Chapters Chapter 1: My University's Calling
Twilight Velvet strolled through the main hall of the Clover the Clever Arcane University, making her way back to her office after she finished a lecture on alteration magic. When she arrived in the corridor where the offices for the Institute of Alteration were located, she bumped into the astromagics professor Ms Northstar.
She found that strange enough. What would that pony want in her institute?
"There you are Twilight!" Ms Northstar called out "I was searching for you everywhere."
"Well, I had a lecture. But it seems you found me. Unless I'm just an illusion..."
Ms Northstar snickered, then waved a hoof.
"We're too far from the Institute of Illusion to encounter stray spells. And even then, the different institutes are warded off from each other."
The silly prof giggled again, then continued:
"But anyway, the archmage wants us in his office right now. So please come, as soon as possible."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, and answered:
"It's a bit strange he wants to hold a meeting in his office, and right now on top of that."
"Oh no, Twilight. This won't be an official meeting. He wants to share a matter of great importance with us, and only with a few of us."
Twilight wanted to raise her eyebrow even higher at that, but restrained herself. She didn't feel high enough of a rank to be in an exclusive meeting with the archmage himself. That literally never happened before. But she would find out soon enough what this would be about, so she simply said:
"Right. I'll put down my stuff, and be there shortly."
Twilight opened the door to the archmage's office slowly, somewhat suspiciously. Then, she saw the archmage and rector of the school, Star Bound sitting at his great oaken desk, with his hooves put together in front of his face. Aside from him, three other staffmembers were in the room, all professors. They were already sitting, but there was one chair still empty.
"Please Ms Velvet, come in, take a seat!" Star Bound urged her.
Twilight Velvet closed the door behind herself, and sat down besides Ms Northstar. She looked around the office, and constated to herself that it was still as grandiose as she first saw it. The sight of ancient spell books and scrolls lining the wall shelves, along with the pictures of mages of old, including the revered Clover the Clever, the namesake of the university. It was glorious.
And, to say nothing of the smell! Twilight loved the smell of books so much. Every book had a different smell, but old books were special. They had that pleasantly damp odor that basically oozed history.
After the momentary distraction, Twilight refocused on Rector Bound, who began speaking.
"Thank you for coming, my esteemed colleagues. I'm sure you're curious why I bid you here. So without further ado, I will get right into it."
Star Bound cleared his throat, and continued:
"You may know our university is right there among the best when it comes to teaching all that is arcane. But nothing have ever beaten Celestia's School when it comes to prestige. Call me vain, but I want to rectify that. And of course, also give more prospects to our students."
Twilight, subconsciously, crossed her hooves in front of her chest. Despite saying so, the rector didn't get "right into it".
"Professor Spark Scroll here, as you might know, is the dean of our Institute of Arcane History." he pointed out with a hoof. The mare nodded in return "She recently discovered the existence of an old tome, written in an undecipherable language. It's probably a spell book, from the pre-unification era. It belonged to CSFGU for a long time, until several decades ago, it was sold at an auction. Why, I don't know. But getting that book back would be a great boon to us. Ms Scroll, please take over."
The older mare nodded again. Twilight and the others looked in her direction.
"We have made strides in deciphering obscure languages in the last few decades, thanks in no small part to the effort of our great university. And also, due to the increasingly good relations with the other races of the world, thanks to our noble Princess. We can make sense of languages and symbols that would have been impossible only a few decades ago. I actually believe that's the reason why the other school let go of that tome: they simply couldn't do anything with it back then. But now that we have the means, it should be us owning that tome!"
Ms Spark Scroll indicated with a smile that she had finished her enthusiastic explanation, and looked at the rector. So, he took back the reins of the conversation. Meanwhile, Twilight became suspicious what would come of this. Surely, there should be a twist to all this.
"Thank you, Ms Scroll!" said Star Bound, and put his hooves down on the table. "That's why this is so important to us. Although getting that book back will probably be... difficult. According to my original research, it came into the possession of a private collector, a resident of a distant little town called Hollow Shades. But that auction happened more than seventy years ago, so I doubt the poor fellow is alive anymore, and I've no idea who could have inherited the ownership of the book."
Star Bound let out a sigh, and looked over the ponies present. He continued speaking. Twilight's right ear flicked slightly. Here we go...
"And that's where you come into the picture. I don't trust private detectives, and the free-ranging adventurer-for-hire types are hard to come by in our peaceful times. But I have the utmost trust in you, and although I know I ask for a lot... I'd want one of you to volunteer to recover this tome."
Dead silence followed the rector's words. The stallion on Twilight's left, Professor Silverlight, cleared his throat silently, as if he was waiting for someone else to volunteer. Then he glanced left and right. Of course, no one fell out of their seats signing up for the adventure.
"O-kay." said Star Bound, raising a hoof to his chin "Ms Scroll, how about you? After all, your institute would be the most interested in this kind of thing."
"Oh, no no no!" Spark Scroll objected "I'm honored Mr Bound, but I'm too old for adventures like this. I get cramps in my hip from time to time. I'm afraid I have to turn you down."
And to emphasize her point, she even put a hoof there.
The rector looked at the next potential adventurer, but Prof Silverlight began even before he could be asked, in his pompous, somewhat nasally voice.
"I'm sorry Star, but you know how much I'm swarmed with projects right now. And to keep the schedules you imposed on me, well, why don't you just send Azuris to grab that tome of yours?"
Star Bound frowned at that attitude, but nevertheless, she asked the recommended pony:
"Well, Ms Northstar? Could you do this for us? The whole university would benefit from this greatly."
Azuris Northstar, the astromagics professor stared back at the rector like a deer caught in a horn light. Twilight knew if there was one pony most unfit for this, it would be Azuris.
"Well, you see Mr Bound, it's the Royal Orrery, and I a have job to do there, but also, I am afraid I just shouldn't..."
Ms Northstar mumbled on like this until Twilight put a hoof on her foreleg, interrupting the nervous pony. And although she knew she would regret it, she began:
"I will find that tome, Mr Bound. I will travel to Hollow Shades, and grab it for us."
A smile began to form on the rector's face. He sat back, and said:
"Are you sure about that, Ms Velvet? I mean, I can't force any of you to do this. It can get potentially dangerous. Hollow Shades isn't exactly a village inspiring confidence, or so I hear."
"T-that's true!" added Azuris, who calmed down somewhat in the meanwhile "Hollow Shades got rapidly depopulated in the last few years, and nopony knows why. It's basically a ghost town at this point!"
"Oh please!" reacted Professor Silverlight, rolling his eyes "That's simply the result of more and more ponies relocating to the bigger towns and cities, leaving dirt holes like this Hollow Shades behind. I seriously hope your superstitions stemming from astromagics didn't finally get to you."
Azuris turned to the opinionated prof, but before she could say anything, Twilight put up both hooves, as if trying to separate them, and said in a calm and confident voice:
"Professors, please! There is really no need to sneer at each other. I've already volunteered, so the issue is moot now."
She turned to the rector:
"And answering your inquiry, yes, I'm pretty sure about this, and I can pull this off. After all, I love going hiking with my family. So what if I have to wander a bit to find some dusty old book? Makes no difference to me."
Now Twilight sat back in her chair, to show some confidence. In reality, she wasn't sure at all how would she pull this off. This could mean serious detective work, something she wasn't really ready for. She could easily come back empty-hooved, disappointing everypony. But something, some obscure and unexplainable feeling in the back of her mind told her it would be for the best if she tried to find this book.
Star Bound leaned forward, and once again put his hooves together, partially obscuring his satisfied smile.
"If you're so confident, then I can only give my blessings, and thank you. If you accomplish this, you will make the whole university proud."
Chapter 2: Despite My Best Plans
After she put Shining into bed, Twilight Velvet began packing for the road trip next day. Hollow Shades was quite a few hours away from Canterlot by train, but Twilight was optimistic about the amount of time it would require her to find that tome. So overall, she wouldn't spend more than a day away from the capital.
Twilight wanted to travel light, so to that end, she packed only the absolute necessities. As she did all this in their living room, it was impossible for Night Light to miss his wife's occasional pauses to ponder upon her saddlebag's contents.
"A full day's worth of food: check. Map and compass: check. Canteen: check!"
"Hey dear" Night walked up to her "Do you need some help with the bag?"
"Thanks, but no need! Actually, I'm already finished I think." answered Twilight as she was looking over the next day's supplies once again.
"Are you sure? Because, I'm sure you're missing one thing from tomorrow's trip." said the stallion, and cocked his head slightly.
