Left Behind

by The Psychopath


Tarnished Sun

The ponies stared, dumbfounded, at Bombastic. A mountain, underneath a griffin city? It made no sense.

"You mean a piece is there," Moon pried.

The minotaur shook his head. "No. We broke what we thought was a floor, and it turned out to be a roof, and it goes down far. We didn't bother exploring it since we're more preoccupied with our operations up here."

Nightmare Moon's mind was wracked with confusion. Even if Celestia had gone made and buried everything in lava and ash, volcanoes don't just get buried! It was a mountain, even. How did that even happen? Did Canterlot slide off? No, even a tower wouldn't have been left intact after falling from such a height. Likely they were confusing with something else.

"Show me," Moon demanded.

"Are you sure?" Sunny asked. "You're still suffering from the dregs of the poison."

Moon waved her servant off and stood up, landing hard on the ground when she got off the table. She watched the two criminals invite her outside then followed after them. In the meantime, The alicorn focused her magic to flow through her body and attack the remnants of the poison once again. To her surprise, everything seemed to be getting pulled towards her stomach, where that revolting sludge shoved down her throat rested. The sensations made her nauseous.

Sunny expected her to look disgusted when she stepped into the muddy land of the underground hideout but was surprised to see that Moon was only just barely irritated by the dirt. Was her time in his home city really that extreme, or did she deal with similar circumstances before...all this? A part of Sunny yearned to know of her past, of all the details, but he knew that asking that at this time was far too dangerous, and that didn't mean the area they were currently at.

"Down this tunnel," Bombastic said.

Said tunnel grew in size and steepness the further in everyone went. Several griffins were waiting for Calostell and Bombastic and followed. Moon frowned when they came upon the damaged roof of a tower. Its once pristine, white stones were covered in dirt and grime that had long since etched themselves into the material. Worms fell from the ceiling onto the small, exposed part that had a large hole in it.

"We made that hole when we wanted to look inside," Calostell explained. She had bounced to the side into Moon's field of vision, standing on just one foot as she leaned diagonally with both arms outstretched. "Sent some of my griffins down there, but they didn't come back." She leaned against the tower. "You sure you want to go?" the bird asked.

Moon nodded. "Yes. I'm going." She pointed at Sunny. "You wait here. Dangerous."

One of the griffins came behind and put a claw on Sunny's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of him." He cackled.

"Very good care," Calostell added.

The griffins started laughing quietly in tandem, but Moon still didn't trust them. She cast a discreet protection spell over Sunny then leaned into the hole. There was nothing here but the remains of what was once in place of the hole and some rotting wood. Maybe this was Canterlot, maybe it wasn't, but if the entire mountain ended up down here...


The alicorn hopped in, kicking up the dust of ages. Calostell waved her goodbye and mentioned that they would wait behind, but they were likely just keeping Sunny as insurance in case she failed, not that they would survive long once Moon got out and learned she was betrayed.

The air was musty and sterile, and the pony snorted in response. This room was big enough to house a small monitoring station to house the equipment needed to check the surroundings for any incoming threats. Either said equipment was just never implemented or the tools had rotted or been looted long ago by the 'heroes' the thestrals sang about.

Moon went down the stairs, following a spiral pattern. Some of the chiseled stone had crumbled away, forcing a longer stretching of the legs to reach the next steps, and the further down the pony went, the darker it became.

"Could have installed some sconces, liars," Moon grumbled.

Several blue orbs grew then detached from the alicorn's horn. While three stayed around, dozens more rushed down through the tower and disappeared. Moon had to use her magic to force back stone and dirt that had collapsed the walls and blocked the pathway. Even though there were a few holes dug through by the griffins, they were too small and potentially too fragile. Moon wiped her forehead after forcing tons of weight back and proceeded through until she finally reached the base.

