Unmarked

by Croswynd

Chapter 17: We're in Trouble Now

Chapter 17: We’re in Trouble Now

“Novell!”

The shout was dull, as if he were hearing it from several miles away, just the distant rumble of thunder. It reminded him of the moments he spent with his father above the storm, just before they released its deluge on the city below. If he was quick, maybe he could even catch a glimpse of Whisper on the far side of the cloud-

“Help me!”

Novell opened his eyes, blinking in the low light of the cave with a dull pain crushing his sides like the grip of a vise. He gasped, air filling his lungs before a jolt shook through his body and emptied them again. The tightness around his abdomen increased, adrenaline spiking through him along with a faintly nauseating sensation. His thoughts were scrambled and any attempt to recover them met with a dizzying wall of dull sound.

“Wake! Up!”

A distant hiss slithered through his head, sending a chill down his spine. There was wrongness in the sound, a cold, leeching wrongness that whispered seductively to him. It promised him release from the pain, from his misery, from the trials of living. He could see his parents again, it said, be at peace and watching from above.

“Novell! Oh, Celestia save me!”

Sound rushed in, terrifyingly loud in his ears as a bright light shattered the darkness. He glimpsed glossy, black shapes roiling above him, the sinister whisper flashing with a hatred to rival the momentary illumination. He drew in a sharp breath when he realized what he was looking at.

“Ahhh!”

“Novell? Novell! Stay awake!” Quills called down at him in that soothing, clinical voice of hers. The effect was slightly ruined by the tremor in her tone, but it calmed him enough to finally think.

“Qu--Quills?”

“Yes! Falling! Flyflyfly!” the filly yelled frantically at him, abandoning all pretense of her earlier tone.

Before he could respond, something brushed against him and left a numb trail on his cheek. He jerked away, his wings automatically moving his body as far away from the unwanted feeling as possible. A few seconds later, he realized Quills was still screaming at him, her forehooves the only thing keeping her glued to the cliff. Nightvines were beginning to creep toward her from the black pit, lazily feeling their way up the rock.

“Hang on!” Novell yelled, a great whoosh of his wings skyrocketing him upward.

“What do you think I’m doiiiiiaaaaaaaaah!” she yelled incredulously at him, rising through the octaves as the pegasus flapped higher. “Putmedownputmedownputmedown!”

A sudden blast of wind whipped above him, the sound whistling in his ears as it passed. He almost fell backward, but a quick flip of his wingtips checked his descent. The leather cord tightened painfully on his body and he shook his head against the last remnants of nausea - he had to get Quills to safety before he made a mistake. But where’s safety inside this Nightvine infested mountain?

Novell? Pensive’s voice interrupted his thoughts just as a teal light sprang to life nearby, just on the other side of what was swiftly turning into a battlefield. Novell headed toward the unicorn, keeping one eye below to assess the situation.

Whisper was a blur of orange, attacking from both sky and ground as she maneuvered around the area. More gusts and slicing gales were whipping from her powerful wings, all the while avoiding glowing green darts issuing from Tombfeather’s horns. Everywhere the darts hit hissed and melted, leaving pits in the stone. Novell shuddered, chasing away unwanted images of what it would look like if that magic touched flesh.

Meanwhile, Kalyn and Rell were working together like only a pair of predators could, the female taking the lead with a swiping pounce from the air while the tinker came in from below. Tombfeather blocked both blows with a sweep of his powerful antlers, catching Rell’s wing in the process. The griffon’s pained roar filled the cavern, followed quickly by Kalyn’s own as he was batted away like a toy.

“Ah, the unmarked pegasus is... awake! Look at your friends... ‘Novell Light’,” the ghoul mocked darkly, gesturing at the fallen griffons as he stared up at the flying pegasus. “They grow weary, soon to... join my brothers and sisters within... this tomb. Though I doubt... I will let them share... anything but a bed of... vines. Such a... shame they are not... rival... to the battles I have... witnessed in times past.”

Before Tombfeather could press his advantage, a bolt of silver slammed into him, eliciting a screech of what sounded more like irritation than pain. The undead hippogryph whipped around toward the Professor and was caught off guard by a sudden blast of wind from Whisper, stumbling slightly.

“Fall, pony!” the ghoul rasped, his antlers glaring a sickening emerald. A field of energy enveloped the mare’s wings, stopping Whisper in her tracks. She yelled out, agony and fear clear in her voice. The sound sent a chill through Novell’s veins.

Before he could divert from his path to stop the hippogryph’s attack, the magic dissipated with a flash of explosive color. A grimace tightened over the mare’s face then, one eye still closed in a wince. Swirley appeared on her head a moment later, his normally indifferent gaze turned down in a fierce V. A miasma of energy radiated from the snail’s leaf-green shell before being drawn into its body with a sharp pop.

“A... Refferentus-!” Tombfeather began, but was stopped by another attack from Kalyn and Rell.

This time the two griffons moved forward in a suicidal frontal charge, their beaks turned down in scowls. The ghoul laughed scornfully, swiping a claw at the two griffons. When the blow impacted Kalyn, the tinker burst into a teal mist, sending Tombfeather sprawling at the unexpected nothingness he encountered. A second later, a very real Rell tore into the hippogryph’s dead hide, raking at the bones with enough force to leave one rib cracked and a trail of scratches on its beak.

