//------------------------------//
// Partitio 
// Story: Equis 
// by RavenandWritingDesk 
//------------------------------//

Early comers were already murmuring to each other when Twilight marched in with the surety of someone for whom the worst has already occurred, she planted herself in the centre where she could shield the most people and began layering on protective spells, not that she expected them to do much against a goddess but hopefully it would deflect the ricochet, Spike was limbering up and stretching, if he was going to die he refused to do it with a charley horse, he settled into breathing exercises to keep his internal fire stoked with curls of brimstone simmering out of his nostrils like an incense burner.

The Apples arrived next, thankfully armed and dangerous. The three apples strolled over and stood next to Spike and Twilight, Applejack eyed her up and down “Ya’ look tense, whuts’ bashed your beehive?”, Twilight nodded in acknowledgement but stayed focused on the box as if the forces of hell were about to pour out of it “If we're lucky, nothing”, Applejack looked at her family who all furrowed their brows and subtly checked all their gear, “An if were unlucky?” Spike huffed a cloud up to the ceiling “Then it might not be our night”.

With a flash of illumination Rainbow arrived on the edge of a nearby balcony and nodded down at the gathering before leaning back in bored readiness. Rarity strolled in with a deeply hooded figure that was assumed to be Sweetie Belle, they stood a foot or two back so Sweetie could lurk in the shadow of one of the support pillars, Applejack met Rarity's eyes transmitting silent emotions and her face shifted from genial to concerned drawing closer to her sister.

With a surruss of quiet Fluttershy made herself known as the crowd parted for her, she shuffled in from the back attempting to conceal herself with an emerald hood but her natural calm like a magnet made it impossible for you to miss her, she joined Sweetie in unobtrusively lurking in the shadows.

The slow rise in volume heralded the arrival of Pinkie Pie who led a marching band through the doors into the space that was rapidly shushed into respectful silence except Pinkie that gave up singing about a Saddle-arabian prince and switched to “Poor unfortunate Twilight, So Sad, So Purple! How’s it going Purple Smart!” She leapt over and threw her arms around Twilight who struggled under the weight and disentangled herself from the glomp, “Nice to see you too, but this isn’t the time Pinkie” The band leader hopped back nodding “I know, that's why I brought snappy just in case, he’s never let me down so far!” unholstering a shoulder bag she pulled out a bright pink winchester rifle brandishing it, everyone took a step backwards and Twilight yanked her arm down “Keep that concealed or you’ll panic people!”
“Aww, but I left the field mortar at home!”
“Can you even use that thing!?”
Pinkie fixed her with a look of infinite sadness and muttered out “Yeah, I really can” before standing the rifle at her feet and looking away.

The fan fare started and a more put together and primped Mayor strolled out, she launched into a long speech about how great Ponyville was but all Twilight could focus on was the moon peering in from the sky light above, she held her breath as four glowing orbs merged with its corona. She had expected a loud boom or something dramatic, but all that happened was the familiar face shadow faded away like a bad dream leaving an alien and uninteresting pockmarked surface.

The speech droned on for another few minutes uninterrupted and Twilight began to wonder if everything would turn out fine after all, the mayor reached the denouement of her rambling and gestured for the curtain to be pulled back to reveal her royal majesty. Cheers turned to gasps, Lounging over the arm of the chair was a giant just short of Celestia's height, her unnatural ebon skin encased in a blue and purple alloy that seemed to have been modelled after a spiny stag beetle. Around her helmed head drifted a cloud of winter sky like a hole in reality and her eyes, reptilian and cruel glowed with an inner corpse light as she scanned over the crowd.

“What no applause?” Her voice was smooth and chilling as a glacier, you could feel the freezing power behind it as it skipped the air and arrived directly in your spinal cord. The Mayor trying to curl up out of existence staggered back and shouted “Where’s the princess?”, the figure rolled her eyes and stood, striding forward to the edge of the balcony with her arms imperiously behind her back, “Celestia is gone, banished to her precious orb for all eternity for her temerity, I am assuming my rightful place as ruler, you may now kneel and show your subservience”. 

Rainbow levitated into the centre of the room shining like a hearth's warming ornament as she revved up her field “Lady I don’t know who you are but if you think…” The power of their erstwhile leader's voice knocked the wind out of Rainbow Dash’s lungs and she dipped in the air under its weight “What do you mean you don’t know who I am!? I am the Princess of the Night, My return has been foretold in dreams for a thousand years! Has Celestia been allowing you to inbreed or something?” 

No one was moving, as if her voice had some power that froze them to the spot, the first to break free was Twilight who spoke out from the crowd, most of the citizenry pulled away from her apart from Rarity and Sweetie Bell who drew closer, Fluttershy crawled along the ground to hide behind her unnoticed, “I know who you are, You are Nightmare Moon and you are no princess of the night, that title belongs to Luna Victrix Ferarum alone.” The Nightmare crooked an eyebrow, then exploded into mocking laughter, hugging herself as her chest heaved up and down. The joke over she slammed her hands upon the railing sending plaster raining down and cracks spidering down the front of the box as the wall started to crumble.

