//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 // Story: Friendship is Scaleless // by Limescale //------------------------------// Despite the numerous parables about the importance of one’s first experience in any situation, there still existed an equal number of beliefs that the second time around was always better in some way. Maybe it was because past experience made a given task easier, maybe it was because having lived through something once one knew what to expect and could now react accordingly. Celestia aptly demonstrated both to be the case in her second round against a creature of Lordran. While her sentries proved their valor in braving the onslaught of black orbs from the warped, hideous beast, they ultimately found the force of such powerful magic too great to withstand. Having cut her teeth with the Demon Firesage, however, the solar diarch spotted the attack for what it was and repelled the orbs accordingly. “Dark magic…how fascinating. You show all the skill of Sombra and the greatest practitioners of the art, yet bear none of the characteristics inherent to wielding such heavy power.” Celestia intoned as the monstrous entity smashed the rest of the wall down with its giant paw and entered the palace. “No bubbles, no mist around the eyes, no crystal growths…just pure, impenetrable darkness.” The being raised its great hand and summoned a circle of black orbs around its enemies. They quickly closed in to crush the ponies. Celestia promptly cast a levitation spell over every sentry without wings and lifted them up to the ceiling, narrowly avoiding the fiery black explosion that then erupted from underneath. Enraged at such impudence, the being swept its staff at the equines as several of them tried to skewer it from above with their spears. “No.” Celestia charged her horn and launched a searing beam of light at the monstrosity. With a growl of grim acceptance, it held out its hand and used it as a shield to take the blast and the spears. “No, you are not harming any more of my little ponies!” Celestia repeated. The beast sought to challenge her statement, closing its fingers around the spears then swinging its arm around like a flail to smash the sentries into the far wall. Gritting her teeth, Celestia formed her magic into a wave of light and fired again. This time her opponent was thankfully knocked back far enough for her to land on the ground before it. “I don’t know who you are, but I am Princess Celestia, ruler and guardian of this land you trespass upon. If you have any grievances, you will take them up with me!” She ordered. The beast roared and launched another salvo of dark orbs. Celestia moved to deflect, but another magic shield sprung up to beat her to it. “And if you’re just here to cause trouble, you’re going to have to deal with me as well!” Twilight stated, trotting up to stand beside her mentor. “As thou shalt I!” Seath replied, feeling his bloodlust rise as the creature turned to face him. “Thou will find this pair merciless in their actions, but e’en if thou does triumph, I am a denizen of thine homeland and am all too familiar with such treachery!” Several eyes closed, several more opened. The misshapen being lowered its great hand as if considering what manner of power it faced. It turned four of the eyes on its right most horn to Seath. “Rgggghhh….you……grarrrgh….tray-tor….grhg….” The broken crystal floor tinkled as the beast angrily clawed at it. “Tray-tor…See….hgrrrghhhh…See-thuh…..” Seath arched an eyeridge and held his catalyst tightly. “Knowest of me thou dost?” The beast huffed and growled, its eyes rolling and blinking as if in pain. “Tray-tor…hell..hel-ped…Guh-win….” The creatures suddenly roared and hurled an enormous handful of razor sharp crystal shards at the dragon. Seath immediately brought up his own barrier again to deflect, but the beast then followed with a crushing punch that sent the drake flying. “Seath!” Twilight cried as the drake joined the soldiers in decorating the wall with new recesses. Instinctively the alicorn launched her own magic in retaliation. Her opponent groaned as if the pain from the attack was no worse than the pain it had to live with just being as it was. “No….cannot know…ghrgh…not yet….” The beast lurched forward, using its own flank as a front to absorb Twilight’s magic. The air began to stink with the smell of burning flesh, but despite doing visibly severe damage, Twilight apparently couldn’t stop the creature from getting close enough to raise its arm in an effort to flatten her. “No trouble….grghhh…no gree-vance….need one…hurghgrgh…one thing…grrghhh…STAY AWAY!” Twilight finally had to stop and do as instructed, lest she join the floor in being smashed into a thousand fragments as the giant hand impacted upon it. Celestia leapt into the air and moved to intervene, but the beast drove her back with several more hard swings of its staff. “Not time….hgrgh…too soon….all doomed if finds out…” The beast grunted as it lurched down the hallway, using its hands and legs to gallop like a demonic gorilla. Celestia summoned several swords of light and sent them to nail it in the back. Rather than turn and defend itself, the beast merely let the blades impale it, tumbled to the ground, roared and then forced itself to stand back up. “No pain….not yet…grghrgh…must find…” Celestia moved to pursue. Deeming this apparently warranted a response, the beast hurled another salvo of black orbs at her. Snorting in