//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: The Dark City // by awf //------------------------------// Chapter 16 "I think that'll do it," Ember Clover said as he collapsed right on the floor beside the just-barricaded entrance. The weary party of explorers had made their way to the bazaar and the adjoined marketplace, and they had occupied a room of indeterminate purpose. What bits of furniture were left didn't give much clue to what the place was originally used for, but the two academics thought it might have been a shop store room of some sort. One of the lamps had died and Rusty Bones didn't have the heart to ask Winter Shine to recharge it. The mare had fallen over and was concentrating on breathing. She herself was about ready to flop as well, but she couldn't let herself just yet. Instead Rusty walked over to where Gustaf had stashed the Professor. It wasn't good for him to be tied and unable to move for such a long period of time, but Rusty really didn't know what to do with him. If they untied him, he would try to escape or maybe even kill them with his bare hooves. If they removed the gag, he would curse at them or talk to Winter in that strange, guttural language. They couldn't risk him turning the other unicorn to his side. Rusty's ears were completely flat as she watched Curio, who was still glaring at her. She told herself the black in his eyes had shrunk and there were hints of white at the edges, but it was really hard to tell with the way he kept squinting angrily at everything. They could really have used his help in getting out of there, perhaps in understanding what even was after them. Then again, could they trust him, even if he did return to normal? "Buck me sideways with a pitchfork," she swore and her words made Gustaf start in surprise. "Wow," he whispered to her, a definitive tinge of admiration in his eyes. "Curio, will you drink something? Please?" The unicorn watched her for a few moments, then gave a single nod. "You won't just spit it into my face again?" Another few seconds went past, then he shook his head. "We have to try," Rusty decided, "otherwise he'll die of thirst." That gave her an idea and she addressed the unicorn again. "Listen, you, whatever you are. If you let Curio die, you go away as well, got it? It's your only choice to let him drink!" This time there was no response. Rusty splayed her ears and dug in her pack for her second to last water bottle. She drank deeply from it herself, first, then came closer and sat on her haunches next to the Professor. "Okay, remove the gag," she told Gustaf. The griffin did as instructed, even though he seemed doubtful. Curio glared at him briefly, then turned his hateful gaze on Rusty while he worked his jaw. It had to be pretty stiff, not to mention dry. Rusty leaned closer and brought the flask to his mouth. She was encouraged by the way he wrapped his lips eagerly around the neck. There was still a chance he was acting and would spit, but she took a chance and let some of the life-giving fluid dribble in. Curio Trinket swallowed eagerly and it made the mare smile. Maybe the evil influence was waning and it was losing its grip on him. Maybe he would snap out of it once they were out of the ruin. She let him have the rest of the bottle while he was being cooperative. She figured even if he went back to completely possessed, that should see him survive until they were on the ice and had plenty of water. That left her with one, but she might have to give that one to Winter Shine. She was sure she could make it one day. The dehydration would give her a headache, but she would make it. "Please," Curio said, his murmur barely audible even to Rusty Bones who was standing right over him. "Please..." Her heart skipped a beat for joy. "Curio? Is that you?" She was right! There was white at the edges of his eyes. He was fighting the darkness! He didn't respond to her question and his head lolled back. "My head- I can- I can't..." She gripped his hoof between hers, just to let him know she was still there. On his other side Gustaf was leaning in and watching his face carefully. "I think he's fighting it off!" she whispered to the griffin. He looked skeptical, but didn't argue. He kept his eyes on Curio, still not quite trusting the unicorn. "Rusty?" Curio asked and sought around until he met her gaze. "It's too powerful... leave me behind." "No." "Rusty-" "No!" The Professor sagged and his head bowed forward as if a great weight was pressing down on him. "Curio? Curio! Stay with us! Fight it!" He suddenly chuckled and