Twilight furrowed her brows. She thought herself pretty throughout and organized, but also knew when it came to minute details, nopony beat her husband.
"What is it?"
"Me!"
"Oh Night!" Twilight giggled, and she gently stroked her husband's neck "I appreciate you'd want to keep me company, but who would pick up Shiny from kindergarten if we were both out of town?"
"You'd think a big and strong stallion like me couldn't be in two places at once?"
As Night Light said that, he stepped over to her wife, and nuzzled her cheeks. Twilight sat back on her rump, as more determined nuzzling, and a few pecks on her neck followed.
"Fine, fine. I actually wanted to make sure if you have everything packed and ready for tomorrow. Considering that according to common physics, I actually can't be in two places at the same time. So you better have some failsafes ready."
"Failsafes? " Twilight said, and playfully rolled her eyes "Night, I'm going away for a single day, and not to the end of the world. Don't overthink this, hon. I'll be a deliverypony for my university, basically."
Twilight put a hoof on her husband's withers as reassurance, but it didn't register. He was already "in the zone", so to say.
"Did you put away some water purifier pills? How about a blanket? And don't forget a glow crystal or two, they can always come in handy." Night Light listed his recommendations, as he was sifting through the contents of the saddlebag.
Twilight would have wanted to stop her husband, but eventually, she just smiled. As an engineer, of course he was going to think in failsafes and redundancy and even more failsafes. So she decided to just go with the flow, and followed his lead.
Almost two hours later, (and making Twilight's saddlebags several pounds heavier) the couple finally laid themselves to sleep. Twilight kissed her husband goodnight, and turned on her other side.
"Goodnight, honey. Gotta catch the first train in the morning."
"Okay. Goodnight, sweetheart." Night Light constated with some disappointment in his voice, and reached out to the coldflame chandelier with his magic.
As darkness fell upon the room, Twilight wanted to fall asleep, but she wasn't too sleepy yet. They usually went to bed later, and that was evident by Night Light's shuffling around under their blanket. She tried to pay it no mind though. She needed to be well rested for next day's long trip.
About five minutes could have passed when she felt a hoof on her side. A word, full of longing, accompanied it.
"Sweetheart..."
Twilight opened her eyes. She knew that tone so very well. And although she felt some guilt, she answered with dismissal.
"Night, please. I wanna sleep. You know, first train..."
"Fine..." came the sour word of acceptance, and the hoof was withdrawn.
Some more minutes have passed. Twilight still couldn't fall asleep. Actually, she became rather vivid. The next day began to occupy her thoughts. What that tome could be about? And how so no one else claimed it so far? If it was indeed so important...
At that point, Twilight actually wished her husband didn't give up so easily. Some "late night exercise" might have actually did her some good, tire her out just enough to sleep well from onward. She let out a sigh. It was too late for that. She didn't want to lose face by taking the initiative after dismissing him just minutes ago.
But luckily, Night Light didn't give up just yet. He must have heard the sigh. She softly caressed Twilight's side.
"Something's wrong, dear?"
"Oh, nothing..." came the answer, without any particular emotion, but Twilight was actually beaming in the darkness.
"Are you sure?"
Twilight didn't answer, but the caressing continued. A few minutes later, it sent a pleasant tingling feeling along her whole body. At that point, she turned to Night Light, and kissed him deeply:
"Okay, you win..."
Twilight Velvet rested her head on a foreleg as she was looking outside the window unto the Equestrian countryside. The Harmony Express chugged along with her at a decent pace, under a brooding, overcast sky. And it was such nice weather the previous day, Twilight thought. All this greyness made her almost regret that she accepted this "quest". But there was precious little she could do about it then. At least, she was whisked away from the dull monotony of her usual weekdays.
Well, as if! If it could ever be monotone with a curious and somewhat mischievous colt like Shining Armor. Twilight smiled at that thought. Even though she would've rather stayed home, thinking about her family always cheered her up.
Some time later, the conductor entered the wagon, and asked for the tickets. When he arrived to Twilight's seat, she was already levitating hers. The conductor looked at it, and shot a somewhat embarassed smile at Twilight.
"Miss, I'm afraid there's a little problem here. You won't be able to get to your destination."
Twilight looked at her ticket, and raised an eyebrow.
"Why not? Something's wrong with my ticket?"
"Yes. It says "Hollow Shades" as final destination, erroneously. But this line didn't stop at that village for almost a year now. The furthest you can go is Hollow Shades junction."
"I see..." answered Twilight, her ears drooping slightly "Is there a way I can make it from this stop you mentioned to Hollow Shades? Apart from using my hooves?"
The conductor made a regretful sigh, and shrugged a little.
"I'm not sure, Miss. But considering nopony wants to go to Hollow Shades anymore, I fear that might be your only option."
Twilight put away her ticket, realizing the inspection was over. She also contemplated what the conductor said. Sure, she already knew that the village got depopulated, but if even the train line steered clear from it, that must have meant a bit more. Something along the lines of a ghost town, probably. And if that would be the case, the tome's owner probably wouldn't be a resident anymore, either. All-in-all, Twilight didn't like her current odds.
The conductor's words snapped her out of her thought as he was leaving.
"I'm terribly sorry for this inconvenience, Miss. You should probably file a complaint at Canterlot Central Station. I'm sure you'd get back at least part of your bits."
But bits weren't what Twilight was concerned about right then.
Twilight got off the train at Hollow Shades junction, as it was previously implied she should. She looked around. The station itself wasn't more than a long platform, and a sign denoting the station's name. As for the environment, it was rocky hills all around, as it was usual in this part of Equestria, sparsely populated with trees.
A bit further down the tracks, they actually separated into two, with the one leading to the right, being the direction of Hollow Shades. Seeing no other option, Twilight began following those tracks.
Twilight has been walking for at least an hour at a good pace. The scenery around her didn't change much, except it became more boring. The wide valley narrowed down, and the trees also pretty much disappeared. It was pretty depressing, she thought.
To say nothing of the sky, which seemed cloudier than before. And soon enough, Twilight Velvet was let known that pegasus weather patrols operated diligently even in the remote corners of Equestria such as this one.
Drop by drop, it started to rain, and it turned into a little downpour in no time.
"Ah, just perfect. Why did I think weather was on demand in the more remote areas?"
In ten minutes, she was soaking wet, and she had to constantly remove strands of wet mane from her eyes. And as the unfriendly-looking valley lacked trees, she couldn't have stood under anything. So she just moved on, hoping the rain wouldn't last very long.
"I just hope it's not raining in Canterlot." Twilight thought out loud again "Otherwise poor Night's probably thinking horrors are happening to me."
She smirked at that, and it gave her enough of a push to pick up the pace moving towards her destination.
Luckily for Twilight, the deluge was over quick. The fat droplets of water almost forming a curtain, became a light drizzle just as suddenly as it started out. A few minutes later, even that has stopped.
So Twilight stopped for a bit, still following the track, and took off her saddlebags. She shook herself free of the excess precipitation in her coat, and using telekinesis, twisted her tail, like if it was a towel. Of course, that left it looking rather disheveled, but she didn't care too much then. It's not like there was anypony around to see it.
The next hour or so passed without any particularly interesting events. Twilight followed the tracks, in the hopes of reaching Hollow Shades eventually. And despite having reached the train station bearing the village's name, the settlement itself was nowhere to be seen. But once again, calling it a train station was an exaggeration, as this one didn't even have a platform. Or maybe, once it had, judging by the marks on the ground, but all that remained is a battered sign reading out the name.
Twilight surmised that the village must be further into the hills, and she noticed a small path leading into them, so she started out that way.
When Twilight Velvet gazed upon the village for the first time, she instinctively stepped back a little. It didn't just look depopulated, it looked like a haunted village from one of those comic books Night Light sometimes read. Every building dilapidated, some of them outright ruined, and not a single pony in sight. For a moment, Twilight thought it would be a very good time to leave, while she was still distant enough to... to what?
To avoid whatever this village could throw at her, she finished her own thought, but then scolded herself for it. Really, what's the worst that could happen? That she wouldn't find a single soul living here, and therefor, no tome either. And that would be disappointing, but ultimately, not something she should run away from.
So shooing away any negative notions, she carefully descended the hillside, and walked the valley that eventually expanded into the larger area that housed the settlement.
Twilight approached carefully. Although logically, she had nothing to fear, to her, it still looked like the bunch of houses were home to monsters, or haunting spirits, instead of ponies.
Getting into the village proper didn't instill confidence in her. From up close, the assortment of ruined houses oozed even more of depressive aura. Twilight walked along what could be the (bit overgrown) main street of the village. On both sides, all she could see were broken windows, boarded up windows, and some doors left open. Whoever used to occupy those houses before, definitely felt the need to leave in a hurry.
