To Hell and Back

by Krickis

1 – The Summoning

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Why did it have to be the day before Nightmare Night of all times? Of course, Luna was always happy to serve Equestria’s needs, but Nightmare Night was her favorite night of the year, and she was afraid this would cause her to miss it.
Granted, she couldn’t have asked for a better reason for the interruption in her plans. Her cutie mark was glowing, something that had never happened before. Of course, she was familiar with the phenomenon. The Cutie Map called ponies to somewhere in Equestria or the lands beyond to solve a friendship problem. It picked ponies based on their ability to fulfill the task, which meant it had specifically chosen Luna for this job.
And because she was going over preparations for Nightmare Night, Luna was conveniently in Ponyville. She had planned on spending the holiday with her girlfriend – their first Nightmare Night together – but duty called, it seemed. Hoping that it would all be over swiftly and she might be back to Ponyville in time for the festivities, she left the Nightmare Night preparations to fly straight to Twilight’s castle.
Before she reached the castle, her eyes went wide and she smiled with excitement. She saw just the pony she wanted to see down on the ground, and she felt a wicked rush as she realized that her girlfriend did not see her in turn.
Luna immediately flew up to the nearest cloud and hid behind it. It was grey with rain, which was just perfect. She used it as cover to get closer to her target, then when she was right behind her, she used it to send a bolt of lightning down, and used her royal Canterlot voice to yell, “Beware, foalish mortal!”
Predictably, Fluttershy yelped and dove to the ground, her chest heaving as she looked up at Luna’s smiling face poking out from the cloud. “L-Luna?”
Luna jumped down to the ground and grinned. “Greetings, Fluttershy! I got you good this time!”
Fluttershy stood up and brushed herself off. She smiled and said, “Yeah, you… Uhm, you really scared me…”
Luna put a foreleg around her and held her girlfriend close. Fluttershy returned the hug, and when they pulled apart, they shared a quick kiss.
“Fear not, dearest, you know I would never let any harm befall you.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I know, but uhm…”
Luna giggled. “Yes, I know. I can be quite intimidating when I wish to be.”
Fluttershy looked like she wanted to say something, and for a moment, Luna thought she might even be upset. But instead she just smiled and said, “It’s good to see you.”
“And you.” As Luna took stock of Fluttershy more fully, she noticed for the first time that they shared something in common – Fluttershy’s cutie mark was also glowing. “And I see the Map has called you as well! Most joyous, I feared we would be apart on Nightmare Night!”
“Oh, you were called?” Fluttershy noticed Luna’s glowing flank. “How nice. I wonder where it will send us?”
“As do I. Perhaps to Griffonstone? I have not seen the city since my return, though I was quite fond of it in the past. Or the Frozen North, or… Ooh, what if it sends us to the Crystal Empire? Imagine the look on Cadance’s face when we show up to solve a friendship problem in her empire!”
“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.” Fluttershy leaned against Luna as they resumed walking to the castle. All along the way, Luna theorized about where they might be going while Fluttershy steadfastly reminded her girlfriend that they would find out before long.
When they reached the castle and Luna knocked on the large doors, barely a moment passed before they opened, Twilight on the other side. “Princess Luna! Fluttershy! I knew you’d be coming. Please, come in.”
They did as they were bid, and Luna spared a quick glance towards her cutie mark as she did. It was still glowing. “I trust the Map informed you we were chosen?”
“It did, yes.” Twilight didn’t seem as excited as Luna was. Could this really be that routine to her?
“So uhm, where are we going?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight didn’t answer immediately. Luna cocked her head to the side as she walked, unable to see Twilight’s expression. Eventually, she answered. “I don’t actually know…”
“Oh.” Luna frowned. “I thought the Map showed you when it revealed who was to make the trip.”
“It does. Usually…”
This seemed to be a point of frustration to Twilight, so Luna chose to not dwell on the strangeness. “Well, I hope it’s somewhere tropical. I don’t mind the cold, but basking in the sun with Fluttershy sounds positively heavenly.” She nuzzled her girlfriend as she finished.
Fluttershy nuzzled her back, but she also gently chided her. “It’s not a vacation, Luna.”
Luna smiled. “Of course, I will give my full attention to the friendship problem. But once the problem is solved, who could blame us for relaxing a bit should the climate suit it?”
Fluttershy giggled. “I guess that’s fair.”
“Of course, if there is time to return to Ponyville for Nightmare Night, that would be ideal.”
