how battered or exhausted they were, a gnawing feeling of guilt was still eating at most everyone present. They should have been down there with their friends fighting to the bitter end. They could try to justify it or convince themselves all they wanted, but deep down, they all knew it to be true.

Twilight sat next to Fluttershy close to the cliff’s edge, keeping a foreleg around the shy mare as they both stared down at the clearing below. From this distance, they couldn’t see their friends through the haze and snow, but that didn’t stop them from worrying.

Behind them, Luna watched the group somberly as they all dealt with this agonizing stretch of time in their own ways. She herself felt a burning need to do something, anything to help Rainbow Dash and the others.

The blue alicorn winced as she tried to stretch her wings. She had been contemplating forcing herself to lower the moon and go up to clear the clouds herself. And as she looked over to her sister, she figured that the older mare was thinking the same thing despite her own exhaustion.

Then, however, Fluttershy perked up as she noticed a hint of movement ahead. She strained her eyes to see, only to find the familiar shade of cyan of her rainbow-haired friend coasting up from the clearing below.

“Look!” She announced, pointing ahead for all to see.

Twilight and the others turned their attention ahead, only to find two winged figures ascending toward them slowly. Judging from their flight patterns, they were barely able to stay airborne by this point, but the fact that they were alive at all was miraculous.

Pinkie Pie rushed over alongside her friends, leaving just enough room for the two pegasi to land before they swarmed around the cyan mare. “What happened?! Are you ok?! Did we win?!” She asked frantically.

Rainbow Dash was uncharacteristically quiet and somber, which immediately made her friends uneasy. Still, she nodded anyway. “Yeah… we won.”

“What…?” Twilight asked, stunned and in mild disbelief. “You mean, Dusk is… gone?!” She asked. However, Rainbow’s continued lack of energy caused her forming grin to stop dead in its tracks.

“Yeah… Dusk is dead. For real this time.” Rainbow Dash answered before walking past the group toward the carriages.

Twilight and the others glanced between each other, the cyan mare, and the cliffside below. No further winged figures were anywhere in sight, and the feeling of dread building within them was starting to bubble to the surface.

Fluttershy broke free of the crowd and looked to her friend with desperate eyes. “Rainbow Dash…” She started, causing the cyan mare to stop. “Where’s Blue?”

Rainbow Dash had been dreading that single question ever since she started the trip back up the cliff. She had especially been hoping that the yellow mare wouldn’t be the one to ask it.

She slowly turned around, only to pause as she saw Fluttershy there, tears starting to build in her big blue orbs. Rainbow figured that she must have already suspected what she had to say, even if she didn’t have the strength to say it.

Even so, the sight of the yellow mare starting to break down was more than she could take. She bit her trembling lip and sniffed before rushing over and wrapping Fluttershy up into a hug, whereupon they both started crying anew.

A wave of sadness spread out from the pair, infecting the others and causing them to tear up as well. They should have been celebrating their nigh impossible victory, but somehow they only felt a sense of emptiness inside.

Celestia watched as the other bearers of harmony closed together and embraced their pegasi friends. Soon after, Glitterball and Sparkplug joined in before Sunspot and Glimmer Shine did as well. Cadence and Shining Armor mostly stuck near Twilight as they too joined the conglomerate of ponies.

As tears of her own began to shed, Celestia looked over as a hoof was placed on her back. She noticed Luna wearing an understanding expression, a few tears welling up in her eyes as well. The two sisters leaned against each other and silently wept alongside their friends.

There was a time not too long ago that both of them thought that they were going to die. They had thrown everything they had at Dusk, even prepared to add their lives to the pile just to stop him. It had been one of the most grueling and exhausting battles of their lives, and it was the closest they had come to losing everything they held dear.

And once again, there was one individual that had given more than they had in the fight. Another slayer had come to aid them in their time of need, only to be slain as well. Even as they shivered, bled, and panted in the cold, they were still alive, and they had Blue Bolt to thank for that.

A new day could wash over the kingdom of Equestria, letting its inhabitants know that the night had been won. The bloody prince of death was no more, and they were safe once again.

Chapter 71: A New Day Dawns

“Princess… are you sure you want to do this?”

It was two days after that fateful night. Celestia was standing in the grand hall of her palace back in Canterlot, accompanied by her beloved student Twilight as they made their way toward the front doors, where Luna and Cadence were waiting.

Celestia gazed down into the unicorn’s face. Although all of their wounds had been healed over time with Raincloud’s help, Twilight had a worried look in her eyes.

“I must do this, my student… I would not be able to hold my head high ever again if I didn’t.” She explained softly.

“I know,” Twilight said. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t tell them about it,” She wrinkled her expression slightly, seemingly disagreeing with her own words, before softening it, “but… are you really going to… to-”

The unicorn paused abruptly at a hoof being placed on her shoulder. She looked up to see the same gentle, loving smile on her mentor’s face that she had come to know her by.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. I will still be your teacher… if you still deem me worthy of such a title.” Celestia grew quiet for a moment before drawing her mouth into a line. “But… this is my mess. I must take responsibility for it.”

Twilight didn’t say anything to that. She merely stared at the alicorn with soft eyes until the hoof left her shoulder and Celestia walked away.

As she approached the front doors, Celestia paused to meet her sister and her niece, who both wore similar looks of concern to the unicorn behind her.

“Sister,” Luna started, seemingly thinking of saying something else before sighing and flashing a soft smile. “Is it too late to try and talk you out of this nonsense?”

Celestia mirrored the younger mare’s smile. “I’m afraid it is.”

“You know, it doesn’t have to be like this,” Cadence added. “They’ll understand if you just tell them the truth.”

“I am going to tell them the truth, Cadence,” Celestia replied plainly, which seemed to silence the pink alicorn momentarily.

Finally, Cadence wrinkled her mouth before letting her shoulders sink and her ears droop. Still, she moved aside and flashed a paper smile as she gestured to the door.

The white alicorn rested a hoof on her niece’s shoulder briefly and glanced at her sister before settling her gaze on the opening outside. She took an even breath and steadied herself before slowly walking out.

Immediately, the clear sunlit skies of Canterlot greeted her, along with a crowd of murmurs and voices being suddenly hushed. Ahead, a large gathering of townsponies watched her, with a scattering of cameras and even a few reporters for the Equestrian Gazette near the front.

As a few camera flashes came from the otherwise quiet crowd, Celestia made her way down the steps, where a small podium with a microphone had been prepared.

Twilight, Luna, and Cadence all watched from the door as Celestia approached the podium. They all wore varying degrees of unease and worry on their faces as a lump slowly formed in their guts. For better or worse, they knew that this single speech would change the history of Equestria.

Ignoring the feeling of dread nagging at her, Celestia sat down behind the podium. She swallowed apprehensively, fighting her wayward lips to hold steady as a harsh ring came from the mic at the sound. By now, any lingering whispers or mutters from the crowd fell silent as all eyes burned into her.

“Ponies of Canterlot and beyond…” Celestia spoke, hoping to counter her racing heart by just getting started. She already knew what she wanted to say, but somehow, getting it out was more difficult than the fight she had a couple of nights ago.

“I come before you today… to inform you of the great tragedy that has befallen our lands in recent days,” Celestia explained. “As some of you may know, myself and many others were attacked on multiple occasions by a band of unfortunate souls made into pale monsters by a single individual… a vampire.”

A few stunned whispers passed through the crowd. Many ponies around Equestria knew that monsters of all sorts and varieties existed, especially in recent months, but it was still shocking to hear that all of the problems they had heard of or experienced were caused by the undead monster of myth. It would have been ridiculous if they didn’t know for a fact that numerous ponies had died.

Celestia tensed her hoof against the stone path behind the podium. Every fiber of her being dreaded having to tell her beloved ponies about such a shameful moment in her life, but she knew that it had to be done.

“Some of you may have heard rumors that this vampire was an alicorn… and, it is my duty to you to tell you that these rumors… are true.” Her voice grew softer and her face grew more grave as she continued. “Not only was this vampire an alicorn… but he was my student.”

A series of gasps washed over the crowd. Every jaw dropped and every eye widened. A couple of mares even fainted, only to be caught by a friend or stranger.

Luna lowered her head and closed her eyes as she heard her sister say the last thing she wanted. There was no putting the genie back in the bottle now. They were committed.

Celestia trailed her eyes down briefly before somehow managing to face the crowd. “Long ago… many years before any of you were born, I took him under my wing as the first of my students. His name was Dusk… and I thought to teach him and shape him into a fine young alicorn. But… I came to learn that he was a monstrous and hateful individual… with no concern over taking the lives of innocents to further his twisted desires. I wish that I could tell you that I did everything I could to stop his horrid crimes all those centuries ago… but I did not.”

The crowd was deathly quiet by now. If anyone dared to utter even a whisper, they were so quiet that even those around them couldn’t hear.

“I banished Dusk from Equestria and sent him to live the rest of his life in exile. In truth… I thought him dead until all this started. However, it was my naivety and foolishness that allowed him to find unnatural means of extending his life and granting himself the power to return.” Celestia lowered her head as she continued, unable to face her ponies. “Every life Dusk has claimed in this past week has been my fault… and I don’t think I can adequately express to you how sorry I am. However… a mere apology will never be enough to make up for my mistake. In light of this… I have decided to step down as ruler of Equestria.”

The moment those words left her mouth, another series of gasps rang out, followed swiftly by a sea of voices muttering and whispering among themselves.

“I realize this decision is sudden, and many of you may find it difficult to adjust, but I can assure you that my sister Luna will govern over you far better than I ever could,” Celestia said. After taking a deep breath, she lifted her head once more and gazed out at the crowd with a sorrowful expression. “I am sorry to have failed you so gravely, my little ponies. I will not sit here before you and ask for forgiveness… because I feel that I am undeserving of such kindness. Please understand… It has to be this way.”

Then, she started to leave. Her heart was heavy, and it was taking everything she had not to shed a tear, but it was for the best. She couldn’t put herself in such a high position of power after all that she had done, at least in her own mind.

“Wait!”

A mare’s voice broke free of the crowd.

“Princess Celestia! Please don’t go!”

The alicorn paused mid-step and turned. She looked to the source of the voice, only to find a peach earth mare with brown hair standing among the crowd. It was Scholarly Scribble, and standing right beside her was her brother Blank Page, who still had a cast around one of his legs.

Soon after, another mare in a different part of the crowd spoke up as well. “Yeah! We want you to stay!”

“Yeah!”

“Don’t go!”

“Please!”

Celestia was speechless as the crowd erupted into pleas for her to reconsider. Near every pony present wore a dismayed frown and raised their voice until the grounds in front of the palace were alive with one singular statement.

“You… you want me to stay?” Celestia spoke, though it was mostly to herself as the microphone failed to pick up her voice so far away. “But I…” She trailed her eyes away in thought. She had done so much wrong, at least as far as she was concerned. Even if there was no way of her knowing Dusk would return, she still blamed herself.

Looking back toward the palace doors, she saw Twilight, Luna, and Cadence smiling at her, offering her the encouragement that they always had. Surely they of all ponies would have been upset with her after everything that had happened?

After a moment of thought and self-reflection, a well of emotion started to overflow within the white alicorn. She couldn’t help but smile warmly as her eyes started to water. Finally, she wiped her face on a foreleg and made her way back up to the podium.

As she paused before the microphone and gathered herself for a moment, the crowd gradually fell back into an uneasy hush. Now, everypony was standing on edge as they waited to hear what Celestia had to say, hoping against all hope that she would be moved by their pleas.

“If you truly wish for me to remain your princess…” Celestia started, taking a moment to gather herself as another joyful tear fell down her face. She smiled regardless and faced the crowd with her head held high. “Then I will work tirelessly every day to make myself worthy of such a title… Thank you, everypony.”

Once again the crowd erupted, only this time it was with cheers. Even as the alicorn turned and left, they were all smiling and raising their hooves in celebration, and she was more upbeat because of it. It was like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and their regal and benevolent princess of the sun was back.

Celestia turned to see the crowd, waving at them before entering the palace again and shutting the doors behind her. She looked to the three mares gathered before her, their infectious smiles getting to her.

“I’m glad that you’ve come to your senses, sister,” Luna said. “Are you really surprised at this reaction?”

Celestia snorted softly. “No… merely humbled.” She said, her expression falling slightly as her thoughts drifted elsewhere. “After everything that’s happened, I… I suppose I expected everyone else to hate me as much as I hated myself.”

“Princess,” Twilight spoke, causing the alicorn to look up to see her smiling softly, “we’ve already told you… You have nothing to be ashamed of. There’s no way you could have known that any of this would happen when you chose to banish Dusk. He should have died a long time ago… but he let his emotions linger inside of him for all these years. If you do the same thing, it will keep eating away at you until there’s nothing left.”

“It seems like your student is being wiser than you right now, Celestia.” Cadence teased.

Celestia giggled instinctively before having to remind herself that she was upset. Even then, she couldn’t keep up the self-loathing for long and finally sighed. “Indeed. Perhaps she should be the one teaching me instead?”

Twilight laughed briefly before shaking her head. “No… I think I like you as a teacher.” She smiled warmly before a slight pang in her stomach made her look down. “Princess… The girls and I were about to go get some breakfast. Would you like to join us?” She asked, smiling hopefully.

Celestia paused at that and let her warm expression falter, which in turn made Twilight do the same. She couldn’t help but think about all the pain and sorrow the five mares had gone through, particularly Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Still, she managed to return a smile to her face as she nodded. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Twilight,” Celestia said before turning to Cadence and Luna. “Will you two join us as well?”

“Of course,” Cadence said immediately.

Luna, however, hesitated for a moment as she trailed her eyes off in thought. “Actually… I’m afraid that I will have to catch up with you. There is something I must attend to first.” She explained before starting to walk away.

The trio watched the blue alicorn leave. Somehow, they all had a rough idea of what she was talking about.

Chapter 72: One Simple Answer

Elsewhere in the palace, Raincloud sat in her room staring out of the window. The view afforded to her in this guest room was much better than she ever had in her prison cell. She would be lying to herself if she said she wouldn’t miss it.

She tugged at her new collar and scratched her neck. Ever since she healed her vocal cords back into working order, she could almost swear that it itched even more. Perhaps she just never noticed her original collar being made of a more scratchy material than the one Sparkplug made. Another thing she would unexpectedly miss.

Hearing hoofsteps approaching from outside, the gray mare shifted on her bed and turned just in time to see the door opening and none other than Princess Luna stepping into the room.

“Morning, Moonie.” Raincloud greeted, flashing an impish smirk.

Luna snorted softly, though she couldn’t help but tug a corner of her mouth up. “Good morning, Raincloud… I see your voice has returned in full.”

“I know you missed my ivory tones and witty remarks, no need to look so bent out of shape about it,” Raincloud said, putting a hoof to her neck and clearing her throat. It had taken her roughly a whole day’s worth of rest to get her strength back enough to heal the others and then herself, and even now she was half convinced that there was some scarring on the inside causing a few tickles.

“While I am genuinely glad to see that you are back in good health… I think we both know that I am not here to give you a checkup or listen to you testing your vocal cords.” Luna explained, dropping her lighthearted expression slightly.

Raincloud leaned forward and pooled her hooves in her lap as she looked at the princess of the night with a serious glint in her eyes. “Yeah… I didn’t mention it yesterday, partially because of the… uh… poor timing, and also the whole not being able to talk thing, but I think we have some unfinished business that needs to be resolved.” She suggested pointedly. “Namely, my payment.”

Luna merely stared at her for a few moments, her mouth set in a neutral line. Finally, she took an even breath and spoke. “Raincloud… I believe you recall the details of our arrangement, yes?”

“Of course I do,” Raincloud said. “I help you kill the big bad vampire, and you give me my brother’s journal, which is technically my property to begin with now that he’s dead.”

“That’s not all there was to our deal.” Luna flattened her expression. “I made it very clear that we would only give the journal to you if you didn’t make any further escape attempts.”

“What…? But, how do you-” Raincloud started to ask, until her eyes flashed with revelation and subsequently narrowed. “Which one was it?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Luna explained. “She seemed reluctant to inform me after everything you went through together, but she could not lie to me in good conscience.” She said, her expression hardening slightly. “You attacked Pinkie Pie and very nearly got her and Rainbow killed as a result.”

Raincloud tensed her jaw in the beginnings of an angry growl. She wanted to be angry with the cyan mare. Celestia knew she wanted to be angry, but somehow, she couldn’t find it in her as she sighed and let her head hang.

“Yeah… I guess I did.” Raincloud said softly, gazing up with a saddened look in her eyes. “Well, a deal’s a deal. I’m a mare of my word.”

Luna softened her expression, a bit surprised to see the usually standoffish mare so quiet and reflective. She could almost swear the pegasus even looked regretful. “Normally, I would be far more cross with you for endangering the lives of two close friends.” She said.

Raincloud looked up and skewed a brow, “Normally?”

“Of course, I cannot discount your aid to us throughout the night. You saved many of our lives either directly or indirectly. However… Rainbow Dash also made it very clear that she didn’t want you to be punished over what happened.”

Now, the pegasus cocked her head to the side. “She… she did?” She trailed her eyes to the sides, her ears falling slightly as she thought back to the fight she had with the two mares.

“Believe me, I was as surprised as you are.” Luna smiled softly. “She made a rather compelling case in your favor. It was quite moving. So moving, in fact… that we came to an agreement.”

“An agreement?” Raincloud perked up slightly before trying to reign in her excitement. “What kind of agreement?”

In response to this, Luna turned and opened the door. As she started to exit, Raincloud noticed a familiar cyan mare standing there, clutching a small object to her chest.

“She wanted to give you something… in person.” Luna smiled before allowing Rainbow Dash entrance into the room and shutting the door behind the pegasus, leaving them both alone.

Rainbow formed an awkward smile and a slight nervous chuckle as she looked to the gray mare on the bed. “Hey…”

Raincloud regarded the pegasus for a moment, not really smiling or reacting other than a look of pleasant surprise in her eyes. However, she did give more of a reaction as she shifted her attention to the item the pegasus was carrying.

It was a small book bound in gray cloth, heavily weathered and aged, though not to the degree that it was falling apart. It just looked like it had been used a lot, though it did seem to be in good condition considering, like it had been cared for.

“Is that…?” Raincloud asked, looking between the book and the cyan mare.

Rainbow Dash walked up to the bed and handed the book off to the gray pony, who just held it for a moment and stared at it. After a moment, a fond smile started to form before Raincloud looked back to the cyan mare and stiffened her lips.

“Go ahead.” Rainbow coaxed.

With this assurance, and after making sure the door to the room was fully closed, Raincloud looked down to the book and lifted her hoof to its cover, hesitating for a moment before carefully opening it up.

A soft paper scuffing sound greeted the gray mare as she opened up to the first page. A wall of crudely written text waited for her, and sitting on the cover, drawn in the same child-like scrawl, was the name of the owner of this journal. Dust Kicker.

“Man… It’s been years since I’ve even seen this thing. He only let me hold it when we were kids.” Raincloud said, a slight chuckle escaping her. “He told me he got rid of it… but I saw him hide it once or twice.”

Rainbow Dash mirrored the slight smile forming on the gray mare’s face. She decided to be respectful and just watch silently for a moment while Raincloud flipped through the pages in both directions.

Through her searching, Raincloud found various journal entries filling up some pages, along with some drawings and sketches from various points in her brother’s life. While even the most recent sketches weren’t exactly groundbreaking art, it was easy to see the improvements from when he was a colt versus when he was a teenager and then a young stallion.

Then, as she turned to one of the earlier pages, she paused and gasped softly. She held a hoof to her mouth and stared ahead, eyes starting to hold a slight shimmer.

“Oh my gosh… I forgot he drew this.” She said, voice laced with more happiness than the cyan mare had ever heard from her.

“Can I see?” Rainbow Dash asked.

After a moment of thought, Raincloud scooted over on the bed, allowing the cyan mare to climb up and sit beside her. She angled the journal so that they both could see.

Rainbow Dash looked at the page seemingly causing the emotional reaction in her companion. On it, there was a small photo taped to the corner of the page of a family of four. In the photo, she could see Raincloud as a filly, and a slightly older brown-furred and black-haired colt that she recognized to be Dust Kicker, along with two older pegasi that must have been their parents.

Below the image, taking up most of the rest of the page, there was a drawing made in crayon. It was slightly better than most drawings made in crayon. The ponies actually looked like ponies, and the proportions were mostly accurate, though the perspective was a little off.

It depicted a scene similar to the photo above, with four ponies meant to represent Raincloud and her family. The only difference between the two was the presence of a heavily shaded black pony silhouette drawn on the ‘ground’ next to Raincloud, which had a simplified purple smiley face and dotted eyes where the head was. Judging by its position and how it was seemingly attached to the filly, this was most likely meant to represent her living shadow.

“Wow… I didn’t take Dust Kicker for the drawing type.” Rainbow noted.

“He would probably deck both of us if he were here.” Raincloud chuckled fondly before letting her expression fall slightly. “I think the only ones that knew he still sketched were me and Grimwood.”

“Grimwood?” Rainbow Dash skewed her expression, struggling to remember who that name belonged to. She had heard a lot of names tossed around when they were fighting the hooded ponies.

“Raven Feather’s little brother. You never met him, technically.” Raincloud explained.

“Technically?” Rainbow asked, even more confused, before suddenly getting a look of revelation on her face. “Oh… right… sorry. I forgot about the whole Shade thing. Poor kid...” She let her ears droop at the somber thought.

Raincloud wrinkled her mouth slightly before sighing. “I wish he never got wrapped up in everything that went down… He was pretty quiet, but he was a good kid. He would let Dust use his paint supplies when no one was watching.”

Rainbow Dash trailed her eyes to the side slightly. She started to say something, only to pause and rethink her words for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

Raincloud looked up at this. “Uh… sure, why not?”

“Why didn’t you guys try something else?” Rainbow asked.

“Something else?” Raincloud lifted a brow. “How do you mean?”

Rainbow Dash leaned back and stammered uncomfortably, not wanting to ruin this little moment they were having with such an unpleasant question. “I mean… uh… you know, the whole hooded ponies thing. The monsters, and trying to overthrow the princess. Wasn't there some way for you guys to get your message across without… killing people?”

Raincloud scrunched her expression briefly, initially feeling offended and irritated, before taking stock of her response and letting the question sink in. She exhaled softly and struggled for a moment to come up with an answer.

“I’m not sure if I’m the best pony to ask about that… Although, I guess I’m the only pony you can ask about that.” Raincloud let her ears droop a bit as she eyed down toward the journal in her hooves. “I… I think… I don’t know. When me and Dust met Raven Feather, she already had her plan in mind. We… well, mostly me, had been picked on and beat up and treated like monsters for so long that… I guess I didn’t care about letting ponies see what real monsters looked like. And Raven Feather… she had things so thought out and… she seemed so confident, that we believed her when she said she wanted to make Equestria better. I still think she did… in her own way.”

The pair sat in silence for a moment after that, neither one able to think of anything to add.

Finally, Rainbow broke the uneasy silence. “This is really awkward, isn’t it?”

Raincloud smirked. “Yeah…” She muttered, reaching down to turn a page, if only to have her hooves do something.

However, as she did turn to the next page, she paused as she heard something small slip out of the journal and hit the floor.

Both of the mares looked down, only to find a folded-up piece of paper on the floor. Raincloud closed the journal and set it beside her before reaching down and picking up the scrap. She shared a curious look with her cyan companion before unfolding it and reading it to herself.

There was a date near the top corner, which the gray mare remembered to be around the time that she and her brother met Raven Feather and moved into the mansion. Below was a message, seemingly written by Dust Kicker to her.

Raincloud, if you are reading this, get out of my journal.

But, since you aren’t going to see this anyway, I might as well get some stuff off my chest. I know you told me that what happened with mom and dad didn’t bother you, but you’re my sister. You might be good at lying, but you’re not that good.

What they said to you was not ok. You’re not a freak. I’ll be the first to admit that shadow of yours creeps me out, but as long as it doesn’t hurt you, I’m fine with it.

I know this Raven Feather girl offered to take us in, but I’m still not sure about her. If she so much as hints at wanting to use you like some kind of tool, I’ll sock her harder than I socked dad.

But hey, at least we get to sleep in a mansion instead of on the street, even if it is older than Celestia’s grandmother. I just want you to know, if this group doesn’t work out, I’ll stick with you wherever we go.

We didn’t choose to be siblings, but I’m glad we are. You and your bad luck shadow have been nothing but good luck to me, and as much as I want to strangle you some days, you’ve always had my back. It’s only fair that I have yours, even if we are joining a cult.

Are we seriously joining a cult? Is that what this is? Eh… whatever. Those hoodies Raven Feather gave us are pretty sweet.

Love you, sis’... but seriously, get out of my journal. If you somehow find this, I will literally put you through a window.

Off to the side, Rainbow Dash softened her expression as she saw Raincloud’s eyes starting to water. The gray mare sniffed and bit her lip to try and stop it from quivering, but eventually, the flow of emotion was too much for her to stop. She dropped the piece of paper and hid her face in her hooves as she quietly cried.

“It’s ok…” Rainbow Dash said softly, reaching out and placing a hoof on her companion’s shoulder. She was surprised as the gray mare jerked away and turned to her with an irritated look in her eyes.

“Stop that!” Raincloud raised her voice briefly before pausing and taking a few shaky breaths.

Rainbow inched back a bit, a confused and concerned expression plastered on her face. “Stop what?”

Raincloud started to wipe her eyes with a hoof, only to let it linger as she clenched her eyes shut, allowing more tears to fall freely down her cheeks. “Why are you so nice to me? After everything I’ve done to you! I’ve done nothing but yell at you and try to hurt you! And you… y-you just act so forgiving and treat me like… l-like…” She paused, opening her eyes and staring at the ground, “like a friend…”

Rainbow Dash set her mouth in a neutral line and exhaled softly through her nose. “I wouldn’t exactly call us friends… and I haven’t forgiven you. I don’t know if I ever will… You got Twilight killed, along with a lot of innocent ponies.” She explained, no hostility to her voice. If the unicorn hadn’t been revived, she would probably be too angry to be this close to the pale pegasus.

“Then why?” Raincloud finally looked up, managing to meet the cyan mare’s gaze, albeit with fragile and trembling eyes. “You could have just as easily convinced the princess to toss me back in jail and throw away the key. You even stuck up for me after I tried to cut and run the first time.”

“Y’know… I hate when people answer a question with a question, but… I think this one is important.” Rainbow Dash said, forming a small but genuine smile. “Who do you want to be, Raincloud?”

“Wh… what?” Raincloud shook her head slightly, confused at such an unexpected response. She recalled Cadence asking her the same question, and despite how much time had passed, she still felt like she didn’t know the answer.

“Let’s pretend for a second that the hooded ponies, the bullies, and your shadow didn’t exist. You grow up without any of that junk ever happening. What would you want to do?” Rainbow asked.

