Defense in Depth

by Fon Shaolin


Chapter 14

Twilight felt like she was a filly again. 

It turned out that Trixie’s master in the Magisterium, a unicorn stallion named Sunburst, had also mastered the trademark disappointed scowl common to most of Twilight’s young authority figures. Fortunately, he reserved most of his ire for his student and it was pretty funny to watch Trixie squirm and take a tongue lashing from someone their own age. 

“...and we won’t even get into the ethical implications of using sympathetic magic on an untrained, unknowing unicorn that isn’t even in the Magisterium! Do you even remember Hilderman’s Thirty-Third Law of Magiks?! I swear to Celestia that…”

And so on, and so forth.  

While Trixie bore such scholarly admonishment with the poise of a pony who was used to it, Twilight studied the camp and the other ponies around them. Since their impromptu teleportation, things had been packed up and put away into traveling trunks not unlike Trixie’s own (which had been teleported to the camp by another magister, thank Celestia). 

“But Tri... I did the spell correctly,” Trixie whined. Twilight would have laughed at how much the “Great and Powerful” Trixie sounded like a chastised foal right then, but she didn’t want Sunburst to turn his ire on her as well. So far he’d pretty much ignored her, which suited Twilight just fine. She didn’t need to add to her “magisters I’ve pissed off” list. 

Sunburst’s eyebrows rose high above the rim of his glasses. “Is that so? Light your horn.”

Trixie’s squirming redoubled, but she did as she was told. Twilight felt the small tug from her own magic, and Trixie’s horn glowed with Twilight’s orchid magic. 

That is not correct,” Sunburst lectured. “That is an abnormality! That comes from a lack of proper procedure and preparation when you’re casting the spell!” The unicorn sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I don’t have time to fix this,” he exasperatedly admitted. 

He turned to Twilight. “You would be well within your rights to lodge a formal complaint with the Magisterium,” he suddenly said, ignoring the way Trixie gasped and jumped to her hooves. He silenced her with a glare. “My… colleague took advantage of you. While you ultimately did agree to participate in the spell, the High Council would rule that her trespass overrides your tacit approval. You would be paid recompense and have any magical curative provided to you by properly trained Magisters, at no cost, until the effects were reversed.”

Twilight’s eyes slid over to Trixie’s. She looked terrified

“What kind of effects are you talking about?” she asked, thinking about how it could affect her Guard training. “Is it the… thoughts or emotions bleeding through? How long will it last?”

Sunburst sighed. Twilight only realized after her question that she was probing into his actual spellwork, since Trixie had said he was the originator of the sympathetic magic they had used. “Forgive me, Miss… Twilight, you said? Miss Twilight. The explanation might be a bit more technical than-”

“It will stay as long as we’re close to each other,” Trixie interjected. “The chalk was an external spell wheel, so it has more permanence.” She turned back to Sunburst, sheepish. “I, uh, might have taught her a bit of Magisterium magic. A-All at Magister Sol Shard’s command, of course, and nothing too sensitive!”

“Of course. I had forgotten about that,” Sunburst muttered. Another sigh, another shake of the head. “Right. Well, I’m told you are quite talented, Miss Sparkle. You have to forgive me - I’m not used to unicorns in the Guard who aren’t auxiliary troops or officers.” 
 
Twilight chuckled, embarrassed. “I’m actually just a trainee, but I’ll be commissioned as a second lieutenant. They pulled me out of training for this, so I would like to finish the mission. And, uh, you can call me Twilight… Sir?”

“Please, just Sunburst. Or Magister Sunburst, if you feel the need.” With more information, he was considering Twilight differently and she tried not to squirm - magisters definitely practiced that look. “Well, there shouldn’t be anything too harmful. You’re likely feeling some severe magical fatigue because Magister Lulamoon seems to be completely channeling your magic, but that will go away soon after you two are split up.”

“Ah, uh.” Twilight glanced at Trixie. “I’m… not feeling anything? Is that bad?”

Nothing? You can still cast?”

Twilight looked around. One of the traveling trunks was sitting nearby, so she reached out with her telekinesis and lifted it. It was heavy, but she didn’t feel any particular strain. Just a normal lift. So she grabbed another. And another. 

Now the camp was looking at her weird as the three trunks slowly spun overhead. 

“Now you see why Trixie didn’t think the spell would be harmful,” Trixie muttered. “Neanderthal pony.”

“It’s… certainly abnormal,” Sunburst allowed, though he frowned at Trixie’s nickname, but his voice was picking up, losing the hard edge he’d taken with Trixie. “Twilight Sparkle, you said? Any relation to the Canterlot Sparkles?”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to be curious. “That’s my mother’s family.”

Sunburst nodded. “Right, right. Then you must be related to Lieutenant Shining Armor, of the Royal Guard. Sister?” Twilight nodded. “That might very well explain it! Your brother trained his shielding magic at the Magisterium, and his magical reserves were incredible, even by our standards! But your control looks much better! Do you have the same talent for shields?”

Twilight sputtered for an answer as Sunburst looked around to her flank, letting out a happy ah-ha! when he saw her starburst shield cutie mark. Twilight had to admit that it was similar to her brother’s, but shields? She had never thought about it. 

“I can conjure a shield,” Twilight said, just to get him to stop staring at her rump. “Do… do you want to see?”

“Please! If you could!”

Twilight nodded. She got to her hooves, trotted a little bit away, and imagined the spell wheel for the shield Trixie had taught her. It was almost a habit at this point, given how often her and Trixie would spar, and the orchid bubble appeared immediately when it was summoned. 

Both Sunburst and Trixie crowded around. “It certainly looks solid,” he said, voice distorted by the magical barrier. His hoof pressed into it, and it did give, but it was much stiffer than when Twilight had first conjured it. It pushed him back after only a few inches. “Very stable! A good attempt for a unicorn your age! How many months have you been practicing it?”

“Two days,” Trixie pipped. Sunburst whirled on her and she just smirked. “And look up.”

He did. Overhead were the three travel trunks; Twilight had forgotten about them. 

The magister’s rump hit the ground. “Two days?” He parroted, staring at the containers. “That’s… that’s…”

Trixie trotted over to Twilight and, much to Twilight’s surprise, slipped right into her shield like it was nothing but a trifle. She smirked at the way Twilight startled and reared up high enough to wrap a foreleg around her neck. Twilight could have almost thought it was friendly, if it hadn’t been Trixie. 

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is quite the teacher, wouldn’t you say?” she asked, all traces of her earlier abashment gone. Twilight didn’t know who she was addressing, either Sunburst or her, or maybe Trixie was just playing to an imaginary audience. She did that, sometimes. “Every challenge she laid down was returned; every lesson memorized! Twilight Sparkle has gone through months of intense magical study in mere days thanks to Trixie’s incredible lesson plans!”

Sunburst stared at her for a long moment. So long that even Trixie’s unflappable showmare’s face started to crack under the scrutiny. Trixie’s eyes frantically flicked to Twilight’s and her eyebrows spasmed in a universal “help me!” gesture. 

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Trixie has been very helpful.” Sunburst’s attention went back to her and Twilight saw Trixie let out a sigh of relief out the corner of her eye. “She taught me the runic alphabet, the nature of spell wheels, and two spells. I didn’t know anything until she explained it all to me.”

The magister looked between the two, expression softening. “That does seem to be in line with what Master Sol Shard was telling me. He was impressed with how you handled your mission at Fort Dressage.” 

