Echoes Don't Linger
Into The Depths
By Pen Stroke
Preread, Edited, and Reviewed By
Illustrious Q, Batty Gloom, Wraithguard, Rainbowdash64,
Cloudhammer, Magical Trevor, Kohta Izumi, Kirk Heller
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Chapter 2
Echoes Don't Linger
====================
Path Finder stumbled out into the hallway. He dry heaved, his vision blurry from the tears that streamed from his eyes. He slumped against the wall of the hallway, gasping and gauging. “How… how could something like that exist? How is this even possible?”
He threw a glance into the room he had just come from, dry heaving again. “It isn't right. It… it’s unholy. It’s a thing of nightmares and monsters. No pony should have to face such terror. It’s a torture, a cancer upon Equestria that has only festered and grown with the passage of time.
“It’s… it’s too horrible… it’s too gruesome… it’s—”
“The bathroom,” Night Gaze said flatly as he followed Path Finder back into the hallway. “It’s just the old bathrooms.”
“Your sense of smell must be dead,” Path Finder said before spitting against the wall. “Oh… grah… I think I can still taste the smell. Have you ever tasted a smell like that before? It’s the worst.”
Night Gaze shook his head and turned to continue down the corridor. “Are you sure you're a guard and not an actor?”
Path Finder quickly recovered from his “harrowing” ordeal and, with a bright smile, caught up with Night Gaze. “Really, you think I’d do well in theater? I once thought about striking out onto the stage. I've got a singing voice you can’t believe.”
“Then why didn't you?”
“Ah, I’m a guard-brat,” Path Finder said with a short laugh. “You know the story. Father says, ‘It runs in the family. Generations of guards. One of them was a general.’ Hard to not get it into your head the guard is the best job in the world when your own parents think that. Still, I get my fix hitting up karaoke night at this bar near the castle. Now, my sister, she was the rebel. She—”
“Night Gaze, Path Finder, Report! End message.”
Path Finder winced and flattened his ears against his head as he and Night Gaze came to a stop at a "T" intersection in the underground tunnels. He turned around just in time to see the last trails of smoke from a popped message bubble disappear into the air. “Hold that thought, Gaze. Got to report to Fortress before she cracks the whip again.”
Path Finder formed the message bubble on his horn, released it, and spoke into it with a pleasant smile and a teasing tone. “Sorry, Fortress, we were just cleaning out our noses after enjoying the fragrant bouquet of smells in the old latrines. We’re currently at a 'T' junction and will be making a right to head to our next room. End message.”
As so many message bubbles before, the one Path Finder created zipped off into the dark corridors. He then turned back to Night Gaze, laughing a little as he began to head down the right-hoof path. “Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, my sister. Now she’s the one that drove my parents crazy. There was this one time in high school when she—”
“Do you two see Corporals Wind Runner and Sunshine Smiles at your location? They should have crossed your path, and they haven’t given a report since they left a small armory a few hundred paces from your location. End message.”
Path Finder and Night Gaze turned again, once more seeing the trailing smoke of a message spell fading into the air. This time, the interruption was met by a groan as Path Finder took off his helmet and set it down on the floor. “I can sense a game of message tag starting. I’m just going to form a direct connection. You talk to her and figure out what’s going on.”
Night Gaze nodded and kept the light from his armor’s gem focused on Path Finder as he sat down on his haunches. The solar guard unicorn then cocked his head back, opened his mouth, and made his ears stand perfectly erect. It looked, at first glance, like he was about to sneeze, but instead he held that position as his horn began to glow.
Stepping back, Night Gaze watched as a trail of light began to glisten in the air of the tunnel. It was a direct magical connection to Fortress, and soon her voice was radiating out of Path Finder’s mouth like he was a record player.
“Night Gaze, that you?”
“Yes,” he replied, speaking into Path Finder’s ear like it was a microphone. “Path Finder and I haven’t seen the corporals. Doesn't look like they've been by here either. There’s no tracks in the dust.”
Fortress cursed under her breath. “The last thing we need is somepony else going missing. Night Gaze, are you sure they haven’t just passed by there? They should have come up the corridor to your left and continued down the same tunnel you and Path Finder were heading to.”