"What could have happened here?" Twilight thought "I know negligence can lead to ruination, but it's as if a battle occurred here."
Soon enough, Twilight reached what seemed like the village's main square. The only thing denoting this place was a bit more important than the surrounding streets was the well in the middle, which was of course dried out. Twilight looked around, and gave it a little shout:
"Hello?! Is anypony around? Does anyone live in this village at all?"
Obviously, Twilight didn't expect an answer, and sure enough, she didn't get one. The only thing she could hear was the wind howling between the houses. At that point she didn't expect to bring home any tome at all, only maybe a brick from one the dilapidated buildings, as a discount souvenir.
The mare sighed. She would've gladly turned back, but at the same time, she had nothing to lose with looking around a bit more. Who knows? Maybe a magical tome will lie in the dirt somewhere around, she mused herself.
Twilight walked on, and she noted to herself that the visage in the other half of the village didn't change much. She almost reached the other end of the main street when she heard an elongated "Pssst!".
Twilight looked back, trying to determine from where the sound could have came from. It was unmistakably pony-like though, so perhaps the village wasn't as depopulated as it first seemed...
But just a few moments later, she heard the sound again, and a door creaking open. From the nearest house, a light-beige hoof urged her:
"Come in, quick! Get inside!"
It was the voice of a mare, pretty young and stressful judging from the tone. Twilight turned towards the ajar door, and cocked her head a bit.
"Yes, you! Come over here already! Or what, do you want those cultists to get you?!"
"Good morning. Do you live here? If so, could I ask for some...
"Are you crazy?! Get inside NOW!" the mare snapped, and pulled Twilight inside the house, and closed the door.
Poor Twilight was a bit shocked by this turn of events. She didn't expect to become a houseguest so suddenly. She didn't know if she should try to flee, or if she should ask for an explanation. But before she could do either, the earth pony mare started speaking.
"Phew, that was close." she said after looking behind the curtains, and turned to Twilight "I really hope they didn't hear you. They have patrols around the area, you know?"
Twilight Velvet just furrowed her brows, but she wanted to find out who the mare was first. Bottom-up problem solving, as Night Light would say.
"Excuse me, but who are you? And why was it so urgent to make me your guest - against my will?"
"Oh, sorry. It's just that I've been pretty much on the edge here for the last few days." the mare said, and put a hoof to her chest "My name is Written Figment. This house belonged to my father. And I came back here because of the spike of cultist activity in the area."
Twilight didn't answer, except for turning her head sideways a bit. Her ears drooped, and she raised an eyebrow. She knew there would be more to this, and sure enough, the mare continued.
"Look, I know you must have lots of questions right now, but first things first: Don't go outside, or you might just get zapped. These freaks aren't joking."
"Who, the cultists? Who are they?" Twilight asked, but then set her mind straight. Her natural curiosity took over her sense of duty as a teacher and a parent. So instead she continued as:
"If there are dangerous cultists in this area, we should leave at once, and call in the royal guards. Matters like these are no joke."
Written Figment looked at Twilight unamused, and answered.
"Wow, you don't say? While potentially fighting a group of crazy unicorns isn't on my to-do list, I'm afraid I must stay, for the safety of Equestria."
"You're losing me, but if this cult is made up of unicorns, they could indeed by very dangerous. They might know combat spells, even. And that's why you shouldn't try to stay. But either way, I know I shouldn't."
Twilight began towards the door, but Written stopped her.
"Wait, wait, wait! I can let you go for sure, but first, please tell me why did you come to Hollow Shades in the first place. It's not exactly a tourist's paradise, but you don't look like one of the cultists either. So what gives? Are you some free-ranging adventurer, perhaps?"
The mare pointed at Twilight's saddlebags as she said that. For a moment, Twilight pondered if she should answer honestly to the inquiry, but then she looked around, and realized: that very house was full of bookshelves, and on them, several hundreds of books. They were also scattered around though, like when something was searched for, but wasn't rearranged afterwards. The mare also mentioned his father. Maybe Twilight was closer to her goal than she initially thought?
"No. My name is Twilight Velvet, and I'm a teacher at the Clover the Clever Arcane University in Canterlot. I was asked to recover an ancient tome believed to be located in this settlement, that apparently belonged to a collector before he passed."
Twilight couldn't continue, as Written interrupted:
"That collector was my father. And this house was home to his collection of magical tomes and scriptures. Which tome do you seek?"
"It's a tome written in an obscure language, probably a spellbook. But I only know hearsay, so..."
"I know what you're talking about." Written answered, and began pacing "That was also what the cultists were searching for, and eventually found. As you can see."
Written waved around a front leg to point out the mess, then continued.
"When I came to Hollow Shades, I already knew what I could expect. I suspected the cult would rob my father's house clean, but interestingly enough, they only took this tome you speak about. And considering what they also found, that's bad news."
That piqued Twilight's interest. So the cultists sought the same tome she is seeking? That's something, but what she learned so far was just enough for her. She didn't want to risk her skin. But at least, her reason for failure would be more than legitimate.
"Why? Er, I mean, look: I know these cultists making a mess of your house must be hard on you, but if they are as dangerous as you claim, it'd be better to let the Royal Guard handle this."
Written stopped her pacing, and faced Twilight Velvet.
"I cannot let them. If these cultist freaks get scattered by the RG, they won't pop up for years again. And we're THIS close to stopping them." she gestured with a hoof.
"So I just cannot convince you? Well, your business, but I think this is too much for me. Please let me go." Twilight answered, stepping closer to the entrance.
"Fine, your prerogative. But please, don't call the Guard on me, would ya?"
"I won't, if that is truly your wish."
Written sighed, and put a hoof on the door handle. But before she opened up, she spoke.
"Aren't you even interested in what these cultists are up to? Or the "safety of Equestria" part?"
"I am, but you implied they are ready to kill. So I'd rather not risk staying. I have a family, you know..."
"Oh, well..." Written looked at the ground, and her muscles tensed once again on the door handle. But she still didn't open up.
"You know, we were searching for a honest-to-goodness unicorn for years. One who could help. Being a society of earth ponies sworn to protect Equestria from foul magics isn't as easy as it sounds. And if these good-for-nothings get their way, Equestria is finished."
Velvet raised an eyebrow.
"Surely, you're exaggerating. What a bunch of Nightmare cultists could do?"
"That they AREN'T Nightmare cultists. And that tome? Using that they could decipher a magic scroll they found many years ago. A magic scroll that apparently, could provide a pony with vast, unimaginable power."
"I'm very skeptical. That's exactly what they would claim. That they found something ancient and powerful that they would unleash upon Equestria in the name of their "night mistress". I think you're blowing this out of proportion."
"I am NOT!" responded Written, and stomped a hoof on the floor. "And they AREN'T Nightmare cultists. Look, if you follow me, I will show you. And explain just how deep this rabbit hole goes."
"And why would I do that?"
"Aside from potentially saving Equestria? Let's say you can keep the tome if we find it. If these cultists can't have it, we've already won."
Twilight put a hoof to her chin. Although this was a great potential danger, if she came this far, she didn't want to leave tome-less. And helping out her university was also something she valued dearly. And the back portion of her mind, no matter how much she objected herself, vied for some adventure. Eventually, she said:
"Okay, let's say I help. But I sure hope you have a plan."
Chapter 3: The Rabbit Hole
For the first time since they met, there was a smile on Written Fidgment's face.
"I knew you were a good pony from the moment I laid eyes upon you. Right this way!"
Written trotted past Velvet, and disappeared in a back room. She followed her, and asked.
"So, do you have a plan?"
"Of course. Look."
With that, she kicked away the carpet, revealing a trap door. With some effort, she lifted it up, and Twilight stepped closer.
"Whoah. It seems you didn't joke when you said rabbit hole."
"This leads to the cave system underneath the village, which leads into the catacombs. Which ties into what I suppose is the cultist base."
Hearing that, Twilight instinctively stepped back a little.
"You said the cultists are very dangerous. And now you'd want to go right unto their turf?"
"How would we get back that tome otherwise? Besides, they aren't at home right now. Trust me."
Twilight just rolled her eyes. Written tried to give her best reassuring smile in return, and added:
"Trust me. Okay, I go first. Now, could you light the way down for me? I'll give you a torch, I knew it's here somewhere..."
"No need! I have a pretty good torch right with me..." Twilight said, and activated her horn.