“About that,” Twilight cut in. “Why did you send Trixie to get me? She said you told her to ‘watch out for a purple unicorn and to test her’, when she was talking to Sol Shard. Who told you to do that?”

The ruddy yellow stallion blinked at the creeping hostility in Twilight’s voice. “Well, a colleague of mine said you could be a good fit for monster hunting,” he said. “Magister-”

“Feldspar?” Twilight cut back in. 

“I see you remember him,” Sunburst laughed. “He was quite impressed with you, and told all of the higher magisters about your abilities. When he found out about my mission to Las Pegasus, he recommended you. Said, ‘She deserves to see what the life of a magister is like’.”

Twilight groaned and opened her mouth to say something, but Sunburst held up his foreleg to stall her next complaint. “He didn’t mean it as some sort of vengeance,” he said, making Twilight pause. “I got the feeling from talking to him that he greatly respects your abilities. I won’t tell you that he doesn’t hope you’ll still consider the Magisterium as a career, but he also told me that a successful mission here should help you with any career in government.”

“Monster hunting is a very prestigious duty,” Trixie threw in. “This will only be Trixie’s third in her entire life.”

Well… that was. Hm. Twilight scuffed at the ground. “He said all that?” she muttered. “Could you… uh…”

“I’ll tell him that you send your thanks,” Sunburst finished, chuckling at Twilight’s blush, “when I next see him.” 

Anything else Twilight wanted to say was interrupted by a massive unicorn stallion, white as snow and built like an earth pony. “Master Sunburst, we’ve…” he trailed off when he finally noticed Twilight and Trixie. “Pardon me, I didn’t see you were occupied.”

Sunburst shook his head. “It’s alright. Trixie, Twilight - this is Ivory Tower, my second-in-command on this hunt. Tower, you remember my former student, Trixie Lulamoon.” Trixie rolled her eyes and Twilight thought she saw a twitch on the stoic Ivory Tower’s face. “Beside her is Twilight Sparkle, Trainee Guard from Fort Dressage. She’s here as an observer.”

The big unicorn nodded, polite but clearly not too interested in either of them. “Of course. A pleasure.” He turned back to Sunburst, ignoring the way Trixie stuck her tongue out at him even before his attention was fully shifted. “We have discovered a cave system that matches our criteria. It’s less than a mile away.”

“That was fast,” Sunburst said, surprised. 

“There was a litter heap outside. Bones - of animals, not any ponies from what our scouts could see from the air - and refuse. It seems like a monster’s den.”

Sunburst nodded, stroking his goatee. He turned to the two mares. “Trixie, Twilight, I want you two to go to the equipment tent and get outfitted.” He eyed Twilight for a moment longer, which made her squirm. “Twilight, did you already have basic combat training at Dressage?”

Twilight blinked. That wasn’t the question she thought he’d ask. “Uh, yes. Blades, spears, shields, and basic armor proficiency.” All three tribes underwent weapons training in the fifth week. Her friend, Noble Cause, had scored the highest marks with his sparring skills, but Twilight hadn’t been a slouch. “It was only for crowd control, though.”

“Good enough. Trixie, get her outfitted.” he pointed to a tent, then he pinned Trixie with a frown. “And do not cast too much magic. Ms. Sparkle might have impressive reserves, but the more you cast, the more used to that extra reserve you will get. That will make it much more difficult to adjust when the effects of the sympathetic magic wear off and you go back to just your own magic.”

“We’ll head to the cave in thirty minutes. Be ready to move by then.” With that said, he and Ivory Tower trotted off toward the other magisters, talking in hushed tones. 

Twilight didn’t miss the resentful look Trixie sent after them, and she didn’t bother hiding it when she started off toward the equipment tent. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

Twilight had to trot to keep up. She looked back at the group of magisters huddled together. “You don’t need to foalsit me if you should be part of that…” she trailed off. 

“They don’t want Trixie to be part of it,” she growled, looking equal parts angry and hurt. “Trixie is the newest magister in the Spire. Master Sunburst still sees Trixie as some kind of filly.”

Well, that was… “That seems a bit…”

“Assholish? Underhooved? Dismissive?” 

A giggle might have gotten out before Twilight could reign herself in. “I was going for ‘unprofessional’.” Trixie rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. 

Twilight found a smile as well. “I know what it feels like,” she offered. Trixie glanced at her. “My family wasn’t exactly thrilled I wanted to join the Guard. They tried to ‘manage’ me out of it, because they were more ‘adult’.” She chuckled again. “And you know how things turned out with Feldspar.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, that. Trixie cannot believe you turned down an offer to join the Magisterium. There are unicorns that would have sawed off their own horns for that opportunity.”

“So I’ve heard. Is it really that big a deal, though?”

The blue unicorn skidded to a stop and wheeled on Twilight. “What?”

“I… I mean, it’s just a job. Right?”

“It’s not ‘just a job’! It’s… it’s… it’s everything! You can’t get cleared for practicing higher magic without training in the magisterium! You can’t own controlled potion ingredients… you can’t even get any serious consideration for magical research without having worn the black cloak!” 

Twilight had never seen Trixie so serious about anything before. “The military gets you magical certification too,” she said. 

“Yes, but ever since the Magical Reform Edict was passed over a hundred years ago, magic has been severely restricted in Equestria. The Magisterium is the easiest way to get permanently licensed. The Guard takes back your licensing when you retire, don’t they?” 

Grudgingly, Twilight had to nod. Trixie smiled, triumphant. “See? When you get out, you’ll have to get re-licensed, which is just a pain.”

When I get out. Those words settled deeper in Twilight’s head more than Trixie probably intended. Guard stints were typically only for ten years for enlisted ponies, maybe twenty if you were an officer. 

Twilight would be 37 when she retired from the Royal Guard. That… wasn’t old. What would she do then?

Trixie waved her hoof in front of Twilight’s face, breaking her out of the thought. “Equestria to Twilight, come in Twilight.” She gestured to the tent in front of them. “We’re here,” she said, slipping inside. 

No time to think about it now, Twilight thought, resolving to put the thoughts of ‘after’ out of her head. She wasn’t even in the Royal Guard yet, and she was beginning to worry about her life in twenty years? “That’s bad, even for me,” she muttered, following Trixie. 

The tent was smaller than Twilight would have thought for a supply depot. There were a few dozen crates and trunks stacked up on the far end, and then bags of items strewn about. Most of it hadn’t even been unpacked except for a single trunk of flying supplies for pegasi - feather oil, goggles, and flight-ready saddlebags. They must have only unpacked the trunk for their scouts. 

But, there were a few things Twilight saw that sparked her interest. In the trunk with all the other pegasi gear was a light flying gambeson, which was a padded shirt that covered everything from the neck to the flank. It would be hot in the desert, which was probably why its owner had tossed it back into the trunk, but Twilight felt infinitely better when she stepped into it. 

“Found something?” Trixie asked. She’d been looking at saddlebags. “What is that thing?”

“Gambeson,” Twilight said, taking her time adjusting the fit around her forelegs. “Can you lace it for me?” 

Trixie sighed, but dutifully trotted over and laced up the shirt down Twilight’s back. There was a complicated set of clasps on this one as well, and Trixie showed a surprising bit of aptitude in getting everything right the first time. 

Twilight shook herself, then reared and kicked and did a whole host of other movements to test the fit. Twilight was muscular for a unicorn, and would be bigger and heavier than most pegasi, but it fit her frame well enough. There were even a set of matching saddlebags that fit tightly around her barrel that had been designed for usage with the shirt. 