“Like I said, Fortress, we haven’t seen them and it doesn't look like anypony’s been—”
Night Gaze paused, glancing over his shoulder and down the tunnel to the left. His ears moved forward and he quieted his breathing. His keen eyes, skilled at seeing the dark, pierced the depths of the corridor. He had heard something… or so he thought he had. It was there and gone, like a whisper. Still, years of experience as a guard were beginning to come to bear. Alarm bells were tolled in Night Gaze’s head.
Something was off.
“Night Gaze?”
There it was again… that sound, or… no. It was a lack of sound. The echoes, they weren't lasting as long as they should. The tunnels all seemed to echo endlessly when they were walking. The sounds of their hooves cascaded for several seconds as did their voices, but now… now the sound was dying much faster. There were less echoes coming from the left-hoof tunnel.
He took a tentative step forward, kicking up a small bit of dusk as he shuffled his hooves. Every muscle was tense. He drew a deep breath from his nose, picking up heavily on the smell of stale air and stone. But there was something beneath it, something metallic smelling.
“Night Gaze!?”
“S-sorry, Fortress,” he stammered. He turned back to speak into Path Finder’s ear, but he kept his gaze focused on the left-hoof tunnel. “Um… you want us to go check on them?”
“Yes,” she confirmed with an annoyed grunt. “Follow that tunnel back until you find a four way intersection. Make a right and then it will be the first door on your left. It’s supposed to be a small armory, if these maps are right.”
“Okay, we’ll check it out and see if we can’t find them. Night Gaze out.” At that, he gently closed Path Finder’s mouth, ending the communication spell and allowing the unicorn to come back to his senses.
Path Finder shook his head once and then gently spat a few times as he got back to his hooves. “Always hate that spell. My mouth tastes like rotten blueberries every time I use it.” He commented before looking at Night Gaze. “So, what’s up?”
“Corporals Wind Runner and Sunshine Smiles haven’t checked in. We’re going to backtrack their path and see if we can’t find out what happened.”
Path Finder grunted through his teeth, picked up his helmet and set it back on his head. “Great, more wandering around in the dark looking for more lost ponies. Why can’t it be like finding a coffee house in Canterlot? You can’t go five blocks without seeing one these days. And all those ponies drinking coffee, they’re just…”
~~~
Night Gaze moved up close to a wall, breathing steady and quiet as Path Finder stayed a few steps behind. They had gone several hundred paces backtracking the path to find the corporals, and the tension in the air only seemed to increase the further they went along. The tunnels had grown quiet, mostly because Path Finder had finally talked himself hoarse rambling on about coffee shops. And, without Finder’s constant prattle, the silence was beginning to creep in. The only sound came from their hooves clipping against the hard stones, and those sounds became echoed almost tenfold against the hard stone of the tunnel walls.
Yet even in the cacophony of echoes, it was too quiet. The sounds of their hoofsteps faded too quickly, disappear all too fast. It was like the silence was eager to surround them, and it would not be held at bay for long.
Moving quickly, Night Gaze moved out from behind a corner, stepping into the center of a four way intersection. He quickly flashed the light from his helmet down the forward and right-hoof corridors while Path Finder checked the left.
Still, they had seen no sign of the corporals. There were no lights moving in the distance. They could hear no sounds of hoofsteps moving around the tunnels. They may as well have been the only two soldiers down there. There were also no trails in the dust on the floor. Thus, it became evident the corporals had not even reached that intersection, let alone the one further along where their two groups were supposed to cross paths.
“Anything?” Night Gaze whispered.
“No,” Path Finder replied. Like water freezing into ice, his carefree and go-with-the-flow attitude had been replaced with the stringent actions of a soldier. He kept his gaze focused on the left-hoof path. “Doesn't look like anything's been through here in centuries”
“Then come on,” Night Gaze said with a small motion of his head. “The armory the corporals were supposed to be checking is close. First door on the left.”
Path Finder nodded, and the pair continued onward. Night Gaze stayed in the lead, the light from his armor reaching forward into the tunnel as Path Finder guarded their rear. The first door came up quickly, and it was then they saw their first signs of life. The dust in front of the door and leading down the corridor, away from them, had two quartets of hoofprints in it. There were even a few particles of dust floating lazily in the air, dancing like tiny parasprites in the light from Night Gaze’s armor and Path Finder’s horn. The dust had been recently stirred.
