Chapter 11: Primordial
After a long trek through the thick woods, the group stumbled into a good-sized cavern. Tyro looked around happily, pleased with what he saw, and Twilight started giving instructions.
"Applejack and Pinkie Pie, we need a flat surface for the spell, so we'll need those rocks out of the way. See what you can do about that. Rarity, we'll be casting a ritual here, so be ready with the materials. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, do what you can to clear away any debris in here, from leaves to animals to anything else."
Tyro finished. "Twilight, throw a temporary ward on the entrance, then come back here so we can start building the spell." He pulled out a pair of chisels and a pile of scrolls. "This spell will be a little more permanent than the last one. Unfortunately, it won't be nearly as easy to cast."
All over the cave, ponies got to work. Within hours, the debris had been cleared, the cave floor was relatively flat, and a pair of unicorns were hard at work scoring deep, solid lines across the rock.
The ritual diagrams were almost complete when Twilight looked hard at Tyro. "This isn't the same spell you used before, is it?"
"No, Twilight. That spell was much simpler than this. It had a lifespan of a few days, maybe a couple weeks after Luna attacked it. This spell will last for millenia, or perhaps forever."
Twilight went on with the task, but she was still worried. "Promise me, Tyro," she said, when they had finished, "promise me that you'll walk out of this cave with me."
The pony who looked back at her was not the Tyro she knew. This pony was the holder of the Element of Balance. "I'm sorry, Twilight. That is a promise I cannot make."
Twilight looked at him, then looked down at the ritual the two of them had completed. "Tyro, tell me the truth. What does this ritual do?"
His answer was long in coming. "It does many things, Twilight. But your real question, whether this is a spell that I could just activate like the other? It is not. This spell... it allows me to cast the spell that will actually imprison Primus. The ritual yesterday was a simple test of individual parts of another spell, the one I will be casting tonight."
Twilight looked worried. "Are you sure you can?"
"I can't afford to doubt it, Twilight. When I call, the magic will come."
Evening approached, and Twilight banished her ward. The potent magic of the Elements of Harmony within the cave would lure Primus inside, and then fate would decide.
As expect, the primordial arrived to investigate this strange power. The sun would set in mere minutes. As Primus entered, the seven ponies huddled together at the back of the cave. Primus had reached the middle of the cave, right over a small circle inscribed on the ground, when six ponies raced past him towards the entrance.
Turning, the primordial looked at them. "What ponies do I see here, who seek out Primus?
Tyro shouted back, having taken up his own place in the circle during the Primus' distraction. "The six you see before you hold the collected Elements of Harmony, here to stop your corruption of this world." Before Primus could respond, he added, "And I bear the Element of Balance!"
Tyro's already lit horn dipped to activate the ritual, losing its glow as black lines lit up in the rock. Primus looked surprised.
Tyro waited for his magic to return through his ritual, watching his friends battle the primordial. Twilight cast fireballs at him, that briefly set fire to the plant-like portions of the giant, while Rainbow Dash flew around its head to disorient it.
His magic restored, Tyro's horn blazed again, his Element radiating darkness. This time, the red was joined by streaks of black. After a few long seconds, a bolt of darkness lanced from his horn. When it struck, a black tint suddenly covered Primus' body, keeping him from moving.
"Now!" yelled Twilight. "Tyro can't hold him forever!"
The Elements of Harmony around each pony's neck began to glow brightly. With her friends arranged behind her, Twilight rose into the air, supported by the magic flowing through her body. Her eyes flew open, and were filled with bright white light. A rainbow of color appeared, and flew towards the primordial, just as it was able to break Tyro's hold on it. Outside, the sun touched the horizen.
Primus had just enough time to shout, in his moment of freedom, "What magic is this?!" before the rainbow reached him. Rapidly, it wrapped around him, and Primus was held motionless once again. "When I return, you shall pay for this!"[b/]
Tyro was already preparing his next spell, as the magic of harmony kept the spirit of unbidden nature held in check. Almost all the magic around his horn this time glowed black, growing larger by the second. Finally Tyro released the magic, and it flew out into the air, rippling like water. The magic seperated as it approach Primus, spreading out to circle behind him. It formed a dome of rippling water around Primus, seemingly unaffected by the magic of harmony passing through it. The dome hung in the air, and Tyro rose up into the air. His eyes opened, revealing an endless darkness behind them.
There they were. Twilight, her eyes glowing white, and Tyro, his eyes glowing black, standing on opposite sides of the creature to be sealed away. Outside, the sun was setting; day balanced with night. The Element of Balance fed upon these things, and magic surged forth upon Tyro's command. A second bolt flew, and the dome turned solid, the color changing to a shiny, reflective black. The Elements of Harmony had long given up their light, their task completed. Tyro's magic, too, had dissipated. When Rarity went to look, the ritual carved into the stone of the floor had vanished as well. She kept her distance from the black dome, however. For some reason, it unnerved her. Perhaps because she knew what was trapped within.
Fluttershy was more concerned about her friends' condition, quickly flying to check on Tyro. He lay on the ground, unconscious. She called over Applejack, and the strong mare slung Tyro's unconscious body over her back, carrying him back to the rest of the ponies.
Five ponies stood around two unconscious ones, wondering what to do. Carrying them back up those stairs was out of the question, even if somepony could actually locate them. Simply put, they had no way to get home. They would have to spend the night here. Nopony wanted to sleep near Tyro's black dome, but there was no choice. One by one, the five fell asleep on the thick blankets.