Raincloud didn’t answer at first. She just sat there, staring through the cyan mare into the distance. She sniffed once and wiped her eyes before furrowing her brow as she gave the question some serious thought.

“I… I’m not sure.” Raincloud said. “I was a pegasus filly, so… I probably would have wanted to be a Wonderbolt at some point when I was growing up.” She reasoned, to which Rainbow Dash smirked. “I guess… I don’t know. I never really put much thought into the future in school… and I was so busy studying shadow magic with Raven Feather that… I never really thought about what I wanted to do if we ever did get the normal lives that we wanted so bad.”

“Well… I think you should be able to make that choice yourself, without anypony dragging you down and telling you you’re a bad omen or something. You really want to know why I’m helping you? I’ll just tell you what I told you the first time I visited you in jail.” Rainbow Dash explained.

Raincloud looked down in thought at this. A look of revelation slowly washed over her face as she thought back to that meeting. “You’re helping me because… I need it?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “That’s right… I think that deep down, you are a good pony, Raincloud. A good pony that got beaten down by some not-so-good ponies, and… did some terrible things because of it. I won’t excuse the things you’ve done… you’re serving out your punishment for that anyway. But if all you need is some help to make you see that there are good ponies in the world, I think that’s the least I can do. And hey… in a couple years when you get out on good behavior, if you need someone to talk to, maybe we can try to start over and be friends?”

Then, the cyan mare saw something that made her give pause. Something that she never expected to see in her life. A small, genuine, and warm smile was forming on Raincloud’s face.

“You really think they’ll let me out on good behavior?” Raincloud asked coyly.

“I guess that depends on if you’ll have good behavior,” Rainbow replied with a smirk, causing a quick laugh from her companion that she shared.

After they were done, Rainbow Dash got up to leave.

“I think Princess Luna is going to let you stay here for a few more days, as long as you don’t try to escape,” Rainbow said as she paused before the door.

Raincloud sighed and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Although, I wouldn’t be so tempted if the guards she keeps posted on me had a collective i.q higher than room temperature.” She said, raising her voice slightly to make sure she was heard by the stallions outside.

Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh and nearly blew spit on herself. She could only imagine how much restraint the pair outside was showing not to throttle the gray mare.

“You know, I think I could sweet talk the princess into letting you come outside with me sometime. You interested?” Rainbow asked. “I’d like to see how fast you are without shadow magic.”

Raincloud smiled slightly. “You’re on, but don’t go crying to your friends when I beat you.”

“Oohoho, you are so gonna get creamed.” Rainbow Dash said before opening the door and starting to leave.

“Hey, Dash…”

The cyan mare paused and looked back to see Raincloud wearing a bit of a somber expression.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about your friend.” The gray mare said. “And, I’m also sorry for all those times I almost got you and your friends killed… even Twilight Sparkle.”

Rainbow Dash’s expression fell slightly as the blue stallion was brought up. Still, she was surprised to hear Raincloud so soft-spoken and openly vulnerable as to apologize unprompted for her own mistakes.

“Thanks… That means a lot, actually.”

Raincloud nodded before adopting her usual wry smirk. “Oh, and if you tell little Ms. Magic that I said that, I’m breaking your nose. Remember, I have a hard head.” She tapped her own forehead pointedly.

The cyan pegasus gave an amused snort and smiled before turning and exiting the room.

After shutting the door behind her and walking away, she found Princess Luna standing there, waiting patiently.

The alicorn perked up as the pegasus approached. “How did it go?”

Rainbow Dash glanced back to the door before facing the princess and smiling. “Surprisingly, really well.”

“Oh?” Luna lifted her brows in surprise. “By all means, please elaborate.” She said, resting a hoof on the cyan mare’s back as they started to walk away.

Meanwhile, inside of the room, Raincloud sat alone as she had grown used to doing over the past few months. However, there was a more contented and cheerful expression on her face as she was left to her thoughts.

She turned to the journal on the bed beside her and rested a hoof on its cover, brushing up against the note still lying on its surface. After a moment of thought, she grabbed the note and opened the journal, flipping through pages until she found the right one.

Raincloud placed the folded-up piece of paper back into the book, right beside the drawing of her family, covering the depiction of her shadow. She looked up to the picture taped in the corner, pressing her hoof to it and covering her parents so she could better see the filly and colt next to each other.

She stared at it for a few moments, her eyes softening as she did, before closing the journal.

Chapter 73: End of the Nightmare

A week came and went before anyone knew it. It had been a difficult few days, but Twilight and her friends had mostly gotten through ok. Some were putting off dealing with their emotions. Some were distracting themselves by spending time with their friends. All of them would still be hurting for quite some time, but at least they could be happy that they were alive.

However, the time had finally come. The day that all of them had been dreading arrived.

It was a little after noon as Twilight and all of her friends gathered in the Canterlot cemetery. The air was still frigid and harsh, but it was a great deal warmer than what most of the group had dealt with on this long journey.

Along with Twilight’s group, the royal sisters, Shining Armor and Cadence, and the members of Spirit, a small crowd of ponies had turned up to mourn the passing of not only Tom and Blue Bolt, but all of the lives that had been snuffed out by Dusk or his minions.

Everyone was clad in some sort of black outfit. Most of Twilight’s group donned some sleek mourning dresses complete with veils, courtesy of Rarity. Even Sweetie Belle and her two friends were dressed for the occasion, though Scootaloo was constantly brushing the veil out of her face.

Both Princess Luna and Celestia had their own custom dresses, with light motifs of their cutie marks spaced throughout the elegant ebony pieces.

Glimmer Shine, Spike, and Shining Armor each wore tuxedos with a single front pocket for handkerchiefs. The young dragon was already using his to wipe away some tears.

Glitterball was barely holding it together along with Sparkplug. The gray mare actually resorted to crying into the shoulder of a nearby Sunspot, who seemed understanding, if a little unsettled by the tears and mucus getting all over her.

The group gathered near the back of the main path through the cemetery, where two graves stood by a large oak tree. Off to the side, a taller monument in the form of a mare statue clutching a winged heart stood, with a rectangular marble base bearing a silver plaque with all of the names of every pony that had died to this immeasurable tragedy.

After a lengthy eulogy given by Celestia for those poor souls lost, the subject of Tom and Blue Bolt came. Twilight actually took the stand and gave a touching speech for both of her fallen friends, and while she spoke in more detail about the human out of necessity for having known him longer, the things she had to say about the stallion were enough to move Fluttershy and many members of the crowd to tears.

Hearing about the human’s death came as a shock to many ponies around Equestria. Not many had met him personally, but those that had seen him in passing or been saved by him knew him to be a bright and friendly soul, who wanted nothing more than to keep those around him safe.

They felt safer at night knowing that someone like him existed. Some unkillable slayer of evil ready and willing to do whatever it took to erase any monster bold enough to threaten the innocent. And now that he was gone, there was a certain amount of uncertainty in their hearts. What would happen the next time some powerful monster came rampaging through Equestria?

Of course, practically nobody knew about Blue Bolt, let alone knew that he was a slayer. To the crowd of ponies respectfully waiting for Twilight’s group to mourn, he was just another name on the list of fellow ponies that had died. Tragic, and sad to be sure, but not nearly as significant as the human. However, Rainbow Dash and her friends knew him to be just as much of a hero as Tom was, even with how short of a time he held the mantle of slayer.

A short while after Twilight was done with her words of remembrance, it came time to go up and pay respects.

Seeing how they were the closest thing to a living family Tom had, Twilight and Spike approached his grave first.

The unicorn had shed a few tears during her speech, but as she stood there, staring down at a headstone bearing her friend’s name with a bundle of blue roses held in her corona, her emotions hit hard.

After letting out a few quiet sobs and clearing her watery vision enough to see, Twilight sniffled and gently set the roses down on the stone platform in front of the grave.

Feeling Spike moving away from her legs, she turned and watched as the dragon laid a single flower beside her bundle. He turned and looked up to her, his lip starting to quiver and his eyes flooding over with tears. She knelt down and embraced him as he ran up to her, both of them crying quietly and consoling each other.

As they walked away, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy watched as an older pegasus stallion made his way over to Blue Bolt’s grave. He had light blue fur, and white streaks through his otherwise black mane, though it was starting to show some gray. They had met him once years before in a hospital lobby, so they knew him to be Blue’s father.

Rainbow Dash felt an empty pit in her stomach as she watched the stallion sit before his son’s grave and stare at it for a few moments before leaning a flower at one side. She could still flash her mind back to waiting in that hospital and seeing him rush in, wondering if Blue was ok. Only now, it wasn't just a paralyzed wing. This time, his son, her friend, was well and truly gone.

The older stallion slowly got up and walked away, a downcast look on his face that told of great devastation hiding behind a cracking front of numbness. He paused as he passed the two pegasus mares making their way toward the grave, resting a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.

The gesture wasn't much. He didn’t say anything, perhaps because, like her, he was afraid that any attempts at speaking he made would result in him breaking down. However, the look he gave her came off as reassuring and even thankful, as if to let her know that she had done a good job as his son’s friend.

She didn’t feel like she had done a good job as a friend.

After the stallion left, Rainbow brought a hoof to her now vacant shoulder and stared at the ground for a few moments, her expression furrowing sadly.

She looked up as she received a tap on her back, only to see Fluttershy offering her as much of a reassuring look as the yellow mare could make in her own state of grief. Rainbow nodded to her and exhaled slowly before reluctantly walking forward.

The pair paused before their friend’s grave. Whereas Tom’s headstone had a small stylized fire embossed around the lettering, Blue Bolt’s had a pair of wings to the sides, along with a small version of his cutie mark below.

Much like Twilight, Rainbow Dash felt a growing well of raw emotion building up inside of her as she stared down at the stone slab. She knew there wasn't anything special about it necessarily. After all, there hadn’t been a body to even bury. Still, seeing it had a sense of gut-punching finality that reminded her of staring at Blue’s bloody corpse when he died originally.

So many memories. So many decisions. So many regrets. Everything the cyan mare had been through since Nightmare Night came flooding through her head in the span of a few seconds. Her legs felt shaky, and her breath was drawn out and uneven.

Looking behind her to her friends, Rainbow found many of them crying to some degree as well, which definitely helped make her feel less embarrassed about her tears, not that she really cared in the moment.

Pinkie Pie was wrapped around Applejack and straight-up bawling like a baby. The orange mare herself was struggling to keep her composure, using her veil to hide her face a bit. Rarity was dabbing a tissue to her eyes, which were big and sparkly and full of emotion.

The Crusaders had been crying for some time. The trio were hugging each other tightly and trying to comfort their friends, but they only ended up creating a pile of sobbing fillies.

Twilight was resting a hoof on Spike’s shoulder as she and the others watched the two pegasi. She gave Rainbow her best effort at a smile, which didn’t quite succeed, and a reassuring nod.

Then, Rainbow Dash looked over to Fluttershy. By now, the yellow mare was starting to break down into a soft fit of crying, but she was keeping her sniffs and slight sobs to a minimum, most likely out of consideration.

Together, the both of them knelt down to the grave and placed one object for each of them. Fluttershy placed a single flower, one that she remembered hearing Blue call his favorite. And Rainbow Dash placed a small black sleeve, made to fit over a folded wing like a cast for a broken bone.

The cyan mare stared at the sleeve for the longest time, before finally, the tears started to overflow and fall down her face. She clenched her eyes shut and fell forward, letting her forehead rest on the headstone as her whole body heaved and shook with emotion.

Fluttershy huddled up next to her friend and put a foreleg around her in a half hug as she herself started to cry freely. Seeing Rainbow Dash, one of the hardiest and most confident ponies she knew, breaking down was enough to destroy any attempt she had at keeping her own emotions in check.

Further back from Twilight’s group, Celestia and Luna watched the two pegasi and their friends grieving with heavy hearts. The blue alicorn closed her watery eyes and turned away, unable to force herself to watch any further. Celestia merely lowered her head and let a single set of tears roll down her face.

Shining Armor put a foreleg around Cadence and pulled her close as she stared ahead somberly. He knew that she perhaps more than anypony present would share in the emotions the others were having due to her innate love magic and empathetic nature. However, he was the first between the two of them to start sniffling and tearing up, though she followed soon after.

Off to the side of them, Glimmer Shine and the three mares around him were the furthest detached from the circle of friends currently grieving, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t feel this loss too.

Tom had been like an unofficial fifth member of their team, and a greater friend than any of them could ask for. And while they hadn’t known Blue Bolt for very long, in the short time that they had fought alongside him, they saw him display bravery that they could only hope to emulate.

Glimmer was holding himself together a bit more than his three companions. Even Sunspot was crying profusely at this point.

The stallion took a deep breath and rubbed a few tears from his eyes as he tore his gaze away from the group for a moment to look around him. He found himself staring off toward a particular section of the cemetery, where he knew the graves of his brother and two old friends sat alongside many other fallen guards.

He had never felt more empty than the day he watched his brother getting lowered into the ground. It was the last of the three funerals they held for Peppermint and the others. Glimmer had hoped to never come to this cemetery for anything more somber than a visit to those graves ever again, but now he had two more friends to think about every time he visited.

Looking back over to the other side of the area, he paused as he noticed a pair of familiar ponies by the large memorial for Dusk’s victims. He recognized them to be Scholarly Scribble and Blank Page.

The peach mare was resting a hoof on the plaque, seemingly framing one or more names on it as she and her brother stared at it sadly. Glimmer Shine felt bad for the pair. They had been through so much and nearly lost each other, but apparently, they had lost friends along the way as well.

As they turned their way, Scribble flashed a slight smile and an awkward wave at the team of monster hunters. Glitterball looked over as she saw Glimmer Shine waving, only to notice the two siblings and smile and wave as well.

A few minutes later, after Twilight’s group had all gone up to the graves of both Tom and Blue Bolt and left flowers, shed tears, and paid respects, the crowd of ponies slowly worked their way over and formed a line to leave their own offerings and respects. Most of them were directed at the human, but a few ponies that had brought extra flowers left them at Blue Bolt’s grave after hearing of his acts of heroism during the eulogy.

By the time the crowd all dispersed and the cemetery was empty once more, two graves and a monument adorned in flowers, wreaths, and coin offerings stood as a testament to everything lost during the longest Nightmare Night in Equestrian history.

However, they weren’t just a memento for everything and everyone lost. They also served as proof that the world went on. Where so many had died, Equestria had lived on, saved from the precipice of death by the sacrifice and valor of many creatures, pony, human, dragon, and everything in between.

-A few days later-

Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that life is…

Twilight sat at a table in her warm and cozy library back in Ponyville, a feather quill hanging listlessly in her corona and the beginnings of a letter to the princess before her.

She stared at the parchment, unmoving for the longest time as she silently reflected on everything that had happened in the past week and a half.

After a few moments of contemplation, she looked over to another table nearby. Sitting on it, was a small box wrapped with blue cord, partially opened. There was also a bundle of cloth covering an object that she knew to be the broken remains of Tom’s sword.

Finally, there was a picture in a frame of all of her friends, similar to the last group shot they had taken. Only, this one had the human crouched down beside Twilight, with Spike sitting on his shoulder, Blue Bolt next to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and Glimmer Shine’s team huddled together next to the six mares. They had taken it shortly before they departed from Ponyville what seemed like forever ago.

The unicorn’s expression wrinkled and her eyes shimmered as she regarded the photo briefly. She sniffed and took a moment to curtail her emotions before turning back to her letter and bringing the quill down.

Today I learned that life is cruel…

Twilight stared at what she had just written for a moment before shaking her head and erasing it with a spell.

I learned that life is unfair…

Another flash of magic made the fresh ink disappear once again. She struggled to try and find something else to say, but her thoughts kept drifting back to her friend.

That life is painful…

An exasperated sigh came as Twilight caught her head in her hooves, propping her elbows on the edge of the table. She didn’t want to let this happen. She didn’t want the all-encompassing sadness to take her over and rule over her life for however long it took to let go if it ever did.

The unicorn had been to a party with Pinkie and the others, celebrating their victory and their friends’ lives. She had tea with Fluttershy, hoping to distract herself with cheering the yellow mare up. She had even helped out Applejack at the farm in an attempt at shoving the painful thoughts from her mind with sweat and hard labor, but all that did was make her fur damp with a different kind of salty liquid.

Nothing she did worked to get her mind off of the loss they had suffered. It was always lingering in the background, waiting for her to just drift her thoughts back to it so it could fill her heart with hollow sadness.

She could still remember vividly the first time she met the human boy, out in a cold, dark forest. Twilight was a shivering mess on the ground as terrible monsters surrounded her, preparing to rip her to shreds. Then, out of nowhere, there he was. Even though he didn’t know her, he knew that she was scared and in trouble, and so he helped her.

He helped her despite the struggles he was going through himself. He helped her despite any doubts he might have had, taking her hoof and helping her stand tall in the face of true evil. No matter what, his first concern was always her, Spike, and all of his friends, with no room to be concerned about himself.

Even as he was bloody and powerless, he was prepared to do everything he could to protect her, to protect all of them, even if that meant walking toward his own death.

Hearing a few dripping sounds beneath her, Twilight looked down to see a couple of tear stains on the blank parchment. She quickly sat up straight and brought a hoof up to wipe her eyes, instead letting it rest against her face as she cried into it briefly.

“Tom… I’m so sorry I wasn't there for you.” She whimpered.

Then, the sound of a door opening and closing made the unicorn look up. The tell-tale pitter-patter of tiny clawed feet slowly came down the stairs as her number one assistant exited the bedroom.

Twilight frantically wiped her eyes and blinked rapidly, even sniffling to get it out of her system as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Spike yawned and rubbed his eyes as he slowly descended the stairs. He looked down, surprised to see the purple mare up and about. There was barely even any sunlight filtering in through the nearby windows.

“Twilight?” He asked.

‘Noticing’ that she wasn't alone anymore, Twilight looked up at the dragon and flashed a quick smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Oh, you’re up,” Twilight said in a surprised tone, though her voice sounded frail and crackly. “Morning, Spike.”

Spike raised a brow at her, but returned her greeting anyway. “Morning… Uh… How long have you been up?” He asked, noting the mostly empty cup of coffee sitting off to the side.

“Not very long… Just an hour or so… give or take.” Twilight chuckled softly before trailing off at the look of worry slowly forming on Spike’s face. “It’s just… I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to come down here and write my letter to the princess.” She explained, gesturing to the parchment in front of her.

“Right…” Spike nodded, mirroring her smile. “And uh… how’s it coming along?”

Twilight turned to see the meager start she had written, her expression falling as she let the quill hover down and rest in the inkwell nearby. Her shoulders sank and her ears drooped, causing Spike to soften his expression sympathetically.

“Not very good, I’m afraid…” Twilight sighed. She turned toward the picture to her right, looking at it for a moment before turning toward the young drake. “I just… I can’t stop thinking about it, Spike… thinking about him.”

“I know what you mean,” Spike said softly. He made his way down the rest of the steps and over to her. “But… think of it this way. Tom wouldn’t want you to be sad when you think of him. He’d want you to remember all the good times we had, not all the bad.”

The corners of Twilight’s mouth curved up slightly at the dragon’s attempt at cheering her up. “You know it’s not fair to use my own words on me.”

“Why not?” Spike asked plainly. “They worked for me.” He glanced up toward the picture on the table nearby, his expression falling slightly as he did before he forced his mouth into a more neutral line. “For a while there, I thought that things would never get better. I know that the situation with that alicorn guy didn’t help… but I thought that even if we did survive, that nothing would feel good ever again.”

Twilight trailed her eyes away as she thought about the dragon’s words. She had tried so hard to reassure and comfort him after Tom died, but there was only so much she could do when she was worrying about Dusk along with everyone else.

“But then I remembered what you said,” Spike noted, a bit of energy returning to his voice that made the unicorn look back at him. “We had so many good memories with Tom, even though we only met him a few months ago. And… even though I really miss him still, we’ll always have those memories.”

Spike grew a bit more soft-spoken and uneasy as he continued. “Last week… I was so scared of losing you and the others. I thought for sure that even if we did win, that a lot of you weren’t… weren’t coming back.” His eyes shimmered briefly at this. “I know Blue Bolt died… and I feel awful for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but… I’m so glad that I still have all of you.”

With a few tears welling up in her eyes, now caused by joy and love, Twilight picked Spike up in her magic and brought him close so she could hug him.

“I’m glad I still have you too, Spike,” Twilight said genuinely.

After a moment, the pair pulled away. Spike formed a small smile as he looked at her at eye level, still floating gently in her magical grip. “I guess what I’m trying to say is… It’s ok to remember what we lost… but just don’t lose sight of what we still have. Tom and Blue Bolt didn’t fight for us to live the rest of our lives regretting what happened to them. They fought so we could go on living.”

The dragon’s expression brightened as he saw a sincere smile forming on Twilight’s face. She gave a cheerful snort and wiped her eyes before looking back at him. “You know… I should be the one cheering you up, not the other way around.”

“Well, I figured I’d repay the favor after you did it for me,” Spike said before shifting his eyes behind him to the piece of parchment on the table. “Do you need me to help you finish that letter?” He offered.

Twilight shook her head. “No thanks… I think I can handle it now.” She set the dragon down and patted his head. “Besides, I think you’ve earned a break from being my number one assistant for a few days.”

“Why would I take a break from that? You act like I don’t enjoy it.” Spike reasoned. “Although… I did hear that Pinkie is planning a spooky sleepover since she didn’t get to around Nightmare Night. You think we should go?”

“I think that’s a great idea, Spike. In fact, why don’t we drop by the Corner and see if we can help her get ready for it?” Twilight suggested, pleased to see the eager look on the dragon’s face. “Go grab my saddlebag. I’ll be ready in a few minutes… once I finish this.” She nodded toward the letter.

“You got it!” Spike said before scampering off into the other room.

Twilight watched him leaving for a moment before turning back to her unfinished work. She picked up her quill again and stared at the page. Her gaze wandered back over to the picture of her human friend. She walked over to it and rested a hoof on the glass. Somber thoughts threatened to creep back into her mind.

However, her expression lifted as she instead thought back to all of the happy moments she had shared with the boy. Spike was right. Tom would want her to keep her head held high and focus on living life to the fullest, which for her, meant spending the time she had with her beloved friends and spreading the magic of friendship far and wide.

With newfound inspiration, Twilight walked back up to her letter and hovered the quill down to the parchment.

Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that life… is unexpected. We never know what will happen when we wake up in the morning. Sometimes, good things happen, and sometimes bad things happen.

And when those bad things happen, I’ve learned that it’s more important than ever to surround yourself with friends; people that have shared laughter, joy, and sadness with you, and continue to stick by your side no matter what.

Losing someone important to you is perhaps the most devastating thing that can happen in this world of ours, but no matter how bad it seems, we must remember to share our burden. Nopony can face the world alone. Our hardships, our sadness, our regrets, will all eat at us from the inside unless we open ourselves up for our friends to help rebuild us.

There are awful, terrible, horrible things in this world of ours, but it is our job to pursue the good around us, even if it can seem hard to find. As long as we keep fighting for the good in the world, the dark will never win out, and as long as we keep making cherished memories with our friends, they will never truly die… and neither will we.

Twilight smiled as she checked over her work. She squinted slightly as the sun started climbing higher into the sky, bringing an end to another cold night. Ponies around town would be going to and fro, able to continue their daily lives without fear now that the threat was gone.

“Tom… Blue Bolt… thank you for everything.” She muttered to herself as she glanced over to the picture with a small smile before looking back and making one last finishing touch on her letter.

Your most faithful, and grateful, student… Twilight Sparkle.

Chapter 1: A Night on the Job

The moon climbed high into the sky outside of the peaceful town of Ponyville. In the distance, the chirping of crickets carried over the soft winds that rustled through the trees of the Everfree forest.

The shadows shifting along the trunks from the branches swaying to and fro were an eerie sight to behold, and usually enough to keep any wandering pony away. Everyone in town and beyond knew of the forest and the creatures that lived within it. Entire legends had been spun around the overgrown woods, each with their own terrifying grain of truth.

Despite the peaceful silence of the land, the crunching of grass could be heard as a group of figures marched toward the daunting entrance to the forest. The group paused before the muddy path that led further in, taking a moment to listen to the sounds of the wind whistling through the forest as if to lull them into its dark reaches.

No pony in their right mind would enter the forest at night, not after the monsters and evil of former legend were made a very real fact of life. And yet, the group marched onward, for this was no ordinary group of ponies.

With their flashlights cutting into the dark, and their equipment jostling against their tactical vests, the members of Equestria’s very own team of monster hunters fearlessly walked into the depths of the forest, along with their human companion.

The team, consisting of a unicorn, a pegasus, and two earth ponies, were still fresh-faced in the world of fighting monsters, but they had overcome all of the many hardships that they had faced in their short careers.

Combined with the supernatural abilities and knowledge on monsters that their human and slayer friend Tom had, the supernatural and paranormal investigation, reconnaissance, and intervention team (Or Team Spirit, as they were affectionately called by a certain pink friend of theirs) were rapidly starting to spread in fame and rapport across all of Equestria for their heroic deeds.

Glimmer Shine, a yellow stallion with brown eyes, short brown mane, and a heart-shaped ruby mark, paused abruptly as a noise and vibration came from his vest.

While his teammates stopped behind him, the earth stallion reached to a pull-cord and pulled a small vial with a glass casing and brass caps up to his face. A liquid was inside of the vial, the top portion of which was glowing bright yellow as Glimmer pointed the charm straight ahead.

“Getting something?” Glitterball asked from behind the yellow pony, causing him to look up from his vial and break out of his thoughts. She had white fur, blue eyes, and rainbow polka-dotted hair tied up into a ponytail, with a shimmering blue and red star made of glitter serving as her mark.

Glimmer Shine nodded to the unicorn and the others around her before turning back to his vial and waving it around slowly. “Definitely looks like a solid reading. Looks like those reports of an animal sighting weren’t accurate.”

“Too bad these things don’t tell us much about what they’re detecting.” An orange pegasus stated with a sigh. This was Sunspot, clad in a modified and maskless black Wonderbolt’s suit that had various pockets and pouches sewn onto the front to hold her gear.

She had a set of flight goggles over her yellow eyes, strapped to her messy orange and yellow striped mane, which seemed out of place in the forest setting around them. At least her suit covered her fluorescent fur and made her somewhat stealthy, though it did conceal her comet cutie mark.

The pegasus turned to the human off to the side curiously, briefly watching him as he scanned the dark trees around them. “Got anything for us, Tom?”

“Didn’t the princess want you guys to learn as you worked through these small cases?” Tom raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the pegasus.

The boy was in his early teens, yet he was still the expert of the group due to his bizarre powers and knowledge granted to him as a slayer. He wore a blue tracksuit and generic white sneakers, which clashed heavily with his friends and their professional-looking outfits. He had blue eyes and messy blond hair.