aggravation, Celestia dodged and let more of the hallway be destroyed in her stead, forming a barrier of rubble between her and the unwelcome visitor. “After him!” One of the sentries called, having picked himself out of the crater in the wall. The solar diarch sighed and held out her leg. “No, not as we are. He’s too strong for that.” She sighed while baring the expected looks of shock. “But, your highness….” Celestia brushed her mane out of her eyes and quickly put together a plan of action. “Inform Prince Armor and Princess Cadence what’s happening, then get to the armory and grab all the crystal arrows you can carry. Then meet us outside the archives.” She ordered. The soldiers continued to look bewildered. “Ma’am, with all do respects, how do you know that’s where…” “It’s a gut feeling. Please, captain!” The princess calmly but firmly asked. “As you wish, your highness.” The armored ponies ran off and Celestia ran over to Twilight. “Are you okay?” She asked fearfully. Twilight shook her head and gave her mentor a smile. “Fine. Just…Great Faust I’ve never seen anypony just take punishment like that. I definitely hurt him but he just kept coming!” She gasped. Celestia nodded mournfully. “Dark magic enables one to endure many such hardships, which in turn is why I think I know what he’s here for.” She turned to Seath who was retrieving his glasses. “Are you well enough to still stand by us?” She asked. Seath growled and scornfully glared at her. “If thou had tracked mine own performance in battle thou wouldst know of mine fortitude.” He said. “Twilight, get thine catalyst. T’is time to put thine teachings again to the test. I shall do what I can to halt this mysterious invader, and hopefully deduce how we were previously met!” Twilight swallowed in reluctance, but upon seeing Celestia nod her approval of the dragon’s plan she bowed her head. “Okay, I’ll be right back! Please be careful, Seath!” The white dragon’s malice lifted momentarily at his student’s concern. “No risk shalt I take unless necessary, Twilight. On that thou may be assured!” The dragon raised his catalyst and blasted the wall of rubble apart with a heavy soul arrow. Giving his compatriots a solemn bow he charged off after the monstrosity. “Okay, now let’s hope Discord hasn’t gone anywhere too far.” Celestia said as she teleported herself away. *** “Now you see, Queenie, nightshade comes in many varieties but all require the same sort of care to look perfect. Tight grouping of the plots and diversity between each flower are the key to a beautiful ensemble!” Discord narrated as he meticulously placed one seed after another in the freshly dug bed. “Since the flowers are all hermaphroditic, it's also important to rotate them every time you plant, never putting the same variety in the same soil twice. That way you're assured a healthy amount of cross pollination, which in turn will keep everything colorful and fragrant.” On her fireproof blanket, the chaos bug happily munched away on another charcoal briquette as her owner continued his work in restoring Luna’s garden to the lush oasis it had previously been. “That in turn is also is why for eons ponies thought to use the flowers as a makeup foundation, despite the fact that nearly all varieties are toxic in some manner. Suppose you could think of nightshade as a sort of commentary on the relationship between harmony and chaos in that regard. Sure it’s lovely how everyone coming together makes the world all nice and pretty, but indulge yourself too much in it and it just makes it easier for beings like myself to secretly undo everything. A natural cycle if you will!” The chaos god waxed philosophically. “Alternately you could see it as how one cannot exist without the other. Without chaos, order just makes everything stagnate, but without order, chaos eventually leads everything to ruin…kind of like what happened here.” The chaos bug screeched sadly as if apologizing for causing the garden to go up in flames. “Oh now, now, let’s have none of that! You did nothing wrong, my little firebug. Well, besides almost getting everyone killed but what can you do? I mean YOU attacked her first!” Discord pointed an accusing finger at a random tree. As if realizing it’d been caught out, the Moonlight Butterfly slowly flew up out of hiding. “And don’t start with that whole ‘But that nasty wasty Seath programmed me to attack on sight! I’m not to blame!’ I know your kind and you abuse that excuse far too much as is! If this had been a few years earlier I’d have taught you a lesson by turning you into a really tacky jewelry piece and selling you to one of those snotty foals that have no taste in fashion!” The patchwork creature snorted. The butterfly charged its antennae as if fearing for its life. “Ahhh, but by that same logic I can’t really be mad at you either. You only do what you do because that was why you were created…same as any golem or imitation life form I’ve whipped up to tease my friends. If I didn’t want them to stick to their one, sole purpose I’d have given them more reason to exist…” Discord sighed as he put down his trowel and rose to stretch. “Heck if the powers that be wanted ME to be something more than the epitome of what everypony distrusts they wouldn’t have imbued me with such a maddening need to upset the balance of everything. It’s only thanks to Fluttershy that I actually found a new way to apply my abilities and thus still have reason to exist…” Both chaos bug and