“Looks like they never left.”
Path Finder took a few more steps back, a bit of an annoyance in his tone. “If they’re in there taking a nap or something I say we haul their flanks back to Fortress. That mare gives world-famous reprimands. She’s got the vocabulary of a worst kind of sailor but she is as eloquent as free style poetry. You just can’t believe her rants until you’ve heard them.”
“Just get in there and see if you can find them," Night Gaze said as he moved into position in front of the door. “I’ll stand watch.”
Path Finder nodded, and quickly ducked into the room as he shifted the light from his horn so that it shone out in all direction, like a lantern. Night Gaze could see the light moving behind him, his body was casting a shadow against the wall of the corridor opposite the door. Still, he kept his attention focused on his duty. He looked to his left and right constantly, silencing his breathing as much as he could as he listened.
There was nothing to the left, nothing to the right. There was nothing but the dark corridors, and yet he felt like he had to stay on guard. It was a tingling in his spine, almost. One that refused to let his body relax. To lower his guard now was to invite death, and he couldn't even see anything. That and the smell in the air… that metal smell he had picked up earlier was a lot stronger. It was like they were in a blacksmiths shop. That, or—
“Night Gaze! Get in here!”
He spun on his hooves in a flash, and galloped into the room. It was truly an armory. Metal racks of spears, swords, and other sharp tools of combat cluttered the walls, glinting threateningly in the light from his gem. There was also a row of racks in the middle of the room, dividing the space into two aisles. The light from Path Finder’s horn glowed in the back corner of the room, and Night Gaze rushed down the nearest aisle to reach him.
With the sound of hooves skidding against the stone, he came to a stop as he reached the far end of the room. Path Finder was standing, stiff as stone, in front of a weapon rack that had fallen over. He wasn’t moving, wasn’t speaking. Night Gaze wasn’t sure he was even breathing.
“What did you… find?” Night Gaze asked, though he would discover that answer for himself as he trotted up beside Path Finder. His hoof sank into something wet on the floor, and he quickly stepped back and raised his hoof to his light. The liquid that dripped from it was choked with dust, but there was no ignoring its deep red color.
His own breathing becoming erratic, Night Gaze looked to the weapon rack, from which the pool of blood was spreading. He could see hooves sticking out from beneath it. Some were the pristine white of a pegasus of the Solar Guard. The others were the dark gray of Luna’s Lunar Guard.
“Path Finder,” Night Gaze said, his voice a little weak. “Contact Fortress, now.”
~~~
The aged hinges groaned as the door swung open slowly. As it did, the light from Celestia’s horn and Twin Blades’ armor extended out into the chamber beyond. The corridor beyond bulged and receded in width rhythmically the further it went, like the shape of a fine pearl necklace. And, at each bulge, rectangular holes had been cut in the walls. In these holes skeletons lay on aged, fraid pieces of fabric, their hooves crossed over their chest.
“The crypt,” Celestia said as she and Twin Blades stepped inside. “I was never fond of the idea that we were keeping dead ponies in any part of the castle.”
“So why did you let the castle have a crypt?”
“I dislike the idea of complaining royal families more,” Celestia answered. “They wanted to be buried in the castle, as if their bones needed to be protected, and I wouldn’t have heard the end of it unless I agreed.”
Twin Blades nodded as the pair continued further into the crypt. The smell of decay began to wash over them more and more the further they went in. The dead ponies weren’t the only source of the smell either. On the floor were the skeletal remains of numerous vermin who had starved to death when the castle’s underground chambers were sealed for the last time.
“I’m beginning to miss the smell of dust,” Celestia commented as she raised a wing to her nose, breathing through her feathers to try and filter out some of the odor.
“Then let’s make this quick,” Twin Blades’ commented, picking up the pace a little. She trotted ahead of Celestia, glancing left and right each time she reached a bulge in the corridor. It was all the same, dead pony bodies in rectangular holes. It became a rhythm, one further emphasized by the clip-clopping of Twin Blades hooves.
Move Forward, Stop, Look Left, Look Right.
Move Forward, Stop, Look Left, Look Right.
Move Forward, Stop Look Left, Look Right.
