Chapter 19 - Arrival
One hour after Shining Armour's defeat...
At a fast pace, the airship belonging to Canterlot's military swiftly hovered through the clouds. Despite their travel only being an hour, it felt like an eternity to Twilight. The constant panicking was beginning to infect her with paranoia and anxiety. As Celestia instructed, the Princess of Friendship along with her friends and ten soldiers travelled to Tartarus where Shining Armour sent a message of distress; calling for help.
Alone on the deck of the airship, Twilight could only think of her brother who was in need of help. That and the remnants of the past; witnessing the mental torture of Spike. She couldn't afford to let anypony else suffer, not her friends or family. She was still horrified by the way he broke down, the way he was suffering in that dark room, she couldn't believe he was there for months.
His weakened, fragile voice was running deep into her brain, only making her feel worse and guilty of the damage she had caused him. The poor alicorn began to feel sick, never before had she felt so worried.
"Twilight?"
Startled, Twilight turned her head to see Rarity approaching her.
"Oh, hey Rarity." She greeted, the tone of voice sounding gloomy. "How are you and the rest doing?"
Rarity sighed, taking her stand next to Twilight, "I'm not going to lie Twilight, but I'm frightened. We all are. I don't care if Rainbow Dash denies it, she's afraid like the rest of us. We're more than willing to help you save your brother and stopping Tartarus' breakout, but what are we going to do against Fright's power of fear, Chrysalis' army of changelings and the diamond dogs?"
"Celestia has already informed me on how we're going to stop them," Twilight told.
"She has?"
"Once this creature's been taken care of and we recover the wounded, I plan to substitute my brother's place by raising the barrier and enchanting Tartarus' doors. There, reinforcements from Baltimare shall rendezvous with us."
"I hate to be negative, Twilight, but what if they're already there?" Rarity queried.
"I... I don't know, Rarity. If they're there, then they'll have to deal with Cerberus, but I know that guard dog won't last long against Fright's fear spell and Chrysalis' changelings. It's crucial we get there as fast as we can."
For a moment, Rarity grew hesitant to speak, it felt like the whole of her mouth went numb, her tongue becoming tangled which prevented her from speaking. Finally, she forced her words out.
"Twilight, I need a word."
Her friend responded with an expressionless look. No emotion was displayed on her face, it was just blank like a canvas.
"I... I want to apologise for what I did to Spike... The neglect, torment and mistreatment I gave him was..." A sniffle interrupted her sentence. "It was unacceptable. It was never truly my intentions to hurt him. He was kind, brave, smart and devoted towards us. And now..." Her voice slowly decayed into a weak cry. "I just watched him suffer; absorbing the pain he should never have earned. How are we going to set things right?" She asked, her tears streaming down.
Twilight gently extended her wing around Rarity, pulling her into a hug. "We all took a part in hurting Spike, Rarity, it wasn't just you. We can't deny the fact that we treated him wrong, but we can continue to help him. Leaving him with Fright to taste nothing but fears is not an option. We'll find a way to set things right with him, to fix him... The way we treated Spike was wrong, we know that and if I could trade places with him I would, but right now, we need to stop this breakout plan of theirs."
Rarity simply dried her tears away, replying with a nod and weak exhale.
After comforting her friend, Twilight knew that she couldn't just give up on him. Right now, her brother needed help. Both of them pulled from their embrace and noticed Princess Celestia departing from the Captain's quarters.
"Princess," Twilight said, addressing her.
"We will be arriving at Tartarus soon." She informed. "I trust you are ready to encounter whatever stands in our way?"
"I am, Princess. We can't allow this breakout to happen, but what if we fail?"
Celestia rested her hoof under Twilight's chin. "We won't. I won't allow Chrysalis and Fright to win." She assured her.
"Princess?" Rarity intruded on her conversation with Twilight. "May I ask what you plan to do with Chrysalis and Fright once this is over?"
"I have yet to decide, they're both dangerous. However, I will assure you that their punishment is severe."
Steadily, the airship endured deeper into the dark, foggy night. Soon, they would be ready to re-fortify Tartarus' defences and recover the wounded... Or so they thought...
Tartarus
Eerie whispers, vague screams and crazed laughter managed to escape through the closed doors of Tartarus. The grounds of the entrance towards the prison was littered with ponies... Unconcious, beaten, impaired... Defeated.
Black smoke slithered from the cracks of the surface, taking the form of the menacing nightmare that was known as The Hunter. His alteration was complete. He stood tall, his head sedately lifted to witness an incoming object. A vessel to be exact, one that belonged to the changelings.
The craft floating above him could be described as a flying temple; a hovering hive. The ship descended onto the craggy landscape, arriving at Tartarus.
From the deck, a few changelings departed, flying outwards onto the ground. Below the changelings' flying temple, a door opened with a stairway being constructed by Chrysalis' magic. Exiting from within, Queen Chrysalis along with Fright made their way to The Hunter.
At most, there appeared to be thirty changelings accompanying the queen. They scattered across Tartarus' entrance to observe the fallen ponies.
