Ch.4 We are not alone
"Princess!"
"Princess help us!, Save us Princess!"
"Princess!!!"
Cadence awoke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. Quickly looking around to confirm she was in fact in her room the in the crystal palace, she let out a tired sigh. A soft knocking at her door disrupted any further thought.
"Princess? Is everything alright in there?" A voice asked, who's owner Cadence knew quite well. Polish, the head maid of the palaces cleaning staff, an ocean blue crystal pony who had helped tremendously in her transition from Canterlot to the Empire.
Shaking herself more awake, Cadence slowly crawled out of bed, causing some of the sheets to sloppily slide to the floor. She let out a mental groan as she noticed this, but continued her way to the door anyway. Stopping just before opening the door, she mentally collected herself, and attempted a genuine smile. Wrapping the handle in her aqua aura, she pulled open the door to reveal Polish in mid-knock.
"Oh! I'm sorry princess, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything!" Polish said sheepishly, as she lowered her hoof to bow. As she did this, the four guards flanking the door also bowed slightly, but did nothing more.
This action did in fact cause Cadence to smile. Although she had tried to make sure ponies didn't bow to her unnecessarily, Polish always made it a necessity to bow.
"It's fine polish, I was actually just having a bad dream"
Again.
"I'm sorry to hear that princess, I-" Polish paused, as she took a quick glance over Cadences shoulder, before her eyes went wide.
"Princess! Your room!" She said in shock. Cadence stepped aside slightly and joined Polish in the survey of her room. In truth, it was a mess. Normally, Cadence took pride in organization and neatness. However, in the past week, that had taken a backseat as her priorities shifted to more pressing matters. Now, various forms and papers littered the small writing desk she had, her crown and golden slippers were strewn about near her dresser, and her bed was quite disheveled.
The crystal princess blushed lightly with embarrassment. " I didn't realize it was that bad"
"This simply won't do princess!" Polish said, trotting into the room. "I'll have in clean in no time!"
"No, no! That's quite alright I can clean it myself!" Cadence quickly said, not wanting to burden her best maid with her recent problems.
"I'm afraid I must disagree! Why, if my sister Shine was here, she would have my head for leaving our own princesses room dirty!" Giving the room one last look, she turned to face Cadence. "But before I do, would you like be to draw you a warm bath while you wait?"
The idea was more then welcomed by Cadence, she still felt a little sticky from sweating in her sleep. "That's sounds great Polish, but I can draw the bath myself, thank you"
"It's my pleasure!" Trotting over to the adjacent bathroom, The pink alicorn activated the taps to the large porcelain tub, allowing it to fill. Sure, it wasn't as fancy as the royal baths in the Canterlot Castle, but it was more then enough to hold a few ponies. Stopping the water at just the right level, she tenderly dipped a hoof in. Finding the water at a more them adequate temperature, she fully submersed herself in the warm bath water, sighing contently as her body relaxed. However, being left alone with only herself quickly became a problem, as she was plagued by troubling thoughts . Groaning inwardly, she splashing a hoof into the water in frustration.
"Polish?" She called out towards the door.
"Yes princess? Do you need anything?" The crystal maid called back.
"No, no.......but...can I ask you something?" Cadence asked nervously.
"Of course!" Polish's immediate and cheerful response only caused more apprehension in Cadence, as she stared into the water, her own reflection staring back. This is when actually took note of how the week had affected her overall appearance. Her eyes had heavy bags underneath them, her mane had several split ends, despite even being wet, her wings were slightly un-preened and droopy.
I haven't looked this bad since the wedding......
The self evaluation over, Cadence took a deep breath and asked the question that had bothered her since she became the ruler of the empire.
"Do you.... Do you think I'm doing a good job as a princess? In ruling the empire I mean"
"Of course you are princess!" Not a moment of hesitation. Not a slight pause. The perfect answer. It angered Cadence to know end. Closing her eyes on frustration, she subconsciously snorted, releasing some pent up anger.
" Polish, please. I want an honest answer, I lived with my aunt long enough to know when somepony is giving me the answer I want to hear, rather then the truth" she finally said.Instead of a direct answer this time, their was a momentary silence, to which Cadence mentally reprimanded herself for being to harsh to, of all ponies, Polish. However, a few seconds later, she heard hoof steps stop right at the edge of the bathroom door. Still frustrated, she refused to turn to Polish and kept her eyes closed.