“Enough!” Tombfeather roared, sending Rell flying into a waiting Kalyn with a burst of dark magic. The ghoul stared in Pensive’s direction, where the unicorn was standing protectively in front of Rez, his horn still glowing from the illusion he’d created. “Let the Nightvines... deal with you lesser... races.”

From the crevasse below, Novell heard a hissing roar echo throughout the cavernous space. He looked down, his eyes widening as large as the moon at the amount of vines thrashing below him. I was right, we did find the nest, the pegasus thought with a flash of despair.

“Oh, Luna, pickmeuppickmeup-pick-me-up!”

Novell complied, flapping higher just in time for Quills to avoid a lashing strike from one of the swifter vines. “Hold on!”

The filly screamed in response as the pegasus dashed forward with as much power his wings could muster. Quills hid her face behind her hooves, muttering obscenities nopony her age should even know. A gauntlet of tentacles blocked his way as the battle resumed behind him, screeches and battle cries matching volume with the Hippogryph’s raging bellows.

He turned sharply to avoid a reaching vine, grunting against his unwieldy cargo’s rocking motions. The drag was almost enough to send him careening into the nearby cave wall, but he saved it with powerful strokes of his wings. His muscles complained against the abuse, especially those in his formerly damaged wing. A flash of memory ran through his mind - no more giving rides to ponies bigger than you, the doctor had said. He gritted his teeth. Well, she’s not bigger, but this is definitely not any worse than carrying Search again.

The pegasus lost a bit of altitude, allowing the rope connecting him and Quills to avoid a whipping strike from one of the nest’s larger vines. A bead of sweat drifted into his eyes along with a bolt of fear in his back. One strike from those powerful cords could snap the rope in two. Thankfully, the way ahead seemed to be clearing.

A jolt below him took him by surprise, momentarily causing him to lose altitude. His gaze dropped below him to see Quills caught around one of her back hooves. To her credit, the filly didn’t scream. Instead, she was urgently attempting to kick her assailant away. Novell drew in a deep breath and twisted around mid-air to go back the way he’d come.

When he reached the end of the rope’s reach, he curved back around without sacrificing much of his speed, jetting forward as fast as his wings could take him. There was a second of resistance that sent a drop of fear into his mind, but with a hissing snap, the vine’s grip fell away. He glanced down as they broke into relative freedom, a piece of the tentacle still attached to the filly’s hoof. It looked like it had been cut in two, but there was no way he or Quills could have done that.

Drop her off here. The Nightvine is dealt with, Pensive’s voice resounded in his mind with an unexpected fierceness. Novell felt a grin slide over his face at the unicorn’s words, hope swelling in his breast. Maybe they’d make it through this after all.

As soon as he reached a safe place to drop his screeching cargo, the pegasus began unclipping the leather cord hanging around his body. It was difficult with hooves, but he managed it with a few deft moves.

“Novell! You had better not drop me!”

He did, close to the ground and near Pensive, where the unicorn had already established his brilliantly shining shield. The harness itself came off just as easily as the cord and with the weight gone, Novell finally had the chance to take stock of his own condition. The dizziness was gone, but with a flash of panic he noticed his saddlebags were no longer covering his flank. Mom...

Another rolling hiss interrupted his realization and pulled him back to the situation at hoof. He grimaced - dwelling on the saddlebags wasn’t going to help anypony. Stowing away his loss and ignoring Quills’ curses below him, the pegasus flapped toward Whisper, who was still pressing the attack against Tombfeather.

“Whisper!”

The mare grunted as she sent another burst of wind toward the hippogryph. “Woke up, huh?”

“Figured you could handle it,” Novell replied automatically in a dry tone, watching as Kalyn dove in after a bolt of the Professor’s magic that ricocheted into the gloom of the cave. Another hissing roar erupted from the darkness and the first few tendrils began to creep up the ledge. His heart chilled to see that many bubbling from the deep. “There’s a nest in there, Whisper. Too many for us to handle. We need to get out of here.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” the mare grunted, pausing and flapping next to him, “there’s a - rah - dead hippogryph attacking us. Kind of a - hnn - big deal right now. Excuse me while I handle that, unless you’ve got any - urgh - bright ideas.”

Novell grimaced, fresh out of any strategies they could use to get out of this mess. He was supposed to be the one with the plans, the leader of the little group. So why couldn’t he come up with something when they needed him most?

“Kalyn!” Rell’s anguished cry rose up from the immediate battlefield.

The pegasus’ heart froze when he saw the tinker, one wing caught in Tombfeather’s grip. The ghoul slammed Kalyn brutally into the ground, a sharp crack echoing through the chamber as one of the griffon’s wing bones snapped.

All thought of safety and plans fell away in Novell’s mind, replaced by a seething rage at seeing one of his friends hurt. He arrowed down at the undead hippogryph, his wings closed as he dived headfirst.

“Novell! Wait!” Whisper yelled from behind him, but he ignored her, focused on those two ghastly eyes.

