//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 - The Moonlight Ritual // Story: The Lunar Chalice // by Spirals95 //------------------------------// Chapter 21 The valley had filled with darkness with night having set in, the temperature dropping rapidly. Despite everything, the four ponies had made it through the mountain pass, Techorse having recovered fairly well from his injuries suffered in the plains. A cold wind chill swept through the narrow stone walls, sapping heat away from their bodies. “Brrr, it’s getting cold out here, how much farther?” asked Flaming Ivory. “Just ahead,” answered Midnight Blaze, “once we round this corner, the castle will be right in front of us.” “I hope we’re not too late,” said Shadow Breeze with a worried expression on his face, “what if Rosseth really does bring King Sombra back? The Crystal Empire will have a real nightmare on its hooves!” Techorse could see the moon slowly rising on the horizon on the other side of the pass. Though the rocky cliffs obscured most of his view, he could tell it was coming up slowly. Perhaps Luna was being a little reluctant this evening, knowing the full moon would power up her ancient cursed chalice. He hadn’t told his friends, but the stallion understood he might have to use his remaining missiles on the chalice itself if need be to prevent Rosseth from using it. Sure, the princess would be disappointed, but Techorse knew she would likely forgive them for having avoided the resurrection of the cruelest tyrant the world had ever seen. “Ross is just nuts,” assured Flaming Ivory, mirroring what has been said earlier, “again, there’s no way he’s gonna be able to do such a thing. It’s like our moms said, there’s no such thing as monsters under the bed or necromancy.” They turned the final corner of the pass and came out into another flat area of terrain, this time filled with lush green grass and several forests surrounding the area for miles. It was as if the entire landscape had suddenly decided to change tune from volcanic and dreary to fertile and inviting. There was only one small problem with the beautiful countryside. “Where’s the castle?” asked Techorse bluntly. Midnight Blaze felt his heart skip a beat, there was no castle like the voice had told him about at the geographic spot it had burnt into his cortex. The unicorn struggled to not panic or throw himself about as his friends all stared at him with questions burning in their eyes. “There’s nothing here!” protested Flaming Ivory, “Come on Midnight, did you take us down the wrong path or something?” “NO!” returned Midnight quickly, “It’s supposed to be here! This is where I was told to...” With those words, Techorse knew something was wrong with his friend, “Midnight, who told you to take us here?” “I… um...” By fortune and good thinking, he noticed something very peculiar behind his friends in the dark background. A small ripple, like that of a stone thrown into a body of water, stretched momentarily through the star-filled dark purple and black sky over the plains in front of them. Knowing what to do immediately, Midnight pushed past his friends, his aura building up over his horn. “There is a castle, I know it,” he said, “I think maybe it’s just hidden, by some kind of magical field. I can still sense it.” From his horn shot a beam of turquoise energy that struck an invisible wall about a hundred meters out from where they stood. Energy raced over the outside, creating a grid over the sphere of whatever kind of magic was keeping them from seeing the castle. “Aha!” he said, his horn billowing smoke, “See, there’s some kind of stealth field surrounding it. I bet Ross did that to get us to give up and turn around.” “I wouldn’t put it past that zebra,” muttered Flaming Ivory, “so, is that bubble safe to touch or will we be fried when we touch it?” “There’s only one way to know for sure,” answered the other unicorn, “we try to go through.” “Is there another way?” asked Shadow Breeze, clearly concerned. The moon, bright like a flare in the night sky, was already completely over the horizon, and bathing the area in its lunar glow. Time was beginning to run out. “We need to try,” said Midnight, “I’ll go first.” Each of them approached the place where Midnight had spotted the ripple, a point where the optical illusion began. He stuck out a hoof carefully, and slowly pushed it through the barrier, the field forming more ripples around his hoof. Then, with a deep breath and a pulse of bravery, Midnight Blaze stepped through the barrier entirely, disappearing from view with only the distortions in the field giving any indication he had ever been there. “Come