Using a simple lighting spell, she illuminated the stairs, and Written, with careful steps, began descending. Velvet followed suit, hear rear facing downwards, to avoid tumbling down. When they both touched the ground, they found themselves in a cave with a low ceiling, lined by stalactites and stalagmites. Twilight looked all around, with her cone of light providing enough visibility for both of them. Written even had to cover her eyes when Twilight was facing her.
"That's what I call an effective torch!" she remarked "Okay, this way."
The two ponies began walking, with Twilight lighting the path. The ground surface was relatively smooth, so they made good progress. A faint light source was not so far ahead, and Written was moving towards that spot.
For a while, only their echoing hoofsteps were talking to each other. And the droplets of water falling from the ceiling, striking the puddles of water lying about. But Twilight had lots of questions, and she couldn't stand not to ask:
"You mentioned you're part of some sort of society. What's up with that?"
"Ah, yes. The Gladius Arcanus . A secret society of earth ponies, founded hundreds of years ago. Its founding members realized that during history, magical artifacts were usually found and hoarded by those who wanted to misuse them, and no offense" Written shook her head "but those ponies were most often unicorns. So they took it upon themselves to find as many powerful trinkets and gizmos as they could, and lock them away. As to protect Equestria from their illicit use."
"So that's why your father bought that tome all those years ago?" Twilight answered after some pondering "To prevent it from falling into the wrong hooves?"
"Oh no. He was never a part of this society. He was simply an avid book collector, may Gaia bless his soul. Sadly, Gladius somehow overlooked the importance of this book, and it remained here in Hollow Shades. A good friend of my father's looked over the collection after he passed, but he and the remainder of the villagers all disappeared between now and about a year ago. Otherwise, I would have picked up the collection, and moved it elsewhere."
"And when you came back, it was already too late, and the cultists had it." Twilight finished the thought.
"Yes. I only hope" Written responded, with her voice pitching lower "that I can do good by my father, and these sickos won't turn a part of his collection against Equestria."
"I can feel you." answered Twilight with consideration.
Meanwhile, they reached the edge of what turned out to be a small plateau. Looking into the part of the cave lying underneath them, Twilight could see lit torches. So, the cave was indeed occupied recently. She could only hope no one occupied it right now.
"I've hidden a rope here." said Written stepping next to a stalagmite "We can use it to rappel down."
She picked up the coil of rope with her mouth, only to notice Twilight waving at her, and smiling sheepishly. Written cocked her head, and raised an eyebrow.
"You know, I think I know a faster way to get down there..."
Half a minute later, both ponies were walking away from the plateau. Written clicked her tongue with approval.
"Now that's what I call a fast descent! Ironically, it seems I've made the right choice to work with a unicorn."
"Yes, well..." Twilight answered, trying to stay humble "I discovered I can levitate myself when I accidentally fell down a flight of stairs many years ago. But sans that occasion, I never found a practical use for this spell. Until now."
"Seeing your skill, I bet you could do a thing or two about those cultists too, if confronted. Am I right?"
"Let's not get carried away, now." the unicorn said softly.
Written led Twilight through a narrow passage of the cave, which lacked the vertical rock formations of the previous parts. Eventually, the cave's walls smoothed out, and the ground also felt made for walking. Before Twilight could ask anything, Written began:
"These are the abandoned old catacombs of Hollow Shades. The earth ponies of the village buried their dead down here, as the ground around these parts are simply too rocky for digging proper graves. Even the most gifted earth ponies couldn't handle it."
As they were walking along, Twilight noticed smudged murals on the walls. And as they were making progress, more and more popped up. Eventually, Twilight saw some that could be recognized.
"Wait, is that... Nightmare Moon?" she pointed a hoof "Didn't you say this cult wasn't about her?"
Written sighed, and shook her head. She slowed down somewhat.
"Hollow Shades has a strange and troubled history. Many times it got completely abandoned, then repopulated. And somehow, this village always attracted cultists, crazy wizards, religious fanatics... You know, the weird ones. I dunno, maybe there's some dark magic lingering about this place that makes it so desirable?"
Twilight looked at the ground, and began thinking. Maybe she could reach out, and test what Written just mentioned? After all, she knew she was more sensitive to magical presences deviating from the standard.
Twilight stopped, and closed her eyes. She charged up her magic, and sent out a barely visible purple wave, expanding outwards. She concentrated for a few more seconds, then opened her eyes. Written was facing her, with her mouth wide open.
"Whoah. What did you just do?"
"Scanned for magical anomalies. And although I didn't detect any dark magic usage recently, I did notice how easy it was to use my levitation spell previously. Really easy. I think we might be very close to a magic focal point."
"And that means...?" Written asked, turning her head sideways, as if she wanted to hear the answer better.
"That means the barrier between Caelum, and the living world is somewhat thinner here than in the rest of Equestria." responded Twilight, now being in full lecture mode. "Thus making it easier for unicorns to connect with the magical netherworld. That is, Caelum."
"Not sure if I understand, but thanks for the answer anyway. But circling back to the original topic, this place was probably home to not just one Nightmare cult during history. Hence the murals."
Twilight looked upon one of the murals in a better shape again. It depicted a stylized Nightmare Moon, and a group of ponies frolicking under a full moon. Another was many robed figures bowing to the majestic mare, while she was looking down upon them. Twilight gulped. How could ponies actually worship a bringer of doom?
"We should get a move on." Written urged, seeing the slightly mesmerized Twilight "The hideout of our cultists is just up ahead."
The duo of ponies passed through the main corridor of the old catacombs to eventually reach a huge slab of stone blocking the way.
"This is the furthest I could go on my previous journey here." said Written, poking at the thick stone door "I found no way to open this, neither a mechanism, nor runic markings, so maybe this is indeed just a trial of brute force."
Twilight Velvet looked upon the massive door, and reached out to it with her mind. Her scanning spell poked at every square inch of it, but no hidden glyphs, or any enchantments could be detected. It indeed seemed it was just several tons of stone, like Written said. And that meant the only spell that could open it was... telekinesis.
"I, uh... What's behind it?" Twilight stammered before she would commit to anything extreme.
"I'm pretty sure this is the entrance to the cultist base. I don't see a point to this heavy door otherwise."
"Right. Just because if I manage to open it, I don't want to release some ancient evil, or similar." answered Twilight, more joking than not.
"Relax." Written smiled "The only evils around aren't at home."
"Then stand back. I think I can lift this, but it will require some effort."
Written stepped aside. and extended a front leg.
"All yours, miss."
Twilight's horn lit up, and she focused all her magic around the giant stone door. Wrapping a telekinetic spell around it was turning out to be hard, as the door was almost airtight. She had to carefully prod around the edges to find some nooks and crannies on the inside to find a grip, and from there, she could make her magic flow around the door more easily. Of course, to a unicorn more skilled in this kind of spell, or just one more powerful in general, this would've been a trivial problem, and would've grabbed the stone piece in their magic no matter the grip. Luckily, Twilight wasn't too shabby either, and although with incredible effort, she started to lift up the door.
The gentle hum of a basic telekinetic spell has turned into a high-pitched wail, and Twilight's horn was enveloped in a very bright, monochrome purple aura. She threw her head back, clenched her teeth, grunted, and concentrated extra hard not to let go of the spell.
But all her efforts were paying off, and inch by inch, the door was showing more of what was on the other side. When the crack was large enough, Written slipped through, and Twilight also started to approach, carefully, step by step, as she also had to keep up the spell all the while.
When she was close enough, she jumped, and stopped casting. The stone slab crashed back to the ground right behind her with such a blast, that it could have surely grabbed the attention of anyone in the catacombs.
Twilight looked up. Her head hurt a bit, and all she could see was a hoof. It was Written's, offering her help getting up. She accepted, and grabbed unto it.
"I have to say, that was some impressive display of raw, unbridled power!" said Written once Twilight was standing again "And heh, now I'm sure glad you're on our side."
"I just hope I'll be glad, too." answered Twilight, rubbing her temple.
After a few minutes of rest, Twilight joined Written in looking around. They were indeed inside the cultist base, or at least it very much looked like it. The room where the door lead to, was some sort of big looby, with torches lining the stone walls. It would've been pretty unremarkable, if not for one detail. One, on which Written's gaze was fixated upon.
It was a huge banner, hanging from the wall opposite the door. An alicorn looked back from it, with glowing eyes, and a flowing, silvery mane. With flared wings, it was piercing through the heavens, and sported a golden-colored headdress. Underneath, many smaller figures could be seen, presumably ponies.
Twilight stepped next to her companion, whose mouth was left open a little.
