//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: In the Shadow of the Empire // Story: Turmoil Rising // by JFT //------------------------------// “Did it just… meow?” Applejack tilted her head. “I think it sounded more like a door creaking open,” Rainbow Dash added. Something had happened. The vial of strange green fluid that Twilight had mixed into the jar with the dark manifestation seemed to have revitalized and woke it up from its stillness. Twilight stared at the contents of the jar for a moment before she finally reacted. “So my theory was right after all… This is the same substance from which the Manifestation of Hatred emerged.” “While I agree with your assessment, darling, something’s clearly different about our case,” Rarity countered. Pinkie Pie quickly pulled the jar to her side and observed it up close, rubbing her chin. “Hmmmmm… There’s something different about it, alright. Grumpy seems less… grumpy than usual.” Zecora leaned in, taking a peek at the glass. “I suspect it stemmed from what it strained from Radiant Hope remained.” “Yeah, but back then all it did was just change color and went quiet,” Rainbow Dash butted in. “Maybe it was just thirsty?” the pink pony questioned. “We can’t say for sure,” Twilight continued. “What is sure, however, considering that we may be on a higher elevation than Turmoil’s lair in the Everfree Forest, it’s a likely possibility that the stream came from here. This is the source that is assisting him.” “And why would that be the case?” the voice garnered everybody’s attention, as Tempest finally spoke. “What exactly is Turmoil? What would some mysterious green liquid that seems to have originated in a far north have to do with a creature that’s apparently somewhere further down south?” There was no response. Nobody had any idea what relation there was between the two. And what the Storm King’s former lieutenant said only brought up more unanswered questions. “Sooooo… What do we call it now?” the party planner eventually broke the tension in the air. Rainbow-maned pony gave her a confused look. “What do we call what?” “Grumpy, who else. We can’t call it Grumpy anymore when it’s acting like a scaredy-cat.” “Pinkie, I think we have more pressing matters to deal with than to ponder to what we should rename a bottled-up concentrated evil,” Rarity said. “Ah agree.” Applejack turned her head to the princess. “Maybe that book can lend some more answers, Twi? Why don’t ya look up what the rest says?” She heeded her. The alicorn picked up the book again and opened it where she left off. After returning to the crossroads, I immediately took the passage to my left and made my way through the tunnel, until I reached a dead end. Strangely though, the wall of ice that was blocking the way wasn’t that thick, and after chipping it away it collapsed, opening a way in. And when I entered, lighting up the area a bit, I understood why. Before me I beheld a giant frozen acropolis, rising atop a pile of iced up clouds. This was undoubtedly Ptolemeya, the ancient homeland of the pegasi. It seemed to have crashed down from the sky, and whatever magic the pegasi were using to construct their architecture, spilled all over, causing the whole place to be enveloped in a protective bubble that froze up everything. My advancement through could only be described as icy. Everything around was frozen solid and I managed to avoid several falls, one of them nearly had me take a dip in a glowing magical stream that I happened to recall also seeing in Soiliana earlier. When I finally began exploring the city, I was surprised at how perfectly preserved everything looked. But what puzzled me was how did it come to this? Clouds do not just fall from the sky, which could only mean that the city plummeted BECAUSE it was frozen. But why did that happen? What kind of powerful magic could’ve done such a thing?” “There it is again,” the princess pointed out. “Radiant Hope mentioned the stream again just as she did in the entry before. This isn’t a coincidence.” “Ye, but it doesn’t get us any closer to the answers,” Tempest said. “True, which is why we’ll have to go to that place and take in a closer look,” the princess declared. “Besides, we’ll have to find Fluttershy there, and she’s in the worst position out of all of us. Who knows what nightmares and fears King Sombra’s going drag out of her, and… well, you know how meek she is.” “THAT’S IT!” Pinkie Pie’s voice resonated throughout the house. “What’s what Pinkie?” Twilight’s asked. “Meek! That’s what I’ll call our little friend!” She pressed her face against the glass, causing the bubbling mass inside to cower on the far end of it. “Isn’t that