butterfly cautiously inched forward at the suddenly somber tone of Discord’s voice. “Fluttershy…oh, how easily I forget what a service that mare’s done for me. Helped me mend my ways, given me reasons to start over, to try new things…to find something to care about…somepony to care for….” Discord winced as if pained. He looked to his two companions and threw open his arms. “Ah now I’m getting all sappy. Come on, big group hug! Let’s forgive and forget and move on!” The bugs found themselves in a crushing embrace. The Izalith insect burned brighter as if fanned by the affection, the butterfly twitched its wings and flexed its body as if trying to squirm out of the hold. “Well, glad to see some of us are making up for what we’ve done.” Discord promptly snapped out of his moment and released his embrace. “Yes, well…one of us has to be the mature party here, Princess.” He grinned. Celestia rolled her eyes. “Hopefully not too mature to not still use your more impulsive behavior. The Crystal Empire is under attack by another menace of Lordran! I need you to come with me and provide back in the form of lightning.” Discord arched the eyebrow over his larger eye. “Lightning? As in you want me to make storm clouds and zap things like the proverbial angry god?” He asked, scanning the princess’ reaction as if expecting this to be a trick. Celestia nodded warily. “This creature is a master of dark magic, possibly more so than Sombra. Twilight and my own spells are proving sufficient to hurt it, but not stop it. This is…admittedly a bit of a gamble but we need to try hitting it with an even more pure form of light energy…the kind only you can provide on the fly!” Discord went from looking dubious to positively ecstatic. “Why Celestia! I never thought I’d see the day where you’d be bold enough to make such a request! Oh this calls for a celebration!” The garden was suddenly covered in falling streamers and balloons as the sound of kazoos echoed all around. Discord popped a party hat on his head and whipped out a giant cake. Groaning, Celestia nabbed the chaos god in her magic and yanked him towards her. “Later. We need the lightning now!” She commanded. Discord sighed and summoned a door that opened onto the entrance to the Crystal Palace. “Pffft, fine. You’d probably hog all the cake for yourself anyway.” He said as the two returned to the battle. *** The closer Seath got to his target, the more he felt uncomfortably at home. The new arrival had made short work of trashing the hallway and the rooms in its mad search for whatever it sought, and gradually the white drake was reminded of his own crystal chambers, and their respective states of devastation. How strange that the memories of his old abode now chilled him rather than comforted him, yet how bizarre that a totally alien world would suddenly resemble his own with but a little mess and disorder. How fragile our illusion of control proveth… Seath mused as he came to the archives and sensed the danger was close. A strange black ichor stained the walls, the chests and the floor, the result of one who had no time to fiddle with locks or drawers and had instead resorted to more aggressive means of hastening its search. Seath sniffed at the air, and felt his body grew colder still. “Thine stench is strong with many essences. I sense death, despair, loneliness and darkness….yet…there is also life…heat…” Seath primed his catalyst and let himself alight on the ground as an explosion of scrolls and books burst from a side room. “Thou reeks of a power I know too well…yet it doth radiate too strong to be held in a being of such solitude…” A second explosion of black orbs met the dragon as he drew closer. Seath raised his barrier and study the feedback as it absorbed the attack. “It is…humanity…it fills thee from head to toe…” He said with cautious intrigue. The beast strode out of the room, its giant fist clenched and ready to smash the dragon up again if needed. “Fathered all humans….hrgh…gave them…my soul…grghh…unleashed…its power…..changed me…destroyed me….GARRRRGH….but…but made new age…possible….NGRRRRRRGH…unti….ARRRGH…UNTIL…!” The beast hurled its fist at Seath, stretching its arm like taffy to cover the distance between them. Seath dodged then smashed his catalyst into the arm. A thick cloud of black mist hit him in the face as the crystal spikes tore open fresh wounds. The beast roared and drew back. “GARRRRR….past….past found me….held me….seeks to esc-GRGH-escape…” Despite his curiosity being piqued, Seath formed a crystal spear with his breath and hurled it at the retreating monster. It nailed it in the chest and the beast doubled over onto the wound. “No…ARGH…can’t stop me…no pain to match….GRARGH…how...HRRRK...have suffered already…” Seath filled his lungs and stood ready as the warped abomination summoned more dark orbs. As if its ranting was bewilidering enough, it then made things stranger by focusing the attack on another section of the archives instead of its opponent, destroying a great number of cabinets and book shelves. “Thine durability is great indeed…but I shalt not be intimidated by such if thou still seeketh to destroy those who have taken me in!” The beast turned seven of its center most eyes on the dragon, narrowing them as if scornful of Seath’s bravery. “Yes…grgh…always was…since…beg-in-neeng….swore…GRAGH…swore to Guh-win…begged for safe-tee…HURGHHH….this…this just repeat of…GRAGH…of night in Kiln!” Seath, unwisely, let this cause his