She suddenly lurched forwards leaning over the balcony towards the huddle as they collectively stepped back “Babbling fool I am the ‘untamed victor’! I cast off the name Luna when I cast off the shackles of subservience to my selfish sister! She really has kept you stupid, uniformed and gullible hasn’t she? Let me guess, she wound you up like a toy and sent you tottling off into the ignorant darkness rather than explain your goal or purpose?” Twilight confidence eroded as the words bounced around her skull, Celestia had lied about her sister? Impossible. The implications of such a revelation stunned her into silence, Nightmare pressed “Did you honestly believe that the defeater of Discord would fall to a sideshow like Sombra, That some upstart could just gain control of the moon on a whim? Hilarious. I am the ruler of this kingdom by divine right, despite what falsehoods you may have been fed”.

Nightmare Moon swung her legs over the balcony and dropped 15 feet straight legged to the ground, her sudden movement caused most of the crowd to scatter to the walls as the impact splintered the dais below to kindling. The night queen rose into the air floating gently out of the wreckage to touch down metres from Twilight; Pinkie shouldered her rifle aiming point blank for Nightmare Moon's face and Applejack drew out her axe, unslung her shield then stepped between them. However the Nightmare’s gaze was locked on Twilight “She’s using you, just like she uses everyone, keeps them dancing on her strings for her own gain and amusement. I could do with someone like you, I’ll even forgive this town it's insolence and I will never, ever lie to you. Absolute honesty, both in praise and castigation, all the hidden truths, magic secrets and forgotten lore. All that is required is that you kneel”.

Twilight felt the breathing of the people behind her, two of which were barely out of childhood, if she refused they could die. Also if she was close to Nightmare Moon she could work to temper her harsh rule. But it wasn’t that simple, there was a sticking point that she knew that the moon goddess wouldn’t budge on. “If I agree then it means the sun will never rise again; the world will freeze, the plants and trees will die…”
“...owls will deafen us with their incessant hooting, the town's sundial will be useless!”
“...exactly Pinkie, it will be the end of Equis.”

Nightmare Moon clenched her fists and the light in the hall dimmed ominously “You don’t need the Sun, more lies from the fountain of deception, don’t be a fool” she hissed.

Twilight sighed “As a scientist I can not turn my back on the facts, even if I saved lives today, they would only freeze under your rule, I must say no”.

Several things happened at once, Nightmare Moon reared up to attack as three dark shapes smashed in through the side of the building at equidistant points sending unsuspecting civilians toppling towards the ground, the whip crack of gunpowder signalled Pinkie’s shot that bounced harmlessly off of the Nightmare’s eyeball and embedded itself in an adjacent pillar, a heartbeat later a crossbow bolt that Applebloom has quietly notched impacted harmlessly on her breastplate with a dull tonk. Twilight gritted her teeth triggering her prepared rune and desperately tried to get the thaums to mesh into a shield before the Nightmare could launch her attack.

Nightmare’s arms thrusted forwards sending lightning arcing towards them, Rainbow saw the shield fading into being and dived inside at the last second as the violet barrier snapped into focus just before the tendrils of electricity reached it. There was a screech of glass on glass as direct current danced across the dome, the feedback knocked Twilight off her feet, as surprise began to form she was caught by Spike who pushed her back onto steady footing. Twilights shaking arms pushed forward causing the lighting that was starting to eat through to launch off, earthing through the ground and creating a ring of flames as the wood outside the shield ignited.

The assault ended and Twilight gasped at the resistance vanishing causing her concentration to slip, the shield winked out leaving her mind thumping with a strain induced migraine that made her vision swim, Rainbow launched off the ground directly at Nightmare Moon with her fist cocked for a strike, The Nightmare tutted and started to become indistinct against the background. Instead of connecting, Rainbow sailed wide eyed through the glittering starfield that occupied the space, spinning end over end and smashing through the balcony. A disembodied voice echoed around the room “Such a pity, you would have been better servants than dog food.” The stairfield zipped up phasing through the ceiling.

The towns folk were screaming and cowering, trying to get out of the town hall and away from the creatures, like roiling smoke they were shadowy shapes of great hounds as tall as a person at the shoulder, two flames for eyes and their jagged and shifting jaws filled with a red glow. A man carrying his daughter tried to retreat from one and it melted into an inky blob, zipped faster than the eye behind him and suddenly became solid again, letting loose a bellow like a living inferno.

Granny Smith peered through the fires and whistled through her teeth. “Some party, ‘Bloom and Sweetie, stay with me’. The rest o’ ya go ta’ work!”, Applejack muttered a command word that caused the head of her axe to leave a green energy trail behind it while Bigmac did the same with his hammer, Rarity hastily sketched out pictographs with her fingers on their backs that glowed with an innate blue light “A little extra shielding dears!”. They nodded and leapt through the fire in opposite directions to engage two of the creatures. “I told them I should have brought the mortar!” Shouted Pinkie as she cocked the rifle sending a bullet flying over her shoulder and leapt out of the ring, Rarity was already further enchanting her own wardrobe as she waded untouched through the flames, Twilight was staggering about clutching her head “You could of hit her with a train full of dynamite and not left a dent! I’ll be fine Spike, go help.” He nodded and followed Pinkie to watch her back.