"So these cultists... Worship Celestia then?" started Twilight, with some confusion in her voice "That doesn't seem so bad to me, even if the location of the hideout is a bit unorthodox."
"What do you mean?" answered Written, without looking away from the banner "This being looks NOTHING like Celestia. This... this is... This changes EVERYTHING."
"I know you mean the silvery mane, but take note there have been many erroneous depictions of Celestia during history. Our flag has her with a green mane on it. And the existence of a third alicorn is dubious, to say the least."
"This ISN'T Celestia." said Written, now actually looking at Twilight, with a scowl "Ponies who actually worship Celestia form sun cults, and they definitely don't hide underground. Believe me, I'd know, those folks are mostly earth ponies, and actually know how Celestia looks like."
"Then who is this, according to you?" Velvet shot back, gesturing towards the banner.
"I don't know yet. But let's look around. We might get the answers we seek."
"You mean what YOU seek." Twilight thought, rolling her eyes.
Written and Twilight discovered most of the base in the next hour or so. They visited a library, an alchemy lab, what looked like a kitchen, a huge bedroom, and a large circular room with seemingly no purpose. And they went through several storerooms too, but found none of what Written has spoken about. That is, a scroll containing means to gain unimaginable power.
They were in the library again, and Written was sifting through the contents of a drawer when Twilight spoke, not hiding the disappointment in her voice:
"You know what I'm thinking? That we're basically trespassers here, and there's no "dangerous artifacts" to be found. This is a mages' hideout, and while they must be weird for sure, that should be no basis for prejudice."
Written looked back at Twilight, and whacked the drawer close. She began in a huffy tone:
"So you're accusing me of lying? I'm telling you, the Gladius Arcanus have been unto them for years. They're surely up to no good. But you believed me before, so why start doubting me now?"
"Because I saw no sign of the evil wrongdoings you claimed they were partaking in, and I saw no cultists either."
Written sighed. She walked closer to Twilight, and her voice took on an apologetic tone.
"Look, I know you had to give me some serious benefit of doubt, and I'm sorry I roped you into this, but you have to believe me! That scroll must be here somewhere. And the tome, too. We just need to search a little harder."
"Okay, but where? We've looked through everything. I'm already starting to feel like some burglar."
"Well, I didn't finish with these drawers. And as for you... Could you use that magic scan of yours again? Who knows, maybe you'd find something."
Twilight frowned for a second, and looked up at the ceiling, as if she was begging it for patience. But then looked back at Written, and said:
"Okay, I guess there is no harm in trying."
The unicorn ran multiple waves of magic through the library, and looked for any fluctuations in the wavelength, but nothing was out of the ordinary. That meant no serious magical events occured there in the close past.
"Nothing." she shook her head.
Meanwhile, Written finished her search, and ended up with a note in her hoof. She trotted up to Twilight, and showed her the piece of paper.
"A-ha! I told you we would find something! Read it."
Twilight tried to do so, but upon looking at the paper, she realized it was written in unni'lad , the language of the first unicorns, from far before the Unification. She furrowed her brows:
"You realize this is written in...
"Yes, yes, unni'lad. I didn't think these cultists would be so archaic! It says: Wait for us in the usual location with the gems. Signed: The Disciples of Arcana ."
Twilight was surprised for a moment that this earth pony understood unni'lad. It's not that it was a hard language, but aside from linguists, not many had a grasp of it. But after her momentary surprise, she squinted her eyes:
"The "Disciples of Arcana?" That's what these cultists call themselves?"
"Would make sense. And if I had to wager a guess, Arcana is the name of the silvery-maned alicorn we saw on the banner."
"That's a really wild take. There only ever were two alicorns, and none of them were called "Arcana"."
Written threw away the note, and looked into Twilight's eyes:
"I feel like our perception might change about a great many things, and we just need to dig in a bit deeper. Who are these cultists, and what do they want from an alicorn who apparently never even existed?"
"I don't know. And honestly, this is making less and less sense by the minute. Yes, I know earth pony folklore speak of "angels" in pre-historic ages, who used to visit them in times of crisis, and their description actually matches that of alicorns'. But aren't those just old mare's tales?"
"That, or we're making the biggest historic discovery ever." Written smiled. "Can you use your scan in the other parts of this base as well? There must be more clues here, and we just cannot see it."
Twilight pondered for a bit. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to help discovering something that in the end would probably end up being the ravings of lunatic unicorns. But also, she respected Written's curiosity in a way. It reminded her of herself when she was younger, before she had a family, when she actually wanted to become an archeologist. But she was convinced that with her magical talents, it would be a waste to become a "dig site mule".
The archeologist that she never became flared up in her a bit. She answered Written.
"Sure I can. Let's find out what's going on here."
Going back to the storerooms, one of Twilight's scans returned something. It was a weak signal, emanating from a wall. Twilight focused more, and in her mind's eye, she saw a glyph written on said wall. She pointed it out to Written:
"There's something here. It's marked by a glyph. and probably not without a purpose."
The other pony's excitement was almost palpable. She answered.
"Maybe it's a hidden entrance? Can you open it? Maybe the wall can be slid away. Try your telekinesis again, that worked last time."
Twilight would've wanted to curb the earth pony's enthusiasm, because she had a bad feeling about the immediate future. Something in the back of her mind told her... But that kind of feeling came back to her from time to time, and it usually didn't mark anything extraordinary or dramatic. So she followed the request, and began casting.
To her own biggest surprise, she barely reached out to the glyph with her most basic telekinetic spell, when it visibly lit up, and the wall slid away on its own. It was probably enchanted, and only needed a small amount of magicka to "jumpstart" the enchantment.
"Well, well, well! A hidden room in the hidden base!" said Written with satisfaction in her voice "Something tells me this is the place we've been searching for."
With that said, Written was already strolling inside the darkness that lay before her.
"Wait!!!" Twilight exclaimed "There might be traps inside! At least let me light the way!"
Written stopped, and turned back to answer, but she didn't look too concerned:
"Please do so. But you must understand my eagerness."
Twilight this time opted for an orb of lighting that she shot into the middle of the room near the ceiling. It remained lingering there, providing sufficient illumination of a purple color.
"Hm, funky." Written quipped "But look, it's actually another storage room."
She walked forward, and although Twilight was concerned her companion will step on an exploding rune, that luckily didn't happen. She cast another scanning spell to make sure the room indeed didn't have any traps, but the feedback she got was overwhelming. She picked up multiple strong magic signals in the room. It must have indeed been used for storing artifacts or the sort.
The room was strewn with crates. Each one must have contained something out of the ordinary. And Written didn't wait to open them, especially after Twilight told her the result of her scan.
"Told you!" she answered giddily "Boy, there could be multiple artifacts here Gladius has been searching for. What a find!"
"Look, let's just find that tome, and get out of here. I really don't like us lingering here any longer than necessary." Twilight said, looking around nervously.
"It's fine, don't worry." Written said, as she opened up another crate "I'll just pick some of this stuff up, and we can bolt."
Twilight rolled her eyes. She still wasn't fully okay with it, but she helped with the pseudo-burglary, and began opening up crates as well. Finally, she found a gilded scroll, with fine ornaments. She rolled it out, but didn't understand a word of it, although the arcane patterns drawn on it were somewhat familiar to her. It was definitely a spell, perhaps the one Written was seeking.
"I found something. Take a look."
Twilight levitated the scroll towards Written. The pony's head was deep within a crate, and when she emerged, exclaimed.
"A-ha! Yes, that must be the one! And look, I also found your tome!"
"Great!" Twilight answered, and opened it. After seeing it contained the same incomprehensible letters and symbols as the scroll, she was convinced enough she finally found what she was looking for. All she needed to do now was to get to the surface, and return to Canterlot.
She put away the tome into her saddlebag, and continued, not hiding her growing impatience:
"Can we go now?"
"Certainly." came the answer, but just a moment later, a clamor could be heard.
It sounded like a heavy stone gate being dropped.
Both ponies looked in the direction of the sound, then at each other.
"I think we've got company..." Written exclaimed quietly.
"We need to hide! Quickly, slide away the door!" Written Fidgment urged Velvet, who went from impatience to a state of mild shock.
"Does it matter now? We're trapped. And if those cultists are indeed violent as you claim..." she whispered, and didn't finish her sentence.
"Maybe they're just back for a snack? Duck behind these crates, perhaps they won't notice us."
Twilight managed to close the sliding stone door, and hid behind a crate, with Written on the opposite side of the storage room. She also shot down her illumination orb, and even regulated her breathing to make as little noise as possible. But she knew her chances of not being discovered were pretty slim.