“Want to try and find you a set too?” Twilight asked. 

“And sweat to death? Trixie thinks not.” She smirked at the other unicorn and flipped her mane. “When you pass out, do not ask Trixie to carry you.”

Twilight just rolled her eyes. “Armor’s there for protection, not comfort,” Twilight argued. “What are you going to do if you can’t get a shield up in time?”

“That’s a fine thing for Trixie’s guard to say.”

...Her guard? Trixie caught Twilight’s surprised look and frowned in confusion. “What? You’re a guard. A guard guards important things, like Trixie.” 

A laugh slipped through Twilight’s discipline. Had she ever met another pony so full of herself? Like, even as a joke? “You’re crazy, Trixie,” she scoffed, smiling. 

The mare gasped. “Trixie is not crazy! Trixie is a scholar, a showmare, and always right!”

Twilight’s eyebrows hiked, and she nodded to a heap of clothes Trixie was telekinetically holding up - with Twilight’s orchid magic. “Trixie is… nearly always right,” she amended, quickly tossing the clothes off somewhere in the back of the tent, extinguishing her horn. 

She’s such a brat, Twilight thought, still unable to keep a smile from her face. Trixie would have been the oil to Twilight’s water a few years ago, back in school, either too haughty early on or too goofy later, when Twilight joined ROTC. Even just a few months ago Twilight probably would have just written her off as just another roadblock, but Trixie had opened up a whole new world for her, in terms of magic - a world Twilight had thought she’d resigned herself away from. 

For just a second, Twilight tried to imagine her life as a Magister, in the Spire. All the remedial lessons she’d probably have to go through, all the hard work she’d already done with the Guard just discarded. Nose in a book, lectures every afternoon, the stares of younger students when she had to sit in on their lessons… Seeing Shining Armor when he dropped by for shield lessons, or Cadance when she could sneak away from the castle. The High Spire was still in Canterlot, after all. Trixie bugging her until Twilight could earn her own black cloak, and then they could start competing for accolades…  

“Ah-ha! Here one is!”

Twilight blinked. She’d fallen into one of her daydreams again. At least Trixie hadn’t caught her. “What did you fi-” A blade stabbed straight at Twilight’s face. “-SWEET CELESTIA!” she screamed, falling straight to her belly before she was skewered. 

Trixie harrumphed. “You are so dramatic,” she said, swishing the sword back and forth in the air. “No thanks for finding you a prime Magisterium steel blade, just ungrateful ‘oh, you almost stabbed me Trixie!’” 

“You did almost stab me! Give me that, you psycho!” Twilight yanked the sword out of Trixie’s magic. “This is made to kill ponies, Trixie! It’s not a toy!” 

The ferocity and conviction actually made Trixie look somewhat abashed, which in turn made Twilight feel guilty for treating Trixie like she was in the Guard, but she was too stubborn to apologize for it. 

Instead, Twilight studied the so-called ‘prime blade’. It was clearly a blade designed for a unicorn, because instead of a hilt and crossguard it had a second, inverse blade, like a massive boat propeller, though thinner and less curved. These types of blades were only useful for unicorns and their magic. It wasn’t a surprise that a hunt party from the Magisterium would have one or two, even if the only pony Twilight had seen so far that looked even a little athletic, Ivory Tower, didn’t wear one. 

Keeping a close eye on where Trixie was standing, Twilight gave it a few test swipes. It was very well balanced, even for being so large, and with a little finesse Twilight could even get it to spin through the air. Fort Dressage only used traditional swords, ones with a place for earth ponies and pegasi to bite onto it, which were short and stubby. 

This was an actual unicorn combat blade. 

Twilight loved it

She even turned to thank Trixie, until she saw the supremely smug look on the other unicorn’s face. Really, it was horrible - lips stretched, cheeks pinched, happy, narrowed eyes. The whole lot. 

You like it,” Trixie sang. She didn’t stop smiling even when Twilight pushed past her to get the scabbard that went with it. Annoyingly, it fit into a side loop on her new gambeson like they had been made for each other, keeping the uncovered, back part of the sword away from any important bits. 

Trixie continued to follow and taunt as Twilight gathered the rest of her supplies. Rope, flint, a waterskin, and whatever other little, helpful things she could find in the tent. Trixie mirrored her for the most part, but she didn’t stop poking and prodding until they were done and heading back to the group of magisters. Only being near to Sunburst could keep Trixie on a leash, it seemed like. 

The magisters were done with their huddle. There were six of them, including Sunburst and Ivory Tower, all draped in the same black robes Trixie was so proud of. Ivory Tower stood out the most because he was a head taller than any of the others, and more muscular. He certainly had the airs of a trained combat mage about him as he gave a visual pass over both Twilight and Trixie as they walked up. 

“You found one of our blades,” he said, nodding to the sword resting against Twilight’s side. “It might not be the best use down in the tunnels we may need to journey through.”

“I can always use it like a spear,” Twilight countered. “It’s long enough.” The big unicorn nodded, approving of the logic. 

Sunburst didn’t bother looking over Trixie’s equipment. From the bulges under his cloak, Twilight reckoned he had only chosen to wear small saddlebags himself. In fact, none of the unicorns were wearing armor or had weapons. The knee-jerk reaction was that they were being stupid for not preparing, but Twilight had to remind herself that they were magisters and had likely gone on plenty of monster hunts and that she was the novice here. 

Suddenly some of the looks from the other magisters weren’t entirely complimentary. Twilight shifted, feeling a bit like that one person in a group who was way too into renaissance fairs. Though, with only a weak little shield she still didn’t feel a hundred percent confident with Twilight was willing to look a little silly. 

The leader of the group, clearly Sunburst, cleared his throat. “We’re all here?” he looked around, mentally counting everyone. “Alight. Good. You all know by now that our pegasi scouts have discovered a monster lair a little ways away. Now, keep in mind that there are monster lairs all over the San Palmeno desert, and that it doesn’t mean the attacks in Las Pegasus are coming from this particular lair, but our magical devices have picked up magical readings from the cave system. Powerful magical readings.”

He gave Ivory Tower a look. The big unicorn stepped forward, horn beginning to spark and spit. “Everyone, gather to me. We’ll be teleporting.”

Twilight just followed Trixie’s lead as they crowded around the second-in-command. His horn lit fully; vertigo strangled Twilight. 

A mile away, outside a dug-out cave entrance, the unicorn party popped back into reality. Twilight stumbled back, but managed to not vomit up her guts this time. Trixie chuckled at the way she had to clutch her stomach, though. 

“It gets easier.” 

Twilight glared at her. “That does absolutely nothing to make me feel better now,” she griped. “You think that- ...oh Celestia, what is that smell?”

Other unicorns were gagging; even Ivory Tower couldn’t pretend to be unaffected. It was almost like very rotted fruit, but with a sharp septic smell that made Twilight want to cut her own nose off. 

Thankfully, Sunburst quickly cast some sort of spell that whipped up the desert wind around them. It helped some - Twilight still felt like she might throw up, though. 

“I think you teleported us to the right spot, Tower” he groaned. He looked at the bones and half-eaten animal carcases strewn about. “I can think of few creatures that willingly live in such filth, and none of them are pleasant.”

The big unicorn smiled - smiled - at that. “When are hunts ever pleasant?” But his humor wore off as he examined the cave. 