“Umm…” Sparkplug chimed in from the back of the group. The gray and white mare seemed a bit uncomfortable with sitting out in the middle of the forest and chatting casually. “Well, I for one don’t want my face eaten off by some monster on my third job as a hunter, so any help would be appreciated.” She said, blue eyes glancing back behind her in a paranoid fashion. She could practically picture some monstrosity sneaking up on her and taking a bite out of her flank, marring the meshing gear cutie mark she sported.

Glimmer Shine patted the gray mare on the back reassuringly. “Don’t sell yourself short, Sparkplug. You did just fine with that imp infestation back in Hoofington.”

“Thanks… I think?” Sparkplug narrowed her eyes hesitantly, struggling to think of what she did on that job that could have been classified as ‘fine’.

Meanwhile, Sunspot shuddered uncomfortably as she thought back to their previous case. “Beugghh! Don’t remind me of those little freaks. I still don’t think I’ve gotten all the gum out of my mane from all those ‘pranks’...” She ran a hoof through her hair suspiciously.

“Imps and their fascination with Sunspot’s hair aside,” Glitterball spoke, shifting the conversation back on track. “I think we should all at least know what we’re dealing with. Right, Tom?” She looked to the human pleadingly.

Tom sighed while averting his eyes from the sad look he was receiving from the unicorn. “Alright, fair enough… I guess I’ll give you guys this one.” He paused and turned to the forest in front of the group, taking in a deep breath.

The ponies watched silently as the human used his slayer senses. A puff of blue mist came from his mouth as he exhaled purposefully, accompanied by a faint hiss. Although they were mostly accustomed to seeing their companion using his powers, the ponies were still a little anxious about them.

As Tom inhaled and exhaled a few times, sending out bursts of mist and taking in the myriad of feelings and energy signatures in the area, he adopted a confused expression momentarily. “What the..?” He muttered to himself while pausing for a moment.

“Something wrong?” Glimmer Shine asked, a hint of unease in his voice.

Sunspot cringed as a feeling of dread welled up inside her. “Please tell me it isn’t something bad.” She pleaded, more than a hint of unease present in her voice and face. The others couldn’t blame her for worrying. Whenever the human was stunned or unnerved by something paranormal, it usually wasn’t a good sign for them.

What the hell…? Tom thought to himself while using his senses again. There’s something out there… but I can’t feel it vividly enough to tell what it is. He silently put more effort into his power, resulting in slightly more labored breathing. Are my senses out of whack or something?

Perhaps noticing the uneasy expressions his companions were giving him, Tom raced to come up with something for them. “Uh... might have detected something,” He explained in what he hoped would be a confident tone. “I’m trying to figure out what it is.”

“Oh, great... that’s comforting,” Sunspot muttered nervously before grunting as she was elbowed by Glitterball.

Glitter glared at her insensitive friend before turning to the human with a more understanding expression. “Is it something you haven’t seen before?” She asked curiously, speculating a guess as to why the boy’s senses wouldn’t determine the identity of their mystery monster.

“Not sure…” Tom said before abruptly correcting himself. “It’s hard to say, but if I had to wager an educated guess… I would say ‘ghoul’?” He ventured, straining to make sense of what meager information his senses were giving him.

“Yikes…” Sunspot said somberly, her eyebrows raised and any immaturity having left her.

“A ghoul huh?” Glimmer Shine looked around at the trees, scanning over them with new scrutiny. “That would definitely explain all the dead animals turning up.”

While the others seemed ready, if a little uneasy, to keep going and deal with the problem, Glitterball seemed hesitant. “Guys, what are we going to do if it is a ghoul? Any physical creature without any weakness to positive energy would make our strobes useless.” She said, glancing down to the aforementioned strobe on her vest. The small brass-capped vials that the team normally used as weapons were effective against a wide variety of creatures, but they did have their limitations.

“You’ve got knives on those vests, right?” Tom asked curiously.

Glimmer Shine patted a pocket on his vest, reaffirming that he knew the location of his blade. “Yeah, we do.”

Tom hovered a hand over his own sword and unsheathed it partially, revealing the soft blue glow of the katana blade. “While non-silver weapons might not normally do much against a ghoul, they can’t survive losing their heads, no matter what was used to do it.” He explained before pushing his sword back down into its sheath. “We should keep within earshot of each other. You guys can split into two groups and start searching, and I’ll search on my own… see if I can narrow down its location. Hopefully, I can find it before you. Fighting it with my spirit weapons will be a lot easier than trying to decapitate it.”

Glimmer Shine nodded, followed by the others. “Alright, everypony keep close to your buddy, and stay in touch over the communication spell. If you find anything, or if anything finds you, scream really loud, and we’ll all come running.” He said, looking over each of his companions with a serious expression. “And remember, aim for the neck.” He drew a foreleg across his neck pointedly. The others got the general idea without the gruesome implications getting under their skin.

And so, with their goal laid out ahead of them, the group split off into three smaller parts and went out into the trees. Glitterball and Sunspot had opted to go with each other, leaving Sparkplug and Glimmer Shine to fill out the other group of two. Tom, in all his confidence in his abilities and somewhat indestructible nature, went on his own.

Glitterball walked alongside her pegasus companion while scanning her eyes around the area. The dark trees seemed to swallow up anything within a certain distance of them, potentially hiding any number of terrible creatures. She clutched the knife in her magical grip and kept it close by, ready to defend herself if anything decided to leap out at her.

“So… what are your plans once we get back to Canterlot tomorrow?” Sunspot asked casually from beside the unicorn while looking around as well. It was like she wasn’t even aware that she was in a dark forest hunting a monstrous beast.

Glitter looked over to her friend in stunned shock. “Are you seriously trying to have small talk right now?”

“What?” Sunspot shrugged. “I just want to know if you’ll be free to hang out. We’re only going to be in town for a few days, and I want to at least have some fun while we’re there.”

“And I suppose getting to see our friends and celebrating Nightmare Night isn’t fun enough for you?” Glitterball asked with a raised eyebrow, receiving an eye roll from the pegasus.

“You know what I mean.” Sunspot sighed. “It’s just… almost every night is Nightmare Night for us. Can’t we have one night where we can relax?”

Suddenly, another voice emanated softly in their ears that they recognized to be their human friend. “Guys, remember to keep an eye above you. Ghouls don’t usually hunt the living, but when they do, they like to ambush.” Tom suggested.

Glitterball held a hoof up to her ear. As she did, a blue magical aura identical to her own appeared around her ear and the tip of her hoof as the communication spell kicked in. “Got it.” She replied before dropping her foreleg and looking back at her teammate. “Let’s keep moving.”

Sunspot briefly watched the unicorn as she walked off to the right. Judging from the expression on her face, Glitter was not in the mood for any more idle chatter. “C’mon, Glitter. You’re way too tense! You should loosen up.”
.
..
...
Elsewhere in the Everfree, Glimmer Shine and Sparkplug were searching the darkness, using their detection charms to look for any sign of the beast they were hunting, preferably before it started hunting them.

While Glimmer Shine was sweeping the vial in his hoof around and slowly scanning his eyes from side to side in a relative state of calmness, his gray companion was far more on edge despite how silent she was being.

“You know,” Sparkplug said in a hushed voice. “When I quit my job to come and hunt ghosts with you guys, this is not what I had in mind.”

Glimmer Shine smirked slightly as he glanced back to the nervous mare. “Ah, come on… it ain’t so bad.” He insisted, being careful to keep quiet as well.

Sparkplug narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “Glimmer… don’t take this the wrong way, but if you think walking around a dark forest far away from civilization and hunting after Celestia knows what kind of horrible pony-eating monster isn’t that bad, then you might be a little messed up in the head.”

“Hey, you volunteered to join the team. Isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black?” Glimmer asked.

Sparkplug merely shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you got me there...” She drew her eyes back down to her detector vial, growing uneasy as she failed to get any solid readings. “Still, I’d rather know where this thing is before it jumps out and eats my face off.”

“You’re really adamant about the whole face eating thing, aren’t you?” Glimmer Shine raised an eyebrow while looking back to the gray mare.

“I like my face right where it is… don’t you?”

Glimmer tilted his head. “Alright, point taken. I’ll call up Tom and see if he’s got a better read on its location.” He suggested, putting a hoof up to his ear.
.
..
...
Somewhere else out in the forest, Tom stalked through the trees, feverishly looking out into the distance in the hopes of finding the creature before his friends did. His hand hovered near the sword on his back whenever he heard a stray noise.

Suddenly, a voice pierced the otherwise peaceful ambiance around him. “Hey Tom, are your senses picking up anything on our freaky friend?” Glimmer Shine asked curiously.

“Preferably where it is?” Sparkplug chimed in.

Tom stopped walking and sighed as he looked around him. “That is a good question...” He muttered to himself before taking in a breath and exhaling out a puff of mist.

Just like before, the energy around him seemed dulled somehow, and although he could feel the presence of an evil creature, he could scarcely tell where it was or what it was beyond his earlier guess. Finally, he sighed in defeat before putting a pair of fingers up to his ear and triggering the communication spell.

“Sorry guys, but that’s a no-go. I must be having an off day or something.”

“You’re not getting sick, are you?” Glitterball asked with a concerned tone of voice.

“I didn’t think he could get sick,” Sunspot added.

Tom groaned silently before activating the spell again. “Sorry, guys… I wish I could be more helpful.”

“It’s alright, Tom, don’t sweat it. Take a breather.” Glimmer Shine said. “We’ll just have to find this thing the old-fashioned way.”

Sparkplug audibly sighed nervously through the spell. “Yeah, I just wish the old-fashioned way didn’t involve-”

Tom paused as he noticed the mare trailing off. Before he could speak up to ask what had happened, another sound drew his attention away, only this time it wasn’t coming through the communication spell.

“AHHHHH!!”

A blood-curdling scream pierced the night air, causing a few nocturnal birds to leap out of the trees and take flight. The human quickly recognized the owner of the scream to be the gray pony; however, there was also another yell that sounded much more primal and vicious.

“Guys!” Tom stared off in the direction of the sounds in a shocked state. He snapped himself out of his thoughts and took off running toward his friends.

As he ducked around trees, nearly knocking into them in his frantic race to reach his companions, Tom could hear what sounded like a struggle up ahead. Panicked yelps and shouts came from Sparkplug and Glimmer Shine, along with some deep growls and snarls from whatever had attacked them.

Finally, the human could see flashlights up ahead. As he took in the scene before him, his shock swiftly turned to dreadful panic as he saw a foreign shape wrestling on the ground with a yellow stallion. Sparkplug was standing nearby, trying her hardest to think of some way to assist her partner, while Glimmer Shine was fighting for his life against the creature on top of him.

The pale beast was roughly pony-sized, with a bulky upper body and a stubby spiked tail. It had clawed hands with four fingers, along with talon-like nails extending from its feet. Its teeth were gnarled and misshapen, but they looked like they could crack bone or rend flesh with ease. And as it snarled and snapped at the pony trapped beneath it, struggling to keep it at bay, its green, soulless eyes glared down at its would-be prey with no remorse or emotion aside from rage.

There was no doubt about it now. The feral monster was a ghoul.

“Gah!” Glimmer Shine yelped as the creature raked its claws across his face, leaving three shallow cuts. All he could do was use his forelegs to keep it back and try to kick it off of him with his hind legs, but it was resisting every escape attempt he made with vicious ferocity.

“Glimmer Shine!” Sparkplug yelled fearfully while watching the stallion’s struggles. She looked down to her vest, racing to think of a piece of equipment that could be of use.

Finally, she threw caution to the wind and rushed up to the two. Turning around and planting her forehooves firmly into the ground, she reared up and cringed hesitantly as she delivered the best kick she could manage at the moment.

The ghoul let out a pained yell as it was sent rolling off of the stallion by a nasty impact to its side. It wasted no time in getting on all fours, growling at the gray mare as she helped her friend to his hooves. With teeth gnashing and claws at the ready, it leaped forward again like a crazed monkey on steroids ready to satisfy its bloodlust.

The two ponies could scarcely do anything but cover their faces as the beast sailed toward them at breakneck speeds. Before it could pounce on its prey, however, the ghoul stopped mid-air as something yanked hard on its leg.

Tom jerked the gray creature back to the dirt and shoved a foot into its back, pinning it to the ground. In one swift motion, he whipped his katana out of its sheath and held it at the ready, fully prepared to swing the luminescent blue blade down and chop the offending monster’s head clean off.

Then, before he could take a swing, his other leg got kicked out from under him as the ghoul used its incredible leg strength to its advantage.

“Woah!” Tom wobbled forward, barely managing to keep his balance. In his unstable state, he could hardly do anything as the creature underneath him bucked upwards and sent him falling to a rough landing on his back.

As he was recovering from the abrupt trip to the ground, Tom reached around for his sword, only to find that it had landed separately from him just out of his reach. Before he could scoot towards his weapon, the ghoul stalked up to him and snarled at him, sending more than a few particles of vile spit flying everywhere.

Tom glared at the creature and spread out his fingers in one hand. A flash of fire appeared and washed over his fingertips, leaving behind cold metal in the form of bladed claws. These were his spirit weapons, granted to him when he became a slayer. They served as his most powerful and reliable tool in his monster-hunting career, and they could make short work of many evil beasts.

The human tried to take a swipe at the vicious monster’s neck. His strike met stiff resistance, and before he knew what was happening, his arm erupted into pain as the ghoul’s clawed fingers dug into his skin and held him at bay.

“AGHH!”

“Tom!” Sparkplug widened her eyes as she watched the gray beast sinking its claws further into her friend’s arm, sending blood pouring out of it. Tom tried to push his attacker off with his free arm, but the ghoul simply grabbed the appendage before he could do anything meaningful.

Tom tried to reel back away from the gnashing mouth full of teeth that were inching ever closer to him, but his position on the ground and the ghoul’s hold over him made it rather difficult. Suddenly, the ghoul jerked forward and opened its jaw to take a large chunk out of the human’s neck.

Just as the human was preparing for an eruption of pain, an eruption of a different variety happened as a magical zap came from ahead of him. A shower of colorful sparks flew off of the ghoul’s back as several orbs of rainbow-tinted light crashed into it and exploded.

The ghoul was seemingly unharmed by the colorful display. As the barrage of projectiles kept coming, it growled in annoyance and turned around, only to see Glimmer Shine and Sparkplug firing their strobes at it desperately.

Sparkplug took a step back as the creature glared at her and her yellow companion, all the while continuing to fire at it. “So, what’s the plan now?!” She asked frantically.

“I think the plan went out the window a while back,” Glimmer Shine replied, staring at the monstrous creature with more than a little unease.

Deciding to shift its focus to the two ponies, the ghoul used its immense strength and tossed Tom to the side. The human yelled fearfully while flying through the air. He cleared several feet before smacking into a tree and falling to the ground with a bone-crushing impact.

Tom’s head felt like it might explode, and his back might as well have been a twig that was snapped in two. “Gah…” He let his claws vanish in a puff of flame and clutched his aching skull as he slowly got off of the ground. He looked up to find the thing that had just sent him flying, only to pale as he saw the creature standing in front of his two friends.

With the creature staring into him with its blood-red eyes and growing angrier by the minute, Glimmer Shine rushed to put away his strobe and pull out his knife. “Stay behind me, Sparkplug!” He instructed to his companion before turning back to the ghoul. He flinched as he saw the creature much closer than he remembered.

The ghoul let loose an agitated roar and lunged at the stallion. Glimmer Shine scarcely had time to react before a pair of misshapen hands grabbed him and shoved him to the side. The yellow pony screamed and flailed for a moment before slamming into the ground and rolling. While his flight was shorter and gentler than the human’s, it still looked like it was painful.

With nothing left to distract it, the monster turned its full attention to the gray mare. Sparkplug felt her heart skip a beat as she processed what was about to happen. She jerked back as the ghoul snapped toward her, falling back onto her haunches.

“S-stay away from me, you freak!!” She yelled. Seeing no signs that the beast was stopping, she desperately groped her tactical vest in search of the blade that would save her. Before her panicked mind could find the knife, the ghoul jumped at her, claws first.

“AHH!”

“Sparkplug!” Tom reached out toward the trapped pony. With how far away he was, and how injured he was, there wasn’t anything he could do to help her in time.

The human and the stallion watched as the creature slammed their friend to the ground. It gnashed its teeth at her as she tried to push it off. Finally, it raised a clawed hand, ready to rip into her neck.

A wet squelch filled the air and everything swiftly fell silent as blood sprayed out onto the forest floor. Tom and Glimmer Shine stared ahead, eyes wide in shock.

Floating in the air just behind the ghoul was Tom’s misplaced sword. The blade was softly levitating in a blue aura of magic, and it was partially stained red in blood. The cause of the blood was clear to the pair as they saw the creature’s head settling into place off to the side.

Hoofbeats crunching against the grass sounded out as two figures stepped out from behind the trees. Sunspot and Glitterball stared ahead at the scene around them. The unicorn had her horn lit up, explaining the floating sword and the now-dead ghoul.

“Sorry we’re late to the party, guys.” Sunspot said.

Glitterball looked around at her companions with a concerned expression. “Is everyone ok?”

“I think so,” Glimmer Shine said in a strained voice. He groaned while pushing his aching body to get up to his hooves. “Other than some bruising, I’d say we’re doing alright.”

“Speak for yourself...” Sparkplug spoke up. The others looked over to see the gray mare with her eyes clenched shut, a spray of red on her face from the headless ghoul settling on her. “Could one of you be a pal… AND GET THIS THING OFF ME?!”

Hearing the agitation in their friend’s voice, Glimmer and the two mares rushed over to Sparkplug and hoisted the hefty corpse off of her before helping her up from the ground.

Sunspot cringed a little as she watched the gray pony sputtering and frantically cleaning the blood off of her face. The pegasus felt a bit of a humorous smirk coming on that she had to hide for fear of inciting Sparkplug’s wrath.

“Ulgh… this is the worst.” Sparkplug frowned as she rubbed her muzzle in a desperate attempt to wipe off the excess blood.

“Hey, at least you didn’t get your face eaten off.” Glimmer Shine jested. “That’s a plus, right?”

Sparkplug glared at the stallion, completely unamused.

While her friends were sharing a quick laugh at the gray mare’s expense, Glitterball noticed the absence of a certain blue-suited human. She looked around before spotting the boy standing over by his original position that the ghoul tossed him to.

“Tom... are you ok?” Glitter asked uneasily.

Everyone turned to see Tom staring ahead blankly, still a little pale looking from the tense fight. He had a certain distraught look in his eyes, and his breathing was shaky.

Once he saw his companions looking to him with concerned expressions, Tom shook himself out of his thoughts and stood up. Still, he couldn’t seem to calm down as much as he wanted to. “Yeah, I’m… I-I’m good.” He stated before turning to the gray pony in the group. “Are you sure you’re ok, Sparkplug?”

Sparkplug lowered her expression. “Could have been worse. You sure you’re alright?” She asked softly.

Tom ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. “Of course, yeah… I was just a little dazed from hitting my head on that tree.” He walked over to the group, returning a confident air to himself.

“Here,” Glitterball said, floating the human’s sword over to him. “I think this belongs to you.”

Tom grabbed the katana out of the air and placed it back in its sheath. “Thanks.”

“It’s a good thing we showed up when we did.” Sunspot said, glancing over to the ghoul on the ground uneasily. “That was a close one.”

Tom frowned slightly while looking at Sparkplug. He silently winced in pain and brought up his injured arm, briefly examining the bloody wounds. “Yeah, a little too close.”

“Alright, let’s head back to Ponyville.” Glimmer Shine suggested, walking toward what he could loosely identify as the right direction. “I think we’ve earned some RnR.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with their yellow leader. With help from Sunspot’s ability to fly up and get a bird’s eye view, the group made their way out of the Everfree Forest.

After a few minutes of walking, the team left the deep shadows and countless trees of the forest behind. Everyone was tired from how late it was, and three of them were even more exhausted from their brief battle with the monstrous creature.

The ponies all puttered out to a stop and took a moment to take in the fresh air and wide-open space around them.

Glimmer Shine turned to his teammates and exhaled drowsily. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed that Tom’s arm was seemingly still bleeding. “Uh… Tom, aren’t you going to heal that?” He asked with a confused and mildly concerned expression.

Tom looked down at his wound and kicked himself mentally. “Umm... y-yeah, I’m just resting a bit before doing it. That thing really knocked the wind out of me when it turned me into an involuntary treehugger.” He explained lightheartedly. Without even giving the others a chance to process his response, he stretched and groaned tiredly. “Man, I am beat. I think I’ll head back to the library now.” He walked away from the ponies slightly, cueing his departure.

“Okay. Goodnight, Tom.” Glimmer Shine said.

“Yeah, goodnight. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Glitterball added with a wave.

“Bye guys. Have a safe trip back to the hotel,” Tom called behind him while walking away at a quickened pace. The others watched the human leaving for a moment before deciding to head on their own path.

After walking for a while, Tom looked behind him and sighed in relief as he saw that the ponies were nowhere in sight. He stopped for a moment and looked down at his arm. As he concentrated on activating his healing powers, an orange glow flickered to life at the edges of the claw marks. However, the healing embers and flames that would normally be sealing up the injury weren’t spreading, no matter how hard he tried to force them.

“What the hell?” He muttered to himself, barely able to catch his breath. He looked around in a paranoid fashion before pulling the sleeve of his shirt down and picking up his pace to a brisk jog.

The run back to town took a bit longer than usual. For some reason, Tom felt like he was out of breath much sooner than he normally did when running. His inability to heal his wound weighed heavily on his mind, along with the way his senses were acting before. He only hoped that he could figure out what was going on once he reached the library.

Eventually, the human made it through the empty streets of Ponyville and up to the Golden Oak Library. Standing in front of the building, he could see that the lights were off in the windows all throughout the great tree that Twilight and Spike used as their home. Considering how late it was, the unicorn and dragon were most likely asleep and had been for some time.

Tom panted softly and walked up to the front door. He used a key the purple mare had provided him and unlocked the door before stepping inside and closing it back. The vast and dark main room of the library stretched out before him, silent and still.

Taking a stealthy walk up the stairs to the second floor, the human lingered at the landing at the top and looked to the door on the right. No lights were coming from the seam at the bottom of the door, and a quick listen revealed no sounds.

“Of course… there was no way they would stay up this late.” Tom muttered to himself quietly. The only reason he was even up was due to the hunt for the monster out in the forest.

A harsh sting came from his arm, drawing his attention downwards. Tom glanced between the bedroom door and his wounded limb before sighing. He didn’t want to trouble the unicorn with something so unimportant. After all, it was just a little scrape. He had healed far more severe injuries with ease plenty of times before.

Making pains to not disturb the pair sleeping in the next room, Tom opened the bathroom door and stumbled inside. After letting the door close behind him, he flipped on the light and let his hands fall on the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror, narrowing his expression as he saw how exhausted he looked.

“Hhhookay… let’s do this.” He exhaled and shook his head while rolling his sleeve back up. The wounds were mostly circular with rough edges, and they were still bleeding to some degree.

Tom stood up and centered himself, closing his eyes and focusing. He cringed slightly as he felt the familiar burn of his powers kicking in. Despite the stinging pain coming from his injury, he didn’t seem to be able to produce anything more than a dim flicker of light.

“Ahh, come on… come on, come on!” He repeated impatiently, fighting through the uncomfortable feeling to try and kickstart the healing process.

No matter what he did, the wound remained steadfast in the face of the human’s attempts at healing. The longer he tried, the more frustrated he got.

“Grrr, come on and heal, you stupid…” Tom grit his teeth angrily. “It’s just a little cut… how the hell am I supposed to help anyone if I can’t even heal one stupid cut?!” He exclaimed before turning around and checking to see if his outburst was loud enough to carry into the other room.

Hearing no signs of Twilight or Spike stirring outside, he groaned and turned back to his injury. Now, he couldn’t even get the orange glow to appear at the edge of the wound.

“Damn it!” He clenched his fist and smacked it onto the sink as hard as he could without making noise.

Tom lowered his head and ran his hands through his hair, letting them linger as he tried to stem the tide of thoughts swimming around in his mind. If his powers refused to work, then what would he do the next time he fought a monster? What if Twilight or one of the others was in danger, and they needed his help? People had already died when he was there to help, and that was when his powers were working just fine. The longer he thought, the more exasperated he became.

Finally, Tom looked up at his reflection and sighed. He reached forward and popped open the medicine cabinet. After grabbing some bandages and setting them down on the sink, he reached up to close the mirror back up before pausing. He stared at a bottle of disinfectant and shook his head before grabbing the bottle and placing it beside the bandages.

Cringing slightly, Tom rinsed out his wound with water before pouring some of the stinging fluid over it to disinfect it. He checked behind him once more, making sure that nobody was watching or listening. Finally, he picked up the roll of gauze and started wrapping his arm.

Once he was finished, the human had a nice and clean bandage wrapped tightly around his wound. He replaced the items in the medicine cabinet before giving himself one last look in the mirror. He frowned slightly as he saw himself bandaged up. Finally, he tugged his shirt sleeve over the bandage, concealing it from sight and leaving it to heal normally.

As he flipped off the light and exited the room, he only hoped that tomorrow he would be able to get a better handle over his powers. Tom walked downstairs, deciding to not disturb his friends by creeping into the bedroom so late. Tomorrow was a big day for the unicorn and her friends, and they needed all the rest they could get.

Chapter 8: A Routine Check-in

As the moon climbed higher into the starry night sky of Equestria, the crickets and owls and other nocturnal animals created a peaceful ambiance on the streets of Clopford.

Outside the local guard station, an older stallion and a younger stallion walked down the steps clad in their full guard attire. The older pony had a slight scar running down his cheek, though he seemed cheerier than most guards despite this. The younger guard unsurprisingly seemed to be the less experienced out of the two. He didn’t carry himself with the confidence of a royal guard yet, and he seemed to cling to the older gentleman like he was his example of what to do right.

“So, uh… what are we doing, sir?” The younger stallion asked curiously. “Aren’t we supposed to be off duty right now?”

The older stallion chuckled to himself for a moment before turning to his companion. “How many times have I told you, kid? Ease up… call me Rusty.” He stopped walking and looked around the town and the night sky around him. “As for what we’re doing…”

As the clopping of many hooves came from behind them, the older pony paused and turned to see another small group of guards moving past, nodding to him in a friendly manner as they did.

“Where’s the fire…?” The younger guard asked, a bit concerned.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. They’re just heading outside of town to check on some reports of noises. Some folks around town heard some animals or something or other. That’s actually part of why I asked you out here.”

“It is?”

Rusty looked down at his companion, seeing a well of hesitation, anxiousness, and a desire to do better behind his eyes that reminded him of when he first became a guard. “An old friend of mine is one of the folks that got spooked. I figured that I would help those guys out and swing by to check on him and his family and ask them about what they know, and I also figured that this would be a good opportunity to get you some experience under your belt.”

“Animal noises, huh?” The younger pony asked rhetorically before adopting a more concerned expression. “Wait… You don’t think it’s some weird monster thing, do you? I would have thought the princess would have sent that team of monster hunters for something like that.”