Tombfeather turned to meet his descent, laughing and holding Kalyn in one talon. Those awful antlers lowered, a green energy building up at the base of the bony projections. Novell willed himself to fall faster and squeezed his wings as tightly to his body as possible. A second before the blast of energy exited the end of the prongs, he twisted to the side in mid-air and snapped his wings open with a powerful downstroke.

The hippogryph fell a half step backward, surprised at the ferocity of the unexpected wind, before expelling that noxious gas with a hacking laugh. “What was... that supposed to... be, foolish... pegasus?”

“A distraction,” Novell growled. “You’ve got nothing, now.”

Tombfeather looked down at his claw to see Kalyn’s form disappear in a teal mist. Instead of reacting in shock like the pegasus expected, the hippogryph lurched forward with a whitewashed claw. Novell darted back, but not before one of his hind legs were caught in the ghoul’s grip. “Fool. Tricks and deceptions... do not surprise... one who has lived... for ages!”

Pain ripped through Novell’s body, like nothing he’d ever felt before. He writhed in agony and screamed, his wings twitching as if he was being touched by constant lightning. Ground rushed toward him, the solid thud his body made forcing the breath out of his lungs. He wheezed, more streams of magic twisting through him with renewed effect.

Something heavy slammed into the space above him with a clatter of bones and frenzied squawks. The pain receded while he gasped in air, turning to watch Kalyn continuing the battle even with his wing bent in an unnatural angle. Rell bounded over Novell a second later to join the fray, her face livid with rage.

“Novell!” Whisper’s worried voice buzzed in his ear along with a downdraft from her wings. Her hooves clicked against the stone close to his head, followed swiftly by the Professor’s heavy gait.

The unicorn’s lined face filled his view, concern etched on those features. “Are you alright, my boy?”

Novell tried to talk, but he found himself unable to suck in enough air to do so. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut against a wave of wracking pain. A rush of wind blasted above his body toward the battle, accompanied by a frustrated grunt from Whisper.

“Is he going to be okay?” the orange pegasus asked concernedly.

“I don’t know. For now, we have to carry him and leave,” the Professor replied with a flash of light from his horn.

Novell’s body floated into the air until he could see the scowl on the mare’s face. “And go where? In case you hadn’t noticed, the way we came in is crawling with Nightvines. I don’t think even I could clear it out long enough to get everypony through.”

“No way to go but forward, my dear - across the bridge,” Professor Search’s labored voice replied.

“That doesn’t seem like the best option-,” Whisper started before her face twisted into startlement. “Look out!”

The mare disappeared from Novell’s view, a flash of green energy shattering into the air from where she had been. He struggled to look, but that only served to send another shuddering seizure through his body.

Suddenly, a bubble of teal blue encompassed the immediate area, dulling the sounds of battle and hissing outside of it. Before he could adjust to the change of scenery, somepony’s hoof pressed against his forehead and then jerked back with a hiss of pain.

“Haystacks. There’s still magic coursing through him.” Quills’ voice. “Put him down.”

He was lowered gently to the ground, one of his wings pinned underneath his body and the other splayed out behind him. His body gave another involuntary twitch and he clamped down on the groan attempting to force its way out of his throat. Something cracked against the shield, its suddenness causing him to twitch away and send another shiver of boiling energy racing through him.

“I know how to fix this,” Quills continued shakily, “but we need to have some kind of... siphoning item or mystical object. Something that can hold magical energy.”

Novell gasped. “What... about Swirley?”

Whisper looked down and shook her head. “Swirley’s getting too large for his shell to hold in all that magic. There’s not enough room...”

The pegasus felt a gentle nudge at his side and painfully turned over to see Swirley, who was now half as tall as the Professor. The shield pulsed in the background along with a grunt from Pensive. We need to get out of here, the unicorn’s voice echoed raggedly in Novell’s mind.

“Professor, we can’t stay here,” Whisper called over her shoulder. “Those vine-y things are waking up!”

Quills growled. “Novell needs help. Moving him anymore might-.”

Novell shook his head and gritted his teeth against another spasm. “Across... bridge!”

“Novell, you-,” the filly began, but the crack of the shield shattering on one side interrupted her. Mystical energy rained down on them like glass, dissipating into nothingness before it hit them.

“We’re out of time!” Whisper yelled, sweeping away a barrage of attacking Nightvines with a gust of wind. She twisted to the opposite side and sent another burst with a tired gasp. “Professor!”

The shield reestablished itself just in time to take the brunt of another three strikes. The nest was almost completely awake now.

“I’ve been wanting to save this, but I suppose now would be the best time.” Professor Search stomped his hoof to the ground determinedly. “Rell, Kalyn, everypony! Close your eyes!”

Novell complied, squeezing his eyes shut as tight as they could manage. Just as he did so, a piercing light seared through his eyelids. An itching feeling spread all over his body like he was being struck by lightning as the residual magic in his body reacted to the spell. A roaring hiss loud enough to shake the stones next to him resounded throughout the cave, the illumination falling away enough for the peagsus to open his eyes.

The Nightvines were no longer in sight, though he could hear the slithering they made when they moved from the crevasse. Just then, Kalyn and Rell bounded into the bubble of safety.

“Rez!” the female griffon gasped in relief. Novell couldn’t see their reunion, but the hippogryph’s happy cries were enough.