when he looked up again his eyes were fully black once more. Rusty's heart sank a little, but she remained hopeful. If Curio could fight his way to the surface once, he could do it again. The important thing was that he was still in there. He hadn't lost completely yet. "Fools..." the evil presence spoke through Curio again. "Gustaf, gag him!" They couldn't risk him trying to turn Winter Shine again. Luckily the griffin was able to stuff the rag back into the unicorn's mouth and he smoothly tied it back around his head. There was a spark and a smell of ozone, then Curio strained against his bonds, yelling in pain through the gag. Some of his mane got singed and a wisp of smoke rose from his horn. "Stop that! You'll kill him!" shouted to whatever was controlling the unicorn. The Professor strained again, his deep, throaty yell audible even through his gag as he tried to force his magic to work. It went on and all Rusty could to was watch in horror. Gustaf was the first to react and he punched the Professor right in the muzzle with his fist. Curio's head snapped back and hit the wall behind him. The magic winked out. When he took a ragged breath Rusty exhaled in relief. He wasn't dead. She waited a few more moments to see if he would try again, but Curio kept his eyes down and concentrated on his breathing. It looked like he wouldn't try anything else, at least for the time being, so Rusty relaxed and stood up. Her legs were trembling and when she turned she saw that both students were watching with wide, horrified eyes. "It l-looks like, uh, like the chain is holding. Good thinking, Ember." The pegasus gave her a nod. He slowly relaxed, but he was still visibly shaken. Gustaf came over a moment later and put a gentle claw around his withers. "Come on, let's set up the sleeping bags," he told the frightened stallion. That left Rusty with Winter, who was still staring at Curio. She placed herself in the mare's line of sight. "Have you got any water left?" The question made her blink, and then she focused on Rusty. "Um, I'll check," she promised and slid her saddlebags off. She rummaged in them for a moment, then found a half-full water bag. "Here," she offered. "No, you have it. If you're thirsty, drink it. We'll hurry up top tomorrow and then we'll melt snow again." A look of gratitude flashed across Winter Shine's face and she lifted the water to her muzzle and emptied it. She seemed regretful when it was gone and her ears drooped a little, but Rusty put a hoof around her shoulders. "That's good. Old adventuring wisdom. Never ration water. You drink what you need and try to find more. Ration your loss, not your intake. Breathe through your nose. Don't work yourself to sweat. Things like that." Winter Shine gave a nod, then began unpacking her bag. While she was at it, Rusty took one more look around. The room they were in only had the one entrance. They had wedged old pieces of shelves into the opening which she hoped would keep them safe if anything tried to come in. She took out her own sleeping bag and spread it on the floor next to Winter Shine's. Then she went to where Gustaf and Ember were talking softly. "You sure you're okay keeping a watch?" He gave her a nod. "I got it." "Wake me up in four hours, I'll keep you company." "You should sleep." "I said wake me up in four hours!" Her voice brokered no argument and the griffin sighed and inclined his head. "Sure thing, boss." "Okay, everypony. We sleep six hours, then it's off. We have to go past the library, up to that food court where we came in. From there it's a pretty straight shot to the barracks." Saying it like that made the distance sound a lot shorter and they all nodded eagerly. "All the traps are spent or broken, so we should be fine. Remember the trap door after the grand hall, then we're basically out. That reminds me, Ember, how's your water situation?" The stallion didn't have to look in his pack. "I have a full bag and a half." "I've got two left," Gustaf added. "Okay, we're good. Winter, say when you're thirsty, we'll share." Everypony seemed to agree to that, so Rusty reached for the lantern and turned it down, until its glow was barely enough to light the walls of the shop. Then she settled down on her bag. She watched how Ember Clover curled up with his head in Gustaf's lap, and how the griffin stroked his muzzle with his claws. His expression was unreadable, but there was a kind of tenderness in his eyes as he watched the stallion sleep. Who knew, maybe something would develop there, after all. On the other hoof, it could just be