It was a large opening, leading to a narrow corridor in the back. The ground was hard, ancient sandstone and limestone, so there wasn’t much to worry about with cave-ins, but there was absolutely no telling how deep the tunnel went, or if it was connected to any of the ancient lava tubes in the area. If it was, the beasts could be anywhere. 

Twilight watched Ivory Tower turn skywards, and she followed the gaze. Far, far above them was the silhouette of a pegasus, gliding overhead in a wide circle. From under his cloak, Sunburst pulled out a small crystal, not unlike the one Trixie was carrying. It floated near his mouth and glowed a soft green. 

“Open Skies, this is Magister Sunburst. Do you read me?” 

“Loud and clear, Magister.” The sound came from the crystal, but there was no image like the first time Trixie had used hers. “I see you all got here alight.”

“No issues. Have you seen anything come out of the cave?”

“Not a thing, and I’ve been here all morning. If you want, since you all are here now I can start looking for other entrances.”

Ivory Tower nodded in agreement when Sunburst looked for his opinion. “That will be fine, Skies. I’m going to lead a team down in a few minutes, but I’ll leave the crystal with Black Marble in case you come across anything.” The unicorn in question took the passed-off crystal with a serious nod. 

Sunburst walked up to the cave entrance. He looked at the bleached, gnawed bones and frowned. “These are old,” he said. “But the smell from below is fresh. They might have made a kill recently.”

He looked over at Twilight. “You’ve been through survival training already, yes? The whole… wilderness survival bit,” he asked, deliberately obtuse. 

Twilight knew what he was talking about. Curiously, Trixie raised an eyebrow. “He’s asking about camp cooking.” Blank look. “The quail thing, Trixie. Remember? We talked about it at lunch today. Desert quail stew?”

Realization, when it finally came to the mare, was swift and terrible. “You… you were serious?! You weren’t just trying to tease Trixie?!” She made a gagging sound and lept back, but she found the energy to point accusingly at Twilight. “You ate a thing! A living thing! A living, chirping thing!”

Twilight smirked at her. “It wasn’t chirping when I ate it.”

“Are you sure we should bring them?” Ivory Tower asked as Trixie started screaming and throwing rocks at Twilight. 

Sunburst gave him a look. “And leave them up here, with the others?” Louder, he called out, “Yes, Ms. Twilight. That training. I take it that you have a strong stomach?” 

Twilight straightened up and brushed the remains of Trixie’s assault from her armor. “Yes, Sir! I was the only one that passed without needing a second try.” 

“Good enough. You’re on the team.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped and she galloped over to the pair. “You can’t be thinking of leaving Trixie behind?” he demanded, looking between Ivory Tower and her master. “Trixie can eat a bird! Trixie can eat two birds!” 

Sunburst blanched. “I don’t think we’ll need you to go that far, Trixie.” He shifted, Twilight noticed, and his eyes flicked over to the bones strewn about the area. Twilight wasn’t the best at reading ponies, but she could see the magister was unwilling to bring Trixie with them - and not for the reasons Trixie probably thought. He was harder on her, but it reminded Twilight more of her brother’s relationship with their old ROTC commander than someone who was annoyed at a pupil. 

But Twilight also had a good measure of Trixie, and she knew that leaving the unicorn behind would only lead to a massive argument. “Trixie and I work well together,” she pipped, catching Sunburst, and Trixie herself, by surprise. She gave the unicorn mare a significant look. “Don’t we?

“What are you… oh. Oh! Yes! Trixie and Twilight work incredibly well together, like a well-oiled machine.” Trixie wrapped a hoof around Twilight’s neck and pulled her close. “Two peas in a Great and Powerful pod, Trixie says.” 

Sunburst rubbed his forehead. “Is that right?” he glanced at Ivory Tower, who only shrugged, then back at Trixie, who did her best to smile wide and innocent. Finally, likely against his better judgment, he closed his eyes and nodded. “A team of four will work better,” he admitted, “and you two seem to be on the same page. Making Twilight work with a different magister at this point could be dangerous.”

Trixie’s grip tightened, and she cast a sideways smile Twilight’s way as Sunburst and Ivory Tower led the way to the cave. “That’s another one you owe me, Trixie,” Twilight whispered to her. 

The blue magister blew a raspberry. “Trixie can just bribe you with new spells,” she declared, and Twilight couldn’t really get too angry since Trixie was probably right. She really didn’t like that the other unicorn had discovered how to manipulate her so easily, though. 

But, the closer they got to the cave, the more the humor and playfulness started to drain out of Twilight. The spell keeping the foul stench of death was wearing off, and that smell was hitting Twilight again in full-force the closer they got. At the mouth it was almost overwhelming; Twilight couldn’t imagine what it would be like farther down. 

“The smell - it’s getting even worse,” Trixie complained. “What happened to that spell?”

Sunburst sent a light of magic into the darkness. The little glowing ball illuminated part of the passageway, only wide enough for maybe two ponies to walk abreast, but it couldn’t penetrate more than a few dozen feet. 

And Twilight had the feeling that this cave went much deeper than that. 

They stood there for a few heartbeats, staring at the darkness. “What kinds of monsters could be down there?” Twilight asked. 

Ivory Tower’s ear flicked. “Many things,” he rumbled. “A menagerie of beasts live in the dark places of this world, and many of them could be what we are searching for. Basilisks, the worm-touched, umber hulks, myconids, negoli…”

Trixie shivered. “Myconids. Didn’t you have to clear out an infestation of those in Trottingham, Master? They’re horrible fungi that can take over a pony’s body,” she explained to Twilight. 

“Not myconids, venom spores. Completely separate. And it was merely a single city block with a shared basement that they had nested in.” Merely or not, Sunburst still shifted at the thought, as he stared down into the cave. “The infestation was… virulent. But, they do not enjoy the desert.” He sighed, seeming to shake off his hesitation. His magelight zipped back to him. “Let’s go.”

What does enjoy the desert then? Twilight wondered. She gave Trixie a look, but the other mare could only shrug as she trotted after her master. 

Not wanting to be left behind, Twilight hurriedly caught back up with the group, trying not to shiver when she passed into the full shadows of the cave. The ground was dry and littered with sand for the first few dozen feet, but slowly, as the group descended, Twilight felt more and more moisture under her hooves. 

Sunburst and Ivory Tower took point. They walked staggered from each other, but both had a bright magelight sitting atop their horns which was bright enough for Twilight to clearly see the sides of the tunnel wall. It looked fairly natural - until Twilight saw a long, wide cut set deep in the stone. 

“Not all of this is natural, is it?” Twilight asked. She’d seen Sunburst and Ivory Tower glance at it as they went past as well. 

“It’s certainly been widened in places,” Ivory Tower agreed.

Another cut in the stone came up. This time Trixie stopped to get a better look at it. “Tools didn’t do this,” she declared. “There are too many imperfections.”

Twilight hadn’t noticed that, and she looked at Trixie with a newfound appreciation. She had said that this was her third hunt, hadn’t she? That meant she’d been through this twice already. Her face was serious as her eyes darted around, taking in the tunnel and any clues. 

Belatedly, Twilight knew they were probably only talking for her benefit. She had never studied anything about monsters or investigative tactics. So, for the first time in a long time, Twilight started to feel out of her intellectual depth. All she could do was keep her eyes and ears open as they kept descending down, down, down into the dark void. 

Twilight roughly counted two hundred or so feet before the passage widened into a massive cavern, but along with the new room to move came more of the stench. Down here it was almost enough to make Twilight gag. The natural cavern they were now in allowed the foursome to finally spread out, which they did, each conjuring their own magelight. There were natural columns of rock that broke up the space, but Twilight could only barely see the far wall across a flat-looking cave floor. The cavern was enormous, even with all the rock features filling it.  