“Blinded? Bah! I will... find you and my pets... shall tear you limb from... limb!” Tombfeather’s gravelly voice whispered through the air like the promise of a cold grave.

“We have one of yours with us! You’re endangering your species!” Rell roared in response. “You call yourself a hippogryph! Blood is your highest priority!”

Tombfeather cackled, the sound of his claws scraping the ground toward them an omen. “He is tainted by griffon... claws! This Rez... is no blood of... mine! He cannot even... cast a simple... spell! I sense... no magic in... his unworthy body!”

“The ghoul’s been corrupted by Havoc,” Quills hissed. “There’s no use talking to him. He’s just trying to use our voices to find us!”

“Clever filly,” the ghoul chuckled darkly. “Your mother was... here. I led her to what she... sought and she was... imprisoned within these... halls! Vanity and... curiosity, ever a pony’s... downfall.”

Quills’ face contorted and grew red, but she didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, she looked over at the Professor and nodded. Magic surrounded Novell once more, his body becoming weightless. They moved as quietly as they could, the sound of their hoofsteps muffled by the shield after the Professor had asked Pensive to modify its frequency.

“Come, little... ponies! I know what you... seek! I can... find my way despite... despite this darkness that... consumes my vision! The Nightvines even now... recover and I doubt... that you have the power... to use that spell... again.”

Professor Search’s clutch on the pegasus weakened momentarily. “He’s right. All I have left is being used to move Novell. I honestly... am not sure how long I can... hold him up.”

“I’ll take him if need be,” Kalyn spoke softly. “The magic shouldn’t hurt me as much as it would you ponies. Hereditary resistance from fighting the Hippogryphs so long, my sire told me.”

“You can barely walk with that wing. How do you expect to carry a fully grown pony, even one as scrawny as this one?” Rell whispered sharply before stumbling.

Kalyn reached for her and steadied his nestmate with a claw and his undamaged wing. He grinned. “You were saying?”

Even with the tinker’s swift action, Rell’s claws had scraped against the rock bridge they were passing over, sending rubble over the side with a sharp crack. The Nightvines below hissed in response, leading Tombfeather to chuckle and move toward them with renewed certainty.

“Careful, careful, young ones. Wouldn’t want to... fall into the... nest. Even I couldn’t... protect you there,” the ghoul taunted.

Novell squirmed in the Professor’s mystical clutch, trying not to make any noises that would compromise the rest of the group. He focused at one point above him, trying to blot out anything related to the pain. Figuring out a plan to get them out of here was of paramount importance.

That’s what I’m good at, right? Planning? The pegasus scowled inwardly as the next fit struck him, still working through an idea. Whisper said something earlier...

The eerie green light that pervaded the other side of the gorge grew brighter the closer they drew to the end of the bridge. Novell noticed a strange, pulsating rhythm to the illumination, almost like a heartbeat, dimming and brightening at a sedate pace. Curiosity assailed him as a convenient distraction from Tombfeather’s spell.

“Almost there, everypony. Just a little... further,” Professor Search reassured them. The old unicorn grunted with the effort of each step.

They reached the end of the bridge just in time for the Nightvines to begin crawling their way back up the stone, the strands vibrating with the sheer ferocity of the hiss they were emitting. The group spread out of their single file line as much as they could inside the small shield, glancing warily back at the ghoul and lashing vines. Only the two pinpricks of green gave away Tombfeather’s location, plodding slowly across the chasm, confident on the bridge despite his blindness. Novell wondered how long the effect would last for the undead hippogryph.

“Kalyn,” the Professor’s voice was tight.

The griffon wordlessly nodded, maneuvering himself under the suspended pegasus. Professor Search winced as he lowered Novell to Kalyn’s broad back. The magical glow vanished and the old unicorn gave a relieved sigh.

“Nowhere... to go, little intruders. You’ll be... my guests... in this old tomb... for a long... long time,” Tombfeather’s voice emanated from behind them. “Ah... do my old... eyes play me a fool... or do I begin to see... shapes in this... darkness?

They increased their pace, the glowing entrance of the rock growing far larger than Novell had expected from the bridge. His sense of scale must have been thrown off from the darkness of the cave, because the hall they were entering had to be almost as large as the entrance to the Invention Aerie. That was when the pegasus noticed a strange hum in tune with the light’s pulse, a steady opposition to the discordant hissing behind them.

“Professor, there’s more markings in the rocks,” Whisper called softly from the front.

Novell watch the tired frown on the unicorn’s face deepen as he brushed past Kalyn. “Let me see.”

“We don’t have time to decipher a dead language, Research,” Quills snapped.

“Quiet,” the Professor’s stern reply came. “There is no point in continuing if we do not know it is safe. Besides, I already know what some of it says.” The unicorn lowered his head to squint at the runes, the rest of them passing through the threshold. “It’s another doorway, similar to the one we went through when entering the tomb. The dates are etched at the bottom in much the same way, including Havoc’s and your mother’s.”

Rell growled in warning. “We have little time, pony. If it is a door, then shut it behind us. The hippogryph and his pets near.”

“Close,” Rez warbled, only to be shushed by his adopted mother.

“It would do us no good.” Professor Search stood up and glanced back at the hippogryph in the middle of the bridge. “Tombfeather would just open it behind us. He is a hippogryph still, despite his form, with all the magic that implies.”