the stressful and dangerous situation. They could both just be reacting to the fear and reaching out for another living being in this dead place. She hoped it was real, though. They'd been through too much together. It was an uneventful night. Rusty Bones woke up when Gustaf laid a claw on her side. She startled, but quickly remembered where she was and why. "Ugh, what time is it?" "Six in the morning," came the quiet reply. "Go back to sleep, I'm okay. I'll wake you all up in two hours." She wouldn't have it and rose all the way into a sitting position. That allowed her to stretch her forehooves out, which brought on a yawn. "Nah, I'm good. Do you wanna take a couple of hours? If I see anything strange I'll wake you." Gustaf shook his head. "I'll be fine. Now what?" Unfortunately Rusty hadn't thought that far ahead. She had wanted to be awake at last for some of the time, as a kind of moral support, but she didn't know what to do with that time. She looked longingly at her sleeping bag, but firmly pushed the thought away. "I'll copy the map, and then I'll check our way back. We should have Curio's arrows from here on out, but we should double-check them against the map." "Okay. Here," Gustaf passed her the piece of paper and Rusty settled down near the lantern to work. She didn't want to make it brighter so as not to disturb the others. A glance around the room showed that the two students were asleep, but Curio Trinket was watching in impotent silence. Gustaf settled down on his side next to her and watched her drawing. She was annoyed for a moment, but then realized that she might see something which wasn't there and copy it wrong. It was a good idea for him to check her work. "So, you and Ember?" she murmured. "What do you mean?" "Come on, I saw you last night." There was no response and Rusty looked up to try and guess what the griffin was thinking. He had a distant look in his eyes as he stared at the far wall. "I think it's cute, actually." That certainly brought him back and his feathers bristled. "Nothing there to be cute," he answered. "We're all just scared and stressed, so it might seem as if..." He didn't finish the sentence. "You're scared too?" Gustaf grimaced and put a claw over his beak in exasperation. "I didn't say that." "Yes you did." "Okay, I meant it metaphorically. You ponies are scared, I'm just- uneasy. I don't know what's happening to you. The visions you see, the thing with Curio, Winter Shine is hearing voices." "How about Ember?" Gustaf couldn't hide his concern. "Both, but he's asked me not to tell you." "You're telling me anyway." "Because I'm worried about him." They were silent for a long while and Rusty concentrated on the maze of tunnels leading from the bazaar in all directions. Eventually it was Gustaf who spoke up: "So yeah, okay, I kinda like the little guy, but that's none of your business." "I know. I was just curious. So what are you gonna do when we get out of here?" There was no reply for a while, until Gustaf heaved a sigh. "That's the million-bit question, isn't it?" She put the pencil down and laid a hoof on Gustaf's hind paw, which was the only thing she could reach. It was still contact. "Hey, you'll figure it out. If it's real, then you'll know what to do. If it isn't- well, at least it'll get you through this." Another sigh and then Gustaf murmured almost too quietly for her to hear: "I hope it's real." He immediately looked up to see if she had caught it and Rusty made her face carefully blank. "Uh, yeah. I guess you're right," he said more loudly. There was a noise to the side and Ember Clover sat up. He blinked in the faint light, then walked over to them without saying a word. For an instant Rusty was afraid he had been possessed by the evil, but she saw his eyes were completely normal. That thought was proven true when he sat down and basically flopped across Gustaf's lap. "You two talking about me, weren't you?" the stallion asked, but it wasn't really a question, more a statement of fact. Gustaf, who had caught the pony before he could roll off, blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?!" "Because my ears were burning so hot I nearly set fire to my sleeping bag. You're not as quiet as you think you are and the sound carries in this small room." "Sorry. We'll shut up, you can go back to sleep," Rusty promised. Rather than taking her advice, Ember kicked off the floor and ended up fully curled up on Gustaf's legs. "Nah, 'm good right here." He reached out a hoof to carefully hook one of the griffin's claws, then he pulled it down to