Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto


Journey Through the Dark - Part 12

Right into a wall was where the path led, it turned out. Not before a long spiralling staircase inside what was probably a tower by the look of things though. Of course, the wall was meant to open, Twilight was just waiting for the guard outside to finally move far enough for her to be able to. It did mean she was probably back into the regular portion of the castle, which was a little disappointing, but it was still worth having a look there. Afterwards, she'd probably go back the way she'd come the very first time, and try to search there. She'd wait on looking around the laboratory again until the two researchers went away, hoping they wouldn't be sleeping there.
Finally the pony outside moved far enough away for their hoofsteps to become inaudible even to Twilight's enhanced hearing. She waited a little longer, to ensure she only heard silence outside, then her magic touched the stone in front of her and slowly the wall shifted open. She walked outside, onto the carpet covering the floor, and closed the exit behind herself.
She stood in a corner, the corridor continued both in front of her and to the side. The guard had been walking forward, and she decided to do the same, trying to piece together where exactly she was in the castle. Finding an intersection with another hallway she took a turn, and her question was answered.
It wasn't something she saw or heard. It was more of a feeling. A certainty that built up inside her without concrete evidence, only fuelled by instinct, and yet she knew it was true precisely because of that. Her muscles tensed, and she forcefully had to remind herself that she was hidden behind all conceivables manners of spells. Carefully, much more so than was perhaps reasonable, she kept on walking forward.
She understood why she'd had some trouble figuring out where she was. That section of the castle hadn't been there in the one she was most familiar with, and it was probably not the only change made to the building. Reasonable, everything considered. That secondary entrance to the throne room definitely hadn't been there either.
It was closer to the actual throne than the one she'd passed. At least, it made sense if it was. The throne itself was probably at the end of the room opposite the main entrance. She tried really hard to convince herself that she'd subconsciously followed that line of reasoning, and that the thought had nothing to do with the fact that it felt closer to the throne. She tried to ignore the feeling of being watched, too.
She shouldn't have been there. She had nothing to gain from walking there. She could just go back, find another path within the castle or go out the way she'd found and come back in. She really wanted to leave that particular spot, too.
Her legs wouldn't move. The corners of her vision were getting dark, and her stomach felt like it was turning inside out. Her head hurt, and the shadows growing deeper around her seemed to be looking back at her. Screaming would have been a foolish thing to do, but it was only her body's inability to that kept her from it. Her horn sputtered, and for what she knew could be her last moments of clarity before passing out she hoped Celestia would at least close the portal if she did not come back in time, and that it wouldn't be found before then.