guard to fall. The beast promptly leapt upon this as it leapt into the air, punching the dragon to the ground and impaling Seath through the shoulder with its catalyst. Seath was only spared from a more fatal injury by instinctively expelling the air in his lungs and coating the monster in cursed crystals. “Thou…urrrgh…thou knowest of that night? How??” He demanded. Balling its fist up, the beast punched itself in the face, shattering the crystals but also knocking itself for a loop. “Was…oooh…was there! Found….grarrrgh….found soul….GAAAAAAARGH…found soul in flames! None….HURGH...none noticed….all too…GRGH…distracted with…with talk of war…GRAGH…of plan to kill dray-gons…” Clutching the wound, Seath scrambled back up. The injury was significant, but it had only put one limb out of commission. He still could use the other, and his breath. “Another Lord Soul? Thou art…” Seath started, then broke off as the beast roared and clutched its own shoulder. “Pig….gurgh…called me pig…pig-me….ARRGGHHH!” Fingers tore into flesh, slowing ripping a great clump of the beast’s own body off. “Fur-teeve…was so fur-tive…forgot..ten...so ease…GRAAAAARRR…easily…” The beast held aloft a dripping, gory chunk of its own flesh. It crushed it in its hand and the flesh turned to mist. “Furtive….Pygmy…?” Seath felt a nagging ember of a memory…something that had seemed so insignificant he’d just let it wallow in the deepest recesses of his mind. “Yes…but now….GRGH…will call me by name!...MAN! URARGHAH!” The mist slowly formed into vaguely humanoid silhouettes. Little white eyes blinked into existence at the summit of each. “MAN-MANUS!...FATHER…OF….ABYSS!” The beast hurled the freshly formed humanity phantoms at Seath. Still too lost in his own effort to try and latch onto the nagging memory, the dragon was immediately beset by a wrenching sensation of cold, slicing like knives through his flesh and into his soul. He hurled himself away from the phantoms, gasping as he sensed blood oozing from several more injuries. Despite now being almost crippled with pain, the dragon forced his catalyst to charge, launching a salvo of soul spears to take down the phantoms closest to him. This did little than buy him a few more seconds as the ones behind the first line quickly moved in to replace their fallen brethren… Fortunately those few extra seconds were enough for another being to throw another barrier up in front of the drake and protect him from any more harm. “Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt but may we step in on this conversation? It sounds important.” The drake turned to see Shining Armor and Princess Cadence behind him, the prince looking remarkably well and confident, despite leaning heavily on his wife for support as he cast his defensive shield. “I doubt thou can lend any further light on our foe’s revelations, but thine presence is welcome regardless.” He bleated as Twilight ran in with Spike and the sentries in tow. “SEATH! Oh Faust, what did he do to you?” The alicorn cried upon seeing her teacher’s blood soaked body. Taking a page from Shining’s book, Seath propped himself on his catalyst and made a grand show of being unhampered by his injuries. “Muddy matters further with claims of us being previously met. T’would seem all sides have a tale to tell in this mystery…” He sighed trying not to wince as every movement brought fresh agony. Twilight thankfully was not fooled and promptly summoned a burning flask of estus. “Well good thing I thought to refill this before we left Ponyville. Drink up and let me take point. If he’s willing to talk I’ve got plenty of questions to ask!” The alicorn stated as she grabbed her catalyst in her magic. “You may want to…ergh…dispense with his entourage first. They bite…hard!” Shining winced as the humanity phantoms continued to amass against his barrier. It crackled and fluctuated from their sheer proximity but ever the stalwart soldier, Shining held them back. “Let me handle that, dear. Just drop your shield for a moment and I’ll take care of the rest.” Cadence said politely. Shining looked uneasy about letting his wife step into danger, but the pink alicorn just smiled reassuring at him and doffed her mane. Deciding to trust her, Shining let the barrier fall, and Cadence promptly showed how one could be both pretty and deadly as she vaporized the entire lot of phantoms with a rainbow wave beam. “See, nothing to it when I’m ready and on my guard!” She giggled as Shining blushed. “And I thought I was supposed to make you swoon. Sheesh!” He muttered before letting a loving nuzzle silence him. Twilight cocked an eyebrow as she observed the burning black sprites left by the phantoms’ demise. “Humanity? Is this where it comes from?” She asked, looking to Seath as he chugged the estus and sighed in relief. “Apparently so. I regret I am at as much of a loss as thou.” He said. Another earth rocking explosion brought both their attentions back to Manus as he blasted through another wall of the archives. “You know, if you need something from here, it’d be easier and faster for us to find it for you.” She called out. The offer fell on deaf ears as Manus just pushed through the hole he’d made and continued in his mad search. Grumbling, Twilight charged forward at the lumbering beast, only to be stopped by another encroaching circle of black orbs. Twilight sighed, dropped her catalyst and blasted them away with her own spells. “Also I, like Celestia, am no stranger to dark