Move Forward, Stop, Look Left…
Twin Blades paused, having reached a junction where the path through the crypt made a right turn. There were no holes cut into the wall at the turn. It was simply a bend in the corridor. There was, however, one skeleton. It was small, light, but just as old as the rest of the skeletons. A few trinkets adorned its neck, necklaces and medallions, and beneath lay a book, stained brown with blood that was centuries old.
Princess Celestia caught up with Twin Blades, letting the light from her horn spread in all directions as the lieutenant extended a wing towards the skeleton. She used the tip of the blade attached to her wing to move the skeleton gently.
The skeleton, however, clattered to pieces at her touch. Its joints, formed of nothing more but compacted dust, failed at the gentle touch. The bones clattered apart, their sound echoing through the crypt. It sounded as if all the skeletons were now moving, rising from their rest to greet them.
Both Celestia and Twin Blades looked up and watched their surroundings cautiously. They listened, they waited, and remained tense as the sound continued to echo. It eventually faded and the crypt fell into silence once more. Still, the princess and the lieutenant stood stiff, watching the skeletons for any sign of movement.
Twin Blades was the first to dare to move. She took a deep breath, shook her head, and looked down at the now collapsed skeleton. With a ginger touch she brushed back a few of the bones before picking up the book. She turned it over in her hooves, a small sneer of revulsion forming on her face.
“No title, but… I think this is bound in leather.”
“Leather!” Celestia echoed in disbelief, but upon closer inspection she found Twin Blades correct. The book was bound in leather, the tanned and stretched flesh of another hoofed creature. Very few books in Equestria were made of the gruesome material, and none were supposed to exist outside the Canterlot Archives.
Yet here was one left behind at the old castle, long and forgot—
SNAP
Celestia and Twin Blades both quickly turned and looked further into the crypt, their ears turned forward and their lights shining into the distance. The sound was single and alone. There were no echoes to accompany it. It was like the breaking of a twig or the snapping of a bone. Simple, short, and mixed with the smell of decay in the air; it was, to a degree, sickening.
“Did you hear that?” Celestia asked.
Twin Blades only nodded, and took a single, tentative step forward. “Who goes there?!”
“Lieutenant! Get back to the rotunda! There’s been an accident!”
Celestia and Twin Blades both jumped and spun. The messenger bubble, which had carried with it Fortress’s panicked shout, had snuck up behind them. It was already gone, having popped once its message was delivered. That didn’t stop Twin Blades and Celestia from cursing the spell for startling them.
“Come on,” Twin Blades said, forcing strength into her voice so it would not tremble. “We better go and see what’s going on.”
Princess Celestia could only nod, carrying the book they had found in her magic as they made their way back to the rotunda.
~~~
“How did it happen?”
“We don’t know, lieutenant. It looks like one of the weapon racks got loose from the wall and fell over on them.”
“And you’re telling me you didn’t hear it happen? How did you not hear a weapon rack falling over? These walls are stone, sergeant. You should have been able to hear that racket from where you were. You should have… uh…”
Twin Blades pressed a hoof to her forehead, rubbing a temple gently as she glanced over to a side of the rotunda. There, a few of the other guards were covering the bloodied and mangled bodies of the corporals with sheets. Others were working to assemble stretchers from the supplies they had available. The stretchers were originally meant for Luna and Twilight, in case they needed to be carried out of the tunnels.
Now, the stretchers would be used to transport the dead back to the surface.
“Just… just take five, Night Gaze, Path Finder,” Twin Blades eventually said as she waved them off. She then looked to the other soldiers. “The rest of you, get them ready for transport. I want four of you to get them back up top. Then get your flanks down here and bring as many squads as Shining Armor is willing to spare. We need to speed up this search and, to do that, we need more bodies.”
The soldiers nodded and hurried their work. At the same time, Twin Blades turned and walked towards the center of the rotunda. There, Princess Celestia was sitting with Fortress, silently looking over the map of the underground chambers. They whispered quietly, as if fearful they were disrespecting the dead. In truth, the whole room had gone as quiet as a graveyard.
“All right, we’re going to be six ponies down until those four come back with reinforcements. Fortress, I want our operation numbers doubled. Nopony goes into the tunnels unless they’re with three others. Night Gaze and Path Finder will be with me and Celestia. That will leave Lighthouse and Sure Hoof here with you until we get more soldiers down here. Hold the fort and tell me the moment the reinforcements arrive.”
