//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: The Nightmare // by Cirrus Sky //------------------------------// The unearthly wind had woken the others in the camp. Pinkie and Shining were quick to react, looking at the strange scroll Twilight had read from. Jack and Rarity walked over from their tent, the normally glamorous woman looking a little frayed around the edges. Their guides held back from the others, glowering at Rainbow. Suddenly, Pinkie twitched. “Pinkie Sense! Bad things again guys... This one. It is a doosy.” She looked to the horizon with worry. Nearly immediately the wind picked up once more, picking up sand and filling the air with biting grit. “We better get inside!” Rainbow shouted over the howling. “Looks like another sand storm.” As they started their walk Shining made to douse the fires, kicking sand over the wood. It didn’t work. He started to cast when all the flames in the camp grew mightily. Orange figures of fire walked out of the flames. “I’m out of here!” They heard Hoop’s companion yell. The sky-man flew from the group and out of sight. Jack scowled at his departure. “More gold for me.” They heard the brown haired man comment. “I’d suggest running now.” Twilight said, noticing the flaming figures begin to advance on them. “Right now.” “Good plan!” Shining grabbed her hand and ran to the nearest structure. Rainbow and Pinkie followed behind while Jack led Rarity after them. Hoops was torn, he wanted to take some more gold and this was a perfect opportunity. The breath of fire from the creatures that swept around him decided it and he hurried after the group into the dark basement of the temple. -*- In the dark the basement level seemed scarier, more claustrophobic. What they had seen by torchlight to simply be stone pillars and generic statues now loomed as monsters. Trying to keep the concentration she needed to cast a spell and still run from the flame creatures, Twilight was soon falling behind. At the end of the wide room were three different passageways. There was no indication in which direction the others had run. “Ah, this is a problem...” She tried to keep calm. Choosing a passage, Twilight hurried onwards. -*- Out under the sky the flame creatures guttered out. There was little magic available to sustain them and with no targets there was little point to keep them. Another sharp wind blew through the area, uncovering human shapes in the sand. Whispers carried on the air from the central room of the former palace. Chattering in an ancient tongue and frightening the harried treasure seekers. When they reached the bodies it intensified. A hand shot out of the compacted dirt... -*- “Come on Rare.” Jack was getting worried, her partner was listless and trailing behind. Slumped in posture instead of poised as usual, she barely ran, only half moving herself while the gunner pulled her along. “It’s fine Jack... I’ll be ok here.” She mumbled and slurred out the words. Jack risked a look back; Rarity looked paler, even grey under her eyes. “You alright? Rare you look sick...” Jack stopped worried, pulling the other woman close and debating whether to carry her. She was shocked from her thoughts by a scream. -*- “Rainbow, where’s Twily?” Shining said as they ran side by side. He had lost the sound of her feet and hurried breath without noticing. Now he wasn’t entirely sure how long before he had last heard it. “She was right behind us.” Rainbow said, taking a quick look. There was no chasing trouble but there was also no navy haired librarian. She stumbled to a stop, grabbing Shining by his jacket to halt him too. Twilight didn’t catch up; there wasn’t even the sound of her approach. “We better go back and look...” The gut chillingly familiar scream cut her off. “Twily.” “Twilight!” The sound had come from up ahead, they raced onwards towards the sound. Both praying it had not been a mortal shout. -*- Twilight was not having a good time. A snake had slithered across the passageway a little ahead and she had run through a number of cobwebs which even now clung to her. There was no sign of her brother or Dash and the webby passage indicated that they had not run this way. “Keep moving forward Twilight.” She whispered, her father’s familiar motto cheering her a little. She moved on along the stone walled corridor. It opened into another wide area, two more passage doors beside it. “Well, at least they should reach here.” She said, relieved. The regular crunch of footsteps from behind echoed along. Twilight turned to greet whoever had found her. Instead of the friendly faces of her brother and Rainbow or Rarity and Jack it was strangers. Strangers who had seen better days. Twilight screamed and backed away. The walking corpses, hands outstretched with bony fingertips breaking through, followed her. -*- Rainbow swung her shotgun from her shoulder to her hand and cocked it. Shining flicked the safety off his borrowed revolver. They ran towards the sound of Twilight and soon reached a wide area at the end of the passage. A fully armed Jack was soon beside them. Rarity leaned against a wall, wilted almost. She looked ill or injured. In the dark they saw three others, from the purple glow they identified the one as Twilight. Shining used his own light spell to illuminate the whole area. The sight shocked them, Rainbow most of all. “You... you died!” She gasped out, to her credit still holding her gun to shoot. One of the figures turned to face them, its face a howling rictus of death. “Nimbus... Green Ray.” She lifted the shotgun a little more, level now with their midsections. What had once been Nimbus was getting too close to Twilight for Rainbow’s liking. She shot both barrels at once, bowling her former friend over. Jack took care of Green Ray with a quick disabling shot. Shining emptied the revolver into the knees of the walking corpses as Rainbow caught hold of Twilight. “Come on, we got them...” “We should get out of here.” She whispered. She was shaking, Rainbow pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around the librarian and whispering soothing words. “There should be a door to the surface there.” Rarity spoke, surprising the others. She pointed