“Relax, kid, they’re just some reports of noises. The princess is just being safe and havin’ us check it out to make sure. It’s probably just some raccoons or something anyway.” The older stallion assured.

The young guard did as he was told and relaxed a bit. “Ok… if you say so.”

The pair walked through the admittedly small town at a leisurely pace, with Rusty occupying time by retelling tall tales to his inexperienced companion about his time as a rookie.

Eventually, they reached the edge of town. A cobblestone path led out toward the countryside, passing by a fenced-in house before going on a ways and disappearing into a grassy expanse.

Rusty looked toward the house, a single-storey abode with a garden out back and a cellar door around the side. The lights were on inside, indicating at least somepony was still awake.

"I take it your friend lives out here?" The younger guard asked astutely.

Rusty nodded. "Yep… He and his family grow their own produce and sell the excess in town. They’re good folks… and I think they deserve to sleep peacefully at night without worryin' about no wild animals or timberwolves."

The young guard was taken aback by just how stoic his superior was being. Normally, nothing could get Rusty to slip out of his easy-going attitude, but right now he seemed determined to make sure that an innocent family felt safe in their own home, and that was something the younger stallion could respect.

"So, what's the play here?" The rookie asked.

“Eh, nothing too serious. We’re just here to check in and ask them about what they know. After that, we’ll do a quick sweep outside of town and call it a night.” Rusty explained, to which his companion nodded before the both of them started toward the house.

Through a gate and up a path to the door, the pair paused for a moment before Rusty knocked firmly on the wooden frame.

A slight noise came from inside, followed by nothing. A solid moment or two went by, and a passing thought of knocking again crossed the older stallion’s mind, until a hurried trotting came closer and a beige earth pony with green hair answered the door.

Rusty smiled at the beige stallion. “Green Pines! How’ve you been?” He greeted warmly.

Green Pines smiled as well, though his seemed much smaller by comparison. “Hey, Rusty… heh. What brings you here so late?” He questioned, glancing back inside before stepping out slightly and keeping a hoof on the door.

“I heard Sugar got pretty spooked last night by some noises. Thought I might bring young blood here to check up on you guys.” Rusty explained, briefly gesturing to his younger companion. The rookie offered a friendly and professional nod to the farmer.

Mr. Pines leaned his weight onto his back legs and smiled uncomfortably. “Aww… I wish you would’ve come sooner. I don’t want you to inconvenience yourself on my account. It’s really late… you should just head on home and forget about it. I’m sure Sugar just heard some wild dogs anyway.” He said, starting to make his way back inside.

“Oh, nonsense. It’s no trouble, really. I wouldn’t be able to call myself a gentlepony if I let a girl like Sugar Sunshine and her kid go on living in fear. Besides… I pulled this one along with me for something, so we might as well take a look around.” Rusty nudged his companion playfully, eliciting him to rub his foreleg. “Mind if we come in?”

The beige pony rubbed his neck for a moment before smiling and nodding. “Of course not.” He said quietly, backing up and gesturing to welcome the guards into his home.

Stepping inside, Rusty seemed right at home, while the rookie took a look around to familiarise himself with the interior of the humble abode. A living room of decent enough size and warmth was around them with a hallway embedded into the front wall, and a kitchen opening up to their right. Pictures of the green-haired stallion, a pink mare with curly yellow hair, and a beautiful foal in their forelegs littered the walls.

While the rookie was briefly examining the photos and internalizing a few goofy smiles from seeing the adorable-looking child, Rusty turned to his friend curiously.

“I never would have thought you would ever get married back in the day… let alone have a kid.” He said jestingly. “How have the missus and the little tike been doing anyway? I’m sure they’d love to see uncle Rusty.”

Green Pines trailed his eyes to the floor briefly. “Uh… they’ve been a little under the weather recently. Some bug must have just crept up on us. I’m lucky I haven’t caught it yet.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Rusty frowned. “Well… how about the kid here goes and checks out the cellar for us while I ask you a few questions.”

“By myself?” The younger guard asked a bit hesitantly.

“I’m confident you can handle yourself,” Rusty said a bit flatly. “Cellar’s through there. Just poke around a bit and make sure no raccoons are nesting down there.” He pointed to the kitchen.

The rookie nodded and walked over to the kitchen door, only to be blocked by the beige pony quickly trotting into his path, much to his confusion.

“N-no, don’t go down there.” Green Pines stated adamantly.

By now, both guards were offering the farm pony strange looks. The rookie looked back to Rusty as if to ask what was up with his apparent lifelong friend. Rusty looked back at him with equal confusion before looking to the beige stallion with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh… ok. Why? I thought that was where you heard the noises?”

Realizing how strange he looked, Pines darted his eyes between the pair briefly before opening his mouth to speak, only to have nothing come out but a prolonged noise of muddled thought. “Uhh… I uh… I just don’t want you disturbing Sugar. She’s down there labeling cans of food for the winter.”

Rusty skewed his expression a bit. “I thought she wasn't feeling well?”

“She isn’t… but… you know her,” Green Pines chuckled awkwardly, “she doesn’t feel right unless she’s doing something productive. It would probably be for the best if you just leave her be.”

Rusty thought for a moment before sighing. “Well… I don’t want to stay where I’m not needed.”

The beige pony let his shoulders relax a bit.

“But… I also wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if we didn’t at least check out back.” Rusty added, turning to his younger partner again. “Could you head back there and check around the fence for any signs of breaks or claw marks? Door’s through the laundry room if’n I remember rightly.” He pointed through the kitchen again.

“Yes sir.” The rookie nodded before heading past Green Pines and into the kitchen.

The beige pony watched the younger guard heading into the other room with a veiled sense of concern. He heard Rusty walking up to him and resting a hoof on his shoulder, eliciting him to turn around and look at his friend.

“Real sorry about Sugar and the little one. Be sure to give ‘em my regards and get well’s and all that.” Rusty said with genuine sympathy.

“Yeah… I’ll be sure to do that.” Mr. Pines nodded flatly.

“Now, how about you tell me about them noises?” Rusty asked curiously while fetching a notepad and a feather quill from a pouch around his hips.

Meanwhile, the young guard was diligently making his way through the house toward the back door he was meant to find. Through a tiled kitchen and a small connecting hallway, he quickly found a small laundry room complete with a washing machine and dryer, with a door up ahead that had a small window set into it that led outside.

Moving through the laundry room, he paused and looked to his left, only to find another door. This one was more aged looking than the other door, and it seemed to be the cellar door that he had been told about judging from the cold draft coming from under the seam.

Taking no more than a passing glance, the guard returned to his appointed task. He walked over to the outside door and rested a hoof on the handle to open it before a creak interrupted him. The wooden squeak made the hairs on his tail bristle slightly, causing him to turn his head and look, only to find the cellar door slightly ajar.

The stallion lingered for a moment before taking his hoof off of the handle and turning around. He could see a faint view of a dark stairwell through the crack in the door, along with what must have been a silhouette of a pony obscured in darkness.

“Hello…?” The guard called softly. “Ma’am…? I’m uh… I’m an officer of the royal guard. I’m here with Rusty.” He explained hesitantly, still half-convinced that what he was looking at was just a trick of the eyes and the door slid open in a slight draft.

The silhouette drew closer, confirming the guard’s suspicions that someone was there, though any shape or color of fur or mane still couldn’t be determined.

“We’re here to check out those noises you’ve been hearing. I heard you’ve been feeling sick lately, and uh… I’m real sorry about that. We’ll be out of your mane just as soon as I go and check your fence for… huh?” He narrowed his eyes curiously as the figure drew even closer.

The door creaked open more, and the guard leaned his head closer for a moment before reeling back and widening his eyes in surprise.
.
..
…

“So you didn’t hear the noises yourself?” Rusty asked curiously, scribbling away on his notepad and looking up at Green Pines, who was sitting on a couch.

The farmer glanced toward the kitchen for a moment, letting his stare linger a bit before turning back to Rusty. “No… Sugar was the only one up that late, and by the time she woke me up, the noises had stopped.”

“Mmhmm… and it sounded like barking?”

“That’s what she told me. She said it sounded weird though.” Pines replied.

“Weird?” Rusty blinked.

Green Pines paused. “Yeah. She said it was like… it didn’t sound like a dog or a wolf.”

Just then, a noise came from the kitchen. Both ponies turned to look toward it, only to reel slightly as a louder thump sounded out. Mr. Pines stood up, while Rusty dropped his notepad and took a few steps toward the kitchen.

“Kid… is that you? You hit your shin on a chair or something?” He asked with a bit of mild concern.

Nothing but silence greeted him.

Rusty was more than a little disconcerted by how quiet it was. He inched forward again, nearly at the threshold, and craned his neck to peer around the corner.

“Uh… Rusty, maybe you should just head on home and meet up with your friend later?” Green Pines suggested nervously.

Rusty turned his head and raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? I’m not just leaving without the-”

*Thump*

Rusty jumped back as a large shape went flying past him and crashing onto the floor, nearly striking him. He widened his eyes as he saw that the shape was, in fact, a stallion clad in royal guard armor with blood spilling from a rather nasty-looking neck wound.

“Kid…?!”

Green Pines Stepped forward slightly as Rusty went to check on his injured companion. The older guard knelt down and put a hoof to his friend’s neck, only to reel back slightly with a shocked expression of horror.

“I’m sorry, Rusty.” He said with a regretful frown. “I really wish you would have gotten here sooner.”

“What are you… wh…” Rusty stammered, absolutely at a loss for words. He paused and turned his head, only to see another pony walking through the kitchen at a casual stroll.

The pony in question seemed to be a familiar-looking pink mare with curly yellow hair, only she seemed a lot paler than she looked in the many photos strewn around, and she had a red glint in her eyes that almost made them scarlet in color.

“Sugar...?” Green Pines called in a high-pitched whimper, a stunned and horrified look now on his face.

The pink mare stopped walking as she entered the room. It was at this point that both ponies noticed that her mouth was covered in blood, nearly to the point of dripping. She licked her muzzle and stared at the pair like a hungry animal.

“Now, now, Green Pines... didn’t I tell you about inviting strangers over for dinner?” Another stallion’s voice came from the hallway off to the side.

Everyone looked over as slow hoofsteps started approaching from down the hall. Out of the darkness, two red orbs softly illuminated the intense stare of a brown pony with silver hair. Much to Rusty’s surprise, the pony was actually an alicorn stallion.

“Who the…” Rusty stammered, stepping forward protectively to be a bit closer to the beige stallion. “What in the name of the princess is going on here?!” He demanded, reaching for the sword at his side.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The alicorn said in a coldly casual voice, barely paying any heed to the guard’s threatening stance.

Meanwhile, Green Pines was staring at his wife in horror as a set of fangs glistened in her mouth. She didn’t have an ounce of the loving pony he once knew in her eyes, having been replaced with stone-cold murderous hunger.

“You said you wouldn’t hurt her!” The green-haired stallion shouted shrilly at the alicorn.

“And you said that you wouldn’t let anyone in here to disturb us.” The alicorn retorted, shooting a slight glare of annoyance at the farmer before shifting his attention back to the guard and smirking, allowing fangs of his own to poke out. “Although, this may work in our favor… My friends have been getting a little peckish as of late.”

Almost on cue with the alicorn’s words, a feral-sounding growl came from the darkened hallway behind him. Much to the horror of the two ponies watching, three different sets of glowing red eyes emerged, belonging to three equine figures. However, as the figures skulked into the light, Rusty and Mr. Pines realized that these were not ponies, at least not anymore.

Their fur was patchy and their skin was showing through, wrinkled and emaciated and clinging to their bones, which seemed to have stretched slightly. Their eyes were sunken, almost hollow pits, with only a beady glowing pupil in the center to even give the impression that they could see. Their mouths were full of fangs like the alicorn and the pink mare, but there were many more than two, and they were much more gnarled and vicious looking.

One of the creatures, what must have formerly been a pegasus with matted yellow fur and frail, torn wings, moved away from the pack and approached the living room. It kept its bloodthirsty gaze fixed on Rusty as it snarled and growled at him, creating noises that he never imagined an equine could make, before it reared up to lunge out and pounce him.

The yellow beast and even the other two stopped in their tracks as the alicorn lifted a foreleg up and blocked them with it. He glanced back at them like a parent silencing their children in public before he turned back toward the guard.

“You work for Princess Celestia, don’t you?” He questioned with a pleased inflection in his voice.

Rusty stepped closer to the door, not even facing away from the monstrous ponies for a moment. He shifted the sword in his mouth to face the alicorn and the beasts behind him, as well as the pink mare off to the side.

“I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I know one thing for darn sure. You won’t be getting anything useful out of me.” Rusty threatened, ready to strike down the first one that moved funny.

“Oh, I’m quite sure you will be of use.” The alicorn stated flatly. He stuck out his hoof as if to beckon the guard, causing him and the farm pony off to the side to tense up and jump respectively.

Much to both of their confusion, the brown stallion revealed what seemed to be a deep-looking slit on his wrist. A hint of red movement could be seen just on the inside of the cut, and before anyone could even think of how to react, a sound like liquid splashing rang out as a stream of blood shot out of his wrist and wrapped around Rusty’s neck in a blur.

Rusty barely let out a strained yelp of surprise before the stream tightened around his neck like a rope. He dropped his sword and clutched a hoof at it, only to find that it was somehow just as solid as it felt.

“Rusty!” The farmer squeaked from his position by the couch, too petrified and shocked to move. He reached a hoof out to his friend, only to watch as the alicorn flicked his own hoof back and pulled the full-grown stallion across the room and behind him like he was a hoofball.

The veteran guard yelled briefly as he sailed behind the alicorn and bounced to a stop with a mighty clang from his armor. No sooner did he touch the ground was he set upon by the three feral beasts waiting patiently for their master to throw them a bone.

Green Pines reeled back and sank low to the ground, using the couch as support as he stared at the mouth of the hallway and listened to a mixture of his friend’s screams, some feral barks, and a wet ripping sound. A few streaks of blood sprayed out into the living room, staining the carpet and even hitting the walls as the guard’s screams faded, replaced by a series of chewing and slurping noises.

By now, the farm pony was a whimpering mess on the floor. He was silently praying for this to be a bad dream, or for one of the princesses to come save him and his family, but no such thing happened.

The alicorn glanced behind him at the bloody feeding session going on, smirking as he did, before turning to the pink mare. He nodded toward the beige stallion pointedly, to which the mare started walking toward her loving husband.

Green Pines fell back even further onto the floor and tried crawling away, only to be met with a wall. He pressed his back against it and kept his eyes glued on his wife, who was looking at him with an oddly calm expression like nothing was even wrong. It was like she was simply consoling him for acting so strange. She stepped over the body of the younger guard and slowly made her way over to the corner.

The beige pony yelped and loosely struggled as the pink mare sat down and put her forelegs around his waist. She stared into his eyes with a sort of sympathetic understanding.

“Sssh… it’s ok, honey. It’ll be over before you know it.” She assured softly, bringing her hooves up to his face and bringing him a little closer.

Green Pines looked up from the floor, tears freely streaming down his face now as he quietly looked around at the horror that had befallen his family. “Where’s Maple?” He asked in a broken voice as he looked to his wife.

The pink mare smiled at her husband fondly, using her hoof to wipe away some of his tears. If it weren’t for the blood on her muzzle and the red gleam in her eyes, he might have found this comforting, up until she jerked forward and sank her fangs into his neck.
.
..
…
A few minutes went by as the alicorn watched his minions feeding. As the pink mare finished her meal, she looked over to see her new master unnaturally drawing the pool of blood from the young guard up and into his three wounds.

She looked down to her bloodstained hooves and the motionless body of her love, frowning slightly as she did. “I… feel like I should feel bad about this… but I don’t.” She spoke aloud, a bit of confusion and regret in her voice.

The alicorn finished his own meal, producing a pleased groan as the last of the pool of crimson fluid seeped into his neck wound. He briefly rubbed the length of the gash before turning to the pink mare.

“Don’t worry… you’ll get used to it.” He said, approaching her and resting a hoof on her shoulder.

The mare still seemed a bit conflicted, but nodded at her master regardless. She stole a glance over to the hallway, only to hear the sounds of the three feral ponies still feasting away on the older guard.

“Why am I not like them?” She asked.

The alicorn glanced back at the pack of ponies huddled over the bloody corpse, scowling to himself at the mess they were making.

“When I gave them my blood… they were nothing but empty shells. You still had some of your own blood in you.” He explained.

Looking down at her chest and resting a hoof against her heart, the mare seemed puzzled and mildly intrigued by the result. She then looked over to the body of her husband, frowning again as she glanced at the many pictures scattered around.

“Do you think you could make him like me?” She requested timidly.

The brown pony looked at her silently for a moment before trailing his eyes over to the corpse in the corner. “Would it please you?”

She nodded hesitantly.

“Very well…” He smiled softly, getting up and walking closer to the body. “I suppose our numbers could use some bolstering for what’s to come.” He stated, lifting a hoof and letting some blood trickle out. The thin stream dangled nearly to the floor before it curved and started flowing into the beige stallion’s neck wound. The body twitched slightly as the stream entered it before falling still again.

“He should awaken shortly. Do try to help him along… I grow tired of explaining.” The alicorn said to the mare before walking over to the window.

The pink mare smiled in disbelief. “Thank you so much… master?” She said hesitantly, seemingly unsure of how she should address her newfound sovereign.

“Call me Prince…” The alicorn said flatly while staring out the window into the distance. “It is my rightful title.” He added in a colder tone.

The pink mare looked out to where he was staring, only to see the city of Canterlot in the distance.

“Of course… my Prince.” She nodded.

Suddenly, the three feral beasts stopped feeding and quietly stepped into the living room. They gathered behind the pink mare and stared at the alicorn intently. He turned around and looked at them as if he had been expecting this reaction.

“Go around the building and block off all the entrances. We leave as soon as our new… friends, wake up.” He glanced down to the bodies of the guards and the farmer. “We don’t want anyone to find our little mess here until at least tomorrow night.”

The three creatures didn’t respond, but they all broke off and hurried into the kitchen, presumably to do as they were told.

The pink mare watched the trio of monstrosities leave, still a bit disgusted and creeped out by their appearance. She turned to see the alicorn still staring intently at the far-off mountain city.

“Prince… if you don’t mind me asking, where are we going?” She asked, though she had an idea of the answer already. What she didn’t know was the purpose of their trip.

The alicorn turned to her and smirked proudly. “We’re going to Canterlot. We should be able to get there before dawn. I know of a place where we can hide until tomorrow night.”

“But why bother hiding? Why don’t we just do what you came to do tonight?” She asked curiously.

He smirked a bit before settling into an intense expression. “It must be tomorrow night. I have a point to make… and a wrong to right.”

Chapter 12: House of Horrors

Sheltered away from the hectic energy of the streets, Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt walked through the upstairs portion of the haunted house.

The atmosphere was very dark, with faint lights and smoke dotted around to keep them just confused enough to be on edge without them bumping into anything, though the two pegasi were braver than most.

At least one of them was, at any rate.

Rainbow Dash chuckled warmly and held her stomach while her friend looked to the floor in embarrassment.

"Oh, man… I can’t believe that puppet actually got you." She said, barely able to catch her breath amidst her joyful outburst. She wiped a tear from her eyes as the stallion sighed uncomfortably.

"It didn’t get me." Blue Bolt protested. "It just… caught me off guard is all."

Rainbow Dash smirked as she saw how red in the face her friend was. "You scream like a filly."

"I don’t know what you're talking about." He said, turning his nose up and ignoring the cyan mare. "It must have been somepony behind us."

"Well…" Rainbow got one last chuckle out before straightening her expression. "I don’t think anyone could blame that somepony. This place ain't half bad. I would probably be a little scared… y'know, if I wasn't me."

"Really?" Blue Bolt raised an eyebrow at her. "You’re not even a little scared?"

"No, not really." Rainbow Dash said, casually strolling by as a realistic-looking snake jutted out at her from inside a vent alongside a prerecorded hiss.

"You sure? I won't tell anyone." Blue prodded.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I'd tell you if I was. We can go back if you're scared, though."

"Why would you think I'm scared? Pfft… I'm not scared." Blue Bolt chuckled before trailing off nervously as a particularly eerie sound effect played nearby.

Rainbow Dash half smirked as she watched the stallion trying to play off his unease. She thought it was kind of cute for him to keep a brave face, whether or not he was trying to impress her.

"You know, Blue…"

"Yeah…?"

Rainbow tittered a bit and ran a hoof through her mane. "After we get back home, you and me could just take a day to work on your flying together."

Blue Bolt raised an eyebrow. "But… we already do that."

"Well, yeah… but usually Fluttershy is with us. I mean just the two of us. You know, we could go clear out some clouds, get some resistance training in, maybe grab a bite to eat and watch the sunset?" She smiled nervously.

Blue Bolt hesitated for a moment before a look of slight surprise came over him.

"Rainbow Dash… are you asking me out on a date?"

Hearing this, the cyan mare blushed slightly and dodged her gaze to the side. "N-No, of course not. I mean, I like you… I-I mean I like you like a friend, but…" She groaned silently and facehoofed.

Blue Bolt smiled, thankful that the dark lighting hid the bit of redness reaching his own face. "It's ok… I get it. Two best buds hanging out in a totally platonic way."

"Totally." Rainbow nodded, trying her best to recover the flaming wreckage of her plans.

"Sounds good." Blue Bolt said. "But… if it was a date," He added, nodding to the side, "I wouldn’t necessarily… mind."

Rainbow Dash hid a smile and rubbed her foreleg. She felt strangely warm and fuzzy despite their dreary surroundings.

Just then, the pair looked up as they heard a series of screams and the clamor of hooves running their way.

They were in what appeared to be an open area between hallways and rooms along the edge of the house. Up ahead, a door flew open and a small group of ponies all dressed in various costumes came running out.

"Woah…" Rainbow Dash moved out of the way of the crowd, barely avoiding getting knocked into. "Where’s the fire?"

"Is something really scary up ahead?" Blue Bolt mused.

"I don’t know…" Rainbow muttered. She had seen a few ponies leaving the haunted house before because they were too scared, but the crowd that just ran past seemed different. Every one of those ponies was terrified, and not in a playful way either. They looked like they were fearful for their lives.

From the open doorway, another pony came stumbling out of what must have been a bedroom. This one was a stallion, dressed like most of the other actors they had encountered in the house. However, his fancy clothes seemed to be ripped, and he had a dark red liquid on the side of his face that looked different from the fake blood they had seen thus far.

The stallion panted heavily and glanced over his shoulder into the bedroom. He then turned ahead and noticed the two pegasi standing a few feet away with confused looks on their faces.

"Sweet Celestia… run! You two need to get out of here!" He instructed urgently as he ran over to them, nearly tripping over himself.

"Uh… don’t you think you're laying it on a bit thick, buddy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"What?" The stallion skewed his expression briefly before shaking his head. "No, you don’t understand! This isn't part of the show! This… this is-"

A faint growl came from the bedroom, cutting the stallion off and drawing everyone’s attention away.

The three ponies looked over just in time to see a shadow starting to form along the ground. The shadow got closer and closer, accompanied by the sound of something walking and some deep heavy breathing.

Seeing this, the stallion widened his eyes and all the color left his face. He yelped fearfully and scrambled to get away, leaving the two pegasi staring at him warily.

"Run! Run for your lives!" The stallion screamed behind him.

Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt watched the stallion leaving for a moment before gradually looking at each other, and then at the open doorway.

The shadow on the ground grew and grew until finally, another shape came out.

It was hard to make out details in the low light, but the pair could definitely make out the two glowing red dots staring back at them. There were hints of wings, gray fur, and stringy hair, but its body looked off somehow.

Blue Bolt took a step back as the figure appeared. "Woah… that’s new." He said hesitantly. It was unlike any costume he had ever seen.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash twitched an eyebrow warily as a dripping sound pricked her ears. She could faintly see some kind of liquid falling to the floor in droplets off of the figure's mouth. A faint metallic smell hit her nose around the same time she made out the outline of numerous jagged teeth on the figure.

"Uh… Blue, maybe we should turn back?" She suggested quietly.

"Why?" Blue Bolt said, looking to his friend a bit confused. "I thought you weren't scared?"

"Ssshh…" Rainbow Dash hushed the stallion and pulled him back a few steps, taking care not to make sudden movements. "Blue… don’t panic, but I think that might not be a costume." She whispered tensely.

Blue Bolt narrowed his eyes slightly. "Huh? What do you mean? You're saying that that thing is…"

The stallion paused abruptly as a low growl made the hairs on his tail stand up. Both ponies slowly looked ahead, only to find the shadowy figure looking right at them. It stepped forward into the light from a nearby window, revealing a faint glimpse of wrinkled skin, sunken eyes, and sharp teeth covered in blood.

"...real…?" Blue Bolt squeaked.

Without warning, the figure let out a fierce roar and darted forward.

Rainbow Dash and Blue Bolt screamed in unison as death incarnate lunged at them.

The cyan mare shoved her friend out of the way before jumping back as the creature snapped at where she just was with a mouth full of teeth. Undeterred from the slight setback, the beast jumped at the elusive pegasus with hooves outstretched, catching her off guard and sending her into the wall.

"AH!" Rainbow yelped as she shot her hooves up to push the thing away. The creature made a lunge for her neck with a violent fervor that could only come from a hunter closing in on its prey. She managed to hold it at bay, but her forelegs immediately threatened to give out under the beast’s immense strength.

Just as she prepared for her flesh being ripped into, Rainbow Dash was suddenly freed as the creature was kicked off of her with a mighty yell.

"Get off her!" Blue Bolt glared intensely at the beast as it bounced along the floor.

The creature settled to a stop against the far wall, letting out an agitated snarl as it smacked into the wood. As it stood up and barked like a wild dog, the ponies got a full look at its gnashing teeth sending blood spattering off in the full moonlight streaming in through the nearby window.

Blue Bolt reeled back slightly as he got a good look at the creature. Even Rainbow Dash was disturbed by its monstrous appearance.

"Are you ok?" Blue asked, stealing a concerned glance to his friend while adopting a lowered stance and facing the malformed beast.

Rainbow Dash nodded, a bit shaken by her close encounter. "Yeah… thanks."

"What do we do about this thing?" Blue Bolt asked tensely.

"I don’t know!" Rainbow replied. "I'm not exactly an expert at this kind of thing, Blue. Just don't die!"

"Sage advice as usual, Rainbow!" Blue Bolt stated before looking over and widening his eyes as the creature leaped at him. He dodged to the side, even giving a beat of his wings to get away faster, causing his hat and monocle to fall off.

The creature landed just after Blue Bolt in the spot he was just in. It turned and snapped at him, forcing the stallion to back away.

"Hey, ugly! Over here!" Rainbow Dash taunted loudly, fluttering up near the ceiling and waving her forelegs to get the creature’s attention.

Hearing a different victim, the feral pony jerked its head to look up at the cyan mare hovering in the air and snarled.

