Fallen Star

by Archangel2401

Descent into Darkness

The echo of their footfalls bounced off the narrow confines of the rocky tunnel as they traversed further along. The light gleaming from their horns reflected off strangely glossy mineral and Twilight guessed it had to be obsidian. The mountain they were walking into was likely a volcano, though she could feel nothing nor smell any sort of natural gas in the air to indicate that it still held a pulse of any kind. Again they were confronted with the problem of barely being able to see far enough to keep one step in front of the other and the further they went, the more anxious Twilight became. She felt like they were being swallowed by darkness, but as she glanced at Luna her resolve strengthened to see the Princess of the Night was un-phased.

Determined. Resolute. They had a task to complete and acting like a frightened filly wasn't going to get them any closer to their objective. It felt like they'd been walking for miles when they finally spotted a light ahead in the distance and a very faint vibration could be felt in the ground beneath them. Luna looked at Twilight and they both nodded to each other.

"I see it." Luna looked towards the light shining in the distance.

"Can you feel that?" Twilight stopped long enough to truly feel the vibrations in the ground.

"Yes." Luna replied and gave a nod, picking up her speed to trot further down the tunnel, forcing Twilight to speed up as well in order to keep pace. The light at the end of the obsidian corridor grew brighter the closer they drew until finally the pair reached the end and found themselves spilling out into a larger space. The sudden increase of light caused them to shield their eyes and it took a moment to adjust as both alicorns doused the light from their horns.

Luna and Twilight stood in a small cavern, the walls hollowed out from the same obsidian as the tunnel. At the far end was a single cluster of pure quartz crystal that came out of the wall, it's center gleaming vibrantly with the white light they'd spotted from the corridor.

"A lantern of some sort, maybe? If so, what's it here for? It's not like there's anything in here..." Twilight pondered aloud as she and Luna stepped across the cavern to inspect the crystal formation. They were so distracted by the light coming from the quartz that they didn't notice the ground beginning to even out. The noise of their steps changed pitch when they sauntered onto a panel. They barely had time to register the noise before the crystal lantern flared brightly. A beam of light shot from the cluster and expanded to fill the cavern, moving from ceiling to floor, then back up. Twilight got the impression they were being... measured? Scanned?

"What-" Twilight was interrupted the moment the beam touched the ceiling again the entire room flashed. All of the sudden both Princesses found themselves standing in another cavern, a similar panel beneath them. "-was that." She finished her previous thought without inquiry, recognizing a teleportation spell.

This new cavern was much larger, it's roof several heads higher which did wonders to ease any sensations of claustrophobia. Twilight looked down to see a rune blazing away with white light, much like the light coming from the crystal cluster they'd seen previously. This rune began to fade, the spell's magic wearing off now that the panel had spirited them here and disappeared, leaving it bare as if it had never been marked at all. The plate rest on the end of a path that rose up along a column of rock that stretched it's way across a spring. As she looked over the edge into the calm liquid, Twilight could see that this pool was deep enough to swim in, likely several feet deep, but she could clearly make out a bottom even with the dim light coming from the single crystal cluster on the wall. That lone source of illumination actually seemed to handle the entire cave, beams of light bounced off the surface of the water and caused flowing reflections to dance on the cavern's ceiling. She noticed that Luna had already crossed much of this rocky bridge and Twilight trotted after her so she wouldn't be left behind.

At the end of the path after crossing the pool sat a pedestal that rose from the rock. There was something about it that made her feel it was both natural and completely artificial at the same time, the way the rock looked... grown, instead of carved. In the center lay a metal cube, caked in a layer of dust that rest locked in a curiously formed cradle of four arms that held the object in place. Twilight got the impression she stood in a place nopony had stood in an age. Yet the dust around cube had been disturbed. She would have missed it if it hadn't been for the beam of light that came from the roof of the cavern, centered on the rock pedestal. A shaft carved through the rock for air and light, no doubt.