magic. You’re going to have to try something different if you want to match me!” She claimed. Manus groaned and hurled his great arm at her, knocking multiple shelves and cases over. “Not want…to match…need to find…ergh…to finish work…gragh…” He grumbled while tearing through stacks of scrolls and books. Twilight took to the air and found a point where there wasn’t an immediate risk of something falling on her. “What work? If you need aid, you don’t have to go trashing the place up! We can help you as we’ve helped Seath.” She demanded. Manus rolled the eyes on the back of his horns towards the bothersome equine. “No….grgh…can’t help…nah..grgh-not as is…” He growled and swung at Twilight with his catalyst. She nimbly dodged the bladed weapon and forced it away from herself with another magic attack. “Well that’s rather presumptuous of you!” Twilight said while scrutinizing the beast’s oversized limb. Her face lit up in recognition. “It was you that delivered Seath to me in the first place wasn’t it? And Queen to Discord? You must need us for something!” Manus roared as several crystal lances buried themselves in his body. Underneath Twilight, the sentries charged in while frantically reloading their crossbows. Manus bore the pain of their next salvo then simply smacked the poor ponies aside again, covering them in his own blood from all the puncture wounds. “Had to do…grgh…as commanded….nrgh…cover tracks….not…gragh….not let see!” He bellowed while smashing at the walls with his fist. Twilight moved to stun him again, only to have to duck a bookcase as the monstrosity grabbed it and heaved it at her like it weighed nothing. “Not let who see? And see what?” She pleaded as the beast collapsed. “Look, we don’t want to fight you, or hurt you, just...AIEE!” A bronze statue of Sombra was sent on a collision course with her next. “We want to help! Please stop attacking us!” Manus rounded on the equine, his teeth gnashing in pain wracked doubt. “Can’t help me! Can’t see as…GRAGH…as are….living….ngrgh…living can’t see!” He roared and hurled more orbs at another wall. The resulting explosion sent debris and ponies everywhere. “MUST FIND….GRRRRR…WHERE IS…!!!” Twilight pulled herself out from under the unconscious body of a sentry, checking the poor mare wasn’t in immediate need of medical attention before turning her focus back to her opponent. Between Manus’ insane rambling, the destruction of so much irreplaceable artifacts, seeing Seath injured and the memories of her battle with the Demon Firesage still fresh in her mind, the mare was getting more than a little ticked off. “Fine, if that’s how you want to do it…” She charged her horn and launched a rainbow wave of energy at Manus. For the first time the beast was unable to just endure the attack, and instead found himself being launched clear across the room to join the soldiers he’d plastered up against the wall. A fresh stench of skin crisping and charring began to fill the air as Manus collapsed to the ground in a smoking heap. “Now, still want to cause trouble or can we talk?” Retrieving her catalyst, Twilight stood at the ready as the hulking black behemoth twitched, coughed and amazingly began to get back to his feet. “No talk…nothing to say…need to find…urgh…” Manus clutched his side, using his catalyst as a crutch. Twilight grit her teeth as he turned and glared at her from multiple perspectives. “Let me…urgh…find…or all…urgh….doomed.” Quickly the alicorn thought about the most diplomatic response and put her catalyst back down again as a show of peace. “Yes we gathered that. Believe it or not, we have some inkling of what’s going on here too. Your actions are just the confirmation that we’re right to likewise suspect something bad is about to happen.” Manus gnashed and growled as he hobbled towards the alicorn. “If you know about this as well, there’s more to gain from helping each other than trying to go it alone. Tell us what you know, and we’ll do everything we can to aide you, provided you likewise are trying to prevent whatever this coming calamity is.” Manus opened several eyes, and narrowed several more. “Know of…grgh…you know?” He demanded Twilight nodded. With a roar that could have been relief as easily as it could have been anguish, Manus tore another part of his body out and hurled it into the air. “Strong…you…could be....GRAAAAAWWWWRRR…but..must be…surrre…” He hobbled back again as Twilight found a rain of humanity phantoms now descending upon her. Frantically she scrambled to raise a barrier, but no sooner had she gotten her horn lit than the phantoms were caught in the beam of another magic user. “You want to be sure? Fine. Let me show you how much flank I, as one of the kindest and most loving ponies in the land, can kick!” Cadence said as she vaporized wave after wave of phantoms. Twilight tactfully moved herself out of harm’s way as Manus growled and leaped at the bubblegum princess. “Ah ah ah. Not today. Not on my wife!” Cadence was encased in a barrier that took the brunt of Manus’ downward strike. Behind her, Shining Armor dragged himself into the chamber with Spike’s help, teeth bared and face set in an expression of grim determination, despite the hindrance of his broken limbs. “Enemies only get one shot to take down me or my loved ones, and your fire friend from before used that up.” Manus stumbled back, his pain momentarily forgotten in the revelation that these equines were a greater force to be reckoned with