"Princess" Polish said in a kind and motherly voice. " I can't tell you if your doing a good job or a bad job as princess because that is something you need to decide for yourself. But I will tell you this. You are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, one of the few alicorn's in all of Equus. Your cutie mark is that of the crystal heart itself, and your special talent is too spread love and in turn, happiness. You united us, the crystal ponies. You made us believe in ourselves, and through that allowed us to defeat King Sombra. You now lead us into a new age of peace and prosperity"
The longer Polish spoke, the better Cadence began to feel. The conviction of her words resonated deep within the crystal princess and near the end of Polish's speech, her eyes were watering.
"...Polish, that was beautiful. Thank yo-"
"Of course" Polish suddenly said, her voice beginning to change, "That will soon change" her voice ending into something totally different from the sweet and kind voice she usually possessed. Instead, this voice was cold and dark. The princess knew this voice all too well, it had been haunting her dreams for days.
Sombra!!!!
Her eyes slamming wide open, she nearly went into a full blown panic at the sight before her. She was still starring at her reflection, but now there were four new ones that hadn't existed moments ago. The four bipedal creatures, black silhouettes, save for their terrible green eyes, were starring at her in the water, from right behind her. It took Cadence a few moments to realize the horrified expression of her reflections was in fact her own, as the creatures continued to stand there, their cold, emotionless eyes digging into her soul.
Runrunrunrunrun
It would only take a moment, her horn would charge instantly, and she would teleport, free from Sombra and his creatures. Sadly, they somehow anticipated this, as one of the creatures appendages slamming into her horn, causing shooting pain through her head as it wrapped around her horn, encompassed it entirely.
"Ahhh, leaving so soon?" Sombra laughed, "You know, its quite rude to abandon guests, even I entertained the Celestial sisters once"
Cadence let out a pained scream as she was lifted out of the bathwater by her horn, the delicate part of the alicorn protesting the strain to it. Desperately trying to brake away from its iron grip, she tried bucking at the creature only to have her hind legs grabbed as well. Her heart rate skyrocketing at her new precarious position, the princess attempted to get away using her fore hooves, unfortunately those were soon grabbed as well, leaving her completely immobile. Struggling frantically against the iron grips, she quickly grew exhausted, the feeling of helplessness wanting to make her vomit. Her breaths became choked as she felt tears well in her eyes.
"S-Sombra p-please...." Suddenly, she was swung around to face the instigator of her torture, the once dead tyrant king. His face inches away from her own, an all to menacing smile present on his face.
"As much I would enjoy another addition to my mines" He paused, his smile waning slightly. "Your usefulness has come to an end"
At this, his horn bubbled its sickly purplish green aura, causing a crystal scythe to materialize next to him. Raising a hoof to grip Cadence's face, he checked her over one last time. Then taking a step back, he raised the scythe into the air.
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Her struggles renewed once again, more frantic then before. However, she still could not brake free.
"No..."
"Till we meet again,and we will meet again" The scythe reared back, reading to deliver its deadly strike.
"No" Sombra's smile returned, bigger then before.He smiled broadly, clearly enjoying the show.
The scythe came down.
"NOOO!!!"
Cadence rocketed out of her bed, the sheets wrapping around her instantly, causing her to face plant onto the hard crystalline floor. Still in her frantic state, she thrashed against the restraining sheets, desperately trying to get away.
"Letgoletgoletgo!"
"Cady stop!" Shining Armor's voice called from across the room. Immediately, Cadnece froze as she spotted her husband running over to her, adorned in his striking golden and purple armor. A sense of relief washed over her as Shining knelt down next to her and used his magic to unravel the constricting sheets. Barely had the last sheet come off did she fly into Shining, embracing him in a deep hug.
"Its ok Cadnce, its ok." He nuzzled her back, careful of his helmet and armor. "Another nightmare?"
"They get worse every time" she whispered, refusing to release Shining from her grip.
"Princess Luna still hasn't been able to help with that?" he asked worriedly.
"No" she sighed, finally letting go of her security, "Auntie Luna says my 'astral door' is locked, and she cant open it to access my dream. I don't know much about dream magic, so I'm not entirely sure what it means. Not too mention with my sleep schedule thrown off, she cant do much to help me" she finally finished, downcast.
"Don't worry, I'm sure the Princess will pull through, and the research division hasn't stopped checking the library for any information on those things" the last word he spat out, anger at the torment the strange creatures had on his special somepony.
The love and protectiveness radiating off Shining warmed Cadnece's heart, as she nuzzled her husband once again.
"Thank you Shiny, I love you" She smiled, her eyes meeting his own. 'Though" she smirked, "Research division?"
