//------------------------------//
// The Castle of the Third Sister 
// Story: The Kingdom of Darkness 
// by abcd_z 
//------------------------------//

Lunatic Fringe's powerful wings beat beneath me and I felt weightless as she carried me through the air.  The eclipse hung in the dark blue sky, almost directly over our heads.  I looked over Lunatic's flank and saw our shadows riding the forest canopy below as the treetops constantly slipped away beneath us.

As we drew closer to the Castle of the Third Sister I could make out details.  The facade of the building was built in the style of a gothic cathedral.  There were windows set in the wall that tapered to a point at the top, nestled between elaborate stone designs.  Several spires jutted from the roof of the castle.

Lunatic landed in front of a massive set of wooden double doors.  Her horn flared cyan and the doors were enveloped in a dark purple aura.  I heard gears turning and chains moving, then the double doors slowly opened with a loud creak.  Lunatic took us inside, then her horn flared again and the doors slammed shut behind us, leaving us in total darkness.  I heard the sound of mechanisms working again, then silence.

Lunatic's horn flared again, and in a solemn voice she said, "I have returned."  

A bright white light flared up in front of and high above us, cast by a large crystal globe.  The light illuminated an incredibly large entrance hall.  I could have thrown a tennis ball as hard as I could and it would have taken several seconds to reach the other end.  There were staircases to either side of me, leading to a sort of balcony that ran the entire length of the entrance hall, supported by pillars at regular intervals.

I dismounted Lunatic and walked beside her.  

"Okay, so... where do we go now?" I asked.

"Have you forgotten why you came here already?" she chided playfully.

"No, I remember.  I'm just not sure what the next step is.  You said something about scrying?"

"There is a room in the castle specially designed for casting such spells.  Please, follow me."

Lunatic guided me through several rooms, hallways, and staircases.  Each one was equisitely designed, and no two were alike.  More than once I stopped walking to stare at the decor, and each time I did Lunatic gently nudged me to remind me to keep moving.

Finally we arrived at our destination. The room was tall and circular, with pillars that reached all the way to the ceiling set flush against the walls at regular intervals.  The wall at the far end of the room contained a large glass window through which I could see the dark blue sky.  On the ground in front of us was a complex magical circle etched into the stone floor.  It was to this circle that Lunatic made her way.  

"Please stay back from the circle," she said.  "I'll be casting a simple scrying spell inside it, and if you break the circle I'll have to start over."

I nodded.

Lunatic walked to the center of the magic circle, closed her eyes, and started to chant.

I summon thee, oh nameless one,
Guardian of Forever and Speaker of the Truth,
Lighter of Ways and Extinguisher of Dreams.
I implore thee, open mine eyes and show me that which I would know.

The circle around Lunatic glowed white.  The glow then shot upwards, illuminating Lunatic in a column of light.  Her entire body lifted off the ground, floating in mid-air.  Her mane floated around her head.  Her eyes snapped open.  Instead her normal cat's-eyes, both of her eyes were a solid white that glowed brightly.  The column of light faded away and Lunatic slowly landed on the ground, but her eyes continued to glow white as she stared straight at me.  

"You may have one question, mortal," she said in a voice that reverberated with power.  Unlike her normal voice, it seemed there was a second, hidden one, echoing along with her words.

I won't lie, I got a little nervous there.  I wasn't certain, but this didn't sound like the simple scrying spell that Lunatic had described.  Still, I wasn't going to let that stop me from doing what needed to be done.

"Actually," I replied, "I have two questions.  My friends, two of the most powerful and influential ponies in Equestria, are behaving erratically and dangerously.  I wish to know what has caused their behavior, and I wish to know how I can fix it."

Lunatic fixed me with her glowing white gaze.  Her expression didn't change, but I got the sense that she (or rather, whatever was talking to me through her) wasn't happy with me.

"You may have one question.  Choose."

I shook my head. "Knowing what's wrong won't help if I can't solve the problem, and I might not be able to solve the problem if I blindly follow instructions without understanding why.  Both of my questions stand."

I held my breath as Lunatic stared at me dispassionately.  I knew I was playing with fire, but I needed this information.

Finally she said, "Very well.  You shall have the information you desire.  But there will be a price."

"If there is a price," I responded, "let me be the one to pay it.  Nobody else should have to suffer for my gain."

Lunatic smiled wickedly.  "My, but mortals have become interesting in my absence.  It is a deal."

With that the nameless one told me what had happened to Twilight and Celestia.  It actually wasn't as bad as I had feared.

It was much, much worse.