It is all my fault. I have led my friends to their deaths, all for me. I should have been more careful, I should have known better, but stupid, stupid me. Now, everypony, Virtue, Morningrise, Vela, my sister, all will die. What have I done, What have I done? It's all my fault...
Aluna could do nothing to stop the figure from executing her evil plan. She sent panicked messages to Vela, trying to convey what they were about to march into.
"Vela! You need to get out of there! They are coming..."
Vela stood next to Morningrise as the group walked, keeping close to be able to communicate what Aluna knew and saw. Shared minds do have their advantages, after all. Ahead of them were only a few ponies, consisting of Chivalry, Virtue and Hope. Chivalry and Virtue had their helmets on, which had become at home on the heads of the pegasi from the years of being constantly ready for the worst. Hope, on the other hand, was unarmored, fiddling around with her newfound powers via the runes on her body. She giggled on an off as she would toss a rock or a stick further up the road and do it again, occasionally losing the exact item and using another one in lieu of looking further for it. Everypony else followed behind Morningrise, like lambs, shy, scared. Many did not even speak, just trotted along to the march of their leader. This was not out of the ordinary, after all, he was the decision maker. The walk continued, until Vela stopped, hearing a ringing in her head.
"...Vela! You need to get out of there! They are coming! Don't let her get you." Vela recognized Aluna's voice, thinking quietly to herself. "They? Her? What are you talking about?" Vela thought back, disrupting the stream of ponies behind her. Morningrise took notice, looking to Vela.
"Vela, is everything okay?" Morningrise said, trying to snap Vela out of her trance-like state.
"Wha... Oh, yes I am fine." Vela began, looking up and seeing something in the distance. "What in Celestia's name is that?" Morningrise strained to look forward, as now even the front runners had stopped and turned around to see what was going on. Morningrise saw a strange consistency, a group of some sort. He looked to Chivalry, who was still in the front.
"Do you have any idea what that is? Please don't tell me..." Morningrise said as he began to make out more of the details of the giant unidentified grouping. Chivalry turned towards the grouping, then looked back. Shock filled his face. Morningrise knew what it was, it was them.
Aluna looked around, watching the figure continuing to look at the orb. She was an alicorn, from what she could see, her wings were extracted, and she used magic to hold the orb. The orb would occasionally rotate, and Aluna could make out faintly a path of some sorts. The figure would occasionally glance over her shoulder, or at least it seemed like she did, it was fairly hard to tell when you are surrounded by darkness. Aluna could only stand and watch as the figure moved in closer and closer to her friends' demise.
"Take up defensive positions, I need anypony that is armored in the front! We need to hold our ground or they will chase us down." Morningrise barked out as everypony scrambled into a mass of pure chaos. Chivalry and Virtue stood at the front, used to the chaos of battle. Lionessa scrambled to the front, concentrating heavily as she shifted forms into that of a bear, manifested through the emotion of the moment. Sparta jumped to the front of the line, smirking confidently. The four formed a line the length of the road, blocking off passage further down. The creatures approached, their red scales and eyes of pure black being visible as they got within fighting range of the front line. Immediately, with the contact of the wall of demonic creatures, the front line braced their back hooves, digging into the ground. Still, they slid back nearly a foot. The onslaught continued, the front line dispatching anything within sight and eveypony else trying to help as much as they could. Some braced up against the line, trying to help them push back, while others even flung whatever they could see around at the mob. Again, a crash of enemies, the line fell further back. Morningrise stood directly behind the line, focusing beams of light into the mass, disintegrating the creatures from the pure light, which destroyed the dark, evil soul within them. He looked up to Hope, who had figured out how to use her rune markings to channel healing magic.
"Amazing what you can do when your unimpeded." He said, as Hope nodded in agreement. He turned again to the line, seeing the wave of enemies move in again.
"Brace yourselves!"
Aluna began to get fidgety. She had to do something, she had to figure something out. She looked between the two earth ponies and the figure, trying to discern something she could do to help. Lancelot and Blitz had nothing to offer, however, and she began to focus on the figure. She had to distract her, she had to buy time.
"Why do you want us anyway? What is your problem with everypony?" Aluna said, getting a laugh from the figure.
"I don't believe that is not your business. Maybe you should stick to what you know, nothing." The figure laughed again, making Aluna more irate.
"And what do you know about us then?" Aluna said, as the figure tensed up. It stood for a bit, then turned to face her. The shadow's face still was not visible, but the tone of voice told all of the emotion, anger, hatred, rage.
"I know that you all have interfered with me for the last time!" She flung something across the room. Aluna cringed, and then the figure laughed. "How brave are you now, in your little cage? Or are you scared?" The shadow looked at her as she began to lunge at her end of the cage to no avail. The figure laughed another time.