“Stay alert,” Sunburst whispered. “Stay close. We don’t know what manner of beast is down here.”

Ivory Tower stopped in his tracks. His magic flared for a moment, illuminating something, before it nearly winked out completely, spilling darkness across his section of the cavern. “Dear Celestia,” he muttered. “Hook horrors.”

Hook horrors. The word went through the other two magisters like fel lightning. Sunburst pushed back to the front of the group and his horn blazed like a torch. What it uncovered made Trixie actually retch. 

“Now we know what the smell was,” Sunburst muttered. Twilight forced herself to look at the bodies - not pony bodies, thank Celestia, but the mangled corpses of a dozen creatures strewn about a dirty nest. They were big things, with the largest being several times larger than Twilight. At first Twilight thought there were two different monsters, but she quickly saw that the singular creatures were twisted monsters, with the heads and beaks of a bird and the body of a stubby beetle. In the magelight the shells glittered, free of the decay of the flesh, as did the pair of metallic claws each hook horror had for front legs. 

“There are at least a dozen of them,” Ivory Tower muttered, his head shaking. “This nest could have taken our entire group out, if they had ambushed us. What could have done this?”

“And they’re not too old. Look at the nose. There’s only a little fungus.” Sunburst leaned in closer to one of the monster’s faces and forced its mouth open with his magic. “And only a little in the mouth. In a cave like this I would say they’ve been dead for only a week, at the most. They aren’t even bloating yet.”

That was more than Twilight ever wanted to know about dead bodies. Trixie dry heaved a few more times, but she didn’t have anything left to expel. Twilight passed her the waterskin without being asked. 

Tower walked around to some of the other bodies. “Some of these look predated. What eats hook horrors?”

“Lots of things,” Sunburst mumbled, “and none we wish to meet down here.”

But Twilight was bothered by something. Holding her breath, she walked as close as she dared to the tangled pile of corpses. Some had obviously been… eaten… by something, but looking closer she saw something else. “These are sword cuts,” she realized. Something had stabbed straight into the bigger hook horrors, or cut into their soft bellies. “Look at this one’s stomach.”

Sunburst frowned. “Are you certain?” He trotted over to her and did a closer look. Clicking his tongue, he rolled the dead beast over, exposing its shell. He adjusted his magelight, making the light move to different angles, exposing shallow shadows across the carapace that had looked smooth at a distance. Some of the grooves were clearly done by the wicked claws of other hook horrors, but there were straight, neat lines as well. Lines from a blade - a heavy one. 

“Did the Magisterium send another team?” Tower wondered. 

Sunburst looked at the cuts for another few moments and slowly shook his head. “No. No, these aren’t cuts from a conjured blade. Look at the edges of the shell, you can see that it’s not completely clean. Someone else stumbled across this nest - and wiped it out.”

Silence fell in the cavern. Someone using a regular sword had taken down all these monsters? They had come down to this dark hole in the desert and fought them in the horror’s own lair

“It’s impossible,” Trixie whispered, voicing Twilight’s own thoughts. 

Sunburst’s light grew, revealing the entirety of the cavern and the bodies. With the light, though, came new discoveries - cuts across the stone stalagmites and stalactites, sprays of blue ichor across the floor and walls and ceiling, and scorches from mage fire or lightning everywhere in between. 

There were no other bodies to be seen. Someone had waged a war down here, hundreds of feet below the desert, and came away victorious. 

“Look over there, at the back,” Tower called out. The resolute unicorn raised his foreleg and pointed at another tunnel. It wasn’t natural like the one leading down; the sides were too smooth, like someone had just cut a jagged chunk out of the wall. Rubble was piled up all along the back of the cavern too. 

Without needing to be told, they formed back up. Sunburst led, with Twilight and Trixie behind him. Tower fell to the back of the group, keeping a careful eye out, as the magister led them toward the new passage. Disturbingly, though, the closer they got to the tunnel the less they needed the magelights - something within was casting a dull red glow against the walls. 

Sunburst extinguished his completely, with Tower and Trixie doing the same. Twilight reached out with her telekinesis and groped at the blade strapped around her middle. The long, thin strip of enspelled metal slid free with only a slight hiss. She had no illusions about being able to fight against whoever had dispatched those hook horrors, but not knowing any combat spells she wanted something. No one said anything to her, not even Trixie, which made Twilight feel a little braver. 

“Is that crystal light?” Trixie whispered, only to snap her mouth shut at a look from Sunburst.

They walked down the passageway carefully, with only the sounds of Twilight’s non-spelled horseshoes hooves giving them away to anything listening, and even that was swallowed up when Ivory Tower cast a wordless spell behind her. Twilight couldn’t even hear her own breathing when he was done, or the rustling of their clothes.

Now, truly, it was silent as a tomb. 

The glow intensified, eventually becoming clear as a lit lamp when they stuck their heads out into the new cavern. Or, rather, room because it was clear that this new space had been purposefully cut out of the rock. 

It was small, about twenty feet by twenty feet. Trixie had been right; the walls were lined with glowing red crystals, giving up a steady glow that let the group see the lived-in space they had discovered. Along one wall was a small cot made of molded rock and hay, with a molded desk and a molded chair right beside it. 

But that wasn’t the center point of the room. Taking up the largest part by far, in a pit that looked like it’d been dug out by picks and chisels, was the shattered shell of a massive, massive egg. Disgusting, foul-smelling dried afterbirth was encrusted on the floor around it and the shell looked leathery and shriveled, but Twilight could imagine it whole and it would come up to her eyes at least. 

Sunburst looked around. There were no other ways out of the room. “No one touch anything,” he ordered, looking straight at Trixie.

“Trigger one poison dart trap in an ancient temple and you are branded for life,” she huffed, though she didn’t move to immediately go rummaging. Ivory Tower stepped up to the shattered egg and bent down to examine a piece of it, while Sunburst started muttering a spell by the doorway. 

Twilight realized there were no eyes on her. Trixie was looking at the egg with Ivory Tower and Sunburst was busy with his spell. Feeling a bit foolish with her blade out, Twilight put it back into its sheath and wandered over to the desk. It was neat, except for a few scraps of paper. Twilight tried to make heads or tails of the words on them, but it was all gibberish to her. Some kind of code? Maybe, but Twilight was no cryptologist. 

Nothing else on the desk caught her attention, so she moved to the bed. There was a small blanket folded neatly at the foot, but the hay only went an inch or so deep before it was just hard stone. Whoever slept on this was camping worse than Twilight was back at Fort Dressage. 

She was going to go look at the egg with Trixie, but something caught her attention. A splotch of black amongst the faded yellow hay. Twilight looked back at Sunburst. His horn was flashing and white letters were starting to appear around the doorframe. Ivory Tower and Trixie were now in the pit, talking about different types of monsters that could have come from it. Dragons had already been ruled out, but Trixie was saying it could be something called a “dragon turtle”, which had started a discussion about whether or not a dragon turtle was an actual dragon. They were too engrossed in that to keep track of Twilight. 

What could it hurt? Twilight lit her horn and pushed aside the hay. The splotch grew more and more until she had dug out a small, journal-sized book, wrapped in coarse, black leather. Even feeling the stuff through her telekinesis was disquieting. She had heard that griffons and minotaurs used the stuff, but to see it in Equestria was jarring. 