The most impressive furnishing however lay at the far end of the cavern. Against the wall were a row of seven enormous crystals, displayed in varying colors. The one in the center was easily the largest and looked to be made of diamond rather than the quartz they'd seen. It was strange though, somehow grey and cloudy instead of clear and brilliant. The other six were positioned three on either side of the center crystal and each one was a different color. Twilight peered at the arrangement, tilting her head curiously.

Blue. Pink. Red. White. Orange. Magenta. Purple.

"That's strange... these almost look like..." Twilight shook her head. It had to be a coincidence. Looking over at Luna her thoughts of familiarity instantly waned when she saw the wide-eyed stare from the Princess of the Night. "Luna?"

"This is exactly what I saw..." Luna approached the enormous crystal and leaned in to inspect it more closely. So mesmerized by the size of the gem, she leaned in too close and the tip of her horn brushed against its flawless surface. A wave of energy suddenly washed over the diamond and a pulse shook the ground that startled them both, each hopping back timidly. A faint light came to life behind the six colored crystals in response to their presence. Luna gulped nervously, the first time since her journey had begun that she no longer looked completely confident.

Twilight moved to the right and went to inspect the other crystals alongside the centerpiece. Leaning forward, she touched the surface of the magenta pylon. She could feel vibrations coming from within and the longer she touched it, the more she thought she could hear a faint humming. It was soft, easily covered by the sound of the water in the pool behind them.

"Luna, can you hear that?" Twilight pressed her ear to the pylon and shut her eyes. As anxious as this chamber had made her, the sound coming from the crystal was... warm.

Pleasant.

"Yes." replied Luna as she too touched an ear to the red crystal on the left. "The sound from this one is different. Another pitch. It's like... they're singing? But not this one in the middle..." She moved to press her ear to the diamond in the center and yelped, jumping back a moment.

"What is it?!" Twilight gasped, looking at Luna with alarm.

"It's cold like ice." She continued this time, fighting the urge to pull away when she touched her ear to this massive diamond. Indeed there was no warmth coming from this crystal, quite the opposite. No vibrations. No music. Luna hesitantly turned her head as if afraid her ear may have stuck to this frostless block and did so without issue, turning so that the tip of her horn would touch the gemstone. Another pulse of magic washed over it's surface and opacity of the diamond suddenly shifted, growing clearer. Twilight was busy inspecting the next pylon, trying to discern the differences in the choir of singing crystals to notice right away. Luna narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. There was a shape nestled under several inches of crystal. With another tap of her horn, another pulse of energy resonated and brought another shade of clarity to the diamond. When the pulse subsided the shape within was much more apparent and gave the Princess of the Night reason to gasp loudly. Twilight turned instantly.

"Is something wrong Luna? What is- ah!" Twilight brought her head around and found herself face to face with a pony locked away within the diamond. Twilight gulped as she looked the shape over, shaking nervously. The pony's features were not discernible, as if it were cloaked in shadows. She could make out no colors, though it was definitely masculine. And it had wings. A Pegasus? Twilight swallowed hard again as her eyes trailed over this creature's form. He was large, easily bigger than she was.

"This is exactly what I saw Twilight. This is the one, I'm certain of it." Luna said once again.

"What would you call this thing? A prison cell? ...a casket?" Twilight shrank a little as the implications of these items wrought all sorts of unpleasant scenarios in her mind. "How would you propose to open it? ...should we open it?" She glanced nervously at Luna, then back to the diamond pylon.

"We should open this if we can. If my vision is anything to go by, this pony is in constant torment. You may not be able to feel it... but I certainly did." Luna stared at the pylon and lowered her head as her horn began to gleam and power up with magic.

"But, Princess... it's not like this is a pony stuck in a well... somepony left him here for a reason..."

"I understand your reservations, Twilight. Friendly or unfriendly, we can't help him unless we get him out of there, right?" Luna paused lnog enough to look at Twilight.

"I... I suppose so..." Twilight relented, a reluctant frown tugging her lips. Luna gave a smile and waved one hand dismissively.

"Have a little faith Twilight Sparkle. If Discord can be reformed..." Her thought finished with a chuckle then turned to continue focusing on her magic. Twilight soon followed suit and touched her horn to the diamond. It was then that an array of colors matching the crystals nearby suddenly flashed in sequence at the top of the center gem.