Fluttershy glanced away. “Yeah, uhm… It’d be good to be home for… that.”
Luna cocked her head to the side, but before she could say anything, Twilight opened the door to a room, in the center of which was the Cutie Map. As soon as she laid eyes on it, Luna immediately saw the problem. Her cutie mark was dancing with Fluttershy’s, the two encircling one another endlessly, but they orbited the whole map.
A closer inspection didn’t tell Luna anything else. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but usually the cutie marks float over where we’re meant to go, no?”
“That’s always how it worked in the past,” Twilight said.
“I’ve never seen it do this either,” Fluttershy said as she stepped up to stand beside Luna.
Whatever anyone else was going to say was cut off by something none of them could have predicted. As the two mares stood together directly in front of the Map, the whole table shook. An ominous groan sounded from the Map, then it separated itself from the table, lifting into the air. Pillars of stone rose from the table, holding the map aloft. They seemed to connect to various points at random.
The biggest pillar was right in the center, directly below Canterlot. That was where Luna’s attention was drawn to. The map rose until it was about half a pony’s height off the table, and then there, all the way at the bottom near the table, their cutie marks rotated that central pillar.
“What in the world…” Luna took a closer look at the pillar, noting that the map seemed to be giving off an excessive amount of heat. It was intricate in design, and seemed to be hollow, judging by what she could see through large cracks in the exterior. There were corridors running through it, endless staircases scaling its depths, and bubble-like chambers.
At the spot where their cutie marks spun around, there seemed to be a particularly large chamber. Indeed, unless Luna was mistaken, and assuming the map was to scale, it was larger than Canterlot.
Luna looked to the others, but they were just as dumbfounded as she was. “I take it this is… abnormal?”
“Yes.” Twilight turned to examine the pillar with their cutie marks around the bottom. “Very much so.”

Of all the ways Luna expected her first friendship mission to go, she did not expect it would begin with helping Twilight comb through ancient textbooks. But of course, she also hadn’t expected the spectacle in the Map room, and they needed to understand it.
Upon observation, and with a bit of note checking to verify the accuracy, Twilight realized that the pillars all connected to magical hotspots throughout Equestria. Luna was able to confirm that the reason Canterlot was chosen as the capital of the burgeoning country was because it seemed to be the most magical place in the land. To that end, they were able to discern why the biggest pillar was connected to Canterlot, but not a whole lot else.
And thus, the research. Mostly they leafed through old books about natural sources of magic, hoping to find some reference to what they had seen. It had been two hours, and they hadn’t found anything of interest.
The door to the library opened, and Fluttershy flew through it. In her front hooves she carried a tray with a teapot and three cups. “I think it’s time for a little break.”
Luna smiled and rubbed her tired eyes. “That sounds delightful, dearest.”
Twilight sighed. “I guess we might as well. I’m not getting anywhere with this one.” She gestured to a dusty tome, then pushed it aside.
The three mares gathered around a table, which Fluttershy set the tea down on. Luna and Fluttershy sat side by side on a small couch, while Twilight sat in a chair across from the couple.
“So how’s the research going?” Fluttershy asked, although her tone suggested she already knew.
“I haven’t been able to figure anything out,” Twilight said dejectedly. “I’ve looked through just about every book that might have information about the magical hotspots that the pillars from the map connect to, and all I can do is verify that they exist. I know I’ve seen something like this before, but I can’t find anything!”
“My luck has been as bad as Twilight’s, I’m afraid,” Luna reported. “I was looking into the cave system in Canterlot Mountain, hoping for some clue about this pillar the map claims is underneath it, but alas, the caves are just as I remember them from my youth, and there is no pillar there.”
“Not to mention that the map suggests this pillar is huge,” Twilight added. “Many times deeper than Canterlot mountain is tall. It would be ludicrous to suggest something like that is right under our hooves without us knowing about it.”
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “So it’s not in Equestria?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, that can’t be it. The Map is never wrong, we’re just not understanding it right. Somehow that thing is there, it’s just… not.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Like Discord.”
Both Luna and Twilight turned to Fluttershy, momentarily forgetting their tea. “Discord?” Luna asked.
“Well, what if there was a friendship problem in his chaos dimension? That’s in Equestria, but it’s also not, right? How would the map show that.”
Although Luna wasn’t positive she understood, Twilight’s jaw fell open. “Fluttershy, that’s it! You’re a genius!”