She flipped it open and nearly choked. It was full of magical wheels. The more pages she turned, the more wheels she saw. There was text as well, in that strange cipher the documents were written in, but the wheels! Twilight could understand them! 

“Hey, guys. I found-”

A deep rumble that raced throughout the cave cut Twilight off. Trixie’s and Tower’s conversation died and Sunburst wheeled around, looking at them accusingly. “What did you do?” he demanded of Trixie. 

“Nothing! I didn’t touch anything!”

Twilight panicked and shoved the black book into her saddlebag before the magister’s eyes fell on her. All he saw was her standing by the bed, sword back out and looking around fitfully as the rumble became more pronounced. 

A horrible, grating screech of rock grinding against rock came from the far side of the room. Twilight jumped back as the wall closest to her suddenly fell away like a massive trap door, revealing a massive suit of armor. It was full combat barding, made to fit a stallion twice as bulky as Sunburst. 

“Get away from it!” he shouted, horn glowing. He looked to Ivory Tower. “Helmed horror?” 

The other magister nodded. “Agreed. We have to get out of here.”

But it was already too late. Behind the blood-red helmet, the empty space was suddenly filled by a dark light, pitch black except for two bright red points where the eyes would have been. To Twilight's growing panic, the suit seemed to stand on its own, spectral legs lifting it up. All the parts of the armor seemed to gain the same mass within, filling out with a wispy blackness that propelled the suit out of its little alcove. 

It’s chanfron swiveled to Twilight, and the little pinpricks of light under that helmet stared straight at her. An enormous blade, as red and vicious as the rest of the armor, pulled free from a sheath on its back. The claymore itself was as long as Twilight was, but it floated loose and steady in the air between them. 

The room suddenly lit in a strobe of blue light. Trixie leaped forward, horn sparking with Twilight’s orchid magic and crackling electricity, aimed straight at the helmed horror. She set her stance, braced herself, and shot an incredible bolt of lightning, straight at the thing’s chest. It hit dead center and the resulting thunderclap popped Twilight’s ears. 

But it didn’t stagger. In fact, it didn’t do anything at all. Little blue arcs of lightning jumped all around the metal barding, but it didn’t look like the horror even felt them. Or could it feel anything at all? 

Another spell, this one from Sunburst, came at the construct. An orb of fire the size of a beach ball slammed into its head, but the flames simply washed around the armor, not even leaving a scorch mark.  

“Two immunities, fire and electricity,” he said. “What’s the third?” 

Ivory Tower let out a breath. His horn didn’t fling a spell, but Twilight thought she saw a wisp of magic try and grab the thing. The armor shook, but it didn’t look like the helmed horror was even noticing it. “Telekinesis.”

“Okay, now I know we need to- Look out!”

Twilight’s blade came up just in time to intercept the horror's claymore before it could separate Trixie’s head from her shoulders. The magister yelped and jumped back to the others, but Twilight was separated from them. The helmed horror stepped into the gap and pushed his blade with his infernal magic, and Twilight started to give way. 

It was so strong! Twilight’s one point of pride was her telekinesis, and this thing was matching her. No, overcoming her! It was using leverage to push down on Twilight’s blade, which was far easier than Twilight trying to keep hers up. The sharp edges slide off each other in a shower of sparks, and Twilight hand to scrambled out the way of its swings as it got around her guard with ease. 

The stone bed behind her was sliced in twain. Another swipe that Twilight couldn’t deflect took out the desk and then the thing ran at her, metal plates grinding against each other from the effort. It was fast, too, and nearly took Twilight’s own head off with a kick, but she managed to crouch justin time. Its armored horseshoes plowed into the wall instead, chipping off rock. 

Twilight stabbed up with her blade, but its point only skidded off the thick peytral protecting the horror’s chest. It tried to stomp her, but Twilight rolled out the way at the last second. Its infernal hooves hit the carved floor like thunderclaps and its head swung around to her in what Twilight could have thought was fury had it been alive.  

“Twilight! Over here! Get through the doorway!” Sunburst yelled. The others were already gone. 

She made a break for it. The horror’s sword whipped at her, and Twilight couldn’t deflect the whole strike. She felt fire race along her barrel as the tip caught flesh and gouged several long lines into her skin, biting through the thin fabric of her padded coat with ease. It hurt horribly, but Twilight focused on the door and pushed through the pain. 

Sunburst was right behind her. The horror thundered after them, but when he tried to pass the portal it crumpled like it’d just ran into a wall. The thing fell hard on the stone floor, but was back up on its feet almost immediately.

“Strigan’s Portal Permanence,” Sunburst wheezed. “It… it can create a barrier… oh Celestia I haven’t had to do spellwork like that in a long time…” 

Twilight suddenly remembered that Trixie had told her that Sunburst had come up with the majority of sympathetic magic in Equestria as a way to overcome his naturally low capacity for magic. “Are you going to be alright?” she asked, watching as the horror started hacking away at the invisible block with his blade. 

“Yes, but we need to get out of here. The horror is likely bound to this specific place and can’t follow us into the desert.” He winced as the entire cave seemed to shake with the fury of the helmed horror’s strikes. “...I hope.”

“Magister Sunburst!” That was Ivory Tower, and it had come from the central cavern. “Your assistance is needed!” 

Twilight and Sunburst shared a look, then ran toward the rest of their party. One of them had lit a magelight near the roof and illuminated the entire cavern in blue. The other two magisters were still near the door, but staring out into the cavern with tense expressions.

Ivory Tower glanced at Sunburst. “The helmed horror?” 

“Contained.” Sunburst’s tone was clipped as he fought to not show his exhaustion. “The hook horrors?”

The large unicorn’s lips pulled into a strained smile. “You already know. We are facing a necromancer.” 

Necromancer. The word made Twilight’s skin crawl. Every unicorn knew about necromancers, those unicorns that dyed themselves in dark magic. They were casters of incredible power, able to wield that evilness without losing their minds, and the most famous of them were villains the likes of which Equestria rarely saw.  

But right now, at this moment, the most important thing about them was that they could raise the dead

A shudder went through one of the hook horror corpses. Twilight saw the decayed muscles tense with power as it jerkingly pushed itself to its feet with its massive claws. The neck of the thing, so much like a bird’s, twisted at unnatural angles as it took in the reunited party. 

It roared at them, diseased mouth flinging flecks of spittle and ichor. Whatever foul magics had reanimated it gave the beast unnatural vitality, because it rushed them at a lolloping gait that was rapidly gaining terrible momentum. 

Ivory Tower blocked its way. With a flick of his horn, the undead beast lit in white fire, stumbling in its run and crashing into a stalagmite. The force of the blow broke the stone off from the cavern roof, sending shards of rock skittering every which way. Its horrible cries echoed as the fire slowly snuffed it out, and one last fireball from Sunburst silenced it for good. 

“You shouldn’t waste your magic,” Tower rumbled, and Twilight saw why he hadn’t relaxed. Even as the one downed monster stopped thrashing, the pile of mangled corpses was beginning to stir. Half-eaten hook horrors were pushing themselves upright, and even ones with missing limbs were starting to move. 

It was something out of a nightmare, and yet Twilight knew she had to fight. Her only solace was that the remaining ones weren't in nearly as whole a shape as the first. 

“I have to save what I have left for the helmed horror behind us,” Sunburst whispered. Twilight had blocked that monster out of her mind. She had to if she was going to focus on the most immediate threat. “Ivory Tower…?”