The door leading out hung loosely on just the lower hinge. With any additional external force, it would break off and land loudly on the floor. The mare peered through the opening cautiously. The tower had been connected to a hall of sorts that tilted to the right. She expected considerable damage, but there was nothing apart from the putrid odor of stale air trapped for millennia. Several pots with dried-out husks of what were once trees either stood limply thanks to the massive bases they were in or had long since toppled over. Most had rolled against the wall to the right thanks to the inclination. Frames hung on the wall, the art sadly indecipherable thanks to the long years of being left uncared for. The paint had dissolved or simply been eaten away by mold. Moon was briefly startled when she kicked a metal object. It seemed to be the helmet of an old armor set, rusted beyond belief. Its loud banging quickly lessened to a limp thump as its form broke apart with every bounce, leaving rusted metal and dust everywhere.

Most furniture here had turned into a dry mound or was simply missing, leaving behind the scar of what once stood in that area. Whatever beauty this place used to have, Nightmare Moon would not see it anymore. She coughed up more black substances and carried on. She took the left door at the very end of the large hallway and was met with more halls.

This one had windows that no longer served a purpose and many doors to the left. Within each were rotted beds, moldy frames, and wallpaper that had peeled and laid in fragmented pieces along the floor like somepony was trying to redecorate the floors. A chamber that linked two hallways stood four doors down, completely open. The dregs of a carpet laid in the middle of the room while collapsed couches and chairs designed for ponies maintained their forms by some miracle, but the alicorn was certain that even the faintest breeze caressing them cause them to vanish into a cloud of dust. She walked in, kicking away the wooden planks of what was once a shelf and picked some books with her magic.

"Trapped underneath. Do you still have anything to offer after so many years?" Moon's attempt to open them simply saw them collapse in her magic like a poorly-made cake. "Fantastic," she blurted in disgust. "This doesn't bode well for the archives if they're here."

She resumed her searching and ignored the next few rooms of this wing. There was more of the same the further in Moon went, but something crossed her mind. The thestrals mentioned the 'hero' and other ponies going against Celestia. Even if the event wasn't near Canterlot, there was no chance that this place wouldn't have been demolished from anger. If the battle had been here, then where was the damage? Where were the signs of burning her sister would have caused? Nothing made sense, not to mention the griffins were missing. After about fifteen minutes of aimlessly wandering around, Moon finally happened upon the main entrance of the castle.

Some of her orbs illuminated the room, giving her a nasty sight. A chandelier had collapsed on the ground, throwing its pieces everywhere. Pieces that had remained undisturbed for thousands of years. There was an immense amount of stairways here, each leading to other parts of the castle. There were even three above Moon, and she appeared to be on the fifth floor. Because of the bizarre design, the lower floors jutted forth whilst the stairs broke off towards the platforms leading to each floor. Moon scratched her head. It was a confusing design. The entrance itself had caved in long ago. Now only a large boulder lay there, forever waiting for a welcoming committee to guide it into a dead castle.

"This is moribund," Moon noted. "The size alone..." She shook her head. "Impossible. That's not how tectonics work, and the magic alone to do this. My sister would never abandon our project like this."

A shiver went through her body. Taking a moment to compose herself, the mare scanned the immense welcoming area and noticed something underneath the chandelier. Using her magic, she threw it against the wall and realized that there was a massive hole where it had fallen. It was big enough for three ponies to enter side-by-side, and yet the crystal chandelier was still big enough to cover the hole and then some. The alicorn couldn't help but laugh at such an over-expenditure of resources.

Peering in, she realized the hole went far deeper than she could see with her three orbs. Several more that had been scattered around the castle came out of the walls and rushed down into the dark pit, stopping at various levels.

"Several floors down. Can't even make out where this all leads," Moon lamented. She cracked her neck and stretched out her wings. "Might as well go in. Walls are built up, so this isn't a coincidence." The mare snorted and jumped down.

It felt like the pit went on forever. Miles and miles of built walls leading down and down and down into an infinite chasm of darkness. Moon narrowed her eyes as she let herself fall. She could see the base of the pit finally, and it was illuminated by an orange light. Her large, powerful wings allowed her to recover quickly from her fall and float downwards harmlessly. Her hooves kicked up a thick layer of dust when she finally touched down, and immediately before her was a glowing barrier of orange magic. In its middle was a sun similar in appearance to the one outside.

