The Light Inside Us

Twilight turned away from the door, feeling uncomfortable. If Rainbow and Thorax had something going on….

Twilight thought that it was the absolute worst time for them to start something, being hunted by Theo’s mercenaries and all.

She sat down around the card table that Cadence had erected and finished her cereal in silence.

“Everything okay?” asked Cadence, vanishing Twi’s empty bowl.

Twilight was about to say something, (“No. Absolutely not! Rainbow and Thorax are making out, and I have no idea what to do about it.”) when the door slid open, and Rainbow and Thorax walked out.

Rainbow seemed extremely happy and confident, while Thorax seemed worried, like he’d just done something he shouldn’t have.

“We need a game plan,” said Dash, sitting down around the card table.

“We probably need to split up,” said Gallus. “Cuz we need a place to stay, and the Crypts.”

“None of you happened to book a five star hotel, did you?” asked Smolder hopefully.

“We could head to the castle,” said Dash.

“Remember,” said Cadence, “we’re trying to avoid the Royal Guard. Therefore the castle’s way too risky. We probably shouldn’t contact the princesses either.” Cadence glanced at Dash warily, but she just shrugged.

“Valid points,” Dash conceded.

“I’ll search around for a place,” said Cadence. “Take this,” she handed Twilight a piece of paper detailing the Crypts and where to go.

“I’ll go with Cadence,” said Fluttershy.

“Me too,” said Gallus. “I’m still feeling that curse.”

“Then me, Thorax, Twilight, and Smolder can go to the Crypts,” said Dash.

Twilight didn’t like the prospect of spending so much time with Dash and Thorax, when they were a thing. Smolder probably wouldn’t be much help either, by how direct she was.

“This train is leaving in five minutes,” said the Conductor over the loudspeaker.

“Better bolt,” said Dash.

“Better dash,” said Smolder with a chuckle.

The group got off the train and stepped into the bright Canterlot train station. It was a bright day, and the group had to shield their eyes against the sun.

Therefore none of them noticed Radcliffe give Theo a covert hoof-bump from across the platform.

~~~~

Theo smiled. He watched as Twilight and her friends split up on the platform.

This is perfect.

“Should we ambush them here?” asked Radcliffe.

“Nah,” said Theo. “Too many ponies.”

Theo glanced around at his team. Apart from him and Radcliffe, Bon Bon was present, looking thoroughly furious at Theo. There was also Jase, who was a green pegasus with a blue mane; Richard, a red earth pony with a yellow mane; Jack, a blue unicorn with a light blue mane; and Vulture, a unicorn with a black coat and red mane, who was also Raven’s brother.

“Let’s move,” said Theo. “You’re dead Twilight, so start running.”

~~~~

“We’re here.”

Twilight looked up at the building that served as an entrance to the Canterlot Crypts. It was grand, with marble pillars, and white bricks.

Twilight and her friends trooped up the marble steps and into the building. The interior was large and surprisingly full of ponies, most of them Royal Guard. Thorax shifted into a disguise that matched one of the Royal Guard.

Since Twilight was the sister of Shining Armor (captain of the guard) and a princess, nopony gave them much trouble. Up until one of the guards with a name tag reading Richard came up to Thorax.

“Ah, Avery, may I steal you for a moment?”

And Thorax was forced to split off from the group.

“Shoot,” said Dash. “We just lost Thorax.”

They turned a corner and came up to a vending machine.

Twilight smiled. “I think you’ll like this.” She typed some keys on the keypad for the vending machine. It swung forwards. “Shiny taught me that trick a while ago,” she said.

“Sick!” said Smolder. “Now where’s your key card?”

“Huh?” Twi turned to the space the vending machine had revealed. There was a steel door with a key card scanner.

“What?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Since when has there been a key card scanner?!”

~~~~

“So, Avery, I heard you have a fix for type-81 magic flyers not working?” Richard said.

Thorax had no idea what type-81 magic flyers were, but he didn’t say that. Instead he said, “oh of course,” he glanced at the name tag, “Richard.”

“Just in here,” said Richard, leading Thorax into an unmarked room. “Don’t mind the lack of nameplate, the maintenance is darn slow here.”

The room was bare and unpainted. It had no furniture besides a battered desk and chair. There were also two windows Thorax hadn’t seen from the outside.

There was a stack of flyers on the desk that Thorax assumed were type-81. On the cover was a picture of some ponies who were apparently escaped criminals. Thorax took a mental picture of them.

Richard waved his hoof at the flyers. “Well, there they are. Fix them.”

Thorax stared at them, at a total loss for what to do. He considered using his Felics Felix, that was stored in his jacket pocket, but ruled it out, cause he’d certainly be seen using it.

“Can’t do it huh?” asked Richard. “I didn’t think you could.”

Thorax’s mind was reacting slowly. “Why not?”

There was a soft thump behind him. “The door’s locked by the way.” said Richard

He turned around to see Richard had ditched his Royal Guard outfit. Thorax turned to the flyer horror-struck. On the cover there was a picture of a red earth pony with a yellow mane. Thorax turned to Richard, now fully aware that he was locked in a room with a psychopath.