Blue Bolt watched as the creature ignored him and went after Rainbow Dash. It leaped up at her and snapped with its jaws, nearly catching one of her hind legs and eliciting her to tuck in her limbs and hug the ceiling.

"Blue, get out of here!" Rainbow said, pointing to the door they came from urgently.

Blue Bolt reeled back at the mare’s request. "Are you crazy?! I'm not leaving you here with that thing!"

Rainbow started to reply, when the creature jumped even higher to reach her. She narrowly escaped, only to look behind her as she backed into the wall.

The creature jumped again, certain that it would have its prey. It would have connected with the cyan pony if she didn't kick out a hind leg, catching it in the side of the head.

Rainbow Dash grinned triumphantly as she watched the beast flop to the floor and heard a snap from its neck. Her smile faded as the creature got back up and snapped its head back into place without so much as a yelp.

"Oh, that's just great!" She exclaimed nervously.

The feral pony growled and barked up at the pesky pegasus. It started to make another leap at her, when it was suddenly shoved into the wall from behind by Blue Bolt.

While the creature was stunned, Blue Bolt quickly spun around and delivered a strong kick to the back of its head. A bone-rattling noise came as the beast’s head collided with the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster.

Blue looked on in surprise as the creature got back up, seemingly unfazed by his attack.

"How durable is this thing?!" He asked, backing up cautiously as the beast turned toward him. He prepared to dodge as it bolted at him, only to watch as a cyan blur slammed into it from above.

Rainbow Dash flopped her full weight onto the creature as it collapsed to the floor. She wrapped her forelegs around it and tried her best to keep it on the ground.

"Help me hold it!" She pleaded.

Blue Bolt rushed forward to assist his friend, only to reel back as the creature’s head shot up and barked at him.

He watched uneasily as Rainbow Dash held on while the creature stood up. It tried spinning around and biting at her like a dog chasing its tail, only to resort to bucking after that didn’t work.

"Holy hay…" Blue Bolt backed up hesitantly as the creature stomped and jumped and bit at the mare on its back. He wanted to help her, but he was afraid anything he did might have made her situation worse.

"Gah… Th… this thing's… s-strong!" Rainbow Dash stammered, not out of fear, but from the creature’s attempts at bucking her off.

"What should I do?" Blue asked in a concerned manner.

"I don’t know… My… gah… my plan kind of went out the window!" Rainbow replied.

Suddenly, a look of revelation came over Blue Bolt’s face. "Out the window! You're a genius, Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow skewed her expression in brief confusion. “What…?” She said, unsure if the stallion wasn't making sense because of her brain being jostled back and forth, or if he just wasn't making sense. However, after a moment, she got it. “Oh… out the window! Haha, yeah! I’m totally taking credit for that idea!”

Meanwhile, the stallion shifted his attention to the windows along the wall, only to have his heart sink at what he saw.

There were bars on every one of the windows. They didn’t look too solid, most likely a prop from the haunted house, but they did look strong enough to impede any normal escape attempts.

"Dangit… that won't work! There's bars in the way!" Blue cursed.

“Can you take them off?!” Rainbow asked, growing more urgent as she struggled to keep herself tied to the proverbial tiger.

“I don’t know… they look pretty stuck on there!”

“Well, figure it out! I don’t know how much longer I can keep this thing busy!” Rainbow stated through clenched teeth.

*CRACK*

Out of nowhere, the creature stopped what it was doing and twisted its head around with a violent pop. It barked at the cyan mare and glared at her with the glow in its eyes intensifying.

“AHH!” Rainbow Dash yelped and let go of the creature, falling back to the floor roughly. Ignoring her painful landing, she scrambled backward and stared ahead with wide eyes as the feral pony stared back, despite facing away from her.

The creature growled at the prone pony before turning around and limply snapping its head back the right way. It took a few steps toward her until a blue blur smacked into it from the side, shoving it to the ground once more.

Blue Bolt panted briefly and glanced over to see his friend getting to her hooves. “We really need an exit strategy here, Rainbow. We can’t beat this thing.”

“Look out!” Rainbow exclaimed, diving into the stallion and pushing him to the floor just in time for the creature to sail over both their heads. She glanced down at him and shared an appreciative look before turning toward the beast. “But yeah… I see your point. This freak is too fast and too persistent for us to just run for it.”

Blue Bolt nodded uneasily. Before he could get a chance to add anything, however, Rainbow Dash pulled him up by his shirt and helped him dart to the side as a blur of gnashing teeth and glowing eyes galloped at them like a bull charging a pair of matadors.

Racing to come up with some kind of plan of action, the stallion shifted his attention to the bedroom off to the side and the door hanging open like an invitation, an idea popping into his head as he did.

“Follow me!” Blue exclaimed, taking the cyan mare by the hoof and running for it.

Rainbow Dash stole a tense glance behind her as she heard the sound of interrupted snarls and pants. She saw the disfigured beast rushing after her with renewed vigor. If it had lost any stamina in their fight, it wasn't showing any signs of it as it charged forward like a murder machine.

The two pegasi ran as fast as their steadily depleting stores of energy would allow. With a nightmare made real hot on their tails, they bolted into the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

Blue Bolt put his back against the door and cringed as a loud impact shook the very frame and nearly knocked him forward slightly. An agitated howl and some scratching noises came from behind the door as the creature doubtlessly tried clawing its way in with its bare hooves, uncaring of whatever pain such an endeavor might have incurred.

He looked up to his friend and flashed a nervous smile. “Having fun now?” He panted.

“Oh yeah, this place is really top-notch. Remind me to come back next year.” Rainbow Dash flattened her expression at the stallion before looking around.

The bedroom was plenty fancy looking and plenty creepy in its own right. There was a king-sized bed against the back wall behind them with some small steps leading up to it and a hole-ridden canopy surrounding it. Underneath the crimson sheets was a lump that seemed to be a prop of some sort, which made a repeated movement every few moments.

A wardrobe stood off to the side just outside of a line of moonlight from a window. The door was slightly ajar, and a monstrous-looking claw was holding onto the edge with a glowing yellow eye peering out unblinking. This would have been somewhat unnerving, but there were far scarier things outside of the room for the pair to deal with.

However, the scariest thing in the room didn’t seem to be part of the act.

Rainbow Dash widened her eyes as she saw a pegasus stallion lying in a pool of blood. His clothes were torn to shreds, and his face was contorted in his final moments of pain and panic. There was another door a few feet away that had seemingly slammed open, with some wooden splinters on the ground from something breaking off. The stallion seemed to have been thrown or dragged through the door, as the puddle of blood had a smaller trail that led out of the room.

“Sweet Celestia…” She frowned sympathetically for the fallen pony before looking back to Blue Bolt and the door he was guarding. “We need to find Sunspot… or, or Tom or someone. We can’t let that thing get out into the city… it would be a bloodbath.” She said softly, more than a hint of disturbance crossing her face as she thought about the grim possibilities.

Blue Bolt nodded tensely. “Yeah, well… we need to make it out of here alive first.”

“Heh… we’ve been in worse scrapes before. Remember the timberwolves?” Rainbow produced a small smile, hoping to keep morale high in spite of her shocked nerves. Her companion couldn’t tell if she was trying to make him feel better or trying to make herself feel better.

“I think I would actually prefer timberwolves right now. I can’t believe I just said that.” Blue said, cringing softly as the door behind him rattled some more with a muffled growl.

Suddenly, the noises against the door ceased entirely.

The two ponies eyed around while listening intently, only to find a strangely uncomfortable silence in the air. They shared an uncertain look with each other, which only grew more confused the longer things went without any sign of the creature.

“Did it… leave?” Rainbow tilted her head and crinkled her eyes in disbelief.

“Wait, hold on…” Blue said, holding an ear to the door and listening closely.

Several seconds went by with nothing happening. No growls, no hoofsteps, no scratches. Nothing. The silence was suffocating.

“I think it might be gone.” Blue Bolt whispered.

“Yeah, or it’s waiting for us,” Rainbow replied, a bit of anxiousness bleeding through her hushed voice.

Blue Bolt carefully got up, still keeping his body pressed against the door. He glanced around before settling his eyes on the open doorway on the other side of the bedroom. He then turned to his friend.

“On three… we’re going to make a break for that door and run to the nearest exit. Ok?” He said, having to take pains to go slow so she could understand with him being so quiet.

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly, preparing herself for another bout of running for her life.

“One…” Blue mouthed, bobbing his head once.

“Two…” Rainbow nodded as well, tensing the muscles in her hind legs and twitching her wings.

Then, just as the stallion was about to finish the countdown, there was a rapid noise of hooves against the floor outside.

A loud crash rang out, followed by the breaking of wood and a loud snarl. Rainbow Dash watched, stunned and barely processing what she was seeing from how fast it happened, as Blue Bolt yelped and sailed past her with a dark shape on top of him.

Time seemed to slow down as she turned her head to find the creature on top of the stallion at the side of the bed. It produced a vicious hiss and lunged its gaping maw down into Blue Bolt’s neck.

There was a wet sound like moist newspaper tearing, a strangled noise of pain, and a spurt of red.

Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop as her jaw dropped open and her stunned shock was replaced by fear.

“NO!” She yelled, leaping forward with reckless abandon and tackling the feral pony.

The cyan mare tumbled head over tail with the creature as the both of them rolled off of Blue Bolt. She felt herself losing her grip on the beast and sliding forward from her momentum before she smacked into a wall and bumped her head on a windowsill.

She looked up, only to find the monster a short distance away and already recovering. Rainbow raised up, sliding her back along the wall before coming to a stop over the window behind her. She darted her eyes back at it before shifting them forward to see the creature preparing for a lunge.

With a powerful jump and a loud bark, the feral pony reached for the cyan pegasus with its jaw open wide. Just before it made contact with her, she dove to the side, leaving the beast to slam into the window and keep going as the fake bars and glass broke.

Rainbow Dash listened and paused as the creature’s surprised howl was cut short by the sound of flesh being pierced. She poked her head up and looked outside, only to reel back slightly in surprise as she saw the beast impaled on a jagged fencepost.

The metallic pole was jutting through the creature’s chest cavity, right around where the heart would be. It was still and unmoving for a second before it rocked its head back and clenched its limbs as its body started burning up around the wound.

With a pained howl fading into the night, Rainbow watched as a flurry of embers were taken by the wind, taking any trace of the creature with them.

Right around now, a triumphant feeling of victory should have been welling up inside her, but instead, her heart was only filled with panicked concern as she turned around.

“Blue!” She cried as she rushed over to her friend on the ground. The sight of the stallion’s neck pouring blood from a gaping wound sent a wave of dread through her as she rested her hooves on his chest.

Blue Bolt clutched at his injury and looked up to see the cyan mare. He opened his mouth to try and speak, but all that came out was a slight croak and a sputter that left a trickle of blood to run down his chin.

“Rh… R..ain..bow…” He strained.

“No… No!” Rainbow’s voice cracked as she saw how gravely her friend was injured. She grabbed one of his hooves and held it tightly in her own, her eyes starting to threaten tears. “This can’t be happening… this… this can’t…” Her breathing quickened to match her heart rate, and she felt like her head was spinning.

Pressing her shaky hooves to desperately try and stop the bleeding, Rainbow Dash looked into the stallion’s already pale face and tried to keep her jaw from trembling as she spoke.

“Stay with me, Blue! You’ve… y-you’ve come back from worse. Remember the forest?” She said, forcing a smile before her expression fell as she barely got a reaction. She turned toward either of the doorways, a look of desperation in her eyes. “HELP! SOMEPONY!” She shouted, only to receive no response.

Feeling something weakly brushing against her soaked hooves, Rainbow looked down to see Blue Bolt trying to grab onto her with little success. She spared a hoof and grabbed the limp foreleg before it fell, looking up to see him staring at her with a sad look behind the pain in his eyes. He seemed unable to speak, and he was barely breathing.

“No… no, no, no! Don’t do this to me… please.” Rainbow hiccupped and let two streams of tears drop down her face and onto the stallion’s already bloodstained costume. She tightened her grip on his hoof and let out a silent sob. “You… y-you can’t die… not now. I was… we… we were just getting back to knowing each other again. I… I-I…”

Rainbow Dash paused as she felt the tiny grip on her hoof fade. She looked up, a gasp catching in her throat as she saw a small reflection of herself in empty blue eyes. A slack expression was stuck on Blue Bolt’s face.

She stared ahead, unmoving for several seconds. Her agape jaw started to tremble, and a fresh set of tears welled up in her eyes. Her throat spasmed and a broken sputter made it past as she pressed her lips together and clenched her eyes shut, trying to reject the wave of emotion about to take her, as if allowing it to hit would be like admitting that this was really happening.

After fighting to ignore the mental image of her motionless friend for so long, she peeked open her eyes slowly. She found him unchanged since she last checked, no rise and fall of his chest, and no movement other than the slight drainage of blood from his neck.

Finally, she fell forward slightly, letting her hooves fall to either side of the stallion and onto the bloodstained floor, and released a mournful wail that echoed through the halls of the mansion. Although the haunted house was mostly empty by now, any who would have heard the sound would feel their spines chilled far more than anything the attraction could have produced.

Chapter 26: Problems, Past and Present

Outside of Celestia’s bedroom, Shining Armor and Sunspot waited and watched the doors anxiously as Glitterball examined the princess within. They were confident the unicorn was safe from her previous preparations, and at any rate, they hadn’t heard any disconcerting noises.

Sunspot tapped a hoof against the floor restlessly. She knew that there wasn't much she could do if she did try to assist her friend. Glitter was always the more medically inclined of the group, ever since Peppermint died of course. Still, she couldn’t help but think the worst for the pale alicorn.

“You really think that remedy you guys found will work?” Shining spoke up, breaking the pegasus from her troubled thoughts.

Sunspot lifted a corner of her mouth and gave a half shrug. “Glitter seemed confident in it.”

“I don’t see how a few plants and random stuff can stave off a vampire’s hunger… but then again, there was a time not too long ago that I didn’t think vampires existed at all,” Shining said, shaking his head at the thought of how crazy his life had gotten recently.

“I just hope it works…” Sunspot paused abruptly as hoofsteps came from down the hall.

Both them and the two guards turned to see Twilight and Fluttershy hurrying over. The two mares slowed down and glanced at the doors before settling their eyes on the pair.

"How is she?" Twilight asked, worry showing in her eyes.

"Glitterball is in there examining her and giving her something to deal with the thirst." Shining Armor explained.

"She can do that?" Fluttershy tilted her head curiously.

"We're hoping." Sunspot said. She then noticed the small box the purple mare was carrying around, a bit of curiosity nagging at her. “What’s that?”

Twilight glanced at the package. “Oh, this? It’s… umm…” She paused uncomfortably, and although she didn’t mean for it, Shining noticed her trailing her eyes to the side ever so slightly, lost to her thoughts. “It’s… something Tom left for me.” She admitted.

Sunspot’s expression dropped along with her jaw. “Oh… Twilight, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight said, managing to keep a somewhat composed air about her. “I’m just… not sure if I’m ready to open it.”

“You want me to hold onto it for you?” Shining offered softly.

“Would you?” Twilight asked, floating the box toward him before pausing hesitantly. He gently took it and nudged it out of her aura with his own before bringing it close and offering her a slight smile.

“I’ll keep it safe for you… Just come see me whenever you’re ready.” He said.

Twilight’s features brightened ever so slightly as she smiled at her brother. She could always count on her BBBFF to help her through even the toughest of times.

Just then, the group looked up as they heard more hoofsteps coming toward them from the opposite direction. They looked over, and much to their surprise, they saw Cadence walking towards them, assisting a familiar blue alicorn in staying upright.

The ponies frowned as they saw how weak Luna seemed. Fluttershy and Sunspot in particular were shocked to see the scope of her bandages and exhaustion for the first time since they left.

“Princess… what are you doing out of bed?” Twilight asked, hurrying forward and getting on the other side of the exhausted alicorn to help her walk.

Shining looked at his wife with a disappointed frown. “Cadence, I thought you were watching her?”

“I was.” Cadence replied, her eyes soft and holding more than a bit of regret. “But she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“And you didn’t restrain her?” Sunspot tilted her head. “Just look at her. She looks like she would fall over in a light breeze.”

Hearing this, Luna managed a smirk under her fatigued grimace. “Ha… it is going to take more than a breeze… to keep me from seeing my sister.” She said before cringing slightly as she put weight on her back leg. Twilight leaned into her more to help take the weight off.

“Well, I wish you would have at least waited a little while. Right now, nopony is seeing her until Glitter gets done-” Shining started, until the sound of the doors cracking open forced him to pause.

Everyone looked over to see a somber-looking polkadot-maned unicorn poking her head out of the room. Glitterball surveyed the group, taking a moment to show surprise at the sight of Luna, before stepping out and closing the doors behind her.

“How is she?” Twilight asked on behalf of the group. “Is she ok… is the thirst gone?”

Glitterball tensed her mouth a bit, seemingly a failed attempt at forcing a smile, before flattening her expression. “I think so.”

“You… think so?” Sunspot cocked an eyebrow downward.

“When she first woke up… she was really tired and sore. I suppose that’s a side effect of Tom’s blood being injected into her system. She could barely talk for a while, but from what I got out of her, she didn’t seem thirsty. After she got her strength back, I gave her the remedy… She growled at me a bit right before I gave it to her, but then she mellowed out. I think that means it worked.” Glitterball reported hesitantly.

“Can we see her?” Twilight asked.

Glitter frowned as she saw how desperate the group was to see the alicorn. “Strictly speaking… I think she could still be dangerous. There’s no telling how long the remedy will last if it even worked at all. I can have some more prepared, but I really don’t feel comfortable giving her any more unless we absolutely need to. That stuff would be toxic to a normal pony… and it has traces of silver in it, so it might even be toxic to her.”

Much to Twilight and Cadence’s surprise, they felt Luna step away from them, standing on her own four legs and walking up to Glitterball with a soft expression.

“Glitterball… would it be harmful to her if we saw her?” Luna asked, resting a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder.

Glitterball trailed her eyes away uncomfortably and bit her lip. She then sighed and lowered her head before looking up to the princess of the night. “It wouldn’t hurt her… not physically, anyway. Just… be careful if she starts acting weird.”

“Thank you.” Luna smiled at the unicorn before turning to the others. “Forgive me, but may I request that you all wait a while longer?” She asked, looking at Shining Armor, Fluttershy, and Sunspot. “I know you wish to see her… but I think that it would be best if we were to have a private conversation first.” She glanced at Twilight and Cadence.

“Of course.” Shining Armor nodded.

Fluttershy smiled a bit. “Please, take all the time you need.”

“We’ll be out here if you need anything,” Sunspot added.

Meanwhile, Twilight seemed a bit surprised. “Princess, are you sure you don’t want me to wait outside? I mean… she is your family. You two should get to see her first.” She glanced at Cadence, who wore a slight frown.

Luna merely put a hoof on the young unicorn’s shoulder. “Twilight Sparkle… you may not be related to us by blood, but I would be remiss to say that you are not part of this family.”

Hearing this, Twilight felt a warm tug at her heart. She smiled, uncaring of how flush her face was getting, as Cadence initiated a hug for the both of them.

Glitterball watched as the trio walked up to her, ready and eager to be let inside. She still had a bit of a concerned expression as she looked at Luna and Cadence. “I just wanted to warn you… this is the first time you’re seeing her like this. It might be a little shocking.”

Luna looked over to Cadence, who offered her a confident nod in return, before turning back to the unicorn. “We appreciate the concern, Glitterball, but we will be fine.”

Glitter exhaled tensely. “Ok…” She then grabbed one of the doors and swung it open, gesturing the trio inside.

Twilight shared one last look at her friends and her brother before helping Cadence walk Luna inside. Glitterball stepped outside and closed the door behind them, and now there was no turning back.

The room around them was dark, possibly due to Celestia’s newfound sensitivity to light. There was, however, moonlight coming in through the glass doors to the balcony, softly illuminating the area and painting deep shadows over the corners of the bedroom.

And there, sitting on the edge of her bed, was Celestia herself. Her head was hung low, and her form was mostly painted in shadow from one of her bedposts, but even in the low light, the trio could see her pale fur and washed-out mane.

Celestia slowly lifted her head and looked over to her new visitors. Her red eyes fixated on them, seemingly glowing softly.

A slight gasp escaped Cadence as she put a hoof up to her mouth. Luna managed to internalize her reaction, but she couldn’t stop herself from staring ahead with wide eyes.

"Luna… Cadence." Celestia spoke up softly. However, as she noticed the purple unicorn next to the pair, her already somber expression fell even further. "Twilight…" She moved forward, getting off the bed and onto the floor with a metallic clink. It was around that time that the trio noticed the pair of shackles around her forelegs.

"Princess…" Twilight muttered, leaving Luna with Cadence so she could move forward slowly.

The pale alicorn met her student halfway. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, neither one sure of what to do or say. Luna and Cadence wondered if either of them would ever make the first move, until finally, Twilight reached out and wrapped her forelegs around her mentor.

Celestia took a moment and then brought a hoof up as far as she could and rested it against the unicorn’s side. "I'm so sorry, Twilight…" She quaked, thinking back to when she nearly killed her faithful student and tearing up.

"It wasn’t your fault," Twilight said, a slight shake to her voice as well. "I'm just glad you're back."

"Sister," Luna spoke after giving the pair a moment. "How do you feel?"

Celestia looked up to see Cadence and Luna approaching. She softened her eyes as she looked down to her own bound hooves. "All things considered… I’m doing better than I was. The thirst is gone… for the moment, anyway."

"That is good." Luna smiled before cringing again and clutching a hoof to her stomach.

Celestia frowned as she saw the state her sister was in. "You should be resting, sister. I'm amazed you can even stand after what Dusk did to you."

"I am fine… Right now, we should be concerned about your health, not mine." Luna said.

"Celestia," Cadence spoke up, a slight air of curiosity to her voice, "who is Dusk? Why did he want to do all of this to you?"

Celestia trailed her eyes down. She could see hesitant looks on their faces, but at the same time, she could tell that they wanted to know. "I suppose you all deserve an explanation…" She sighed. "Very well."

Twilight and the two alicorns waited for a moment as Celestia gathered her thoughts. She seemed almost hesitant to tell them.

"Twilight… I’m certain you realize that I have had students before you." Celestia said.

"Of course," Twilight replied before narrowing her expression a bit. "Wait… you don’t mean-"

"I'm afraid I do mean. Dusk was my student… and not only that, he was my first student." Celestia explained.

Luna adopted a confused and uneasy expression as she looked to the pale mare. "Sister… you never mentioned him before."

"That is because, much like your banishment to the moon, it is one of the greatest moments of shame in my life," Celestia said. She sighed and turned to look out of the balcony doors at the pale orb still hanging in the Canterlot sky. "It was a few days after I banished you. I was in… shall we say, a bad place. I had just lost you… my connection with the Elements of Harmony was severed, and on top of everything, I had to face ruling Equestria alone for the first time. Then… I stumbled upon a young alicorn that had just lost both of his parents in a terrible fire."

"Dusk," Twilight muttered to herself. She paused and lowered her eyes in thought before looking back up to her mentor. "But… Princess, I didn’t think there were any other alicorns in Equestria."

"It is true that the fourth race has always been a rarity. However, there were a few more of us back in the day. Almost all of them died through various circumstances over the years. Dusk’s family was one of the only others left after our parents died so long ago." Celestia’s mouth curled down as she glanced to Luna. "I knew of them… but they mostly kept to themselves. They were aristocrats, however, so word of the fire at their estate reached me quickly."

The princess sighed as she continued. “Dusk was a bright young soul, much like you, Twilight. He had remarkable talent and drive to study magic. However… he also had other, more troubling... aspects to him. I came to learn that he had a fascination for life and death, and a strong lack of empathy for others.”

She grew quieter as she thought back to her time with the brown stallion.

“He would… use animals in his magical experiments, with little regard for their safety. That was around the time I started to figure out how he really was, but I was so desperate to do something right… to steer someone away from the negative aspects of their life, as I had failed to do before, that I simply reprimanded him and moved on.”

“That sounds awful…” Cadence frowned at the thought.

“Unfortunately, it got worse,” Celestia said. “For a few weeks, there would be missing ponies reported in and around the city. It was mostly the impoverished, and those that had a criminal background. Then…” She trailed her eyes away. “I found him torturing somepony.”

“That explains so much,” Twilight muttered to herself, suppressing a shudder as she thought back to how the alicorn stared at her like she was just a pet. “He mentioned you doing something to him… what did he mean?”

“Well… naturally, I was shocked to learn everything he had done. But, I was too heartbroken to imprison him or… other such punishments. The only thing I could bring myself to do was to strip him of his alicorn magic.” Celestia explained.

“I’ll bet he took that well.” Cadence commented blatantly.

Meanwhile, Twilight narrowed her expression. “Wh… you took away his… alicorn magic? You can just do that?”

Celestia set her mouth in a grim line. “It is a very powerful spell… one that I have made sure was forgotten to time.”

“Ok…” Twilight blinked, a bit disquieted by the notion of the princess wielding such a troubling spell. “So, I take it that taking away his magic made him… mortal?”

Luna half-smiled. “Alicorns are hardly immortal, Twilight. We can be killed just like any normal pony. It’s just that time loses its effect on us after we reach maturity.”

“So that’s how you live so long.” Twilight nodded in revelation.

“Precisely,” Celestia said. “Which is why I deemed it fit to remove Dusk’s magic and banish him from Equestria. I had hoped that he would have lived out the rest of his days in solitude and quietly disappear in the sands of time… but it seems that my naivety has returned to plague me.”

Twilight frowned sympathetically as she watched her mentor looking at her own pale hooves. She couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like to be a stranger in her own body.

Luna burned with a desire to comfort her sister, but she wasn't sure what to say. She always thought that since she returned, she had gotten close with her sister, to where Celestia could confide in her about anything again, but apparently, the older mare felt that some things were too shameful to speak of.

Around that time, the door behind them cracked open. The group turned to see Glitterball poking her head into the room, wearing a hesitant frown.

"Sorry to interrupt… but I really think we need to have a talk about what we’re going to do next." Glitter said, paying particular attention to the pale alicorn.

"Right…" Luna cleared her throat and thoughts as she turned to the white unicorn. "You are most correct, Glitterball."

"Did you guys find the cure?" Twilight asked, inching closer to the white mare eagerly.

Glitterball wrinkled her expression slightly, immediately replacing Twilight’s eagerness with unease. "We did… but there's a problem."

"A problem?" Cadence parroted, glancing to Celestia with more than a hint of concern in her eyes. "Wh… what kind of problem?"

"Well," Glitter rubbed her foreleg up and down as she struggled to find a way to explain. Finally, she sighed and faced the group. "The cure requires a certain ingredient. Ground-up petals… from a flower that only blooms in daylight."

Twilight’s face paled as she looked to her mentor with wide eyes. "Oh no…"

"It's not as bad as you're thinking," Glitterball assured before deflating slightly. "We do have some of these petals on hoof. They can be used in other magical applications… but, we only have enough for one dose."

