//------------------------------// // Lost Castle // Story: Empty Darkness // by GigaBowser //------------------------------// Chapter 5 - Lost Castle Sweetie Belle had been on an emotional roller coaster lately. Nearly dying of starvation had been an incredibly frightful experience. She still got horrible shivers whenever she thought back to it. A few days ago, she had been stressing out about her math final, and now she had nearly lost her life. It took its toll on her young mind. Then, however, the relief of not only surviving, but also finding fresh food had been wonderful. She had been on top of the world as they had feasted on grass and filled their starving stomachs. It had been hard not to smile. Following this, they had continued following the river and had found that there was a little more to this fertile area. A stark contrast from the dry, empty plains of before, they found themselves crossing wide grassy fields and entering small forests of leaf-covered trees. Though it still looked strange and unnerving in the churning darkness, it was a little calming to see actual life flourishing here for a change. Then, however, they had come to the end of the fertile area. The two ponies had stood upon the precipice, an almost exact line defining the two areas, to see nothing but dead trees ahead of them. They had tried going in a different direction, but found that the green area they were in was not as big as they had previously thought. It was perhaps an acre or two, but no more. So, with their spirits falling, they decided to leave the fertile area behind and explore what lie beyond. Though both wanted to stay where there was fresh food and water, they knew it would bring them no closer to home. Now, fear was once again eating away at the little filly as she rode on Luna's back and clutched onto her neck, gazing out at the dark world around them. Sweetie tried unsuccessfully to stifle a whine. Luna had packed as much grass as she could into her pocket dimension before they had left. Surrounded as they now were by long-dead, rotting trees with gnarled branches, it was easy to believe that they would not find food ever again while they were here. They had to make what they had taken last. The thought made Sweetie disappointed, but she knew it would be better than what she had gone through previously. "At least there doesn't seem to be anything out here to attack us…" Luna mused as she trotted forward. "Yeah…" The area they were walking through was quite frightening. It appeared like something out of a horror story. To Sweetie, it was the kind of forest where vampires or werewolves or creepy evil things would jump out and eat you up. She was trying to keep her nerves under control, but wasn't having much luck. The darkness wasn't helping matters. Everywhere she looked, she saw things darting just out of sight, or hiding behind a branch. She had already cried out in false alarm three times, much to her embarrassment. She clung to Luna's neck, trying not to shiver. Her head was darting around in all directions, her nerves completely shot. She just wanted to get out of this forest, but it seemed to keep going and going. Luna stepped on a branch, causing Sweetie to gasp in utter terror and clutch Luna's neck tightly. The princess stopped walking and glanced back at her, giving her an unamused look. Sweetie chuckled awkwardly. "Heh…Sorry…" "Sweetie, there's nothing to worry about, okay? I'm here for you, and I can hear approaching creatures." "I…just don't like this place. It's really spooky." Luna was silent for a moment. She furrowed her brow. "This entire realm is quite…spooky." "I dunno. This forest is a lot more spooky to me…" Luna continued her forward gait. She gazed around at the dead forest as she did. "Whyever so? The forest is quite empty and devoid of danger. There are plenty of branches littering the ground to alert us to oncoming attackers. Truly, this place is actually much safer than being out on the open field." Sweetie just shivered. "I can't help it Luna," she whined quietly, "It makes me scared…" "Mmm…Well, do not worry," Luna replied comfortingly, "We shall probably be out of here soon." "Y-yeah…" "Keep your eyes open for anything noteworthy." Sweetie gulped loudly as she forced herself to gaze at her surroundings. The twisting branches of the trees looked like demonic hands reaching out to snatch her away. The eerie darkness and the light from Luna's horn played with each other in strange ways and cast frightful shadows. She tried to keep her nerves under control, but she was losing the battle. Every instinct in her body told her to run away as fast as she could. "Are you okay, Sweetie?" Luna asked. "Nn…?" "I can hear you breathing quite heavily." "I…I'm scared, Luna." She wasn't afraid to admit it. The princess sighed in empathy. "You'll be all right, Sweetie." "I wanna get outta here…" Nothing else mattered to her any more. She just wanted to leave this forest. It was evil! "Hey! What's that?" Sweetie suddenly exclaimed. "Hm?" Luna replied, "What's what?" "Right over there!" she said, pointing her hoof straight at the object she could see. Luna squinted. "Wh…" She trotted a few steps forward, and then her eyes opened and she said, "Oh!" The two approached the pair of stone structures. Once upon a time, they may have been identical, but time had worn them down into a pair of mismatched relics. They stood about three feet apart from one another, and leading out away from them in either direction was a stone wall. The area between the two statues was clear and open, though it was easy to imagine that there may have been a gate of some sort at one point. Luna was fascinated as she stepped closer, and so was Sweetie. It was the first sign of any kind of civilization they had seen since leaving the town behind. The stone statues standing guard had been weathered away so much that they simply appeared to be oblong shapes now. If they had been carvings of ponies, it was now impossible to tell. "Is it some kind of entrance?" Sweetie spoke. "I'm not sure. Perhaps…" Luna mused. She continued to observe the statues, as well as the wall that spread out from them. The wall was simple, and high enough to prevent any ground-bound pony from gaining easy access. The stones were coloured with age, and inedible moss was growing in between many of the cracks. Though it had endured the sands of time, it still stood strong without any crumbling sections or holes from what they could see. "I wonder what's inside…" Sweetie