his ear. The instruction was clear enough and Gustaf began to scratch. Rusty cast them a happy smile, then returned to her map. She had the major tunnels down and she'd copied any markings which might prove to be valuable landmarks. She also tried to remember how long it had taken them to come down. It had been most of the day, but they had stopped at every little thing to inspect it. Perhaps on the way up it would take them only half as long. There was a faint rustle by her side and she looked in time to see Ember Clover playing with Gustaf's plumage. He seemed to be very interested in the feathers on his neck and the griffin was leaning down to allow him better access. Behind them, Winter Shine let out a small snore. Half an hour, Rusty decided. There was no use in all of them waiting around for Winter to catch another hour's sleep. She could sleep when they came out. Before going back to her map, she sat up and rummaged in her bag until she found a bag of trail mix. "Here, you might as well have this. You'll need the energy." "What about you?" Gustaf asked, which made Ember pause in the process of reaching for the food. "We still have oatmeal and I have one oat bar left." She didn't say out loud that she'd give that to Winter Shine. The sugar would help pick her up a little, so Rusty was saving it for a tight spot. Besides, Rusty was used to going without when out on an adventure. She'd be fine. With that, Gustaf accepted her offer of the trail mix and tossed a few nuts into his mouth. "Unsalted?" he asked. It was unusual among ponies, true, but Rusty had a good reason. "Yeah, it doesn't dehydrate as badly. Besides, there's fruit in there too. You don't salt fruit." Gustaf suppressed a slight chortle. "Well, I don't. Who knows about you salt-crazy ponies." "Hah!" Ember Clover laughed. He opened his mouth in a silent command and after a moment's surprise, Gustaf fed him some of the nuts and dried fruit. Very soon it was time to pack up their sleeping bags and go on. They were all eager to leave and Winter Shine woke up after the slightest nudge. Rusty Bones checked on Curio, but he was still tied. He seemed to be sleeping and didn't wake up when Gustaf picked him up. That was just as well, she thought. Perhaps if he was asleep, whatever evil controlled him wouldn't be able to spy on them. She and Ember cleared away the rubble from the door while Winter Shine charged the lanterns with her horn. It was taking its toll on her and Rusty resolved to spare the unicorn as much as possible. They might urgently need her magic before they were out of danger and she wanted the mare to be fresh and as strong as possible. Rusty addressed the group: "Well, I guess this is it. We're pretty much on the opposite side of the bazaar. Stay close, it's easy to get lost." She took the lead, with Gustaf right behind her and Ember following with Winter Shine. Her first steps were cautious and quiet as Rusty swiveled her ears in all directions. The ruins were as silent as she remembered them, but something felt strange. She didn't like the atmosphere, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. The decaying stones around her felt... watchful. A few yards later she already stopped when she saw a collapsed cart. The shafts were still sticking out into the air, their empty harness hanging loosely from the end. Once, a long time ago, ponies had strapped themselves into that girth and took their goods to and from the market. She was about to continue, but her hoof faltered. She'd seen the cart before, on their way down. Where were the remains of the pony who had driven it? Rusty distinctly remembered the ribcage hanging loosely from the straps. There were no bones on the ground either. Perhaps she had imagined it? Celestia knew they had seen enough bones to last them a lifetime and it wouldn't be out of the question, especially after the last couple of days, that her memory was playing tricks on her. "Let's hurry," she said to her group. Luckily their path took them away from the cart and Rusty Bones was all too glad to put it out of her mind. Faulty memory, that was all. She was feverishly trying to remember any other dead ponies between them and the tunnel going up when Ember Clover spoke up: "Um, Miss Bones? Is it- uh, is it normal..." He couldn't quite say and when she looked at the stallion he just pointed a hoof. "Is that normal?" It wasn't. A thick, gray mist was curling into the street before them and Rusty's ears laid back in fear. There shouldn't have been any sort of fog underground! "No. Let's go an- another