“Rockhoof, I will need a better reason for why I must simply sit and do nothing,” Stygian said in exasperation. “A vague warning of danger is hardly worth much considering our day-to-day lives dealing with some of the most dangerous monsters in the world.”
“As I’ve told you, lad. I can't tell you—” Rockhoof started.
“Yes, yes, your unfortunate curse, which is causing me a great deal of aggravation right now.”
“—But you need to be careful,” Rockhoof finished.
Stygian drew himself up to his full height (barely reaching the bottom of Rockhoof’s chest) and affixed a firm scowl to his face. He had the appearance of a toddler about to tell off his worried father.
“I have been doing this just as long as the rest of you,” Stygian petulantly declared. “I know the risks and am perfectly capable of assisting in any capacity, something for which I would have expected you to at least acknowledge, given your past.”
A wince. “I’m sorry, Styg. I dinnae mean to touch on your sore spot. I promise, I’m not treating ya any different than the others. I’m just less at risk than the rest of you because of how my curse works.”
Taking a deep inhale of breath to further argue his point, Stygian instead released it, deflating back to simply being disgruntled. “That’s… true. Apologies. I don’t mean to kick up a fuss, but the others have a tendency to—”
“Treat you as if you’re one of the ponies we need to protect instead of being one of us,” Rockhoof gently interrupted. “I know your worth, Styg. You’ve gotten us out of plenty of dire straits before this with your quick thinking.”
“I most certainly have.” Stygian smirked. “If I recall, quite a few of those incidents were caused by a certain earth pony and pegasus that thought they could just barrel through the problem using brute strength and were quickly corrected.”
“We’re the pillars of Strength and Courage, not Caution and Tactics.” Rockhoof chuckled. “It’s why we need you smarter types to keep us in line.”
“I do try. Now, I refuse to be stagnant, and you are adamant on my safety. Shall we split the difference and have you lead the way forward?”
“T’would be agreeable, lad.”
Stygian made a sweeping bow with his hooves toward a long corridor that lead further into the library stacks. “After you.”
Taking the suggestion, Rockhoof trotted forward, with Stygian following close behind. They searched through various sections of the library, taking care to check the plates that hung over each gallery.
“Oh, I just realized that I forgot to ask about which book we were searching for,” Rockhoof noted.
“No, you didn’t forget. I just didn’t tell you since I don’t know either,” Stygian replied.
Stopping short, Stygian walked past a stunned Rockhoof, then turned back with a confused look of his own.
“What’s wrong?” Stygian asked.
“You don’t—” Rockhoof spluttered. “How do you not know what book we’re looking for?!”
“You didn’t actually think I would just happen to know of a book that would have the answer on how to leave this place, did you?”
“Yes!” Rockhoof exclaimed. “You seemed so certain, so I thought—!”
“That’s just my normal mannerisms, Rockhoof. I always speak with certainty and act with confidence. Otherwise, how else would I be able to stand alongside you all and not seem like some sort of tagalong?”
“Then what is the point of searching all of these sections?!”
“Well, just because I don’t know of a book to solve our problems now, doesn’t mean I couldn’t find one somewhere in this enormous place. There are at least several thousand books here, so surely there would be at least one book related to our current predicament. Like most things, it’s a bit of a gamble, but one I think worth taking considering the low stakes of the matter.”
“Fair, lad. Though, I wish you’d been more up front about that.” Rockhoof sighed. “I suppose you haven’t found any new sections to try?”
“I have not. Nothing we’ve passed seems promising and all the options you noted as dead ends were the most likely places to search, which—” A snort of frustration “—Well, it doesn’t matter since you told me there was nothing there. In lieu of that, my follow-up plan is to wander aimlessly and hope we stumble upon what we seek.”
“Good enough idea as any.”
They trotted through the stacks in a companionable silence, continuing to search for a book that could contain a means to escape from the mansion. Strangely, the endless sections opened into a new wing of the room wholly different from the rest of it.
It was a massive, mostly empty room filled with evenly-spaced wooden columns containing only a single metal vault door on the far side of the room. It was held closed by criss-crossing, massive chains held by a single padlock.
“This isn’t normal for a library, is it, Styg?” Rockhoof asked.
“No, I assure you this is not a normal sight in academia,” Stygian said. “Shall we investigate?”
“Aye, but stay close.”