Kalyn shifted under Novell’s weight. “Is there no way to lock it, even to other magic users?”

Novell watched the old unicorn sag and shake his head. “No. If I were a hippogryph, perhaps, but as it stands...”

“Close!” the hippogryph hatchling squawked abruptly, a soft blue spark winking into existence at the base of the nubs on his forehead. Novell’s eyes widened, wondering if his spelled mind was playing tricks on him.

“Hush, my dear.” Rell ran one of her claws through Rez’ plumage before returning her attention to the unicorn. “If there is no way to close it, we must continue. Is the way ahead safe?”

Professor Search nodded as they moved into the corridor. “I believe so. There is a warning, but it shouldn’t relate to why we’re here.”

Quills scowled as they moved into the hall. “What do you mean, a warning?”

“There are a few glyphs I didn’t have time to translate, but I believe it said something of a cursed treasure-.”

“Close!”

The rumbling of stone on stone shook through the floor, the grinding of uneven surfaces loud in the party’s ears. Novell shut his eyes in a wince against the noise, but not before he’d seen a blue field surround Rez’s horn nubs. Pensive’s shield flickered into nothingness as a door behind them slammed angrily shut, the final crash lingering in the air like a death knell.

Quills was the first to react. “What just-.”

A roar sounded dully from behind the stone, followed by a resounding thud that sent dust tumbling down from above. The entire party jumped back, staring warily at the door as a trio of snapping cracks accompanied Tombfeather’s furious, indistinct yells.

The runes above the door flashed and sparked through a pattern of green and blue, like they were battling against one another. A moment later, the markings extinguished to a dull grey, as if dead. More thudding and cracking impacts shook the door afterward with renewed frenzy.

“The door is... locked,” Professor Search announced, his expression unbelieving. “I don’t... how did... Pensive?”

“It...wasn’t me,” the teal unicorn gritted out before falling to the ground in a heap, sweat pouring down his muzzle. His breathing was erratic and his side was matching the irregular pace.

“Pensive!” Quills bolted to the unicorn’s side.

You will not... leave! Novell cried out in pain as a voice echoed through his body. The master... forbids it! The voice sounded almost frightened.

Kalyn shifted beneath him and the pegasus felt claws carefully scoop him up. He opened his eyes to see Rell flapping above him, setting his body gently to the cold stone floor. Some leader I am, he thought with a wince, always being carried by everypony else.

“How long will the stone hold against this kind of attack?” Rell asked sharply.

“The magic is- ack.” The Professor coughed. “Blasted dust. The magic has fled the door, so it will not open again. As for how long it will hold, I would estimate no more than ten minutes, given Tombfeather’s control over the Nightvines. They are expert at tunneling through rock, you see. Another fascinating trait I discovered so long ago when I was-.”

Quills stopped him. “Enough of your pratter, Search. We have bigger problems at the moment. Pensive is suffering from magical exhaustion, Kalyn has a broken wing, and Novell is still under the effects of that ghoul’s curse. Do you have any healing spells that we can use, Professor? Because I can’t do anything right now without your help.”

The Professor shook his head. “No healing spells, no, but I may have a solution for Novell’s affliction. You said that he needs a magical object to siphon the curse into?”

“Yes. Anything with a bit of magic will work,” the filly said distractedly as she tended to Kalyn’s broken wing. “This’ll sting.”

The griffon nodded morosely. “Go ahead.”

Quills complied, snapping the wing back into its proper place. Kalyn let out a coughing growl, but otherwise remained still as the filly wrapped the wing in a bandage. Once that task was complete, the filly stuffed the wrap back under her saddle and glanced at the Professor.

“Well? What are you waiting for?”

Search opened his eyes. “I just cast a spell, my dear, allowing me to identify any objects in the area. It works much like a bat’s echolocation, so I should be getting a reading at any-.” The unicorn furrowed his brows and stared at the filly. “This can’t be right. You have something on you, Quills.”

“What, is her saddle magic or something?” Whisper snarked, appearing behind the filly and poking her.

The filly winced. “Ow. That was my scratch.”

“Sorry.”

“Not her saddle, no.” The Professor’s horn began to glow, pulling a small figurine from under Quills’ saddle. “It’s this carving. I’ve seen it somewhere before...”

A jolt of recognition ran through Novell’s body as he stared at the small, wooden pegasus. It was the one he had carved before meeting Pensive, the one that reminded him of the promise. But he had lost that with his saddlebags, hadn’t he? And why was it magic?

“How?” Novell managed to croak out against another spasm.

“I took it when I stuffed the Princesses’ decree inside. You didn’t have enough room for both,” Quills explained almost guiltily. “Now be quiet, because the Professor and I are going to have to concentrate.”

The Professor stood over the stricken pegasus, the figurine floating above him in his magical grasp. “What do you need me to do?”

“Place the item in the center of the afflicted subject’s chest,” Quills recited blankly, her eyes glazed over. “Once that is complete, the magi must reach through the item to the mana inside of it and pull the object’s power inside of him or herself. This will cause a vacuum that the item will replace with the nearest available power. The magi must resist this suction or their magic will be transferred from their bodies into the object. This is irreversible to all but alicorn and high shaman practitioners. Does the magi understand and agree to the procedure?”