Fluttershy urgently muttered to the baby phoenix in her care as she cowered behind her fringe. It took off flying a loop drawing in the flames like a vacuum and leaving them in the middle of a charred circle before returning and hovering by her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye the caretaker spotted one of the shadow creatures rearing up over a teenage girl trying to shield her downed parents. In an instant she was before it, Twilight could feel the impossible psychic pressure radiating from her eyes like a radio tower, powerful enough to distort the air with waves of force that wafted through the room, she looked like a siren of legend with her hair buoyed by the radial tide like she was underwater. The Creature reared back and Fluttershy’s feet left the floor, following it face to face, her features grew impossibly angelic and beautiful to the point it hurt Twilight's eyes to look at, it felt like her eyes were the only thing that was real in a shadowed world.

The creature staggered back another step, then seemed to melt away into thin air, Fluttershy gasped and dropped to the floor, Twilight staggered over and helped her up “I’m fine, I didn’t mean to hurt it, just pacify it!” Fluttershy wailed, Twilight patter her shoulder “It wasn’t alive to begin with, it was just a magical construct formed of negativity, its very existence was suffering, when you took that away there wasn’t anything holding it together”. Fluttershy gave a pained and confused look, Twilight sighed “I was a spirit from the air tortured into service, when you calmed it, it became air again”, this passed muster and Fluttershy relaxed a bit.

“Mum! Dad!” behind them the purple haired teen was desperately shaking her parents, Twilight gripped Fluttershy’s shoulder “Go! do what you can, I’ll help the others”, the caretaker strode over and started inspecting the two downed people as Angel climbed on her head and kept a lookout. Twilight pulled a potion from her belt swigging it, she breathed as the ache cleared out from her head and spun around to see what the situation was.

Fast and dirty glyphs had been slapped on the combatants like neon tattoos, Rarity's work, she now stood between the two melees hurling fireworks, glitter, strobing lights and any other distracting illusions she could think of making the creatures split time between swiping and clawing at their own faces. Rainbow Dash was back up hovering in the air, bobbing and weaving about like a weightless boxer, her strikes generated resounding thunder claps that disrupted it's form like a hammer to jelly, scurrying about beneath was Applejack, one arm batting away it's paws with her shield and the other chopping open gashes that leaked dark smoke like a busted chimney.

On the other side Big Mac was smacking around it's partner with his heavy hammer staggering it left and right as it struggled to get footing, Spike has lost his shirt and while favouring his right arm was rending at it with his talons between blasts of green fire that caused it to howl and shift away. Any time its paw would come in for one of them, Pinkie would pop up like a jack in the box and blast it, causing the limb to disperse for a couple of seconds and reform. Twilight started weaving a horrendously complex geometric shape with runic annotations in the design but before she was done an errant blow from Mac's hammer slammed the creature into a pillar that toppled over towards Granny Smith and Applebloom who were carrying wounded people out the door, In a heart stopping instant she realised she couldn't abandon her current casting and catch it fast enough.

Luckily Sweetie Belle rushed forward, her hood and sleeves falling back to reveal her metallic appearance and grasped the pillar round the base in her platinum grip, she grimaced and there was a grinding of metal as smoke rose from her back. In spite of the protest she slowed the momentum, then jerkily started forcing it back the other way eventually sending it toppleong on the creature which parted like smoke before reforming.

Twilight's spell completed and a beam of pure white shot out at Spike and Mac's prey, sinking into it and anti-climatically causing it to drift apart. Applejack and Rainbow's was struggling to maintain its form, with a last slash the apple family blade severed its hollow claw and its skin rapidly split like a slow motion balloon, expelling a cloud of black smoke that vanished into the air.

There was a few seconds of panting before Twilight ran to Spike who was on one knee with blood running down his shoulder that hissed as it ate into the wood, Rarity ran over to Sweetie who was doubled over giving off the smell of burned clutch. Spike forestalled her worry "It's fine, I was careless. Not used to fighting things that can hurt me, but I don't think I'll be of any use for the rest of the night, I'm sorry" Twilight hugged him and stroked his hair "You've done more than enough, everyone else ok!?" Rarity had opened up Sweetie's back and was borrowing tools from Pinkie "Looks like she snapped some teeth off her spinal drive cogs, I didn't expect she'd be doing heavy construction work…"
"Another improvement big sis?"
"...we'll see, it'll be an easy fix once I get her back to my shop, for now I'll just lock off her spine so she can walk"
Applebloom knelt down next to her head "Thanks Sweetie, I owe you mah' life, we should hang out sometime tahm'"
Sweetie looked shocked and embarrassed at the same time.

Twilight was interrupted from enjoying this scene by a shove, she staggered and turned to see a belligerent Rainbow Dash being grabbed by Applejack, Rainbow twisted in her grip and shoved a finger in Twilight's direction "Why the hell didn't you tell us this was going to happen!"
"Rainbow!" A blood smeared Fluttershy stormed back into the hall through the door "Twilight just threw herself between us and a demon queen! Show some gratitude!"
"Gratitude? People are dead!"
Twilight held up her hands in surrender "I didn't know! I had fears, fears I shared directly with Princess Celestia and she told me to forget about it, then sent me here on a fucking wild goose chase!" She kicked angrily at some rubble. Twilight sat down "I planned to do some research into how to stop her, incase I was right, but…" Applejacked nodded sadly "Ya' kept gettin' distracted by us", she chucked Rainbow off who slumped into a sitting position "Damn, I guess you were right about not being able to waste time".

