Minerva found herself in a very dark place. She was terrified of the dark. She had always been afraid of the dark. And now, it was dark. She struggled to light her horn. She couldn’t remember how she had arrived here. Had she gone through a door again? Bumped her head? She couldn’t remember.
There was something under her hooves, but she couldn’t see what it is. But she knew what it was, being a crystal pony. She stood on a floor of crystal. Only the crystal didn’t feel right. It felt off. Corrupted. This bothered her, much in the same way corrupted earth would bother an earth pony.
Her horn flared a moment, creating a silver glow, and when it did, there was a crackle of laughter. Horrible laughter. Her light died. She saw things in the darkness during the brief flash of light. Horrible things with leering eyes and frightening teeth.
Minerva whimpered. She hated the dark.
“Minerva…” said a disembodied voice, “Minerva Silvermane. Do you know me?” The voice asked.
“I don’t want to know you!” Minerva said, her voice almost in a shriek, fear causing her heart to thud painfully in her chest. Her bowels gurgled unpleasantly.
“Minerva…” the voice said again, “you can free me. Open the door Minerva. Release us all.”
Minerva could not respond, her voice dying in her throat. Her mind was shutting down now. The darkness was bad enough, but this was too much for her to handle. She felt faint.
“Minerva…” said the voice again, “you can not turn your back on family.”
“I don’t know you! Minerva cried, whimpering in fear.
“Yesss you do!” A voice hissed. “We have spoke many times.”
“I don’t remember it!” Minerva pleaded. The sibilant hiss was too much to bear. Minerva’s bladder clenched and failed. Shame flooded her body. She started to cry.
“Such weakness in a Silvermane.” The voice said.
Minerva continued to weep.
“I don’t want to know you.” Minerva said.
“I am Sombra Silvermane! And you will release me!” A light flared.
Minerva cowered, her legs wobbling, trying not to faint. She was surrounded. All around her were ponies. Who were not ponies. Not anymore. Ribs were visible. Bits of skulls. Eyes gone, replaced with red crystal orbs. Flesh hung in tatters.
And Sombra sat on his throne before her. He rose from his seat, looking down at her. “You disgust me, weak creature.” He croaked. “To think I have to rely on you to escape this prison.”
Sombra strode forward slowly, sniffing, savouring Minerva’s fear. He stood before her, glowering at her, still sniffing, staring down in all of his undead glory.
He kicked out a hoof, striking Minerva in the face.
Minerva felt like her face exploded. She felt something hot, something burning, her eyes watered and her ears rang. She fell backward onto the floor, her head striking the stone, making everything worse. She couldn’t breathe. She was choking on something liquid and runny.
Her own blood she realised.
She struggled for air, finding none. She strangled and gurgled while Sombra stood over her.
“I need you to live.” He said, his voice cold. His horn flared, glowing red, and the worst pain in Minerva’s life wracked her tiny body, causing her to cry out, forcing blood from her airway as she screamed and gurgled.
Ivy awoke to a terrible scream, a gurgling cry that sounded like somepony was strangling.
“IVY HELP ME!” Minerva screamed.
Ivy was on her feet in seconds, leaping down from her bunk, landing on Minerva’s bed on the other side of the room. She stood over Minerva, crest raised, wings out, growling.
It was a horrible sound. A terrible sound.
Ivy whirled around, looking for whatever had hurt Minerva. Minerva was soaked in something. Something that smelled like blood. And urine. Ivy sniffed. And something dead she concluded, trying to take everything in.
The door burst open, a unicorn guard entering the room. “What has happened?” The guard asked, gasping when he saw blood.
“I didn’t do this!” Ivy said, realising how this might look.
The was a loud pop outside the door.
Hoodwink was on her hooves, looking around, her horn glowing bright orange, stammering wordlessly in confusion.
Cadance entered the room, looking sleepy and disheveled. “Ivy, nopony is accusing you of anything. We need to know what happened.”
“I don’t know!” Ivy whined. “Minerva’s hurt. Bloody.” Ivy cowered over her friend, covering Minerva’s body with her own.
Cadance strode forward, pushing the guard aside.
“Minerva, what happened?” Cadance asked, sensing something was wrong.
Minerva laid in her bed and cried, unable to answer.
“Minerva smells like dead things.” Ivy said. “I can smell it.”