"These crystals appear to be... some kind of locking mechanism. I bet the elements of harmony would have been able to open it, but since we no longer have access to them, I think we need to do it in a certain order?"

Luna nodded in agreement and she and Twilight both thought for a moment on what the correct sequence might be as they watched the stripes of colors flash along the top of the diamond. Charging their magic they'd take turns sending a jolt of magic into the corresponding crystal. As they powered up each pylon, the gleam that came from within flashed brilliantly, the pleasant hum growing more audible. Twilight grit her teeth, focusing harder and increasing magic output. The cavern was soon filled with a choir of singing crystal. The pair gasped, their concentration broken as the diamond capsule in the center began to absorb their magic. A single wavering note chimed out from each crystal in a particular order, like tumblers turning in a lock. A seventh note rang out as the diamond in the center began to emanate light from within, drowning out the light from the others. The vibrations caused the entire cave to shake.

"Twilight get back!" Luna shouted as rock crumbled from the roof of the cavern and she reached out to take hold of Twilight's hand and pulled her away, nearly tripping on the edge of the pedestal behind them. The dusty cube that rest in the cradle was knocked loose tumbled over the side and bounced on the ground.

The singing crystals suddenly ceased their hymn as the gemstone capsule was forced open. A beam of energy carved into the diamond and split, widening to create a very clear gateway into the pylon. Dust was kicked up and shrouded the cavern in a haze for a few brief moments. Twilight coughed as the dust hit her throat and only when she'd managed to find her breath did her eyes fall upon the diamond pylon. All seven crystals had ceased glowing, the vibrations shaking the cavern coming to a stand-still. The only light that shone was from the crystal lantern on the rear wall where they entered and the shaft in the ceiling. Mist poured out from the around the Pegasus, still keeping his features obscured. They could make out the shape of shackles that bound the figure's wrists and neck.

"What should we do?" Twilight moved to approach the crystal but Luna put a hand out to stop her, taking the lead instead. As she approached the mist suddenly intensified. A pair of eyes lit up from the dark shape of the Pegasus, two red pupils shining like red hot coals in the dark. Luna grit her teeth as a long-taloned hand suddenly curled around her throat and another grabbed the side of her head. She froze in place, the dark mist taking the shape of something enormous. Twilight gasped as she made out the form of a fanged muzzle forming, horns curling up and back. It leaned in close as if going to press its 'face' to Luna's. It's eyes narrowed and a wide grin of fangs spread practically ear to ear. A low, lumbering voice called out to them.

"This is not your grave... you are not welcome here... " Those piercing red eyes squinted and a malevolent snicker echoed in the cavern.

Luna immediately gave the creature a blast of magic from her horn, causing it to reel back into the crystal prison. The mist dispersed like it were nothing more than a cloud of dust and the Princess of the Night scowled, looking thoroughly perturbed that this thing had taken such a liberty as grabbing hold of her, or so Twilight assumed.

"We will not tolerate these shenanigans!" She shouted in in her royal Canterlot voice, causing the cavern walls to shake around them. Steam practically escaped her nose as she glared defiantly even though the figure remained motionless and shackled within the confines of the diamond capsule. Luna's eyes flared brightly and she looked ready to blast the gem pylon proper, magic radiating from her horn until Twilight stepped between them.

"Luna wait!" Twilight had only ever seen Luna so angry when she was transformed into Nightmare Moon. "You said we were coming to help... him..." Her voice wavered a little as she looked at the pegasus still shackled in place. "We can't help him if we blast him into dust and cause the roof to fall on our heads, can we?"

The horn on Luna's head sparked and for a moment Twilight thought her words hadn't even registered. She braced herself, lowering her head and diving for cover as a beam of energy lanced out. It took her a moment to look up and survey the damage, her violet eyes wide as plates with fear that Luna had lost her temper while smoke billowed from within the diamond. She could hear heavy breathing and looked back to see Luna standing tall with no trace of the anger on her face or in her eyes. The Princess of the NIght was calm and regal, her dark mane sweeping over one shoulder. Twilight soon knew why she'd so swiftly regained her composure and struggled to do the same, pulling herself upright and dusting herself off so she could make herself presentable as the pegasus finally joined them, his form slumped forward onto all fours as the mist cleared.