“It wasn’t a waste of time” groaned out Spike as he forced himself up and staggered over to them “Without you Twilight would be facing this alone and without her you would all be lost without a clue” He slumped down next to her and Twilight huffed “But we are lost without a clue, I didn’t get any research done, I don’t even know where to start!” Spike grinned like an idiot producing a battered book out of his trousers “What about with this one I grabbed earlier”. She read the cover ‘Elements of Harmony, a reference guide’ “Spike!? When did...How…” Spike smoothed his ratty hair back with his good hand grinning as much as his pain would allow “Number one assistant five years running, I’m the best of the best”.

Twilight stood back up, thumbing through before turning to the assembled people and reciting “The elements of harmony, while sometimes mentioned as abstract ideals...are also physical objects. It is our opinion they are a weapon created to be the focus of all that is good in Equestria, a locus of its spirit used to drive back threats on a national scale. These virtues are known as Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty and Honesty with the final element being an esoteric truth arrived at when the five virtues are in abundance. The last known successful implementation of these loci was in the defeat of Nightmare Moon...bla bla bla...It is presumed they still reside at the castle of the two sisters at the heart of the old kingdom of Ever Free raised following Discord downfall, but no known expedition has been willing to brave the area due to the massive thaumic disruption caused by the confrontation. Spike this is it, you’ve saved us all!” She grabbed him and he yelped and gently pried her off “Ouch, ouch, still wounded here”.

Granny Smith ruminated "If she's capable of goin' toe ta' toe with Princess Celestia, then she must be pretty tapped to unleash only three dawgs an' flee, you girl's best be off after her before she can gather 'er strength", Applejack stepped forwards "But Granny…" the apple matriarch waved her into silence "Me, Big Mac an' the youngans will watch Ponyville, if Sweetie’s problem is purely mechanical ol' Timeturner tha' clockmaker 'all be able to fix it an’ she can ‘elp out too…"
"...Plus my backup band, they’re outside incase we couldn't keep a lid on things here…"
"...Good ta' know Pinkamena, we got things heya', you lot needer' find those element doohickeys before princess vinegar knickers becomes an issue. Get yur' shit together double quick!"

The women looked at each other, Twilight felt a pang of regret about leading them into this but at the same time a strange feeling of warmth that they would want to come, "Ok girls be at Fluttershy's in a half hour, be ready for the apocalypse." There was a chorus of agreement and they moved outside.

The girls disbanded leaving Twilight to survey the damage; Spike clambered into a packed wagon heading for the hospital, there were three adult sizes corpses under white blankets laying on the ground a weeping woman by one and the teenager from earlier besides the other two, the Major was floating near by surrounded by an arguing throng, spotting Twilight she shoved a bellowing noble over and stepped over him to get to her.

"Twilight Sparkle, at last. What the hell is going on?" Her tone was more panicked than accusatory, Twilight climbed up on a barrel "As you may have seen; Nightmare Moon, a userping invader of legend has returned to commit an act of ecological genocide, she has by some means imprisoned Princess Celestia and disabled the day/night cycle. I am leading a team to seek out a known reliable means to defeat her before she is able to gather her forces. I am relying on all of you to support the Apple family, who I have deputised in light of this crisis, in the defence of the town should any further attacks come its way while we are in Everfree.

Mayor, I am granting you full royal authority to requisition whatever you need on the crowns dime until this crisis is over, if anyone one wants to be part of the problem instead of the solution, imprison them for treason” The mayors face switched from harried to purposeful and determined, “Thank you, your excellency...” she wheeled on the crowd “...All right! You heard the lady if you're not here to help then sod off before I throw you in the basement! Thunderlane, Fluttershys out of the picture but go get the Vet and Mrs Goodbody, she used to be a nurse, take them to the hospital. They can handle the small stuff and take the burden off the staff there. Burnt Oak, round up whoever you can trust to keep a level head and raid the market for sharp objects and foreign tools to form a militia. Mr Ritch, tell the nobles that if every single mercenary isn’t in this square within the hour, then in her majesty's name I will rip up their peerages and drag them by their hair to Ghastly Gorge then throw them in! I will not be the Mayor that lost Ponyville!”

The crowd scattered and she breathed a sigh of relief “I’ve been wanting to do that all day,'' Twilight walked up alongside her “Mayor, if we fail, please pass this book onto whoever comes after us, the less you know the safer you’ll be if Nightmare Moon prevails, the people will need you to shield them as much a possible”. The mayor chuckled darkly as she tucked the package into a satchel “Oh don’t worry about that, I may be a small town mayor but I am no stranger to politicking and intrigue, especially managing dangerously incompetent superiors. Eternal night indeed.” The two shared a companionable silence bemoaning the authority of the clueless. Twilight straightened back up giving the solar hail, holding the palm of the hand out flat towards the horizon in front of the body “Good luck your honour, I pass command of the town back to you,'' The mayor returned the gesture “Good luck to you Excellency, Sol Invictus” They walked off in opposite directions.


