//------------------------------// // Descent // Story: Shadow Over Equestria // by Cmdr Brohoof //------------------------------// “Be careful you two” Rarity shouted down to the shaft “Are you sure you don’t want to wait with Rarity?” Spirit asked as he already started his descent into the darkness. Twilight was tightly clinging on to the Spirits back even thought she was securely tied to him. She allowed herself a nervous laugh “Of course I mean what if you ran into trouble down here and had no help” “I suppose just don’t think about how far the fall is if something goes wrong.” Spirit said back After a few minutes the duo reached the bottom where the glow sticks had landed. Spirit knelt down and loosened the rope to allow Twilight to get off. As he was unhooking himself Twilight looked around at their new area. The place was filled with a green glow. A pool of water was as smooth as glass was nearby. Besides the sound of Spirit and herself the only noise they could hear was the occasionally drip of water . “See anything?” Spirit asked “No I’m afraid this is the wrong shaft.” Twilight said dreading the thought of going up and down another shaft. “I don’t think so look at the ceiling.” Spirit pointed up in the faint glow they could barely make out the openings of other shafts “Looks like all roads lead here.” “But there’s nothing here but rocks and water.” Spirit sighed “Alright let’s take a break and I’ll get us ready to climb back up. Grab some water and I’ll get the rope ready.” Twilight walked toward the pool of water that was just outside the light of the glow sticks. Twilight began to cast her light spell from earlier. Nothing happened. “What the…?” She focused again this time harder still no light emitted from her horn. “What’s going on!?” Twilight now frustrated tired as hard as she could she still couldn’t cast any spells “You okay?” Spirit asked the panting Twilight. “My…magic…isn’t…working.” Twilight said between breaths “What do you mean not working?” “I can’t cast any spells see” Twilight concentrated again “Uh I don’t see anything.” Spirit said with a confusing look “Exactly!” Twilight exclaimed “Something is blocking my spells” “Are you sure you’re not just tired?” “No something in this room it blocking my magic!” “You think it’s the ruby?” “I can’t think of anything else that it could be.” “Walk around the room and try your spells maybe we can figure out where it is. Unless it has a very long range.” Twilight walked to different points in the room it wasn’t until she was well away from the pool of water was she able to use her magic again. “So it’s coming from the water?” “Seems so” Twilight peered into the water “Look, at the very bottom!” Spirit looked to where she was gesturing and he could faintly make out a red glimmer between all the black rocks. “Do you have any more of those light sticks?” Twilight asked “Yeah maybe one” Spirit pulled another glow stick out cracked it and tossed it into the dark water. They watched the stick sink to the bottom near the red glimmer. “I can see more clearly now there’s defiantly something there.” “Should we just dive in?” Spirit asked “Looks safe” Spirit stood on the edge of the water as Twilight dove in and swam toward the lighted area. He waited for what seemed like an eternity until she finally surfaced. “Did you get it?” “Take a look” Twilight lifted the large ruby over her head. The ruby was double the size of a basketball and gave off a faint glow in the dark cave. “Nice job Twilight come on let’s get out of here.” Spirit had rigged up himself and Twilight to climb back up the shaft. “That wasn’t so bad” Twilight said proudly “No that was easy not counting the boat wreck, lava fields, fire breathing dragons, and descending into the unknown depths…like a walk in the park.” “You know what I meant” Twilight said back “I think it might actually be all right.” “You had a doubt?” “Do you hear something?” Twilight asked “Yes you doubting my fearless leadership” “No I’m being serious.” Twilight said “Listen” Spirit stopped climbing and listened intently. A low rumble was coming from the walls it grew until the shaft began to vibrate. “What is that?” Twilight asked The room violently shook Spirit nearly lost his grip “I think that was a tremor” “You mean like an earth quake?” Twilight asked “Yeah we better get moving.” Spirit climbed as quickly as he could the shaft was occasionally shaking . “Oh thank Celestia” Rarity called down “I was starting to worry when the cave shook” “We’re ok” Twilight called back “We got the ruby too” Twilight held up the ruby to show Rarity “Oh how lovely” she said admiring the ruby Spirit got close to the edge where Rarity was watching them. “Ok Twilight pass the ruby up to Rarity then she can lift you up” The ponies followed Spirit instructions “Now lift me….” The shaft violently shook knocking Spirit back into the shaft “SPIRIT!” the unicorns screamed as they leapt to the edge and caught the rope holding him up in just the nick of time. “Spirit are you alright” Twilight called down “Yeah” Spirit grunted Twilight and Rarity gingerly looked over the edge still holding onto the rope. Spirit was holding on to the rope with both hands and was now tangled up in the rope. “Twilight can you teleport him up?” Rarity said straining against the weight of Spirit “No the ruby cancels out all magic” Twilight said as she glanced back at the ruby The two ponies were slowly losing ground as the slid closer to the edge. “Any ideas up there?!” Spirit weakly called up “Don’t worry we’ll save you” Twilight yelled back “Rarity take the ruby and run as far as you can I’ll try to teleport him once you’re far enough away.” “Twilight you can’t possibly hold him up that long we can barely hold him now.” “It’s the only way we can’t stand here forever eventually we are going to get tired.” “All right you ready” Rarity asked Twilight wrapped as much of the rope around here as she could “Ready” Rarity quickly snatched up the ruby and bolted away. Twilight lurched forward as she took all of Spirits weight. “What happened?” Spirit called “Rarity is taking the ruby away so I can use my magic.” Twilight was already at the edge. She could see Spirit staring up at her. “Twilight” Spirit said as he looked up at here sadly “You can’t hold on much longer you’re going to get pulled over.” “No I got this.” She said as she struggled to maintain here position “Come on Rarity” “Twilight let me go its better one of us falls than both of us” “No I can’t let you down.” Twilight said as she stared back at Spirit. She was now leaning halfway over the edge. Spirit took a hand off the rope and tossed the Element of hope up “What are you doing” Twilight said “Hold on” “If you don’t let me go….” Spirit pulled a knife and held the blade against the rope “NO DON’T!” Twilight yelled as tears streamed down her face. She lurched forward just as Spirit sliced the rope holding him up. “SPIRIT NOOOOOO!” Twilight yelled as Spirit fell back toward the darkness