//------------------------------// // Part 2: Chapter 11 ~ I Will See You Again Pt. 1 // Story: Lunarium // by Tramper //------------------------------// Cold water rose up to their knees and it splashed against Raindrops' face as she galloped through the tunnel. It was a small blessing, but with the water hitting her, she could focus on the run and wouldn't be distracted by anything. This isn't what was supposed to happen, she thought. Lyra's still back there, she said she's waiting but something's there with her. She didn't understand why they were running, but the filly understood that something bad was coming. The shriek that had filled the caves seconds after they'd left Lyra behind had been the worst thing she had ever heard. Every sound from Magia and its monsters had been terrible, for sure, but this one? It hadn't just been the shriek that horrified her still, but the voice that carried it. Raindrops had known that voice, it had belonged to someone who smiled and laughed and was like a sister to her. “We need to go back,” Derpy said, not slowing down, stubborn as always. “Lyra needs our help.” “We can't,” Twilight cried, eyes closed, light gleaming. “We can't,” she said, the strength of her voice leaving. She was sobbing, Raindrops heard. She should do that to, she should cry and stop and want to be hugged by someone who could make all the bad things go away. But she didn't get why, she really didn't get it, even though she wanted to. Raindrops could only run forward, so that was what she did. Their run continued through the tunnel as they followed the stream. At first, the flow of the water was only barely noticeable, but it grew stronger and stronger as the moments passed. With every movement of their legs it became more apparent. She sped up a little, her hooves quick as the wind. Raindrops figured that this meant that they were close to the tunnel's end. The question on her mind was what would wait them. Would it be the Lunarium? Maybe there'll be a better tomorrow, she told herself. Maybe there'll be a whole better world. Twilight lit the way, but the orb that she'd created to do so was smaller than Lyra's had been and it flickered more, too. That was one thing, the other was that the filly strained herself to her limits, maybe even beyond them. She'd looked horrible before, but by now she was nauseous and in pain. If the path would continue as darkly as it was now, then Raindrops doubted her friend would make it through. Yet she couldn't give voice to those fears and there was no time to look back, either. Once again, only the path forward existed and water washed across her face again. She hardly felt her hooves after a while, but the tunnel still went on and they didn't slow down. The fear started to creep up on them, dark emotions entangling themselves in their hearts and lungs. If she could've brought herself to check up on from whence these emotions came, she wouldn't have done it, for it meant to look back. Her heart and mind both told her that looking back wasn't a good idea, that there was something wrong with the idea of turning back. She didn't even want to know why she was so afraid of doing that, or rather, she didn't want to know anything concerning these feelings. She didn't want to think about it. What was behind them scared her and with every step the fear became a part of her, more and more. Before, she hadn't had the will or strength to be aware of it, but now Lyra's laughter was gone, wasn't it? Now, she felt it all around her, all the things she didn't want to know about, all the fears she wanted to hide away from. Another filly had once heard the story of a beast as old as time and with a might none could even begin to comprehend. Its name had been The Silence And The Dark, now long forgotten even though it had been one of the Heralds of the First Age. The monster had haunted the universe before the first light had come to appear. There, at the sight of the first dawn, the first of the alicorns came and struck down the beast forever and from its carcass, she shaped a heart for herself. With it, she became the World. Her flesh became the lands, her bones became gems and trees, her organs animals, and her blood became every sea and every river. But in the darkest depths of her, the heart pumped, keeping everything as it should, while slowly corroding away the tapestry of the stars. One day the beast would be reborn, when all life died, when the sun became dark and the noise became silence. They were deep beneath the earth, she knew, close to the Heart of The World. Another filly's parents had known about it and they had taught their daughter about the silence in ways so alien to the ponies of Equestria. To her relief, sound was a constant companion even now, but it seemed to grow more and more distant, with only the most unearthly and wrong sounds remaining. Behind them she heard them, the faint cries of the horrors that shouldn't be, of the Night Terrors. Against them