Fortress nodded, “You got it, lieutenant.”
“Good, now Princess,” Twin Blades said as she looked to Celestia. “We need to speed this up. Princess Luna and Twilight came here for a reason and it wasn’t to sight see. If they were looking for something, where do you think they’d go?”
“That’s the thing, everything of importance was moved to Canterlot.” Celestia said, her voice low and contemplative. “The vault was cleared. The archives were emptied. Everything was supposed to be moved to Canterlot.”
“Then why, Princess, were the Elements of Harmony left behind?” Twin Blades asked, an undercurrent of suspicion in her voice. “Why were there weapons left in that armory? Why was there still furniture in the soothsayer's quarters? We were told this place was supposed to be empty.”
“It is supposed to be empty,” Celestia answered. “I was assured these lower chambers had been cleared. There certainly were no signs of things missing once the archives were sorted and organized in Canterlot. As to the Elements, they were to be part of a final transfer.
“Some of my most trusted soldiers were coming here to get them, but they came back to Canterlot saying the Elements were gone. We all believed at the time they had been stolen. The forest was searched, but… we never found any signs of who took them.”
“But didn’t Twilight Sparkle and her friends find the Elements on their pedestals,” Fortress asked. “Weren’t they exactly where they were supposed to be?”
Celestia turned and nodded to fortress. “Yes, they were, and that’s puzzled me. I came to the castle myself. I saw the empty pedestals myself. The elements were gone, and yet…” she fell silent at this, looking contemplatively at the map, as if hoping it might provide the answer to the question she herself had pondered time and again.
“In any case,” Twin Blades said with a flutter of her wings, causing the attached blades to rattle a little. “If the elements were left behind, Princess Luna and Twilight may have come here looking for something they couldn’t find in Canterlot. They may have come here for something they believed was also left behind, and if that is true, then there are two places they would have looked. The archives and the vault.”
~~~
“Go ahead, Princess.”
Celestia nodded, lowering her horn and touching it to the door. Her magic flared. Ancient tumblers clicked free, and the hinges cried as the thick doors swung open. Curls of dust rolled into the air, swept up from the floor. For the first time in centuries, light fell on the rows of empty shelves that had once held the greatest knowledge in all Equestria. Some shelves had collapsed, but others still stood vigilant against the passage of time.
The group moved in, stepping slowly. Princess Celestia kept her light lit bright, shining in all directions like a flare as the guards quickly scanned the room. Her nose was filled with the sweet smell of fertile earth, which was a welcome change to the odor of stale air that seemed to permeate everywhere else.
“Looks like part of the ceiling caved in,” Twin Blades commented as the group’s lights illuminated a tall pile of dirt that reached from the floor to a hole in the stonework of the ceiling. “Be careful and don’t touch anything unless you have to. The last thing we want to do is cause a cave in.”
Path Finder and Night Gaze nodded as they continued to vigilantly check the aisles between the empty shelves. Soon, the group reached the center of the archive room, a large circular space that had paths branching off into the rows and columns of shelves. At the center of it was a large statue of a bearded pony with bells on his hat and cloak. Parts had broken off with age, but still the stone figure stood proud, like a king of the archives.
“Who is that?”
“It’s Starswirl the Bearded,” Princess Celestia replied their lights focused on the statue. “He was one of the greatest minds Equestria has ever seen. It seemed fitting to honor him in this place, where some of his greatest works were stored. If memory serves, there should be other statues around here for other famous scholars, a half dozen in all.”
“The maps of the archives did show there being six sculpture stands.” Twin Blades extended a wing, pointing straight ahead. “Now, the vault should be that way. Since it’s the smaller room we’ll check there first then we’ll search the archives proper, working our way back to the entrance. Night Gaze, you take point. Path Finder, you're on our flank.”
“Aw, captain, if you want me to look at your flank, you could just—”
“Finish that sentence, Finder, and you will regret it.”
“Roger that, Lieutenant,” Path Finder said with a quick salute.