way." Nopony objected and they retraced their steps. "No good!" Ember called out. "It's behind us, too!" Something told Rusty that she really didn't want to touch that soft bank of water vapor - if it even was water. It moved unnaturally and it seemed to shine with a pale, internal light. As she stared she thought she saw vague outlines of hooves and faces, but they vanished before she could fully make them out. "G-Gustaf? You see it too?" "See what?" That made her pause. Another hallucination? She faced the fog and took a few careful steps closer. Winter Shine called after her: "Miss Bones- don't! It's not safe!" In that moment Curio began struggling mightily and yammering against his gag. His eyes were normal but wide with fear, the whites clearly visible. Rusty decided to take a chance on the old scholar: "Ungag him, please." Gustaf deposited the stallion on the ground and deftly loosened the knot which bound the rag tightly against his muzzle. Curio worked his jaw for a moment, then spoke urgently: "Don't touch it. Don't go near it. It's not a normal fog!" She had already figured the last part, but Rusty still took a step backward, away from the unnatural wall. "What do you know about it? How can we fight it?" "I don't know- just don't- don't- it's not..." He fell silent, then said: "Maybe I can banish it with a spell. Take this thing off my horn!" "No!" "No!" Winter Shine echoed Rusty at the same time. The two mares agreed without having to discuss. Perhaps Curio was lucid, but even so they couldn't trust he would remain so for long. "Gustaf, gag him again. Sorry Professor, just a precaution." "No! I can help! Don't- I can- gmmmbh!" His protests fell silent as the rag was replaced. Then the griffin looked around them and said: "I don't see any sort of fog down here, Rusty. Where is it?" She pointed a hoof and Gustaf walked toward it. Ember Clover reached for him, but was too late to grab him. "No! Don't! It's dangerous!" Before they could really stop him, the griffin stood partially enveloped by the white mist. It curled around his form and his movements made swirls and eddies. "It's reacting to you," Rusty told him. "What do you feel?" "I'm in it now?" he asked. "Yes!" Gustaf turned around and waved his forelegs around himself. "Nothing. It's just air, Rusty. A bit stale, but nothing out of the ordinary." In a few hoofsteps Ember Clover was standing beside the grizzled bird. He was about to reach out and touch the fog, but the white bulged out and skeletal hooves strained for the pegasus. He drew back just as a ghostly head formed out of the mist, what could be made out of its expression wasn't pleasant. "I t-think you should get away from there, Ember," Rusty said with a very dry throat. It really looked as if there were ponies in the fog and they longed to grasp them and pull them inside. They completely ignored the griffin, but they were definitely reacting to Ember's presence. She didn't have to say it again and the stallion pulled back. "What is it? What do you see?" Gustaf asked. He placed himself between Ember and the things he was looking at, then flapped his good wing. The moving air blew a hole in the fog bank for a moment, but it quickly filled back. "Come on. We'll find another way through," Rusty said in defeat and turned to go. Gustaf returned and picked up the glowering Professor again. He gave a nod to the mare. "Lead the way. It seems I can't see it." Rusty picked the only clear street available to them and led the group through it. She glanced behind and saw, with a sinking feeling that the fog quickly flowed in place to block their retreat. It was obviously herding them somewhere and she didn't like the implications of that. Perhaps it really was just a hallucination, but the mist's reaction to Ember, combined with Curio's lucid warning made her hesitant of touching it. Only as a last resort. The way forward was clear and the ponies moved swiftly. None of them liked being in that place and they all longed to be outside. Just as Rusty Bones was trying to figure out where they were, they came upon a familiar sight. "The plaza. That's the library. Why here?" She slowed and waited for the others to gather around her. None of them felt comfortable leaving the relative safety of the side street to go into the open. The fog behind them was far, so they had a few moments to think it through. "Well, that looks like a trap if ever I saw one," Gustaf said quietly and Rusty found herself nodding to his words. "What do we do?" Winter Shine asked. The unicorn gave Rusty an idea. "Winter, can you