He chuckled awkwardly, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I felt Twily's group needed a more 'professional' title, for the troops of course!" Cadence rolled her eyes at her husbands antics. However, she soon became confused as to why Shining was here now.
"Is something going on Shiny? I thought you were busy with Captain Iron wall?"
Shining Armor's rather happy demeanor deflated quickly at the mention of the new royal guard captain, his face dawning a neutral expression. "Iron Wall wants to see us both, he has things to 'discuss' with us"
"That's interesting...but I can imagine what he wants to discuss, we haven't exactly given him much to go on"
"I suppose. Are you ready to go? Or do you need to freshen up first?" he motioned towards the bathroom.Cadence flinched at the sight of the darkened area, her dream still fresh in her mind.
"....No, No im fine. Lets go" she said quickly.
Shining tilted his head at this but did nothing else. "Ok, right behind you Cady"
As the two walked over to the doors, Cadence pinched herself lightly and feeling a small amount of pain, she sighed in relief. Shining pushed the doors open without hesitation, already falling back into his guard demeanor. Waiting patiently outside their room were six crystal guards, all specifically unicorns. Immediately the guards formed up around the princess and prince, forming a protective circle as the group moved down the crystal hallway. Cadence couldn't help but grimace as she was reminded of the heightened state of security she had ordered. She was never big on the idea of commanding armies or guards, Shining was more then qualified to handle that. However, her dreams of late were a large warning flag to big to ignore and she was not going to be caught flat hoofed.
Preoccupied with her thoughts, she barely realized they had reached their destination until her husband nudged her lightly.
"Cadence?" His head turning to her, concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine" She blurted out, trying to stop a conversation she desperately didn't want to have. Before he could reply, she had moved passed him, opening the large double doors with her magic. Stepping into the somewhat small sitting room, she was greeted by the large earth pony stallion Captain Iron Wall, who was intently surveying a map, his face expressionless. Flanked around the room were multiple Canterlot guards, several paying no heed to the new arrivals. Noting the presence of the group, the captain sighed and finally turned his attention to Cadence.
"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza" He barely bowed. "Prince Shining Armor", he said, rising from the bow. Cadence wasn't sure if he was intentionally trying to get on her nerves but it was definitely working. Perhaps the lack of sleep was making her irritable.
"Captain Iron Wall" She greeted, "I was informed you had something you wished to discuss with us?"
He simply nodded. " Please, have a seat " he motioned to two sitting pillows near his own. Cadence complied undettered, but she felt Shining growl lightly under his breath. He and Iron Wall had a history, a grudge to be more specific. Although Shining could ignore Iron Wall's disregard for his position, he couldn't ignore him blatantly ignoring his wife's status.
The trio soon returned to the seats, while the crystal guards joined their Canterlot counterparts in guarding the room. The large grey stallion sat quietly for a moment before addressing the two rulers.
"I would like to start with the main point in our deployment here. You have given me, as well as all my patrolling troops, to look out for, these strange bipedal creatures. Not minotaurs, but something else entirely" He stated flatly.
"Yes, that's correct" Cadence replied, unsure of what the captain was going for. He nodded again at her confirmation.
"So. The whole point of this is to find some creature? Surely you could have handled this matter yourselves?"
Shining Armor rebutled instantly. " Captain, these creatures are a threat to the Empire! We need to make sure we have the situation under control"
The captain raised an eyebrow at this. "Yes, you've stated that to us. Yet you have failed to mention what specifically is the threat. You said it was the creatures. How so? I need more information. My troops are flying blind out there. Literally in some cases."
The alicorn princess sighed. "Captain I wish I could provide you with more to go on, but all I can really tell you is that they are a threat and are minions of King Sombra"
The captains eyes widened at this, his eyebrows both shooting up. "The dead unicorn king? You failed to mention that"
"It was need to know information only. We arent positive on it and didn't want to cause a panic" Shining explained.
"First you say they are his minions, now you say your not sure. Exactly where are you getting your information Prince Armor?"
Cadence stepped in between the growing tension between the two. "Were still working on that- " The sound of thundering hooves echoing outside the door quickly reached the trio, the guards tensing up. A moment later, a pegusus stallion burst through the doors, his helmet off, revealing his blond mane and white fur.
"Cloudkicker!" the captain shouted, jumping to his hooves, " What is the meaning of this?"
The stallion in question saluted as he tried to catch his breath, his golden armor feeling extra heavy from his trip.
"Captain Wall! We have apprehended several creatures matching the descriptions of our targets! A large force already has them captured and is escorting them here!"