A firm nod from Stygian, before both stallions approached the vault cautiously. As they neared, Rockhoof noticed that small hourglasses were etched all over the door. Additionally, the lock keeping the door closed was just a big button that, when clicked, would presumably release the chains.
“I don’t like the look of this,” Rockhoof muttered. “We should—” Stgyian trotted past him. “Styg?”
Approaching the lock in open wonder, seemingly transfixed by the mechanism, Stygian reached out a hoof toward the button.
“Styg, don’t!” Rockhoof shouted, rushing to grab hold of Stygian.
Too late to be stopped, Stygian pressed the button. The chains released with a loud rattle as they dropped to the floor in a pile. When the last chain had fallen, the vault door swung inward.
The revealed room was a large empty, circular dome. A single bright light illuminated a pedestal with a book resting upon it.
Still enthralled, Stygian made his way to the book. Rockhoof chased after him, but found himself suddenly rooted in place as he passed by the vault door. He struggled against the unknown force that held him, bucking and rearing against it, but, despite his considerable strength, he was unable to reach Stygian.
“Confound this accursed place and its stupid traps,” Rockhoof growled.
“Maybe… that’s the answer,” Stygian muttered as he continued his approach toward the book.
“Wait, Styg! There’s something wrong!” Rockhoof shouted. “Don’t touch that book!”
“It’s fine, Rockhoof.” Stygian called back. “I think, no, I’m certain the answers we seek are within the pages of that tome.”
“Styg, no! Listen to me, that is clearly a trap! Don’t get closer to it!”
Stygian stopped before the pedestal. He picked up the book within the blue glow of his magic and rifled through the pages at a blistering pace.
“I can’t— damn it all, come here!” Rockhoof shouted. “I’m stuck by some thing and it won’t—”
A loud thump resounded through the room as Stygian closed the book in his magic with a pronounced snap. A small ding shortly followed, reminiscent of the bell chimes. Stygian turned around to face Rockhoof with a wide smile.
“...Styg?” Rockhoof asked.
“It’s alright, Rockhoof. I’ll come back to you,” Stygian answered.
“Aye, please do.” Rockhoof breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, would you like to know what I found out?” Stygian began to walk back to Rockhoof.
“Sure, lad.”
“Well, it was quite short, but very illuminating. It explained the structure and purpose of this place, which I found absolutely fascinating, and I now believe I know what needs to be done to escape from here.”
“You do?” Rockhoof asked with a hopeful note to his tone, ignorant of the shadows that gathered around him. “That’s great news.”
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”
“So, how do we escape?”
Stygian stopped just short of Rockhoof. A moment of silence as Stygian seemed to appraise him.
“Do you trust me?” Stygian asked.
“Aye,” Rockhoof answered without hesitation.
“Excellent. Now, hold still. It will be over soon.”
Thick cords of shadow grabbed him from behind and began to pull him down toward the floor. He reared up, startled, and began to fight back against the assault.
“Styg, what is this?!” Rockhoof exclaimed.
“Don’t fight it, Rockhoof. Just let it happen.”
Rockhoof felt his hooves sink into the floor, a strange sensation of liquid wood eating him from the bottom up. Stygian watched him, his appearance changing as he did. His mane faded into wisps of smoke, his eyes cried black tears. The vibrant purple cloak he was always so fond of snapped in the wind as it burned along the edges from an unseen force.
Realizing the trap for what it was, Rockhoof renewed his efforts, but his strength was nothing in the face of this darkness.
“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments,” Stygian said soothingly, his eyes pools of black.
Rockhoof came to and immediately noticed that he wasn’t back at the second floor hourglass as he had expected, but instead, to his mounting horror, inside of the vault.
Stygian stood by the pedestal, the book closed and floating within his magic.
“... Did you read it?” Rockhoof asked.
“I did,” Stygian replied. “It was very illuminating, and I now believe I have found a way out of this horrid place.”
Turning around to face him, Stygian regarded Rockhoof with his black-covered eyes, a cold smile on his lips.
“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments.”
Shadowy tendrils grasped Rockhoof’s body and began to drag him down into the murky depths.
“Don’t give into its temptations, Styg!” Rockhoof begged. “It's trying to trick you! It’s—”
“The answer we seek,” Stygian interrupted.
“Nay, Styg. It’s a trap. It will do nothing but hurt both you and the rest of us. Please—”
“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments.”
“Coward!” Rockhoof shouted, desperation in his voice. “How could you turn to dark magic? It's wrong, Styg! Wrong!”