The younger alicorn downed the rest of her tea and bolted back to the books. Luna preferred to sip her tea slowly, though she did put her wing over Fluttershy. “By the sounds of it, you seem to be onto something.”
Fluttershy also opted to just sip her tea. “I wish I knew what I was onto though.”
“I trust we’ll know soon enough.”
They sipped their tea to the sound of Twilight tearing through books. By the time they finished, Twilight teleported back to them with a book cradled in her foreleg. “Aha! I knew I’ve seen that pillar structure before!”
She set the book down on the table, and Luna took note of its appearance. It seemed to be a very old book, with black tipped pages that had faded to grey through the centuries. Those in conjunction with the black cover made the book look very dark, though there were hints that it had once had red on its cover that had faded away over the years.
Twilight muttered to herself as she opened it and flipped through its pages. Though the book was upside down from Luna’s perspective, she could tell that the thin writing could only have been done by a unicorn with good control of their magic and very careful quilmenship. There were illustrations drawn in as well, all of which were done by hoof or horn, the book seeming to predate the printing press significantly.
“Here!” Twilight spun the book around, pointing at an illustration of the same pillar they had seen on the map. It was labelled in Old Ponish, though the writing was difficult to make out.
“What are we looking at?” Luna asked.
“This book collects stories of otherworldly phenomena. I hadn’t ever thought any of them were true, but after we met Discord, I took another look through it and realized it features the most accurate depiction of draconequi in any tome I’ve ever seen.” Twilight pointed to a point in the midsection of the pillar. “According to later passages of the book, Discord and other draconequi come from around here.”
“Is that Discord’s chaos realm?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t know what Discord is doing here in Equestria, but I think his chaos dimension is located somewhere else along this pillar.”
“And at the bottom?” Luna asked.
Twilight moved her hoof along the book, pointing to the bottom. “This dimension is referred to as Hell in the book, and it’s not well described.”
“So we’re going to Hell?” Fluttershy said, looking at Luna.
“It seems we must,” Luna said to Fluttershy, then turned back to Twilight. “But does the book describe how to get there?”
“Not exactly, but it does describe how the pillar works. It’s not a literal thing that exists, but it connects a series of worlds together, any of which can be reached through it. I think we can get you to Hell by tapping into the magic in Canterlot.”
“We should utilize the caves,” Luna suggested. “The magic wells up there naturally, so we’ll have an easier time tapping into it. It would not be the first time the gateway to another world was found in those depths…”
Twilight nodded and flipped a few pages. “This book has a few symbols related to Hell. Maybe one of them can be used in our spell?”
Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy who answered. She pointed at an upside down five-pointed star in a circle. “That one.”
“Hmm?” Twilight frowned. “The pentagram? Why that one?”
“I don’t know, it just… feels right.”
Luna nodded. “I agree. I feel it too. Perhaps it’s the Map’s magic pulling us in the right direction?”
“Could be,” Twilight said slowly. “But it’s never done that before.”
“Well, whatever the reason, I think it seems as good as any other symbol,” Luna said. “We should make preparations for the trip to Canterlot.”
“I agree.” Twilight closed the book, then took hold of it with her magic. “I’ll pack some things for the trip. You two should do the same. I don’t think we’ll be back in Ponyville tonight.”
“I’ll have to make sure all the animals are okay before we go,” Fluttershy said.
Luna nodded. “We’ll go together.”
Fluttershy giggled. “You just want to see the animals before we go.”
Luna put a hoof to her heart in mock offense. “You wound me, Fluttershy. That is merely a perk.”
The sound of Fluttershy’s laugh was musical, and Luna loved to cause it. It made her smile, and she draped her wing over Fluttershy as they walked out of the castle.
“So,” Fluttershy asked as they stepped out into the sunlight, “have you heard of this Hell place?”
Luna shook her head. “No, but the caves beneath Canterlot host a great many mysterious artifacts stored in it. If there is a way, we will find it.”
“I hope we do,” Fluttershy said with a slight frown. “Somepony needs us.”
“Someone,” Luna corrected. “I do not know what we will find, but it is not unlikely they won’t be ponies.”
Fluttershy nodded. “You’re right. Whoever or whatever needs us, I want to help.”
Luna leaned down to kiss Fluttershy on the cheek. “We will, love.”
“But… it’s scary to think about going to another world…”
“I know, but I will be with you the whole time.” Luna smiled. “Besides, it’s nearly Nightmare Night. It’s the time to embrace being afraid!”
