What is a soul?
Is it the conceptual creation of a madman, grasping the realms of theology for reasoning on this world and the next? A guess of order to what would otherwise be a lawless reality?
Or is it tangible? Something that can be weighed, measured, felt, and even on occasion, consumed? Perhaps it’s ethereal origins have little consequence as to reasoning of it’s existence; an answer we may never know.
But regardless of how and why such a thing exists, there is one thing that is for certain. When the world grows dim, and the sky fades to nothingness, a soul is all that holds you together. And every time you lose a piece, your soul inevitably grows… darker.
Upon a lifeless ridge, nestled between ancient moss laden steps, a fire that is speared by a sword burns dimly. It’s light gives a warm glow in what was otherwise a lifeless world; dull in color, and always with a hint of grey and shadows. Even the barren oak tree whose roots punctured the stony ground blended well into the bleak environment, with only the roots nearest to the fire being covered in moss.
The world was silent and devoid of life, save for the faint wind from the nearby gorge, and the crackling embers of the fire. Then… a stir, a shift; a ripple between realms that should never cross. And with it, new life. It was then that the sound of six breaths, and six hearts, now played atop the ridge.
One by one, they opened their eyes, groaning wearily as their senses came into focused. The first thing they saw was the light of the fire along with it’s warmth. Then, they saw each others faces, each as bewildered as the other. And when they sat on their knees and turned their heads to see the rest of the world, they realized the light of the fire and the closeness of their company would be the last comforting things they would see.
For around them, lay a dark and unsettling world; one that held little resemblance to the one they knew.
“Wh… Where are we?” Applejack asked as she warily looked over her shoulder.
“I… I don’t know,” Twilight breathed in disbelief and awe. “I don’t recognize this place at all.”
They six of them continued to look over their surroundings, too taken aback to speak further at the moment. But it was the sudden shift of a chilling wind that caused them to shiver, and immediately huddled closer to each other, and the warmth of the fire.
“Seriously, where the hay are we?” Rainbow Dash said while glaring upwards at the massive stone structure across the gorge; a towering keep that was larger than any fortification point in Canterlot.
“Wherever this is, it’s positively dreadful,” Rarity said with a hushed tone, and while glancing cautiously into the nearby ruins. She shivered again, but not because of the cold. “How in Equestria did we come here?”
“I don’t remember,” Twilight said as she eyed the sword nestled within the flames. It’s glinting reflection from the fire caught her eye for a moment before she turned to the rest with a hopeful glance. “Do any of you?”
They replied with shaking heads, all except Fluttershy whose face was near the ground and behind her tail.
Rainbow Dash scooted closer to her and set a hoof gently onto her back, but still kept a glaring eye on their surroundings. “Forget figuring out where we are. Let’s just figure out how to get back home.”
“That… might be a problem,” Twilight nervously replied. “We have no idea where we are.”
Rainbow Dash gave a grunt. “We’ll, that’ll only take a second to find out.”
With a few flaps for preparation, Rainbow Dash took a step back and began lifting herself into the air.
“Wait a minute Rainbow!” Applejack said after her.
“Relax, I’m just taking a quick-” Rainbow Dash said, before quickly cutting off as she stopped rising. “What the?”
Looking up, she flapped her wings harder, but remained held down by what she could only describe as an invisible and resisting force above her. After a few moments, she threw her hooves upward into the strange spongy obstacle and flapped with all her might. “Come on!” she said between gritted teeth. She pumped her wings through the air, willing with all her physical strength to push through. But for all her effort, she could only manage another foot into the invisible barrier.
“What’s the matter?” Rarity asked.
“I… Can’t… Get… Through!”
“Rainbow Dash, come back down,” Twilight urged. Rainbow Dash struggled further a few seconds more, then inevitable gave up with an exhausted gasp, and floated down the mere ten feet between the unknown wall and the ground. She moved back to Fluttershy who had peaked her eyes out to watch her.
“Seriously…” Rainbow said while panting, “where are we?”