“It’s a tool. Nothing more, nothing less,” Stygian replied evenly.
“If it’s a tool, it’s like a knife with the blade turned inwards! It will not save us! It will only—”
“Hush now,” Stygian interrupted as the shadows gathered around Rockhoof. “Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments.”
“Please, Styg, don’t do it!” Rockhoof pleaded. “We’re your friends. I’m your friend. You can’t—”
“Of course, I know that, Rockhoof. I would never harm any of you,” Stygian interjected. “You are important to me.”
“If we are so important to you, then why would you do this?! Use such horrid magic against us?!”
“It is our salvation.”
“It is our death.”
“You misunderstand.” A single clear tear rolled down Stygian’s cheek. “With this, we shall be preserved.”
“We’ll be dead!” Rockhoof screamed.
“But our legacy shall live on.”
Rockhoof gaped at Stygian as comprehension dawned on him.
“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments, but we’ll live for a millenia more.”
Rockhoof hung his head, keeping his gaze pointed downwards as Stygian leafed through his dark tome. His ears flicked with each rustle of a page as it was turned.
“You are strangely quiet, Rockhoof,” Stygian noted. “It is uncharacteristic of you.”
He remained silent.
“This book has been quite illuminating.” Stygian closed it with a snap. “Written inside is a spell to allow us to escape this accursed place and return to our normal lives.”
He remained silent.
“Do not worry. Rest easy, friend. It will be over in mere moments.”
A derisive snort.
Silence descended upon them.
Rockhoof raised his head. Stygian was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Excuse you?” Stygian said.
“What?” Rockhoof replied.
“You snorted,” Stygian accused.
“Aye. Twas funny.”
“What was?”
“You using the word ‘friend’.”
“Why would that be funny? It is a term used by those who are close, which we are.”
Another snort.
“There it is again!” Stygian stomped his hoof. “I demand to know what the joke is!”
“I donnae, Stygian. Why do you think I find it funny?”
“I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking!” Stygian shouted. “You know humour tends to go over my head and I usually need it explained explicitly to me or I don’t get it!”
Rockhoof was quiet for a moment as he gathered his thoughts together. “Why did you bring us together?”
“To protect the world,” Stygian replied immediately. “There was a threat that required—”
“That’s not what I’m asking,” Rockhoof interrupted.
“Then what are you asking?”
“Why did you stay with us?”
“Pardon?”
“Why did you stay with us?” Rockhoof repeated.
“I didn’t say pardon because I didn’t hear you, I said pardon because I don’t understand what you’re asking. What do you mean by that?”
“What’s your angle, Stygian? We dealt with the sirens, we were going to part ways, but then you told us that we should stay together. Travel the world and help others. Why?”
“To protect—”
“No, Stygian. You. Why did you stay? Why did you keep us together?” Rockhoof glared. “We’d already agreed to part ways after dealing with the threat, but you convinced us to keep going.”
“The answer is obvious! It was…” Stygian clutched his head, wincing in pain before reasserting his face in indignant offense. “I’ve already told you the reason. To—”
“No, it isn’t!” Rockhoof roared. “Tell me—”
“Let me finish!” Stygian shouted.
Rockhoof obliged by going silent.
“To start a legacy,” Stygian answered calmly. “To be a model for future generations, an inspiration. A legend to aspire to.”
“You…” Rockhoof drew back, struck by the cold words. “I can’t believe you would—”
“Would what, Rockhoof?!” Stygian demanded. “What other possible reason do you think there would be to stay together if not for that?!”
“Because we were friends!” Rockhoof insisted. “That we were… that we were akin to family.”
“That’s the reason you thought we stuck together?!” Stygian laughed, a harsh, broken sound. “I thought Somnambula was absurdly optimistic and naive, but clearly you’re much worse.”
“I-I don’t understand,” Rockhoof said. “Then why did the others agree to it?”
“Why did they—” A sharp bark of laughter “—Oh! Oh! You are right, this is funny. Shall I enlighten you then?”
Apprehensive, Rockhoof nodded.
“Well, then as our resident top nerd, allow me to fill you in on the real reasons our band of losers stays together.
“Starswirl likes being the boss and ordering around his lessers all while ignoring the ponies back home who hate him for being a stuck-up jerk with no redeemable qualities.