to a darker corner. Shining directed the glowing orb of magical light towards it, revealing a staircase. The hurried too it, stepping around the destroyed bodies. Leading the way Shining took the steps two at a time, found a door and kicked it through. They stepped through, Twilight still held close to Rainbow and Jack almost carrying Rarity. “You guys made it!” An overly cheerful Pinkie greeted them. “Gods, Pinkie try not to do that again.” Shining dropped the ball of light. The others nodded agreement. “Sorry guys, I thought you knew to move around the back.” Pinkie waved to the rising structure behind them. “We must leave now.” An unfamiliar voice commanded. A blue haired woman flanked either side by the warrior and the woman who had confronted them earlier, emerged from the shadows. She had an aura of authority and an expression that brooked no argument. “The animals?” Jack asked, looking in the direction of the camp. “Our people are taking care of them.” The tall pink haired woman said softly. “We must all leave with haste now please.” “There is no please about it. We leave now.” The group was hurried away from the structures. A vast magical circle encompassed the group, the bright white light of a spell drowned out the scenery and all vision. When is subsided Twilight was shocked to find herself in a familiar place. “The museum?!” -*- The Guarding ones reached the camp in time to see the shambling dead pair slip through the ground. “That is a new trick.” Luna commented, trying to keep calm and in a level mood so as not to attract the Nightmare. “Should we go after them My Lady?”A’triet drew his sword, looking for a swift entry to the catacombs. “No. There is little use, you too could get lost in the maze.” Luna held them back. She was about to send her guards to seek out exits when a puffy pink head popped into view. “Hiya! Who are you guys?” Pinkie jumped up. She had heard the approaching horses and gone to take a look, opting to circle through the upper level of the main building instead of venturing deeper. “Stand back from the Princess!” The guards took up arms; they were stood down by the princess. “It is fine; I know how to take care of myself.” The princess looked to each of them. “We do not want to rile the Nightmare; it will be seeking a host if only the seal is broken. Any one of you would be all it needs to unlock the prison or launch an attack on myself.” She looked at the newcomer. While she had been told about Twilight and her brother Shining, there had been no report on the others bar the suggestion that this law woman was adept. “Who might you be, child of the earth?” Pinkie smiled at the greeting, her Mamma and Papa had called themselves such, “I’m Pinkie Pie, Corporal of the Fort Mage Law Enforcement Branch on parole officer assignment.” She smiled and stuck out a hand to shake. Luna warmly accepted. The shot of emotion the bubbly pink haired woman received shocked her a little, the newcomer was a very old soul. She was about to comment when an itch on her left heel warned her of something. “They’ll be coming out around the back.” She stated. “Of course you’d know that.” Luna indicated that the Corporal should guide them and soon the warriors she led were following through the camp. “Oh, the poor animals.” Mēi said, a little distressed at the horses and camels uncomfortable amongst all the ancient magic. “Princess, may we help them?” Luna nodded and brought her horse around to address the tribesmen who had accompanied her “Take the animals to our camp, maybe take also the equipment and chest if you have the time. We will be taking those in the tomb away to the city.” She looked downcast a moment. “I can already feel the influence of the Nightmare.” A’triet’s second in command moved to gather up what he could, directing the others in quick efforts. Happy with their work, Luna and her faithful Guardians left with Pinkie to meet the others. The route was strange and seemed almost without sense, Pinkie seemed to almost be following some path only she saw. They rounded another corner and found themselves at the rearmost part of the ancient palace turned prison. At an almost imperceptible part of the back wall there was a door. “They’ll be out here.” Pinkie said. “Then I shall make preparations.” Luna dismounted and began tracing a shape into the sand. A’triet and Mēi stood aside to allow her to work. Swiftly the princess worked, laying a travel circle that would whisk the large group away from the desert and cover three days travel in a moment. Soon the last rune was drawn. “We are ready.” “Any moment now.” Pinkie said, stepping away from the door a little. She had predicted correctly and a harried looking group burst out. “You guys made it!” Pinkie cheerfully greeted them. “Gods, Pinkie try not to do that again.” Shining dropped a ball of light he was holding, the spell dissipated. The others nodded agreement with his statement, Twilight looked shocked to the core and Rainbow was holding her in a protective manner. Jack was virtually carrying Rarity, the glamorous woman looked like a wilting flower, wan and tired out. “Sorry guys, I thought you knew to move around the back.” Pinkie waved at the ruined palace and shrugged. She was concerned for her new friends. Luna saw a long and pointless conversation “We must leave now.” She interjected, Mēi and A’triet took up station beside her. “The animals?” Jack asked as she looked over to the camp. “Our people are taking care of them.” Mēi said softly. “We must all leave with haste now please.” She looked to her princess. “There is no please about it. We leave now.” Luna said, in a tone that brooked no argument. They hurried away from the structures to the vast magical circle and Luna spoke the activation phrase. The bright white light of the transportation spell drowned out the scenery and all vision. When is subsided Luna looked around to where she had sent them. “The museum!” Twilight Sparkle shouted in shock, looking around at recognizable surroundings. Shining sat to the floor in surprise. The click of high heels on the marble floor approached. A familiar face appeared in the nearby doorway. “Hello Mother.” Cadence smiled at Luna.