wight, Meeky?” “Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway…” the country pony decided to change the subject. “What makes you think Fluttershy isn’t here, Twilight?” “Think about it, Applejack,” she elaborated. “There’s a pattern here: Myself, Tempest, and Rarity were trapped in the place where unicorns once were. Both you and Pinkie Pie were trapped here, where earth ponies once used to live. Which can only mean that the only place Fluttershy can be, is where the pegasi came from.” She glanced at the only two mares who stood out. “And the only reason why both Zecora and Rainbow Dash were spared, was because they were slow enough that they didn’t get captured by Sombra like the rest of us.” “What about Discord and Spikey-wikey?” Rarity asked “I don’t know… But I guess we’ll find them eventually.” A long yawn came from the blue pegasus. “Can we… like, take a break for a bit?” The country pony gave her a mean look. “A break? Our friends are in danger, and you’re talking about a break, Dash?!” “I’m not sure about you guys, but had any of you wondered how long has it been since we left the Crystal Empire?” she questioned. The mares exchanged glances. “Now that you mention it…” the fashionista complained. “I do feel a bit fatigued. How many hours has it been?” The pegasus yawned again. “Look, I’m not saying we should just go to sleep for a few hours. I mean we should for just enough for us to recuperate a bit.” “Anypony else in favor of taking a break? Raise your hoof,” Twilight asked, raising a hoof herself, and soon enough pretty much everybody did the same. “Okay,” she sighed, “carried unanimously.” Cadence flew across the sky from the palace to the southern border. Exhaustion was bearing down on her after the long night, but right now it wasn’t the time for relaxation, she had to face the Changeling Queen again. By the time she arrived at the southern end of the city she already saw the situation; just like before, the changeling swarm flew above the border guards, who were unable to do anything against them, despite the unicorns shooting spells at them. Something was different though, as, unlike the previous two times, at the sight of the reinforcements, the swarm retreated, but not this time, however. They continued the fly above, not showing any signs of evasion. The princess got concerned, and in her alertness, she cast a spell. A large blue wall began to spread across all over the empire until it was completely enveloped by it. A larger barrier now stood between them and the invaders. She finally landed at the border post, with the guards saluting her. “Your Majesty, thank you for coming, but you really shouldn’t be out here after you’ve been up all night,” one of the officers spoke. “Never mind about me,” she deflected. “What about the changelings? Have they done anything yet?” “No, Your Majesty. They’ve been waiting about, just like the last two times.” “But they’re not retreating this time,” Cadence pointed out, before raising her head at the swarm above. “Chrysalis! I know you’re up there, reveal yourself!” Some time passed before a familiar voice came out of the mass of swarming bug creatures. “If you want to speak, you better come up here. I’m not lowering myself to your level.” The princess groaned. She’s purposely trying to make her work, but it’s not like she had a choice in the matter. She flew up, the guard’s captain and several pegasi following her. Finally reaching the swarm's elevation, noticing a group of changelings clad in strange rock armor flying in front of the rest of the brood; these were the ones that had been blocking off any forms of spells from harming them. She chose to wait and soon enough, the armored ones began moving to the side, in fact, the whole swarm was splitting in half, making way for a group that was stacked together to form a place to lounge, and on top of it, rested their illustrious broodmother. As soon as she saw her, she made an expression full of confusion, something the changeling picked up on. “Why are you making that face, Cadence?” “Wha… what’s happened to you, Chrysalis?” she confessed. “You look completely different than I recall.” She smiled, flicking the strands of her elegant hair. “Oh, you’ve noticed? Remarkable what wonders a little essence of Hate does for your complexion. You should try it… considering your circumstances.” “No thank you,” she glared since her opponent knew she hasn’t had a shut-eye. “What are you playing at, Chrysalis? You’ve been sending your swarm back and forth, twice in a row, every time the guards come running. So why aren’t you running away this time?” The Changeling Queen didn’t answer the question, instead, looking past her adversary