Chapter 10: As The Prey Is Cornered, It Becomes The Predator
Luna found Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack ranging around the Canterlot gardens.
She approached somewhat cautiously. They looked determined.
“Is everything alright?” she asked the group. Twilight snapped around and sagged with relief.
“Princess Luna! Have you seen Princess Celestia around? We can’t seem to find her.”
Luna paused. “I was just about to ask of you the same thing. I have not seen my sister in quite some time. I’m worried for her.”
“Me too,” Twilight replied. Rainbow nodded urgently at Twilight. Applejack inclined her head. “Do you think,” she continued. “That the beast got her?” At the casual dubbing of the creature’s name, the other two mares shivered. Luna cocked her head.
“I don’t think so. I had wished to discuss this with my sister, but since I cannot find her, I will relay the information to you,” Luna said, her voice carrying a note of uncertainty. Twilight’s ear twitched but she otherwise nodded.
“The creature visited me again earlier this evening…”
Applejack gasped and gripped her Stetson. Rainbow narrowed her eyes.
“It didn’t hurt you, did it?” Twilight asked.
Luna shook her head as a sigh of relief sounded around.
“Nay,” she answered. “It was different this time. The beast as you so aptly named, merely stood in the demesnes of my room and refused to move. I-I did not feel fear as I had before. It came at me, approaching with purpose and I entreated it to talk with me. Having received no reply I gathered my wits to create a spell. The creature suddenly raised its forelimbs and I felt fear rising within me. I let loose a spell and it shrieked and howled, before disappearing. It left a different note this time…” Luna trailed off, her eyes becoming distant.
“What?” Rainbow pushed. “What did it say?!”
“It told me it was not my enemy. It told me to believe in it. It told me it needed help.” Luna took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know. Did I do the right thing?”
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Applejack cut in before she could say anything.
“Yer darn right, you did, Princess, if you would pardon mah language,” Applejack stated confidently. Rainbow nodded her head and took to the air.
“As far as I’m concerned,” Rainbow affirmed. “You were just defending yourself against that jerk creature. It was haunting us for pony’s sake. Now it wants our help? I don’t believe it. It’s trying to play us. I think it’s a new strategy.”
Luna hesitated but finally nodded. “I can’t help feeling that I took the first shot,” she mumbled, pawing the ground with her hoof. Twilight winced as she saw a clump of grass and dirt pull free.
“It’s okay Princess, that creature brought it upon itself. It’s brought nothing but pain and fear,” Twilight’s brittle tone was underscored by bitterness.
“It is against everything my sister has taught me.”
At that, Twilight smiled.
“Your sister walks the ground with intent now, and the steps are heated with the brand of starlight.”
“So quoth the raven at dawn,” Luna finished. She remembered the small passage from the chronicles. Though grim, it was surprisingly accurate when applied to her sister. Truly when Celestia was angry she bore fearsome rage. Perhaps she had made the right decision. “I feel lighter now, thank you.”
“You’re welcome Princess,” Twilight replied. She glanced back at Applejack and Rainbow who nodded along.
“Ah don’t know what that meant but Ah agree with you,” Applejack commented.
“Fighting words are the same no matter where they’re from,” Rainbow added.
“Where is my sister, we must meet her before she meets the creature. I fear she may need this knowledge Whether it was intentionally gulling or not, she would like to know,” Luna proposed.
Twilight nodded. “Sounds like a good plan, Luna. We have no idea where Princess Celestia is though. We’ve checked everywhere, has she left the castle?”
“No…” Luna trailed off. She looked at the ground beneath her, bereft of grass. “There is one place near the castle and a part of it, but not usually thought of.”
“Where?” Rainbow asked. She settled on the ground again, as if drawn by the weight of Luna’s words.
“The catacombs,” Luna breathed. She glanced at Twilight. “You’ve been there before.”
Twilight shivered. “There’s something off about that place. I wouldn’t like to go there again.”
Applejack slapped Twilight on the back, startling the mare. “Don’t fret, sugar cube, we’ll be there with ya.”
Twilight smiled. She looked at Luna. “And we’ll be there together.”
As the group left, Luna had a lingering thought that snuck around in the back of mind, despite reassurances. They were doing the right thing, were they not?
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Within the dark crystalline caverns, there is only the eerie glow of crystals in varying shades of deep amethyst and cobalt. The crystals cast a pallid illuminance within the cave. Despite the lighting, there were still shadows, hiding within the niches and corners of the sharp, faceted blocks that made up the crystals within the catacombs beneath Canterlot Castle. The passageways were long abandoned after mining through with magic and might, but the ghosts of those who had tread among the long-forgotten ruins were still evident.
A worn mark of a pick on the smooth surface of a crystal in one section, the bare rock layered with twisted railroads and abandoned mining carts littered among the silent passages. The whistling wind that occasionally moaned through the mouth-like openings of the halls. Usually, such imagery and atmosphere would produce a measure of disquiet within Celestia as she roamed the hallways. Not enough to break her composure, but enough to introduce a slight edge to her movement.
She never liked the catacombs, it was haunted by bad luck and misfortune. Celestia remembered the first time she was here. Something was wrong with the construction of the catacombs. The tunnels meandered like writhing snakes through the geology, the miners often were lost and confused and progress was slow and bleak. Eventually, after losing one too many miners to an accident they had abandoned the project and left the catacombs silent. Celestia never considered the area furthermore, there was no need. If they could not tunnel down, then it was prudent to build upwards. It was preferable to have the castle nobly stretching towards the sky, the catacombs could wait.
Unfortunately, it lay forgotten over thousands of years. Celestia hadn’t even considered anything making its residence within its depths. For some reason, she was drawn to the subterranean tunnels. There was something in her mind that convinced her the creature was currently there.
When she found it, its words would no longer plague her and her own anymore. Celestia vowed that the next time they would meet it would not even have the chance to take a breath. It would be destroyed and they will all be freed from its grasp.