The six of them took another long look at their surroundings. Between the mountainous tree behind them, with it’s expansive and leafy foliage higher than most clouds in Equestria, to the moaning gorge between the cliff and structures that seem to wind it’s way around them, they stared transfixed, and frightened.
“I don’t like this place…” Pinkie Pie said while pulling down on her cotton like hair. “Not one little bit…”
Twilight stood herself up, and cautiously walked to a space between the nearby broken parapets, glancing at the withered oak tree in familiar longing for hers. With eager but hesitant curiosity, she propped her hooves onto the stone and peered outwards, and let her jaw fall open at the sight before her.
“Girls… you should come see this.”
One by one, they reluctantly left the fire and made their way over; Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie sticking closely to each other. Between looking past Twilight’s shoulder and viewing from their own open parapet, their breaths left them as they too saw the world beyond.
Below them was an expansive city, filling the space within towering walls that made any defenses they’ve seen in Equestria look pitiful in comparison. The buildings within those walls appeared dull and worn, and wrapped in a foreboding fog at their base. But even from their vantage point, it was apparent that they were woefully under kept and damaged. It was an amazing city for all it’s splendor and design, but heartfully painful, and even fearful, at the state it laid in.
It was some time before any of them spoke again, with Twilight being the first to speak. “I don’t think we’re in Equestria.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with you,” Rarity commented. “What do you supposed happened here?”
“Nothing good ah’ll bet,” Applejack said. “What kind of ponies with walls this big let their home be ruined? Something’s wrong here…”
“Maybe they needed help and brought us here,” Rainbow Dash said casually while looking upwards at the massive tree, furrowing her eyebrows in contemplation if she could find a way to reach its branches. “We are the Elements of Harmony, saving places is kind of our thing now.”
“Except we don’t have the Elements anymore,” Rarity commented. “And even if we did, I’m not sure they could… um… tidy up whatever this place is.”
“So what do we do then?” Rainbow replied.
“We should probably figure out who brought us here, and why,” Twilight answered, finding it hard to tear herself away from analyzing the structures of the monolithic walls. Turning around, she glanced over the broken ruins near them, and then up to the more stable structure nestled on top of the cliff face above them. “I’m guessing that they live up there.”
“Then let’s get going and find out what they need,” Applejack said as she trotted past Twilight. “Tha’ faster we get out of here tha’ better…”
“I-If you don’t mind… I’d like to stay here, please…” Fluttershy said quietly as she nestled herself near the fire, followed by Pinkie Pie who sat beside her. “It looks… dark, up there...”
“Ah don’t think splitting up is a good idea, Flutters,” Applejack said. “We don’t have a clue as to what’s around here. It’s safer if we stick ta’gether.”
“It’s alright, Applejack,” Twilight said with a smile. “I’ll just teleport myself up there and take a quick look around. Then I’ll come back for the rest of you.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Twilight?” Rarity said.
“I’ll be fine. It’ll be just for a second.”
Before the rest of them could argue further, Twilight flared her horn and concentrated her vision to the stone walls above them. After a moment of eyeing the destination, she let loose her magic, and vanished in a flashing light… only to reappear some dozen feet directly in front of where she had been standing.
With a proud smile, Twilight looked behind her expecting to see the fire far below her, but quickly became slack jaw, and even more confused than her friends. “Huh?”
They stared blankly in return before Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Guess I’m not the only one who can’t travel…”
Twilight turned her gaze upwards again, and flared her horn again, causing herself to vanish in another flash. But yet again, she found herself only some dozen feet forward, and now nearby the base of the cliff.
“What is going on here!?”
She casted teleport after teleport, futility causing herself to appear no higher than where she was previously standing. Then, as an additional test, she looked back at the parapets, and willed herself to them. But as before, she found herself only covering part of the distance.
“I can’t even teleport all the way towards you!” she shouted out in disbelief.
“Twalight! Ah think you should get back here!” Applejack shouted as loud as she dared, wincing at the echo she still managed to cause.
Twilight quickly trotted towards them, muttering beneath her breath the entire time.