"That’s good… isn't it?" Twilight asked. "We can just give it to her and she can raise the sun so we can get another dose for that mare you found."

The idea seemed sound, but judging from Glitterball’s expression, they were still worried.

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple either. Even with daylight, these flowers are rare. They don't even grow this late in the year. It could take days for us to find more… and in that time, I'm afraid that Scribble might give out from hunger." Glitter explained.

"But… what about the remedy you gave Celestia?" Cadence asked, looking a bit desperate. She hadn’t even met the peach mare, but she didn't want anyone else to die.

Glitterball frowned softly. "Assuming it worked for that long, it wouldn’t matter. Vampires need blood to survive… they can go for a day or two without it, but not much longer. That remedy gets rid of the instinct to feed… but it doesn't change the way their bodies work."

Twilight, Cadence, and Luna all had their expressions fall as they realized the predicament they were in. In order to save Celestia, they would have to sacrifice another life.

"There must be another way." Luna insisted. "That poor girl has been through enough. We rescued her… she should be safe with us."

"I'm sorry… I can’t think of any other solution. This is the only cure in the books." Glitterball explained, her eyes trembling with regret.

Cadence sighed and lowered her head to the floor, letting her ears droop. "It can't be helped. We need the sun if we're going to have even a remote chance of beating Dusk. As much as I hate to say it… we need to give the cure to-"

"Give it to Scribble," Celestia spoke up.

Cadence and everyone else paused and turned to see the pale alicorn staring ahead solemnly. She didn't have an ounce of doubt or worry on her face.

"Sister…" Luna muttered, at a loss for any other words.

Cadence stepped toward her aunt, unable to hide the concern in her face. "Celestia, you can't be serious. I don’t like this any more than you do, but we have no other choice."

"It's my choice to make, and I say there is another choice," Celestia said, standing up to meet her niece's gaze. "My body will last longer than hers. I can hold out until we find more of those flowers."

"But… we need the sun to-" Cadence started frantically, only to be interrupted.

"I can still raise the sun," Celestia said.

Twilight caught a gasp. "Princess… what are you saying? You'll die if you go in sunlight!"

Celestia merely looked at her student and flashed her usual confident smile. "I never said anything about exposing myself to sunlight."

Twilight cocked her head to the side, utterly confused. "Huh?"
.
..
…
A few minutes later, Cadence and Luna sat alone with Celestia in her chambers.

There were thick curtains placed over the balcony doors, blocking out any and all views outside.

Celestia tugged the blanket strewn over her head, creating a small crevice to poke her horn out of. She looked to her sister and niece, a bit of an amused smile forming as she noted her ridiculous appearance.

Cadence smirked as well as she saw the pale muzzle poking out at her. She then lowered her expression and tensed her jaw. "Are you sure about this? Even if this works, it will be really hard on you to go so long without sustenance."

Celestia reached a hoof up, briefly clinking it against the cuffs around her forelegs before the pink alicorn levitated a key over to the lock and released the restraints, allowing her aunt to put a hoof on her shoulder.

"I am as sure of this as I have ever been about anything," Celestia assured. She then turned to her sister and nodded toward the balcony. "Are you ready, Luna?"

Luna smiled before a twinge of pain forced a cringe. She didn't want to admit it, but lowering the moon right now was going to be just as hard for her as raising the sun was going to be for the pale alicorn. Still, she forced a confident expression to her face and gave a quick nod.

"I am ready whenever you are, sister."

Celestia’s mouth dropped with concern, but she patted her sister on the foreleg anyway and turned around.

As the two royal sisters walked up to the balcony and opened the doors, Cadence anxiously followed behind, stopping just before the doors and keeping another blanket at the ready with her magic. She watched as the pair walked all the way to the edge and looked out at the city and the countryside below, and the night sky above.

Luna glanced back to Cadence, who gave her a semi-confident nod. She then looked up to Celestia, who seemed the most prepared out of all of them.

At last, she looked up to her moon before lighting up her horn. The reach of her magic extended into the heavens, connecting with her beautiful symbol of power and tugging it downward. The night had gone on for long enough. It was time for the sun to return.

Celestia watched as Luna grit her teeth, struggling to get the moon moving with how fatigued she was. However, soon enough, the pale orb jerked under the horizon, leaving the sky a dark void of black.

Taking a deep breath, Celestia lit up her horn as well. The familiar warmth of the sun-washed over her as she felt it beneath the horizon.

However, the pleasant tingle she usually felt was different this time. It felt foreign. There was a slight sting to it, like it didn’t recognize her and was silently telling her to stop, to keep her from meddling with power that was more than she could take.

Ignoring this sensation, Celestia shared one last glance with Luna before pulling the blanket close to her face and averting her eyes as she bade her golden orb to rise.

All at once, the horizon split with shades of yellow and blue as light pierced the air. The freezing cold that had pervaded the night lessened as the warm glow shone down, bathing all of the creatures that called Equestria home in its brilliance.

Not every creature was ready to face the warm glow, however.

Almost the instant the sun rose, a sizzling sound came from the slight cracks in Celestia’s fluffy armor as her body started burning.

"AHH!" She yelped, recoiling backward. Her hooves were exposed as she moved, causing them to steam as well.

"Sister!" Luna widened her eyes. She rushed forward, trying her best to block any rays hitting the pale mare with her body.

"Get her inside!" Cadence shouted, throwing the other blanket up and spreading it out, keeping it between Celestia and the sun.

The two alicorns rushed the sizzling princess into the bedroom before closing the doors and shutting the curtains, sheltering her away from her own sun.

They stepped back and looked to the white mare, faces full of alarm. Celestia panted briefly as the steaming stopped. After a moment, she lowered her makeshift hood, revealing reddened fur that quickly started fading back to her previous shade of pale white.

Celestia exhaled softly, letting her shoulders relax as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "You know… I'm not certain who that sunrise hurt more. Me, or all of the roosters across Equestria." She jested, managing a slight chuckle.

Luna let out a tiny giggle as well, which quickly grew into full-blown laughter alongside her sister and niece. She then reached forward and wrapped her sister up into a warm hug. Cadence joined in soon after, and for the first time since the events of last night happened, they were actually happy about something.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Glitterball and Sunspot had escorted Scribble away from any windows and placed her in a room where they could create the cure.

The peach mare watched as the pair went to and fro, gathering and preparing various strange ingredients and doing all manner of things to them. Liquids boiled in beakers, powders were ground and mixed in bowls.

Glitterball took an empty syringe and walked over to her pale patient with a bit of a sympathetic look on her face.

"What’s that for?" Scribble asked nervously, though she could already guess the answer.

Glitter frowned softly as she looked to the syringe. "Sorry, but one of the things we need is blood from the afflicted individual… which in this case, is you."

"Look at it this way. A little poke from us is better than you giving someone else a big poke." Sunspot reasoned.

"Umm… I guess." Scribble furrowed a brow at the pegasus before turning to Glitter and sighing tensely. "Whatever it takes." She lifted a foreleg and held it out before turning and covering her face with the other.

Glitterball quickly prepared the pale pony’s foreleg, swabbing it with alcohol and tying a strap around it. She then felt around for a vein and hovered the needle up with her magic.

A slight squeak from the peach mare made Glitter look over to see her quickly covering her eyes again from peeking. The timid reaction was a bit strange coming from such a terrifying-looking pony with red eyes and fangs, but it melted Glitter's heart nonetheless.

"I'll be as gentle as I can." She assured.

Scribble merely nodded, still hiding her eyes.

With all the care of a seasoned nurse, Glitterball inserted the needle into Scribble’s foreleg. The sensation of pain was lessened from her unnatural state, but it was still enough to cause a slight flinch.

Soon enough, the syringe was filling up with discolored blood. The dark liquid almost seemed to thicken and congeal slightly as it left her body, creating some difficulty in getting the syringe full.

“Sunspot, could you bring that bowl with the silver mixture over here?” Glitter asked as she removed the needle and untied the strap from Scribble’s limb. She was preparing to put a bandage over the entry site when she realized that the hole had already sealed up.

Sunspot looked over the mess of bowls and beakers they had amassed in their little work area before finding one with some kind of paste and silver shavings in it. “Got it.”

As the pegasus brought the bowl over, Glitter took the syringe and emptied it onto the mixture. There was a sizzle and a light amount of steam as the blood contacted the bowl, covering everything within. Much to the watching ponies’ intrigue, there was a slight glow of orange as the mixture changed from its initial gray color to a soft blue, whereupon the sizzling stopped.

“Perfect.” Glitter smiled at the seemingly random result. “It’s going just like the book said.” She walked over to the table, taking the bowl and setting it down before taking some other ingredients and mixing them in.

Scribble and Sunspot watched the unicorn at work. Sunspot yawned, while the peach mare seemed fixated on the fascinating process.

“So… this stuff is supposed to change me back to normal?” Scribble asked.

“That’s the idea.” Sunspot replied plainly.

“It should work just fine. Trust me, these books we use are the real deal.” Glitterball assured.

Scribble seemed more confused than hopeful. “But, how can I go back to normal? Aren’t I technically… dead?” She swallowed uncomfortably. “I-I mean, I had my throat slit… I don’t see how some concoction is going to fix that.”

“Trust me, kid, it’s better if you don’t overthink it. You’ll be fine.” Sunspot said, patting the pale mare on the shoulder.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. After a moment, a guard entered in, letting a slight glow of sunlight poke through the crack in the door.

“Woah…” Sunspot said, nudging Scribble away from the door as she looked outside. “I guess the princess really did it.” She smirked before turning to the guard. “What’s up?”

The guard glanced between the two members of Spirit before settling eyes on Scribble, doing a slight double-take as he did. It was certainly an odd sight to see a pale pony with fangs and red eyes chilling with the two mares, but the guards around the castle were starting to get used to the monster hunters and their odd brand of shenanigans.

“Princess Luna wants one of you to go talk with her about something.” The stallion reported.

Sunspot wrinkled her expression a bit as she turned to her companion. Glitter seemed occupied with making the cure, so it would probably be for the best if she were the one to go. “I can go see what she wants. Are you gonna need any more help?”

“I should be able to finish up without you. Go on ahead.” Glitterball said, briefly looking up from her work.

Sunspot cringed as smoke started coming from one of the beakers, eliciting a startled squeak from the unicorn as she raced to get it back under control. “Yikes… looks like it might still be a while before she gets done.” She said, glancing to the guard and the light coming from outside before turning to Scribble. “Uh… you’re gonna have to let Glitter know if you need to use the bathroom or something. Don’t want you getting a sunburn.”

“I’m fine, thanks.” Scribble smiled at the pegasus as she closed the door. The sounds of both her and the guard trotting away soon diminished, and the room fell silent once more, save for the soft bubbling and smoking of Glitterball’s workstation.

Glitter glanced over her shoulder to see the pale pony sitting politely, though there was a hint of anxiousness about her. “Guess it’s just us for a while. You want to read through one of these books while you wait?” She offered, nodding to the small stack of books she had nearby. The subject matter was perhaps a bit boring to anyone not interested in odd forms of magic, but it wasn't like they had any magazines to pass out.

“No thank you. I’ll just wait here… unless you need some help?” Scribble suggested.

Glitterball smiled a bit and shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine. Don’t worry, I’ll have you back to normal before you know it.” She said confidently before turning back to her work.

Realizing that she would be waiting for some time in such a small room, Scribble figured that she might as well get comfortable. She sat down on a nearby cushion and occupied herself with her thoughts, tapping a hoof on the floor quietly.

She couldn’t wait to surprise her brother. She had scarcely seen the young stallion since he was whisked away to get his injured leg taken care of. There was a time not too long ago that she thought that she would never get to see him again, so waiting a while longer wasn't a problem.

Looking over, the peach mare watched Glitterball working for a bit. It was almost relaxing, seeing the unicorn add ingredients to bowls and grind up plants and different items. Occasionally, the unicorn would mumble to herself, briefly thinking about the next step in the odd recipe she was following. If she couldn’t find what to do after a short period, she would consult an open book beside her and silently exclaim in revelation before moving on.

It was easy to see how skilled the monster hunters were, not that Scribble doubted for a minute. After all, they did work directly under Princess Luna.

A warm, tingly feeling welled up inside her cold, lifeless heart as she stopped tapping her hoof. She almost couldn’t believe that such important ponies would go out of their way to help her. It was incredibly humbling and heartfelt. This wouldn’t do at all. Her mother taught her to be grateful to those that helped her. She would have to help, even if it was in the smallest way.

However, as she went to get up, Scribble suddenly discovered that her body refused to react to her whims. She trailed her eyes down to her now still hooves and tried again, only to meet stiff resistance.

She couldn’t move.

Around that time, a deep tingle crept up into the back of her head, a low buzz that quickly grew in strength as her body grew faint and distant.

Scribble opened her mouth and tried to call out, but the only noise to come out was a slight expellance of air that wasn't enough to reach Glitterball, who was still working away, unaware of what was going on with her companion.

And then, a low chuckle filled her ears, sending down her back the first shiver she had felt since becoming a creature of the night.

My, my… Canterlot Castle? Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to get away from me, Scholarly Scribble.

The refined and sickeningly confident voice was immediately familiar to her. She thought she would hear it in her nightmares for the rest of her life, but this was no nightmare. Or was it?

Trying again to move, all that came of it were slight sensations of her muscles contracting. All she could move was her eyes, and they were wide and afraid.

Oh? Don’t act so surprised… Did you really think I would just leave you alone, my little pony?

The stallion laughed, a low, quiet chortle that tickled her ears and echoed in her head.

Scribble looked ahead to the white unicorn, the only one near enough to do anything to help her. She still hadn’t caught on. After all, why would she? Scribble was being a pleasant guest, so quiet and polite. She was having a bad enough day already, so why would Glitter trouble her any further with asking for help or making small talk?

Look at her… Dusk whispered as if he were right next to her. Scribble’s eyes focused on the unicorn like the stallion had taken her head and pointed it right at her. She really thinks she’s making a difference, doesn’t she? I’ll bet Princess Luna has her and all her little friends thinking they’re making the world a better place… heh.

He can see her? Scribble thought to herself, more than a bit alarmed. How was he able to know who she was with, or where she was? She knew magic was a strange and useful thing, but she didn’t think it could do something like this.

Then she realized. She realized how the alicorn could see as if he had a pair of eyes in the room. He did have a pair of eyes in the room. Her eyes.

He was looking through her, using her senses as his own, like the perfect spy. She would have shut her eyes or looked away, but she couldn’t move a muscle.

What’s she making over there? Dusk mused, though by the mocking tone of his voice, she wagered he already knew. Let me guess… they found a cure for you, didn’t they? Oh, my child… why would you want to cast off the gift I’ve given you? Can’t you feel how strong you are? How fast? Why… I’ll bet you could snap her like a twig.

No… please… Scribble’s eyes trembled as they kept staring ahead with newfound intensity. Suddenly, she found herself standing up against her will, her movements stiff, but forceful.

You can feel it, can’t you? Her heartbeat?

Scribble’s pupils shrank as she felt a familiar twinge in her stomach. Her nose suddenly found the overwhelming scent of copper, and she could hear a rhythmic beat in the air that was coming from the unicorn.

What Celestia told you is true… I can’t order you to kill anyone. Not yet. Dusk said. She could practically see the devilish grin on his face, wherever he was.

But… if I order you to attack her, there’s nothing stopping you from just following your instincts, is there?

Then, the tingle in her head intensified. Scribble felt the alicorn’s will commanding her, wordless, but absolute. This time, it wasn't like back at the castle, where she could mostly keep her own will and make her own choices while carrying out his orders in the meantime. This time, her body was not her own.

Glitterball… Scribble pleaded, though her words wouldn’t form. Her mouth was open, but all that was coming out was a bit of saliva dripping from her now exposed fangs. Her eyes couldn’t tear away, and although they were starting to glow a bit more intensely and hardening, they started to water at their corners. Please… turn around…

Meanwhile, Glitter was blissfully absorbed in her work. She had made more difficult magical concoctions before, but this one wasn't what she would call easy. Still, the pieces were coming together, and she would stir and grind until her hooves were raw if that was what it took.

Finally, as a silverish liquid passed through a series of tubes and into a bowl full of the other ingredients, Glitter stepped back as a cloud of white smoke puffed into the air before dissipating. She smiled as she looked at the result.

“There we go… now we just wait a bit for it to finish, and we’ll be ready to turn you back to normal, Scribble.” She reported happily.

Strangely, there was no reaction from the mare behind her. This was more than a little confusing for Glitterball. After all, the peach pony should have been ecstatic at the news.

“Scribble…?” Glitter skewed her expression a bit. “Did you fall asleep or s-”

The sound of hooves behind her made her give pause. Then, the sound of a feral growl made her skin crawl.

Glitter spun around, only to be met face to snarling face with Scribble, only she didn’t seem like her usual demure self. Now, her glowing red eyes held only one emotion.

Anger.

“AH!” Glitterball yelped as the peach pony lunged for her.

Scribble tackled her into the table, nearly knocking the bowl off. Glitter shoved her hooves into the peach mare’s shoulders, pushing as hard as she could to protect herself.

“Scribble, snap out of it!” Glitter pleaded, but her words fell on deaf ears. The pale pony growled as she lunged her head forward, opening her mouth wide and aiming right for the unicorn’s neck.

With a quick shove, Glitterball managed to push Scribble to the side, forcing her off balance and into the wall as she fell over. The unicorn backed up, nearly falling over herself, as she stared ahead at the peach pony, who was already getting back up.

Glitter was weaponless and defenseless. She didn’t have her vest or any of her gear, save for her emergency strobe, but that wouldn’t do much for her.

She did have one thing she could do, however.

Thinking fast, and with Scribble already rearing up for another pounce, Glitter held a hoof up to her ear and thought to her pegasus friend.

“Sunspot, help!” She exclaimed frantically, the sensation in her head and the glow on the tip of her hoof the only things telling her anyone was even listening. Before she could even say or do anything else, Scribble rushed for her again with an angry snarl.

Glitter lit up her horn, hoping to grab onto the pale pony before she could reach her, only to get tackled again before she could even concentrate on a spell. She smacked into the ground, even hitting her head, but she couldn’t afford to waver for a second as she pushed her hooves wherever she could find a grip.

“Glitter?!” Sunspot’s voice echoed in her head, indicating that her cry for help had at least been heard. “Glitter, what’s wrong?!”

The unicorn couldn’t answer her friend. Her hooves were tied up with keeping Scribble at bay, and she was having a hard enough time doing that.

Scribble punched a hoof at Glitterball, catching her in the side of the head. The impact was painful to say the least, but it didn’t do much else. The peach mare then flew into a blur of flailing forelegs, grasping and striking wildly. All Glitter could do was weave her head to the sides.

Then, Scribble reached down and grabbed Glitter by the shoulder and the back of the head before pulling the unicorn up toward her mouth.

Glitter quickly realized that not only was she about to die, but Scribble would die as well. Seeing the peach mare’s open maw closing in, she flinched and did the only thing she could think of. She reached down to her hind leg and pulled her strobe from its velcro strap. She then shoved it up and into Scribble’s mouth.

The pale pony chomped down, fully expecting to catch a mouth full of warm throat. What she caught instead, was a tiny glass vial that immediately cracked and shattered under her feral strength.

A flash of light exploded inside her mouth as the blue liquid inside the vial reacted with the now exposed primer. All at once, a painful spray of multicolored sparks, glass, liquid, and steam sputtered free of her mouth as she reeled back with a yelp.

Glitter cringed sympathetically as she watched the pale mare coughing and spitting to get the doubtlessly foul-tasting and unpleasant liquid out of her mouth. “Sorry, Scribble. You’ll thank me for this later!” She said before kicking out with her hind leg. She sent Scribble flying into the wall a short distance away, giving her enough time to scramble back and catch her breath while getting to her own hooves again.

Lighting up her horn once more, Glitter wrapped her magic around Scribble as she was trying to get up. The pale mare’s eyes flared angrily and she let loose an unnatural bark as she found her movements being resisted by a colorful blue glow.

With her heart pounding and her mind racing, Glitter tried to think of some way to incapacitate Scribble without hurting her. She knew her magic would give out shortly if the pale pony tried fighting back. She needed a non-lethal solution, and fast.

Then, she widened her eyes with revelation as she remembered the syringe full of Tom’s blood that she still had. She darted her eyes along the table, partially forgetting where she put it and trying to find where it ended up after the impact to the table knocked everything out of place.

Finding the familiar needle near the back of the table, Glitter grit her teeth as she realized what she needed to do.

The unicorn rushed as quickly as she could while still focusing on her levitation spell. She reached the table and reached out a hoof, catching the syringe by the casing before suddenly having a shooting pain rack her head.

“Agh!” Glitter yelped, clutching her other hoof to her temple as a great force acted on her magical aura. Forcing one eye open through the pain, she looked to the side just in time to see Scribble wrenching free from her hold and spinning around to face her.

With newfound urgency, Glitter secured her grip on the needle and pulled it back, but not before hearing a yell from the side and getting tackled into the wall. The syringe fell from her hoof as she smacked into the unforgiving marble and stone.

Her entire back and her skull were vibrating with pain by now. Her vision was blurring slightly, and her muscles were sore. Any adrenaline or meager rest she had was starting to be counteracted by how tired she was, both from lack of sleep and a whole night’s worth of fighting.

Strangely, as she looked up, she didn’t see Scribble preparing to lunge at her with teeth bared. Instead, she found the peach mare standing just ahead, glaring at her fiercely. There was a certain quality to her eyes that didn’t just indicate blind instinct and hunger. There was some level of intelligence about her, but not like the other vampires Glitter had seen. It was like Scribble was on autopilot, following some task given to her, and that task seemed to be to do her harm.

As if to further cement that she wasn't simply out for blood, Scribble glanced to the side, to the table full of items, ingredients, and tools, and picked up a knife. She turned and flipped it around in her hoof to point it at Glitter menacingly.

“Scribble… please don’t do this.” Glitter pleaded, holding her hooves out as both a disarming gesture and a way to stay at the ready to protect herself.

There was a slight waver to the peach mare’s eyes, and her muscles tensed ever so slightly. However, any hesitance quickly vanished as she grit her teeth and yelled before lunging forward with her weapon.

Glitter produced a fearful squeak and ducked to the side just in time to miss a slash from the blade. She backed up, nearly tripping over a cushion on the floor as Scribble closed in again.

Another swipe caught the unicorn across a foreleg as she tried to shield her vitals, leaving a bit of blood on the edge of the knife and causing a painful cry.

As Scribble stabbed toward her chest, Glitter grabbed the pale mare’s hoof and foreleg with both limbs, doing everything in her power to fight back against Scribble’s unnatural strength. However, judging from her shaking forelegs, she knew that this was a losing fight.

Scribble pushed the unicorn back, all the way to the other side of the room and up against the wall. Glitter had to get on her hind legs as the relentless pony kept pressing the knife closer and closer to her face. She cringed and turned her head to the side, her eyes trembling with fear, and tried to light up her horn.

The usual blue aura around her horn sparked and fitted under her nerves. She couldn’t concentrate enough to do anything meaningful, and even if she could, she was swiftly draining her energy reserves, both magical and physical.

Just then, the sound of hooves rapidly approaching came from outside the room. The door beside the pair flung open, revealing an alarmed-looking orange pegasus that only became more alarmed as she saw what was going on.

“Holy hay!” Sunspot reeled back slightly as she saw her friend being held at knifepoint by a now feral peach mare.

“A little help here?!” Glitter pleaded, barely holding onto the pale pony. Suddenly, Scribble reeled her hoof back, freeing the knife and freeing her up to make a vicious swipe at the unicorn’s neck. Glitter dropped to the floor with a terrified yelp, leaving the blade to make a deep cut in the wall where she just was.

Scribble looked over just in time to watch Sunspot rush up to her and wrap a pair of forelegs around her waist, pinning her own forelegs. The pegasus pulled back, hoping to distance the threat from her friend. However, a brief struggle ending with a reverse headbutt sent her reeling back with a bloodied nose.

“Ow!” Sunspot yelped as she clutched her new injury. She briefly glared at the pale pony, only to widen her eyes as she saw Scribble rearing up for a back kick.

*Thwack*

With a cringe-worthy smack, Sunspot was sent flying across the room, nearly landing on the worktable at the back.

While the pegasus was settling into a crumpled heap on the ground, Scribble turned her attention back to the main source of the command from her master. She found Glitter still pressed up against the wall, an exhausted look to her underneath all the fear.

As Scribble rushed up and reeled her foreleg back before stabbing it forward, Glitter pushed herself to light up her horn once more. She just barely managed to wrap another aura around the pale pony, jutting her to a stop, but not a full one.

Glitter clenched her jaw, sweat dripping from her forehead as her horn sparked and threatened giving out. Her fatigue and the stress of holding onto a paranormal creature was too much, and she couldn’t even move to get away without risking losing her hold entirely. Still, the knife inched closer, shakily moving like it was underwater.

“Scribble…” Glitter panted, looking the peach mare in the eye. She glanced over to see Sunspot getting up and looking her way. She then darted her eyes pointedly toward the syringe on the ground, getting her message across to her friend before meeting Scribble’s gaze. “I know you’re in there. Please… you have to fight it.”

Sunspot rushed over and picked up the syringe from the ground as her friend struggled to stay alive.

Glitter put her hooves up and limply pushed back on the knife with all her might, but she had nothing left to give. “Please… don’t be the monster he wants you to b-”

*SQUELCH*

A wet gush cut the unicorn off as Scribble finally broke free from the magical hold, plunging the knife forward into Glitterball’s stomach.

Hearing this, Sunspot looked up from her newly acquired weapon to see her friend staring ahead, wide-eyed. She couldn’t see the extent of the damage with Scribble standing there, but she could see the blood dripping to the floor.

“GLITTER!” Sunspot yelled as her friend slid down the wall. She darted ahead, clutching the needle in her hoof with blind rage.

Scribble turned to meet the pegasus, brandishing a bloodied knife. She made a swipe, only to have her attack dodged and her foreleg grabbed and twisted. Once the knife was at an odd angle, Sunspot knocked it out of the pale mare’s hoof, sending it sliding along the floor.

Before Sunspot could inject the needle into her, Scribble socked her other hoof into her jaw. The peach mare then pushed the pegasus away.

Sunspot smacked into one of the smaller tables against the side wall. The syringe went flying from her hoof, clattering along the floor and under the main worktable. Her head was spinning, but she pushed through the fog in her mind to sit up, but not before noticing the sight of Scribble rushing right for her.

With a fierce growl, Scribble pounced onto the orange mare with hooves outstretched and fangs bared. Sunspot yelped and held her own hooves out, catching the flying pony by the shoulders and barely keeping her at bay.

The gnashing teeth and hungry glare fixated on her were a terrifying sight, even for the normally bold ex Wonderbolt. If Scribble was fighting to complete orders before, now she was fully giving in to the thirst inside her.