Cadance’s mouth moued. “Thank you Ivy. Perhaps it will help us understand is going on. Can you smell anything else?”
“No. Just blood. Urine. Dead things.” Ivy said.
“Minerva,” Cadance asked, “can you talk to me? I need to hear your voice. Do you know what happened? Can you remember anything?”
Minerva let out a strangled gurgle when she tried to talk, blood from her nose going back into her throat.
Cadance lifted both Ivy and Minerva from the bed with her magic. They clung to one another, Ivy trying to be protective.
“I dunno!” Minerva finally gasped.
Brimstone stood in the doorway, looking angry and disturbed, saying nothing.
“Summon the maids. See that the bedding is replaced. Have this cleaned up.” Cadance said, turning toward the guard. She began to exit the room, with Ivy and Minerva still in her magic, still clinging to one another. Blood dribbled and pooled at the bottom of her magical sphere.
She walked through the doorway, her own wings slightly flared, her hooves thudding on the tile. Something had hurt her student. That much was clear. Something that had left the stench of death upon her. Cadance frowned. She didn’t like not knowing what was going on.
Hoodwink walked behind her, Brimstone at her side. He was scowling, his teeth bared.
Minerva’s sobs echoed down the crystal corridor. She clung to Ivy, who was hugging her, stroking her, trying to calm her.
Shining Armor was striding down the hall to meet them, his face concerned. When he saw the bloody foal, he scowled.
“What has happened?” He demanded, looking around at the guards who were beginning to assemble in the hall. “What has gone on here? Why is this foal injured? I want an explanation.”
Minerva’s face was beginning to swell, the blood slowly subsiding.
“Ivy responded first Shining,” Cadance said as she continued down the hall, foals in tow, “she said she smelled dead things.”
“Dead things?” Shining asked, baffled.
“Like when I find a rotten animal carcass in the woods and it makes my mouth water.” Ivy said, still clutching Minerva. “Something dead for a long time.”
Shining looked thoroughly confused.
“Ivy,” Shining said, moving closer to her, “what happened.”
“I don’t know. I heard Minerva screaming and I jumped from my bed to her bed and she was covered in blood.” Ivy cried, tears finally starting to flow, fear overcoming her need to protect.
“I don’t know what happened either.” Hoodwink offered. “I just heard screaming. Minerva screamed for Ivy to help her.”
“Good Ivy.” Shining said, distracted.
A powerful sulfurous stench filled the hall, the smell worse than ever.
“Brimstone.” Cadance said, her tone commanding. “Calm yourself. Reflect upon your mother’s lessons.”
Brimstone cringed slightly. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, still striding forward alongside Hoodwink.
When he opened his eyes, the smell had subsided slightly.
“Minerva…” Brimstone said, his voice thick with emotion, “I’m here for you Minerva.”
Minerva continued to sob.
The group stopped in front of a set of double doors.
“Shining, please look after these two. Take them somewhere. Perhaps get them a snack. Calm Brimstone down as much as possible.” Cadance requested.
“I’m not leaving!” Brimstone protested.
“I am going to give these two a bath. Please go with Shining.” Cadance said gently.
“No.” Brimstone said. “No. I will not. I’d rather stay here and guard the door. What if whatever it was comes back?”
Cadance gathered her patience, taking several deep breaths before trying to speak.
“Good colt Brimstone. You will stand here and guard this door. I am trusting you to keep my wife safe, and these two fillies. There isn’t a lot you can do right now, with the situation being what it is, but you can be vigilant, and that is important and meaningful.” Shining said, before Cadance had a chance to speak. “I want a full contingent around this door.” Shining said. “Cast wards.” He commanded. “Brimstone, I need for you to follow my instructions. A guard must remain calm. Collected. Cool. You must keep your emotions in check. So you can listen. See. Sense when something isn’t right. If you remain agitated, you cannot do your job.”
Cadance realised exactly why she loved Shining Armor.
Brimstone stood, surrounded by unicorns and pegasi who gathered around the door, their faces stony, emotionless, nopony commenting or complaining about the stench.
Cadance pushed through the doors, walking through her royal quarters, finally entering her bathroom.
She began to run water.
She sat both foals down on the floor and gently began to wipe blood away with a damp cloth. Her nose crinkled, smelling urine.
Minerva continued to sob pitifully.