“This doesn’t make any sense, I should be able to teleport just normal!”
“Just like how I should fly?” Rainbow Dash sarcastically added.
“Yes!” Twilight said with wide eyes. “What if… what if I can’t fly too?”
“Twilight-” Rarity said while lifting a hoof. But it was already too late as Twilight pushed herself into the air, only to stop exactly at the same height Rainbow Dash had.
“What is this?” Twilight said as her hooves pushed through the invisible barrier. “It’s like moving through mud!”
“No kidding!” Rainbow Dash said as she glared at where Twilight’s hooves pushed through.
“Twilight, if Rainbow can’t make it, I don’t think you will either,” Rarity urged.
Soon enough, Twilight landed herself and looked around with even more fascinating and worry than before. “There is something very wrong here. Our magic is being affected in a way I can’t understand.”
“What should we do then?” Applejack asked. “Cause we sure can’t just sit here.”
“There’s a path over there,” Pinkie Pie said with a pointed hoof. Their eyes followed her direction and spied the shape of stone steps snaking around the ledge and over the gorge.
“You don’t honestly expect us to walk on that,” Rarity said, feeling herself lean back at just seeing how it stuck over the gorge. “From the looks of this place, it can’t possibly be that stable.
“But it looks like our only bet,” Applejack said. “Ah say we go fer it.”
“The faster we get out of here the better,” Rainbow Dash repeated as she began making her way over. “You all coming or not?”
Fluttershy nervously glanced back at the fire, then towards the ruins nearby. Their shadowy depths gave her plenty of reason to relook her opinion of staying. “I-I’m coming…”
“Let’s be careful, everyone. Who knows what else this place can do besides affecting our magic,” Twilight stated as she took the lead.
The six of them made their way to the stone steps, with Pinkie Pie curiously peeking down a well along the way, and Rainbow Dash for the first time nervously glanced down the gorge, not willing to test how her ability to fly downward would go.
“Stay close, and take it one pony at a time,” Twilight stated as she walking up the steps.
Aside from the few who kept their eyes firmly plant on the steps and nothing else, the rest watched in awe as the gorge gave way to reveal the large structure across from them. Upon rounding the corner, they saw a bridge.
“I’ve never seen structures designed like this before,” Twilight commented as her eyes passed over it.
“And ah’ve never seen a creature like that before,” Applejack said with a gulp.
Following her gaze, they all saw a strange being at the base of the cliff that lead to the bridge.
“By Celestia, what in Equestria is that dreadful thing?” Rarity whispered as she raised a hoof between her and it.
“It… It looks like it might be sick…” Fluttershy said between their legs.
“I think it’s more than just sick…” Rainbow Dash said, noted more details than just the odd coloration of its skin, as well as the sword and armor it was wearing. “I don’t like this…”
They stared at the creature for some time, waiting for a response of some kind. But it continued to stand where it was, and blankly stare at the landscape.
“Can it even see us?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I don’t know,” Twilight replied. Gulping a lump in her throat, she cautiously stepped forward. “I’m going to see if I can talk to it. The rest of stay here.”
“Twalight, no,” Applejack said, bringing a hoof to block Twilight’s path. “Ah don’t like it. That feller… or whatever it is, don’t look to friendly with that sword. He might be dangerous.”
“Applejack’s right,” Rarity said. “We still don’t know anything about this place.”
“Which is why I’m going over to talk to it,” Twilight said. “We need to know what’s going on. And as a Princess from Equestria, I’m an ambassador, I need to be understanding of another’s culture.” For all her self-convincing, and recitation of royal duties, Twilight couldn’t help but let her tone waiver. “I’m going to talk to it, and I want you all to stay here. We don’t want to startle it.”
Without waiting for another chance to talk herself down, Twilight strode forward, ignoring the desperate glances of her friends. As much as they wished to be right next to her, they choose to follow her words. They needed to trust her judgement as a friend and princess, and simply hope for the best; something they hoped for very much.