“I guess…”
“Fluttershy.” Luna stopped Fluttershy from walking. “Everything will be okay. Just stick with me, and I will protect you from whatever this Hell has to offer.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you, Luna.”
“Of course, my dear Fluttershy.”
After a quick nuzzle, they resumed their walk. Luna did not know what Hell would bring to them, but she knew it was her responsibility to keep watch over Fluttershy, and she would not falter in her duty.

In the streets of Canterlot, Nightmare Night flair was all around them. It wouldn’t be for another night yet, but there were already decorations in all the shop windows. It was nice to at least see some cheer, considering they didn’t know when they would be back.
Luna said as much to her companions. “It’s just a shame that we probably won’t be able to join the festivities tomorrow.”
Fluttershy didn’t seem to be as bothered. “I’m sure we can have a nice enough time without Nightmare Night.”
Luna was going to point out that it was her favorite night of the year, but before she could, Twilight spoke up. “Are you kidding? Forget Nightmare Night, you’re going to explore a new world! So many things to see, so many things to experience… You have to take careful note of everything that happens.”
That caused Luna to smile. “You’re right, Twilight. Would you like to accompany us? I know the Map didn’t call you, but…”
“Exactly, it didn’t call me.” Twilight sighed. “Whatever needs to happen needs the two of you. I’d probably just get in the way.”
Fluttershy looked to Luna, who understood her girlfriend wasn’t sure how to cheer their friend up. Thankfully, Luna had an idea. “You know, once we open communications with this world, it’s likely we’ll make friends there. I think a certain Princess of Friendship could make her own diplomatic mission to Hell. In fact, I think she might even have a duty to do so.”
Twilight was clearly trying to hold back a smile. “Well, I would hate to be negligent in my duties…”
Fluttershy and Luna looked at one another and stifled their laughter.
The group had come prepared to at least stay the night. They each had food rations, and Twilight had brought a sleeping bag and a book since she planned to sleep in the cave while she waited for them to return. It was already evening, after all, and they had no idea what lay ahead of them.
Of course, first they needed to get there. The nearest entrance to the caves beneath Canterlot wasn’t in the city, so the three mares followed Luna’s lead as she gradually led them away from the populace. It was a shame, she’d like to enjoy the Nightmare Night decorations at least a little more, but she knew they’d already spent a lot of time researching their route, and would likely spend much more trying to figure out how to open a portal to Hell.
“Princess Luna!” They heard the voice of a young colt and turned to look. They had almost made it out of the city, but it seemed they hadn’t been unnoticed.
Luna smiled. “Hello, little one. And my, what a scary costume you have!”
Although it was only the day before the holiday, Luna was delighted to see a colt was already in his Nightmare Night costume. He had two red horns, a cape, and a narrow red tail with a point coming out from behind him. He couldn’t have been more than six, and they saw what looked to be his mother standing behind and watching. “I’m a devil!”
“So you are! You gave us quite a fright when we saw you.”
He stood proudly at that. “Can you show me your Nightmare Moon face?”
Luna looked away towards the others. “I’m afraid we’re quite busy. I couldn’t possibly…” She rapidly turned back, assuming the visage of Nightmare Moon as she did. “Beware, child! Appease thy master with thine candy offering, or I will return to eat you!”
The colt screamed and ran back to his mother, but his scream ended in laughter.
Luna returned to her normal form, and looked back to see both Twilight and Fluttershy had also been caught off guard by her sudden outburst. She put her hoof to her mouth and laughed. “You two should see your faces!”
Twilight quickly composed herself, but it took Fluttershy a moment longer, then they both smiled. “You sure do get in character,” Twilight said.
“Yes, Luna loves scaring ponies on Nightmare Night,” Fluttershy said with her eyes on the ground.
“Especially the younger foals,” Luna said. “But come, we should continue.”
Luna walked past her friends and continued to lead the way towards the caves. They were soon out of town, leaving the sounds of the city behind them.
“How far are the caves?” Fluttershy asked as they walked.
“Not too far. Close enough to walk to, else I would suggest we fly.” In truth, the only reason Luna didn’t suggest they fly was because she knew Fluttershy preferred to keep her hooves on the ground. She didn’t mind walking, though it did feel a little pointless when they all had wings.
But even so, Luna hadn’t lied when she said it was close enough to walk to. They steadily made their way along a seldom used but very clear path until they came to a small building stationed at the entrance to the caves.