“I do,” Professor Search replied without hesitation, staring down at Novell with pained eyes.

Quills nodded and spoke to Novell. “Alright, sweetie, you’re going to go to sleep for a few minutes while we remove the curse. Just relax.”

The alabaster pegasus nodded, glancing to the side to see Whisper’s concerned face looking at him from nearby. He smiled at her weakly and was gratified to see her smile back just before everything faded away.

*****

Novell jerked awake with a gasp, his pulse pounding. The first thing he noticed was the sickening pain was no longer present. The second was that it was utterly quiet around him. Somepony held a hoof to his chest, laying him back against the ground and his face warmed when he realized it was Whisper’s.

“Calm down, Novell,” the mare hissed softly, her voice lowered to a warning pitch in his ear.

The white pegasus instantly stifled his heavy breathing as best he could, ears pricked and twitching. He heard nothing but the steady thrum accompanying the light in the background and the breaths of his companions. Novell twisted his head to look around, wondering why everypony was being so silent.

The two griffons were standing together with Rez in between them, their tails lashing soundlessly through the air. Their eyes reflected the pulsating light, unblinking and predatory. The sight sent a shiver of unreasonable fear through the pegasus.

“He’s stopped,” the Professor’s voice called quietly from behind.

“Why?” Quills asked suspiciously. “You said he could get in swiftly. Why stop?”

Kalyn strode into Novell’s view. “Because he knows we have nowhere to go. You heard what he said on the bridge. There’s no way out except the way we came in.”

“Where he’ll be waiting,” Rell continued angrily, pointing accusingly at Novell. “You’ve trapped us between stone and claw, pegasus.”

Whisper stepped in between Novell and the griffon. “Hey, no one said you had to come with us. You chose it as well as we did.”

“I came to protect Kalyn!” Rell exploded, shoving Whisper back. “He’s my nestmate and you’re leading him into trouble. And you,” The griffon rounded on the Professor. “You know what happened the last time you brought him on an ‘adventure’! He was nearly killed by a dragon!”

“Kalyn came with us of his own free will,” Quills snapped, Pensive’s head resting against her forelegs as she wiped a cloth against his fevered forehead. “The Professor even tried to talk him out of it, but there’s not much even he can do to stop someone with their mind made up. As much as I agree with you about how being near this unicorn leads to danger, the fact is, he doesn’t force anyone...” she paled, switching her gaze to Search and finishing in a whisper, “...to come with him.”

“She’s right. We all need to calm down.” Novell, now back to full steam, stood without difficulty and stepped into the center of the group. He stared at each of them and continued before they could say anything. “We’re all at our wit’s end here, but we are still all here. And if we want to continue that, we need to work together and come up with a plan to get out of this tomb. Otherwise...”

Kalyn laid a claw against Rell’s shoulder. “Novell speaks truly, Rell, and so does Quills. I chose to come here by myself and I plan to get out of here with all of you.”

“Speaking of plans, I’d like to hear one,” Quills muttered tiredly, returning her attention to her unconscious charge.

“Okay,” Novell started, examining his surroundings for the first time. “We need to see if there isn’t another passage out of here. Tombfeather may have been lying about it being the only way in or out.”

The Professor sighed. “Unfortunately, my boy, I am inclined to believe the ghoul in this case, though a search may prove useful. There might be a chance that Amber is nearby...”

“Still believe your ‘friend’ is alive down here?” Rell asked flatly. “You said it’s been ten years and even if she were just imprisoned like that hipp- like the ghoul said, there is neither food nor water to be had within this mountain. It is cursed and forbidden for more reason than just danger.”

“My mom is still alive,” Quills countered gruffly. “I can feel it.”

The griffon glared at the filly. “As much as I admire loyalty in family, you are an earth pony. You’ve no more magic in you than I do. How could you know?”

“That’s not entirely accurate, Rell,” Kalyn interrupted with a click of his claws. “All of us have magic inherent inside. It just manifests itself in many different ways. For instance, like I said before, we are more resistant to magic spells than any other species.”

Professor Search looked surprised. “I didn’t know you knew about such things, my boy.”

The tinker grinned at the old unicorn. “After you left the first time, I looked into magic as inspiration for my inventions. Many old tomes highlight magic being universal, though stronger and more extant in horned folk.”

As fascinating as the conversation was becoming, Novell knew they had to move. He reluctantly stomped his foot against the stone to draw everypony’s attention. “I’m going to check out this weird light further down the tunnel. Maybe it’s a way out or something that could help us. Quills and Pensive can stay here with Swirley. The rest of you, spread out and look for an exit.” Novell pointed at the far side of the room, where a pair of dark openings stood. “Those tunnels there would be a good start.”

“Good idea.” Kalyn nodded to the leftmost tunnel. “Rell and I will examine that passage. We’ll be back in ten minutes if we find anything.”

“What about traps?” Rell asked archly. “Didn’t the Professor say there was a cursed treasure here? We’ve run into danger before and I would only think that the creatures who built this place would install more the closer to this ‘treasure’ we get.”

Professor Search furrowed his brow. “You may be correct. Perhaps I should go with you.”