The group fell into formation, and continued deeper into the archives. They left the statue of Starswirl the Bearded behind, its daunting form fading into darkness. The empty shelves continued to stand silently on their left and right, like silent sentinels that seemed to loom, about to strike them down for their trespass. The aged, insect eaten carpet continued on in front of them, walking in silence… walking without words… walking with their eyes struggling to pierce the darkness.
Finally, there was a glint in the distance ahead of them, a reflection of metal. They picked up their pace, breaking into jogs, and soon a heavy door, made of solid metal, loomed out of the darkness. It was mammoth, tall enough for Discord to stroll through without needing to slouch. It was sealed shut by heavy deadbolts and it bore the symbol of Equestria’s flag.
“That… would hurt if it fell on us,” Path Finder commented as he looked over his shoulder.
Night Gaze winced and threw a short glare back at Finder. “You really have to put that image in my head after what happened to the corporals?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Stow the talk,” Twin Blades snipped before looking up at Celestia. “But maybe we should stand back while you’re opening it.”
Celestia nodded, and the squad moved back a few paces as Celestia focused her magic on the door. Ancient spells, forged straight into the metal, reacted at her touch. The door knew its princess, and its tumblers began to slide open with a grating sound, as if dirt had gotten stuck in its seams. Though it creaked and groaned like an old stallion, the door yielded to Celestia and released its locks. It then began to open, its seams glowing with light.
“It seems not all the magic in this place is drained,” Celestia commented as the vault door continued to open, releasing a warm glow to wash over them. “The light gems inside the vault are only to turn on when the door is open or somepony is inside. Thus, their power seems to have survived the centuries.”
“I guess this is where they got the idea to put lights in refrigerators,” Path Finder whispered to Night Gaze, who only rolled his eyes as the door finished opening.
Like a true and proper vault, the interior of the chamber was comprised almost entirely of metal. Secured cabinets and drawers lined the walls, but there were also podiums spaced around the room. Celestia stepped forward, Twin Blades following behind her as Path Finder and Night Gaze remained outside, keeping watch.
“Such treasures used to be kept safe in here,” Celestia mused, nostalgia washing over her. She stepped in slowly and paused near the middle of the vault. Twin Blades continued on past her, trotting towards the far end.
“The crown jewels. The original copy of the treaty formed by the three races of ponies, agreeing to found Equestria as a single, shared kingdom. The crown of the Platinum royal line. I really should go into the Canterlot vault sometime. All those beautiful relics are so rarely seen or appreciated.”
“Princess,” Twin Blades said, waving a hoof in the air. “I found something!”
Celestia jogged forward quickly, rushing to the end of the vault where Twin Blades was standing. The lieutenant picked something up off the floor and held it up to the princess. It was Twilight’s saddlebags, left discarded on the floor. Celestia was almost trembling as she took the bags in her magic. She lifted the flap and began to slowly remove its contents.
“A book on the history of the old castle. Light gems. A candle with matches. More books. Hoofwriten notes.” Celestia removed each item and held it aloft in her magic as she continued to dig. Finally, she reached the bottom and pulled out one final item from the bags. It was a rolled scroll that had been sealed by wax. The wax had been pressed with an insignia, a crescent moon.
Concern and curiosity piqued, Celestia unrolled the scroll and recognized her sister’s writing. She began to read, taking in every word in hopes it would reveal her sister’s purpose.
To Twilight Sparkle,
I have tried the techniques you have researched. Performing them without the castle staff or Celestia seeing me has been a challenge, but I have been using them. They did help, at first, but now their effectiveness is waning. The night is no longer my own. The stars and moon may remain loyal but the darkness is now a shroud it wears. I, the princess of the night, fear the dark. I sleep with my blinds open, hoping my sister’s sun will keep me safe when I am most vulnerable. It has worked so far, but… how much longer will that keep it at bay?
Preventive measures are no longer sufficient. This must be dealt with and I need to know whether or not you will still aid me. I leave for the old castle four days from now. If you wish to help or join me, take this time to prepare yourself.
Hopefully, it will not have taken me before then.
Sincerely,
Princess Luna of Equestria
Celestia’s heart was still in her chest and her mouth had gone dry. Luna… her words… it sounded as if she was terrified of something. But what… what in this old castle could have scared Luna? There was nothing here. It had all been cleared centuries before. Perhaps a wild animal or two had made use of some of the old above ground ruins as a den, but there was no reason for Luna to fear the monsters of the Everfree Forest when she was safe in Canterlot.