for a moment. “Your sweet little sister-in-law isn’t here, is she?” “Don’t play dumb, Chrysalis. Twilight told me everything about what you and Grogar are doing. She assumed you weren’t here, but even if you are, as we speak, she and her friends are out there trying to thwart your plan.” “Well, that was to be expected. But that’s not of a concern I have to deal with when somebody else is already working on that, and your little in-law will have to deal with him.” “Wait… Grogar’s out there in the Frozen North looking for a piece of Turmoil?” a tone of concern came up in Cadence’s voice. The queen was quiet for a moment, her expression passive, and then it curled into a smile and cackled. “Oh, did she tell you what he did? Taking away Discord’s power…” She rose from her “lounging chair” and flew to the barrier. “Oh, how satisfying it felt… watching that pathetic collection of assorted parts beg and grovel like a helpless little brat. Then you already know what they’re up against, Princess of Love. They’ll be outmatched against Grogar, even if they have the power to neutralize chaos magic, that old ram is crafty.” She began flying back and forth along the barrier, with Cadence continuously glaring at her. “And in the end, if by some miracle they manage to one-up him, they will return to discover…” “What? What will they discover when they return?” the princess asked in anticipation. The Queen of Changelings stopped pacing, her head turning ever so slightly until the corner of her eye could be seen before she zoomed to where Cadence was flying and aggressively pressed against the barrier. “They’ll discover that the Crystal Empire has fallen! Its citizens brought low! Its princess usurped, replaced by a queen! Every last living creature in the city will be devoured!” She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, pressing it against the barrier and licking it in a frenzy, causing Cadence to cringe in disgust. “Everypony will be drained of every little inch of love they have in their body. And… do you want to know what I wonder? Come closer, princess.” She motioned her, and the alicorn slowly flew closer, until she was by the side of the barrier, yet the broodmother motioned her further, until she nearly pressed her head against it, at which point the changeling queen approached her in a whispering fashion. “I wonder… what your brat will taste like.” That was the trigger. The moment that sentence was spoken, Cadence, in a moment of anger, subconsciously dispelled her shield that was covering the whole of Crystal Empire, and instantly shot a bolt at the gloater, sending her flying back and disappearing into the swarm. “Your Majesty!” Flash Sentry called out. She finally got out of her trance, realizing too late what she has just done, as maniacal laughter came out of the mass of changelings, as they slowly parted, their queen coming in sight again. “Struck a nerve, have I? GOOD!” And with those words, Chrysalis’ horn began to glow and shot a green bolt at the princess, who luckily managed to block it. Unfortunately, she was in a predicament now; it took some time to erect the shield and there was no way the Queen and her changelings would just sit idly by while she did it. No. At this point, there was only one viable option left. “Pegasi guards! Charge!” she yelled, and the pegasi immediately flew forth at the swarm, crashing against. “Unicorn guards! Focus fire on the Queen of Changelings!” she ordered, and the unicorns below fired their spells at the swarm, aiming directly at their queen. Just then, the armored changelings swooped in and put themselves in the attacker’s way, causing the spells to dissipate, before spreading about to surround and protect their broodmother. As the battle raged, the thought came up in Cadence’s mind. Something was off, what exactly was Chrysalis up to? It seemed as if she was specifically waiting for her to turn up this time, but she couldn’t figure out why. Why did the previous two times simply flee? What has changed? Only then did it come to her mind. What she said earlier triggered her immediate response… She turned her head and looked at the castle in the back. That’s what she was aiming for! “Flash!” she called out. The Captain of the Guard who was directing the pegasi quickly rushed to her side. “Your Majesty?” “Gather a group of guards and send them back to the castle! Have them bar up every opening they see and under no circumstances are they to allow anypony from either entering or exiting until I return! Is that clear?!” Flash Sentry noticed a tone of frustration and desperation in her voice, likely for being up all night added to her state. Regardless, he saluted and