Twilight had finally got everypony ready to climb the mountain. Each element attached to the correct pony, the crew hurried to run up the mountainside. Although, everypony was nervous, nopony wanted to let the others know; it wasn’t relevant. The end of the nightmare was nearing. The only thing nopony had ever thought, was that it might just be beginning.
* * * * * * * *
‘Zeke’ looked down from a high cliff overlooking all of Ponyville and a deep portion of the Everfree Forest in which nopony had ever ventured to. The sun’s harsh glare forced his eyes to squint in both anger and annoyance. Although the beauty was far surpassing any he’d ever seen, he wasn’t able to take it in as a gorgeous sight, but a haunting reminder that ‘they’ were still out there.
A cold breeze whistled from within the cavern behind him. Amidst the eerie screech of the gust, he heard a dark voice say, “Allure…”
He closed his eyes and had a faint smirk appear over his lips. “Yes, Arachlath, the plan is prepared. You haven’t a need for fear.” ‘Allure’ looked down at the base, hardly able to view the seven ponies advancing his position. “The bait has been taken and the prey shall soon be here!”
The wind picked up, its haunting whistle sounding more like deep laughter. ‘Allure’ began to laugh just as hard, his head thrown back in maniacal hilarity. He turned to the cave, his powdered cutie mark visible to the rest of Equestria, his face beaming in an evil glare.
* * * * * * * *
Fluttershy was still mortified at the same heights and jumps she cowered before previously when preparing to confront the dragon, but she stayed the course, hiding her fears as best as she could.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, looking back to the farthest pony.
“Of c…course, Tw…Twilight,” Fluttershy responded, her eyes switching from the cliff’s edge and quickly being forced back to the trail. She smiled sheepishly, a light blush appearing on her cheeks.
Twilight was about to reply, but Rainbow Dash’s voice echoing down from ahead interrupted. “Twi, you gotta see this!”
“How horrible,” Rarity’s voice also called back. “Is this the monster we have to face?”
“I reckon we may need to use the elements as soon as we get there,” Applejack spoke to herself out loud. “Ah don’t wanna see any pony that would do such a thing to such a helpless being.”
Strangely, Pinkie Pie didn’t make a sound. She didn’t speak.
Twilight looked back to Fluttershy. “We should continue.” Fluttershy could only nod before she took to a run.
Up ahead, everypony was standing around in a circle near the side of the mountain. “What’s going on, girls?” Twilight asked, her running slowing to a trot.
Rainbow Dash, now hovering in the air, looked back and scratched the back of her rainbow-colored mane with a hoof. “Fluttershy…” she looked over the edge of the cliff. “I don’t think you wanna see this…”
Twilight hurried over and scooted in-between Rarity and Applejack. Lying in the dirt path was a baby bird, its blue feathers shredded out viciously, its feet appeared to have been bitten off, chewed up, and spat out on the dismembered body. Although it was dead, the eyes screamed.
Twilight felt haunted that such an act on such a helpless being was enacted by their foe, but she was more worried about Fluttershy’s reaction.
Fluttershy shoved Rarity and Twilight aside, contradicting her usual shy being. She saw the baby and its abused remains. A tear began to slip down her cheek. Rarity lifted her hoof and placed Fluttershy under it, pressing her near Rarity’s chest. Sobs from Fluttershy could be heard echoing from under Rarity’s hoof.
Zecora closed her eyes and began walking up the cliff. “A vicious one we’ve yet to meet.” She looked back to the stunned ponies, a smirk twisted on her lips. “His sadisticness will lead to his defeat!”
Each pony present, aside from Flutterhsy, put on a face of determination. Nodding to one another, they all ran up to Zecora’s position. Fluttershy looked at the avian and scraped mound of dirt over the bird as a grave.
She looked to the ground, a few more tears leaving her eyes and slipping down to the dirt. “Anypony who would do such a thing to such a helpless plant should be banished.” Looking up, the tears had reddened her eyes, giving her a malicious look. “He shall get the worst punishment possible!” With an intense look in her vicious eyes, she ran faster than she ever had in her life after the rest.
* * * * * * * *
The cave came into view, its hollow opening beckoning for the seven to enter. A dark shadow loomed over the threshold; light was only able to make it three inches in.
Twilight walked ahead, looking back to her friends. “Okay, everypony, get ready for whatever is inside.” She started pacing back and forth, similar to that of a military general. “Hold tight to your elements, girls,” Twilight turned to face the cave, “because we’re going in!”
Everypony present nodded and, with a determined scowl on their faces. In a seemingly-timed walk, they entered into a thick blanket of darkness. Zecora stayed back, praying for their safety.
Twilight saw the vision from her dream come true, her movements matching that made in her mind. Slowly walking in, each ponys’ eyes darted cautiously throughout the blank room not seeing anything but the dark ahead and the others at their sides.
Suddenly, candles lit up all around them, lining the entire area with an eerie glow that only fed the girls’ fears. Although the candles didn’t stand on tables and there were no books, Twilight was positive that the lights were aligned in the same spots as they were in the dream. The fact that the dream was so similar could only mean the future could be just as bad. Her worries began to rise a sickening fear as the figure of the strange pony was visible ahead, holding the strange tome with his two hooves.