Metal chain links rattled as movement caused them to sway heavily, the Pegasus falling forward to the ground on his hands and knees. The light coming from the crystal lantern on the far end of the cavern no longer managed to provide ample illumination and Twilight had to squint to try to get a better look at him. Immediately her eyes noticed the fragments of chain still attached to the shackles clamped around each of his wrists, the one at his neck seemed to have broken completely when blasted free. The stallion was indeed larger than she, closer in size to Luna. Perhaps even larger?

Sheesh, thought Twilight, ...might give Big Mac a run for his bits.

She colored faintly when she realized he hadn't a scrap of cloth on him, though his posture gave defense to his modesty. His body was covered in a sleek black coat and two massive wings stretched from his back, rustling awkwardly after having been kept in place for however long. A long mane of white hair grew wildly atop his head, stretching down his back and draping over his shoulders. Unkempt bangs hung down his forehead, covering the pony's eyes. A few dark streaks ran the length of his mane, going from roots all the way to the tips. The sound of his heavy, ragged breathing filled the air between the three of them. Twilight looked to Luna who seemed to be waiting for the Pegasus to collect himself, however it didn't appear that would happen any time soon. So Twilight decided to take the initiative, taking a step forward.

"Hello...? Please, don't be alarmed... we've come to, ah, help you..." Twilight's voice shrank a little as she called out to him, unable to convince herself she was sure that's what they were actually doing. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Princess Luna. We're ponies, just like you. Can you... can you hear me?"

He did not respond immediately, a few long seconds passed before his head slowly tilted up. The response she finally got was conflicting to say the least. Bringing both hands up, the Pegasus clasped them over his ears as his head raised to the ceiling. The bangs of his unkempt mane fell back and Twilight finally got a look into his eyes. A gasp escaped her when she spotted he held two different colored irises. The right was a bold, bright silver while the left was a deep, piercing red, his gaze wide as though he were looking at something too terrible to comprehend. Her surprise over his heterochromia was short-lived as he shivered, yet remained frozen in place while his voice called out to them in an agonizing roar. Was he trying to frighten them?

"Grrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

No, it sounded more like he was in pain. The abrupt cry of distress echoed off the obsidian walls around them, the noise even causing the metal cube to rattle on the ground. Twilight and Luna both placed their hands over their ears to dampen the sound now assaulting them. The Pegasus dropped his hands from his head and his wings slowly unfurled, positioning themselves to prepare for takeoff. A blinding pale blue light filled the cavern, causing the two Princesses to shield their eyes while attempting to keep sight of the Pegasus between their fingers. Twilight briefly spotted the source as something he was wearing around his neck before the light soon engulfed his form, leaving him obscured in an orb that almost began to look like the embrace of blue flame.

"Luna, I can't see past it. It's some kind of magic~" Twilight began to say, the walls of the cavern once again starting to shake around them. She could hear the beating of wings and deduced he was trying to take off. Obsidian rock crumbled from the walls, shards dripping off the roof above them.

"Brace yourself! He knows not what he's doing!" Luna's voice rose to combat the awful din of the continuous growl from their mark. The light grew stronger still and the force from his wings hit them like the gale force of a hurricane. It nearly toppled Twilight... until it sent the metal cube hurtling off the ground right at her. With an alarmed yelp she held her hands out to block the incoming projectile, but managed to catch it before being thrown off her feet with a 'thud' as she fell flat on her flank.

"Luna, we need to get out of here before he brings the whole cavern down on our heads!" Twilight shouted back in reply, her voice barely rising to challenge even though the bloodcurdling yell had finally ceased. She clutched the metal cube to her chest as she pushed herself back up, the constant gusts from his wings making it difficult to balance.

"No! We came here to help him!" Luna replied, her royal Canterlot voice rising up. She stood her ground, remaining stoic and her horn gleamed with magic that Twilight could see formed a barrier that was protecting her from the output of wind coming from the Pegasus and the chunks of rock still crumbling around them.