The room grew deathly silent as everyone took in the information. Cadence herself was shaking involuntarily, as she pinched herself yet again. Again, she felt a small amount of pain.
This was no dream. They were here.
"~I've been working on the the railroad, all the live long day!~" Jon's singsong voice echoed through the tunnel.
"I swear to God, I'm going to kill your brother. I really am" Maria groaned, from beside Vincent, as the group continued following the mine tracks.
"C'mon, he's not that bad" Vincent offered, causing a blank stare from Maria. " Alright, alright, he can be pretty annoying sometimes"
" I heard that!" Jon called from ahead, Cole laughing next to him. The rest of the group soon joined in the infectious laughter, before going silent once more, the crunch of their boots against the gravel of the floor the only sounds echoing around them.
" Though I have to admit" , Vincent looked around, the seriousness of their situation returning to the for front of his mind, " He definitely knows how to relieve tension" he sighed.
The energy that had been keeping the group going seemed to have drained away in the burst of laughter, now allowing the dark and oppressive walls of the mine to close in on the group once again. Maria though, would not be easily defeated.
" Relieve some tension huh? I know how we can relieve some tension....." She said to Vincent, her voice becoming sultry as she ran a finger down his chest. He raised an eyebrow at this, a little confused but not oppositional to the idea.
"Seriously? Now?" He grinned, nudging her slightly as they walked. Maria offered a much harder nudge in return, nearly throwing both of balance.
"Pfff no! I can't believe you fell for that!" At this, he gave an exasperated sigh, leaning his head back in mock disappointment. "Wow, thanks for getting my hopes up"
Maria only snickered at her friends antics. "... But see? We relieved some tension!" She said, a small smile on her face. They both shared a laugh together as Cole and Jon looked back, unsure of what occurred outside their conversation. Both shrugged before returning their attention to the front. The laughter died down quickly again, this time leaving Maria in a more subdued mood.
"..But seriously.. Your brother is making this a lot better then it should be. We may be in a life or death situation, but it seems more like an unscheduled detour" she weakly smiled.
"Ya, keeps my mind off" , Vince eyed the walls around him, seeming to choose his next words carefully, "this place" he finally said.
"Ya, it gives me the creeps, it just... Doesn't feel right, if that makes any sense".
" it does, I don't know, it's just... It's feels like-"
"-we're being watched?" Maria finished, looking over her shoulder slightly.
"Exactly" he replied, he too eyeing the darkness behind them, the light from his phone halting its encroachment on them. The conversation abruptly ended as neither had anymore to add to the subject. Attempting to keep himself occupied, Vince showed concern for Maria's ankle. "Hey, hows the ankle?" he asked.
Maria sighed at this. She didn't like feeling helpless, and now Vince had deliberately pointed it out, though she knew his heart was in the right place. "Ya, its fine. What about you? Your head alright? Besides that fact it was never right in the first place" she smirked.
"Ya ya, Its fine too. Though I feel one hell of a bump"
"Holy shit!" Jon's voice suddenly rang out, as he sprinted away from the group, further down the tunnel, leaving the three remaining members to run after their friend. Each were concerned at Jon's sudden outburst and departure, voicing their concerns quickly.
"Jon! Hold on a second!" Cole yelled.
"Jon, get your ass back here!" Maria shouted. Vince, afraid for his brother only yelled his name, attempting to bring his brother back to his senses.
"Jon! Jon!"
This however, would not sway the excited member of the group, as he continued running down the tracks, the light from his phone bathing the mine walls as he ran. Finally, he seemed to slow down coming to a dead stop, allowing the rest of the group to catch up, finally spotting what had driven Jon to his mad dash. A mine cart lay on the tracks before them, loaded with various gems and crystals, they're unique compositions causing the light to bounce off them, eliminating the tunnel even more.
"Jackpot!!!!" Jon yelled to know one in particular, as his hands reached into the cart, removing several of the precious stones at once. Shifting the rather smooth stones in his hands, he turned around to face his equally stunned friends.
"We're rich!!!" He happily announced holding out the handfuls of stones to his friends. Slowly, they closed the distance , Jon happily urging them on. Finally, they grabbed a few gems from his outstretched hands, as if to confirm they were real themselves.
"Wow" Cole whispered, toying with one in his hand, gauging it from every angle.
"I don't believe it...." Vince said, shining his light into an ebony colored gem.
