Light coming from the white unicorn’s horn and being reflected from his blond mane faded, plunging the dank tunnel into complete darkness once more.
“It won’t budge!” the stallion grunted, kicking one of many huge slabs of stone where the roof caved in, “Just like any of the other escape routes. How in the holy sunlight did she know all the exits?”
“Killed One,” answered a rough, raspy female voice, “Linked mind. Knowledge. Drained.”
“Move aside, tiny one,” said a different female voice, this one deeper, but cleaner, “We try again. Make light again.”
This time it was a different horn which lit up, a black, gnarly one belonging to a mare with chitinous plating all over her body. It cast dim blue light which revealed a cave made of hewn stone with a round table and a stone throne in the middle. The glow seeped into blue gems scattered around the walls which kept a faint shimmer even after the dreamling’s horn stopped glowing.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Guiding,” said Crimson Heart, “I tried to save her.”
“One did well. Bought time. Not alone,” answered Guiding, wrapping her foreleg around the neck of the next dreamling leaning against her side as she rested against the throne in the dreamling hive under Pine Hills, “Saved many.”
She looked around at the thirty-ish ponies scattered in groups all over the throne room, hugging to stave off the cold.
“For how long…?” muttered Crimson Heart sitting on a stone chair by the round table quietly enough so that only Guiding could hear him.
“Hraaaaaaaaaaargh!” Bloodrage’s scream echoed through the cavern, startling everypony. The amazon queen trying to dislodge a rock from the cave-in gave up and kicked it in frustration.
“You’re just wasting strength,” said Crimson Heart, “You’ve already done enough, and thank you for that, but we can’t clear a way out. We’ve been trying for the past three days.”
Thankfully, Guiding and the last dreamling could somehow measure the passage of time even down here. Even more thankfully, from the start there was access to a dripping stream of water from a fracture in the throne room wall, and air from thin cracks in the ceiling leading all the way to the surface as well as the cave-ins not being airtight.
Of course, nothing could even remotely ease the pain from losing most of their close ones within minutes when the unnatural nightmare began.
Crimson Heart had tried fighting at first, but the unknown mare seemed impervious to any harm, and the tentacles smashed houses and ponies with reckless abandon. The only ‘good’ thing about the whole thing was that the mare seemed intent on killing One disguised as Guiding while the dreamling queen helped Crimson Heart evacuate whoever survived the first onslaught into the dreamling tunnels. Unfortunately, it was clear the mare had enough strength to collapse the tunnels and leave them trapped here to starve.
As days passed, though, Crimson Heart wondered whether quick death wouldn’t have been less cruel to the surviving villagers. None of them had his experience with rough survival, Guiding’s unnatural tenacity, or the endurance of the amazons.
“Damn, if only we had some of the edible mushrooms they used in the Ponyville enclave during the original onset of corruption,” the unicorn tapped his hoof against the stone table, “Unfortunately, nothing has been set up down here.”
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice when Guiding stood up, walked over, and leaned to his ear.
“Plan.”
He twitched at the whisper.
“Oh, have you thought of something?”
“Coccoon and drain all ponies. Burn much energy, dig through rock.”
“Would that work?”
“Possibly. Weak ones would die. Foals, hungry mares, wounded. Quick digging is too much effort. Would save others. Maybe.”
Crimson Heart looked into the caved-in tunnel.
“I’ll think about it. This isn’t something I can just order them to do.”
“Longer wait. Less-”
“I know, Guiding. I know. I just need… some time to think.”
The dreamling queen nodded, and returned onto her throne.
Minutes passed, just like they always had.
“Does it suddenly feel colder for some reason?” asked Crimson Heart out of nowhere.
He didn’t get his answer, because as soon as he asked, Guiding Light and the final dreamling jumped out, rushed over to cave-in at the entrance of the throne room, and growled at it.
The blue gemstones all over the place flared to life, lighting the area with bright blue glow. Crimson Heart could see a thin sheen of black ‘something’ spread over the rocks and the closest walls, seemingly draining the light from the vicinity. He didn’t know what it was, but from Guiding’s reaction he was certain it wasn’t good.
“What is it?” he rushed over, levitating his sword and charging it with magic until it glowed golden.
“Death,” growled Guiding.
“Care to elaborate?”
“We die.”
“Elaborate MORE?”
“We die now.”
“Can we fight?”
“OF COURSE WE FIGHT!” roared Bloodrage, she and two other amazons fanning around.
“We stop. We die slow. We fight. We die fast. We fight,”
“Fight what-” Crimson Heart’s jaw dropped as a featureless silhouette of a tall alicorn phased through the caved rocks. At first, Crimson Heart thought the brutal mare from before finally found a way to finish off the survivors, but this intruder had wings, was lean rather than bulky and muscular, and made completely of swirling darkness dotted with faint echoes of stars and galaxies. It finally completely stepped out of the rocks, trailing stardust behind its hooves, two glowing purple holes opened where eyes would be, and under them grew the sawtooth smile of a Nightmare Night pumpkin. Behind those teeth lay only complete darkness.