~~~~

“We need a key card,” Twilight murmured. “Why didn’t Shining ever tell me about this?”

They rushed down the hallway, and emerged back into the atrium.

“We gotta nick somepony’s card,” Smolder whispered.

“How?” asked Twilight dejectedly.

“I’m feeling lucky,” said Dash. She thought about her luck bottle, and how Thorax had said he had three more. There probably wasn’t a better time to use it.

Dash turned away from the group, and took a sip of the potion.

No sooner than she’d done this, Shining Armor walked into the room.

“Just keep him occupied,” Dash muttered to Twilight.

“Twily!” Shining exclaimed, noticing her.

Twilight had never been so happy to see her brother.

Shining strode up to her, and looked her in the eyes. “You’ve been up to something,” he said teasingly. “Better not be like last time–.”

“That’s enough!” Twilight stammered, reddening.

Dash was looking for the key card. She located it snagged on his uniform. Dash deftly spun around and snagged it.

“It’s really great to see you, though,” said Shining. “I’ve been getting frantic letters from all of your friends, they all want you back. Me too.” And Twilight saw the look in her brother's eyes, telling her he was telling the truth. It hurt her.

“C’mon Twily,” said Shining, taking hold of her and steering her towards the halfway they’d just come from.

Dash flashed the key card at Twilight.

“Hold on,” said Twilight. She cleared her throat. “Why don’t you,” she turned to her friends, “Just wrap up without me?”

At which point a window shattered, and a red earth pony hit the ground hard. Thorax leapt deftly through the shattered window.

There were screams, as some ponies recognised the convict.

“Somepony get him an antidote!” yelled Thorax. “I’m so sorry Twilight! He’s a serial killer, and he was trying to murder me! I wasn’t thinking straight! I don’t need anypony else to die on this adventure!”

“Ponies have already died?!” Shining yelled. “And Twilight was in danger?!”

“The crypts!” yelled Dash, moving towards them.

“Twilight!” Shining yelled, desperation seeping into his voice as Twilight kicked out and escaped his grasp.

Dash noticed Theo and Radcliffe before Twilight, due to Felics Felix. “Twilight, Theo’s here!”

Twilight gave a startled scream, and turned to Theo, just as he sent a curse at her.

Dash slammed into Twilight, and Theo’s curse seemed to bend around her.

Twilight recovered, and sent a spell at Theo, and two spells connected. The marble all around Twilight shattered and cracked from the power of the spells.

“Theo?” Shining murmured, and he seemed close to passing out.

Twilight forced herself to keep pushing her spell towards Theo.

Dash caught Shining as he fell, and dragged him to a safe place.

Radcliffe moved towards Dash, and one of the doors burst open and three ponies burst out of it. They were all holding the signature firework-crossbows.

“Be careful!” yelled Thorax, “They're on Theo’s side!”

Twi’s attention flickered for a fraction of a second, and Theo immediately overpowered her. She flew back and slammed into a wall.

Thorax drank some of his potion.

Jase shot a rocket at Thorax, who jumped and clipped Theo with his fangs….

“Rad, I’m hit!” yelled Theo, and he seemed slightly concerned, which was more than Thorax had ever known.

Twilight stood back up, as did Shining. Both siblings seemed dazed.

“The crypts!” yelled Smolder. “We have to get there! And fast!”

Thorax nodded, as Radcliffe sent a vial spinning across the marble littered floor towards Theo.

Twilight gasped, and then focusing all her willpower began sprinting towards the vending machine.

Dash followed Twilight, as a pony with a black coat and red mane stunned Shining.

Twilight opened the secret passage, and used Shining’s key card to get into the crypts.

Dash bolted into the passage. “Find ‘T’!”

The passage was stone, and claustrophobically small at first, before it opened up into a brick tunnel with steel boxes lined up on the sides.

A firework missed them by inches, and shot down the main hall. Thorax and Dash turned down a side hall, and Smolder and Twi followed, although Twilight sent a spell back, and hit Jack.

“Here!” said Dash, opening a small metal box with Shining’s key card. She pulled out a scroll.

Theo rounded the corner, and for the first time, Twilight thought he was actually very concerned.

She shot a spell at him, but Radcliffe showed up and blocked the spell, Jase and Vulture shot fireworks at them, which exploded right in front of them.

They headed blindly into the bright colors.

And hit a dead end.

Feeling the effects of Felics Felix wearing off, Dash pulled her vial out, but Theo shattered it, and the precious liquid disappeared.

Thorax tried to get his vial out, but Radcliffe shot a spell into his chest. Thorax felt the vial shatter.

“Crap,” said Dash.

They were trapped.

“This is the end,” taunted Theo. “Sorry Twilight… But you lose.”

And trapped as she was, Twilight realized he was right.