quickly flew down. “Hey, Princess!” the familiar resonating voice spoke. “I think you have a bigger problem to deal with right now!” BANG! BANG! BANG! There was this incessant banging all-around all of a sudden, causing Flurry Heart to awake from her slumber. After the last night’s events, the words that her visitor left lingered for some time, preventing her from falling asleep out of fear. Inevitably, however, her determination dissipated and she snoozed off. And now the loud sounds all around her snapped her awake. She rubbed her eyes and looked about, noticing the window of her room being shut off. “Mama!” she called. “Somepony shut my window!” But no response came. She jumped out of her bed and trotted out the door to her room. “Mama!” And again, there was no response, the whole place was surprisingly quiet. As she walked down the hallways, they were all illuminated by magic, however, she quickly noticed that all the windows on the way were barred off as well. Lastly, she came to the castle’s main gate, yet as she tried to open them, they were locked shut. She couldn’t understand what was going on. “Mama!” She ran throughout the castle, calling for her, yet there was still no response, she checked all the rooms along the way, yet nothing. The whole place seemed to be deserted. “MAMA!” “I fear your mother is currently busy.” She stopped. She heard a voice but knew it wasn’t her mother’s. It was a familiar one, however. The voice came from her room, one she had just passed, and she trotted back, taking a peek inside. A familiar hooded figure stood by the side of the bed, flipping through the pieces of paper on which the little filly had been drawing the day before, ones he had only been able to catch a quick glimpse of. “Grandpa Gar, you’re back already!” The little filly pranced with joy. “Well, not for long, unfortunately,” the grizzled ram said. “I fear I’ll be leaving the Crystal Empire soon.” The joyful expression on her face immediately dissipated. “What?! Why?!” “My niece and I will be going on. With all that’s been happening, she figured it may not be safe for us to stay here any longer. We’ll be leaving today, so I figured I’d come by to say goodbye.” “Noooooo! You can’t go!” the filly whined. “We only got to play yesterday and last night! I don’t want to be alone again! Please stay!” She ran and clung to the ram’s leg, garnering his full attention, making big begging eyes, her lip wobbling, as if she were on the verge of tears. He sighed. “Oh very well, I suppose I can stay for a little longer. Besides, it’s not like I’m going anywhere, considering that we’ve been locked inside the castle.” A bright smile lit up on her face. “What do we do, Grandpa Gar?” “Well…” He grinned. “I don’t think you’ve ever shown me what your home looks like. How about we start there and see where it takes us?” The little filly led the ram through the castle’s corridors, showing him all the rooms. Something was odd, however: there was nobody in sight, even though there would normally be guards patrolling the castle. She began to think it has something to do with whatever’s been going outside, so they all left, and since all the entrances to the castle have been shut, according to her new friend, she didn’t pay much attention. Inevitably, she brought him to the huge gates, where the seat of empire’s power stood. A great room opened before them, with a purple carpet leading from the doors, all the way to the far end, where a seat, chiseled out of a cluster of crystals stood. “So… this is the throne room?” the elder asked. “Yes,” Flurry Heart answered. “Mama always sits here during the day and works.” “And she has no time to play with you?” She made a moody expression. “No.” “And your father doesn’t have time either?” “Daddy’s been away for a long time,” she explained. “He and Blondie went to visit the kitty country.” “That is unfortunate,” he patted her head as he walked past her. “But tell me, do you ever see yourself sitting on the throne one day?” “Mama’s always on it, so I can never sit there.” “Well… She’s not here now,” he pointed out. “And there’s always the first time.” Flurry Heart’s head slowly turned to the empty throne, then back to the elder, a smile forming on her face, and dashed off, jumping on the seat and planting herself on it. “It’s… hard,” the filly said as she tried to adjust on the thin cushion. The grizzled ram slowly approached. “Well of course. After all, your mother sits on it every day for hours. How hard must it be for her to carry the burden of the empire on her lone shoulders then.” He traipsed around the side of the throne. “Not everybody has a strong will, determination, to command such power.” “I