" This is... Unbelievable" Maria blurted, eyeing the cart with wide eyes, her anger seemingly forgotten. The four soon found themselves enthralled by the cart and its cargo of unspecified riches. However, Vince soon broke himself out of his stupor, marching over to his brother, anger etched across his face.
" What the hell were you thinking Jon!?" He yelled, causing his brother to flinch back.
"Sorry bro... I... Just saw it... And I kinda... Freaked out..." Jon replied, rubbing the back of his neck to avoid his brothers gaze. Vince would not be swayed by his brothers explanation and refused to let the conversation end there. Cole and Maria attempted to distract themselves from the brothers argument by looking around the area, too which Cole discovered something rather ominous. Near the rear of the cart were multiple chains with three different shackles attached to them.
"Guys"
"You could have killed yourself!" Vince yelled.
" I was watching were I was going!" Jon rebutted.
"Guys"
"That's not the point! What the hell would I have told mom?!"
"I didn't die! God damn Vince, I'm not a fucking kid!"
"Guys!" Cole called.
"What?!" Both yelled in unison, turning to face the one interrupting their argument. Cole simply held up the large shackles and chains for all to see. The reactions of the group were mixed, both Maria and Jon were confused at this new development, Vince eyed the chains but said nothing. Cole simply hefted the chains in his hands a few times.
"Any idea why these are here?"
"That's...different" Vince finally said , grabbing one of the shackles himself.
" Those look like old school prison shackles" Maria added from over Vince's shoulder.
"Or slave shackles" Jon muttered, returning his attention back to the mine cart, refusing to take interest to spite his brother. As the three continued to overlook the iron grey shackles, Jon took interest in the gems of the wooden cart. Each offered a promise of profit, many the size of a large rock. However, one in particular caught his attention. A long diamond shaped crystal sat near the bottom of the pile, it seeming to actually absorb some of the light from his phone. Jon's interest was immediately grabbed as he continued to eye it sleek black crystalline surface.
He reached in to remove the particular crystal. At his touch, it sent a tingling up his arm that almost forced him to recoil in surprise. However, he gripped the crystal even tighter, removing it from the pile. Eyeing the unique gem, me mentally high fived himself for the discovery.
"Now this, is a-"
Cccrrryyyyyyyssstttaaaaaal
A voice seemed to echoed throughout the tunnel. It sent a chill down eaches spine, and made the cold tunnel grow even less hospitable.
"What. The fuck. Was that." Maria whispered, looking to Cole and Vince who both had a mix of shock and fear on their faces. Jon remained stock still, the crystal trembling in his grip. He refused to turn his head away from it, for fear of finding the voices origin.
"Guys" Vince barely whispered, his voice unusually stern, "We need to go. NOW. " Despite the hardness of his voice, his look of pure fear quickly dispelled any confidence he had. Each turned to same direction Vince was looking, only to have their own bodies lock in fear. In the darkness of the tunnel, two green orbs seemed to gaze at them from its place in the shadows.
No, they weren't orbs, but eyes.
Near the centers were red irises, seeming to drift over every member of the group, each receiving a cold shiver as they locked eyes with the creature. Soon, the darkness began to swirl behind the eyes, and a form began to take shape. The eyes became connected to a head similar to that of a snake, complete with fangs. A sharp crimson horn protruded from its black head, and a neck seemingly made of smoke appeared.
As it began to materialize, it slowly advanced out of the darkness, sending shadows across the lighted parts of the tunnel, quickly removing the remaining light in the area.
"Run" Vince was able to croak out. When he realized his friends were still frozen in fear of this thing, his concern for his friends safety over-rid his fear of creature.
"Run dammit run!!!" He yelled, pulling Maria and Cole away from the advancing creature. He glanced over at his brother, to see him slowly backing up, each step a tremble. The creature did not sit idle as Vince attempted to pull his friends away from it, as it reared up, it's angry gaze locking onto him. It let out a bone chilling screech that seemed to spur the remaining members out of their stupor.
In seconds, the group was bounding through the tunnel, the smokey creature easily keeping pace. Unfortunately, the injuries the group had sustained earlier was affecting their flight, most noticeably Maria.
"Fuck fuck fuck!!!" She hissed out, each step sending shooting pain up her leg. She was easily losing distance with the other three, and the creature was gaining from behind. Vince noticed her struggling, as quickly realized she wouldn't be able to outrun the thing.
He skidded to a dead stop and with Maria right behind him, he used her own momentum to sling her over his shoulder, then pushing off with all his might, he continued their flight.
