Sticks And Stones May Break Our Bones

A rush of adrenaline was what she felt as they stepped through the light. The path had been wet, liquid splashing at their hooves again, and here it appeared all of the water gathered. The waterfalls from countless holes went down into the sea. Looking at something like this for the first time, all Twilight could do was stop and just open her eyes as wide as she could, taking in every single bit of it.

The hall they entered was bright as day and wide as Canterlot itself. They came out on a ledge, overlooking the scenery. From the walls all around them water fell down. Underground rivers, Twilight thought, while hurrying towards the edge. The sea beneath them was clear and in the middle of it was a bright, wide light, down in the farthest depths. There were some holes on the water level, too, some seemed dry and had patches of sand before them. All of this reminded Twilight of something but she didn't quite know what.

For a moment they all stared at the bright light before them, before they heard stone cracking and Twilight made the mistake of turning around. She saw the entrance, a simple one with runes engraved on its sides, telling something in a language that had probably stopped being used a long time ago. It was of beautiful white rock, contrasting its grey surroundings and was clearly built by somepony. It would've made sense if Princess Luna had had a hoof in all of this. She couldn't have built the caverns themselves, but some parts, maybe.

"Do we need to dive again?" She heard Derpy ask but her mind was on the door. Why had there been a noise, where was Magia, why was nothing happening? Questions were racing through her mind, she wasn't really getting it. Something was happening, something had to happen. A spell? Warding spells shouldn't work. Magic was gone for centuries and even now it hadn't really returned, it was just them being able to scratch some off Magia's surface, so to speak. She didn't get it, but somehow she felt it again, the beating of her heart and the returning of the hurting in her chest.

Firefly answered something but Twilight didn't register. A shadow had moved beneath the door and for one more moment nothing happened. A few seconds later she would think that they really should have used that moment. The rock cracked open and stone went flying in another exlosion, as tendrils of pure blackness pierced through it and Magia lunged through it all. The shape had changed but the eyes remained. It was more shadow now, but as it opened its mouth to roar there were teeth like nails, some were blackened and full of holes, others had a greenish, sick tint to them and others again were dyed in the red of blood. She couldn't count how many teeth the beast had. The tendrils were lots and lots, too, swirling around, changing their places, making it impossible for the little pony to count them all. There was no shape to the thing and as its unholy shout filled the hall, it wasn't even looking at them. Still, as the broken rocks hit the ground around her, Twilight felt weird, as if she couldn't look away from it. Her legs were shaking and her breathing was getting faster.

Then, one eye fixed on her and suddenly she saw Lyra, black liquid oozing from every hole in her head, her mouth opening to a painful shout. Twilight couldn't do anything but turn away. She saw Octavia, looking at her for a second, before dark tendrils grabbed her and dragged her into the darkness, the filly was too surprised to even scream. Twilight then heard the sound of limbs tearing and closed her eyes and wished her family was there. Then, she heard someone's breath and opened her eyes.

Her father smiled down at her, warmly, like in the dreams. He opened his mouth, moved it but the words didn't seem to reach her, she moved closer, trying to understand and then leaned closer to his mouth, yet she still couldn't make out what he was saying. Suddenly, his teeth sunk into her neck and he ripped at it. Twilight felt the pain stinging worse than anything she had ever felt before and started screaming and crying. Then she felt something grabbing her and pulling her into the darkness.

"Snap out of it, you two!" Firefly yelled and Twilight woke up, noticing the world around her. She felt Raindrops hoof, she had grabbed her, and she saw Derpy in the other arm and the look on her face, she was so terrified.Twilight looked behind them, hoping not to look at its eyes again.

They were flying, moving closer and closer to the sea, Firefly struggling to even keep them up, and the blackness that was Magia swirled around in a cascade upon the ledge. Twilight asked herself what the beast was doing but her question was answered as suddenly the swirling stopped and the black mass moved together only to reform itself, sprouting huge black wings, a large tail and a massive bonehead like a lizard's. She had heard of such creatures before, she had read all about them. They had been the terror of every inch of the world, the most feared monstrosities upon equestrian ground and even the dragonequui had always tried to avoid fighting them.