make a wind or something with magic? Try to blow the mist away in front of us?" Rusty suggested. Winter gave a slight nod, but her ears were down and her tail tucked firmly between her legs. "I'll t-try," she promised. Her horn glowed for a moment and they all felt the breeze blowing past them into the plaza. The mist billowed away, but it seemed to regroup and flowed back almost instantly. Winter Shine grunted and the wind grew stronger. They all stared in dismay: the fog was holding against the draft. It whipped and billowed behind, like torn silk, but the core of it remained standing in the middle of the gale. It wasn't doing anything except tiring out their only unicorn, so Rusty ended it: "Stop. Enough." Winter Shine sagged a little and the spell died. Almost instantly the fog wall reformed, scattered clumps of white pulling themselves together into a hole again. "No good," Ember Clover agreed. "Any other ideas?" "It looks like it wants us to go into the library," Rusty pointed out. There was no mist between them and the stairs, and all other exits from the plaza were blocked. "Well, that's exactly what we shouldn't do. We shouldn't have gone down this street either, but I couldn't think of a better idea." "It won't touch me, right?" Gustaf said suddenly. "I'll try something. I'll take the Professor." Before any of them could object, the griffin walked confidently into the open and approached the fog. He walked on his hind legs and held the unicorn close to his chest. Just before he entered the fog, his good wing wrapped around the Professor. "No! Idiot, come back! Gustaf!" Rusty commanded, but he was ignoring her. They watched in horror as he walked straight into the white mist bank. It swirled around his form, and a moment later he was completely gone. "Crap! No, wait!" Ember had been about to run after the griffin, but Rusty caught his tail with her hooves. "Idiot colts! Stay here and take a moment to think!" When it became obvious that Ember wasn't going to do something stupid, she let him go and the stallion hung his head. "No... Gustaf," he whined quietly. "He's fine, you ninny! He stood in it and it didn't even touch him. He might get Curio killed, but the bird will be fine! Out of all of us, he could just leave by himself." That sudden little realization made Winter Shine whimper in fright. "Miss Bones? Did he just leave us? Please, he can't just run away! Do something!" "Buck, he's immune to all these weird things. Bucking griffins!" she swore as that same bleak despair found its way into her heart too. It only took her a moment to get the combination of fear and anger under control, then Rusty barked a mirthless laugh. She wasn't proud of it and Gustaf hadn't done anything to make her doubt him like that. He'd said he had a plan. "Actually, I wouldn't blame him if he did, but something tells me the idiot will be back. Talk about commitment to a contract!" Her words seemed to calm both Ember and Winter Shine, and they all settled down to wait. It didn't last long, though, before Winter Shine said: "Miss Bones? We need to move." The fog behind was almost upon them. It didn't look as if it would stop and Rusty was forced to make a decision. "Crap. Okay, into the plaza. We'll stay as long as we can and I hope to Celestia Gustaf comes back with some idea." Just as they left the relative safety of the side street the griffin suddenly appeared out of the mist, walking on all fours and without Curio. "Gustaf!" Ember cried and rushed the griffin, who stopped barely in time to catch the pegasus flying at him. "I think it works," he told Rusty even while Ember was nuzzling against his neck. "If I carry a pony in my arms and wrap a wing around them, the fog won't touch them. I took the Professor to the other side and left him there. I'll take you all, one by one." "How did you know where the fog ended?" Gustaf shrugged. "I took the rag out of Curio's mouth for a moment and asked him. I told him if he lied he'd only hurt himself, because I was going to drop him. I guess he didn't lie." It was a clever solution, Rusty had to admit, even if it was a foolhardy plan. Still, she couldn't think of a better, so she nodded. "Okay, take Winter next. Me and Ember will wait here for as long as we can, then we'll move up into the library. That's where it's trying to make us go. Hurry!" Gustaf didn't waste any time and gathered the trembling young mare into his forelegs. She clung to him and hid her face in his feathers while Gustaf carefully wrapped his wing around Winter. He gave Rusty and Ember a single nod, then