do!” the filly exclaimed, jumping on the seat. “One day, I’m gonna be the best princess in the world, just like mama and aunt Twilly.” He chuckled. “Ah, such youthful optimism. The young are always so confident in themselves. Just like baby birds in a nest, until their parents push them out to learn the harsh reality.” Flurry Heart stopped herself after hearing those words. “What do you mean, Grandpa Gar?” “What do I mean? I mean that-“ the hooded figure ceased his explanation as she reached the far side of the throne, his gaze locking on to something and then solely approaching the throne, disappearing from the filly’s sight. The little princess jumped off the seat and followed to where the ram had disappeared, only to find him sticking his head in a narrow passage between the crystal clusters. “What is it, Grandpa Gar?” He pulled his face out of the passage. “Does your castle have any hidden passages?” The filly shrugged in response. “Well, from my experience, castles and palaces always have hidden places that were built by those who came before long ago. If you’re still up to doing something exciting before I go, we could try to look for them.” He could easily see the spark of excitement lighting up on her expression. “I’m too big to fit in, but you’ll get through just fine.” He stepped aside, giving the filly some room to approach the passage in the back. She quickly squeezed in and made her way through, disappearing from sight. Now that she was gone, Grogar made his way back to the side of the throne where it was visible in full. He read Amore’s texts, he knew where the passage to the gateway stood and how to activate it, but he couldn’t do so without arousing suspicion further down the line. He needed to use the girl’s naïve and curious nature to his advantage. “Grandpa Gar!” the voice echoed from behind the throne. “Yes?” he answered. “I’m at the end! There’s nothing here!” “Perhaps there’s a hidden mechanism that will trigger the hidden passageway,” he told her. “A what?!” she asked. The grizzled ram rolled his eyes. “Just tap the crystals and see if something happens.” It was quiet for a moment before a low tapping sound against the crystal throne could be heard. This was the moment he was waiting for. Dark light began to glow from under Grogar’s hood, focusing his sight on a large crystal standing above the throne’s seat. His hood got blown off, revealing his large horns enveloped in a magical aura, as a beam of dark light was shot from them and into the crystal. It then turned from bright and radiant, to dark and dull, a shadow began creeping out of it, down the throne and over the room's floor, slowly revealing a large opening with stairs leading down. Before anyone could get the wiser, he quickly pulled the hood over his head again, concealing his horns, before calling out for the little girl. “Child! You did something!” The tapping ceased, and soon the wiggling sound followed. Flurry Heart climbed out of the passage and trot over to the grizzled ram who stood in front of the throne, facing away from it, only for her to gasp when she spotted the giant hole in the floor, with the stairs leading into the darkness below. “So child…” he asked. “Are you ready for an adventure?” Changelings buzzed across the sky in a mass, clashing against the crystal guards, the pegasi pursuing them from above, while below the unicorns shot at them from the distance, and any of them who did land had to deal with the might of the earth ponies. The true battle of supremacy, however, was fought further away, between the Queen and the Princess. Cadence did all she could, evading and dodging her opponent’s attacks, blocking them with shield spell when necessary, and shooting bolts at her prime target. All of that effort felt as if it was for naught though. Chrysalis flew about, pursuing her prey, shooting bolts of her green magic, getting more and more frustrated every time her attacks missed their mark, and the more her hatred seethed, the more aggressive and stronger her attacks were becoming. Unlike her opposition, however, she didn’t bother to try and prevent the princess’ attacks, she didn’t need to; the changelings outfitted in a strange stone armor stuck close to their queen, and whenever one of the opponent’s magical conjurations approached, they almost instantly evaporated. Things seemed to be tipping in the favor of the latter, yet as the two monarchs flew across the sky of the empire, the queen managed to slowly survey the surroundings and beyond her hateful gaze discovered the opposite was happening. Even though her swarm was outnumbering the forces of the Crystal Empire greatly, they were stronger and well equipped. Despite