than would initially seem. He stared intently at Twilight as she alighted to stand with her brother and sister-in-law. “So, now that you’ve gotten a taste of what we’re capable of, do you wish to talk now?” She asked. Manus sized up each of the ponies, then the white dragon as he stepped in behind Shining. He could also hear the clops of reinforcements coming down the hall to the archives. “You…strong…grgh…could help…gragh…but cannot see….and cannot stop now….graaagh…need…need…horn…” He raggedly replied. Twilight arched an eyebrow while Cadence and Shining looked perturbed. “Horn? You don’t mean…” Without thinking, Cadence glanced at the floor. A second later she realized the terrible error of this as Manus roared and leaped to fire an enormous salvo of black orbs at the ground. The resulting explosion mercifully tossed those closest to him safely away; everyone else, unfortunately, suffered a sudden descent as the weakened floor caved into a hidden chamber below. Outside the archives, Celestia’s ears shot up in alarm as she felt the reverberation of the crystal beneath her hooves threatening to give way. She spread her wings and flew full force to the aid of her subjects, with Discord struggling to keep up. “You couldn’t have let me teleport us closer than outside the front door?” She demanded as the huffing and puffing dracoequus pulled up beside her. “Excuse me for wanting to play it safe! After the fiasco with your sister’s garden I thought it a sensible move to avoid getting too close to another of Lordran’s more…chipper folk!” He argued as the two entered to find the prone bodies of several sentries surrounding a great chasm. “And I believe this a fitting vindication of my caution!” Celestia looked down in horror, seeing the black beast galloping to a central stone plinth in the lower chamber, mounted atop which was a glowing red horn. “Twilight! Cadence! Shining!” She called out. The rubble from the collapsed flooring shifted as if answering her call. Two great pairs of fairy wings lifted the broken crystal off of Seath, carrying him out of the wreckage, along with Twilight, whom he’d managed to catch and cover with his body. With her fear now momentarily abated, Celestia turned at the sound of more refuse being levitated off the floor. Shining, Spike and Cadence emerged, still encased in the former’s magical barrier. Using her wings, Cadence lifted them both back up to the main area of the archives. “Praise Faust! Are you okay?” Cadence gently set her husband on the ground and let Spike tend to him as she shook some of the dust and rubble off her coat. “We’re fine, but still grateful to see you.” Cadence sighed. “This creature isn’t too hard to put down, but he sure doesn’t like to stay down.” Celestia grumbled as she nodded to Discord. “Then let me try something. Cover me from up here if you can!” She levitated a quiver of crystalline arrows from one of the sentries and held it in front of the dracoequus. “Discord, if you please?” Discord duly summoned a toga and a great white wig for himself, then formed a black thundering cloud over his head. Pulling a pair of sewing needles out of his attire he used them as mini-conductors to draw lightning and weave it into the arrows. “Charged and ready, your highness. See how he likes a few billion volts up the backside.” Celestia dove into the hole, drawing several arrows in her magic as she slammed onto the ground below. Manus barely had time to register this new arrival before he was beset by a new problem. One he could not so easily ignore. His body jerked and burst as the unmistakable power of electricity coursed through it, causing him to drop his catalyst and smash onto the floor, every muscle cramping up in the worst way. “That’s close enough.” Celestia stated sternly as she drew several more arrows. Manus slowly stilled as the charge from the ones buried in his flesh dissipated. He turned whichever of his eyes weren’t currently rolling wildly in their sockets on the princess. “I thought that was what you were after. Hoped Cadence and Shining’s efforts to hide it would buy me enough time to return.” Celestia nodded to the plinth as she angled the crackling arrows to target what she hoped were vital spots on the beast’s body. Manus groaned and fumbled for his catalyst as he rolled over and got back up. “You’re definitely a tough one, I’ll have to give you that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anypony take this much damage and still stay in the fight.” Finding his catalyst, Manus propped himself up and faced the solar diarch. “Dark….grrrr…soul…..arghh…destroyed me….but…gragh…gives me….ngh…strength….graghh…so much strength.” He moaned as his body jerked and shuddered with the aftershocks of the electricity. Celestia strode forward with her arrows pulled taught. “Well be that as it may, I’ve clearly found your weakness. Not that I want to kill you, but if you won’t give me any other option…” She let the statement hang as Manus struggled for breath. “I gather you’re the one we have to thank for first visiting Seath on us, and making us aware of several soon to be unpleasant circumstances. For that, I guess I owe you a small mercy.” She placed a hoof on the horn. “But whatever you want with Sombra’s remains, I can’t let you take it. That monster has caused more suffering and hardship than even my own sister at her worst, and I’m not about to let him be brought back by any means.” She said. Manus coughed and backed