Several minutes passed. They heard several ponies walking around, and also talking, most of which were too muffled and distant to be understood. Then one sentence struck Velvet's ears, which was said somewhat louder, and for a reason.
"Hey, I did not put this here. Who was messing with my drawer again?!"
Twilight gulped, but for several more minutes, nothing happened. She could only hear her own heartbeat. But then a louder, harsher sound proclaimed.
"We've got an intruder! Search the base!"
Velvet's heart skipped a beat. Although she was skeptical all the way, now she was sure Written's claims would be all validated.
Twilight didn't know how many minutes could have passed in silent waiting. In the pitch black storeroom, she could only rely on her ears for perception. She couldn't see anything, not even her own hooves. But what she heard convinced her it was only a matter of time. Semi-loud conversations, interspersed with some yelling echoed outside, alongside the fast-paced clip-clops of hooves striking the stone floor of the base.
Eventually, the door slid away, and through the crack, a column of light was cast into the room. With being in complete darkness up until then, the sudden brightness hurt Velvet's eyes. But she could still see how Written wriggled deeper into the cover of the boxes. A moment later, a very clear male voice asked:
"Was this one visited?"
"Master, all the crates here are opened." came the answer.
"Then get inside, and search!"
Written Figment was found first, then a moment later, Twilight Velvet too. And now that their eyes got used to the sudden light, and were face to face with the cultists, they could surmise that they wore silver-colored hooded robes, and each of them wore a pendant on their chests, depicting a six-pointed star.
"Well, well, well." the owner of the previous voice started "What do we have here? It's some earth pony burglar, and her unicorn sidekick. Or is it the other way around? Search them!"
Two of the unicorn cultists took away their saddlebags, and levitated out the contents. When the tome and scroll were found, they were presented to the stallion.
"Hmmm." he rubbed his chin under his hoodie "Was anything else missing from the other parts of the base?"
Now "master" turned towards the two mares caught, and her gaze stopped on Written Figment.
"So, you wanted to take the scroll and its decoder, too. Now I just wonder, what an earth pony like you would do with such an obscure artifact?"
Written looked away from the stallion's gaze. In return, he stepped really close, and lowered his head, trying to make eye contact. He continued.
"Or perhaps you're not just some burglar. You're one of those pathetic Gladius Arcanus members, aren't you? Ponies who are obsessed with blocking progression!"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Written answered, sounding flustered, not hiding well that the stallion just nailed her allegiance.
"Oh, of course you don't. Policy of denial, and what not. Let me tell you sweetheart, your "secret society" is about as much of a secret as you're good at lying. I also know you lot work with Celestia. Because otherwise, you would've been culled centuries ago."
Written pouted up her lips, and gave the stallion a nasty look, but didn't respond otherwise. He turned away from her, and leaned into Velvet's face, whose heart was beating in her throat so far.
"And what about you? Why did you help her? Or maybe, you're actually in charge? Would be more fitting, I admit. Considering it must have been you who opened our front door..."
Velvet lifted up both hooves in front of her chest, and began in an apologetic tone.
"L-look, sorry we robbed you, but let's be clear and honest here: we don't know what's going on here, or what is your agenda. Please, let us go, we meant no harm, really. Look, I'm just a teacher from Canterlot. I wanted that one book, but I wasn't aware it belonged to you. Clearly, we've made a mistake, but maybe we can talk this out?"
The stallion smirked at Velvet's tender words. She tried to shoot back a little smile, but it turned into a scared frown. She felt that smirk wasn't the kind, agreeable one.
"Likely story. Just a teacher. You must be one of Celestia's mages, helping this fool."
"I am not! I'm just a teacher, as I said. Doing a little favor for my university. But not even they know what that tome could do. So with that said, and with your secrets kept unrevealed, could you maybe let us go? Or at least me?"
Hearing that, Written gave Twilight a nasty look. Velvet looked back, with sadness in her eyes. As if saying: "Sorry, but I have a family. Can't help you."
The cultist leader straightened up, and walked away a few steps from Velvet. After some seconds of silence, he yelled.
"Restrain them!"
Written was lifted up in a telekinetic aura. Trying to fight it, she kicked around with all fours, but she was kept firmly in the air. Twilight was grabbed too, but she was levitated by the combined spell of four unicorns. But unlike her companion, she didn't try to fight it. She knew it was no use, considering at least ten other unicorns occupied the room, ready to take down any resistance.
The leader stepped back to Twilight, and started once again.
"I am master Comet Crest, and we are the Disciples of Arcana. I was once learning under Celestia's wings, until I realized how much she held me back. How much she held Equestria back. I discovered many hidden truths, and even gained followers. We know what is at the end of the path, and are willing to do anything to reach it."
"You are a raving lunatic!" Written shouted, her front hooves kicking in the air towards Comet Crest "You probably think you're serving some higher purpose, like any cult, but you really are just criminals!"
Written clenched her teeth in a mad snarl. It looked like she could bite out his throat, was she let go. Comet just sighed, and looked back at Velvet. He continued.
"And she calls me a lunatic... Look, I have an offer for you: You don't seem stupid, and you must be pretty powerful. Actually, I can feel you are. You ooze untapped magicka. Join us, and give yourself a chance for ascension. Become another one of Arcana's students."
Velvet admitted to herself, this stallion indeed sounded like a lunatic. But at the same time, his eyes were clear, and didn't reflect the craziness of his speech. Maybe they weren't just raving madponies, and there was something to their words. Something to this Arcana, that was namedropped for the second time now. And although she was curious, she knew the only thing she should care about was somehow getting out of this predicament.
"I'm kind of honored by your offer, but I have to turn it down, before we'd go into this anymore deeply. But is there any other way I could make up for this incident?"
"Aside from joining us? I'm afraid no. You two already know too much. Now, I wanted to kill the dumb Gladius member from the get go, but I didn't intend the same fate for you. It'd be a terrible waste. I'd suggest you should rather join."
Velvet considered what she heard, and judging from the stone-cold expression, and calm voice, it was probably not just a bluff. But she had to figure out one for herself, one that would bail her out of this frying pan.
"L-let's say I join. Reluctantly. But please, leave my companion alive. Spare her, and I'm yours."
It needed some effort for these words to leave her mouth, but Velvet knew at that point she had to buy herself some time to formulate a real plan. Too bad Comet Crest didn't want a conditional surrender. She let out a little laugh, and the rest of the cultists also looked at each other bemused. Comet leaned in closer to Twilight, and answered.
"I don't think you're in the position to give us any terms."
He glanced at Written, then continued.
"So why not turn around these terms a little? You kill this pathetic wench, and you can stay, doing errands for us. You don't even need to become a full fledged member, if you don't want to. So, what do you say?"
Unlike so far, Comet's words were accompanied by a sadistic smile. Twilight winced, but at the same time, it gave her an idea. Provided she was allowed to use magic for the execution, that is.
"There is no other way then? And if I caved in, how would I have to carry out this act?"
The stallion's eyes went wide for a moment upon hearing the sudden acceptance. And on Written's face, there was a mix of fear and disgust. Of death and betrayal, respectively. But Twilight didn't react.
"Hm, maybe you are reasonable after all. Look, I'd allow you to use any method you want. But a magic bolt between the eyes would be the most painless. Provided you wouldn't rather see her suffer. Like me..."
Twilight closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh.
"Then magic bolt, it is."
Twilight Velvet was let go from the magical grip, while Written was grabbed by another unicorn, and was held firmly in place. Comet Crest presented the target with a forehoof.
"You may fire when ready."
Written's expression was now that of pure disgust. She shook her head slowly, as much as the firm telekinetic grip let her.
"And here I though you had integrity... Well, do your worst. I won't beg for my life."
She was looking Twilight right in the eyes. She had to admit, that pony had some spunk. But she didn't return any particular expression, she had to focus her energies elsewhere. Obviously, she didn't plan to kill. But to pull off her actual plan, she had to deeply concentrate.
"I'll need a few moments. I'm not particularly good at combat spells."
Comet just nodded.
Velvet began charging up her horn, all the while thinking of her teleportation spell. She accidentally realized a few years before that she could teleport objects, but she never teleported herself. Now she had to blink both "an object" (Written Figment, that is) and herself out of existence, briefly, travel through Caelum, and emerge at the desired location. The problem was, Twilight couldn't picture anything too clearly in her mind that wasn't too far away. And that was necessary for blinking out.
Sure, she knew many places in Canterlot that existed very vividly inside her head, but she just couldn't wrap her mind around teleporting such a distance. Then she thought about her surroundings. When they reached this base, she looked at the entrance for quite a few seconds, and that seemed something manageable distance-wise too. So she imagined the location, and channeled even more magical energy into the spell.