“Meadowbrook gets to be kind and generous and wonderful, so she can be lauded as this great, fantastic pony who can fill in for her social incompetence by just having everyone be in awe of how perfect she is, because the best she could manage socially is to be awkwardly in love with a stallion who’ll never reciprocate!
“Mistmane can pretend that she’s surrounded by ponies who don’t think she’s some gross hag and act so superior and wise as she dotes on us like a mother hen like the nosey busybody she is!” A few errant tears fell from Stygian’s face.
“Somnambula can continue to run away from her home village and how uncomfortable it is for her due to all the expectations everyone has of her, and shack up with two stallions like the third wheel she is as if either of them care about her at all!
“Flash gets to be a gloryhound and take all the fame that he so desperately needs because he can’t go five seconds without somepony telling him how great he is, which is also why he took two partners because then he never has to confront how stupid he is!
“Then there’s you.” Stygian pointed at Rockhoof with an accusatory hoof, ignoring the trembling of his own voice. “You’re here because—”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Rockhoof whispered.
“That’s right!” Stygian exclaimed. “Because your home village treated you like garbage for being incapable of keeping up with the other colts. Then, when you could keep up, they still treated you like garbage because… they thought…” He trailed off.
“I would get payback,” Rockhoof continued. “For how they treated me prior to gaining my strength.”
“Yes,” Stygian said, hesitation in his voice. “So, you stuck around because…”
“I love you,” Rockhoof answered. “All of you. Dearly. More than even my family. You were the only ones that gave me a chance. That saw me as me and… I didn’t want to go back to having no one at all.”
Stygian stared at Rockhoof in open shock. A few more tears fell down from his darkened eyes. He choked suddenly, his body convulsed.
“What’s wrong?” Rockhoof asked.
“Rockhoof, I-I—” A single eye became clear again, a screech echoed through the chamber. “I didn’t mean anything I said! That was— it was all I wanted too— ahhh!” Stygian screamed as he clutched both sides of his head.
“Styg!” Rockhoof shouted. He strained against his bindings. “Blast these accursed things. Let me go!”
“You can’t, it’s—” Another scream. “You have to get out. I’ll open the way.”
A loud chime rung through the vault, reverberating through Rockhoof’s body.
“What was that?” Rockhoof asked.
“A way— Out!” Stygian reared back in pain as darkness burst from him. It billowed out toward the ceiling as he collapsed to the floor, shaking.
The shadows that bound Rockhoof dissipated. He raced toward his friend, but was stopped by a glow of blue magic holding him back.
“Styg, why—”
“You can’t come here!” Stygian shouted. “You can’t come closer! You’ll put yourself at risk! It’s already too late for me, but you can still leave!”
“Not without you and the others!”
“They’re already out. You and I are the only ones left. You must leave now because you’re running out of time.”
“That’s not possible, I—”
“No, Rockhoof. It’s a lie conceived by—” Stygian clutched his throat as he choked on the words he wanted to say, growling in frustration. “It doesn’t matter, you need to go. Through the front door.”
“I can’t, it’s blocked.”
“Like the time travelling, the barrier is fake, Rockhoof. Nothing here is real!” Stygian opened his hooves to encompass the area. “You only need to want to leave.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Then you need to hurry up and get it, because I can’t have you make the same mistakes I did. There’s no more time left. You need to go.”
A dagger made of dark crystal formed next to Stygian, hovering in place. The sharpened point glittered in what little light there was inside the vault. The darkness began to encroach once more, attempting to entrap Rockhoof and return to their original vessel.
“Styg, no!” Rockhoof shouted. “I’ll come back, I won’t—”
“Rest easy, Rockhoof.” Stygian smiled. “It will be over in mere moments. And for the record… I kept us together for the same reason you did.
“I love you too.”
Rockhoof launched himself toward Stygian just as the darkness lunged toward him as well. The dagger held in Stygian’s magic shot forward, burying itself in Rockhoof’s heart.
Rockhoof came to with a shout, the hourglass once more shattered before him. Wasting no time, he scanned his surroundings and, to his mounting horror, realized there were no other passages leading out from the room he’d found himself in.
He searched desperately for a passage further into the mansion, that some wall would turn out to be a cleverly disguised corridor that would lead him back to the ponies that mattered to him.
A groan of wood drew his attention to the wall behind him. Embedded into the wall was the front door of the mansion, the barrier dissipated and five lights of varying colours spaced evenly around a central circle, glowing brightly.
As Rockhoof watched, the final light burst to life with a grey glow.