away. “Has…nrgh…has to be done.” He seethed. Celestia shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. Lay down your arms, talk to me, and we will find an alternate solution.” She offered. “Please, I don’t want more blood on my hooves.” Manus looked to the horn then to his opponent. “Not…nrawr…not your choice. Grrrgh…giving you chance…RAWRRRRGH!...chance to op-op…ARRRGHH…op-p-p-pose pah…GRRRRGH…past threat.” He stammered, pain resonating with each syllable. Celestia grit her teeth as she felt equally pitiful and loathsome for this warped abomination. “What past threat? Perhaps if you could explain, we might empathize more with your cause.” She said. Manus seized up and clutched his other side as if feeling a new agony there. Celestia let the arrows loosen in her magic and dropped her guard, concerned she’d perhaps dealt more harm than she intended. “Cause…nrgh…cause was for hoo-mans….gragh…but…grgh…. now destroyed….grgh…all gone….grrrgh gone for you…rarrrgh…must save….grrrAAAARRGHHH MUST SAVE!” Suddenly Manus’ arm was meeting Celestia’s face at mach velocities, nearly breaking her jaw with the impact. She hit the wall with crushing force as her opponent gave up even more of his flesh to create more humanity phantoms. Despite her aching head, the princess’ managed to draw another cluster of arrows and send them flying, but they only served to snuff out those among her enemies that opened their eyes to the world first. The ones that followed ensured their comrades were not sacrificed in vain as they swarmed Celestia and proceeded to ensure she stay down for the count. “No…NOOO!” Twilight cried as she saw her beloved former mentor, friend and so many other things being mercilessly drained of all her life force by the black ghosts. “Seath, let me go!” Against his better judgment, the dragon released his student. He had more to worry about as Manus dragged himself back towards the horn. Twilight summoned her catalyst from where it had fallen and galloped full speed at the phantoms, summoning a swarm of dark beads as she closed in. “Let…her…GO!” The beads found their marks and vaporized a fair number of the sprites. Realising they had a new enemy to contend with, the remaining stragglers turned and amassed on the alicorn as she dove to protect Celestia. “Stay back! I mean it! Stay back!” The phantoms ignored this advice and continued to press their advantage while the alicorn was busy priming another spell. Twilight grit her teeth as razor sharp cold shot through her body, each impact from the black essences feeling like a punch to her soul as well as her organs. Realizing she couldn’t bear the pain and charge her catalyst at the same time, Twilight discarded her weapon and instead let loose with her horn, taking down another of her enemies’ numbers and giving them cause to back off again. “Last….*cough*….warning…” The few surviving phantoms held their distance, as if considering the alicorn’s words, or, alternately, to wait until Twilight could no longer ignore the severity of her injuries and collapsed beside Celestia. Silently, they moved in again to deliver the fatal blow to both ponies… …and then rainbow colored waves surged down to light the darkened chamber, catching the phantoms in their aura like a net and removing them from the world as quickly as they’d been brought into it. Gaping in disbelief, Twilight looked up to see Cadence peering down from above, her own horn primed and her face smiling in relief. “Stay still. I’ve got you covered.” The pink mare said. “Figures that even after so many years a foalsitter’s work is still never done.” Wincing as she registered her strength had been depleted and her limbs felt like limp noodles, Twilight turned to see Seath still engaged in battle with Manus. The dragon fought valiantly but even with all the damage done to him, Manus still managed to hold his own. He weathered blow after blow, let Seath tire himself with casting spells and dodging counterattacks. And then when the dragon had to stop to catch his breath, he grabbed him by the head and slammed Seath into the ground. “Seath…” Twilight struggled to get up, telling herself to ignore the wracking agony of her injuries. She glanced down at the floor, at the burning black humanity sprites left in the wake of the phantoms’ destruction. With great effort she extended a hoof and slammed it down on one. The result was like downing a double espresso mixed with the most potent painkillers imaginable. Suddenly Twilight felt her strength pour back into her body as the humanity merged with her soul, giving her the ability to stand, grab her catalyst and charge at the black abomination. “I said stop…” Manus turned as he registered a lavender colored projectile on approach. Spreading her wings, Twilight nailed him right above his jaw and the monstrosity dully went sailing. “And…” The demon catalyst's blade met with Manus' right horn, cleaving several of the eyes on it. “I…” Manus launched a defensive salvo of orbs. Twilight dispersed them with her magic and gave the beast a taste of his medicine with her own dark orb spell. “MEAN…” More spells, and more pain. Manus slumped to the floor as more of his blood pooled around him. “STOP!” She screamed, following with a rapid onslaught of dark beads. Manus grunted and fell over, his feeble cries finally snapping the alicorn out of her rage. She let herself land on the floor, staring warily at the barely breathing beast. “*cough*….strong….