stood the sound of their breaths and of the water splashing as their hooves crashed into it and lifted themselves up from it. Back then, she had heard them all sing to best the silence. There were no songs here, but Raindrops knew that this would have to be enough, even though she would've loved to hear more. If someone would've sung a song, or even that song, she would've felt much safer. However, at this very moment, there was nothing to feel safe about and so they ran. Twilight had taken the lead, but looked like she was about to collapse. Derpy was close to her, of course, and Octavia was before Raindrops, who just kinda-sorta trailed along. She'd done that for most the journey, really. Another cry echoed through the caves, the one to whom the voice belonged revealing itself just with it. Sadly, the intent was as clear as the identity, but of a darker making. She gritted her teeth and then stopped, the brave little Octavia. Raindrops nearly ran into and over her, but evaded her quickly, only to stop two steps behind her. “Tavi?” she asked. Everypony heard her, and they all stopped, too. “What are you–,” Twilight wondered, breaking out in coughs. Octavia looked into the darkness behind them, it moved in the distance. “I'll try to stop it,” she said and strangely enough, in her voice there was room for both confidence and fear. Twilight breathed heavily and tried to regain her composure. “You can't. You can't. Please,” she said and the orb flickered wildly. “If you go, you'll. ...” Raindrops felt the silence bearing down on them, like a weight of lead, heavy, unbearable even. But Octavia took a breath and let the weights not bring her down. “I'm not going to fight it, Twi. Just delay it a bit,” she said and in the distance the noise of cracking bones and rusty saws cutting into each other came to be. “We'll get to the Lunarium and we will do it together. Trust me on that and don't worry.” Her coat was grey and her mane was black with a lighter tint in it and she smiled at them. It was a strange smile, for Raindrops felt within it the light of harmony. Octavia didn't lie about her intentions, she wasn't going to fight and there was no need to be worried. Even Twilight relented. “Just come back quickly. Please.” Octavia gave them a nod an put on her bravest smile. “I'll be back,” she said and Raindrops knew she meant it. Then she ran away from her friends and pushed into the darkness, right into the welcoming arms of whatever horrors awaited her there. The wind blew in her mane and for a second, Raindrops thought she looked the tallest of all of them. “We need to go, too,” Derpy announced, a stubborn expression on her face. It was the most obvious thing in the world, but still Raindrops couldn't bring herself to move. She heard Twilight say something. “We need to reach the Lunarium now. If we do, everything will be fixed.” All Raindrops did however was perk her ears and listen. Somwhere far away, she heard rocks falling down into the water as something smashed into the wall. She closed her eyes that moment and told herself that she was but a filly and that this darkness wasn't for her. In the distance, something moved and something fell and a certain pony wouldn't come back. Raindrops opened her eyes and turned around. Only once more did she look back, hoping to hear a sound, to see her grey coat again. The only thing she heard was something else approach, far too slow to be Octavia, far too different from how a pony sounded when it walked through water. The way was barred now and only the path before them remained, so Raindrops hurried after her friends. The water came down from everywhere. It came from a thousand holes in the walls. Some were above them, some beneath them and some just on their height. This cavern looked like a dome of cheese, littered with holes. Their own tunnel had ended in a waterfall, like many others appeared to do. They had taken a narrow path down. A small part of the river went down here, hugging the wall of the cave and flowing to the bottom of it. She could see it when she looked to her right, there was a pool of water, shining like the starry night. It resembled the other pool closely and Raindrops wondered how many more of these were here. The crystals' glow was stronger however and some must have been in the water, for deep beneath the waves, there was a light shining. Or maybe she was just imagining things, because maybe it was just the same one as before and they merely stood on a different side. Alas, there was no hole in the ceiling, however she should feel about that. There wasn't much a feeling left in her anyhow. The strength had left her legs, the tears in her eyes had dried and Octavia wouldn't come back again. It seemed like she was gone for a thousand hours now. Raindrops didn't know much time had actually gone by, but she hadn't come back, no matter how much the pegasus wished for that to happen. Worse yet, the light from Twilight's horn had disappeared