“Luna, what were you doing here?” Celestia said, looking at the note again.
CRASH
All eyes turned to the dark archives beyond the reach of the vault’s light, bodies tense and ears erect. Path Finder and Night Gaze took tentative steps forward, scanning their surroundings with the light from their helmets.
“You two see anything?” Twin Blades called, speaking as loudly as she dared.
“No. It sounded like one of these book shelves falling over, but I don’t see— Wait, over there.” Night Gaze lifted a hoof, pointing to some dust that was swirling in the light from his armor. “I think I see the shelf. Look like it just gave way.”
“Oh please let that be true,” Path Finder said, making every effort to force a joking tone as he and Night Gaze moved closer and closer to the place where the dust was swirling. Every muscle was tense, adrenaline was pumping. They drew in deep breaths. The smell of soil, which had once been inviting, now seemed to close in on them… as if they had been buried alive and all they could smell was the dirt surrounding them.
rgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrg
The pair froze, turning their lights in the distance. “What was that?”
CRASH
CRASH
CRASH
A bookshelf came crashing down beside the two guards, knocked over in a domino effect caused a few rows away. They leapt back, and quickly pointed their lights up at where the first shelf had fallen. They searched for the source, but saw nothing. Then, it came again, a crashing sound. A crashing that grew louder and louder. It became a chorus of destruction, and with their lights they could see the book shelves moving, coming towards them.
It was like an earthquake and a tornado. The empty shelves were falling, were being thrown. The shelves were simply coming at them like an avalanche or tidal wave. The splintered wood just continued to roll towards them, and their screams joined the cacophony as they turned and sprinted for the vault.
Celestia rushed forward at the same time, horn glowing. Her levitation spell reached out to the sergeants, wrapping around them. She then pulled hard, like a fisherman pulling in a bite. The pair was lifted off their hooves, drawn to the open, safe light of the vault. They flew in, tumbling as they landed, and a moment later Celestia slammed the vault door shut behind them.
She called on her magic, resetting the locks of the vault, and they began to slide into place just as the avalanche of shelving smashed against it. It was a blow that shook the entire vault. It made Celestia step away from the door in caution, fearful even the thick metal of the vault would be unable to protect them. The cacophony of the avalanche roared outside for several seconds before eventually starting to fade.
Slowly, everything returned to silence. All the quartet could hear was the sounds of their own ragged breathing as they stared at the vault door.
“What… in Tirek's flaming Tartarus was that?”
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Oooooooh! Watched!
1540533 It's still Halloween for me!
Haven't even read it yet, but have a fave and an upvote for the story idea!
1540533
Your awesome any day of the year, silly filly!
Dis gon be gewwwwwd!
1541084 Me, too! 5:35 Pee Emm! Not getting candy this year, sadly. I've eaten a bit of that already.
Halloween horror story written by Pen Stroke?
i.imgur.com/tHw0b.gif
inb4 featured. Just sayin'.
Looks interesting, will read later.
I liked Haunting nightmare, you got a nice touch for horror. Let's see what the twist is this time.
Hmm, story with 14k+ words, an interesting cover, and an interesting plotline? Well, let's see who the lucky author is.
>Pen Stroke
...Oh. Well, congrats on yet another masterpiece, I guess.
Pen Stroke?
Dis indeed gun be good.
1541107 8:42 pm here! No one goes Trick-Or-Treating in my neighborhood, though...
1541127 it will
cant wait to read! ill wait till its complete though... i have an unhealthy (but fun as hell, to me anyway) habit of reading things on one sitting...
my record is 250k+ words.
1541146 lol I live in a neighborhood with only two houses, half of which are mine. My neighbor takes his kid to town to trick-or-treat. My younger cousins end up with all the candy I help pick out. Waaahh...
1540533 I'm afraid you've been NOPED by England. Halloween is ovah ovah here!
1541084
Ditto
Well, this certainly didn't disappoint... It was awesome, can't find a better way to describe it, since I'm bad at that sort of thing... You continue making the best stories in the community and I can only dream to be close... Awe inspiring really.
Loved it
If this was a game, I'd play it.
When i started reading a heavy rain fall...