"What are you going to do, breathe at me?" Aluna looked at the figure, then sighed, turning away. The figure continued to look at her, and spoke. "That's what I thought."
On the frontlines, Chivalry and the others fought tooth and claw to hold their ground, but they were losing it fast. Lionessa grabbed nearby demons and smashed them together, tearing at them with her massive claws, while the others were much more overwhelmed. Chivalry looked back to Morningrise, yelling to him.
"We've got to do something, get everypony else out of here, we will get out when you get them back." Chivalry said, as a demon jumped onto his back. He immediately jumped, bucking the creature off and using the blade on his helm to finish the creature off.
"That's a negative, if we leave, you guys are done for." Morningrise said, continuing to use the beam of light, instead focusing it on the wounds of his allies to heal them.
"Morningrise, we can't hold any longer, we have to break..." Chivalry said as one of the creatures again fixed onto his back. He bucked, but could not get the creature off, as it had gripped his ears with its grisly claws. He began to fight harder, finally resorting to taking to the air. He flew in circles and loops, trying everything he could to shake the creature off of him, to no avail. The creature gripped harder, as Chivalry began to become more irritated.
"Bugger... won't let go..." Chivalry said as Morningrise tried to hit the creature, but missing the fast-moving target. Chivalry began to strafe the enemy formation, as the creature still kept its grip. Then, the creature kicked Chivalry in the flank. He flinched, losing control as he approached a giant orb. It glowed green, and was huge. There was no avoiding it. Chivalry looked, and spoke under his breath. "Oh no..."
Aluna turned back to the figure, trying to discern more details about the figure. It was an alicorn, she knew, and a mare, judging by the voice. She also noticed that her wings looked strange, she couldn't exactly figure out how, but they were different, she swore it. Other than that, she could not figure out much. The figure spoke.
"Hmm.. maybe I shall keep you alive, you will make a fine servant with a little bit of training, maybe I can even house train you." The voice echoed another laugh, the sound sickened Aluna.
"I am NO servant, especially not to you." Aluna said, as the sickening laugh erupted again. The repetition had begun to disturb her.
"So much fight in you, I like that. But that will change, I WILL break you." The figure said, approaching the cage. The face of the figure became visible, finally after so much looking. Her pelt was pure black, and her eyes an ice blue. She had an evil smirk on her face, as she looked at the defiant unicorn. Aluna let her get closer, in face to face distance. The smile remained on the alicorn's face, as Aluna smirked back. She took her head back and spit on the alicorn, causing her to recoil in shock, and then turning, wiping off the spit from her face. She started angrily, but then looked calmly, speaking in a demeaning tone.
"Now that's not very royal, now is it? Where's your manners?" The alicorn spoke, the grin remaining on Aluna's face.
"Sorry, I only use manners with those who extend the courtesy to me." Aluna responded, as the Alicorn gasped, then spoke in an offended tone.
"I'm not being polite? I have invited you into my home, given you a nice little room, even kept you here rather than disposing of you. I'll show you rude." The alicorn spoke, casting a lightning spell on the cage, electrocuting Aluna, as she half fell to the ground, panting as she struggled to stay on her hooves. The voice laughed.
"How do you like my courtesy now?"
Chivalry ducked his head as he collided with the giant green orb. On impact, the orb gave way, shattering into a series of pieces as Chivalry crashed to the ground. Immediately, the creatures stopped fighting, turned, and ran away. Everypony from the frontlines to the back ranks stood confused, trying to piece together what had happened, with the exception of Virtue, Morningrise, and Hope, who ran to Chivalry, who was beginning to pick himself up off of the ground. Virtue and Hope reached him first, helping him up as he shook his head and looked around for his helmet, which had fallen off in the crash.
"Chivalry are you okay?" Virtue said, as Chivalry turned to her.
"Yeah, but a whole lot of good that helmet did, thing didn't even stay on." Chivalry said, still trying to piece together where he exactly was now in relation to before. He had heard the creatures running past him, but had not known why or how. "What happened?" Chivalry finally mustered a question, as things began to become more clear.
"You know, Chivalry, I really have no clue... but it certainly worked." Morningrise said as the last glint of the demonic creatures disappeared in the distance.
"So now what? After those buggers wreaked all that havoc, everypony is probably too stressed and tired to march."
"We can stay put, but those things will be back. We may not be able to stay here." Hope said, looking the direction that the creatures left.
"We don't have much of a choice... We drove them away for now, here is where we will have to set up camp, We are less than one day out of Canterlot, we can set up here and strike tomorrow." Morningrise responded, getting a nod from Hope.