said, gazing past the statues and into the darkness. "Hmm…" "C'mon! Let's go inside, Luna! Maybe somepony lives there!" "I suppose we should see what lies beyond," Luna concluded. She turned and began trotting along the dirt path that had perhaps once been cobblestone. She passed by the stone guardians and proceeded into the darkness within. At first there was nothing interesting except a lot of dirt. The area beyond the walls was barren of anything at all. It wasn't long, however, before something appeared before them. Suddenly, with little warning, a large façade was in front of them. It was taller than they were able to see because of the fog, and if it weren't for the darkness they definitely would've been able to see it from miles away. It was made of old, weathered stone, and in the center was set a huge, wooden door. It was a castle, and they stood at the entryway. "Whooooaaaaa…" Sweetie uttered in wonder. Luna was gazing up at what little she could see. "Well now…" she murmured, "This is quite interesting. What is a castle doing out here?" "This is like a super-old castle…" "Indeed," Luna nodded, "Tis similar to The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest." "I never thought we'd see another building ever again…" Luna stepped up to the heavy-set wooden doors. Signs of age could be seen on these as well. The wood was stained and rotted from the passage of time. Luna raised her hoof up to the door and gave a push. At first nothing happened, but she applied more pressure and was rewarded as the weathered wood gave way and the door swung open. A fantastically eerie creaking noise filled their ears as the door moved, revealing what lay inside. Unsurprisingly, they couldn't see much beyond the doors except more churning darkness. "Well…" Luna quipped, "That is inviting…" Sweetie was staring in as well. "D…D'ya think we should go in?" "Hmmm…" Luna paused to give the decision some thought. Truthfully, the idea of walking around a dank, creepy castle with this perpetual darkness surrounding them did not sound very appealing to the young filly. However, as she glanced over her shoulder anxiously, she recalled what lay behind them. Images of that frightening forest assaulted her mind, and she failed to suppress a shudder. "Let's go inside and have a look around," she said with a little more confidence. Luna turned back to gaze at her. "I'm not sure…" she replied, "I too am curious, but it may be dangerous in there." "Maybe we'll find something in there that'll help us get home!" Sweetie said enthusiastically, "We showed up here in a pony-made place, so maybe there's a way home in a pony-made place. Maybe this place…connects…to the Everfree Castle somehow…I dunno!" The filly was grasping at straws, but she tried not to let it show. "Hmmm…You do have a point," Luna replied thoughtfully, "Though I'm not so sure that the term 'pony-made' is correct…" "Maybe there's like a portal or something inside!" There was a moment of thoughtful silence. Sweetie jumped when she thought she heard something in the distance behind her. "Let's take a look at least!" she spoke up. Luna nodded. "Very well. You are right, Sweetie Belle, we may find something useful in here." "We can go in?" "Sure. But stay close, okay?" "Yeah, no problem!" The little filly let out a sigh of relief as Luna stepped past the precipice and into the interior of the building. *** Luna took her time observing the strange things the two of them found inside of the castle. Upon entry, she had found herself walking upon a faded red carpet. Off to the sides were the stone walls of the room, with a few more nondescript statues standing guard. Resting upon the walls were what appeared to be coats of arms. However, the shields adorning the walls were completely blank. The swords probably would have been dull and blank too, had they not been completely absent. Sweetie had hopped off of her back and was walking alongside her. Luna had expected her to be nervous and anxious about being in what could be considered a 'creepy' old castle, but the little filly was gazing around with glowing, curious eyes. They had come across a few piles of rusted metal, and Luna had made the presumption that they had once been suits of armour. Now, however, they were mere piles of junk. They came across a few ripped and faded tapestries, though it was impossible to see what they depicted. "Just like everything else…" Sweetie mumbled, gazing up at the torn fabric, "It's all dead and gone…" Luna frowned. They entered a few doorways and walked down a few hallways, and soon found themselves in a room with a large, long table. The only thing occupying the table was a single candle with hardly any wax left unmelted. There were some chairs, but some were broken and all looked faded. It was a strange feeling. Though there were plenty of things within the castle walls, the whole area still felt barren and empty. "Look, there's some stairs!" Sweetie said, pointing her hoof in a direction. Luna followed her gaze to see a fairly nondescript set of stairs leading upwards. More familiar darkness waited at the top, blocking the view of what was up there. With a curious gaze upon her face, Luna began to trot towards the stairs. Sweetie followed close behind. The second floor did not hold much more. The duo found more crumbled statues, destroyed suits of armor, and blank tapestries. It was more of the same; more nothing. Presently, the two were walking down a hallway. At regular intervals along the left side, there was a nearly-identical pile of rusted metal. Though they were mere junk heaps, they almost appeared to have some sort of pattern, as if the rusted piles themselves were somehow guarding this hallway. "We should probably leave this castle," Luna spoke, "and move on…" "Why?" Sweetie replied, observing one of the piles of metal closely. "There is nothing here," she replied, "There is nothing at all of interest to behold." After a notable moment of silence she added, "And…You must remember, Sweetie. Danger is everywhere in this world. We can never be too careful." Sweetie was gazing at something unusual that had caught her eye. She stared forward in curiosity. "Sweetie?" Luna spoke, "What are you looking at?" The filly trotted a few steps away, and Luna trotted after her wanting to keep her within sight. "Look," Sweetie said, holding up one of her hooves, "One's missing." "Hm?" Luna looked at where she was pointing. She was confused for a moment, but then she saw what Sweetie was referring