"It's a dragon," Twilight said, her voice so hollow, feeling her heartbeat more and more. "A full grown dragon."

Bones shaped upon the creature, like the inside turned out and then the beast was opening its mouth, but it wasn't roaring, it was laughing. It knew how futile their escape attempt was and Twilight looked at Firefly, asking herself if the filly was as scared as she was. Firefly wasn't. The fire was still burning in her eyes. She seemed so much taller and stronger at that moment.

The pegasus noticed that her sister hadn't quite recovered. "Derpy, it's as they say," she said with a grin on her face, "sticks and stones may break our bones, but don't you go bloody thinking that a dragon can hurt us."

They didn't say that, nopony says that, Twilight thought with disbelief.

"I'll even prove it to you, we'll do this. You hear me Derpy, we're in this together and we'll get out of this together!"

The shout echoed through the cavern and Derpy slowly turned her head towards Twilight, her eyes full of tears, her face still frozen with fear. Twilight gave an encouraging smile and a brave nod. Derpy took another second, then regained her composure and nodded back.

"You can let me go now," she then said and Firefly complied. For a moment Derpy fell and then. . . She hit the water, turning three times around herself and flapping her wings completely wrong. The grey pony's head came out of the water a second later.

Firefly looked back and made to turn around, yelling: "Why are you so clumsy!"

"Really, I just don't know what went wrong!" Derpy yelled back, struggling to keep herself above water, and then the dragon lifted itself from the ledge, towards Derpy, with a speed that topped Twilight and Firefly easily.

"DODGE!" Firefly yelled, turning around once more, hoping the dragon was after them and not Derpy.

Twilight held unto her friend with all her might, yet still very clumsily, as Firefly speeded away from Magia. The beasts red eyes were unto them and its laughter rang like the one of a little filly who had just gotten a chance to play her most favorite game underlayed by a horrible shriek. The dragon was above Derpy and the little filly stopped her struggle at that very moment, letting herself sink.

Then, as Magia was right above her, time seemed to stop for Derpy, she saw a small movement on the wings and suddenly black lances were piercing the sea all around her, only missing her by a few millimetres. She let out a horrified scream underwater, letting out all of air.

The lances disappeared as quickly as they had appeared and the dragon lifted itself up, roaring again, to slaughter the two other fillies. Twilight didn't even dare to look at it, instead closed her eyes and held Firefly as hard as she could. The pink pegasus with the blue mane had a grim expression, the fire gleaming in her eyes, sure she would outrun the beast. She was a pegasus and she could be quick, even with baggage. She had made a decision and now she was strong, she was finally strong!

Then, a tendril scratched the arm that held Twilight. Firefly loosened her grip because of the pain. Twilight blinked and felt the air pressing against her coat. The purple unicorn was falling, all of a sudden, not even able to scream and the dragon closed in on Firefly, who stopped middair and turned around, her head looking down at her friend, panic written all over her face. "No," she said.

Twilight blinked thrice, then.

The first time she saw how the nightmarish dragon opened its mouth, filled with a thousand teeth, like nails and swords and lances, closing the final metres between him and the pegasus who now hovered in the air. Firefly turned her head towards the beast.

The second time she saw how Firefly opened her mouth, saying with a hollow voice: "No, no. No! No--" She was interrupted by the dragon closing its mouth and tears filled Twilights eyes.

The third time she saw the dragon stopping in the air, slowly turning towards them, like it was gloating. Twilight saw smoke coming from its mouth, wondering what was going to happen next and as she hit the water she heard and felt the explosion that tore Magia's form apart.

Lightning danced around Firefly's form as fire burned through the dragon's head, and what would someday become the true Element of Generosity gleamed around her neck. Her eyes were filled with the fire again and she had a hardened expression. She looked like a full-grown mare, her mane swirling in the wind created by the shockwave, no hint of fear on her.

The beast reformed itself into the form of a wyvern, rearing a deformed head and its eyes looking at her, filling her with memories of her burning family and the thoughts of her dead friends. Firefly gazed into the abyss of the monster's eyes and there was only one thing on her mind right now.

"I said: No!"