on!” he said from the other said, “You guys have to see this!” Techorse ushered the others through the magical wall, stopping on the other side alongside Midnight. Their mouths hung open at the sight of the massive structure before them. It was an ancient, awe-inspiring castle carved from the darkest stone imaginable, a large square and perfectly designed fortress with multiple towering spires reaching for the sky, parts of them crumbled from age. Two large stone chimneys made from a dark red material sat in the center of the twisting towers, and a massive rusted wheel of some kind pierced the entire assembly, arcing from behind the smokestacks. Ancient banners bearing King Sombra’s insignia hung from the tattered walls of the castle, a few broken cannons drooped over the side, and gargoyles stood at every corner with ferocious fangs. Like everything else about the structure, the iron gate that stood guard to the castle’s front courtyard and entrance had been tarnished over perhaps centuries of disuse. Despite the ominous castle’s appearance, several forests still grew nearby, and dark, twisting, yet perfectly healthy and strong oaks surrounded the land. “So this is the castle,” marveled Flaming Ivory, letting out an impressed whistle, “neat stuff. Could use a coat of paint or two, but eh, whatever.” “Rosseth is probably at the top,” figured Techorse, “he’d get the best exposure to moonlight up there to power the chalice.” “I’m not going in there,” stated Shadow Breeze, swallowing hard, “castles are full of tr… traps!” “You bet it’s full of traps, that’s what makes it fun!” laughed Flaming, nudging him with the back of his hoof, “Let’s charge in!” “We should just teleport to the top,” said Midnight, blocking his friend with a hoof, “Rosseth doesn’t know we’re here, and if we surprise him, we’ll have a better chance of stopping him.” Shadow Breeze looked up, and could see a dome-like room near the top of the castle. The windows were opened, perhaps there was a better option that would save them time and energy. “But teleporting will leave you drained,” he said, “Techorse and I can fly, let’s just carry you guys to the top.” Midnight shook his head, “Just trust me Shadow, I can handle it!” His horn began to charge up for the transit, and Shadow Breeze braced for teleportation, wondering why he even bothered trying. Usually an ancient stargazing room was not the center stage for a diabolical evening of potion crafting, but Rosseth had managed to make to. The circular room, walls crumbling from age, provided hardly enough space to begin the process, but modern day laboratory equipment made potion brewing easy enough. Glass beakers and tubes connected with plastic piping sprawled out, draining into a titanic cauldron constructed entirely from molded silver, a normally prohibitively expensive piece that Rosseth had “liberated” from some diamond dogs he’d found robbing an antique store in a distant town. Its legs were formed in a Victorian style that propped it up over a sinister fire of hot coals that glowed white from the raw heat. The perimeter of the vessel was lined with carved dragon’s heads, and the sides of the cauldron bore symbols of earth ponies clad in bladed armor running around the outside. Inside it boiled a thick, sludgy liquid black as night, giving off a muddy and rather unhealthy scent that poisoned the air and made it difficult to respire near it. Rosseth, now assured he had evaded his pursuers, held over the pot a vial of liquid in a band of electrical energy radiating from his amulet. The gray liquid of questionable origin filled the small test tube, Rosseth’s brown eyes stared deep into it with a mixture of joy and hatred. “The carbon-based potion is complete,” he cackled, “only the final ingredient is required, the catalyst!” He uncorked the bizarre substance, and moved over to a table where the Lunar Chalice sat surrounded by other potion ingredients. It was soon filled with the grayish material, and Rosseth swirled the cup around carefully to make sure the sides were completely coated as well. Then, he reached down and pressed a wooden panel with his hoof, a metallic clamp grabbed the chalice and raised it into the air, far above the table and out of reach. There was only one thing left to do before the full moon rose overhead and activated the final ingredient. King Sombra’s horn fragment, even without the containment unit, had been placed back inside a small glass box on an ironically cute purple ring pillow. Rosseth retrieved the chunk of unicorn and brought it over the cauldron, slowly and carefully placing it on the surface of the thick liquid. A hole opened up in the