to. Amongst the orderly piles of metal, there was one spot that was curiously vacant. If these had still been standing suits of armour, then it would appear as if one was missing. "Perhaps it got destroyed or something," Luna hypothesized. "But wouldn't there be a pile?" Sweetie replied. The alicorn furrowed her brow. She thought about it for a moment, but then simply shrugged. She began to canter forward, intending to explore more of the area, but stopped when she realized Sweetie wasn't following her. She turned back to see the filly still exploring the vacant area. "Sweetie?" "It's really weird…" Luna skewed her lips. "One of them is just missing, Sweetie," she spoke logically, "Perhaps somepony stole it, or somepony put it on for whatever reason." Sweetie shook her head. "No…" she murmured. Luna took a few steps towards her once again. "What?" "There was never one here…" She leaned in for a closer look. "There's no marks or a stand or anything here. There was never anything here in the first place." "Erm…" Luna blinked. She stared at the inquisitive little filly, wondering what was so fascinating about the vacant spot. Truthfully, she wasn't very keen on staying here. She wanted to explore as much of the castle as she could, and then simply leave. Danger was everywhere, and she didn't exactly like the idea of being cornered by the walls of this place if something were to attack. Sweetie stood up and stepped up onto the raised dais, standing in the vacant spot. "Sweetie, come on now. Let's move on." "But don't you think this is weird?" Sweetie spoke as she turned around to face her. As she turned, however, her hoof landed upon an odd stone in the floor that was slightly raised. It shifted under her weight. Sweetie only had a chance to furrow her brow in confusion. Then, the trap-door beneath her opened and she fell through, screaming in surprise and terror. Luna's eyes shot wide open. "SWEETIE!" She made a frantic leap forward, but gravity had claimed the poor filly before she could even react. She reached out desperately with both her hooves and her magic, but the stone trap door was already closed. She hoofed wildly at the place where Sweetie had been not seconds ago. She pressed down on the stone 'switch' that the filly had stepped on, and she tried to pry open the door with her magic. Nothing yielded. The trapdoor remained shut. "NO!!" she screamed, breathing frantically and at a complete loss of what to do. She stared at the trapdoor for a few moments. Her chest heaved as she swung her gaze around frantically. She tried a number of varied spells, trying to track her companion or bring her back somehow. In her frantic state, she cast some decidedly unusual spells but she hardly noticed. Nothing was working. "No, no, no! Nonononono!" she muttered hysterically, falling to her haunches briefly. "No no, NO!! Sweetie! Sweetie, no!!" She couldn't breathe. Her chest screamed in pain as she fought to stay in control. She wanted so desperately to believe this wasn't happening, but her missing companion told her otherwise. She began to shiver. She fought the urge to clamp her hooves over her head, lay down and cry. She cursed silently under her breath. Her mind was going ten miles a minute as she tried to figure out what to do. Having lived in a castle like this for much of her life, she was well versed in how complex the traps could be. Sweetie Belle could be anywhere. In a flash, she was on her hooves. She nearly tripped on the faded, old rug, but didn't let that stop her. An overwhelming combination of fear and determination was pumping through her blood. Sweetie was in danger, and Luna knew she needed to find her as soon as she could. She ignored the few stray tears as she dashed down the staircase to the ground floor. She cantered through hallways and rooms until she found what she believed to be the area below the trap door. She wasn't exactly sure, but she believed that the passageway that Sweetie would have fallen down was behind the brick wall in front of her. She examined it with magic, and moved through the adjoining rooms as well, looking for more hints. She quickly came to the conclusion that Sweetie had not ended up on this floor. She knew that could only mean one thing. Sweetie was underground, and Luna had no idea how to get down there. *** Sweetie Belle's head was spinning. She coughed a few times and then rolled over, moaning. Her whole body was aching; she felt like she'd been beaten up. Everything felt just awful. She tried to take some more deep breaths, but just ended up coughing. The air was thick and dusty and it irritated her throat. Groaning some more, she slowly opened her eyes. The filly couldn't see a thing. Everything was murky darkness. She gave a little whine as she swiveled her head around, trying to find a source of light. There wasn't a single one; she was blind as a bat. It was around this time that she recalled having fallen through the trap door. Everything after that had been a painful blur. She likened it to the time she had tried going down the laundry chute at her parents' place, only much, much worse. She was presently laying on something uncomfortable. It had apparently broken her fall, but it was jagged and kind of hard. She had no idea what it was, being unable to see it. Sweetie grimaced as she gingerly got to her hooves. Her joints screamed in protest, but she tried her best to ignore them. Eventually she was standing on her hooves, her senses slowly returning to her. She immediately felt dizzy from the blinding darkness all around her. She felt as if she could lose her balance at any moment. Finally, the fear started to creep in. She shrunk down and gazed out at the nothingness apprehensively. Though she knew she wouldn't be able to, she tried to call forth a simple light spell. Her horn only managed to fizzle pitifully. "L-L-Luna…?" she squeaked, her voice barely carrying any distance to it. Nothing but silence answered her. She took a few blind steps in the darkness, but all she could accomplish was identifying the hard, stone floor beneath her. "Luna??" she called, more loudly this time. Still, she received no answer. By this point, she was trembling furiously. Her heart pounded in her chest and she breathed rather quickly. Her eyes darted around wildly, trying to see anything. She couldn't see a thing, and she also couldn't hear anything, but this only made her more nervous. "Luna?!!" She realized that something could be standing right next to her, and she wouldn't