Interesting
1.bp.blogspot.com/_9BdpSjBe7N4/TD5X8SGVD-I/AAAAAAAAB-g/9OeA-woZSPA/s1600/smiley-face-evil.jpg
Reminds me alot of amnesia.
But still pretty epic can't wait to see more mate.
~Reggie
LOOK AT ALL THESE PEOPLE FONDLING YOUR BALLS IN THE COMMENTS PEN STROKE
LOOK AT THEM
Eh, just getting tired of dead ponies.
Horror doesn't scare me, so it's just lots of space until we find the main evil thing, and I end up just wanting to obliterate it because it killed a bunch of characters I like. Unless the characters are unlikeable. Then I wonder why it took so long.
When you have no fear, 'thrills' cease to have meaning.
Of course, the advantages of this are a power few can possibly comprehend...
Getting even better, PS. I hope to see this amount of expertise in your next and earlier works..this is so great...
Well, I'm finally downloading Amnesia: The Dark Descent on Steam. What better way to pass the download time than reading a Halloween story by Pen Stroke? This Halloween has been awesome, and this is just the icing on the cake!
This darkness is reminding me of the Vashta Nerada from Doctor Who.
*sniff*
You smell that? That smell that smells like insanity, monsters, and more insanity? That's the smell of Amnesia.
The Riddle Master - Manilla Road
Side-note: That riff is the sound of pure evil. I love it.
Scared of the Dark, huh? Perhaps the Dark is alive? This reminds me of Erebus, a primordial being from Greek mythology, representing the personification of darkness, and one of the first 5 beings to come into existence form Chaos. It's oddly fitting, chaos=discord, and as a bonus, in Greek mythology, Erebus had several children with Nyx, goddess of the night.
This story is really amazing. AMAZING, I tell you !
1541737
Yes. Yes, we do.
This looks delightfully scary. I like it.
1541127>>1541147
farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8144585109_bccb5b15c5_m.jpg
A...Celestia-centric fic where she actually gets to do something as a protagonist, instead of being the plot itself...?
By Penstroke...?
Huzzah!
Pretty good. Certainly good enough to follow.
Pen stroke writes horror fan fiction and doesn't afraid of anything.
really look at that smug grin as he balances books on his smug head grin!
Been waiting for a story like this.
Celestia needs to go on more adventures. Fucking seriously. Especially of the grimdark variety. More than most definitely worth a follow.
1543679
You carry a valid point.
[color=cornflow-EpicDiscord-erblue]
1542389
Oh I see, why didn't I catch on sooner, oh well thank you for the insight, have a nice day.
[color=cornflow-EpicDiscord-erblue]
God, I wish I could write a horror fic this good. Also, I doubt you would actually have time for a novice writer like me. But, if you would like, I have recently made a Group called Brony Horror. Would you be interested in joining?
it's rare to see a Celestia fic where she is not an internet troll, a Tyrant, or a molester, even more for a fic like this. fav, and read later, i run a busy life.
img.xcitefun.net/users/2012/05/295968,xcitefun-too-many-tasks-very-busy.gif
Busy Busy Busy!
(PS: first time using the BIG words.)
1541574
If this was a game, you wouldn't get a chance because the store would be sold out because it's so amazing.
Even though I don't know that because I haven't read it yet.
This reminds me of Amnesia! I love that game. I can't wait. . . . I can tell this is going to be creepy...
Celestia fic?
Halloween special? 
Oh I faved this so hard my mouse broke. 
If I didn't know who you were, I would've assumed they were busy getting busy down there.
So busy they wouldn't leave.
Busy being busy.
But I don't read that kind of story, so...
1545810
I actually make a joke to that effect in the second chapter, I believe.
But yeah, they not getting busy in that sort of busy.
This is excellent so far. Looking forward to more.
1545380
If this was a game and it was sold out before I got myself a copy, then I would be
1546665
CUPCAKE TIME! 
Really? I would be more like
Celestia does not see what is right in front of her. Luna's message explains it: The enemy is the very darkness itself!
First time I've ever seen a story, pony or otherwise, where the very darkness was the monster. Oh wait now that I think about it... Well not important! Still quite original! If I can't sleep with the lights off, I'll know you are to blame, Pen Stroke!
This looks good. Gonna keep a bead on it, see where it goes.