“It’s through a building?” Fluttershy asked.
Luna nodded. “It would be dangerous for a pony to wander in unprepared. The caves have many twists and turns, and without a guide, one could get lost. Not to mention some places are steep drops, and for those without wings, proper safety equipment is necessary.”
“Good idea sectioning it off,” Twilight said as they entered the building.
A sleepy looking bat pony looked up at the three mares as they entered. He sat up straight when he saw who they were. “Princess Luna!”
Luna smiled. “Greetings. My friends and I require access to the caves. Would you be so kind as to unlock the way for us?”
“Yes, of course.” The bat pony scrambled to get a key to unlock the way, perhaps afraid that Luna would  be impatient if he took too long. “Will you need a guide? Or any supplies?”
Luna considered, but they had brought all the supplies they needed with them. Moreover, she didn’t want anyone else involved when the portal was opened. It was always best to play it safe when other worlds were involved, at least until they understood the situation better. “No, I don’t believe so, but I thank you for the offer. I know the cave system, we can all fly if needed, and Twilight and I both excel in magic should we need it.”
“Maybe we’ll take one of these maps, if that’s okay?” Twilight said as she levitated a map from a nearby rack.
“Yes, of course! Anything you need!” The bat pony stuck the key in a door and turned it. When he pushed the door open, they saw into the cave for the first time. There was a small staircase from the building to the cave floor, then the incline was gentle enough to not need any sort of additional support.
“Sure is a long way down…” Fluttershy said.
Luna nodded. “It is, but we’ll all be together. Just stay close to me and Twilight, and all will be well.”
Fluttershy took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
At her prompting, Luna stepped out onto the stairs, and then onto the stone floor of the cave. There were lights for a good portion of the way down, although it was likely that she and Twilight would have to light their way before long.
Fluttershy was the next to step out, staying close to Luna. Twilight brought up the rear, examining the map as she did so. “So where are we headed?”
Luna waited until they were farther away from the building to respond. “I did not wish to say inside, but there are places that are not on that map. There is a repository of magical artifacts; we shall go there and see if there is anything we can use.”
Even though it wasn’t useful, Twilight kept the map out. Luna chose not to comment, figuring it gave her some sense of security in the unfamiliar place.
For her part, Luna had explored the caves extensively with her sister. True, that had been many years ago, but they did not change much in that time, and her memory of those years was fresh in her memory – unlike the time of her banishment, which had all been a weird blur in her mind.
It grew steadily cooler as they descended. Mostly they travelled on hoof, but occasionally Luna would have them go into deeper chasms where they had to fly. As expected, Luna and Twilight were needed to light the way before too long, and they quickly found themselves going off the map. As they made their way through, Twilight pencilled in the different turns they’d taken. Luna did not like the idea that Twilight might need to return without them, but she saw the wisdom in making sure Twilight knew the way back on her own.
It was eerily still in the cave, the only sounds or signs of life being the three mares and their steady descent. To keep her companions from feeling claustrophobic, Luna regaled them with tales of when she and Celestia would sneak away from Starswirl’s lessons and hide in the cave system.
“Eventually he caught on to where we were going, and then he moved our lessons down here. Because of the natural magic source, it proved beneficial to many of his lessons.”
Twilight nodded. “I can feel it. My magic feels so much more… potent down here.”
“I, uhm, I think I feel it too.” Fluttershy frowned. “Or well, I feel something.”
Luna considered that. As a pegasus, Fluttershy’s magic mostly came from inside of her. It was what enabled flight in a species that was too large for the size of their wings. Without a horn to channel the magic around her, Fluttershy should not have been able to feel anything out of the ordinary in the cave.
But then… Yes, there was something, wasn’t there? Luna had been distracted by the excess of magic, but she felt something else as they descended the cave system. It was the same thing she had felt when she knew which magical symbol to use. And it was growing stronger.
And then it happened. Luna was going to have them take a left at a fork, but something told her to take a right. She hesitated.
“Luna?” Twilight prompted. “Please tell me we’re not lost down here.”
“No, of course, it’s just down there.” Luna pointed to the correct path.
“Well then, let’s go!” Twilight took a step forward, but neither of the others followed her lead.
Instead, Luna turned towards Fluttershy. “Which way do you think we should go?”
Fluttershy blinked. “Oh, well, I don’t know these caves and I don’t want to get us lost. But… what’s down the other path?”