even know it. Something, perhaps, with large, razor-sharp teeth. She let out a terrified whine as she began to trot forward rather briskly. Luna was gone, Sweetie realized. She hadn't come down with her through the trap door. She would still be up on top while she herself was now…wherever she was. She was alone now, blind and lost in the dark. She was directionless, defenseless and ultimately helpless. The only thing she could force herself to do was continue trotting forward in the hopes that she'd find something. Breathing became painful as she drifted closer to panicked hyperventilating. She couldn't handle this, she just knew she couldn't. What if she never found Luna? What if she was all alone in the world forever? Worst of all, what if something attacked her while she was down here. Not only could she not see, but she could barely fight back. "Lunaaa!!!" Instantly her blood ran cold as she realized that her shouting could easily draw the attention of something dangerous. But she had to let Luna know where she was. She whined again as she considered the lose-lose situation, thinking more and more about just how hopeless everything was. All she could do was run; run from the darkness! It was everywhere and it was closing in on her. She wasn't anywhere any more. She was nowhere, lost forever in the darkness!! Sweetie cried out in pain as she smacked directly into a wall. She rubbed her stinging snout, groaning lightly. She shook her head and then gazed forward. As before she couldn't see a single thing, but she reached out her hoof and touched the wall. It too felt like smooth stone. She took a few deep breaths, her panic subsiding just slightly. She told herself that nothing seemed to be in the room with her at the moment, otherwise she'd probably be dead already. She was safe, at least for the time being. As her heart rate slowed to a less ridiculous pace, she turned herself so she was standing parallel to the wall. She then moved her tail so that it was touching the wall and began to walk forward along it. She continued trotting like this, letting her tail connect her to the wall so she wouldn't lose it. It's okay… she reassured herself, There's gotta be some way to get out of here. I mean…What if one of the royals had fallen down the trap door by accident? Surely they had to make a way out just in case… The darkness made her so dizzy. She had never seen this world without the light of Luna's horn before. Again, she tried to create her own light spell, but ended up failing. She jumped slightly as her tail left the wall. However, when she backed up a few paces, she noticed that she'd found a corner. She turned to the right and continued walking down what was apparently a new corridor. For a number of minutes she walked. Nothing changed about her surroundings. It was a strange feeling for her, because it felt like she was making no progress at all. She was just walking endlessly in a dark abyss. There's a way out… she said to herself, There's a way out. I'll find it. I'll find Luna, and we'll be safe together. She continued walking forward, and she gulped. The panic was coming back. She pushed it away. She just had to keep walking and keep looking. Don't…freak…out. She saw another corner ahead of her and cantered towards it. Then she suddenly stopped as the realization hit her. She had seen the corner ahead. After shutting her eyes and shaking her head, she squinted ahead carefully. It was still murky and difficult to see, but she could definitely see the straight outline of where the wall ended. It was being illuminated by something. Sweetie's heart fluttered as she gasped in delight. She quickly galloped towards the corner excitedly. The light source was dancing and flickering, sometimes disappearing from view, but it was definitely there. As she got closer, she could see that it was tinted a warm color of yellow or perhaps orange. Finally, she rounded the corner. The ever prevalent darkness made it difficult to see clearly, but as she trotted closer she realized what she was looking at. It was a wooden torch hanging on the wall, and it was ablaze in bright orange flames. She approached it, smiling at her good fortune. This would serve as a perfect light-source. Even sitting on the wall, it lit up the dead-end room so that she could clearly see the walls and floor. It was just what she needed. In fact, it seemed a little too perfect. How could this thing have been lit? The whole castle appeared to have been abandoned for centuries or even millennia. Not to mention she was presumably quite far underground. She reached out with her telekinesis and gingerly grabbed the torch. It took quite a bit of effort on her part, but she managed to free it from its holster on the wall and bring it down to her level. It was a quite a large object for her to hold with her novice-level telekinesis, but she was able to manage. Still she wondered just where this fire could have come from. It couldn't have been burning for hundreds of years, could it? She shook her head, however, realizing that it didn't really matter. She had a light source, so now she could most definitely find her way out of this place. With a little more bravery in her heart and a bit more of a smile on her face, she began to trot through the deep dark hallways, her burning torch lighting the way. *** It had been easy enough for the intrepid unicorn to find her way back through the corridors to where she had first fallen. A grisly sight had greeted her, however, when she discovered just what had broken her fall. From the trapdoor's passage, she had landed on a pile of assorted, unidentifiable bones. It had taken all of her willpower not to throw up and collapse. Now, however, she was quite lost. All of the cramped stone passageways down here looked identical to one another, and they followed strange twisting paths. It was as if she were in a hedge maze of stone. It was positively frigid down here, and the rocks in the walls were grimy and tainted with age. Sweetie had been in an ancient palace before once on a school field trip. This place, however, showed no signs of care or upkeep whatsoever. The more corners she turned and the more monotonous passages she came across, the more fear and despair were creeping up on her. A frown slowly made its way onto her face, and she eventually had to stop herself from trembling. She made rights, lefts, straights, but she just ended up in the same dingy passages. She had no idea if she was getting closer to or further away from the exit. She was beginning to wonder if there was an exit. Sweetie had been trotting along for what had felt like more than a half an hour. To her eyes, it looked as if she were right back where she'd started and, for all she knew, she was. Hopelessness had been growing, and it chose this moment to completely overwhelm her. She fell to her haunches as all of her features drooped like a rag doll. She just sat there, staring at the cold stone floor beneath her in the flickering light of the torch. This is it, a voice said to her, This is the end. You're going to be stuck down here forever and you're never going to make it out… She whined, trying to ignore the voice that sounded suspiciously like her own. You're going to die down here… "Noo…." she moaned. There were a few quiet splats as tears fell to the ground. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't. How did any of this come to pass? How had she ended up in this insane world in the first place? What had she done to deserve the horrible things that had happened to her already, and not to mention the horrible things that would happen even if she did manage to get out? Why did things have to end up like this? Why did she have to die in a cold, underground prison? "Rarity…" The name of her sister drifted past her quivering lips. She began to wonder just what was going through her older sibling's mind. Was she worried, or was time screwed up somehow and she didn't even notice that her little sis was gone yet? Would she cry? Rarity never cried unless it was about fashion. What had Rarity done to deserve losing her little sister? Sweetie couldn't shake the idea of never seeing Rarity ever again. It was a painful, toxic thought, and it wouldn't leave her alone. It made her heart hurt. She wanted to lay down and bawl her eyes out at the mere thought. Above anything else, Sweetie Belle missed her sister and wanted to go home. She sniffled as more tears fell. What about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo? How would they handle it? Sweetie knew she was one of the closest friends to both of them, and just being there with them brought huge, glowing smiles to their faces. How would they handle losing her? Would they be able to handle it at all? Would they be able to go on crusading? A sudden spike of pain shot through her chest. Sweetie realized that not only would she never receive her cutie mark, but she would never find out what her friends' marks were. A few sobs escaped her lips. She couldn't handle this; it was too much. She didn't know how to get out, and the dizzying, identical passage ways were making her stir crazy. She wondered briefly if she was going to go insane, and if she perhaps already had. She lay there for a few minutes, weeping in sorrow. Thoughts of her life before all of this rushed through her mind. She saw the faces of so many ponies that she knew, all of which could very well never see her again. Sweetie wanted to go home. She wanted to reach out to each and every one of those ponies and tell them that she was all right. She wanted to give them all a hug and never let go. Now, instead, she was shivering in the cold dungeons, lost and possibly trapped forever. Then, however, she thought about Luna. She began to wonder if Luna were still up there, trying to find her. She had been down here for a long time, and she wondered if Luna had given up and left yet. Perhaps it was for the best after all. Luna could very well be wasting her efforts on nothing. But then, Sweetie remembered something. Familiar words flashed through her mind. "I'll tell you what. You keep me from being afraid, and I'll keep you from being afraid! Sound good?" Luna had said this to her only a couple of days ago. Sweetie could remember it clearly. She could remember everything they had gone through Luna had worked tirelessly to provide her with food when she had nearly died. Luna had kept her safe from those horrible creatures. Luna had even fled to safety with Sweetie on her back while her body was mangled and she had been close to death. Sweetie Belle slowly got to her hooves, holding the burning torch before her with her magic. She took a deep breath, gulped, and then began to trot forward again. Though her little body still trembled and the tears were still falling, she had a resolute expression on her face. She had promised to keep Luna from being afraid. She was supposed to stick by her so that the two of them could keep safe. Sure, Sweetie was in deep trouble right now and needed Luna's help…but Luna needed her just as much. The little filly knew that if Luna was still up there, she couldn't let her down. *** Luna sat and panted, staring wide-eyed at the floor below. Her jaw hung open uselessly. Just like she was; useless. She had been searching this castle for more than an hour. She hadn't stopped once, her hooves had been flying and her brain had been running on overtime. Every nook and cranny had been investigated, every room had been turned upside down. She had used her magic to press on every rock on every wall. And yet, she couldn't find a way into the dungeons below. There was a haunted look in her eyes. She had failed. She had promised to keep the little filly safe. She had promised to keep her close and do everything in her power to make sure she stayed alive. In relative terms, they hadn't been separated for very long, but Luna was already beginning to feel hopeless. She had scoured this castle from top to bottom, and the only entryway into the basement that she could find was the one Sweetie had fallen through. That entry no longer opened, no matter how hard she tried. Slowly she began to shake her head. She knew she couldn't just give up. Sweetie was still down there; she just had to be. Luna would tear this castle from its very foundations before she gave up on the little filly. She got to her hooves once more, taking a deep, calming breath. Sweetie Belle was counting on her, and so she needed to do her best. The filly was lost somewhere in the catacombs of the castle, and Luna simply needed to find her. She shivered as she imagined how frightened the young foal must have been. It was a heart wrenching thought to imagine the poor pony all alone in the dark caverns, lost and afraid. So, Luna began her search once more. There had to be a weak point somewhere. There had to be a way down, even if it was impossibly hidden. She knew she had to find it. Nothing else mattered now except for the safety of her young companion. She prayed for