//------------------------------// // Enter the Dark // Story: Light's Darkest Form // by Fateful Pony //------------------------------// There was no real trail up to the ruins. Only the rubble left behind from the fight between Derpibra and Chrysalis could be used to traverse the battle ridden mountain. The sun beamed down, and the air was refreshing and cool by nature. The day had a plentiful amount of pearl white clouds, but not enough to obstruct the sunlight. But, mysteriously so, the darkness from the crumbled ruins radiated like the subtle glow of a glow stick, causing some of the ocean blue sky to be quite literally blacked out the farther the party went. “There.” Derpibra pointed up the decreasing slope. “Those are the ruins. They gotta be.” “I agree.” Twilight replied. “It matches the various descriptions I’ve uncovered in the Royal Study.” The sediments below her hooves crackled and churned as she continued her modest pace. They came upon the black ruins, and before them was a door of solid stone as dark as night. Inscribed upon its face was the Luxembourgish language, sitting as dull letters etched in stone. “Why does this door seem familiar to me?” Derpibra muttered as he pulled in closer. “The letters… the energy…” He had a brief flashback to that harrowing dream he had. Somehow, these ruins were in a way similar to what he laid witness to in his nightmare. Although he could not pinpoint what the feeling of deja vu was originating from... He placed a hoof on the shifted stone, and kept a keen eye observing the foreign text inscribed upon it. The text blushed a brilliant purple color in response to his touch. “Amazing.” Twilight approached the entrance and traced the alien runes with a hoof alongside him. “After all of these years, and the magic is still active here. “This had to have been the works of a master wizard. If they have locks this complicated, who knows what might be inside.” Fluttershy cloaked her face under her mane. “Are there going to be… traps, in there?” “I wouldn't doubt it. And, in a place like this, we might find worse.” Fluttershy winced. Probably a bit too descriptive, Twilight thought. “But, we are quite capable of defending ourselves. We should be fine. Now, does anyone have any ideas on how to open this door?” “Our best bet is to translate the text on the circle lock.” Derpibra suggested. “It could give us a clue maybe.” “An admirable idea.” She shuffled through her messenger bag and withdrew a scuffed book with all manner of notes and papers protruding from the inner pages. “This is a long list of notes I’ve developed which should allow us basic translation of the Luxembourgian language.” “Basic?” He questioned. “Yes. Luxembourgish is not a common language in Equestria, and notes on its grammar rules and such are thusly limited, especially since I didn't have much time, with our schedule, to be able to properly finish them.” “Can’t we just blow the door open?” Optix shot from the back of the party. “Don’t be so rash.” Gaffold instructed. “These are ruins. Any major disturbance could render our journey here useless, love. Let us not bring the place down on our heads?” “I don't see any other easy way of getting in there.” “We mustn’t resort to such barbaric methods unless we need to.” She shrugged. “Alright, let's see how long we’ll be sitting out here then.” Derpibra glanced over his shoulder. “Can we not argue about this? Let's leave it up to Twilight, since she knows more about this place than any of us. Twi, what should we do?” “We should prioritize safety and tactful movements.” Twilight said. “We came here to observe and research. Who knows how fragile this ruin is.” She gave the purple text an observant eye, carefully pulling out her notes. “Give me some time. These letters don’t seem to match what I have…” The characters were astonishing to her. Her notes scarcely turned any interesting translations, but after some cross referencing and determination, she managed to pronounce the sentence. “Intelligenz ass eng staark staip. Intelligence is a strong tool. What is that supposed to mean?” Everypony shrugged. “Hmm…” The lock responded to her English translation, and rotated, the stone grinding against the door itself. Once the lock ceased its motion, cubes pushed from the door, each with a separate character. “Is this some kind of puzzle…?” “Maybe.” Gaffold said. “‘Tis just a guess love, but with those square holes in the door, maybe you should arrange them in the right order?” “It’s an idea.” She squinted at the multicolored texts on each block. “Seems I have to translate these letters and put them in the right order.” She slid the blocks around and translated them into a sentence that would hopefully make even just some amount of sense. “No, that isn’t right…” She repeated her action, curled a brow at the result. “Nope.” “Lemme see.” Derpibra requested. “Do you know how to translate this?” She asked as she handed him the book. “I think so. This door just seems so familiar to me.” “How?” “From a dream I had. I would now be so bold to say that I know what was inside of this place too…” “Hmm. Alright, try it out.” He laid a hoof on the lock and closed his eyes, opting for feeling the mysterious, ancient magic. After some time, he opened his eyes sparkling with purple, and chanted a mass of Luxembourgian words. “Dest sinn d’Wierder vunder Warrior vun der Light: emmerhin d’Muecht, an entdeckt dei Dir sidd. Stop um naischt, oder Dir waert ni wait goen.” Twilight retrieved the book, staggered by his fluent speaking of such a difficult language. She hastily flipped through her pages, until finally being able to translate the words spoken. “‘These are the words of the Warrior of Light: Embrace the power, discover who you are. Stop at nothing, or you’ll never go far.’” She looked up at Derpibra with confused eyes. “Well, that is oddly specific. What does that mean?” “I’m guessing only I can pull us through this.” The door rumbled ajar from the sensing of the translation, and everyone tried to look inside, but their eyes only met a piercing blackness that made the idea of being able to see an implausible one. “Do not worry.” Twilight assured. “I can just used an Illumination spell.” “No.” Derpibra objected with a flat voice. “It responds negatively to the Light. I remember this from my nightmare… the Darkness will kill us if we even try it.” “What? How?” He shook his head to push back the harrowing memory. “Just, don’t. Trust me.” “...Okay. Right behind you then. Lead on.”