goop, and the horn sank out of sight into the viscous brew. Green and red rings of mysterious energy radiated from the cauldron and across the floor, wisps of shadow radiated from the pot. “Just a few more moments, and I’ll be ready to serve at your side,” Rosseth said, addressing the horn, “you’ll bring her down for me in return, I’m sure.” Flurries of glass spontaneously flew from the other side of the large observation platform, Midnight’s teleportation had accidentally been dropped right on top of one of the glass distilling sets, shattering it instantly and flinging the pieces everywhere. Rosseth winced as broken glass pricked his skin and chipped at the cauldron in front of him. Not a single piece of the annihilated chemistry set remained that wasn’t now flung into the walls of the room, and in its place stood the four stallions that had been hounding the zebra since the beginning. “Don’t you fools ever give up?!” snapped Rosseth, stepping back, “I did everything to lose you, even cloaking this entire castle. That wasn’t easy, you know!” “That’s enough Ross,” urged Techorse, stepping forward, “you’ve got to stop running and come back with us. We can help you!” Rosseth stepped on a nearby floor panel, which sunk in quickly to activate a mechanism, “Techorse, while I appreciate your persistence in trying to ‘save me’, by now you should know I have no intention of changing. Princess Cadance will soon understand just how much of a failure she is once King Sombra’s back! I’ve already placed his horn in this concoction, now all we need...” The zebra heard a loud click from beneath his hooves and grinned. “… is a little moonlight!” The floor panel activated a set of ancient iron gears on the walls, which ground in an ear-shattering cacophony of squeals and groans. A mechanical iris on the roof of the room opened up slowly, moonlight flooded the pitch black room, illuminating everything in the reflected light. The chalice, held aloft by the hoist, was struck by the moonbeams, and the gems around its neck sparkled as the energy flowed into the cup. Princess Luna's ancient artifact had begun to effect its contents, transforming the catalyst within it with pulses of light that flashed into the sky, just as its owner had done centuries ago to complete her own ritual with her servants. “Rosseth, listen to me,” begged Techorse, “King Sombra won’t reward you for bringing him back! He’ll destroy you for fun once he’s done with the Crystal Empire!” “You’re so sure your black and white philosophy’s correct, Tech?” he jeered in response. Flaming Ivory’s eyes sparked with orange, “You bet your black and white flank he does! If you think this crazy little science fair project’s gonna make Cadance pay, you’re crazy!” “We’ll see about that,” answered Rosseth, running a hoof through his well-groomed mane, “and look at that, we’re almost ready to start! I can see Princess Luna’s cup has started to activate the special ingredient!” Midnight Blaze was struggling to catch his breath, having stood in the back to recuperate from the difficult task of teleporting four fully grown stallions. His normal breathing returned to him shortly, but he wasn’t able to say what he wanted to. Again his mind was plagued with the voice of his unwanted guest. “Easy, Midnight… we’re almost there.” Techorse and Flaming Ivory moved forward, with Shadow Breeze cautiously bringing up the rear. Rosseth laughed as his amulet started to fill the room with his illusions again, identical copies of the potions expert cackling and blocking the path to the chalice, now shining bright white with energy. Techorse drew his laser cannons and moved to engage the crowd, but Midnight had other plans. “I am so sick of this voice in my head,” he muttered, standing up. There were enough Rosseths in the room that his annoying, childish laugh could be heard at the volume of a sports stadium crowd. “I’ve had enough from my father...” Techorse soon found himself being grabbed, and his guns being pulled down towards the ground to keep them from firing into the cauldron or at the chalice. Midnight waded through the illusions, his horn sparking with flickers of both red and his eyes turquoise hue. “But I’ve really gotten tired of this stupid zebra and his stupid tricks!” Flaming Ivory felt his tail get pulled, and he gasped in pain, gritting his teeth while kicking at the horde of artificial soldiers. Shadow got overwhelmed immediately, and was dragged under, the insane laughter continuing all around them. But Midnight had managed to reach the middle of the room, and the point of his horn bore a pure ball of energy, barely maintaining containment. The real