Luna looked down the left path. “I do not know.”
“But, uhm, you feel it too, right?” Fluttershy asked.
“Feel what?” Twilight asked.
“Do you think it’s the Map calling us?” Fluttershy asked.
Luna closed her eyes and focused on the feeling. “I do not. Something is calling us, but it’s not the Map. It feels… darker…”
Fluttershy nodded. “I think so too.”
“Darker?” Twilight asked. “As in dark magic? Do you think something tampered with the Map to get us here?”
Luna shook her head slowly. “It feels dark, but not sinister. It feels… inviting. This is not Sombra’s brand of dark magic, I can assure you of that.”
“So… what do we do?” Twilight asked, and Luna had no answer.
“I think, uhm…” Fluttershy looked at the others. “I think someone out there really needs us. And I think we should help them.”
In answer to Twilight’s question, Luna set off towards the left path. The other mares fell in step behind her, and the good natured stories of the past stopped.
In their place, there was a feeling. It felt like they weren’t alone down here after all. Like they were being watched. Like they were being guided. But still, it did not feel sinister. A comfortable darkness, that was the only way Luna could think to describe it.
Thankfully, the path did not diverge again, so they had no chance to get lost on the unfamiliar path. They came to a dead end, a small circular room. At first Luna couldn’t help but feel disappointed, then she noticed that the room was exceptional.
Twilight noticed as well. “Are these engravings on the walls?”
Luna examined them closer. They were runes, but they did not look Ponish in origin. Still, as she traced a hoof over them, she felt a sort of familiarity. “This is… I know this.”
“You know it?” Twilight asked. “Wait, is this another one of those things where I don’t feel whatever you two are feeling? Fluttershy, do you recognize any of these runes?”
“Hmm…” Fluttershy leaned in to get a closer look. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before. But I do feel like we’re where we need to be.”
“Where we need to be…” Luna repeated, though she wasn’t sure if she was talking about the group of mares that were present. “Yes. We’re where we need to be.”
“Okay.” Twilight looked between them. “Uhm, any idea what we need to do?”
Luna considered for a moment. “Let’s draw that symbol on the floor. You have the chalk?”
Twilight took off her saddlebags and set them on the ground. A moment later, she rummaged through the bags and produced a stick of white chalk. “Of course.”
While Twilight drew the pentagram, Luna and Fluttershy stood back. Luna tried to figure out what else they might need to do.
“Portals are complicated magic,” Luna explained to Fluttershy. She did it to clue her girlfriend into what they were going to be doing, but even more so, she did it so she could run through what they needed to do out loud and see if anything jumped out at her. “Teleporting is difficult, but once you get the knack of it, it’s really quite manageable. Portals, on the other hoof, are a field of magic even skilled unicorns struggle with.”
“Oh. Will you and Twilight be able to do it?”
“Twilight and I are alicorns,” Luna answered. “We are more powerful than even particularly skilled unicorns. Even so, it will not be easy. If we had something from Hell to act as a conduit, that would make it significantly easier. Instead, we shall have to hope the symbol is enough.”
Fluttershy looked around. “What about these other runes? Will they help?”
Luna smiled. “Very astute, Fluttershy. Yes, they will help us, assuming that I am correct and these runes are of Hellish origins. This room could be something of a conduit, and we’ll attempt to use the pentagram as a focal point.”
“It’s done,” Twilight said. “Care to double check it?”
It was not a difficult symbol. For the sake of being thorough, Luna looked it over, but as she expected, Twilight’s chalk work was perfect. “It will do. Now, let us see what we can do.”
She and Twilight stood on opposite sides of the pentagram. Luna at the bottom, with one of the star’s points aimed at her, Twilight at the top, in between two points. Fluttershy stood in the room’s opening, staying out of the way so the alicorns could work.
They both channeled a beam of light from their horns, meeting in the middle. This was a standard way to combine magic powers, each of them touching the other’s magic. Luna closed her eyes.
Although they were across the room, Luna could feel Twilight. Not in any physical sense, but she could feel Twilight’s magical signature. In essence, Luna could feel Twilight’s life force when they were connected as they were.
And she felt it meld with her own. It was, in fact, a very intimate experience, and for a brief moment she wished it could be shared with Fluttershy rather than Twilight. She discarded this thought as soon as it came. She had to make herself fully vulnerable to Twilight for this to work, and of course, Twilight was a good friend even if there was nothing romantic between them. If she was to meld her magic with someone else, Twilight was a fine choice.