She imagined sending Written through the netherworld. Then tried to imagine herself as just some mere object. An alembic? An abacus? Maybe an arcanometer? Yeah, that would work, she thought. She could cast the spell that way. She couldn't think anything else, or the spell inside her head would begin to fail.
Twilight's horn now was throwing sparks, and every ounce of her magic was dedicated to the spell. She went through the mind-motions one last time. Written; herself; the base entrance; Caelum; then release.
But right before that last part could have actually happened, she felt a burning sensation in her horn. She opened her eyes, and for a moment hoped she actually pulled through, but she realized the spell misfired. Or more like, it was faltered by the cultist leader. Comet Crest's horn was glowing, and stared at Velvet with contempt.
"Do you take us for complete fools? Do you think I can't tell the difference between a charging combat spell and teleportation spell?"
Comet shook her head, then continued.
"You had your chance. You decided to waste it on trickery. Now you will pay the price."
Twilight shrunk back a bit. In a way, the cultist leader was right. On the other hand, she just dreaded the inevitable outcome of the situation. She felt so stupid and lost. Why did she think it was good idea in the first place to come down here? Why?!
"Master, let me deal with them. We already wasted more time on them than they deserve." came from a hooded mare, her horn glowing with magic.
Comet Crest looked towards her, and seemingly considered what she said. Then waved a hoof, and replied:
He turned back to Velvet with a mischievous smirk.
...a little demonstration?"
Twilight Velvet gulped. The faces of the cultists reflected far too much excitement.
Both Velvet and Figment were dragged to the large circular room they discovered earlier, which now they realized, must have been some sort of arena. It told them heaps about these cultists that they had a dedicated place for dealing with interlopers.
The arena's walls were high, and had one proper entrance, which was closed. Instead, they were literally thrown down into the pit, from what seemed like the observation deck. Then, several of the cultists erected an energy barrier in front of everyone, and the robed spectators formed a circle.
Comet Crest appeared too. He looked down at the unlucky ponies beneath himself.
"I think you will appreciate what you will encounter. A piece of technology, from the distant past. Most ponies couldn't even imagine such a perfect amalgamation of magic and machinery existing, yet the civilization it belonged to manufactured these by the hundreds. But don't fret. Actually, you should feel honored to be the first modern-day victims of a Praetorian."
Written and Velvet looked at each other. The latter breathed heavily. She asked:
"Just what the hay is a Praetorian?!"
"I dunno. But it sounds bad."
A moment later, the double doors of the arena took their attention, as they slowly slid apart. When they fully opened, a huge, pony-like construct was revealed.
It was tall, slender, and had a long horn. The magical lights of the arena were reflected by its brass frame. The opaque eyes, either thick glass or gems, lit up with a red glow.
Overall, it looked like Princess Celestia in a full suit of armor. And it made its first clanking steps towards its intended victims.
"I just wanna say before I go out" Written begun "that I'm awfully sorry that I doubted you. I'm truly sorry. You're a pony of great integrity, and I'm glad I got to know you."
Twilight glanced over, but then she fixed her gaze on the towering automaton in front of them.
"Sadly, I can't share that sentiment. Look what you dragged me into! But I'd rather go down fighting than mourning myself. Help me?"
"I won't let you down, Twilight Velvet."
Meanwhile, the automaton got closer. It was looking at Twilight, and it let out two words in a very artificial voice:
"TARGET_DETECTED."
Twilight stepped back. Again and again. The automaton's horn was charging up. Before she knew it, she reached the edge of the arena. She had to realize it wasn't really sized for entertaining fights, but more like quick executions. Adrenaline triggered her to get out of the way, but she really had nowhere to go. The automaton tracked her movements, but with some slight delay. And Twilight noticed this, even in her panicked state.
Then, she heard a mad roar...
"WHAAAAARGH!"
Written charged the machine, and crashed into it with such force, that it faltered. It cast its spell the exact same moment, but thanks to the intervention, it missed Twilight.
"Velvet, I'll distract it, you flee!"
"But there's nowhere to go!"
Twilight looked around, but all she saw were the walls all around, and the cultists looking on with satisfaction. She shifted her balance from leg to leg, ready to pounce, to either fight or flee. She just didn't figure out how to do either.
"Get back to its pen, that must lead to somewhere!" yelled Written, and bucked the brass construct with all her might.
"AAAUGH!!!"
A wave of laughter washed over the audience. "Bad touch. Bad touch!" somepony even said.
Written fallen to the ground. Detecting this, the automaton lifted a leg over her, obviously trying to simply crush her. Twilight reached out, and wrapped her telekinesis around the leg, then yanked it away from the injured pony.
Luckily, Written managed to stand up. She stood up on her hind legs, and grabbed unto the Praetorian's neck. She tried to wrestle it, but she'd proven to be little match for the automaton. Although she interfered with its aim just enough to miss the shot it took at Velvet.
"Twilight, get outta here while you can!"
"Not without you!"
"I can't hold it down much longer, escape already!"
"We're in this together now, we'll get out of this together!"
While Written was wrestling the machine, and the precious seconds went by, Twilight's brain-cogs possibly went into a fiercer overdrive than the Praetorian's neck servos. So, magitech. It has rudimentary artificial consciousness, like a golem, but possibly the enchantment doesn't hold the power it requires. The automatons Twilight knew about were basically children's' playthings, which held two tiny gems, with one providing the behavior, and the other the raw magical power. Removing either would shut one down. And Velvet didn't want to believe this one would be so much different.
With a sudden idea, Twilight got really close, just as the Praetorian managed to shake off a very clingy and fierce earth pony. Being too close to get shot at, she basically danced around the brass monster, avoiding its stomps, and prodding at its armor plates with her magic. It was more shoddily made than Velvet imagined. She grabbed into one firmly, and tore it off the machine.
"Bodily_integrity_compromised."
Velvet tried to get a good glance at the densely packed insides of the machine, but she had to maneuver around so much she just couldn't manage.
"Written, could you distract it just a little bit more?"
Written didn't even answer, she was already on it. Charging the machine from the other side Twilight was on, it fired at her madly, but she ran a circle around it, so only the walls got a taste of its magic bolts.
Twilight only saw from the corner of her eyes the marks those bolts left. She gulped. One like those could fry anypony to a crisp.
But she also managed to take a look at the various servos, sprockets, axles, and gyros the automaton contained. She couldn't make sense of them sadly, and had no idea what should be removed to shut it down. In the heat of the moment, she grabbed a large sprocket, and tore it out.
It did nothing, except making it divert its attention to Twilight.
Now it was her chance once again to avoid its close-quarters attacks, or dare running for her life, racing with its magic bolts. Twilight decided to stay close, and rolled away from the rearing automaton, which crashed down to the ground with such force that it shook a bit.
"Try its chest, Velvet! I'll help!" came the advice from Written, who now grabbed unto a back leg.
The Praetorian tried to kick her away, and using the opportunity, Twilight wrapped her magic around the chest plate, and tried to force it open. With some serious effort, she succeeded.
And there it was. A large, opaque blue crystal, embedded in a gyro. Twilight grabbed it, and began yanking it.
"Ah, useless machine, terminate them already!" came from Comet, audibly very frustrated.
That was Twilight's cue to don't let up now, and although some fail-safe spell was holding it in place, she powered through it, and with a final brutish pull, the gem remained in her telekinetic grip.
The automaton charged up a spell, and stepped back. Twilight didn't understand it. What was this? What she removed MUST have been the power crystal. Stray magic?
But the spell didn't fire. The automaton's glass eyes suddenly went out, and the brass construct fallen to its side with a loud clank.
Twilight and Written looked into each other's eyes, bewildered. They didn't want to believe it, but they defeated something none of them could even image the existence of before.
"NOOOOO!!!" Comet shouted.
The cultists collectively started to murmur. This surprised them as much as it did the unwitting gladiators. But Written was on the nose.
"Now's our chance Velvet. Follow me!"
They galloped into the automaton's pen, which had a stone door, possibly leading into the rest of the base. It was unlocked, so Twilight slid it open, and they continued onward. She could hear the loud "After them! Kill them!" from behind though.
"Which way?" Twilight asked.
"Forward. They are on to us. I only hope this leads somewhere."
Both ponies galloped along a narrow corridor, but they could hear many hooves not so far behind them.
"Faster, faster!" Written urged.
Eventually, they had to stop, as they reached a dead end.
"Now what?" Velvet asked in a frenzy.