loped off as quickly as he could walk on two legs with a burden. "Come on, we'll wait by the fountain," Rusty said. They walked over to the low wall and looked into the dry masonry. Here and there a coin gleamed in the light of their lantern. Their glitter reminded the mare and she looked around for the spearhead. It was nowhere to be seen. "Crap, not this too!" she swore. Ember looked at her. "What is it, Miss Bones?" "Please, we're past that. It's Rusty. There was a skeleton in the fountain, I distinctly remember the spear tip. It's gone now." The pegasus looked around, then his ears lowered and he avoided her direct gaze. "I- I can't recall. I wasn't paying attention." "It's a skill adventurers pick up, don't beat yourself up about it. Anyway, it's gone and that worries me." She remembered the empty cart harness. "Worse, it's not the first one. Celestia buck it, I forgot to ask Gustaf what he saw! It's probably just hallucinations, or it was before. I don't know!" "W-What do you mean before?" There seemed to be nothing else to do for the moment, so Rusty settled on her haunches to explain. "Well, other than this skeleton in the fountain, I remember there being a ribcage still in that harness on that cart- you know, outside that place we slept. It was gone this morning." "So that means..." Ember said slowly, hoping she'd fill in the blank. "It means either I hallucinated those bodies on our way down, or I'm hallucinating they are gone now." Ember swallowed a lump and looked fearfully around. "Or- or the d-dead are walking around..." "Maybe, but I'm not convinced. I thought I saw dead ponies before. There was a family down in the houses, and then more in the tunnel. Gustaf couldn't see them." The stallion looked like he was on the verge of panic and his hooves clattered against the cobbles as he turned this way and that. "What if they're real?! B-Buck me, dead ponies walking!" "Relax! They're probably just hallucinations. There' no need to-" She was interrupted when Gustaf hurried out of the fog. The griffin was breathing heavily, but he didn't slow down until he was with them. "Ember next. Go!" "You'll be here alone," he pointed out. "I know. Go!" Both males gave her a look, Ember a worried one and Gustaf an admiring gaze, before he scooped the pegasus up and rushed off. That left the mare alone with the approaching fog and the missing skeleton. She drew closer to the fountain and tried to look in all directions at once. It wouldn't be long, Gustaf was fast and Ember was very light, she told herself. She glanced up at the library and swung the light that way, but it couldn't penetrate the dark of the entrance. It looked as if there was nothing but empty space behind the door. She really hated the idea of going in there. Maybe the evil power, whatever its origin, was concentrated in it? That was where Curio had first shown signs of possession. They hadn't recognized it before, but it made sense in hindsight. He'd blanked out and couldn't remember nearly an hour of his life. It had happened when he looked at the large symbol drawn in mosaic on the floor. The eclipse. That was at the heart of things. She thought furiously, trying to recall any ancient legends she might have heard in her life. The eclipse- did it feature at all in pony history? It was obviously tied to the two sisters; The sun and the moon were both necessary for an eclipse to happen. It couldn't exist independently of them, but it was- An eclipse took over the sky, Rusty realized. It was neither the one thing, nor the other. It appeared when the sun and the moon fought for control, and it drew all eyes. It was night, but without the stars. It was day, but without the sunlight. They had already known that the eclipse cult had been trying to overthrow the Sisters, but now Rusty thought that perhaps the idea had come from somewhere else. The evil in the temple. No, not overthrow, she mentally corrected herself. It was trying to control them. You'd need to control both Celestia and Luna if you wanted to make an eclipse last forever. What sort of being was strong enough to control two alicorns? She remembered Curio. He was the first possessed. The evil went after him because he was the most powerful in the group. It was attacking her next, it seemed, or maybe Winter Shine. Maybe it could feed on pony lives. That would explain the sacrifices and the influence the cult wielded just before the city fell. It had been strong enough to kill indiscriminately, all the way up to the grand hall. Even after thousands of years, this thing was still powerful