Sunspot grunted as she struggled to keep the pale mare away. She swiftly realized that her forelegs were giving out, and her hind legs were pinned. Her pupils shrank and a half-formed noise of denial escaped her as Scribble lunged down with her fangs.

There was a sharp pain, and Sunspot croaked as she tried to inhale.

Then, just when the teeth digging in were about to bite even deeper, Scribble stopped abruptly. Sunspot looked up, only to see the pale mare staring ahead with wide eyes as a series of glowing lines spidered out from the back of her neck, from a now empty syringe sticking out of her covered in a blue aura.

Scribble reeled back and let out a deafening screech. She clutched at the back of her neck feverishly before flopping onto the ground and writhing.

Sunspot put a hoof up to her neck, only to pull it away with a bit of blood on it, blood that was running down her fur. She looked over to Glitterball and saw the unicorn slumped up against the wall, clutching her bleeding stomach and barely holding her head up with her horn aglow.

The peach mare’s screams and cries went on for a few moments before she devolved into a mess of panting and gasping. Then, she fell still, and peace returned to her face for the first time since the struggle began.

“Glitter!” Sunspot grunted as she got to her hooves and rushed over to her friend. The unicorn was gushing blood from beneath her hooves, and she was already looking rough. “Sweet Celestia…”

Glitter whined softly in pain as she tried to get up, only to fail. She cringed and looked up, concern showing through the pain and exhaustion in her face as she saw the blood on Sunspot’s neck, coming from two fang-sized holes.

“Are… are you ok?” She asked, pausing to draw air between her teeth as she returned her stained hooves to her wound. “Did she drink any blood?” She looked to the motionless peach mare with a more alarmed expression.

Sunspot cringed as she held a hoof to her neck again. “I… I-I don’t know.” She said, her heart dropping as she realized the implications of the admittedly shallow wound. The pegasus rushed over to the unconscious pony and opened her mouth, inspecting it for signs of the crimson fluid. “She… she has some on her teeth, but I don’t think she got any in her mouth… I hope.”

Glitter craned her head up to see the bowl still on the work table. “Is the cure done?”

“Uh…” Sunspot paused as she walked over and looked into the bowl. The dull-colored mess inside was hardly appealing, visually or aromatically, but it did little to tell her if it was finished. “It looks kinda gray and liquidy… does that mean anything?”

“Yeah…” Glitterball panted, shifting her position slightly before slumping back against the wall. “It’s done… Give… give it to her… q-quick.”

Wasting no time, Sunspot took the bowl from the table and brought it over to Scribble. She set it down nearby and cradled the peach mare’s head under a foreleg. She then picked up the bowl and gently poured its contents into her mouth. It was almost fortunate that Scribble wasn't awake. If she was, she would have gagged and possibly even vomited.

Once she was done, Sunspot set the bowl back down and watched anxiously for any changes. Much to her dread, nothing happened.

“Is it working…?” She asked hesitantly, the knot in her stomach tying even tighter. “Come on, kid…”

A pained groan brought the pegasus’ attention back to her friend.

“Ngh… The… t-the book says that it takes a while… to work.” Glitterball muttered, a bit delirious. She had a dazed look in her eyes, and her face was getting pale, which wasn't hard to imagine, given the small puddle of blood pooling onto the floor where she lay.

“Hey…” Sunspot stood up, looking at the unicorn with a worried frown. “Stay with me, Glitter. You’re gonna be ok.”

As the pegasus walked over, Glitter panted and muttered under her breath. Her eyes fluttered and lost focus, and she started to slump to the side as her hooves fell away from her wound.

“Glitter…? Glitter?!”

Chapter 44: Blood in the Orchards

Back in Ponyville, the once quiet town was alive with fear and dread as its denizens slowly became aware of the attacks on their community. Between the struggle at Sugarcube Corner and the tense crowd outside of town hall, anyone who was nearby quickly realized that something was amiss.

For Applejack and her friends, however, they knew just how bad things were, and they were doing everything they could to stop it. Right now, for the orange mare, that meant only one thing.

Saving her brother.

With Glimmer Shine and a small team of guards taking care of the rest of the vampires on the farm, Applejack and Rarity raced through the orchards toward the Crusaders’ treehouse.

“Come on… where are you, Mac?” Applejack muttered as she darted her eyes ahead of her.

“We’ll find him.” Rarity assured. “He’s strong… he can take care of himself.” She said, though it was easy to tell that she didn’t fully believe in her own words. If she was being honest, she didn’t want to think about what very likely could have been waiting for them.

Then, a faint snarl and a muffled shout pricked their ears. Applejack skidded to a halt, nearly colliding with Rarity as she darted her head toward the noise before shooting off in that direction. “There!”

“Wait for me, Applejack! Remember what we’re fighting against!” Rarity called after as she chased the orange mare. She could run pretty fast when properly motivated, but she had nothing on the more athletic farmer, especially when family was at stake.

The noises got louder as the pair bolted through the trees. They could immediately recognize the feral sounds as strigoi. It was hard to distinguish how many, but there was definitely more than one. The yells laced with desperation and a hint of fear were also easily identifiable.

Finally, Applejack stopped as she burst out into a clearing. Rarity came up behind, panting slightly, but otherwise ready to go. She was surprised to find her orange friend staring ahead with pale face and wide eyes, and she was even more surprised as she looked ahead to see what had caused such a reaction.

They had found Big Mac at last, but the stallion looked to be in a lot of trouble. He was clinging to a low tree branch at the edge of the clearing, while three gaunt equine beasts jumped and snapped at his exposed limbs.

The strigoi seemed to be blissfully unaware of the two mares as they pursued their closest meal. Were it not for their disfigured pony shells, one could easily mistake them for wild animals.

Big Mac lifted his head up to avert his gaze from the vicious maws biting at him. As he did, he caught sight of his middle sister and one of their best friends.

“Don’t worry, Mac!” Applejack assured. “We’ll take care of these critters ‘fore you can count your hooves!”

Hearing this, the stallion seemed more concerned than relieved. “Stay back!” He yelled. Then, before he could say anything else, he yelped fearfully as he nearly slipped off the branch below him, just barely managing to pull his limbs close in time to miss a set of gnarled teeth clamping down.

Rarity gasped, while the orange mare beside her could only stare wide-eyed as the stallion teetered on the edge of certain agonizing death. “Hold on, darling! We’ll save you!” She said confidently before turning to her companion and letting the worry show through her face. “How exactly are we going to handle this, Applejack?”

Applejack shifted her silver dagger in her hoof and bit her lip before her face went slack as genius struck. “I think a better question would be, how are you going to handle this.” She said, pressing her hoof into the unicorn’s chest and offering up the dagger.

Rarity reluctantly took the dagger in her aura, mostly because the orange mare handed it to her. She stared at it for a moment and blinked. “Pardon?”

“Somethin’ tells me those critters ain’t the sharpest crayon in the box… They’re probably too busy barkin’ up the proverbial tree to notice if, say, someone were to poke ‘em from a distance.” She lifted her brows and gave her friend a sly smirk.

“I see…” Rarity swallowed hesitantly as she leveled her gaze and the dagger forward. “Normally, I’m not a fan of poking the big scary monsters, but I think I’ll make an exception this time.” She said, gaining some confidence as she saw a friend in danger.

Applejack and Big Mac watched the unicorn gliding her weapon through the air, like a snake in the grass slowly approaching an unaware mouse. Only, the snake in this case was a completely inanimate dagger, and the mouse was the one with sharp pointy teeth that was deserving of fearful respect.

Rarity tensed her lips as she focused on the timing of her next move. The beasts were leaping eagerly, so much so that they were never in one spot for longer than a second. It made it hard to aim, especially something as indirect as a magically floating dagger.

“Here goes something…” Rarity flinched back a bit as she commited. With a quick shove from her aura, the dagger zipped forward. For a moment, she feared she got the timing wrong, but the feral pony quickly settled back on the ground just in time for the blade to stick into its chest.

Immediately, the creature yelped like a wounded animal, and its chest lit up in an outward spread of orange. In mere moments, there were only two monsters left as their companion disintegrated beside them.

As for those two monsters, they suddenly stopped what they were doing. They went dead quiet as they snapped their heads to the side, seemingly realizing that one of them had been killed. Then, before Rarity could even think to strike the next one, they sniffed the air and growled before bounding forward-

and heading straight toward the two mares, who were now sans their only silver weapon.

“Bad idea, bad idea, BAD IDEA!” Rarity squealed, already turning on her hooves and running.

Applejack was quick to join her friend. “You got that right!”

Up in the tree, Big Mac gasped as he saw the two creatures now chasing after the pair. A wave of alarm coursed through him. He had to do something, but what could he do? He already tried fighting the beasts directly, and he narrowly escaped that debacle with his life.

Then, he cast his darting gaze to the dagger on the ground, hastily and perhaps foolishly dropped by Rarity as she ran. He didn’t know much about fighting monsters, but he knew that he needed to protect his family and friends.
.
..
…
With bone-chilling barks and snarls behind them, getting ever closer if they dared to run at a comfortable speed, Rarity and Applejack pressed on through the moonlit orchards.

Applejack turned her head and widened her eyes before tucking her tail in just in time to miss a set of powerful jaws snapping down like an alligator. She darted to the right around a tree, forcing the beast chasing her to lose some ground as it raced to keep up.

After a few moments of losing sight of her white companion, she met back up with the terror-stricken unicorn, who was running from her own creature. “Y’know, this would be a lot easier if you didn’t drop the knife!”

“I know that!” Rarity whined, trying to avoid looking back at the horrifying visage of red-eyed death behind her. “I panicked, ok? I’m sorry!”

“At least we got your strobe. Maybe you can slow ‘em down?” Applejack suggested.

“Easier said than done when you’re running from the thing you’re trying to shoot at, but… I’ll see what I can do.” Rarity trailed her eyes up to the vial still floating alongside her, a hint of stiffness working its way over her as she envisioned all the things that could go wrong.

Careful not to lose speed or trip over any tree roots, Rarity slowly aimed the strobe backward toward the beast behind her. Praying to whoever might be listening for this to work, she repeatedly pressed the button, sending bolts of light out in a rapid-fire display.

The disfigured pony behind her flinched at the stinging projectiles exploding into its face. It bit at the rainbow of sparks, but this only seemed to burn it more. It finally turned its attention back to the unicorn it was chasing, only to trip its lanky forelimbs over a root on the ground, sending it tumbling tail over emaciated barrel.

Rarity let a relieved smile form as she exhaled and relaxed ever so slightly. That was one down, and one more to go before they could break line of sight.

And right around the time she was mentally acknowledging the presence of the second strigoi, she heard an abrupt snarl before the sound of hooves beating against the ground decreased by one set. The mare turned her head, pupils shrinking at the sight of an open maw full of teeth.

A cringe-worthy impact sounded out as the two bodies collided. Applejack skidded to a halt and darted her pale gaze over to see her friend tumbling to the floor with a monster on top of her, already preparing to bite. “Rarity!”

With her strobe somewhere unknown, and her head ringing from smacking the ground, Rarity did the only thing she could do and shoved her hooves out to catch the lunging beast. It snapped at her, coming dangerously close. She could feel the droplets of foul saliva dropping with its cold breath in her face, burning her nostrils without even inhaling.

Her nose wasn't the only thing that was burning. The muscles in her forelegs felt like they were about to snap from how hard she was pushing. Her limbs were shaking under the strain, and ever so slowly, she was losing ground as the creature lowered closer and closer.

Just before she accepted doom, the sound of rapidly approaching hooves came, followed by the creature being shoved off of her. She looked up to see Applejack standing over her, steely eyes watching as the creature tumbled on the ground.

“You hurt?” Applejack asked, sparing a glance down to her friend and quickly helping the unicorn back on all fours.

“No…” Rarity replied. Her voice was a bit shaken, but otherwise, she seemed unscathed. However, her face paled even more than it already was as she stared behind the orange mare with wide eyes.

A very distinct growl, separate from where the recovering creature was, came from behind the pair. Applejack turned, only to instinctively back closer to her friend as she spotted the first beast.

“Applejack… We need to run.” Rarity whispered tensely.

The orange mare backed up, keeping the unicorn close and slightly behind her protectively. She darted her head to the side at another snarl, only to see the second creature stalking toward them as well with a seriously irritated look on what was left of its features.

Bumping into solid wood, Applejack paused and looked behind her and then up. A great apple tree stood tall, leaves rustling in the wind, drawing attention to the few succulent red fruits still adorning it this late in the year. An idea started to form.

Rarity tugged on her friend’s foreleg, gentle but with growing desperation as the beasts got closer. “Darling, we need to go! Now!” She pleaded. Instead of joining her in sprinting off, Applejack merely put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Stay close to me, and get ready to move when I say.”

“But-” Rarity started, only to fall silent at the look of confidence in her friend’s eyes.

“Trust me.” Applejack smirked before shifting her attention ahead.

The two feral ponies growled through clenched teeth and approached their literally treed prey. Their glowing dots didn’t hold any emotion, but somehow they radiated a sense of cruel intent as they stared out through lidless dark pits at the helpless mares. It was enough to send chills radiating down their backs and through their coats, but at least Applejack was holding her ground.

Then, the creatures lowered close to the ground, rearing up for a pounce. And with that, the farmer sprang into action.

Balancing on her front hooves, Applejack reared up as well and delivered two powerful kicks with her back legs, sending vibrations through the thick trunk of the tree behind her. Rarity was too busy staring slack-jawed in terror at her impending demise as the creatures leaped in unison.

“NOW!” Applejack yelled, shoving her friend to the side and rolling as far out of the way as she could get the both of them.

Landing just behind the two ponies, the feral monsters turned their heads and prepared to make another lunge, when a strange sound came from above them.

All at once, a waterfall of apples fell from the tree, smacking into the two creatures and burying them under a sea of red.

Rarity watched the appleanche from her position on the ground, too stunned to move. Applejack was already standing and admiring her work, lifting her hoof and catching one final falling apple as it bounced off the pile and rolled to her.

“Sorry fellas, but I’ve got the home-field advantage ‘round these parts.” Applejack smirked, taking a single bite out of the juicy treat.

Rarity got to her hooves and cringed as she saw the pile move. “That’s not going to hold them long, is it?”

Applejack tossed the half-eaten fruit aside and adopted a more serious expression as she turned to her friend. “Definitely not. Let’s make ourselves scarce.”

Not needing to be told twice, Rarity spun around and started to run. She might have been halfway exhausted, but she would run until her lungs exploded if it meant losing the two creatures.

However, she made it roughly two steps before something made her stop dead in her tracks. That something being a chillingly familiar yelp.

“AH!”

The unicorn darted her head back, only to recoil in stunned terror as she found her friend on the ground. A lanky, malformed hoof was stretching out of the pile of apples and wrapping around the orange mare’s back leg as a dark shape rose up with a snarl, sending apples scattering everywhere.

A shrill gasp escaped Rarity’s wide mouth. She felt a jolt of fear and adrenaline that threatened to freeze her to the spot, but she couldn’t let her friend down. “Unhoof her, you vicious brute!” She demanded, lighting her horn and preparing to grab the pale beast. She never got the chance.

With blinding speed, the second creature leaped out of the remains of the apple pile toward the hapless unicorn. It reached for her with its forelimbs, ready to pin her so it could sink its teeth into her tender skin.

Rarity flinched back, racing to use her magic to save herself. The beast came mere inches away from her face before an aura halted its brief flight. She frantically backed up a few steps as the feral pony fought against her hold, actually managing to move another inch. Her head was already beginning to pulse with pain as her magical limits were tested. However, she was concerned with something else.

“Applejack!” The unicorn turned to her friend and watched in helpless terror as the other monster pulled Applejack closer.

The orange mare grunted and tried to turn her body so she could kick out or get up, but a pair of emaciated hooves that were deceptively strong pinned her down before she could do anything. A vicious snarl ended abruptly as a set of jaws opened wide, coming down lightning fast toward Applejack’s midsection.

Just as she felt the creature’s teeth sinking into her fur, Applejack flinched, expecting to feel herself being ripped into. However, what came next was the rapid sound of hooves, followed by the sensation of teeth being shoved off of her very quickly.

The orange mare looked up and saw the feral pony rolling along the ground a short distance away. Turning her head to meet her apparent savior, she found none other than her brother, sporting a slight smile and carrying a silver dagger in his teeth.

“Big Mac… You saved me?” She blinked, still a bit stunned.

“Eeyup.” The stallion replied with a nod, offering her some help with getting up and her previous weapon back.

Before the two siblings could share any further words, a strained yell from their friend snapped their attention to the side.

Rarity clutched a hoof to her temple as the creature shattered her magical grasp. It plopped back to the ground, but otherwise, it didn’t seem at all fazed by her attempt at containing it. If anything, it seemed angrier as it prepared to lunge at her.

The unicorn stumbled back before hitting another tree. She whined fearfully as death approached her. She felt like she might die of fright if the creature didn’t get to her first.

Then, the agitated snarl on the creature’s face shifted to confusion, and then mild fear as it was pulled backward at an alarming rate.

Applejack and Big Mac each took one hind leg of the feral pony and yanked. Once it was on the ground, Mac held it down while A.J reeled back and stabbed down into its form. She felt the dagger pierce all the way through into the ground as the strigoi jerked and shrieked while it burned away.

The pair shared a quick glance with each other, pleased to have dispatched such a deadly foe together so quickly. Their moment of relief wouldn’t last long.

Hearing a startled gasp from Rarity, Big Mac shifted his eyes to the side just in time to catch sight of the last creature, already mid-leap. It was heading straight for Applejack. Without time to do anything else, the stallion pushed his sister out of the way before catching the full weight of the pouncing monster, knocking him to the ground.

Applejack hit the ground with a slight grunt. The next thing she heard was a blur of sounds. A startled outcry, the gnashing of teeth, all culminating in a yell from her brother that cut off abruptly.

Lifting herself to her hooves in a flash, she darted her head toward the commotion. She nearly dropped her dagger in shock.

The stallion was on his back, with the feral pony on top of him. A set of jaws were clamped down on his throat, with sharp fangs digging in.

"MAC!"

Applejack flew forward, pouncing onto the creature with silver weapon outstretched. She struck at it, planting the blade in its spine. It was gone with little more than a muffled sound and a flash of ashes. However, its damage had already been done.

Rarity rushed over as the orange mare dropped her weapon and knelt down beside her wounded sibling. The unicorn felt her heart drop as she stared ahead, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Big Mac had a set of well-defined teeth marks on either side of his neck, stretching from just above the large yoke he wore to his chin. None of the flesh was missing, seemingly indicating the beast hadn’t fully bit down, but the puncture wounds that were left were bleeding. A lot.

“Sweet Celestia...” Applejack took a moment to direct her racing thoughts as she stared at her brother. With nothing else popping into her mind, she pushed her shaking hooves onto his neck, hoping to stifle the flow of crimson.

“Big Mac, can you hear us, darling?” Rarity prodded softly.

“Say somethin’!” Applejack added, doing a much worse job of internalizing her emotion.

The stallion took a labored breath and squinted an eye open. He weakly brought a hoof up toward his neck region, trying to press it against his wound, only to settle for touching Applejack’s foreleg. He tried to speak, but the act alone seemed painful enough to dissuade any further attempts after a violent coughing fit took him.

“Just… j-just sit tight. Everythin’s gonna be fine. We’ll have you feelin’ better than a possum at a picnic in no time.” Applejack assured, her smile cracking at the edges despite her best efforts.

.
..
…
Meanwhile, Glimmer Shine was just finishing his brief fight out front. Once he and the other guards had dealt with the remaining vampires, he immediately turned tail and ran.

He ran around the back of the house, bolting through the orchards in search of his two friends and the red stallion they had set off to save. They were facing a potentially deadly foe, so he knew time was of the essence.

“Applejack?! Rarity?!” He yelled around him, eyes darting through the expanse of trees and grass. The members of the Apple family could probably navigate this place with no trouble, but to an outsider, everything tended to blend together into a maze of wood and fruit when landmarks like the barn or the main path fell out of view.

Coming to a stop with a frustrated huff, he took this brief moment to catch his breath and reach down to his vest. He pulled up a vial full of something akin to sand on a pull cord and twisted the cap. The detecting charm sprang to life with flashes of red before dimming once more, signaling him to start waving it around in a circle.

“Come on… come on…” He muttered tensely. Finally, the edge of the sand lit up in a certain direction. “Yes!” He smiled before rushing off again, this time with newfound determination.

Following the energy signature through the orchards, he finally started to hear some familiar voices as a few colorful shapes stood out up ahead. The stallion smiled with relief until he noted the big red shape on the ground and the panicked tone the voices held.

“Oh no…” Glimmer muttered to himself before stiffening up and rushing forward.

As the vested stallion approached, the two mares looked up and a hint of relief washed over them. Help had arrived, not that Glimmer was sure if he could help as much as they needed.

“Glimmer, thank goodness.” Rarity deflated a bit, eager to have a professional present.

Glimmer Shine had to stifle a visceral reaction of shock as he finally got a good view of Big Mac. The only thing preventing a sporadic flow of blood from his neck was Applejack’s hooves.

“One of those critters got him. I… I-I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t do it fast enough.” Applejack said. The explanation wasn't exactly necessary, but just hearing the normally rock steady orange mare in such distress made Glimmer frown. The pain in her eyes nearly broke the former guard’s heart.

“You’re doing great, just keep applying pressure.” Glimmer said before springing into action. He fought against the stiffness in his limbs to reach into a pocket on his vest and collect the things he would need to hopefully save the farmer’s life.

Rarity and Applejack watched tensely as the stallion took over for the orange mare. He knelt down and lifted Big Mac’s head up before applying some gauze pads and bandages.

Come on, Glimmer… Pepper didn’t spend half a year teaching you this stuff for nothing. The stallion thought to himself as he raced to stop the bleeding. Big Mac was already starting to lose some color to his face.

Applejack fell to her haunches and looked down to her own hooves, which were now stained nearly as red as her brother’s fur. She would have started hyperventilating, if not for a soft hoof being placed on her shoulder and a reassuring look from Rarity.

Finally, Glimmer Shine finished securing the already bloody mess of bandages over each wound with medical tape. He looked up to see Applejack coming closer and holding her brother’s foreleg.

“That’s all I can do for him right now.” He explained regretfully.

“Whad’ya mean?” Applejack asked. “Can’t you… I don’t know, sew him up or somethin’?” She persisted, more than a hint of desperation in her cracking voice.

“I’m sorry, but Glitter is the only one of us that knows how to suture. I-”

Suddenly, the stallion trailed off as a familiar voice rang in his ears.

“This is Glitter. We’re at a bit of a standstill over here at the square. Is anypony able to come over and help?”

Then another voice.

“This is Sparkplug. We just wrapped things up at Sugarcube Corner. We can be there in a few minutes.”

“Glimmer?” Rarity prodded as she noted the stallion’s blank stare.

Just then, the stallion had a look of revelation come over him. “Blue Bolt…!” He suddenly shot to his hooves before looking down at the pair. “I’m gonna call Glitter and ask her to send him over here. He can heal Big Mac!”

“That’s good… that’s… that’s great!” Applejack smiled brightly as she turned to her brother. “Ya hear that, Mac? Help is on the way!” She said before her expression fell as the stallion coughed a few times and groaned weakly.

Seeing how urgent the situation was, Glimmer wasted no time with shooting a hoof to his ear and focusing on his unicorn friend. “Glitter? Listen up, I need you to send Blue Bolt over to the farm, and tell him to hurry!” He stated, hoping that his message was received. “Do you copy, Glitter? We need him right now!”

After a moment, an understandably concerned voice responded.

“Ok… ok, got it!”

Meanwhile, the two mares were left staring at the stallion as he talked to seemingly thin air. They couldn’t hear whether or not the unicorn responded, and their nerves were building to a breaking point with each passing second.

“Well? Is he comin’?!” Applejack begged the question.

“Yeah. He’ll be here as soon as he can.” Glimmer assured before turning to Rarity with somewhat of an urgent expression. “Rarity, can you head back to the house and lead Blue to us when he gets here?”

The sudden call to action only made the white mare more nervous, but she was eager to do whatever she could to help. “Y-yes.” She nodded, already starting to get up and walk off before the stallion unclipped something from his vest and tossed it to her.

“Take this. It will help you find us faster.” Glimmer explained.

Rarity looked to the small vial in her magical grasp, the sand inside glowing a bright shade of red as it faced her friends. All at once, she understood. They needed every second they could spare if they were going to save Big Mac.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’ll be back with him as soon as possible.” The unicorn assured her friend, resting a hoof on the orange mare’s foreleg briefly before running off toward the Apple Family home.

Watching Rarity leave filled Applejack with a newfound sense of dread. She somehow felt worse and more alone, despite the fact that rescue was on the way. Still, she had Glimmer Shine with her, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

The orange mare scooted closer and reached down. She propped Big Mac’s head up with one hoof and used the other to apply pressure to the bandages on his neck, all the while struggling to keep a confident expression on her face.

“Hang in there, Big Mac. You’re gonna be ok.” She assured softly.

“Ngh… n… nope…” The stallion muttered.

Applejack skewed her expression. “Nope? What do you mean, nope?”

In response, the stallion shakily lifted a hoof and rested it on his sister’s foreleg. “Apple...jack…” He said before falling into another coughing fit. He struggled to gain the strength to speak again, only to be interrupted by his sister speaking with a firm tone.

“No. I don’t wanna hear it. You listen to me, Macintosh… You are an Apple, and you’re probably the hardiest Apple to be born since our dad or Granny Smith.” Applejack said, the corners of her mouth pulling up even as tears dotted the corners of her eyes.

Glimmer Shine felt a pang of sadness in his heart as he watched Applejack take her brother’s hoof in her own. Although he tried his hardest not to, he couldn’t help but imagine himself in her position.

What he would have said to Peppermint, if only he were there in the last moments of his brother’s life. He wouldn’t have been saying goodbye either, even if that was what he now wished so desperately for.

“You remember that time Apple Bloom fell outta the treehouse, and you were the one to carry her to her room and stay with her? Or when I got so sick that I could hardly walk, and you found time to sit with me even after doing the work for both of us that morning?” Applejack sniffled slightly, straining to keep her face straight.

“I might be the element of honesty… but you are the most important member of this family, Mac. So you just sit right there and forget about dyin’. You just keep holdin’ onta me, and I’ll get ya through this.”

Although he could barely move or talk, and he was struggling to breathe, Big Mac managed a soft smile over his tired, pained exterior as he looked up to his middle sister.

Applejack could barely sit still as she watched her brother’s condition worsening before her eyes. It killed her to know that she couldn’t do anything but comfort him and wait. She glanced up to stare off into the night sky, silently praying for all her worth for the blue pegasus to get here before it was too late.

Chapter 60: Where the Pieces Fall

Elsewhere, completely unaware of the tense battle starting downstairs, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and their reluctant companion searched through the winding hallways and lifeless rooms to find their missing unicorn friends.