her attempt to soften them up with a game of cat and mouse, they were prepared for possible attacks, no doubt thanks to Twilight Sparkle. Her army won’t be able to hold up for much longer, and she thought to herself that by now, surely, the grizzled old sheep had managed to accomplish his part of the plan. It was time for her to cover her tracks again. Chrysalis fired multiple shots from her horn at the opposition, who also fired her own. Inevitably, the shots collided, creating a shockwave that pushed the princess off her balance for a moment, disorienting her. When she regained her focus, the Changeling Queen was no longer in front of her, but she could still hear the loud buzzing sound of her wings, and she was behind her... flying towards the Crystal Castle. A fearful thought came over her; she sent guards to seal any possible entrances, to make sure nobody got in and out, but even if they're guarding them, they would be unable to stop Queen Chrysalis, especially now that she seems to be at her strongest, and if she breached the castle... “Flurry Heart…” Cadence thought to herself and without delay flew after the enemy. She was dashing close behind, slowly approaching, maybe she could catch up to her and stop this whole thing. But as they approached the proximity of the castle she realized something was off. Chrysalis didn’t seem to be slowing down or changing her trajectory, she was still going at full speed directly at the castle’s wall. She was going crash right in it… or was she expecting that she can just break through several hooves of thick rock formation. What followed took her completely off guard. Just as the Queen of Changelings was approaching the castle, she raised her legs in its direction, crashing against its wall, and a few moments later, with all her might, bounced off its surface, flying directly at the Princess of Love, who was unable to either change her direction or slow down at that point, the only thing she could do was raise a shield and have her crash against it. Chrysalis grinned, positioning her horn, and just as she did the Twilight Sparkle a few days ago, punctured a hole through it. A moment of shock came over Cadence, giving the Changeling Queen enough time to pull it out, leap over the shield, and promptly bucked the princess downward, causing the alicorn to plummet to the ground, but not before crashing into the tree and then landing into the dirt. The lone captain of the guard saw it happen and immediately dashed to the princess’ side. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, are you alright?!” She groaned as she got up. “Yeah… I… I got careless…” “Your Majesty, you should rest. You’re in no condition to take on Queen Chrysalis after-“ “NO!” she loudly brushed him away. “I’m not going to let that THING get any closer to my daughter, do you understand?! We need to stop her from getting inside the castle.” Flash Sentry looked to the sky. “But… Your Majesty, she’s going in the opposite direction.” He was right. Cadence had expected that the Changeling Queen would use her incapacitated state to break in, but instead, she was flying away from the castle, to the outskirts of the city, towards her swarm. And she saw how, the moment she passed by them, the black collection or particles in the distance suddenly shifted and began following her. They had disengaged from battle. To the orange pegasus’ surprise, the princess dashed and quickly ascended, forcing him to follow her. “Your Majesty, wait! They’re fleeing, there’s no need in pursuing them at this point!” “No! We have to catch up to them, Flash!” she explained as they flew over the city. “Somehow Chrysalis and her army are disappearing out of thin air whenever we try to trap them. If we fail again, she’s just going to repeat it over and over! Here are my orders: all earth ponies and pegasi are to remain behind and protect the empire, meanwhile the unicorns are to assist us in tracking down the changelings! She’s not getting away this time!” Somewhere in the depths of the castle, an expedition was on its way, as Flurry Heart and her new friend descended the stairs into the black abyss beneath the throne room. The little filly, full of excitement decided to go first, while the elder paced slowly behind her. They’ve been walking down the circular stairway for several minutes, yet it didn’t seem to end, and the deeper they went, the darker it was getting, and instinctively Flurry Heart’s horn lit up, her initial excitement slightly getting toned down. “Afraid, little girl?” the grizzled ram behind her asked. “N-no,” she said in a jittery tone. He chuckled. “Good. Being devoid of fear is something that only the truly strong