Sweetie's safety. This world was dangerous, and one never knew where trouble was going to appear next. Luna knew this well, and it only drove her to search faster. *** Sweetie was still making little progress, but she tried not to let it dampen her spirits. She kept telling herself that eventually, no matter how long it took, she would turn one of the corners and find something. These passageways couldn't all be the same… Her hooves were beginning to get tired, but she pressed on. Worse, however, was the cold temperature of these underground passageways. Sweetie Belle was freezing cold, and it was making her shiver. The heat from the fire warmed her a little bit, but it was barely noticeable against the frigid air. She couldn't feel the tips of her hooves, and her ears burned from the cold. She let out a suffering breath, pushing forward through the swirling darkness. More stone passageways met her. She frowned and paused for a moment, gazing at her next choice. She could go left, straight or right. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. "Mmmmmnn…" she moaned. She began to wonder where Luna was and what she was doing. Had she given up yet? Had she left? A different sort of shiver overcame her. Was Luna…gone? Sweetie shook her head. "No…" she murmured, "Luna and I have to find each other…" She raised her torch up again, holding it before the three passageways that were before her. As she could expect, the torch did little to illuminate anything beyond a yard or so. Truly, it was a complete potshot as to which direction she could choose. Sweetie's ear twitched, and she froze completely. She focused her mind and strained her hearing, trying to hear over the crackle of the fire. It was difficult to detect the sound, and she almost believed that she hadn't heard anything at all. But then she heard it again. It was coming from the right passageway. "Luna…?" she called out uncertainly. It was the sound of something stepping along the stone floor. Though uncertain at first, she was definitely sure that it was another living being making the sounds as she drew closer. "Luna? Is that you?" Sweetie's excitement was growing. As she stepped even closer to the sound's origin, she began to realize that she was hearing the clopping of hooves. Her heart raced and she proceeded down the corridor. The noise was coming from around the next bend, and so she quickly ran towards it, eager to see her companion again. Sweetie nearly dropped the torch as she came to a sudden halt, staring at the thing before her. Her mouth hung open as her entire body was frozen with terror. She shivered and tried to run, but her body refused to listen. Her whole body seized up as it turned around to face her, staring at her with haunting yellow eyes. Just what was it? Sweetie had no clue whatsoever, but she definitely knew that she found it horrifying. It walked on four hooves, but that was the least-unusual thing about it. Its jet-black fur was scraggy and longer than a pony's, and it had no mane or tail. Its front legs were larger and longer than the rear ones, giving it a hulking, hunching appearance. It had no visible ears and its snout shape was unusual, but those glowing eyes that were impossible to miss were boring holes through Sweetie's mind. It opened its mouth to bare glistening fangs, and let out a horrible hissing noise. Sweetie finally screamed in terror, finding the strength to back away from this horrible, menacing creature. Though it wasn't very big, only slightly taller than she was, it was incredibly intimidating and seemed quite dangerous. Sweetie couldn't breathe right. What would she do?! Luna wasn't around to help her fend it off. If it attacked her, she'd be done for. The creature gave a weird, growling sound that seemed to come from the pit of its throat. Sweetie quaked on the spot, trying to force her legs to flee. Her heart hammered in her chest and she wanted nothing more than to run, but she was rooted to the spot. Then, finally, the creature stopped growling, took a deep breath, and opened its maw. Sweetie then figured out how the torch she'd been carrying had been lit. The terrified filly ran for her life as the fire-breathing creature quickly gave chase. The singed hairs at the very tip of her mane had been persuasion enough to get her legs moving. She was barely able to maintain enough focus to hold onto the torch as she fled for her life. However, she somehow managed it, and was rewarded with the ability to see where she was going. The cost, however, was a crippling cut to her defense. If she were holding this torch, she wouldn't have enough magical reserves to be able to cast a kinetic spell. The creature let loose a few more fireballs as it gave chase, narrowly missing her. She could feel the heat from them as they flew past, however. She was beyond panicking at this point. She barely saw what was in front of her. Every single iota of brain power was dedicated solely to fleeing from this horrible thing. It gave a vile screech from behind, and Sweetie clamped her ears down to her head. Its coarse voice gave her goosebumps, sounding like some sort of creature from her nightmares. She was heaving breaths painfully as she ran, but she barely even noticed. She just had to run. The narrow chamber was filled with the echoing of hooves as the both of them fled through twisting, confusing passages. So far, Sweetie had not found a dead end since the spot where she'd found the torch. She was worried, however, that her luck would soon run out. Suddenly, the world in front of her erupted into brilliant flames, causing her to slam on the brakes and scream in terror. A fireball from the creature's maw had impacted a wall only a few meters from her, exploding in a bright orange array of flames. The heat she felt wash over her was incredible, especially in contrast to the constant cold she'd been feeling for the past few days. She took a sharp intake of air, only to choke on the hotness of the fire. She scrambled on her hooves, trying to turn away from the wall and continue her escape. Her vision was blurred by tears and she couldn't breathe. She yelped in pain as quite a number of hairs were yanked from her tail after the creature's hoof just barely missed slamming down upon it. Her body was yelling at her, telling her that she had to stop. But she knew it was wrong. She knew she had to run. And so she ran. *** The air was filled with a wild, determined cry. A shower of rubble filled the air before falling to the ground. The