***


The six mustered outside Fluttershy's cottage. Their host was wearing her dangerous animal handling leathers and was strapped up with satchels and pouches filled with medicinal herbs, plants and conventional supplies, she also had small reinforced boxes tucked away with useful creatures bunking in them that had volunteered to help her bring the sun back. Rainbow was the first to arrive having slipped into her racing gear with magically light plates protecting her vital areas and resistance reducing lycra everywhere else, her goggles were holding back her hair and her hands were covered up to the finger joint with reinforced gloves. Applejack came along next having added a light backpack with utility items like rope, torches and pinions. Pinkie strolled up in her army fatigues with a tactical backpack, she had opted to leave the mortar behind but had bandoliers stuffed with enough sticks of dynamite to level a small town, Twilight noted the three bars on her arm but didn’t press her as she hadn’t seemed forthcoming about this part of her passed. Lastly Rarity arrived in stylish, form fitting black leathers, she had her work vest over the top covered in pockets filled with tools and supplies as well as a utility belt carrying yet more useful nicknacks, she had with her an elegant walking cane that she claimed to have made for trips to less gentrified areas that carried only slightly illegal enchantments.

Twilight surveyed her team as they made their final checks and adjustments, Pinkie was whistling a cheery tune as she polished the barrel of her rifle and Rarity made some last minute adjustments to how Applejack's backpack sat with some thread. She fiddled with her hands "I...I just want to say, this is insanely dangerous and you don't have to feel obligated to follow me into this…" the magus was abruptly cut off as Rainbow strode passed Twilight slapping her on the arm affectionately, "Stop chin wagging and let's get on with it", the others filed passed her towards the trees, Twilight hugged herself before sighing resigned and turning to leave falling in behind.

The party marched into the eaves of the cursed and shadowed woodland; the trees twisted and writhed like a nightmare, dripping foul effluent from their leathery bows. Following an ancient winding dirt path, they formed a rough arrow with Applejack and Rainbow at the front as they advanced into the gloom. After barely five minutes the wind picked up to a gale that moaned through the trees like a tortured spirit, the moon clouded over casting dancing shadows about them of clawed hands and grasping tentacles, a distant and menacing voice cackled derisively on the air. They continued to press forward undeterred apart from Fluttershy's chattering teeth but even she was not so easily turned aside. Suddenly like a viper strike a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree causing its blackened frame to waft off a stench of boiling swamp as mournful wolves howled in the dark. "Is this it? She had a thousand years to plan and all she could come up with is spooky noises and jumpscares!" giggled Pinkie over the storm, Rainbow called back "what do you expect from the original count chocula?".

As if in answer to their derision the howling grew louder and was joined by buzzsaw growls; green lanterns lit up among the foliage that encroached on all sides as they backed into a circle readying for combat, Applejack spat on the ground "Timberwolves, moar 'n I've ever seen, this is gonna get tedious; smash 'em ta' bits and they just pull 'em selves back together". Twilight did a quick search through the vault of her mind coming up blank "Suggestions?"
"They don't like fire!" Barked Applejack.
"They aren't truly animals…" cut in Fluttershy "...just dark magic copying the shape of life, while they've never had a mind I can connect with they still act like wolves, pack animals; scare enough and the whole group's morale fails!"
Twilight nodded "Lots of fire and make it flashy, got it, time for a Celestia special!”

She slapped her palms together drawing them slowly apart, flicks of fire wafted towards a centre point between her fingers gathering a bead of steadily increasing brightness. The light illuminated the humped and twisted bodies of the trees either side as well as the stalking creatures between their gnarled and ancient roots. They looked like animated sculptures of wolves made of twigs, bracken and moss, will o'wisp eyes of green flame burned within their skulls and a miasma of decaying plant matter seeped from them as their boggy chest’s squelched together to create their rattling growl. Their jaws were lined with thorny branches instead of teeth and they were stalking from side to side, slowly closing the noose.

The orb in her hands grew to magnesium brightness and Twilight thrust her hand forward sending it like a falling star into the undergrowth. There was a flash that seared the afterimage of the scene into everyone's retina and a waft of hair curling heat like a swinging furnace door, a heartbeat later there was an ear ringing boom and everything to the left of the path was instantly on fire. The flames licked up the trees that popped and hissed as a millennium of muck streaked sap was boiled off by the flash dried wood as it combusted. The Timberwolves that hadn’t been atomized were fleeing in random directions, yelping and barking in panic as they were consumed from the outside in, the panic spread to the rest of the pack that began breaking off into sporadic bunches that charged away from the apparent danger leaving the huddle blinking about bemused, rubbing their eyes and trying to get the ringing out of their ears.

“Well…” Summated Rainbow “...That was fuckin' awsome”
“Ah’ liked my eyebrows…” Grumbled Applejack
“I for one never cared for the...brutishness of high level evocation, no finesse or elan, just blunt force” Rarity mused as she wiggled her finger around in her ear trying to clear it.
Twilight chuckled, “You should see Celestia, she gets...enthusiastic about fire, immolated the whole royal flower garden teaching me that one. We had to stop practising inside because the pressure differential from the blasts were bending the steel doors.”
Rainbow laughed “That's totally normal and not terrifying”
The tension broke amid chuckles and gawfawls as they all formed up and continued to trudge deeper into the forest, stealth was clearly off the table and this would be an outright siege.

Angel bunny popped out of Fluttershy's hair, sniffed cautiously before clambering on her head and stomped rapidly and repeatedly, Fluttershy winced out "Bad danger, ow, ow, ow, yes thank you Angel I get it!" The group came to a halt and squatted down as he began miming out something to his caretaker, "Smells like...big...male...cat? Bigger than a cat...a lion? Bigger than a lion...oh my" the rabbit took a running jump and vanished back inside the curtain of her fringe.