Moon touched it and felt intense heat try to focus on her hoof, but her own magic repelled that effect. "Intriguing. Looks like something Celestia would do, but...So much rage in it." She smiled, exposing her fangs. "Fallen to 'my level', sister?" The barrier remained in place for a moment while the pony tried to determine what to do to get through. "I have the impression that this barrier of yours hasn't stood up fully to the test of time, but why put it all the way down here?"

Confident that she could handle any threat that was thrown her way, Nightmare Moon pressed the tip of her horn against the barrier and started creating counter-magic to destroy the barrier. She found her job was going to be harder than she thought. The barrier was laced with a plethora of interlocking bits and pieces. Chains of various sizes and shapes, of strength and intensity. Nightmare Moon wasn't certain if she was going to be able to fully dissolve it, but as she continued to attack the barrier's own defenses, the alicorn fell through.

"What?"

The old magic was too weathered and had given out under the strain, and now Moon was lying on her belly with her legs splayed out. She cursed silently and slammed a foreleg on the ground. Even the magic of her sister was out of her reach! Even something as simple as a barrier wouldn't let her have even the slightest taste of victory! She remained there for some time with her face against the ground.

After recovering, Moon opened her eyes to see what stood before her. It was an immense, black gate with golden frames and golden nubs on its surface. To its immediate sides were two statues of centaurs, but their faces were obscured by helmets, and immense spears were held at their sides.

"What in the world is this?" Nightmare Moon wondered aloud as she looked around. "Why would you make all of this, sister?" She nodded in approval. "I'm impressed."

The orange light here was intense. If Nightmare Moon didn't know she was underground, she would have thought that it was daytime. The doors were covered in another barrier, and looking up, they were at least twenty stories tall and wide enough for several buildings to go through.

"What even are these statues?" Moon wondered.

The alicorn looked around, realizing that all the damage she had been looking for was present in this immense chamber. The walls were scorched and portions of the stone had been melted. If there was anything else here, it was all gone. Only these bizarre, tan-colored stone sheets remained on the floor and walls. She looked closer at a cluster of the marks, daydreaming of what had happened. The mare quickly slapped herself. She wasn't at her full potential while the poison remained in her system, but she was doing better already, amusingly enough.

Rumble.

There was the sound of stone moving. Moon turned around and looked up. The two statues were looking at her.

Without a moment to spare, Nightmare Moon used her wings to jump far out of the way, and just in-time; the statues had smashed their spears into the ground. Their visors were emitting orange flames while their stone bodies cracked with light and fire.

"What?!" Moon shouted.

She put up a barrier just before the left statue smashed the side of its spearhead into her, sending the mare flying into the air. Annoyed, she flew around them and summoned chains of darkness from the ground and ceiling. They pierced the creatures' bodies, but her triumph couldn't be celebrated. With no hesitation they grabbed the chains and ripped them out of their bodies. Stunned, Moon lost focus for just a moment, long enough to be back-handed into a wall. She clung to it by using false claws to dig into the stone and observed the entities.

These things weren't centaurs, at least not true centaurs. They only had three legs. They were closer to being tripods despite the upper body still being set towards the front.

The alicorn focused, trying to picture the giant moon again, but nothing came of it. "Looks like I'm forced to use classic fighting with spells," she growled.

She dodged out of the way of a spear burrowing itself deep into the wall, running up then pushing herself out. Nightmare Moon wreathed herself in a vortex of darkness and slammed into the head of the right statue, knocking it back. She then expanded the magic around the entity, hoping to twist the body apart. The mare laughed when the other statue freed its weapon and tried to hit her but missed. It immediately sliced through the magic engulfing its ally, liberating it once more.

Moon clicked her tongue. "How am I supposed to fight these things. I keep breaking pieces off of them but it never ends! I don't have time for this!"