A thought occurred to Novell. “Wait. Every time we’ve run into a trap, it was either the Professor or Kalyn who ran into it. Nothing ever activated that would hurt more than one person at the front of the group, but wouldn’t that make sense?”

“Well, I suppose, but where are you going with this, lad?” The Professor arched his brow curiously, waving his hoof in front of him.

The pegasus paced, gently flapping his wings in an unconscious gesture. “I think these traps are keyed to let certain things through. Hippogryphs.” He looked up and nodded at Rez. “So far, nothing’s harmed anyone with the chick or our entire group. Maybe the traps... I don’t know, recognize that he’s allowed to be here. You could be safe as long as he’s with you.”

“That would make sense,” Kalyn replied thoughtfully. The griffon tapped a claw against his beak. “A lot of sense, actually. When I was leading us through those initial tunnels, there were a few times when I thought I activated a trap by accident, but nothing happened. I thought that maybe some of the traps were just so old, they’d been dismantled by time.”

Rell turned toward her nestmate with dismay across her face. “But you activated a dart trap, didn’t you?”

Novell nodded and stomped his hoof against the ground with confidence. “Yes, but that was just an individual trap, something that would only harm the person who activated it. Since Rez wasn’t in the way, it sensed it was okay to release.”

“So are you asking me to put my son in potential danger to prove a theory?” Rell’s feathers were bunched up in either fear or anger, her tail lashing with irritation. “I’d rather leave him here and take the chance that Kalyn and I can find the traps before we run into them.”

“No. Rez stay Mom,” the chick squawked, claws digging into his mother’s back. “Protect.”

Kalyn whistled amusedly. “Looks like little Rez isn’t leaving you by yourself, ‘Mom’. But I have to agree with you in this case. We can’t risk a chick’s life, let alone this particular chick.”

Rell glared hard at the other griffon. “Shut it, Kal’.”

“Rez’ll stay here with Quills and Pensive, then,” Novell put in before another fight could break out, though he filed away Kalyn’s words and Rell’s reaction in the back of his mind. Another piece to a growing number of puzzles. He was determined to figure out at least one of them now by finding a way out. “Professor, go with Whisper and check the other tunnel. Kalyn and Rell should be fine by themselves.”

Professor Search frowned and stared over at the tunnel the green glow was coming from. “I don’t like this, my boy. I should come with you and explore your tunnel. We can come back to the last later. Safety should be our utmost concern at the moment.”

Novell ruffled his wings in consent. “Alright. Let’s go. Meet back here in ten minutes.”

Rell dropped Rez to the ground and looked her son in the eye. “Stay here, Rez. I mean it this time.”

“Rez stay Mom,” the hippogryph repeated stubbornly, flapping his small wings and clamping himself to the griffon’s leg. “Protect Mom.”

“You can protect me by staying here, Rez.” Rell nuzzled the chick and continued kindly. “If I take you with me, you’ll slow me down and I might get hurt because of that. Do you remember the lesson of patience when on the hunt? Use that here, my fierce warrior. I will be back, but only if I leave you here for a little while.”

Kalyn laid a hand on his nestmate’s shoulder and smiled at the chick. “We’ll be back. You can trust me to take care of your mom. I always have, you know.”

Rell clicked her beak and gave Kalyn a wry look as they turned to leave. “I recall it being the other way around more often than not.”

“I saved you once or... well, once. Remember that invention I made to automatically preen your feathers?”

Novell felt himself grin despite the circumstances as the two griffons padded toward the tunnel. He turned back to Whisper and the Professor and drew in a steadying breath. “Alright. Let’s find out what this light’s all about.”

Professor Search fell in behind the pegasus while Whisper stayed behind a moment to tell Swirley to stay with the others. While the firebrand of a pony was momentarily busy, the Professor moved closer to Novell and pitched his voice in a conspiratorial low tone.

“Quills should be coming with us. You know as well as I do what this light most likely is.”

Novell sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know anything, Professor. I’m guessing as much as you are right now.”

“She’s here, my boy, in this tomb. The door said she arrived within the last ten years. There is no mark to indicate her having left between then and now,” the unicorn continued pleadingly, almost as if he were trying to convince himself.

Whisper chose that moment to land next to them. “Whatcha whisperin’ about?”

Novell gave her a wry glance. “Just plans to get out of here. Speaking of, you said you had one to use against those Nightvines, didn’t you? Back in the tunnel, I mean.”

The mare nodded, letting the Professor take the lead. “Yeah. You remember last year when Hoofington was picked to be the city to start the rainy season? We had to-.”

“Make a tornado to lift up the lake to Cloudsdale,” Novell finished for her, looking distractedly at their surroundings. The tunnel had curved and when he glanced backward, he couldn’t see the room they’d just been in. “How’s that going to help us here?”

“Well, you and I can make a smaller version here,” Whisper said matter of fact.

The white pegasus turned toward her, surprised at the confidence in her eyes. “Make a tornado inside the mountain? How-.”

“I can fly faster than most ponies in Hoofington and I can control the air currents better than anypony,” the mare continued excitedly. “I tested it out a few times. Whirlwinds are easy, especially if I’m flying in a circle, but I need somepony else to help me if I want to make a whole tornado. You can be that other pony.”

