Chapter Two: Ritual
The twittering of the birds, the clear blue sky, and the bright warm sun were just a few of the factors that made today, a beautiful day. There was a slight breeze in the air, carrying the scent of the fresh goodies of sugarcube corner all over town, drawing in customers. The lush green of the park was accompanied by a set of freshly planted roses, tulips, and the like. The statue was freshly cleaned, as someone had the audacity to paint a moustache and a monocle on it the previous night. And although no one could prove it, there was an air of certainty that a certain spirit of chaos was the culprit.
Twilight noticed all of this and more as she and her daughter made their way towards the edge of town. Nyx walked alongside her, both excited and apprehensive about their destination. The Castle of Nightmare was, after all, the seat of her throne when she tried to overthrow Equestria. But that's also why she was partly excited. Renovating the castle from something from a sinful past, to something for a hopeful future would almost be symbolic, especially to Nyx. Finally, finally the prejudice against her had lessened, finally she was accepted. Maybe it was time her castle was accepted too.
As they approached the path that lead up to the magnificent structure, Nyx had a brief flash of all that had happened there. The palace rising from the earth, the pleading of ponies to bring back the sun, and Twilight's plummeting figure, a noose tied around her neck. The visions left just as fast as they came, and Nyx couldn't help but shiver.
“You okay?” Twilight asked, her voice full of concern.
“Yeah,” Nyx reassured her. “Just, bad memories.”
“We don't have to do this today if you don't feel up for it.”
“No, I want to. Besides, if I don't face it now, it'll just bug me later.”
“Alright,” Twilight said, still a bit worried. But they continued on their way, reaching the gates within a matter of moments. The chains holding the iron entrance closed where held steadfast by a single lock. Twilight had the key to this lock, and so she unlocked the lock that locked the locked gates that had been locked for such a long time. Ugh, saying lock sounds all weird now.
Stepping into the courtyard, the two alicorns saw that nothing had changed since they had last been here. Everything had been left just as it was. And yet, Twilight felt a sudden, ominous pretense as it were. A shadow, just out of sight, watching them, keeping track of their every move. A quick look around revealed nothing, but Twilight couldn't shake that feeling.
Someone was here.
“Maybe we should come back later,” Twilight suggested. Although she couldn't confirm it, she felt as though something was about to happen, but whether it was good or bad she couldn't be sure. Normally she would investigate, but she didn't want to put her daughter in danger.
“Oh come on Twilight, I know I got a little scared at first, but we set aside a whole day for this!”
“I know but-”
“It's just our past experiences here freaking us out a little. Let's just get this done, then go out for ice cream.” Twilight stopped and raised a brow.
“Since when did you become the activities planner?”
“Since this place gave me the jitters.” Twilight couldn't help but laugh. Nyx was right, there was nothing to worry about. No one was here, the castle was just playing tricks on her mind. And so the mare and the filly walked in through the door to the main hall.
Unbeknownst to them, someone had seen them, and she was not too pleased. Doing as she was told, the stranger activated her magic, and teleported to the basement. Ghast was not going to like this.
The old decrepit halls of the Castle of Nightmare were certainly a terrifying sight. Though only a year had passed, somehow the palace looked almost as run down as the Castle of Two Sisters. Weeds and plants grew from the ceiling to the ground, and patches of stone wall and roofing had either crashed to the ground, or were missing entirely. Strange how fast places like this age.
Nevertheless, Twilight and Nyx were trotting silently down the halls of which they had ventured so long ago. It was strange, being here again.
“Man, what happened to this place?” Nyx inquired. “It looks like no one's been here for decades.”
“Well, this place is rather close to the Everfree forest, so that may explain nature’s rapid takeover in this place,” Twilight answered. “Still, I wouldn't have expected it to be this bad.”
Something wasn't right, Twilight knew that much. Even with her explanation, she knew the Everfree didn't grow this fast. Perhaps residual magic leftover from powerful incantations cast here had accelerated plant growth, but that brought up the question, just how much residual magic was in here? Amounts of said leftover power could be dangerous in large quantities, and reacted wildly to certain spells. Perhaps coming wasn't such a good idea.
“Nyx, I'm not too sure how safe this place is.”
“What do you mean Twilight?”
“There might be a lot of magical residue here, and I don't know what'll happen if we decide to cast spells. Even telekinesis might set something off.”
“Then let's just not use magic.”
“Nyx if we stay here then-”
“Please Twilight?” Nyx interrupted, giving her the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes she could muster. Twilight immediately felt an arrow of adorableness pierce her heart, and she could not resist.
“... oh alright.”
“Yay!”
“But we need to be careful. No using magic unless I say you can, or you absolutely have to, okay?”
“No problem!” The two mares wandered onward, Twilight still feeling apprehensive about it all. But as long as they didn't use magic, everything should be fine…
Right?
Everything was finally set up. The ritual circle was drawn, the powders were placed, the candles were lit. Now all that was left was to begin.
He grinned evilly at the sight before him. Finally, after years of plotting, everything was finally coming together.
“Soon my king, you will arise once more.” His evil chatter was heard only by his stalwart companion, who stood silently behind him, a large sack on his back.
“Ghast!” a familiar voice cried. A mare, cloaked much like the others were, rushed into the small chamber. “We have a problem.”
“What is it?”
“That princess of friendship and her brat are here.”
“What?” Ghast turned to the newcomer, a snarl on his muzzle. “Why?”
“No idea.” With a huff, Ghast turned and paced about the room, thinking deeply. “What should we do?”
He contemplated the situation. What to do? Twilight was definitely the last pony they wanted to be here, but perhaps things weren't as bad as they seemed. Yes, perhaps they could use this to their advantage. Ghast began to laugh maniacally at his own genius.
“Ghast?”
“This is perfect!” Ghast proclaimed. “The greatest threat our king has ever faced, and now she is present for his revival! Once he awakens, he shall hunger for the deaths of those that put him down. And what better way than to welcome him to the world of the living than to give him the mare that was responsible for it all?”
His companions thought on this. True, Ghast was a little crazy, but his insanity often brought forth strategies that could not be refuted as anything less than perfection. After all, it was he himself who figured out how to break the three of them out of their imprisonment.
“Very well, shall we fetch them?”
“No, our king rather enjoys the hunt. Trapping them first would be an insult to his majesty. First we shall revive him. Prepare the final ingredients!”
The third cloaked pony stepped forward, ripped open the sack on his back with his teeth, and let loose the corpse that was within it. It was the body of a stallion, one who had disappeared from the royal guard long ago. The carcass had been well preserved, and now was the time for it to serve its purpose.
Ghast brought out a small satchel that contained only one item. Pulling it from its contents, Ghast set the red tipped curved black horn on the ground above the pony remains, and began his work.
“Damnatorum spiritu vocat te ad me venire aperietur vobis,” Ghast began, speaking an ancient tongue no longer understood by anyone. “Nunc ab inferna effugere ligaturis me venire quatiuntur confinia. Apprehende cadaver feci. Nunc revertetur a morte, et cum apud vos es quondam, obumbratio!”
Whispers of the damned could be heard, flying rapidly through the air. They told the horrors of the afterlife they suffered, but no mortal was meant to understand what that eternal hell was like, so their quiet cries were impossible to comprehend. Even so, few words did manage to form into cognitive pleas for help.
‘Release us!’ one begged.
‘Endless suffering!’ cried another.
‘Must escape!’ proclaimed a third. Ghast continued to chant, not pausing for a moment. As the whispers grew louder, the ground began to shake, and the entrance to hell opened.