Twilight raised a hoof, signaling for the following ponies to stop. “This doesn’t seem right…”
“Well, duh,” Rainbow Dash replied. “We’re in this cave about to fight some weird pony we don’t even know about!”
“Calm down, sugarcube,” Applejack stated. “We’re all tense.” She looked forward to her leader. “Besides, Twi is doing her best.”
“You’re right, flying daredevil, you know not who you wish to defeat,” a voice echoed from behind. A shadowy outline of a pony wearing a cloak stood at their only means of escape. At his hooves was Zecora, tied up in vines but moving. “Come, great Arachlath, let us burn them in the great Pit of Heat.”
“Zeke!” Twilight yelled, her face wrinkled into a scowl. “You’re not harming anypony anymore!” She looked to her friends and prepared to capture him into a stone prison. The elements began to glow and release the white glow that ensured the spell’s start.
From below, a root lifted up and gripped Twilight’s hooves raising her in the air, halting the spell and causing the spell to wear away. Simultaneously, the other ponies were tied up similarly, each one struggling against their constraints.
Twilight tried to cast a teleportation spell, but for some very strange reason, she couldn’t cast a single spell. She struggled and wriggled helplessly, but to no avail.
“Allure, what will you do? What would your father say, seeing you?” Zecora exclaimed from the dirt.
“The fool is dead, no big surprise.” Allure brought his head closer to Zecora’s face, glaring her down. “He deserved it, considering all his lies!”
Twilight noticed their fight. “Zecora, DO you know him?”
“I knew him once, he was my friend,” Zecora looked to Twilight before glaring back at Allure. “I can see that that is the end.”
“Don’t be that way, my friend Zecora, we’ve always been together,” Allure smiled smugly. “We’re still similar today, now, more than ever.”
“We are not similar, not at all! I should have left you at the waterfall!”
Allure’s face softened and turned to one of concern. He took a step back and looked away. “It would have been better if you did, perhaps; that I won’t ignore.” Allure’s eyes darted to the seven figures standing inside the cave. “I never thought about that until now… Maybe that I should say ‘thank you’ for…”
A deep, raspy voice from behind Twilight echoed about the cave. “Raise your eyes, Allure. The past is behind.” As soon as everypony heard this, they all immediately began moving. “Don’t try. You’ll need the energy.” Although everypony was fighting the branches, they all were turned around and faced the being who stated that comment. Nopony was there, only the statue.
Then, it did something very odd: It moved its lips. “At least, WE’LL need it.” Its eight eyes closed in a horrendous howl of laughter. After a minute of its gruesome taunting, it opened its eyes and stared past everypony. “Come, Allure. Your time has come. Bring them to the pit.”
His face less pained, Allure grabbed the ropes that held Zecora with his jaw and pulled her deeper into the cave.
“Enough of this, change your fate! Remember, it’s not too late!” Zecora thrashed about, straining her restraints.
Allure ignored and continued to heave Zecora towards the other ponies tied up. Suddenly, the roots that held Twilight and the others came higher from the ground. Twilight could only gawk in horror as the roots lengthened until a wooden head of a pony encased in roots emerged from the dirt. Its face represented that of a mare around Twilight’s age, but the roots and wood made it hard to tell. The biggest difference, beside the wood, was that her mouth looked more like a short, red vine stuck to where her lips should be.
Twilight was speechless on what she was seeing. Luckily, an echoing voice let everypony know what the newcomer was. “Une. My dear. Bring them forward.”
‘Une’ dipped her head down low enough to tap her chin back to the dirt before allowing the rest of her to emerge. Her body, although pony-shaped, had roots like a wire outline and vines holding them together like twine. Her tail was simply vines held at an angle similar to that of the popular pony fashion, sharp thorns jutting at few intervals.
Twilight’s world grew bumpy as Une took an uneasy step forward. She put her right front ‘hoof’ forward and awkwardly began a moving cycle.
The golden god began to move from his solid state and started to walk on its four back hooves, the front four holding the book. He trotted near Twilight and looked into her fearful eyes. “Une here is a being of old. Her species died out centuries before a single pony came to the scene.” Strangely, his voice wasn’t as deep and cruel as before, but more of a father’s tone.
Twilight tilted her shoulders in a struggle. “If her race died out, then how come she’s here?”
“Her being has been reanimated by my powers. They were a race that was truly one with nature. Her only purpose is to do exactly as I say.” With a sadistic smile, he added rather cruelly, “the rest burned beautifully.” He looked forward, the smile beaming bright.
Twilight followed his gaze and began kicking in resistance when she saw what lay ahead. A deep hole with a bright red glow emanating from below stood before her, its contents of flames began flickering shadows across the rock edges. The chasm was well over thirty feet across and a near perfect circle. Although the fall to the fire below could’ve killed anypony, the intense heat would end up being more of overkill.
Twilight’s pupils shrunk as realization sunk in. If they don’t do something, they may never be heard by anypony ever again.