unwavering visage of Princess Luna, stained by dirt and blemishes, stared at the hole she had started to make in the castle floor. She panted from exertion, and then lit up her horn once more. Though old, the castle's stone foundations were noticeably strong. It was taking the full brunt of her magical force to cut through it and access the basement below. Luna was running herself ragged from the powerful spells she had to cast in order to even make a dent. And yet, she continued. As sweat poured from all over her body and she heaved the heavy breaths of approaching exhaustion, she let loose another cry and sent forth another spell. More of the stone below gave way; another few inches gained. She was tired. She was completely worn out, and her magical reserves were dangerously low. She was incredibly thirsty, but she forced herself to abstain from her collected water supply as much as she could. She knew she would collapse soon if she kept this up. Smash! Another powerful spell was released from her horn. She had to be close now. The catacombs below had to be revealed to her soon. If not, she would keep going until they were. She closed her eyes and panted heavily. Sweetie Belle was down there. Through all of her screaming muscles and her throbbing, aching horn, Luna let out an animalistic cry and cast out an unbelievably powerful spell at the hole she had made. The entire castle shook from the force, and it left Luna on wobbly legs. When the dust cleared and Luna had stopped her vision from spinning, she stared into the hole. Still, there was only more rock at the bottom. She clenched her eyes shut. The weary alicorn wanted to just keel over and die. Her chest burned furiously and her head was spinning. It was a surprise to even herself that she was still standing after all of this. Just how deep were these catacombs? The room was spinning. Luna had never felt her heart beat as fast as it was now. She was drowning in sweat and choking on dust, and she felt like she just couldn't take any more. Luna's horn began to glow once more. *** Sweetie was running out of breath. The torch in the air before her was wavering as her magic began to weaken. Her hooves hurt terribly, and some of her fur was singed where some fireballs had narrowly missed her. They stung badly, making her tear up, but she pushed on. Still, however, the endless corridors met her gaze. She simply couldn't find a way out; she was trapped down here with this thing. Her only respite was that she was slightly faster than the beast, but having to constantly pause and choose a direction was slowing her down. Why wouldn't it just leave her alone?! Sweetie rounded another corner, nearly losing her footing and dropping the torch. She winced as a fireball shot past right behind her, flying through where she had been only seconds before. She groaned in exertion as she pushed herself far past her limits, trying desperately to stay alive. She rounded yet another corner, and instantly dread filled her face. Finally, her luck had caught up with her, and she'd reached a dead end. She tried to slam on the brakes suddenly before she would end up hitting the wall, but her scrambling hooves caught on one of the stones in the ground and she ended up in a tumble. She cried out as she impacted the ground painfully a few times before rolling to a stop right next to the wall. The torch clattered to the ground, still burning and thankfully not catching anything on fire, but out of her reach. The flustered, pained filly scrambled herself into a sitting position, finding herself with her back against the wall. She stared through the fire-lit darkness with wide, terrified eyes. Seconds later, the glowing yellow eyes of her pursuer appeared, glaring at her as they drew closer. Sweetie whimpered in fear and tried to back up further, as if she could somehow pass through the wall. The strange hooved creature stepped into the light of the torch, glaring at her and baring its teeth. It almost looked like it was smiling as it stalked slowly towards her. Sweetie could tell that this thing knew it had her trapped, and it was just toying with her now. She gulped and lowered her head so her horn was pointed at it. As quickly as she could, she cast out the best kinetic spell she could muster. The air shimmered and the flames of the torch danced as if hit by the wind. Unprepared, the creature took the force of the spell and was sent back. It didn't end up very far away, however. It shook off the assault and returned to its previous position in a manner of seconds, now glaring at her even more. Sweetie barely had any energy left and, regardless of that, she was still an inexperienced magic user. She could keep a creature at bay with her small kinetic spell, but in a position like this it was completely useless. Despite the odds, she fired another spell at it. Her heart sunk when she saw it simply sidestep the spell, dodging it entirely. She tried once more. Not only did she miss again, but she felt drained. There was no question about it; this creature had her trapped. Her eyes darted around, looking in every direction for a possible escape route. The creature stalked ever closer, looking as if it were about to pounce. This thing was too quick. If she tried to go around it, it would cut her off and…get her. She trembled furiously. She found herself looking above the creature at the featureless stone ceiling above them. There was no escape up there. Luna was probably long gone. She was blocked on all six sides with absolutely nowhere to go. She was out of options. Sweetie Belle uttered a silent prayer to the heavens. Perhaps divine intervention could save her. It was pretty much her only hope at this point. "Please…" Sweetie murmured in a trembling voice, "Luna…" The beast was only about a yard away now, mere seconds away from ending her life. She stared at it, her eyes transfixed on its, utterly petrified. She shot one final glance up to the ceiling, hoping and praying as hard as she could. The creature growled and leaned down, preparing to strike. A sudden uncontrollable sobbing overcame her and she cried out in hopelessness, "LUNA!!!" The creature released a glorious fireball. For a moment, silence filled the room. A lone, defenseless filly sat cowering in a dead end, moments away from death. Nopony came to save her. Her life briefly flashed before her eyes. She gritted her teeth and waited for the strike to come, her mind going completely wild. It just wasn't fair! Why should things turn out