Twilight cautiously closed the distance to the creature, all while noting the details that were a little difficult to make out from a distance. It’s okay, Twilight. It looks like a guard. You’ve been around plenty of guards, it’ll be fine. Just… tell it who you are, and that you’ve accidentally came to this land. Just be calm and… sweet Celestia, is that bone?
Twilight nearly tripped when she could finally make out what she thought was the trick of her eyes. Then, it’s head turned, and looked directly at her, freezing her in place.
Staring up in what appeared to be lifeless eyes, Twilight gave a nervous laugh. “H-Hello… My name is Twilight Sparkle. Y-You see, my friends and I sorted ended up here without… knowing… why…”
Twilight’s words trailed off as she watched the creature lift it’s sword.
“Um… sir, I think? Hostility isn’t required... We just need some help!” Twilight stammered as she slunk to a crouch and stepped backwards. But the creature ignored her words, and steadily advanced with the sword raised above it’s head.
“TWILIGHT! GET AWAY FROM IT!” she heard her friends shout behind it.
Happy to oblige, she whipped around and prepared to hightail it back. However, the ground exploded in front of her with a fiery explosion, sending bits of shrapnel across her coat and filling her nose with sulfur.
“GWAHH!” Twilight screamed as she was sent into a coughing fit.
“TWILIGHT! WATCH OUT!”
Blinking her eyes clear, she could barely make out the horrified look on her friends faces, before a sharp pain tore through her neck, and the world suddenly fell sideways.
Instead of a bewildered “huh” at the change of perspective, only blood came from Twilight’s mouth.
Time seem to stop for the rest of the girls coats as the watched in disbelief as the creature pulled it’s sword free from Twilight’s half severed neck, and ungracefully let her corpse fall onto the ground.
“Tw… Twi-” they each muttered, unable to comprehend what they had just seen, and unaware of the tears that were beginning to steam down their cheeks.
“No… please no…”
“Twilight… she can’t…”
“TWILIGHT!” Rainbow Dash shrieked before rushing forward with all her might, and plowing her hooves into the chest of the creature, knocking it backwards and onto the ground. In a flash, Rainbow had scooped Twilight into her arms, and whimpered between choked breaths as she ran a hoof over her. “TWILIGHT! NO! PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK!”
“R-RAINBOW DASH! GET BACK!” Rarity screamed, moment before another explosion sounded off besides Rainbow Dash. But she didn’t flinch from the explosion, or was even aware of it for the matter. She was too focused on Twilight’s massacred form to notice that the creature she had knocked down was getting up, or that more was lumbering down the steps towards them.
“Twilight… Come back… Please…”
The creature that hacked down Twilight haphazardly walked towards her, raising its arm for another blow. And had it not been for the sudden kick from Applejack who had charged through the chaos, it would have Rainbow’s head as well.
The moment Applejacks hooves made contact with it, she spun around and grabbed Rainbow Dash with tear soaked eyes. “MOVE IT!”
“But… Twilight…” Rainbow Dash murmured, reaching back towards Twilight as she became dead weight in Applejacks arms. And had it not been for the helping horn of Rarity to carry her, Applejack and Rainbow Dash both would have fell to the salvo for explosions.
“GET BACK!” Applejack screamed as the girls made their way down the staircase, unable to turn their tear soaked eyes back towards Twilight’s body.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been nearly an hour since their encounter on the steps. The five of them remained huddled around the fire, locked in embrace and sobs as the loss of Twilight. Though the creatures never pursued them down the steps. But that didn’t stop them from constantly looking back up now and then, half in fear the monsters would finally come down, and half in hope it was an elaborate prank and that Twilight really hadn't had her head nearly severed. Neither had happened.
“Wha...What are we going to do?” Rarity choked, and without care of the mascara that covered her face. She looked over the others for some hope of a plan, some reassurance that somehow things would be okay. But none of them were coherent just yet, and were still far too wrapped in their loss and tightly squeezing each other.
“Girls…” Rarity said between sniffles. “We… We need to do something…”
“Why did they do it?” Pinkie Pie numbly droned off. Even though tears still streamed down her face, her eyes lifelessly stared off at the nearby cliff, and her voice was dull beyond recognition. “Why did they do it?”