possess. And do not worry. Unless we encounter an umbrum, we’ve nothing to fret.” “What’s an umbrum, Grandpa Gar?” the filly curiously asked. She suddenly heard the sound of hooves behind her cease. She stopped and turned around to find the elder standing still. “You’ve never heard of an umbrum, child?” he asked with a grim look on his face, to which she shook her head. “I see… your mother was trying to protect you from fear… how silly of her.” “Wha… what’s an umbrum, Grandpa Gar?” she asked. “An umbrum is a creature of darkness, it lurks in the shadows, and its very presence spreads terror to anyone and anything around it. It is a horrifying creature that can bring your worst nightmares to life.” There was a noticeable quiver in the filly’s stance. “I heard rumors, that the Crystal Empire was built upon the defeat of such a creature. But what became of it is unknown. Who knows… perhaps it lurks in the very shadow of your empire, waiting to strike at somebody who least expects it.” The old ram noticed Flurry Heart shivering in fear, the light on her horn glowing brighter, and all he did was smile. “But as I said, unless we actually encounter it, we’ve nothing to fear.” The child smiled nervously and proceeded to walk down the stairs again, the old ram once again following her. It became pitch black, so much so that even the light from the hole above in the throne room could no longer reach them, the filly’s horn being a sole provider of the light source now. Finally, however, they reach the bottom of the stairs. Nothing else was in sight but a single door on the wall. Flurry Heart asked herself where it could lead, only to see the grizzled ram walk towards them. Yet, just as he reached forth with his hooves and was about to touch them, the door instantly moved to his side. He went for it again, trying to touch it, and it moved once again. He tried to rush it this time, only for the frame to move once more, zipping all the way to the other side of the room, while he bashed his head against a solid wall. “Grandpa Gar, are you alright?” the filly ran to his side. The elder shook his head. “Yes, I’m fine. But this door… it’s enchanted. Only powerful magic can force it to open. Something that I, alas, don’t possess.” “How are we supposed to open them then?” she inquired. He only shrugged. Flurry Heart turned her attention towards the door and tried to figure out how to deal with it. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t notice a light lit up under the companion’s cloak. KRAK! A sudden sound frightened her, causing her to jump and point her light at where it came. A rock lay on the floor. It seemed to have chipped off somewhere. KRAK! Again, the same sound from the opposite direction, and again it was a rock that’s fallen off. And soon more would follow, rocks began to chip off the surrounding walls. Flurry Heart was confused, yet not frightened… then she heard a screeching sound in the air, echoing, and she began to tremble in fear. “Grandpa Gar, what is that?! Who’s making that horrible noise?!” she panicked. The grizzled ram feigned innocence. “I think it might be… the umbrum…” “Where?! Where is it?!” “I do not know…” he answered “Grandpa Gar, make it stop!” “I’m sorry, child. I don’t have the power to do so… but I think you might.” She gave him a confused look. “Me? How?” “The umbrum needs to be locked away, correct?” he postulated. “Think of a place that this creature can be locked away and focus your magic on that enchanted door. That may be the only way to do it.” She turned back to the door and tried to concentrate, but the loud noise all around her left her too terrified. “Grandpa Gar, I’m scared!” A sudden embrace enveloped her, and it felt as if the world around her went quiet, yet she could still hear the elder’s voice whispering in her ear. “Shhhh… There’s nothing to fear, little girl… Now, focus.” A brief moment of respite did the trick. Flurry Heart concentrated her thoughts on imprisoning the umbrum and shot a beam of magic at the gem above the door. After a few moments it was glowing, the world around the two went quiet, and they finally burst open. What followed was a mass of tiny glowing insects skittering out the doorway, illuminating the bottom of the stairway. Finally, the filly got back on her feet and walked to the open door, too scared to enter. The elder walked to her side and reassured her with a pat. They entered together. A great hall opened before them, and there was something that immediately stood out. There was a set of four giant statues shaped like equine heads, each of them had a bridle in their mouth, which extended as poles down to the lid that was bolted to the ground.