like this?! Why did this thing have to kill her?! "Leave me alone!!!" She felt heat, but nothing more. There was a pause as Sweetie wondered where the horrible pain was. Still trembling like a leaf, she opened her eyes and gazed out at the creature. It was glaring at her, but not moving. There wasn't any fire anywhere, most certainly not on her body. "Wh…?" It was then she realized that her horn felt hot. Though it was difficult to see in the flickering light of the torch's fire, she realized that there was something between the two of them. Something was surrounding her. The creature growled and made a small huff, letting loose a tiny trail of flame. It flew lazily towards her and then impacted the shimmering wall that was around her, disappearing completely. Sweetie continued to gaze at the magical, shimmering barrier as her eyes began to dance in wonder. A shield spell… The barrier disappeared and her horn stopped glowing. Sweetie worked to catch her lost breath, while the creature stared menacingly at her. She tried to calm herself down as she got to her hooves, but the evil, glowing eyes of this thing still managed to make her tremble. A near-death experience had just passed by, but it was fleeting. Suddenly, another large fireball erupted from the thing's maw. Her heart skipped a beat, but then she focused her mind and tried to make the same thing happen again. Leave me alone…Leave me alone!! The fireball dissipated against the glowing shield, bringing a relieved grin to Sweetie's face. She was about to let the shield drop, when suddenly a second fireball impacted it, making her cry out in surprise. Then another hit, and more and more. Sweetie stood her ground as a cacophony of chaos erupted around her. The vile creature was slinging as many fireballs at her as it could, each one slamming into her tiny shield. Though she was not hit at all, she could feel each impact in her horn. Her legs began to wobble and she grit her teeth. The tiny filly gasped in horror as the shield began to flicker and fade. The heat from the intense firestorm around her continued to rise. She had barely escaped death for a couple of short minutes, but this was too much. A pitiful shield spell such as hers couldn't stand up to this. She groaned from the exertion and tried to hold on, but she was quickly losing the battle. Embers found their way through and danced on her fur. The shield spell was going to fail. That's when the roof exploded behind her. As her spell dissipated completely, the entire area was filled with a thick, dusty cloud, as well as the loud tremors of crumbling stone. Sweetie felt fireballs whizzing past her, but they were missing her through the obscurity. She coughed profusely, and then turned her head towards the source of the chaos. As the dust cleared, a familiar face could be seen gazing down through a hole in the roof. She looked at Sweetie, and then turned and looked at the creature. Seconds later, Sweetie felt herself being enveloped in telekinetic magic. "Hang on, Sweetie!!!" Another fireball zipped past her as she was swiftly carried up through the air. She cried out in shock and minor pain as it singed the tip of her tail, but otherwise missed her. She was flung up through the hole faster than she could comprehend and ended up laying on the ground amongst a pile of dirt and rubble. Less than a second later, a blazing shot of fire flew up through the hole, barely missing the both of them. The creature below was growling and hissing. Sweetie didn't doubt for a second that it had the capability to leap up through the hole in the relatively low ceiling of the catacombs. As another fireball shot through, a very large rock nearby was enveloped in a thick, blue aura. It moved through the air at an agonizingly slow pace, but soon enough it was positioned directly over the hole. The aura disappeared and the rock fell down, plugging the hole completely. Then, silence. For the first time in a hectic couple of minutes, utter silence reigned. The only sound that could be heard was the panting of both of them. Then, they turned and gazed at one another. Tears welled up in Sweetie Belle's eyes. "Luna!!" "Sweetie Belle!!" The two ponies leapt towards one another, ending up in a tight, warm embrace. Sweetie was shivering and sobbing as she held the bigger pony close, a rush of emotions going through her. Finally, after her harrowing experience, she felt safe once more. Luna too was crying. She was sobbing quietly as she held the little filly as close as possible. Sweetie could feel the larger pony shivering just as much as she was. She could feel the immense relief in the both of them. She wanted this moment to never end. "I…" she hiccupped, "I thought I was done for…" Luna nuzzled her as she hugged her close. She whispered in Sweetie's ear, "I thought I had lost you…" Sweetie sniffled. "You…I'm so glad you came back for me…" "Of course I did!" "I didn't think I'd ever see you again…I was sure I was going to die down there…" Luna pulled Sweetie back so the two could look into one another's eyes. Sweetie could see the trails of tears flowing down, forming little rivers on the alicorn's fur. There was so much warmth in Luna's relieved smile alone. "I'll never leave you behind," she spoke simply, "I'd never just go on without you. Don't even think like that." Sweetie gazed up at the alicorn. She had always seen Luna as somepony who was regal, proud, powerful; somepony better than her, more important than her, and completely infallible. But right here and now, she was seeing more of the moon goddess. Luna had vulnerabilities and feelings just like anypony else. She was quickly beginning to think of her less as a ruler, and more as a pony. "We're in this together, Sweetie Belle," Luna said resolutely, "I do not know how…and I do not know why…but we will get through this together, and we will both make it home. Okay?" Sweetie sniffled and nodded. She tried to smile, but the traumatic incident was still fresh in her mind. As more tears flowed, a strange mix of relief and fear, she held out her hooves. Luna responded and pulled her in for another tight hug. They remained silent as they held each other close, glad that they weren't alone once again. It was over, and they were together again. The nightmare was still all around them, and still very real, but this hurdle had been overcome. Sweetie knew that, despite everything that had happened, they could continue now with their heads held high. Together, they would find their way home.