Rosseth hadn’t noticed the unicorn’s approach until it was too late, and his eyes widened in horror in time for Midnight to scream and let loose. “NO. MORE. CLOOOOOOOOOOONES!” A massive explosion rocked the laboratory, Midnight’s horn sending out a ring of energy, blasting each and every one of the illusions and vaporizing them. His friends were tossed in the air like leaves caught in the wind, and Rosseth’s amulet was ripped from his body, the gold chain snapping and flying away. It smacked into the wall, and a massive crack ruptured across the gemstone. Only the cauldron being made of a solid precious metal saved it from being overturned by the force of the blast. Midnight’s eyes were a solid, eerie glowing white. Rosseth managed to peel himself off of the back wall of the laboratory, and glanced quickly up at the chalice. Without support from the Storm Amulet, he wasn’t going to get very far against the four ponies, even if the other three were still stunned from Midnight’s blast. All he could do was make one last desperate try for his goal since the beginning of his plan. Techorse rubbed his head with his front hoof, “Midnight, that was amazing! How’d you do that?” His friend’s eyes finally returned to normal, bringing him back into the moment, “I… I don’t know.” “Techorse!” shouted Shadow Breeze, interrupting him and making a gesture with his wing, “He’s got the chalice!” The inventor saw his opponent having grabbed Luna’s precious artifact, and was trying to move to the cauldron to complete the dark ritual. Without much time to come up with another plan, Techorse took aim with his laser cannons and let off a short burst. Yellow bolts struck the zebra’s barrel and neck several times, making his eyes dilate in surprise and forcing a yelp of pain. Several lines of smoke poured from the freshly burnt areas on his body while he stumbled around, the chalice barely staying in the fold of his front leg. “Ack!” he croaked, “You… you got me, Techorse.” Techorse felt guilty, having acted out of panic and lack of time to ponder a course of action. Rosseth was growing increasingly weak, his life clearly leaving him slowly while he crept forward towards the four ponies. Too injured to continue, he threw himself next to the cauldron, holding the hoof with the chalice over the mouth of the bubbling cauldron while sitting on his back hooves and looking at the ground. A smokey, damaged cough came from his lungs. Flaming Ivory couldn’t help but a feel a little sorry as well, he didn’t actually want Rosseth to come to an end, and it looked like Shadow Breeze was about to cry at the thought that the hybrid zebra was mortally injured. Only Midnight Blaze seemed to have questions about the dying zebra. “Tech… please, I… I’m sorry,” Rosseth wheezed, “I’m not going to last much longer. Come here… please.” “Rosseth, I didn’t mean to!” he cried, galloping up to him, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!” The zebra weakly looked up at the stallion, who was clearly in shock at the consequences of his hasty actions. “It’s ok… we’ve been shooting at each other all week, right?” he chuckled, sputtering with blood in his throat, “I guess this was going to happen eventually, huh?” “That was a full burst, I shouldn’t have pushed it,” stuttered Techorse, “what’s Cadance going to think!?” “Don’t worry about her,” Rosseth said, tears running down his cheeks, “there’s… there’s something I want you to know before… well, you know...” The green stallion’s own eyes began to flood, “What is it, Rosseth?!” With a healthy smile and a swing of his hoof, the chalice dropped into the mixture inside the cauldron with a delightful splash. Rosseth sighed in blissful relief and addressed him with a truly happy and clearly not dying tone of voice. “You really are the most gullible hero I’ve ever met.” Flaming Ivory’s eyes half shut, “Ross, you little scheming...” Columns of white energy launched from the cauldron, followed by a tremendous blinding fireball of white energy that destroyed the cauldron and the floor beneath them. The laboratory collapsed in a crashing of stone and steel, a ray of light shot into the night sky that could be seen for miles, and the four ponies went blind as they plummeted into the depths of the castle. Techorse felt a mixture of relief, betrayal, and anger as he fell, the last thing stuck in his mind that disgusting smile on Rosseth’s face before he and his friends fell to the floor stories below. “I’m sorry, Princess Luna,” he thought, “I… I failed you.” His misery lasted for a few short seconds before he and his friends reached the cold stone beneath them and were smashed into unconsciousness.