Cadance lifted them both again, stepped forward towards the broad tub, and dropped them both into the soothingly hot water.
She stood over them, hoping Minerva would calm. Anger seethed through her body. She was a pegasus first, and an alicorn second. Right now, she was feeling a lot more like a pegasus. Raw hot anger bubbled through her. Something had harmed a foal. Her foal. Whatever it was. Cadance wanted answers. She struggled against her inner nature, feeling her fine sense of control slipping away. Her inner pegasus screamed. It didn’t want logic, or patience, or a calm sense of refinement. No. It wanted to kick and trample something into oblivion, leaving a greasy bloody mess on her hooves.
Ivy clung to Minerva in the water. The sobs were slowly subsiding. Ivy grasped a sponge from the side of the tub and gently wiped Minerva’s nose, trying to remove more blood.
Minerva’s face was badly swollen, her eyes almost swollen shut. Her silver mane was caked in blood.
Blood still trickled from Minerva’s nostrils.
Cadance’s horn glowed, her face contorted, and the blood ceased to dribble.
“I’m not very good at that just yet.” Cadance said.
“I don’t know what happened.” Minerva said with a shuddering gasp, trying to hold back her sobs. “My face hurts.”
Cadance seethed. Her body felt on fire.
“Thanks Ivy.” Minerva said, still clinging to her friend. “Sorry I made you messy.”
Ivy said nothing, but continued to gently try to clean Minerva’s face.
“I wet the bed again.” Minerva moaned, starting to sniffle, tears falling.
“Has this happened before?” Cadance asked.
“Yeah.” Minerva sniffled.
“Please tell me more Minerva. This is very important.” Cadance looked at her student. “Can you offer any details? I need for you to be brave.”
“I’ve had nightmares for a long time. I never remember them. They make me wet the bed. And sometimes I wake up with scratches or cuts. Never a bloody nose before.” Minerva sniffled.
Minerva paused.
“Sometimes I can remember scary faces in the dark, with red crystal eyes.” Minerva said, shivering in the hot bathwater.
“If I ever get my claws on whatever is doing this, I might do something bad.” Ivy said. “I’ve never wanted to hurt something before.” She confided.
The door opened behind Cadance. She turned.
And saw Hoodwink.
“I couldn’t eat anything knowing my friend was hurting.” Hoodwink said. “Shining brought me here.” She stood there, her lip quivering, her eyes shiny with held back tears.
“Get in.” Cadance said gently.
Hoodwink did as she was told, splashing into the bath. She wrapped her forelegs around Minerva and Ivy.
“We need lunar pegasi.” Ivy said. “There’s no lunar pegasi here. They keep us safe from shades.”
“I’m not sure that this was a shade Ivy,” said Cadance, “but I think you are correct. It is time for the crystal ponies to get over their fear. I will speak to Luna about getting some lunar guards posted in the Crystal Empire. Shining has been wanting them here for a long time.”
“I feel so ashamed.” Minerva said.
“Why?” asked Hoodwink.
“I peed the bed.” Minerva whined.
“So what.” Hoodwink said. “If something scared me that bad, I’d pee too. If something wants to eat me, it is going to eat a pee flavoured me, maybe even seasoned with a side of poop.”
Minerva giggled faintly.
A stream of bubbles rose from the water. Hoodwink and Minerva gasped.
“It’s safe!” Ivy cried. “Scales don’t make sparks in the water.”
“Oh gross!” Hoodwink shouted.
“Is that what I think it was?” Minerva asked, tears forgotten for the moment.
Cadance looked horrified, standing above them.
There was another violent mass of bubbles, this time much larger than the first, accompanied by a strange noise, like somepony blowing a flugelhorn under water.
“I was nervous.” Ivy tried to explain.
“It is only fair.” Minerva nodded with understanding.
“You smell worse than Brimstone.” Hoodwink said.
“Brimstone smells marvelous.” Ivy said distractedly.
Cadance smoothed her feathers. She was still feeling protective. Angry. But the worst, it seemed, was over. Her students were calming down and returning to their usual selves. She stood over them like a mother hen as they giggled about bubbles in the bathtub, and felt a little better.
She was going to get down to the bottom of this. Somepony was going to pay. Pegasi had long memories, and Cadance was a pegasus first, and an alicorn second.