Chrysalis glanced at the fallen ponies, giving off a sadistic cackle. "This is all that stood in our way? Pathetic! I thought Celestia would have sent more of her little soldiers to guard such a spawn of hell."
"We have such little time, Chrysalis" Fright added, turning to The Hunter. "You mentioned that the captain fled, no doubt about it, he has called for reinforcements."
"Allow them to witness their failure," The Hunter spoke, his empty eyes somehow staring back at Fright.
"They shall, but we must keep them occupied. The breakout must not come to a halt any longer."
Fright pulled out a canister from his tattered coat, his crooked fingers tightening around the cylinder item.
"Another one of your voodoo tricks?" Chrysalis asked, unamused.
Fright merely acknowledged the queen, failing to applaud her comment.
"If they wish to stop us, then they must overcome their fears first. My latest spell of terror does need testing after all, why not let them trial the nightmares that await..."
The Hunter advanced, walking over the bodies he had beaten. He approached the doors, elevating his hands and pushing them against the metal exterior. Smoke began to emit from his claws, consuming the doors and pushing them open all the way.
The doors of Tartarus where open. The entrance was a dark tunnel that leads deeper into the heart of the prison.
"I must say, Fright," Chrysalis spoke. "I am rather impressed by your new pet."
"The Hunter is not a pet, Chrysalis. He is our key to vengeance, our instrument of darkness." He said, his bony hands connecting behind his back as he approached The Hunter.
"Hmph, whatever..." Chrysalis spoke apathetically.
With the doors open, Chrysalis' insect-like wings took flight. She hovered from the ground with her changelings following her movement.
"Hear me, my devoted servants!" Chrysalis ordered. Her voice echoed through her changelings. "Enter!"
The queen and her changelings all zoomed into the prison's entrance like a swarm of wasps, leaving Fright and The Hunter to follow. As Fright moved his way towards the entrance, The Hunter waited for him.
He glared at the mad scientist then looking back at the chaos he had caused.
"You seem troubled, Hunter."
The Hunter spoke, "You said you had them broken... Celestia has proven to become desperate, she will send them here."
"Then she is a fool to send them scared," Fright replied. "We are at an advantage, they are fighting a losing battle." He continued his path through the prison doors. "Come, there is much to do in such little time."
The Hunter remained silent, any sort of facial expression was hidden behind that mask of his. He took one step into Tartarus then turning into a trail of smoke as he advanced forward. Through the darkness before him, Fright followed The Hunter into the prison, leaving the canister filled with his latest fear spell behind. Slowly, the canister opening, producing the new gate of nightmares.
Ten minutes later...
Finally, the airship Twilight and Celestia along with the others were travelling on had reached its destination. The landing was a little rough, the landing gear making contact with the rugged terrain. They were on the grounds of Tartarus.
On the deck, Twilight and her friends took in their surroundings and already they felt sick to their stomachs. They looked around to see the broken, lifeless and dreaded, haunting land they were about to set hoof on. Their stomachs felt weak knowing that this was a land connected to Equestria, a place of wonders and beauty. The landscape was rough and wild; disobeying the beauty of Equestria's form such as Canterlot and Ponyville.
However, the landscape of Tartarus could easily be dismissed. What triggered their fears to run wild was a number of bodies scattered along the opening of the prison.
Anxiety and terror had infiltrated their emotions, their eyes becoming infected with worriment.
"N-No..." Celestia spoke weakly, her heart feeling struck with grief.
"Oh... Oh my," Fluttershy trembled. She was shaking in such a worried state.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie could only stare in horror as to what sort of monster could have done this.
Rainbow Dash felt enraged, her teeth gritting together. This only fueled her anger more.
Rarity was feeling sick, her stomach felt like it was going to explode from nauseous.
Twilight had once again frozen. Her eyes quickly examined the bodies, she was in full shock, but couldn't see Shining Armour anywhere. She didn't know whether to feel scared or relieved that her brother wasn't there among the bodies. Something far worse could have happened to him.
"Shining..." Twilight said, unsure of his location.
By now, Celestia along with everypony else took notice to the airship belonging to the changelings. They were aware of the fact that they were in Tartarus, but Celestia also noticed prison's doors opened, but grey fog consumed the entrance.
"The changelings got here before us..." Rainbow Dash spoke with a tone of defeat.
The ten soldiers on deck were just as frightened, but one had enough courage to ask.
"What are your orders, Princess?"
Celestia remained silent, she didn't know how to start her sentence. She was overcome with devastation knowing that the enemy was a step ahead of them, that and the many hurt ponies before her just weakened her heart.
"Princess?"
"T-Tend to the wounded." She ordered. "We must get them on the airship and recover their injuries."
That said, the ten soldiers all made their way off the airship and began recovering the wounded.
One by one, Twilight and her friends made it off the airship.
A few regained conscious, feeling too weak to even speak.
The lavender alicorn looked around frantically, seeing the soldiers recover the wounded. However, Shining Armour didn't appear anywhere in her sights which troubled her. She was beginning to feel fretful, her eyes throbbing to the sound of her heartbeat.