She felt Twilight struggle with similar reservations, and likewise, she felt Twilight move past them. Only with that done, with the two of them fully accepting one another, did they truly meld.
Without opening her eyes, Luna began to see. Not from her body, but from in front of it. She could see herself, could see Fluttershy looking on, could see Twilight across from her. She and Twilight had become as one, extending their reach beyond their physical bodies to the place where their magic connected.
And then they dove. The Map had shown the pillar below them, so in a mutual understanding, they moved as one downward. If they had done so physically, all they would have found was more cave. In this, they found something much different.
They travelled through darkness for a time, until they came to the pillar itself. It was a spiral staircase, and it seemed it went on for eternity. Nothing physical could stand between them, but Luna and Twilight had to travel by the staircase, not through it. It wasn’t a physical thing, there was, in actuality, no pillar beneath them. But here, in this place, at this time, it was entirely too real.
It opened to a corridor, and Luna could feel Twilight’s resistance. Without needing to communicate, she knew that Twilight’s curiosity was threatening to get the better of her. Every corridor had the potential to take them to a new world, each more fantastical than the last.
No, Luna reminded her. Our destination is below.
Twilight resisted. Unable to stop her and unwilling to risk breaking the link, Luna allowed herself to be moved to the entrance of the corridor. But they could not move through it, could not even see inside it.
This way is locked to us, Luna observed. We must move on.
Twilight relented, and they moved downwards. They did not stop at the next corridor, nor the one after that. They knew each corridor would all be locked. They had the means to travel, but they did not have the key to get into any of these worlds.
So downwards they moved. Ever downwards.
How long did they travel? In reality, Luna expected it lasted mere seconds on the physical plane. But here, in this place, at this time, it took an eternity. Always downwards they moved, always down.
Luna could feel Twilight falter again, this time because of the length of the journey. They were both alicorns, but Twilight was considerably younger than she was. This time, Luna pushed forward, putting more of herself into them to make up for the ways Twilight lacked.
Distantly, she registered that Fluttershy had taken hold of her physical body. She discarded this thought as soon as it came. And she pushed down. Ever downwards.
Eventually, things changed. There was no temperature in the spiritual realm, but here, Luna and Twilight felt an otherworldly sense of heat. It threatened to overwhelm them, to push them back, but they refused. They were close. They continued downwards.
And there it was. A doorframe, but with a solid wall of stone inside in. Luna and Twilight bowed their head – or what passed for a head in this form – and touched the doorway. The pentagram burned into the stone, and it opened with a scream that caught them off guard.
The next thing Luna knew, she was on the floor of the cave with Fluttershy hovering over her. “Luna! Luna, are you awake?”
“Fl-Fluttershy?” Luna blinked her eyes. “Did it work?”
“There was a lot of light, and you fell, and I was so worried, and… and…” Fluttershy’s train of thought derailed as she looked towards Twilight. The smaller alicorn was getting to her hooves, but in between them, there was a well of dark energy coming up from the ground.
“It worked,” Luna muttered, getting to her hooves. “We’ve done it. The portal to Hell is open to us.”
“Luna… is this a good idea?” Twilight looked at the ground, where red and black energies rose and fell. “That sound, and the heat, and now this?”
It wasn’t that Luna didn’t understand where Twilight’s concerns came from. She’d had the same thoughts herself. But there was something of this place, it called to her.
“Someone needs our help, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, and both of the others turned to her. “I know it’ll be scary… But Luna will be there, and we’ll be careful.”
Luna nodded, grateful for Fluttershy’s response. She wasn’t ready to admit there was something else about Hell that was calling to her. “Fluttershy is right. I think we need to see this through. Besides, the Map has never steered you wrong before.”
“Well, true… And it always sends all of us if it’s really dangerous…”
Luna nodded, then turned to Fluttershy. “Are you ready?”
Fluttershy took a deep breath, then smiled at her girlfriend. “As I’ll ever be.”
“I’ll stay and keep an eye on things,” Twilight said. “If you’re not back by tomorrow, though…”
“We will be,” Luna said. “We’ll try to find a way to send word to you if we can.”
Twilight nodded. “Good luck.”
“Thank you, Twilight.” Luna turned to Fluttershy. “Let’s go.”
Fluttershy nodded, then as one, the two of them stepped into the portal.