When Friends are Said and Dun

by xenos29

Chapter 2

As the walk to the castle dragged on, Twilight found her earlier confidence disappearing quickly. She had fallen in behind Princess Celestia and Luna, who were now lighting the way. Everypony, including the princesses, had been strangely quiet since they entered the forest. The urgency Twilight felt earlier had vanished, but dread and uncertainty took its place. The feeling weighed her down, and she was too tired to move it to a more comfortable part of her mind.

“We are almost there,” said Luna, glancing back at the young mares.

Twilight felt a tug on her mane. She turned her head and saw Spike sitting on her back. He looked at her, then at Princess Celestia, then back at her. He nodded slightly in the princesses’ direction.

Twilight nodded, understanding her number-one assistant. This was no time to be timid. Princess Celestia had brought them here for an important mission, no doubt. She had to find out as much as she could before things got out of hoof. Twilight trotted up alongside the princesses. She thought carefully about what she should ask first, but instead ended up clumsily blurting out, “Princess, why are we here?”

The princesses stopped walking and turned to face Twilight and her friends, who were now standing side-by-side. They all looked just as confused as her, and unconsciously arranged themselves so Twilight was standing square in front of the two sisters.

Princess Celestia called out to the guards. “Excuse me, Smoke Jumper?” The unicorn turned around. “You two go on ahead. We will be with you shortly.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She snapped off a quick salute, and the two guards continued down the path.

Again Princess Celestia turned towards the ponies. She frowned, trying to find the words. When she spoke, it was in an even, but deliberate voice. “Many years ago, Luna and I built an addition to our castle, one that we placed deep inside the underground caves with the hopes that nopony would ever see it again. Within that part of the castle is a cage, a magical prison we believe was built by the griffins. It is all but impossible to escape from it.”

“It sounds horrible. Why would they make such a thing?” asked Rarity.

“Because that prison is all that stands between Equestria and one of the greatest evils the world has ever known,” replied Luna. “His name is Blight.”

“Blight,” repeated Twilight, noting how bitter Luna sounded when she said the name. She thought for a moment, trying hard to remember if she recognized it, but like the plants the guards had described earlier, none of her magic or history books had ever mentioned somepony called Blight.

“We don’t know much about Blight,” Princess Celestia continued. “Not even his real name. Starswirl only made brief comments about him in his journals. It’s strange, because we are certain that he was once one of Starswirl’s students.”

“So he’s a pony,” Applejack remarked.

“He used to be,” Luna said coldly. “What Starswirl did mention was that Blight was a talented student, and that his talents were rivaled only by his monstrous ambitions.”

The Princess turned to Twilight, “The world has done its best to forget him, but we fear he’s on the verge of escaping.”

Rainbow Dash stood on her hind legs, grinning. “What’s the problem? If this Blight guy gets out, we go inside, whip out the Elements of Harmony, and save the day, just like with Nightmare Moon and Discord.”

“This is no time to be a hotshot Rainbow,” Applejack chided.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Luna in a level voice, “Blight is unlike any threat you all have faced, and for your sake, I hope you never do. Everywhere he has gone, he has sown destruction and misery, both within and beyond Equestria. He is a monster in every sense of the word, and not to be trifled with.”

“I’m afraid Luna is right, ponies,” said the Princess. “You all must be prepared for the worst. I wish we could tell you more, but over time we have relied on less…direct methods of handling him. It seems that is no longer enough.”

Twilight shook her head. “What do you mean, Princess?”

Before the Princess could answer, Smokejumper appeared from the darkness, panting. “Your Highness, come quick!”

The ponies rushed along the path, with Rainbow Dash flying ahead. The path ended at a small cliff overlooking the clearing where the castle sat. To Twilight's relief, the bridge they had crossed on their quest to stop Nightmare Moon was still standing. A familiar shroud of fog blanketed the area. The only light came from the princesses’ horns and the starlight which trickled through the gaps of the canopy, but still gave the ponies a clear view of horrible sight before them.

Princess Celestia uttered but a single word, but the distress and defeat of her voice alone was enough to send shivers up Twilight's neck.

“No...”

Comments

[Kitcat36]

....OK, sorry; it's clear now that this is happening before the events of the prologue, and that Twilight (in the prologue) is reminiscing about the events of this story...
I guess it's just weird having such short chapters. I can't tell if a chapter break denotes a shift in time or not (like a pagebreak)