Chapter 9 The dead still speak

Pov none

No one said anything as the journey was coming to a close. Jacob and Ed walked over to a sign and marked it. The sign itself was completely covering in knife marks. The ponies said nothing as they saw out of the corners of their eye’s human shadows.

Azure put her fist up in a hold gesture stopping the group. Turning she looked grim.

“From this point forward, no one speak until we reach the end. The ghosts of the dead still roam here, and they are hostile to those who disturb their rest. Understood?” The ponies acknowledged as did ed and Jacob who slung the firearms behind them.

They continued on foot the snow having piled up in places making it hard to traverse. The shadows of the dead started showing up more frequently as they traveled, and the high walls of the valley made it almost dark again. Saying nothing ed, and jacob turned on headlamps and handed out flashlights to the group.

POV Twilight sparkle

Traveling along the valley and the experiences of what happened in the corridor had made me rethink what I believed about humans in turn this challenged my beliefs towards other sapient species. That being said the atmosphere around us was oppressive and the shadows they spoke of did nothing but watch us.

Crying noises*

I looked at my fellow ponies asking an inaudible question. It was confirmed by their faces that they heard it. I looked forward and to my shock the three humans were missing.

“Jacob.” I said timidly. All of a sudden, the time of day was dark and flood lights shown across the entire valley.

I watched in horror as humans and dragonkin alike started piling their dead onto wheeled carts. Their awful noise was drowned out by what I was looking at. Humans in different states all miserable. Children were huddled in front of tent as a teacher taught mathematics. Different groups of humans were coming and going back the way we came and the way we were headed. The sound of a whip crack pervaded my ears a flash of white and then we were back in the valley remnants of the camp were visible a tattered tent here a wheeled cart there.

‘Im going crazy’ I thought checking on the cart that was being loaded with bodies. Picking up the tarp I was shocked to find bodies stacked neatly in rows men women children lined up neatly in the bed of the cart. Looking as fresh as the day they died.

I fell off the cart startled, and something caught my winter jacket. A skeletal arm dangled off me. I yelped in alarm causing the girls to look at me in horror.

Nothing happened at first. Then the sounds of whispers filled the valley. The three humans came running back to us. Azure looked at me clearly nervous. “Who made a noise?” I raised my hand sheepishly.

“Stay with me the rest of you run. Don’t stop keep up with Jacob and ed. Don’t ask just to run!” Azure countered every argument, and the group took one last look at me and ran as if Tartarus itself was on them. They quickly left out of our sight.

“Twilight sparkle hold my hand no matter what happens don’t let go ok.” Azure said in a warm tone. I grabbed her hand walking with her ever so slowly. A group of shadows all armed up ahead blocked our path. I clung onto azures hand like my life depended on it. Then azure started singing in a low hum as we approached the soldiers parted for us.

The low hum was calming and yet held a tint of sorrow. The words spoken beautiful yet complex as I could not understand them at all.

As we passed the shadow guards azure continued her hymn the snow getting deeper. Each step was harder each step was a battle as the shadows were held back by the hymn of the dragonkin. I felt my coat start to get stupid cold from the snow and my breath starting to freeze. Yet I held on to azures hand and she pulled me along I was safe with her. After a while of deep snow, it shallowed. The hymn azure hummed now sung ever so silently ringing throughout the valley.

She suddenly pulled me to the edge of the valley quickly and without warning squeezing me up against the valley wall just as dozens of the wheeled carts came barging through at an alarming speed. After a bit the phantom carts disappeared into the valley.

“The dead in this valley have grudge against you the reason I'm having you hold onto me is because im the only person now preventing them from enacting vengeance on you.” Azure looked at me. “So, twilight do you believe in ghosts?” The time of day changed, and the floodlights lit up the whole valley. And now I was looking up at a now extremely powerful dragonkin. Magic very old magic poured out of her.

I looked at her in awe of her magic. In this place it was like I could see her for what she truly was an ancient and powerful being on par if not stronger then celestia herself. She looked back and smiled.

“Oh, little filly compared to Celestia and Luna I'm an equal but even still I will not harm you or your kin here or anywhere so long as you don’t mean ill will towards humans or my kin.” Azuregus spoke soothingly.

I Looked around me and skeletons armed with tools and weapons looked at us from behind and around us. “Come hither twilight sparkle they will not harm you so long as I am here.” The dead watched through their soulless eye sockets watching our every move.

We walked through the corridor as the skeletons disappeared and reappeared in different intervals along the route. All the while I hung onto azure. We continued as the dead watched me, I could feel the amount of hatred directed towards me. Then like a light switch turning on I felt the magic of equestria growing stronger with every step we took.

As if the someone snapped their hooves the sun shone brightly on us, and the dull depressing atmosphere disappeared. “Welcome back to the land of light and the living twilight sparkle.” I looked at azure the blue scales that adorned her skin shone brilliantly. “Questions for another time young one that part of the corridor is a particularly nasty part of ours and human history. The dead however may now find their rest and the world is about to be changed. For the better I don’t know but we can only hope.” I was about to ask a question anyways when the two scouts and the rest of my friends ran up, they looked troubled.

POV none

“We got trouble ma’am.” Ed said

“Explain?”

“A unit of griffon guards, ponies, and bears have set up watch we can’t get through without tipping them off.” Jacob said.

“I'll take care of it scout your task is done head back through the corridor we can handle this here.” Ed looked ready to argue but a hand on his shoulder from Jacob and he nodded and ran back taking the short trek back through the corridor.

“Well ma’am any suggestions?” Jacob asked.

“This will be complicated but luckily we thought about this twilight sparkle with me the rest of you sit here and “don’t” cause any trouble.” The five ponies were about the protest until twilight gave them a stern look and a quick shake of her head. Jacob sat down and started twirling a karambit.

“So where exactly are we going?” Twilight asked Azure.

“To pick up some artifacts.” With that they moved back to the cliffs.

Author's Note

upload July 1st 2022
well, here is a short chapter i hope you all enjoy. This chapter was particularly hard for me to write anyway i hope your all doing well,