They had a vague idea of where to go from the vials both Pinkie and Rainbow had pointed ahead of them. However, the red sand inside indicated that they were still far off, and they couldn’t follow the most direct route all the time. At certain points, they were even forced into walking away from the reading just to find another path.

All the while, they couldn’t help but feel a clinging sense of paranoia and worry, not just for the safety of their friends, but for their own wellbeings as well.

After all, with everything they went through in the basement, they were right to be cautious.

Pinkie stared at the glowing sand at the tip of her vial feverishly, vaguely wondering if it would ever start changing. She wrinkled her mouth and let her ears droop a bit as she thought about her friends.

“Rainbow… Do you think they’re ok?” Pinkie asked, her usually bubbly voice diminished with worry.

The cyan pegasus’ expression fell as she turned to see such a glum look on her pink friend’s face. She couldn’t deny feeling a bit of worry herself, but someone had to be confident.

“You kidding? I’m sure they’re fine. There’s nothing our resident egghead and diva can’t handle. Honestly, I think Shining and Glitter are the ones that feel safer with those two around.” Rainbow Dash said, putting on her best assuring smile.

“As much as I hate to, I agree… I don’t know about the drama queen or the other two, but nothing can kill Twilight Sparkle. Believe me, we tried.” Raincloud added. It seemed that even her cold heart melted at the sight of a pitiful Pinkie Pie.

“Uh… Is that supposed to make her feel better?” Rainbow Dash skewed a brow at their gray companion.

Raincloud sighed, “Hey… I’m trying here.”

“Well, you should try harder. I’m no friendship expert, but I don’t think talking about the time you almost killed someone’s friend is a good way to cheer them up.”

Pinkie giggled softly at the annoyed growl Raincloud produced and the smirking ignorance Rainbow treated it with. It was a brief reprieve from her troubled thoughts, but it was a welcome one.

Still, as she looked back down to her locator charm, she couldn’t help but think of all the possible danger her friends could have been in. Only now, her worry was joined by determination.

Hang in there, guys. The cavalry is on the way!

“Rook to G five…”

The tension in the cavernous room was accentuated by the grating of marble across marble. All eyes were glued to the towering white pillar sliding across the board, following Twilight’s instruction.

As the rook neared its destination, it paused, shortly followed by the pawn blocking its path exploding into a spray of pebbles and dust. Cadence used some of her magic to shield Scootaloo’s face from the debris.

“Nicely done, Twilight… That should give us some room to breathe.” Rarity commented with a pleased smile as she sized up the board from off to the side.

Twilight was the one giving the final moves, but everyone was doing their part to try and keep an eye on and plan around the unseen possibilities their invisible opponent could take. Even Cadence and the three fillies were helping, though the crusaders could only offer so much insight with their collective inexperience.

Still, Twilight herself wore her stress for all to see, even with her blank line of a mouth. Her eyes drifted back and forth and back again, the inner workings of her mind working overtime to plot out every future and present outcome of every move.

On top of the stress of the situation hindering her, it actually didn’t help that the board was so large. None of them could get a very good look at the whole picture without stepping onto the board, and Cadence and the three fillies were confined to their squares until they could make a move, so there were a lot of blind spots that the group was trying to work around.

“Not as much room as I’d like…” Twilight said, “We’ve only been playing defensively so far. I don’t know how difficult Dusk made this spell play, but it’s been keeping us on the run without leaving many openings.”

She gazed toward the black king nestled at the far side of the board, so tantalizingly close, yet so impenetrably defended despite both teams not having a full roster. It was like those chess puzzles that she enjoyed reading about and solving, only the stakes were much higher if she messed up, and there were no resets here.

“Being defensive isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Shining Armor added, trying to remain optimistic and confident in his sister’s abilities. He was confident in her, but he knew that sometimes she could lose confidence in herself under pressure.

And what pressure this was.

Across the way, a black knight started sliding forward. A pawn moved out of the way for it briefly, allowing the helmed unicorn bust to coast all the way between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. It was only three squares, but it felt like so much more distance covered.

Twilight cringed as she realized the young pegasus was in the path of the knight next turn. If this were real chess, she could bank on her opponent’s desire to not lose key pieces and protect Scootaloo with another piece. However, that was a gamble she was not willing to take with actual lives on the line.

“Scootaloo, move back there in front of that pawn.” She pointed.

Scootaloo followed the unicorn’s hoof, or at least tried to. It was hard to see exactly from her distance and perspective, not to mention her lack of knowledge on what a pawn actually was.

“That one?” The filly asked, wanting to be extra certain before she made a false move and killed herself and possibly her friends.

“No, the one to your left.” Twilight clarified, using her magic to create an arrow above the tile she picked. “You’re a bishop, so you can only move diagonally.”

“Ughh! Chess is so dumb! How can anyone keep track of all these stupid pieces?!” Scootaloo huffed, looking down to the miniature piece she held and tossing it to the floor in protest. Still, she followed the unicorn’s direction and walked over to the spot designated. At least she had friends that were better than her at such frustrating board games.

“Don’t worry, Scootaloo. We’ll help you. Remember, we’re in this together.” Cadence reminded softly, flashing the fillies what she hoped would be a comforting smile.

That smile faded as another piece started to move.

A black bishop slid into place in an empty square near the back end of the board. While it didn’t take any pieces, it wasn't exactly cause for celebration, as anyone with even basic knowledge of chess could immediately see some problems it could cause if left unchecked.

Shining drew air between his teeth and then gave a stressed exhale. “I don’t like this…” He muttered before glancing off to the stairs leading down at the far side of the room, then at his sister. “I’m going to check on Glitter, see how she’s doing.” He gave the purple mare a reassuring pat on the shoulder before turning and heading to the stairs.

Almost immediately after descending the first few steps, he could see the red lighting of the massive symbol clashing with the blue torches in the area. He could also spot a vested unicorn mare working her tail off in trying to wrap her head around something perhaps even more daunting than chess.

Noticing the stallion coming down to see her, Glitterball smiled hopefully. “Any luck reaching the others?”

“I’m afraid not.” Shining sighed. “The door back where we came won’t budge either. I even took one of those cutter things off Twilight’s vest and tried that.”

Glitterball’s smile faded at that. “Did… did you try the spellbreaker?” She asked, though she suspected she already knew the answer.

Shining nodded weakly. “No dice. It looks like the only way out of here is either by winning, or…” He looked to her, frowning as he saw her trail her gaze down, an understandable glint of dread in her eyes. “Any luck down here?”

“Shining, I-” Glitter hesitated, glancing up at the monstrous symbol before looking to him with soft eyes. “I don’t know if I can do this. Breaking Raven Feather’s spellwork was hard, but this… this is on a whole different level. There are countermeasures and redundancies for the countermeasures and redundancies! Dusk made this thing not to be broken without triggering the consequences of the spell.”

“If anypony can do it, Glitter, I know that pony is you.” The stallion assured.

Glitterball stared at him momentarily, searching his eyes for any doubt in her. She wouldn’t have blamed him. However, somehow, even through all of the nerves, even though his own wife was one of the lives at stake, he looked like he trusted her.

She couldn’t let them down. She couldn’t let him down. He was once her captain after all.

“I’ll keep working at it.” Glitter said, managing to lift her expression back into her usual cheery optimism and confidence, even if it wasn't as intense as usual.

“Atta girl.” Shining smiled. “We’re all in your corner, Glitter. The only one you need to make proud is yourself.” He said before shifting his attention back upstairs. He gave her one last confident look before heading back up.

Once he was gone, the unicorn exhaled slowly before looking up at the daunting task before her and taking a steady breath. “Come on, Glitter… The only easy day was yesterday.” She muttered to herself before lighting her horn back up and diving back into the magical weave of the symbol.

Back upstairs, Shining Armor looked over to the board as he walked back over to the two mares. Strangely, nothing had changed from when he went downstairs.

Twilight was stuck in her head, a hoof pressed to her cheek and a deep look of concentration on her face. There was a telltale wrinkle in her expression and a darting quality to her eyes that told she was on the verge of a stress spiral.

“We haven’t moved?” Shining asked, a bit surprised.

Rarity shook her head with a sympathetic frown as she looked at the purple mare. “She can’t decide on a move.”

“I’m trying!” Twilight insisted. “It’s just… that bishop there is really limiting what I can do without opening a ton of weaknesses for our other pieces!” She jabbed a hoof at the frustrating block of marble. The notch carved into its rounded top almost resembled a mocking grin.

Shining cringed as he eyed the bishop and all its possible moves. It was immediately in line to take one of their knights, or rather, their only knight that wasn't a unicorn filly. However, moving said knight opened up the path behind it for other pieces to be taken. “Yikes… that is a problem.”

“Can’t you just block it with that pawn?” Sweetie Belle suggested, pointing to the piece in question. “I think pawns can move twice at the start… can’t they?”

Twilight’s mouth inched up into a warm smile, but her eyes were still soft with worry. “That’s right, Sweetie… they can. Unfortunately, that would put our king in check from that queen.” She pointed out. “A player can’t make a move that would put their king in check… and even if it means making a bad move or losing a piece, check can’t be ignored.”

“Oh…” Sweetie deflated a bit, her floppy ears drooping and her eyes lowering.

“Don’t feel bad, Sweetie. You know more about this than me and Scoots combined.” Apple Bloom stated.

“She’s right, darling.” Rarity chimed in. “I’m so impressed by how much you know at your age. I’ve watched you play against dad, and he wouldn’t admit it, but you caused him some trouble more than a few times.” She said, pleased to see the filly’s expression turn around. Still, her own mouth curved down into a troubled pout as she turned back to the board.

“However, that still leaves us in this conundrum.” She rubbed her chin pensively as she tried to help her more knowledgeable friends with finding a solution. Strategy wasn't in her wheelhouse, but when her sister was threatened, she would do everything in her power, no matter the difficulty.

Unfortunately for them, the difficulty kept rising, as a deep grating noise filled the space once more.

Everyone looked up, only to see the hourglass at the back of the room shifting. The sand inside started falling again, reminding them that this wasn't just some casual game of wits. This was a death trap, and it wouldn’t give them an inch.

“Horsefeathers…” Twilight darted her trembling eyes between the hourglass and the board, stammering and stalling as her rampant thoughts raced. “Umm… What do I do?!”

“Something fast, hopefully.” Apple Bloom muttered tensely.

Meanwhile, Cadence looked to the bishop for a moment before adopting a serious expression. “Twilight, let me take it.”

Twilight paused and looked to the board, giving her suggestion a cursory thought before realizing just where that would put the alicorn. “I can’t do that, Cadence! It’s way too risky over there for you!”

“I’m the queen, Twilight. You can’t just not use a useful piece like that because it might be risky.” Cadence said. “I can get rid of that bishop and set myself up to put them in checkmate in a few moves. I know you’ve seen that.”

“Cadence…” Twilight softened her expression as she looked at her beloved sister-in-law.

“It’s ok,” Cadence assured. “I know you can win this… but not if you keep handicapping yourself. Don’t think of me as something that needs to be protected… think of me like a piece, and use me.”

“Girls, time is almost up. Whatever you’re going to do, you need to do it now!” Shining Armor suggested urgently.

Twilight eyed over to the hourglass before looking to Cadence once more. Finally, she sighed and closed her eyes. “Fine… do it.”

Cadence smiled softly. If she was being honest, she probably would have done it with or without permission, but she was glad that the unicorn trusted her.

Everyone watched as the pink alicorn settled her attention on the bishop ahead before walking forward. She ambled across the board and came to a stop right in front of the opposing piece. A moment passed, and then, as if sensing that her intended move wasn't over yet, the bishop crackled and exploded, causing her to lift a foreleg to shield her face.

After the space was clear, she walked into the square and stopped, completing their move. All eyes shifted to the hourglass at the back of the room, which thankfully flipped back around.

Twilight let out the breath she had been holding as Rarity gave her a reassuring jostle on the shoulder. It was too late to go back now, but at least she had some new options opened up to her. Having a queen so far into enemy lines could prove to be useful, especially when coupled with Sweetie Belle’s knight just a few squares away. That is if the enemy didn’t make a move that would force them to retreat.

Then, as it often did, disaster struck from out of nowhere.

The black queen slid across the board diagonally, coming to a stop just ahead of the broken line of pawns protecting the enemy ranks. It didn’t immediately threaten any piece, but as Twilight followed its next path down, her eyes widened.

“Oh… Oh no…” She muttered, taking a few steps closer to the board and staring intently as she mentally confirmed what she had discovered. As she found the result unchanged, her face only paled further. “No, no, no… How did I not see this?!”

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Shining asked, glancing between the board and his sister uneasily.

Cadence followed the unicorn’s gaze to the freshly moved queen. She looked back to the white side of the board, only to have the color drain from her face as well. “Oh no…”

“What is it?” Scootaloo prodded anxiously. “Is… is something wrong?”

“That queen is about to put us in checkmate.” Twilight explained, her voice shaken and defeated as she fell to her haunches.

Rarity gasped in alarm, “What?!”

“Wh… w-what do you mean?! Isn’t there something you can do to stop it?!” Scootaloo asked, a sense of desperation slowly welling up inside of her. Her two friends were feeling it as well as the danger of their situation sank in.

Shining Armor looked over to his sister, only to inch back as he saw her staring at the floor distantly, her eyes beginning to water. “Twilight… there’s something you can do, right? There… t-there’s gotta be something.” He got in close to her and sat down in front of her, resting a hoof on her shoulder.

Twilight looked up, causing Shining to flinch in surprise. Normally, her face was full of such determination and confidence. Such drive to protect her friends.

Now, however, her eyes were full of despair.

“I’m sorry, Shiny… I… I-I’m so sorry.” She quaked, reaching forward and burying her face into the stallion’s chest.

Shining limply rested a hoof on her back as she held him, unable to bring herself to even look at him. All the while a look of earth-shattering shock was forming on his face as he slowly came to terms with what she was saying. She had failed, and now they were going to have to pay the consequences.

“Are… are we gonna die?” Apple Bloom asked as she looked between her friends, her voice sounding timid and small.

A hoof stomp shifted the fillies’ attention over to the side, where Rarity was looking on defiantly. “Nonsense! I refuse to believe that we must sit back and simply watch what’s going to happen!” She turned to her unicorn friend desperately. “Look again, Twilight! Surely there must be something you missed! Please… I beg of you!”

Twilight lifted herself free of her brother’s chest and made an effort to stop her lips from trembling as she faced her friend. “I’m sorry, Rarity… There’s nothing.” She gestured to the board, letting her hoof linger in the air as she did one last triple check to make sure her earlier deduction was right. “None of our pieces can block or take that queen… and the king can’t move out of the way. It’s… i-it’s over.”

“Actually…”

Cadence spoke up flatly, causing everyone to pause and look up. They cast their gaze over to her, only to see the alicorn staring back at them with a grim look on her face.

“There is,” She swallowed briefly, “one thing we can do.”

Twilight skewed her expression. “Wh… what are you-” Then, as Cadence lifted a foreleg and pointed to an empty square, her confusion deepened, before suddenly being replaced with horrified revelation.

“No…” Twilight shook her head. “Cadence, you can’t be-”

“Serious?” Cadence interrupted. She snorted softly and formed a bittersweet smile. “I’m deadly serious, Twilight.”

“What are you talking about?” Shining asked. When the alicorn didn’t answer, he darted back to his sister. “What’s she talking about?!”

Twilight tensed her lips. “She wants to move there and put black in check.”

Following the mare’s forelimb, Shining, Rarity, and everyone else in the room slowly realized the severity of the alicorn’s plan. The spot Twilight was pointing out, the one that would seemingly save them from certain doom, was directly in the path of the black queen.

Rarity held a hoof to her chest. “Oh my word…”

“No,” Shining stated. He stood up and walked toward the board. “No, Cadence. I won’t let you do that!”

“It would be saving them, Shining!” Cadence said, gesturing to the three fillies.

“It would be suicide!” The stallion retorted.

“Princess…” Sweetie Belle piped up, looking to the alicorn with a sympathetic frown. “I don’t want you to get hurt trying to save us. Please…”

Cadence flashed the young unicorn and her friends a heartfelt smile. “I’m sorry, Sweetie… but it’s the only way. Check can’t be ignored…”

Sweetie felt her tiny heart exploding as the alicorn resigned herself to her fate. She looked over at the enemy side of the board, desperate to find some kind of alternative. She paused slightly as she thought of Cadence’s words.

Twilight’s eyes wavered as she looked at the pink alicorn, her heart starting to race. “You can’t do this, Cadence!”

“I have to,” Cadence said with more than a hint of sorrow in her voice. “It’s my fault that we made this move. If someone has to die because of it, I would rather it be me!”

Amidst this downward spiral of regret and sorrow, Rarity turned and ran over to the other side of the room. Twilight and the others briefly turned to watch her rushing to the stairs leading down, where their monster hunter friend was still hard at work trying to circumvent the spell and save everyone.

Rarity panted as she came to a stop on the first few steps down and craned her head into the space underneath, garnering the immediate attention of the vested mare with how upset she looked.

“Glitter, you have to do something!” Rarity pleaded.

“Rarity?” Glitterball glanced between the symbol and the unicorn briefly before her expression fell. “What’s wrong?”

Rarity darted her gaze upstairs, toward the chessboard and the tense discussion still taking place, and then settled her desperate eyes on her friend. “Cadence is about to sacrifice herself!”

Hearing that, Glitter felt the air leave her chest like someone punched her. Her eyes widened and then started to tremble. “Oh my gosh. Can’t you stop her?!” She asked, already lighting her horn and frantically going over the symbol in search of something, anything she could do to help.

“It’s the only move we can make! We’re about to lose!” Rarity said. “Please, darling! I know this is stressful, but you’re the only one in any position to save her!”

A pitiful whine came, but this time Rarity wasn't the one making it. She was surprised to see the seasoned member of the royal guard, the same cool-headed and quick-witted unicorn that had saved her and her friends numerous times from monstrous enemies, one of the three surviving founding members of Spirit, crying.

“I don’t know if I can do anything, Rarity!” Glitterball vented, her form starting to shake and her lower lip starting to quiver. “I… I still don’t understand this symbol enough to break it without… w-without-”

“Glitter… Glitter, look at me.” Rarity coaxed softly, causing the distraught unicorn to pause her imminent breakdown. “I’ve seen you beat worse odds than this. You’ve saved us from demons and ghosts and monsters, all without so much as a moment’s hesitation. I know you… and I know you can do this.”

“But… w-what if I mess up again?” Glitter asked. “I almost killed both of us with that trap. I… I don’t think I could live with myself if I…” She shuddered as the mere thought entered her mind, images of Cadence and the three fillies dying in some fiery explosion caused by her hoof.

“Remember what I said earlier?” Rarity managed a slight smile, even through the tremble in her own form. “It’s ok to be scared… Frankly, I’m terrified right now. But if you let your fear get in the way of acting, you’ll always regret what might have been. At least if you act, you can say you did everything you could in that moment.”

Glitterball stared at the unicorn for a moment. She knew that her friend was right. When she became a guard, she promised herself that she would always do her best to help ponies in need, no matter what.

She looked up at the symbol painted across the ceiling, biting her lip as she thought about its mind-bogglingly complicated structure. There had to be something she could do, and she was going to find it if it killed her.

“Ok… I’ll try.” Glitter gave the unicorn a solemn nod and a fragile smile of confidence before burying herself in her work once more with urgent fervor.

Rarity parroted the vested mare’s paper smile. Still, she couldn’t deny or suppress her own fear and anxiety as she hopped up and walked away from the stairs. The situation on the chessboard hadn’t changed since she stepped away, no matter how much she wished it had.

“Cadence, listen to me!” Twilight pleaded. “This is exactly what Dusk wants! He wants us to trade lives. There has to be another way!”

“She’s right.” Shining Armor added. “Glitter will find a way to break that symbol, or one of the others will come find us or… or break that spell that’s causing this maze! But if you make that move…” He hesitated, taking a shaky breath before looking to the alicorn with teary eyes. “Please. I’m not ready to lose you.”

Cadence said nothing to that. She just looked to the stallion, the love of her immeasurably long life, in heartbroken silence. Even despite her resolve, even though she had already committed to this path, she couldn’t prevent herself from shedding a few tears.

Suddenly, Shining and Twilight felt something grasping onto them and squeezing. They looked down, only to find a softly shimmering blue corona hugging their forms. Of course, the alicorn had her horn lit and her hoof outstretched. It might not have been much, but it was all she could do to touch them.

“I love you… both of you.” Cadence said, giving the pair a soft smile. “I’m so glad I got to be part of your lives… your family even.”

Twilight put a hoof to her chest, embracing the slight tingle of magical energy like it was the alicorn’s own hoof, and let out a tiny sob. Her lips refused to form words. She tried to stop frowning, but they refused that too.

“Cadence… I-”

Before the purple mare could finish, a dreadfully familiar low rumble filled the air.

The ponies shifted their stiff forms to look back at the hourglass. Much to their horror, it was slowly coming to life, tipping over and starting its grim countdown. And, almost as if to make matters worse, it almost seemed to be running out of sand faster than before, like one final slap to the face from Dusk to them.

Seeing Cadence trailing her head down and giving a sigh of finality before standing up, Twilight’s face paled. “No… no, no, no! Cadence, you can’t! PLEASE!” She rushed to the edge of the board and reached out for her former foalsitter, fresh tears streaming down her face. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and she felt like she might pass out.

“Cadence!” Shining Armor protested. Seeing his wife turning and walking to the edge of her square, he grew louder and more desperate. “Please don’t do this! Please… please!” He practically sobbed.

Rarity sobbed a bit more openly. “Don’t throw your life away!”

“Princess!” Apple Bloom joined the choir of voices crying for the alicorn to stop.

“You can’t do this!” Scootaloo pleaded.

Cadence paused and looked around at her friends, at the three innocent fillies, at her beloved husband, at her best unicorn friend and sister-in-law, and then at the hourglass ticking away. With the finality of the sands falling down to smother three young lives, she made up her mind.

“Everyone… I’m sorry.” She said before turning, closing her eyes, and taking one final steadying inhale before sticking out her hoof.

And then, a hoofstep echoed through the chamber. And then another, and another. Only, they didn’t belong to Cadence.

The alicorn slowly trailed her head toward the sound, only to freeze at what she saw.

“Sweetie Belle…?” She muttered, her mind refusing to fully process the event before her. “Wh… w-what are you doing?”

The snow-white filly gave the stunned princess a tiny, conflicted smile. “Don’t worry, Princess… It’s ok.”

Cadence looked to where the young crusader was moving, the only place she could have been moving. The move wasn't particularly complicated. It didn’t have any long-term plots or ploys to spring into action down the line. It was so simple that even Sweetie had seen it.

Everyone had seen it, and for a long time too. It had been available to the filly almost since they started the game, but nobody had even considered it for one very important reason.

It was the same move Cadence was trying to make now. A sacrifice play.

“No…” Cadence’s pupils shrank. “NO!” She started to move when she abruptly stopped and glanced down to the confines of her square. She couldn’t risk making a false move.

“Sweetie?!” Rarity rushed to the side of the board. “What are you doing?! Turn around this instant!”

“Sweetie Belle, no!” Twilight cried in protest, because that was about all she could do.

Ignoring the pleas of her friends and even her sister, Sweetie Belle walked in line with the enemy pawns. She stopped in the middle of her empty square and looked forward at the black king with a bit of wavering resolve burning in her eyes.

“Check!” She declared.

“S.B, are you crazy?!” Scootaloo asked, staring at her friend with wide eyes.

Sweetie looked over to see all eyes on her. They were shocked and dismayed, and she perfectly understood. “It’s ok… I want you all to live.” She said, paying particular attention to the stunned alicorn.

“Sweetie!” Rarity cried. She ran all the way around the massive board until she was behind it, where she could be closest to the filly. She panted briefly, uncaring of how exhausted she was, and looked to her little sister with a despairing sense of sadness in her eyes. “I want you to live too!”

“We’ve gotta get her off there!” Shining Armor stated.

Twilight bit her trembling lip and shifted in place anxiously. “We can’t! It’s… it’s not our turn!”

Almost on cue with the unicorn’s words, the hourglass at the back of the room flipped back over. A cold, iron vice gripped everyone’s hearts as they watched it shift back upright. Their move had been locked in. There was no denying it now.

Everyone looked over to the only remaining black bishop. The one that was in line with the square Sweetie was occupying. No matter how much they prayed, no matter how much they willed it to stay put, it started moving.

The grating rumble rattled their souls. Their collective heart rate skyrocketed. If everyone was distraught over the alicorn sacrificing herself, now they were broken.

“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom yelled, not even caring to hide her tears as she watched her friend standing brave in the face of death, or at least as brave as a filly could.

Sweetie’s breathing quickened, and a light whine escaped her muzzle as she locked her trembling orbs on the bishop. She knew what she was doing, and she knew full well what it meant, but somehow watching the end drawing near was more than she could take.

Twilight turned to the opening to the lower level. “GLITTER, HURRY!” She shouted, hopeful that her pleas were heard and somehow amounted to something.

A torrent of emotion poured out as the bishop charged forward without pause, without mercy. Everyone felt like the world was crashing down around them as they stared at the innocent filly and cried out in denial.

Sweetie Belle herself felt her life flashing before her eyes. She was on the verge of passing out from hyperventilating. At least then she could be blissfully unaware of her imminent demise. Would it hurt? Would it be quick? She didn’t imagine a pony could just shatter and explode like the marble chess pieces did, but whatever force was behind their destruction couldn’t have been pleasant.

“Sweetie…” A soft voice called out behind her. “Darling, look at me.”

Feeling a tug at her hoof, Sweetie turned to see a purple aura of light gently holding her tiny limb. She looked up, only to see her big sister looking at her, horn lit and a warm, bittersweet smile on her face as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Rarity… I’m scared.” Sweetie whimpered. She could hear the bishop drawing closer behind her, no more than a square or two away by now.

Rarity took a shaky breath, unable to stifle a sob as she tightened her magical grip on the filly’s hoof. It wasn't quite the same as real touch, but it was close enough. “It’s ok, Sweetie. I’m right here. Just… just look at me, ok?”

Everyone watched in shocked silence as the two siblings cried together. They didn’t want to watch what was coming, but they couldn’t tear their eyes away.

Sweetie Belle flinched as the sound behind her came to a stop with one final rumble. She glanced over her shoulder at the bishop looming over her, and at all of her friends.

Strangely, alongside all of the fear and dread, there was relief as well. While she didn’t want to put her friends through such a traumatic event, at least everyone else could go on living.

As Rarity was staring up at the bishop with her whole body shaking, she heard Sweetie’s voice.

“Hey, sis…”

Looking down, Rarity flinched back, a small gasp escaping her as she clasped a hoof to her mouth and felt fresh tears welling up in her eyes.

Sweetie Belle wore a fragile smile, her eyes closed and a slight tilt to her head. If it weren’t for the tears still flowing freely, she would have almost looked happy.

“Love y-”

Then, a flash of red light came from below the filly, engulfing her as a tiny voice screamed out in pain.