"Come on!" Without thinking she turned her back to the orb of blue light and ran towards Luna, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her towards the bridge that crossed the pool. Luna initially resisted, yanking herself free and giving Twilight a stern look until a particularly large chunk of rock dropped near them, crashing against the edge of the stone bridge and tumbling into the waters with a hefty splash. They both darted across the bridge and stepped on the panel that had brought them here, but nothing happened.

"What's this thing's deal? Work damn you!" Twilight found herself shouting, eyes wide as her free hand instantly clasped over her muzzle. She had most certainly not uttered a curse. Not at all. Her eyes went towards the cluster of quartz crystal that lit the wall above where they stood. It's power flickered as though something were keeping it from lighting further. The walls and floor were shaking harder than ever and she could make out the outline of the Pegasus vaguely behind the shield of light, hands still clasping both sides of his head. In the blink of an eye he went from on his knees to bolting upright and gave a powerful leap as he forced his way up into the air shaft that had been carved into the cavern. Another large chunk of rock was displaced from the ceiling and fell, crashing into the blue crystal on the end of the arranged pylons and shattered a chunk from the top, shards littering the ground. Looking to Luna, she realized that the barrier had been expanded to protect Twilight as well as chunks of rock were being blocked and knocked aside into the water. The other horseshoe fell and Twilight instantly looked back to the quartz cluster on the wall.

"Wait, Luna! Drop your barrier! It might be interfering with the teleport~"

Luna complied before Twilight had even finished postulating her theory. The force field protecting them fell and no sooner than it had did the rune on the panel flare to life, the quartz cluster flaring with light as it 'scanned' them. In another blink of an eye the pair were spirited from the collapsing cavern and found themselves standing on the first panel, nestled at the end of the long tunnel they'd traversed before. The walls and floor still shook from, but the tremors were just bleeding away this far through the rock. Twilight let out a slow sigh of relief now that they were out of immediate danger, her hand leaving Luna's arm and stepping away. She looked down at the cube she was holding in the other hand.

"I had rather hoped this would go more... smoothly." Luna sighed heavily and placed a hand to her forehead, giving it a weary rub." Quickly now, we have to get back to Ponyville at once. In his state he may hurt somepony, whether he means to or not."

Twilight nodded in agreement and held her free hand out, which Luna accepted. Her horn shined and magic sparkled around them both as she cast her teleportation spell, only to find they hadn't gone anywhere.

"I don't understand..." She tried again while Luna peered at her, eyebrows raised with concern. Again her magic failed to teleport them back to Ponyville and Twilight very nearly began to panic.

"It must be this confined space." Luna interjected almost at once, an internal sigh of relief as her best guess appeared to help calm Twilight's nerves. "We'll simply try it again once we leave the tunnel. Come." She smiled at Twilight who nodded and turned quickly, their horns once again going alight with magic to show them the way as they took off jogging down the darkened corridor.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the two Princesses emerged from the tunnel at the base of the ancient tree, something watched closely from the shadows at the far end of the clearing. A pair of eyes followed their every motion, taking note of their appearance and pondering to itself as it spotted the cube the lavender one kept clutched between both of her hands. The blue one stretched her wings, no doubt finally glad to be out of that confined space. Those eyes watched carefully, watched and waited in silence even as the two were engulfed in magic, a flash ending with a chime of ionized air and a faint smell of ozone remained.

So they released him... how curious. I was so certain they would take the relic and leave him behind, what with the lack of hard evidence that he wouldn't hurt anypony. They didn't even give it a second glance until after he 'excused' himself. And so forcefully. Tsk tsk. that won't help them trust you at all, now will it? Was it the instinct to protect himself? That may explain it if he actually perceived those two girls as a threat.. his mind must truly be addled. How very, very curious. I'll just have to ask him myself...

Author's Note:

Chapter 3: Mission complete! Took a bit longer to work out the kinks, also going back and fixing my mistakes as I catch them. (Seriously everypony, proofreading is paramount. Also sincerest apologies. In the middle of proof-reading I bloody hit 'publish' instead of save. >_< Whoops!)