Crimson Heart noticed that while it looked like the ‘creature’ arrived through a pile of hewn rocks without any trace, it actually left behind a pony-shaped hole. Large pony-shaped hole.
He wouldn’t be the pony he was if his mind didn’t immediately think of a plan. His hind leg kicked Bloodrage’s, and the amazon queen gave him a quick look when he whispered:
“I’ll try to lead it away. Get the villagers out through the hol-”
A black tentacle sprouted from the ground and tossed him away like a rag doll.
“Let us skip that step, unicorn,” said the creature in deep, amused, but somewhat feminine voice. It turned its head to the cowering mares by the back wall and few stallions trying to form a line between them and the enemy, “Get out, mortals. Your existence or nonexistence is meaningless to me.”
Crimson Heart got back onto all fours.
“Bloodrage, scout ahead and lead them out!”
The amazon queen gave him an annoyed stare, but complied. She could always come back and fight whatever the creature was. She pushed her big bulk through the hole, saw no immediate danger, and called out:
“Clear!”
Crimson Heart let out a relieved sigh. However, while he was being allowed to let go as well, he had no intention of doing so.
Thankfully, the creature waited patiently as everypony crawled through the makeshift exit, slightly amused terrifying smile on its face. The smile faded when Crimson Heart stood between it and the dreamling queen, sword hovering around him.
“You’re here for me...” growled Guiding.
“Leave,” said the creature, watching the unicorn.
“I swore an oath to protect Guiding Light,” Crimson Heart looked into the purple eyeholes, “I-”
He was ready for the ground tentacle this time. Not that it mattered, but he was ready. When Crimson Heart swung at it, it passed cleanly through his weapon, disintegrating the affected area. Then it wrapped itself around his barrel.
Frost creeped through him as he lost feeling in his legs. He coughed, all strength leaving him within an instant.
“Fade, monster!” growled Guiding, finally launching herself at the enemy. Her pounce broke through one barrier of darkness the creature put up, but then she stopped, hovering in mid-air.
Crimson Heart’s eyes rolled backwards.
“I wonder what he would do if I killed you,” said the creature to Guiding who glanced in Crimson Heart’s direction, “What? This lump of flesh? Who cares about him?”
The tentacle carelessly tossed the unicorn away. Crimson Heart couldn’t even feel good about it. He simply lay there, limp, barely able to think.
“You, on the other hoof,” the creature’s smile grew.
Guiding’s last dreamling pounced just like his queen had. He stopped mid-air immediately.
His whole body went ‘crunch’.
The trembling dreamling fell on the floor again, shards of chitin flaking off as he hit the stones. He couldn't get up again.
“And you used to be such great tools,” the creature chuckled, “Trust me, I checked. The whole planet, our whole battleground overrun by your kind. Everything dead or dying. Such a sweet sight. And yet,” Guiding was turned around in the air and examined from all sides, “so… boring. I can finally see why Discord prefers toying with you, rather than fulfilling his true nature as he should.”
Guiding was grabbed by her neck, and multiple tendrils of darkness closed in on her head.
“But he still doesn’t see the whole picture. To him, there is only one pony who isn’t expendable,” it shook its head, “Now, I don’t need you as such, but I want your father… angry, properly motivated. He’s not the type to seek revenge, though. He needs… false hope, or better yet… real hope.”
The tentacles now surrounding Guiding’s head twisted and wrapped around it, creeping inside her ears, nose… and eyes. She groaned and struggled, but the only thing it brought was the creature strengthening its magical grip around her neck and squeezing. As Guiding gasped for breath, more tentacles materialized and swarmed her mouth.
“But you know him better than I do. Let’s see what your head can tell me.”
Guiding fell on the floor, more and more tentacles wrapping her into a tight cocoon.
The enemy kicked the squirming and twisting pile lightly.
“You are less useful than I thought, but useful nonetheless.”
A forceful bite from inside the pile of tentacles ripped one in half. Guiding’s muzzle bit down harder, swallowing more and more of the mass covering her.
She looked… bigger now, stronger. Watching the enemy with brightly glowing blue eyes, her breath came out of her muzzle like a white mist which crystallized in the air.
“I will...” Guiding hissed, “I will… protect, not serve you, Nightmare… no matter… how much you twist me. My mind… is mine...”
“Wrong, little girl,” Nightmare laughed, “Completely and utterly wrong. I’m looking forward to your… family reunion.”
Crimson Heart saw Guiding turn around and walk towards him, frost forming under her hooves. Her long tongue flicked the air as Guiding's jaw full of razor-sharp death hung open, predatory stare locked on the unicorn.
At that point Crimson Heart finally lost consciousness which, he assumed, was likely for the best.