and the filly had fallen down on the way. Now Derpy carried her, since she couldn't even bear her own weight. Twilight's eyes were open, but bloodshot. Her breaths were steady, but hectic and small. Every movement was quick and uncontrolled, like she was desperately trying to be awake, even though her body didn't want to do anything anymore. She's going to leave us, too, Raindrops realized. Worse yet, she didn't even see the Lunarium. The cave was dark, with only the lights from above illuminating it slightly. Whatever was at the bottom could be seen, but it didn't really help them out in any way. It made Raindrops worry more with each new step and then the feeling returned. It was a horrible fear, the one she'd felt when another filly's father had burned, the one she'd felt when he'd left her and the one from when drops had fallen on her face. They were all her fears and nightmares, coming at her in the real world again. What hunted them was the king of nightmares and if they didn't manage to escape him now, every part of their tiny journey would have been for naught. We're just fillies, Raindrops thought and made herself move forward, away from the sound. She was scared and she was ready to admit it. “Everything okay with you,” she asked her sister, who merely nodded. Nopony led them anymore and they were entirely on their own. Two sisters, the last ponies standing. It made Raindrops smile desperately, for she wanted to go home to muffins and hugs, to where everypony lived. She hadn't asked for happiness, she hadn't asked for a fulfilled life. Just life would have been enough, she hadn't need any illusions of harmony and magic. Those things hadn't been for her, not since she'd told the griffon girl her name. My name, she thought. Raindrops. She was just a filly in the dark, after all. Her steps were light and she looked to her left, where the path's edge lay and water was hurled from another hole so far above them. One waterfall of the many, casting ripples at the bottom and sending the calm sea into a brutal frenzy. They walked on, following the path while staying close to the wall. Neither knew to where they were going. But neither said anything and silence pathed their way as much as the water did. There wasn't anything else to it anymore and Twilight was half-asleep, or half-dead, now. In truth, Derpy looked like she hadn't got any strength left, too, or any hope for that matter. Her face was cold and emotionless, she moved only due to her own stubbornness. Everything else was gone, but she still put one leg in front of the other. Raindrops admired her for it, because her legs felt light and her thoughts were far away as she merely trailed along. “Tavi probably went home,” Derpy suddenly said, her voice dull and lifeless. “Everypony's probably back by now. We should go home, too.” Raindrops felt every word, and told herself that Derpy was right. They were only fillies, not meant for adventures and taking dives. They shouldn't see nightmares happen and they shouldn't try to fix the world. After all, those were things big, grown-up ponies did. Not they, however. They were kids, foals, babies even. They were meant to be hugged by their parents, to cry when they were scared. “Yes,” she said. Twilight blinked, her eyes fixed on the water down below as she laid on Derpy's back. “We need to get to the Lunarium. With it, we can fix everything,” she said. It was a mantra and nothing else. Twilight was telling herself that, because it would make their situation better just by virtue. It did not do that, however. They were still in the darkness, wet and cold and all alone. “Derpy, how long until we reach the bottom?” the weak filly asked, coughing blood and bile. “We'll be there in a minute,” the other filly answered monotonously. They walked forward, Raindrops close by Derpy's side. The grey pegasus followed Twilight's hope, Raindrops would have said stupidly, but as she looked at herself, she found that her own legs were guiding her well into the same direction. She was trailing along, of course, just following her big, strong sister. She kept to a pony stronger than herself, that's what it was. Raindrops was far too young for her own path, anyway and the water felt good and cold against her face. In the end, the path led them away from the wall as the small river trickled into the lake and suddenly they stood on the edge of it, beneath the crystals that lit up the dark cave. For a second, she lost herself in the marvel of the sight and thought of a distant sky which had looked so very similar. They still moved, water at their hooves, but not too deep. “A bit farther, we need to get out of the water,” Twilight whispered. Then the walls were gone and they halted, on a tiny patch of land in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't anything but a bit of sand to stand upon and yet Raindrops jaw dropped as she drank the sight, for they were in the center of the universe. There were stars all