enough to snatch Curio like it was nothing and plague them with these visions and traps. If it were fed on pony lives, who knew how dangerous it could become. Maybe enough to control both Celestia and Luna. Suddenly Rusty became aware that the fog had stopped approaching. It was hanging in place, all around her except the library, and it was no longer moving. Her hackles rose and she quickly got to her hooves. There were shadows in the mist, faintly seen outlines. Pony shapes. "Oh buck me..." she wailed. The spectral ponies walked through the fog, skull after skill emerging into the light of her lantern. Rusty reached for it with trembling hooves and turned the knob to make it as bright as it would go. Dead ponies watched her silently. Some of them still had bits of old armor, and a few of them held ancient spears. If they all rushed her at once she wouldn't be able to fight them off. Rusty looked around for a weapon, any weapon. Even a stick. There was nothing. The dead took a step forward. "Stay back!" It was meaningless, but hearing her own, living voice helped. Rusty took the lantern in her mouth and swung it around the line of skulls. Empty sockets seemed to flinch from the brilliance and she felt a bit of hope. They were afraid of the light! The only problem was that Rusty only had one lantern and she could only focus it on a small group of the dead. The ones to the side slowly moved forward. Her breathing was getting out of control and her nostrils flared as she panted around the lantern in her mouth. She was fighting down sudden, unreasonable panic as she jerked the light here and there, trying to slow the progress of that ghastly horde. Already she had backed against the fountain and now Rusty clambered awkwardly into the basin, hind hooves first. It wasn't much, but it put her a bit higher up. She glanced quickly at the masonry in the middle, but gave it up. She'd never be able to climb it. Her best hope was to keep the dead ponies at bay until Gustaf came back. He was taking his sweet time! "Pweah!" she mumbled around the lantern handle. "Pweeeahe!" There were more dead ponies behind the first row. Those were already fully emerged out of the fog, but there were already new skulls looking out of the white wall. They were endless! Those nearest to her flinched as the light struck them, but recovered quickly when it passed on. Their hoofsteps were slow, but relentless. The sound of hooves falling on stone came from all around her now and a new clattering sound filled the air. Rusty realized the dead ponies were moving their jaws, clicking their teeth together. Coming from hundreds of skulls, the combined noise was utterly nerve-racking and she felt her bladder begin to loosen. Her legs were about to collapse and the lantern nearly slipped from her mouth when she heard a new voice in the crowd. "I'm coming! Hold on!" Gustaf's voice. The only other living voice beside hers. She nearly slumped in relief when she spotted the source. He was running on all fours, occasionally flapping his good wing to hive himself another burst of speed. He was almost here. The hordes of dead ponies scattered before the charging warrior griffin, even though he didn't seem to be aware of them at all. More than once Rusty saw him run straight through a skeletal visage, which scampered away after as if scalded. In a few more steps and a flap of his wing, Gustaf was with her. Strong arms picked her up and pressed her against warm feathers. Rusty was still panting in fright and he breath came with small, incoherent whispers. The lamp slipped out of her mouth, but she caught it in her hooves between herself and the griffin who held her. "Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you," she murmured, fighting back tears. She had tried telling herself they were only hallucinations, but it felt as if a part of her knew it was a lie. Even if Gustaf could not see or feel the dead ponies, they were real. They were real to her. Whatever they would do to her would be real. Claws patted her back, then the whole world began to rock as Gustaf walked away from the fountain. He had to be passing through dead ponies again, but Rusty refused to look. She pushed her face into his chest and kept her eyes tightly shut. She heard Gustaf's powerful heartbeat and his urgent, labored breathing. She felt sorry for making him work like that, but she really didn't have a choice. A moment later his wing came around her and wrapped her in a dark, but safe, cocoon. She let the steady rocking gait carry her away from the horror of the moment.