“Careful!” Professor Search said, sidestepping a slightly raised stone in the floor. Novell raised a wing to brush Whisper to the side so she could avoid it by a wide margin. As long as he’d known her, he knew that it was better to be safer than necessary.

The mare seemed to read his thoughts, rolling her eyes. “So what do you say? You’re not the worst flier, you know.”

“In Hoofington, you mean?” Novell asked sarcastically.

“Anywhere,” Whisper replied distractedly, grimacing against the light. “Hey, is it getting brighter?”

The Professor nodded, though he didn’t take his eyes off of the floor. “Whatever’s making this light is close. It should be just beyond this next curve. Take care, you two. Closer is more dangerous where treasures are concerned. In fact, I-.” The unicorn froze mid sentence.

Novell stopped, too, staring down at the Professor’s hoof. The pegasus’ mouth dried out when he saw it.

“What? Why’d we stop?” Whisper asked, glancing over Professor Search’s shoulders. “Do you see something?”

“Something should have happened by now,” the Professor whispered, barely audible over the humming illumination.

Novell gulped. “So why didn’t it?”

The mare flapped her wings in frustration. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”

A scratching sound came from behind him, followed by urgent hoofbeats. “Rez! Rez, get back here! It’s dangerous!”

“Quills?” Professor Search’s voice was strained, but he chanced a look back anyway.

The white pegasus followed the old pony’s gaze. Behind them was the hippogryph chick, galloping toward them with his head cocked and eyes alight with curiosity. Novell dodged out of the way just in time to avoid a collision, surprised by the sudden entrance. Rez continued on, glancing back over his shoulder before running into the Professor’s rear hooves and bouncing off.

Quills appeared around the corner a second later, stopping in her tracks when she saw the rest of the party. By the way her eyes darted first to the Professor’s hoof, then up to Novell, the pegasus knew she understood what was going on.

Quills’ jaw dropped. “I- I guess you were right.”

“Looks like,” Professor Search said grimly, staring down at Rez. “Thank you for being here, lad, though I doubt you-- wait, where are you going?”

“Save pony,” the hippogryph squawked as he continued down the winding hallway. “Then go home.”

They all rushed forward after Rez, rounding the curve all at the same time. Novell winced away, holding his wing above his eyes. A gasp from his right caught his attention just before his dazzled vision could recover. He squinted, taking in the room that seemed to be the origin of the light. Crystals covered the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. Each shone with green light, though they looked entirely clear between pulses.

A column of especially large crystals took up the center of the room, looming over the others and thrumming loud enough to rattle the field around it. It looked like it was made up of a single, large piece, almost opaque but darkened in the middle by some kind of shape. Shock roiled through him as he realized what he was looking at.

The shadow was shaped like a pony.

Comments

[Astarea]

It's Han Solo frozen in carbonite! Ugh, wrong story again!

Excellent work, keep it up!

[Sgt Grub]

820419

Yes! Very bad! VERY VERY BAD!

Why? Um.....I dunno.

Anyway, the chapter was pretty good, Cros, if shorter than your norm. Not that that's a bad thing, because you ended it at a great spot. Certain spots could have used some work though, as I believe they fell short of their intended purpose.

Regardless, it was still great. I'm glad you've stabbed your writer's block in the face multiple times. Now we can steamroll towards the ending, right?

[paul]

Thanks for the update !
Wonderful chapter

[Luminous Lead]

Well, that explains how she's still alive.

[nailbudday]

it's obviously Captain Amareica

[Sgt Grub]

1017594

...genius...

[nailbudday]

1023912
why thank you. i may or may not have lifted that from someone else i cant remember

[Croswynd]

1003667>>1005497>>1011727>>1017594

Alright, I'm really sorry about all this blasted delay. I don't know what came over me this past summer, but it totally destroyed any progress on Unmarked. So, with college back in session I have less time, which means I'm working harder. With that comes progress. The next chapter is 2883 words in at the moment, where it's sat for the last six weeks. I'm working on it now. Fatigue, writer's block and anything else, you're going down.

I'm just unhappy I made you guys, my fans, wait so long between updates. Off we go.

[Luminous Lead]

1266098 Yeah, summer can be the boon or bane of all inspiration. You tend to make your chapters really full and long, so I imagine it takes quite a bit of time and effort to write it all.

[paul]

1266098
>Off we go.

[Croswynd]

1268225>>1266919

Good news! Chapter's done, just waiting for my pre-readers to edit and it'll be up, probably near the middle of the day on the 16th of September. Look forward to it.

[lordelliott]

Kalyn laid a hand on his nestmate’s shoulder

I think you mean claw?

Also, there are a few paragraphs that start with "____" instead of an indent.

At the end, I'm assuming (ass u me ) that Search stepped on a trap, although you never really said or, more importantly, addressed why Whisper was the only one who couldn't tell. Is she blind? "Come on!" dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Sweetie_Belle.png

[lordelliott]

820419 dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_ooh.png Ooh!

I think that's the best idea ever. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Bonbon_gaze.png Romance and adventure often go together in movies for a reason.

[Starlight Nova]

If the mane six had to "reform" Havoc instead of Discord, how would things go for them?