She focused her magic and let loose two waves the size of the entities themselves. They were struck by the spell that passed through them, and the light from their bodies dissipated, leaving them frozen in place. Moon's magic had temporarily cast out any magic in the statues' bodies, but she wasn't sure how long that would last, so she had to hurry.

The alicorn landed in front of the doors and panted while wiping sweat from her forehead. "I can't fight those things right now." She coughed up more black tar and wiped it off.

Moon repeated the same process with the previous magic barrier and managed to get through the same way. Using her magic to push the doors was easier than trying to use muscle, and even then she was straining hard.

"Guh! What is wrong with this castle? Why are the doors so heavy?!" she shouted.

Getting them closed again was another process entirely. In the end, Moon felt like she had just emptied her whole reserve of magic several times over and slumped against the doors while panting heavily. That she could still use any was a testament to her new strength, strength she couldn't use at the moment. Her jaw dropped the moment she decided to focus on her surroundings.

"This is where she put the archives?!" Moon shouted in horror. She groaned and leaned her head back against the door. "I'm too tired for all of this." She tapped the ground with her hooves. "I want to go back to exploring the castle now." She tilted her head slightly to the side and looked 'beyond' the doors. "Stupid statues."

Bookshelves! Bookshelves everywhere! And a plethora of tables! And everything was piled on itself or floating around on its own to set elsewhere. It even looked like the floors and walls bent and twisted at bizarre angles, defying physics and common sense. Parchments and maps and books and scrolls floating about haphazardly or just set about randomly. It was baffling to the mare to see it all. The light itself couldn't even reach the whole of this immense place. Moon even spotted some books the size of a house flying around a corner. What was this madness?

Her attention was brought towards the light being blocked by bookcases. It was moving? Was it another thing Moon had to fight? She forced herself onto her hooves and readied her magic, but she was once again surprised by what this place had to offer.

A pony had rounded the bookcases. A pony emitting intense light and extreme amounts of heat. Her mane and tail were comprised of angry flames whipping and biting the air. Coronas emerged from them on occasion, followed by what Moon could only really describe as solar storms. There were also several black spots that would appear then dissipate at rapid intervals on the surface of the fire.

The pony's coat was mostly charred black and covered in glowing veins of orange and red light. On occasion, a spark or a puff of fire would billow out from them. It looked like lava was flowing beneath her flesh and could barely be contained. Lava was flowing from cracks at her knees and oozed downwards creating the illusion of golden legwear if one was not astute enough to notice her hooves. Said hooves were covered in cooled lava that still ignited the ground, although the damages didn't seem to stay for some reason. On the sides of her body were ashen wings from which a continuous cloud of ash and soot flowed. They almost seemed to meld into her burning hide.

Bright orange eyelashes encased her eyes like rings of fire, and streams of flame flew from the outer corners of her eyes, flowing like water and moving loosely with the mare's movements. Said eyes were almost completely black, save the blindingly bright, orange iris and the lava veins going from her eyes into the sides of her face and through the rest of her body. Her chest was adorned with actual jewelry made of gold that had melted and been fused to her flesh, creating a bizarre disfigurement accentuated by the flames belching from the cracks and holes still free from the metal. A deformed hole sat in what was once the middle of the jewelry, although whatever jewels were once there had long since vanished. The pony's horn was black at its base but became increasingly brighter: The lights changed gradually from red to orange to yellow and then to pure white at the tip. It seemed to be encased in thick layers of rock as well which glowed brightly at the tip of the horn.

Several solar coronae Seemed to envelop the general space the mare occupied, but what really caught Nightmare Moon's attention was the pony's face. Not much differed from the rest of her body. However, she had her extremely sharp teeth bared at the observer, and her eyes were filled with an insatiable hatred. Every second it felt like the air become hotter and breathing more difficult.

A familiar sense of hatred and need for revenge filled the despondent alicorn's sickly form. "Sister?!" Moon cried out.