But it was Trixie that stepped forward. She was shaking and shivering, but she stared down the mass of monsters firmly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will handle this,” she said. Her eyes flicked to Twilight’s, pleading. 

Well. This is what guards were for, wasn’t it? Twilight brought her blade up. She doubted either of the two spells she knew would be much help against these things, and the weapon was starting to feel comfortable anyway. 

And Twilight would probably feel guilty if Trixie ran off and died. “An assistant should stand by her teacher.”

Presented with two willing meals, the zombified hook horrors turned their attention to the two mares. Trixie’s horn lit orchid and she whipped her head in a wide circle. Twilight recognized the spell as the one Trixie had used against her at the fort, so she got ready.

The air shimmered and a fiery red line followed the motions of Trixie’s horn. The wide circle of fire blazed white-hot for a moment, making the corpses pause. With another whip of Trixie’s neck, the circle went flying at the beasts. Twilight ran after it, blade spinning overhead. The circle caught several of them, burning straight into their bodies and igniting the oily flesh. As they flailed, Twilight’s blade flicked out, cutting and slicing at will. The ones without real mobility went down easy, and the fire still burned even when it crashed into the stone floor. 

Motion caught Twilight’s attention and she spun, just in time for her blade to go up and catch the two descending hooks of an intact horror. The thing pushed down at her and its beak snaked around the obstruction, spittle and blood splattering with every snap. 

Twilight twisted on her hooves and kicked out at the thing, feeling the shattering of its beak against her horseshoes. It stumbled back and Twilight drove forward, blade flashing in the blue magelight. But in her hurry she stabbed instead of swiped, and the steel only sank midway into the beast’s stomach. 

“Move!” Trixie shouted. Twilight dove out the way just as a titanic bolt of orchid lightning honed in on the jutting metal. The beast warbled and groaned, but was cooked just as efficiently as the ones hit by fire. It collapsed in a smoking heap at Twilight’s hooves, blade only a little scorched. 

There were only a few undead horrors left, but the second demise of their group didn’t deter them. They came on with the mindless determination of the dead. 

Another tremor went through the cavern. “That was my containment spell!” Sunburst shouted. 

“We’re still dealing with these things!” Trixie shouted back. She whipped back to Twilight, eyes wide and worried. 

Twilight made her decision. She spun on her hooves and galloped to the back of the cavern. Ivory Tower passed her on the way, horn blazing, as he thundered to take her place bulldozing a way through the hook horrors. 

Sunburst was straining. He had cast some kind of shield on this entrance to the tunnel, but it clearly wasn’t as solid as his first one. Every terrible swing of the horror’s sword seemed to rob him of his vitality, and he was shaking with the strain of holding the creature back.

“Let him through!” she ordered, setting her stance. “Don’t tire yourself out! Do it!” she shouted as he hesitated. 

The moment the shield was down the fell suit of armor charged, red blade spinning in a deadly arc overhead. Twilight shifted and dodged as it came down where she’d been standing, trapping the horror’s blade in the stone floor. The construct made no noise when Twilight kicked it hard enough to dent its armor, nor did it look worse for wear after taking a blow that had shattered monster bone not a few moments before. 

It wrenched its sword back through sheer force of black magic, sending Twilight’s blade flying off into the growing darkness until she caught hold of it again. Wordlessly, it lunged at her, sword flashing, stabbing out at Twilight’s defenses. She parried as best she could, but her training at the fort hadn’t covered anything beyond the basics and this creature was by far her master. 

But Twilight wasn’t alone. Sunburst's horn flared and a stream of frosted air slammed into the side of the horror. Twilight’s skin shivered even though she wasn’t in the direct stream, and she kept well back from it as the spell intensified. Ice began to build up all along the thing’s armor, across the small, intricate plates that made up its crinet and crupper, and then into the larger joints of its neck and back. Even its spectral legs began to frost over. 

“The head!” Sunburst shouted. “You must get the helmet away from the rest of the body!”

Twilight galloped at the thing, screaming as she brought her blade down on its neck. The armor caught the blow, but it hadn’t been able to turn and deflect. She slammed into it again, one mighty swing after another, until her sword snapped clean in half. 

The armor shuddered as it fought free of the ice. Plates of metal were hanging off it as the rivets and straps holding it together had snapped from Twilight’s furious attack, but the animated armor was still standing. Haggard, covered in ice, and moving much slower - but still standing

And now Twilight didn’t have a sword. 

She looked around in a fit. Trixie and Ivory Tower were still fighting the last of the hook horrors and neither of them had brought a weapon. Sunburst was leaning against the cavern wall, huffing furiously. That ice spell had been all he had left. 

The massive red metal broadsword flew at Twilight. It, at least, didn’t lose any of its speed and ferocity, unlike its wielder. Twilight ducked and dove, but it was keeping her back. Twilight thought that a few good kicks would end the fight, and the horror seemed to come to the same conclusion and wasn’t letting her close range. 

Twilight knew that eventually she would slip up. Sweat was pouring off her and the humid mire of the deep underground was starting to really get to her. The helmed horror had no such limitations; it could fight and fight and fight until its creator told it to stop. What did heat or exhaustion mean to it? Twilight knew that she had to conserve energy where she could, but without a sword to block and parry with her defense was down to her own agility, and her telekinesis was useless against the thing. 

For a split second Twilight thought about bringing down the ceiling on the horror, but what if that collapsed the whole cave?

 “Anyone have any ideas?!” she shouted, ducking under a swipe so razor close that it cropped a part of her mane down to her neck. 

“Trixie is busy!” the other unicorn shouted. She was at grips with a hook horror - it had her pinned against the wall of the cavern and only Trixie’s shield was keeping it from nipping chunks out of her. Ivory Tower plowed into the undead at speed, body glowing white with magic, and crashed the beast through a stalagmite. 

Inspiration struck. Twilight grabbed the biggest chunk of the new rubble she could get and sent it hurtling at the horror like a club. The thing saw the attack coming and stepped out the way of the wild swing, which slammed into the nearest wall like a hammer. Undeterred, Twilight quickly pulled her new club back and sent it at the knight again. 

Its red blade flashed and the chunk of stalagmite was cut neatly in half. Before Twilight could even comprehend that, the blade was sailing toward her in a wild spin so fast Twilight could hear the air being displaced. 

Her own orchid shield came up out of reflex. The sword chopped her bubble with enough force to deform the entire thing, pushing into and deforming the spell like a stallion trying to crush a water balloon underhoof, but it gave Twilight enough time to scramble out of the way before it popped. 

So. It couldn’t just pop the shield immediately. Twilight pawed at the ground, considering. She was at least a dozen strides from the horror, but if she could get close she was sure a good kick would end the fight. 

Twilight gathered her magic. She dug in her hooves. She reared and pushed forward with all the energy she had left to give. 

The helmed horror’s sword rocketed back to it and put itself between the charging unicorn and its body. Twilight’s shield shimmered to life even as the red claymore struck true, cutting deep into the orchid bubble. 

Too deep. 

It popped with the loud crack! of shattering glass and the flat of the blade caught Twilight full on the shoulder. She was lifted off her hooves and flung like a rag doll, slamming against the wall of the cavern. 

Her vision swam. The glow of the blue magelight seemed far dimmer, the shadows growing longer, and all she could hear was a horrible high pitched ringing between her ears that stole her concentration. Twilight thought she heard someone scream her name, but there was little she could do to answer them. All she really wanted to do was rest, if only for a few minutes. 