“Ah should have gone with her!” Applejack shouted for the umpteenth time before slamming her hoof into the ground. “Ah should’ve have gone with her! Ah should’ve…”
Despite having said it a hundred times already, each instance brought a new wave of pain, and a new bite to the lip that drew blood. “Should've… Ah should’ve...”
Turning her head to Fluttershy who had been the quietest of them all during this time, Rarity couldn’t help but feel pain at how violently Fluttershy’s body spasmed and shook. Rainbow Dash who had been holding her with dear life the whole team already had bruises beginning to form.
Just watching their actions threatened to send Rarity down another similar spiral, and despite having just cried more than she had ever in her life, she felt a fresh new wave of tears beginning to cloud her vision.
“G-Girls… we… need to do something…” she choked, hardly able to finish her words.
“I hate this place…” Rainbow Dash whispered.
Rarity sucked in her lip and wiped her eyes as she turned to Rainbow Dash.
“I hate this place…”
Pinkie Pie’s eyes slowly drifted to Rainbow Dash’s direction, not an ounce of emotion on her face.
“I hate this place…”
Applejack stared hard onto a spot on the ground as she twitched her ears to listen, and only now becoming aware of the pain seeping into her hoof from repeated smashing.
“I hate this place…”
Even Fluttershy’s shaking ceased in some degree as she leaned even further into Rainbow Dash’s body, trying to still herself so that she could hear her more clearly.
“I HATE THIS PLACE!”
Screaming from the top of her lungs, Rainbow Dash kicked her hoof out into the sword resting in the fireplace to sent it sailing into the nearby gorge. But instead of smashing through as her angered hope, an unsettling tone droned of the sword, and a blinding light covered them and the world.
It was some moments before they removed their hooves from their eyes, and another moment more to blink the light.
“What in tha’ hay was th-” Applejack said before cutting off.
One by one, the girls slowly looked up, and felt their hearts stop at the pony who appeared before them.
There, across the fire from them, stood Twilight with her head down. However, calling it Twilight was the loosest sense of the word. Instead of the colorful and lively looking mare they knew, a corpselike and dull colored pony was in her place. Had it not been for the half skeletal wings, the horn that fused into the part of her head that wasn’t covered in fur, and the unkempt and dying lavender streaked hair that was what could technically be called a mane, they would have never recognized the abomination for Twilight Sparkle. Even her cutie mark was faded and worn out on her flanks, dull in colors akin to how they appeared when Discord had warped them all.
They stared at her breathlessly, and quivered in fear as she lifted her head.
“Ugh… wha… what happened?” Twilight moaned as she blinked the world into view. “Girls? How did… how did we get to the fire?”
“Twalight?” Applejack whispered.
“Huh?” Twilight said as she turned to her, causing Applejack to recoil back in fear. “Applejack? What’s wrong?”
“Is… is it really you?” Despite her initial fear, Applejack stood onto her hooves and reached a hoof out towards her. “Are you… Are you really Twalight?”
“Of course I am,” Twilight with a raised eyebrow, then turned her head to the staircase on the cliff. “How did we get back to the fire?”
“You… You don’t remember?” Rarity asked cautiously.
“No… I don’t… All I can remember is-” Twilight abruptly ended. She had been in the process of raising a hoof to her head, but froze at the sight of a skeletal hoof leading into the dull color of old flesh that was her foreleg.
“Wh… Wha… Wha…” Twilight mumbled, unable to tear her eyes from it.
“Twalight… hold on a minute down, take it easy,” Applejack urged as she hesitantly walked towards her. “Ah… don’t really know what’s going on, but… but…”
No matter how she tried, Applejack couldn’t say anymore. There were no words her mind could find for an explanation for any of this. Even as Twilight fearfully began to look over her body, none of them had any words to say. All except Rainbow Dash, who with still wet eyes and a hoarse throat, repeated the question that had been on each of their minds since they first arrived.
“Where in Equestria are we?”