"The only feline I know of bigger than a lion in Everfree Forest is a Manticore…" whispered Fluttershy, Twilight recoiled "What!? I thought they were extinct?"
Applejack tilted back her Stetson "Not round 'ere, never seen one me' self but Granny tells a tale of one attacking a pig farm, they drove it off back ta' the woods"
Rainbow cracked her knuckles "We ain't pig farmers, we can take it" she grinned
"We should keep that as plan B, Manticores were legendary vicious fighters with a pointed barbed tail…" Twilight lectured "...Fluttershy if we get you close can you hypnotise it to sleep?"
Fluttershy looked down despondently but nodded, Twilight slowly stretched up to a stand looking about cautiously "Right, we'll continue as quiet as possible until we meet it and stealth in from there"
Applejack cringed "Erm, that might be a tad tricky for me", Rarity rolled her eyes and walked round the back of her "Allow me darling" and started sketching out a glyph on her back, Twilight ever nosy came to look "Oh, Abjad, that's a tricky medium to work in" Rarity was hastily filling in the design "Yes it can be a lot more fickle and temperamental than Runes, but I find more flexible and adaptable so is worth the extra effort", Twilight hummed appreciatively as Rarity finished with a flourish causing the image to faintly glow with a soft blue light, Applejack experimentally hopped up and down without a sound then gave a thumbs up.

Stooping through the underbrush with Pinkie in the lead they made careful progress, after ten minutes of skulking Pinkie held up her hand and everyone squatted, blood thumped in ears as Pinkie cast about trying to pin down what ever had irked her, there was a panicked squeal from Fluttershy's hair and a paw gesticulated wildly towards amber eyes glaring out of the brush. A jaw full of cruel hooked teeth dropped open as the creature roared in frustration of its failed ambush, its leather wings snapped open and it bounded paws out towards the kneeling group.

In perfect sync Twilight and Rarity wheeled their arms, their fields catching and guiding the creatures mass over head, its shaggy bulk went end over end, slamming into the hard ground back first on the opposite side of them. "Rainbow! Tail!" Barked Applejack as she threw a length of chain with hooks at either end up into the air, the speedster in a chromatic flash grabbed the iron from the air and leap a wide arc over the beasts body, it lunged up to try to catch her between it's paws, bad move; as the Manticores huge paws slammed together a well thrown bolero from Applejack whipped round it's carpuses taking them out of the fight.

Surprised, the Manticore tried to roll on its front to bring it's stinger into play but as the appendage swung round to get into position Dash caught it in a loop going the other way, performed a side flip to tighten the chains grip and leapt backwards fastening the two hook ends together around a tree. Disoriented and partially restrained the beast failed to stand and flexing its tail pulled itself accidentally into a sitting position.

It glanced up and it's gaze met Fluttershy's, hovering just out of reach with slow waves of pressure rolling across the clearing from her eyes, the Manticore tried to struggle out of the hypnotism giving a half hearted growl and wiggling but it was unable to break her gaze. She hushed and soothed as she drifted forwards to Manticore’s lion face, its expression had started drooping and grumbling as its eyes slid shut, Fluttershy placed a milk white hand gently on its brow. She spoke with a voice that reverberated with power "Something attacked it out of the forest, a dark shape.” Drifting slowly down guiding its head to the floor, her feet gently took up her weight on the ground. Fluttershy shook her head; “she has stirred up such anger, what a truly spiteful thing to do” the caretaker murmured, unwinding the bolero from the beasts giant paws she handed it back to Applejack as Rainbow gently retrieved the chain from its tail. The party slunk deeper into the woods leaving the predator to snooze peacefully in the clearing.


***


The treeline thinned out at the banks of a river that seemed to bisect the forest, angry white water charged across their path hammering blade like rocks with enough force to peel skin from bone as the party came to a staggering halt, silently agreeing on a short break while they solved the next conundrum they as one flopped down sighing and muttering in relief. 

"It's funny how time turns horror into comedy…" mused Pinkie dreamily as she lay flat on her back gazing into the sky "...rubber bats, floating sheets and dancing skeletons seem goofy to us, but maybe a thousand years ago that's all it took to scare people?", Fluttershy was busy checking in on her passengers who were shaken but still hanging tough "it's not the spooky games that frighten me, it's the callous spite from someone as powerful Celestia, the heavens move at a wave of her fingers but she has no regard for the well-being of others, what could be worth so much suffering?" Rarity had unwound her hair and was combing it out "To prove she is better than her sister by the sounds of it, it's a madness that grips younger siblings at one time or another". 

Applejack was running a whetstone along her axe "It don't need to' come to' that, so long as the elder ain't too stiff necked ta' stand aside once in a while", Rarity paused as she re-secured her bun, letting out a wistful sigh and glanced towards home "I suppose your right, I myself have struggled with this, but whatever spats me and Sweetie had, we kept the anger strictly between us no matter how venomous it got". Twilight rose to her feet and chimed in "I don't think the princesses have that option; Celestia is more than the ruler of the sun, she is the sun in some spiritual way, when she laughs the sun dances on the mountain streams and when she cries the sun hangs cold in a winter sky. If the moon is unhappy it's everyone's business, it's weird that the common people of the day allowed things to deteriorate this far". Sensing the shift everyone started standing and preparing for the next leg, Rarity wandered to the water's edge "Yes, well I don't expect the common people had much of a say and the Nobility for most part wouldn’t take notice of another's distress if you died at their fe-YAAAAAA!”.