"I understand, I'll gather the others and help set up camp." Hope said, bowing to Morningrise then turning to the others and gathering them. Now, only Morningrise, Chivalry, and Virtue remained.
"So, should I tell her or not?" Morningrise said, getting a confused look from both of the pegasi.
"Tell her what?" Virtue asked, as Morningrise began to explain.
"About Canterlot, about our past, about my teacher." Morningrise explained, getting a shrug from both Chivalry and Virtue.
"Honestly, it is all up to you. If you want to tell her, that is your business. I will go help her set up, will take my mind off of all of this." Chivalry said, trotting off to help pitch a tent. Morningrise, with Virtue left, turned to her, speaking softly so as to stay in confidence.
"And you need to decide whether or not to tell him." Morningrise spoke, shocking Virtue.
"Wait, how did you?" Virtue began, interrupted by Morningrise.
"What I don't tell many is that I can read the minds of almost everypony,. One of the perks of being taught by the great Twilight Sparkle. Anyway, since the invasion day so many years ago, I have sensed him on your mind quite a bit. You need to tell him your feelings, it will be the only way to get it off of your mind." Morningrise finished, as Virtue sighed.
"I just can't find the right time to tell him. Any time I think I do somepony interferes or something happens, it just seems like the world is against it." Virtue responded, her head dropped in frustration.
"While the world may seem to be against it, Virtue, you don't need to fight the world to do it. If you wait too long, he may be gone. Today is perfect proof of that." Morningrise responded, as Virtue mustered a nod.
"I understand." Virtue responded, putting nothing more into her response than the two words. Morningrise nodded, then walked away, boding her farewell and walking to the others, leaving Virtue by herself, as she looked to the cloud covered sky. She spoke, as if the sky were somepony that could understand her.
"But nothing ever changes, like you. Daytime, cloudy, Nighttime, cloudy, everything, cloudy. I can't even tell the difference half of the time. Why should anything else change, if the sky does not even budge from it's constant state, suspended in a state of cloud cover. What would it change? We would still be struggling for our lives, we will still be dealing with certain death at every turn. What would it change?"
Aluna stood in her cage, again defiant as the alicorn figure looked at one of the demonic creatures.
"You, failed? You, FAILED!?" The alicorn put out her wings, startling the small creature as it fell back.
"You are Clawers, you don't fail. You do as I say." The alicorn continued on her rant as the creature tried to speak.
"But, Mistress, the orb..." The creature spoke, as the alicorn continued to dominate the discussion.
"What of the orb?" The alicorn spoke, intimidating the creature even more.
"It was... destroyed." The Clawer mustered, still in fear of the towering alicorn.
"DESTROYED?! DESTROYED?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN DESTROYED?!" The alicorn spoke again.
"Mistress Sylvandras, we had no...." The creature spoke, again scared back down by the alicorn.
"HOW DARE YOU SAY MY NAME, YOU SNIVELING FOOL!" The alicorn said, as the Clawer trembled in fear.
"I'm sorry, Mistress." The Clawer said, as Sylvandras's wings retracted, and she pointed her hoof deeper in the cave. She spoke with the same level of anger, but with less volume.
"You make me sick, get out of my sight. If they step one hoof into Canterlot, I will have your head. They will find nothing there, so help you." The Clawer scurried out of the area, which was much more lit then prior. Now, she could see this Sylvandras pony from much further away. Sylvandras turned, looking at Aluna.
"No matter, we will proceed as planned. Soon, all will be revealed. Sylvandras laughed, dispersing into a cloud of shadow and swirling deeper into the cave. Aluna looked around, seeing more details from the area. The area of the cave was much to the likeness of a room, with wooden walls, and even a table with some food on it. She imagined that it was for them. Her stomach grumbled. "No food in forever..." She thought to herself and sighed. Upon further examining the room, she also saw a chest along with several strange orbs that sat outside of the chest. They weren't like the orb that Sylvandras had used earlier, they glowed different colors, and were clear besides some floating mist inside of the orb. She saw very little else around, besides the occasional crack on the ground or mouse scurrying across the rough ground. She noticed the cage was about 2 feet off of the ground, and dangled from a chain. Somehow, with such a precarious way to hold the cage up, it remained fairly well in place, contrary to what somepony would expect. Blitz and Lancelot had made themselves busy, bored by the banter between Sylvandras and the Clawer. They took no notice of Aluna's inspection of the surroundings, Lancelot yawning and laying down and Blitz knocking a small rock around inside of her cage. The lack of action tired Aluna, too, as she yawned and began to lie down, Sylvandras's concern for Canterlot vexing Aluna's thought process. Then, as she went to fall asleep, that sickening laughter began to flow through the cave, followed by one statement, in a confident tone.
"They are coming for you, right into my domain..."