The group soon breached through the tunnel into a large junction, several mine carts and other tunnel entrances around the large cavern. However, the creature did not let this new development effect it's chase, as it began to swirl into itself, becoming nothing than thick, black smoke that spread into the cavern like a plague.
"There! That's our way out!!" Cole yelled, quickly noticing a large tunnel that rose upwards, where multiple mine tracks connected.
The hope of escape from the terror behind them renewed the group as they surged up the incline to freedom. Each member was nearing their point of exhaustion, Vince's endurance was wearing thin, Jon's body simply couldn't handle The overall strain, and Coles stamina was running out.
"Vince! It's right behind us!!" Maria yelled over Vince's shoulder. Despite knowing what awaited him, Vince forced himself to look back, only to realize it was a mistake. The swirling black smoke was feet behind him, it's very presence causing his heart to skip a beat. He was barely was able to comprehend what happened next, as the the cloud seemed to grow more impossibly black, before exploding forward.
----(Cole's POV)----
My chest was burning, each gulp of air seemed to be so shallow, my lungs crying out at the insufficient oxygen. I was pushing forward with everything I had, and I could actually see light at the end of the tunnel.
I know, a bit cleshae, but when your running for your life, formalities can fuck off.
I was barely able to spare a glance behind me. Jon was dying, I knew he was never the athlete, but he probably hadn't pushed his body this badly in months, and at some point, it gives out, whether you want to or not. Maria was being carried by Vince, but I could tell he was straining. We were maybe 40 feet from the entrance now, it was boarded up or something, cracks a light seeping into the tunnel to join our own light. I realized that this was it, and pushed my body forward even more, my muscles screaming out in protest. Just when i thought we made it, that thing, whatever the hell it was, turned completely black.
I'm not talking about black. I'm not talking about pitch black. This was darkness.
Eternal darkness.
Before I could realize what happened, it exploded forward, engulfing Maria and Vince almost instantly, I barely caught his look of terror as they completely vanished inside the thing. I think my brain shut off at that point, It refusing to comprehend what I just witnessed. Jon wasn't spared either, as it took him into its depths seconds later. I didn't bother looking back anymore, I only focused on the light ahead, and only it. I was getting so close, I could feel the elation of freedom coursing throughout me. That made the next few moments all that more terrifying. The darkness finally reached me, and I was pulled in without hesitation.
I saw nothing. I heard nothing. But I was still able to feel, and I wished I couldn't. Something was forcing its way into my mouth, into me. I could feel it entering me, crawling its way inside me. the closet thing I would have related to was sludge, but that didn't do this thing justice, not by a long shot. I gagged numerously, my body attempting to expel this foreign object, but it was stronger. Soon, it felt like my whole body was alight, everything just felt like it was on fire.
And then. It was gone.
In fact, I felt better, better then I had ever felt before. My body seemed to be completely renewed. Not only that, but enhanced. I felt great.
I felt strong.
Suddenly the blackness receded immediately, and it spit out the others almost instantly. Realization struck me as I noticed we were all still running, the entrance only feet away. Throwing my weight forward via my shoulder, I bulldozed down the entrance, sending pieces of it everywhere. I flew a few feet before tumbling to a stop. Landing on my back again, I could feel the warm summer grass beneath me.
Wait. Grass?
I looked around, and sure enough, we were no longer in a dark cave. We were outside, laying on grass, the blue sky above us, the
sun shining down on us, I don't think I've been so happy to see that flaming ball of hydrogen in my life. Looking to the entrance to the mine, I noticed it had a sleek crystalline surface itself, and luckily it appeared the creature hadn't followed us out. I spotted the others splayed out nearby, Jon doing nothing but breathing, I don't think he comprehended anything at the moment but breathing.Maria was supporting Vince who was on one knee, his breathing heavy and was gulping air through his open mouth, his sharp teeth on display for all.
Wait. Sharp teeth?
I had to do a double take to confirm that in fact, his teeth were unnaturally sharp, and his canines were more like fangs now. This wasn't the only noticeable change, his brown eyes actually changed color, they were now a deep cyan, and his pupils are slitted, similar to a cats. I noticed immediately that Maria's eyes were also different, her teal irises turned a deep crimson, and was surrounded impossibly by a rather brilliant bright green, wisps of purple smoke escaping the corners of her eyes. Before I could gather any more observations on the changes to my friends, a rather stern voice spoke above us.
"HALT! BY ORDER OF THE EQUESTRIAN CROWN, I PLACE YOU ALL UNDER ARREST!!"
Wait.WHAT?!?!
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Think I fixed the problem with the art in the chapter....