"This wall ain't that thick. I can feel it in my hooves. Give me a few moments to determine where it's the thinnest, and maybe I can kick through it."
Twilight was skeptical about that claim, although she admittedly never fully understood earth pony magic. She could only hope Written knew what was doing.
"Great, but please hurry! I can hear them approaching!"
"Couldn't you distract them somehow?" Written answered as she ran a hoof along the dead end-wall. "As I said, I need a few moments!"
Sure, no biggie, Twilight thought, that'd be a breeze, considering they are perfect targets here in this dead end. Her brain was in an overdrive. It was ever since they were thrown in that arena. A shield spell? One of her brothers showed her one, and only once, and although she had the arcane patterns down in her head roughly, it wasn't enough to cast a proper spell.
Then focus shifted to what she had in her grip. She barely noticed so far, but she was still levitating the crystal core of the automaton. It dawned on her: only certain kinds of crystals were capable of holding huge amounts of raw magicka, and this particular kind was a... bluevale crystal?
Which made it obviously counterfeit.
And these were also known to be very unstable if overcharged.
"That's it!" an idea suddenly popped into Twilight's head.
The crystal must have been pretty "full" if it was able to power up such a powerful automaton, so it probably didn't need much more to reach a critical state.
Twilight changed the arcane polarity of the object, and it immediately soaked up the aura that kept it in the air. Now on the ground, she fed it more magic, simply casting a blank spell on it. A few seconds later, it began to glow, and Twilight was pretty sure it only needed a tiny bit of magical or physical punishment to burst.
She carefully picked up the crystal with her mouth. The hoofsteps were really close now. She didn't know how much damage it would do, but she didn't have a chance. She swung her head, and let go of the crystal.
It flew a considerable distance, and where it landed, an earth-shattering explosion struck the cave. Twilight felt the magical whiplash in her horn, and the slight shockwave in her legs. The part of the corridor where the crystal burst began to crumble and collapse.
"EEEEP! What was that???!" Written turned back, eyes reflecting horror.
"Relax. Just my distraction. And NOW it would be a very good time to leave."
Written nodded, and apparently she had just the place to bust through. She bucked with her hindlegs, and the wall cracked where her hooves connected.
"Almost! Heeee-ya!"
She kicked again, and the stone yielded, and about a pony-sized hole was created. Meanwhile, a considerable amount of rocks have fallen on the path separating them from the chasing cultists.
"Years of buck-boxing! Let's go!"
Velvet was in bit of an awe of the feat, but skipped the compliments, and followed Written. Soon they saw an exit, and the narrow, stony corridor began steeply going upwards. With a last push, they reached the upside world, and for the first time, Twilight felt they might just make it.
"Oh sweet goodness, I was never so glad to see the Sun!" she said, panting "Now let's get back to the train tracks, and find a royal guard patrol. I don't think these cultists have given up."
"YOU get back to safety. I'll handle the rest. And don't worry, I WILL report this to the authorities."
Luckily, both ponies reached the Hollow Shades junction train station safe and sound. But as no train was in sight, they decided to follow the track, so no cultists far too persistent for their own right, would catch up to them.
Meanwhile, Twilight Velvet was really quiet. Actually, the last time she said anything was when they emerged from the cave. So Written decided to strike up a conversation.
"So... I guess I have a lot to say, but first and foremost let me thank you for saving my life back there. If not for you, I would have been done for."
Twilight walked alongside, with her head hanging. She felt such a burning fatigue all throughout her body, that she wasn't sure if she could answer in a coherent manner. But she decided she had a few things to say of her own, and scooped up her remaining energies to blurt out a few words.
"Oh sure, you're welcome... Thank you for almost killing me, by the way. Perhaps this the way your days usually go by, but please tell the next Celestia-forsaken soul you bump into that you're gonna drag them into a deathtrap!"
Written didn't answer initially. She frowned with regret, and looked away from Velvet.
"I also have to apologize" she said eventually "You went through a lot. And I was responsible for it, in a manner. But let me say this: I never saw such determination from anypony. And believe me, I've encountered some real badflanks, fought alongside some real tough ponies. But none of them had the pure will of YOU."
Twilight just merely glanced over. What did she want, butter her up, so she wouldn't be mad? Her anger was fully justified, she knew it. She almost died, dang it! And what's more, even despite all this, there is no tome to present for all her efforts. To say nothing of what would she say about this to Night Light. If she told this, even a tiny part of this to him, he would surely get a brain aneurysm! She just wanted to get over the whole ordeal finally, make a report to the Royal Guard, so no other ponies would be in danger from those crazy lunatics.
And yet, somewhere in the back of her brain, Twilight was glad in a way she could be there for this earth pony. What would have happened if they didn't meet? Surely, as headstrong as she was, she would've lingered around until accidentally found, and then the cultists would have made short work of her. Twilight didn't want to have these thoughts, yet she couldn't help it. Her father...
"If you can help somepony sweetie, then help. Especially help them if you know no other pony could help them, but you. That's why I am doing what I am doing."
Her father said these unto her, and Twilight always regarded that as an exaggeration coming from someone who would willingly put his life on the line in service of others. As Lieutenant Shining Burst did, all those years ago. It seems his mindset rubbed off on her, even unconsciously. Or, this adventurous trait ran throughout her family. For better or worse...
"Look, I understand if you're mad. I also understand if you'd never want to see me again. Not like you'd have many reasons for that anyway, but you know what I mean. So I guess I just wanna say...
"No, no, it's fine." Twilight interrupted "Goodness knows, maybe this is how it was ought to be. If I wasn't there, you'd be dead. Who knows, maybe destiny is a thing, and watched over you."
"And that destiny is you, Twilight Velvet!" Written smiled warmly "My guardian angel! I will never forget you, and I will always consider you a friend. Whether you're mad at me or not..."
"Let's just say I'll let you redo your "Not dragging your friends into mortal danger" exam this once." Twilight smirked.
"Tee-hee!" Written giggled "Thank you, Ms Velvet! I think I'll take what I can get!"
THE NEXT DAY...
"Thank you for your report, Written Figment." Princess Celestia said, nodding towards the pony in front of her throne "Everything you've done so far has been exemplary. And do not worry about those left behind artifacts. I'll have a team ready to raid that cultist outpost within the hour."
Written Figment put a hoof to her chest, and did a little bow.
"It was my pleasure, as always Princess. But I'm afraid those freaks have moved on as soon as we disturbed their operation."
"Matters little. Now that they have ousted themselves, I'll put extra ponies on the case. We'll smoke out these murderous madponies in due time."
"So you can confirm that they are indeed just raving lunatics? Without legitimacy behind their beliefs?"
Celestia skipped one breath, and shifted her eyes around, but before a moment, she answered.
"We'll get back to this eventually, Written. Thank you again."
Written Figment didn't push her inquiry any further, so she just bowed again, and left the throne room. A minute later, the guards returned. Some time later, Celestia summoned one of her intelligence officers.
"Notify Phoenix Squad to get ready for immediate tasking. And also, I need every information you can get regarding a certain "Twilight Velvet". She might prove mighty useful to us in the future..."
MEANWHILE...
Night Light shuffled closer to his wife on the couch, and for the third time, he asked back.
"But seriously?! A cave-in? You could have died! I swear... I swear, I won't let you go into any non-pony built structure from now on!"
Twilight shot a mischievous smile to her husband, then she immediately regretted it. She wanted to share more details, which he obviously wouldn't have believed, and took as mean-spirited teasing. Because honestly, the whole ordeal she went through was indeed utterly unbelievable.
So instead, her mischief turned into a normal smile.
"Come on. It happened so far behind me, that I barely even heard it. It was just some mumbling. Actually, I can only guess it was a cave-in."
She put a hoof on his chest to calm him. In turn, Night Light wrapped her forelegs around her, and kissed her cheek.
"You know I wouldn't survive it if something happened to you. I hope you know that." he muttered into her ears.
"I'm aware, Night. But don't you worry. I promise to not get into any dangerous adventures from now on. It'll be only Shiny, you and me. And comfy evenings like this."
"And you better mean that!" Night Light answered, and hugged Twilight closer.
They remained like that for ten, twenty, many minutes. They've lost the track of time. Eventually, Night Light spoke.
"So, no plans for the evening? Or will we do something?"
"And here I thought you preferred comfy!" Twilight said, nuzzling her husband's chest as emphasis.
"You know what? I vote comfy too!"
And as night fell upon Canterlot, they fell asleep there, embracing each other. And had pleasant dreams.
THE END
Author's Note
If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for reading!