As Rarity’s shrill scream split the night there was a vertical blast of water like a geyser, a dark shape twisted and writhed within letting loose a low grinding roar, a wall of water knocked everyone back as the water cascaded away from the serpentine form revealing a great amethyst serpent, its spindly arms and needle claws gesticulating furiously in unbridled anger. Its huge form bowed like a withy wand bringing its carraged sized head looming over the fashionista. Its eyes flashed like emeralds with cold malevolence and its vast arched nostrils blasted the ground with near scalding steam, As it shouted it revealed its mouth to be filled with long cruel spikes like a massive angler fish. “You dare trespass on my waters after the insult your kind has done to me this day!” bellowed the creature, Rarity scuttled backwards like a spider jettisoning apologies like squid ink “I must apologise, we simply had no idea this river was occupied, we are terribly sorry for your misfortune and are currently in hot pursuit of a fugitive that seems to have caused a number of incidents in this charming woodland tonight. Rest assured once we have her in custody reparations will be made...”, a clack of jaws from the serpent short circuited her jaw as the creature swung up and folded its arms “Not good enough, I have been grievously offended and demand satisfaction immediately!...” It ran its three prong claw down the side of its muzzle “...That shadow woman has marred my face, I shall bear the scar for all time, if she will not duel me as is my right then I will have to sooth my damaged pride with your blood!”

Rarity got to her feet, her patience wearing thin “Look here, you’ll get nothing but indigestion and eternal night if you foolishly devour us in a fit of pique, I give you my word that once the day is ours your debt will not go unaccounted for”, the creature growled in petulant annoyance “What value does your word have to me groundling! Hollow words and nothing more”. The Fashonisters eyebrow twitched in contained fury, “Applejack hand me a knife.”
“Ahm not too…”
“Now.”
Applejack strode over next to her handing over a bowie knife before sheepishly backing away, Rarity locked eyes with the serpent and raised the knife, before firmly grasping her topknot and roughly sawing through the hair, left with a choppy bob cut she threw the bundle of hair up at the creature that snatched it out of the air, “There…” She snapped “...Now we are both marred and you have your weregild to ransom”. The creature looked between the small bundle and her face a couple of times before softening, with a wave the waters settled into a peaceful stream “Well bargained shawn woman of Ponyville, I am satisfied”. Rarity nodded as marched determinedly towards the water “Good, considering a coupon for Rarity’s boutique where everything is fucking fabulous darling! Come along everyone!”

The rest were awkwardly drawn along in her wake as they waded across the river with mumbled thankyou’s to the looming creature, Rarity strode back into the woods as a boiling pressure tank of barely controlled fury, after a minute of dead silence Rainbow snuck up to Twilight and half whispered “Why did he want her hair?”, Twilight fiddled with her hands a little bit before gently talking back “Well it meant a lot to her, Lindworms are incredibly perceptive and able to read people like that, also in Niponies culture a topknot was a symbol of a nobles status, to cut it off was to lower ones standing to lesser work”. 

Rarity spun round her eyes twitching from beneath her uneven fringe “Bollocks to my standing! What about my branding! That sodding hair is in the logo darlings, its over the fucking door! No one will even know who I am…” The screeching was cut off as Pinkie glomped the incensed fashionista in a hug snuggling her and lifting her off the floor, Rarity tensed in abject fury before relaxing and wilting into the hug, “Thank you very much Rarity” Pinkie enthused backed up with a chorus of furious nods from the assembled crowd. The anger slowly draining away the fashionista disentangled herself “You're very welcome. it will grow back after all but I swear Nightmare is getting my hairdressing bill for tidying this up.” A much more relaxed party continued across the home stretch of dense woodland.


***


The dense and twisted forest finally started to sputter out and emerging from its eves once again they were greeted by a vast chasm, the tail end of Ghastly Gorge. A vast abyss of monster infested darkness like a wound in the world that curled away from them to create a semi-plateau on which was heaped the broken bones of some ancient structure; it's silvered outline under the moon suggested domes and arches, spires and forums, one part citadel to two parts temple that even from it's mouldering remains projected strength, grandeur and opulence.

A freezing wind moaned through the landscape, chilling the soul and echoing into the dark void before them, the moon hung huge and menacing like a cat's eye glaring down at the erstwhile heroins as they searched for a means to cross. "I don't know if you'll have enough rope for this one AJ" Rainbow mused as she peered over the edge into darkness, Twilight was walking along the edge watching both sides "There has to be a bridge, people would come in supplication to the rulers so there must be a way across". Pinkie pranced over to a pair of standing stones "Ooo, a game of charades let's see: get ready for a sprint, push the button and give everything a big hug! He he" Twilight was just scraping together the last of her mental endurance to ask Pinkie what she was ranting on about now when she saw her kneel left foot forward in supplication, stand and salute the sun palm out then perform a wide circle with both hands ending palms up as if she was holding up the sky. Nothing happened and the musician groused in disappointment, but Twilight rushed over and peered at the pictograms that ringed the two broken obelisks "Pinke you genius! How else would you get into a temple!"