*cough*…strong you are…grgle….wrong to doubt….*cough*” Twilight leveled her catalyst at Manus as he weakly pushed himself up out of the pool of his own blood. “*cough*…little time left….but…grgh…soul is strong….nrgh…like…grgh…See-ath…like…hrgh…witch….like….” Several red eyes swiveled upward as Discord poked his head over the edge of the hole. “Grrrr…was right…souls are here…*cough*…past…and…grgh…now…*cough*...Seath…hrrk...and you…” Deciding to take a risk, Twilight checked on her teacher. Crystal was forming across several cuts on his head, but as his eyes met his student’s he nodded that it looked worse than it was. “Yes you did me a favor by letting me meet Seath. Unfortunately, that’s not going to buy you any mercy if you’re not going to stop attacking.” Twilight said as her teacher rose and primed his catalyst. “I highly doubt you can take much more so I’m giving you one last chance: surrender and let us help you. Please!” Manus leaned heavily on his oversized hand, his head resting against the floor as if he was too weak to lift it. “Help…hrgh…yes…can help me…but not here….nrgh…not as…urghhhh…” The beast wilted forward as if finally succumbing to his wounds. This immediately snapped Twilight back into her regular helpful mode and she ran forward to catch Manus in her magic… …which turned out to be an opportunity too good for the beast to pass up. “Living can’t see…must be…” No sooner did the alicorn have her enemy in her aura than she found herself likewise cocooned in Manus’ giant hand. Frantically she thrashed about but his grip remained as strong as ever, the fingers easily closing around her, choking her, crushing her into batter. “Must be…undead…” Twilight felt Manus’ thumb press against her flank, right on top of her cutie mark. The pain of being crushed into pulp was suddenly joined by the sensation of being branded, a searing spike of heat forcing itself onto her skin. “Undead…hrrrk…undead will see…!” In spite of all the commotion in the chamber, the breaking of Twilight’s neck still rang out clear as a bell. Time seemed to freeze for all except Manus, giving him the chance he needed to drop the alicorn’s corpse and grab Sombra’s horn off the plinth. “Past…ergh…past seeks to undo all...grgh…follow back….graaagh…help save….find...ngh...pend-dant....ARRGHHH…but….warning….pre…hrk!...prepare…” With her eyes still fixed on Twilight’s lifeless body, Celestia ripped every last arrow from her quiver and hurled them at Manus in a crackling hail of vengeance. “Prepare…to…die!” Manus dropped to the floor, grabbed his catalyst and pointed it weakly at his pooled blood. An instant later the blood had turned into a whirling portal that sucked him safely out of harm’s way, leaving the arrows to clatter uselessly off the crystal floor as it snapped closed behind him. “Twilight…” Celestia gasped, her tears helping to dilute the blinding flash as the lightning from her arrows exploded in every direction. “No…” Seath roared as his own skin was cooked by the sudden electric discharge. Fortunately it was quick to dissipate and he was left nursing tears of his own as he looked to where his student had fallen. “No…” The drake repeated, his shock (pun intended) ebbing away as he saw Twilight’s corpse vanish. A glowing bloodstain marked the place of her death as two words appeared that gave the dragon cause to both despair and cheer in equal measures. “No!” He declared, reaching to grab Celestia. “The bonfire, quick! Fortune may yet still favor us!” Celestia blinked, letting her tears carry her sadness away so she could gape at the dragon in dismay. “Now, Celestia! The curse is upon her!” Celestia looked to the blood stain, her mind snapping out of its mourning and her spine going cold in realization. “Oh…oh no!” Both souls spread their wings and joined their comrades back on the main floor of the archives. “Cadence, I have to return to Twilight’s castle. I…think she’s been resurrected there! Can you take care of things here?” The pink alicorn needed a moment to break out of her own shock. Her ears twisted and flexed as she wondered if Celestia was talking crazy due to her grief. “Resurrected? What are you…” Cadence broke off upon seeing the desperation in her fellow princess’ eyes. “I…Yes, yes we can handle things here. Just…as soon as you…erm…know, contact us. Please!” “I will. As soon as I know! Come on, Discord!” Deeming it wise to not argue, the dracoequus followed Seath and the solar diarch back out to the carriages. In their wake several soldiers ran in to tend to their wounded comrades, and their captain who was now trying to drag himself over to the hole. “No. No please, don’t look!” Cadence ran over and held her husband and Spike back from seeing the demise below. “Don’t look? Why? What happened? Where’s Twilight?” Spike demanded. Cadence’s voice seized in her throat as she tried to keep both males looking at her. “What just happened to my sister?” Shining demanded with increasing worry. Biting her tongue, Cadence pressed her head against her husband’s. “I…I don’t know. Manus…did something…she’s…she’s gone.” Despite his pristinely white coat the color still visibly drained from Shining’s face. “But Celestia and Seath think they know how to get her back! Just trust me that she’ll be okay.” Cadence hastily reassured. Neither Shining nor Spike looked unconvinced but nor did they contest the princess word. Cadence thanked them with a hug as her tears finally fell. “Please…please Faust, may she be okay…” She sobbed.