A blurry thing appeared before her. Something metallic lifted her chin, so she could look at it. A black mass of squirming, slithering darkness at the end of the sword which would rob her of life. From that vision of terror, epiphany hit - the armor wasn’t to protect the thing inside, it was there to contain it. Restrain it. Force it into a form that could serve and give it will and purpose to suit its master.  

The helmed horror didn’t wish to obey, but Twilight sensed it would take great pleasure in ending her life. 

But something blindly white plowed into it.

Ivory Tower bellowed as he bowled the construct over. He reared up and brought his front hooves down again and again, the sound of metal horseshoe on fell armor echoing throughout the cavern. Trixie galloped up to Twilight and helped her get to her feet, though not without incredible effort on Twilight’s part. 

The magister’s eyes widened as she looked at the massive knot forming under Twilight’s fur by her shoulder. “Is it broken?” she asked, voice scratchy. “We… we have to get out of here! We have to-”

The great magister stallion bellowed again, but this was no war cry. Trixie fell back on her rump with shock as Ivory Tower was flung back, sailing over both unicorn’s heads. Drops of blood fell on them and the massive unicorn made no sound as he bounced across the cavern floor, before sliding to a stop by the far wall. 

He didn’t get up. 

“Oh Celestia,” Trixie whispered. It sounded like the beginning of a prayer. The horror was back on its feet, looking much worse for wear now but certainly not down. Rivers of pure darkness leaked from the holes and breaks in its armor, and an infernal red fire burned inside its shattered helmet. 

From behind the horror, Sunburst furiously raised his head, horn sparking back to life. With an almost casual swing of its sword, the horror crumpled the magister with the flat of its sword, ignoring Trixie's shrill scream as Sunburst's limp body crashed to the cavern floor.

The magelight overhead abruptly winked out. Darkness filled the void, only chased away by the inferno that was the wounded helmed horror. The red light from its helmet danced along the walls of the cave-like a demonic camera obscura, and Twilight saw murder and madness in the shadow theater as the thing stalked forward with silent, furious, gleeful intent. 

Trixie’s breath was coming out in hysterical puffs. What little she could have done against the thing was impossible for her now. Her eyes were wide, watery, and locked on the shadowy form of her master and the pool of blood gathering under his face. 

The same terror was beginning to take Twilight. Every purposeful step of the horror stole slivers of what little bravery she had left. In the darkness over the things head, Twilight could see that wicked red sword, swishing back and forth like the tail of a manticore - it could strike at any moment, running either her or Trixie through, but the helmed horror was only slowly pacing toward them, seemingly relishing the fear rolling off the two unicorns. 

It was beginning to come unbound from its maker's will, and the thing lurking inside the armor enjoyed toying with them. 

Twilight’s mind flashed the exit. On the far side of the cavern, across the newly broken bodies of the hook horrors, was the passage upwards. Could the thing follow her? Would it follow her, with Trixie, Sunburst, and Ivory Tower still left to murder? There were a dozen magisters waiting for them to return; Twilight was sure that so many would utterly destroy this thing. It was the best plan, the smartest plan. The plan that would get Twilight out of this hole alive. 

Trixie didn’t even glance at her when Twilight finally got to her feet. She was shocked, comatose, locked in a listless stare with her coming doom. She paid no attention to Twilight as the other unicorn moved. 

The helmed horror stopped, it’s fires flickering. 

Twilight glared back at it from her place in front of Trixie. 

It’s helmeted head tilted to the side, questioning. Curious. 

“A guard guards.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Twilight’s statement seemed to penetrate whatever constituted a mind for the soulless creation, because the infernal glow inside its armor billowed in anger. The slow, savoring pace it had been setting before was gone; it rushed her like a fiery freight train. 

A twist of Twilight’s head and the largest piece of her shattered sword flew to her side. There were only two or so feet of steel left, and cracks ran up and down the blade. It wouldn’t hold by itself. Twilight’s shield popped between massive red claymore and Twilight’s own sword, adding that one extra layer of protection, which was enough to keep it from instantly breaking again. 

But the helmed horror sensed victory. It bore down on Twilight, buckling her knees to the stone floor. It was so close that its infernal flames licked at her fur; drips of shadow fell onto her from the dents and breaks in its armor. Twilight tried to push it back, but the thing had all the leverage in the world to keep her locked down. 

I need more magic! Twilight realized. She tried to desperately claw for the wellspring of power she knew was deep inside, the one brought out when Trixie had teleported them across the desert, but Twilight had no idea how to call it forth. She couldn’t concentrate. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t hold the sword back! 

Trixie,” Twilight gasped. “Trixie! Help me!” 

The magister had shrank back. “I… I can’t help! I’m weak! I failed!” She curled tighter into a ball. “You… you have the power! You do it! Trixie can’t… I can’t… Master Sunburst…”

Twilight grit her teeth. Her muscles were straining, dancing up and down her body, as she tried with all her might to push the thing back. It wouldn’t budge! Twilight couldn’t move it! “Sunburst will die if you don’t help me!” She cried out her control was pushed back farther and the tip of her own blade pressed into her chest. “I’ll die, Trixie!”

“I- I-”

Slowly the edge split her skin, digging deeper. Now the horror’s own sword was right there, only a few hairs away from her skin. “Trixie!”

Trixie gasped in lungfuls of air. She looked at Twilight, now nearly on the ground, only holding herself upright with her shaking front legs. The blood coming off her in a thousand little drops. The sound of the armor-wearing bonfire that was nearly humming with malevolent victory. 

Twilight’s eyes fitfully jerked to the side. Her shield was glowing red hot and her blade was only held together by telekinesis. “Please, Trixie! Please!”

A scream. Twilight’s when her blade finally shattered and the infernal claymore bit into the skin of her neck - and Trixie’s own, as she surged up in a fit of manic rage. Her horn flared, orchid magic morphing into pure fire, drilling straight into the broken helmet of the demonic horror when Trixie reared at it. The thing stumbled back, but it still slammed a front leg into Trixie’s face and sent her straight to the ground. 

Twilight slipped off the slack claymore. Grabbed it, with the last of her strength. She felt the dark magic of the horror try and stop her, but it was weak. Tenuous. The weight of the blade settled onto her shoulders as she heaved it up. 

The horror lept at her like a rabid animal, all conditioning and restraints broken. It was a mass of pure shadow and dark flames and the fell magics animating it blazed fitfully, lighting the cavern like a dark star. An elemental horror that could only consume. 

Twilight’s infernal claymore sang. It slashed straight through the mass of shadows like it weighed nothing. Like it had been made for her. It split the horror from head to breast and bit deep into the stone floor. 

The thing hung in the air for a breath, pulsing like the demonic heart of an elder god. Twilight screamed again, yanking back up the claymore and slicing down again and again, spilling shadow and tiny licks of infernal fire with every swipe until the dark cavern was lit up like night’s sky. Even when the horrible thing groaned and exploded into bits of shattered armor, Twilight kept slashing and stomping and screaming until each one was nothing but a crunched ruin. 

In the complete blackness of the cavern, the only light came from the claymore. The red runes on its blade danced and shimmered, before Twilight let it slip from her magical grasp. They went dark without her magic feeding them.

Trixie was sobbing. Twilight heard her, wanted to go over to her, but her legs finally gave out. Her neck was numb, but she felt the blood dripping down her chest. The cut on her side had grown wider as well, and Twilight toppled over on her other side. 

She let her eyes slip closed, slowly losing the sound of Trixie to the encroaching unconsciousness as exhaustion caught up with her.