around them, their luminescence the brightest spot of hope. A gazillion stars, Raindrops thought and she heard a whisper in the wind. A song a filly had once sung. Even the sounds of the waterfalls were distant and for one single moment, Raindrops stood in the middle of an absolute nothingness, with even her thoughts leaving her. And then they heard it, slowly dripping into the water. They heard the breath and Raindrops felt a cold chill running down her spine. Subconsciously, she turned back to from where they came and Derpy did so, too, so quickly that Twilight slipped and fell into the water. The brown filly rose up on shaking legs, tears mixing in with snot, vomit and blood, as she, too, looked at that thing. Its coat had the color of a brilliant aquamarine and it closed in on them with every movement a display of obscenity and cruelty to the corpse it wore. Black liquid ran down its ruined and dead face and it had a horribly twisted smile on its face. “F-” it said. “F-Fa-F-f. …” It sounded like it tried to gag, like the letter was biggest trouble it'd ever had. Raindrops blinked and wondered what it was trying to say, or whether it was Lyra. Was she still alive, was she still in there? FALL! They shout shattered her ears and her innards felt like they turned around themselves as she stepped away, fell and vomited and bit her tongue. She closed her eyes, but opened them immediately again. Her whole world was spinning, a ringing went through her head and her heart was pounding like a hammer on an anvil. All just from one word. It sounded like Lyra and Octavia, both crying out in a pain that Raindrops was unable to imagine and yet could grasp so very easily. It was another filly's vision, one where her parents burned and she was at fault for it. Stones had hit her, she'd bled and she'd wept. The beast cackled and laughed, creating a sound like two metal saws rubbing against each other as hard as they could until they would break. Raindrops didn't know whether it was happy at its own attempt at forming a word, or whether it just enjoyed seeing them all stumbling about in horrible agony. She felt how the strength left her body, felt her bladder relieve itself, and the adrenaline surge through her body as every part of her mind told her to run. She was scared, scared to death and scared to motionlessness. If there had been any strength remaining, it was gone now and she didn't even wanted to stand on her own four legs anymore. It was over, everything was. It was a sad truth, but it was absolute, right? Why was she still trying so hard to hear the voice anyway? The trance of fear was broken as Derpy yelled something out, a battle cry of sorts and Raindrops turned towards her. “Cadenza!” Derpy cried out and the kind pony who had been as close as a sister to Raindrops jumped forward. Dumbfound, Raindrops found herself watching as Derpy's wings spread themselves and she launched herself towards the monster that had once been Lyra. For a split-second, she even spotted the anger in the grey pegasus' eyes, it and the pain and the fear. She didn't blink, didn't dare to. She watched Derpy crash into Lyra, throwing her on her back. It wasn't even in the blink of an eye, however, that the black liquid solidified itself and shot up from the carcass like lances, stabbing Derpy through arms and legs and wings. She cried out in pain as the beast lifted her from the ground, the spears it had created from itself digging themselves through Derpy's flesh. Lyra rose, her face shattered where Derpy had hit her. It looked more like broken porcelain than anything alive. This was all far too surreal for Raindrops, who could do nothing more but sit there in her own filth, too scared to catch a breath. She wished any other filly would take her place that moment. Raindrops was scared, so very, very scared. The creature had no shape, but the black void of its being still rose out of every crack in Lyra's carcass and became bigger and bigger as it revealed its terrible self before Derpy, who was reduced to sobbing and screaming without anymore words. Red eyes stared at her, two orbs of a gleaming madness. Even now, however, she didn't try to get out of this by apologizing. Raindrops could only look at her beloved sister and tears fell from her eyes. She was so scared, far too scared. A child, a filly, just a baby, that was what she was and nothing more. She wasn't meant for adventures or seeing her friends die. Trixie was above ground, and Octavia and Lyra, too. Derpy was there with muffins and Hugh and Madame, too. Everypony was waiting and she needed to get back. Raindrops rose to her legs. There would be her blanket and her mobile and a nightlight to keep all the terrors of the night away. She turned around, because those things were the truth. All of this, right here, right now, was just a bad dream. Raindrops needed to get away from here, away from all the pain that she wasn't meant for. The foal made her choice and took flight.