Twilight knelt between the two markers, the left foot was biologically closer to the heart and showed you were being honest when presented "Quaero audientia!", She stood and extended her arm "Hail Celestia! Sol Invictus!" Then opened her arms in reverence to the moon "Hail Luna! Victrix Ferarum!", There was an electric thrum and a blade of starlight shot across the gulf bridging the distance. Pinkie slapped her head "Duh, forgot to say please" before jumping carefree onto the razor thin barrier that fizzled but supported her weight, "Let's move it ladies!" She hollered before matching across the abyss spinning her rifle while singing about going to see a spirit in the sky.

With more trepidation the rest gently tested the surface before nervously following along, Rainbow and Fluttershy opting to glide along in the air rather than risk the bridge. When they reached the other side and Applejack, the last of them, stepped off the light winked out leaving them trapped inside the necropolis with no retreat.


***


So powerful was the presence of these ruins no animal dared enter its oppressive aura, halfway between a physical weight and the choking humidity of a muggy day, each felt their skin crawl with the feeling of being watched from every shadow. The melted and limbless forms of statues slouched in alcoves like dying lepers; their flawless marble skin stained with moulds and moss. Streets were blocked by the towers felled by the centuries that had been crushed into jagged heaps of rubble, the once pristine white paving underfoot had burst and ruptured with sharp brambles coiling out of the gaps between.

It was a ragged and forlorn place that fully embodied the fallen aspirations and broken dreams it represented, the remaining shapes and half crumbled structures hinting at the skilled masonry that had once been, the fellowship wandered aimlessly unable to tell temple from toilet. Rainbow launched herself up and perched gently on what seemed to be an old bell tower desperately hoping to see something distinguishable, her eyes lazily scanned over the wreckage until a glint of colour among the grey tweaked her senses. Peering into the darkness she spotted a chapel near the centre of town, a single window intact bearing a familiar crest, "Girls, this way!"

As they approached it seemed to be an annex of a vastly larger structure that while impossible to pick out of the amalgam from the ground was visibly more intact and grand from the air. The window bore the crest of the gold starburst bearing six gems that had been used to represent the elements in the tome. "This must be a reliquary attached to the main castle" submitted Twilight
Rainbow cocked her head "A what now?"
"A place to put your relics under key: relic-key"
"Yes Pinkie, but also no…." Twilight started however before she could get going Rainbow had already strode inside "It doesn't look much like a vault to me, no swinging blades, no lasers and no giant boulders rolling towards us. It's just a big empty room." Everyone filed in and began wandering the seemingly barren and unadorned hall, "Well duh…" burbled Pinkie "...You wouldn't just leave your shiny relics lying about for anyone to find in a big obvious death trap, Celestia's a lot more sneaky than that, she'd make it so only the right person could find them".

Pondering Pinkie's wisdom Twilight stopped, only the right person, feeling a little self conscious she ventured "Hello, I am Twilight Sparkle" when nothing happened she felt a not undeserved shrink in her ego that she figured would serve her well, her next attempt was "I am Celestia's student" which didn't sound right either. After a moment of deep thought she snapped her fingers "Ah, of Course 'I am a faithful student', how could I forget" there was a deep thunk as a section of floor depressed sending Rarity hopping for stable ground. With an interminable grind of stone on stone, the floor drew back as an orrery rose up cycling five extended arms to present a set of marble bowling balls.

"Not to turn my nose up or anything but, wasn't the illustration more..er..vibrant?" Said Rarity as she hefted one of the orbs, Rainbow grabbed another one turning it around "What gives? Is Nightmare Moon weak to shot put or something? How are we gonna defeat her with these?", Pinkie walked up to the display and slammed her fist into her palm "I just knew I'd need the mortar! But silly me I had to be practical”.

Twilight closed her eyes and summoned forth the illustration again "No, I don't think launching them at her is the solution, you're correct Rarity…" her eyes opened "...This is not how they previously appeared, plus we're one short; the central element is missing. I'd guess they’re deactivated for storage, I'll need some time to figure out how to reactivate them"
"Well then, you shall need some privacy…" 

Like the waking shock of a nightmare the Moon Queen's voice jolted their gaze upwards, hanging spider like and weightless with her writhing locks of winter stars about her, she grasped and pulled at the darkness. Adrenaline forced protesting muscles into action, but it was too late; shadows like living ink flowed from the ambient gloom up the figures of Twilight's companions. Rarity and Fluttershy faded away clawing at themselves and shrieking like the passing of a dream, Pinkie struck a match and lit fuse but was consumed by darkness before the stick left her hand, Applejack chucked her axe as she went which got five feet before winking out as well and lastly Rainbow flew straight at Nightmare Moon, her hand outstretched, the cloying shadows smothered her brilliance dragging her into darkness just inches before the Nightmare's sneer.

"Where are they!?" demanded Twilight as she clenched her fists with a crackle of lightning, the Moon Queen raised a placating hand "Safe, for now. It's time we had a little talk Twilight Sparkle" her arm swished sideways and a sudden blast of obsidian fog filled the room. Fresh night air rolled in dispersing it to reveal an empty room and a bare orrery.