"Shining!" She called out, however, failing to get a response.
"We'll keep looking," Pinkie Pie said. "Shining Armour's gotta be around somewhere."
"You do realise while every second passes, Fright and Chrysalis are getting closer to breaking out Tartarus' prisoners, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"What do you propose then, Dash?" Twilight asked. "Leave my brother?"
"I wasn't suggesting that Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, her voice sounding a little aggressive.
"Urgh..."
"What was that?" Fluttershy alerted.
Twilight located the distressed groan coming from her left. She noticed a familiar pony limping his way towards her.
For a brief moment, her heart pumped with relief and satisfaction as she saw Shining Armour, trying to make a stand, however, he failed, collapsing onto the ground, tired and bruised. It was only then her sister took notice of his wounds.
"Shining!" Twilight exclaimed, approaching and readying herself by his side.
Twilight's friends all came to Shining Armour's aid, however, Celestia continued to inspect the fog blocking Tartarus' entrance.
Covered in cuts, bruises and dirt, Shining Armour managed to speak, "Tw- Twilight?"
"Yes, we're here, Shining." She cooed, feeling joy and tranquil pump back into her system.
"What are you-" A cough interrupted his words. "What are you all doing here?!"
"We got your message," Applejack said. "How are you feelin'?"
"Argh!" Shining Armour once again groaned in pain but resuming to get back onto his hooves. "I'm- I'm fine!"
"Darling, you look anything but fine," Rarity said. "You need to rest."
"No... Tartarus... The Hun-" Once again, he collapsed onto the ground with Twilight holding him steady.
"Stop struggling and let us help you!" Twilight told in a rather authoritative tone.
Fluttershy approached the wounded captain, emptying her saddle bag and wrapping a few bandages around him.
Twilight levitated him a glass bottle containing some sort of healing potion, however, it did not contain the same effects of one. Instead, it managed to ease the pain, but not erase it. Promptly, he drank it.
"It will take a while for the potion to kick in, however, the pain will only be soothed," Twilight added.
Carefully, Shining Armour rose from the ground with the help of his sister lifting him a little with her wing.
He began to take notice of the wounded soldiers being recovered, watching them being loaded into the airship with ease.
"I'm... So stupid!" Shining Armour growled. "All of those ponies, they sacrificed their lives for me while I tried to perform the enchantment spell and I still couldn't accomplish my mission. I'm a failure!"
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Twilight said. "I'm sure you did all you could."
"Shining Armour," Princess Celestia greeted as she approached the hurt captain.
"I... I failed, Princess... I failed you and... I failed Equestria..."
"Shining..." Twilight eased.
"You have failed no pony, Shining Armour. The gates of Tartarus may be open, but the breakout has not yet happened. I'm sure you did everything in your power to stop this madness." The Princess of the Sun reassured.
Rainbow Dash took notice of two soldiers carrying a beaten pony, Silver Strike.
"What sick tyrant did this?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Rainbow Dash does raise a good question, what is it that attacked you?" Applejack asked.
Shining Armour released a sigh, every single memory of his attacker came back to him, the terror-bringing mask of the enemy who showed no mercy, no weakness, no emotion.
"He came from the shadows..." He told. "He called himself 'The Hunter'."
"The Hunter?" Rarity repeated.
"He ripped his way into the barrier using dark magic, he ruthlessly beat my team like a brute! Tartarus' doors were almost enchanted, almost secure from our enemies, but he shattered my connection, restarting my progress as if it was nothing!" He let out a growl of annoyance.
"You mean, The Hunter did all of this... Just him?" Fluttershy asked, feeling a little frightened.
Shining Armour nodded, feeling a little disgraced that he could not contain the situation.
"But... How?" Pinkie Pie asked with confusion poisoning her voice. "You outnumbered him thirty to one!"
"He has the ability to teleport and fade into the shadows, turning into smoke as well. In combat, he is cunning and merciless," Shining informed. "You cannot make contact with him! I couldn't take him on... I had to retreat! Retreat! I abandoned by post just to-"
"To get help," Celestia finished. "It was the smart thing to do, Shining. Beating yourself up about not beating the enemy is foolish."
"We can still fix this!" Twilight supported. "We need to get into Tartarus now."
"I'm afraid... That may not be an option for us, Twilight," Celestia informed with defeat rolling through her words.
"What?" Most of them said in unison, not wanting to believe what their princess was saying.
"Come, it is best you take a look." She advised, walking to Tartarus' entrance.
After reaching the open doors of Tartarus, they all took notice of the grey fog enthralling the entrance. Whispers of doubt escaped through the mist, faint screams and moans accompanied the fog as well.
The mane six along with Shining Armour studied the fog, unaware of what it actually was. The whispers and moans crept under their skin, they responded with a shiver of discomfort.
"Okay, I'll ask. What is it?" Rainbow Dash spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Celestia regret to educate them, "It's one of Fright's fear spells... It's known as a fear fog."
"A fear fog?" Pinkie Pie said.
"You mean, this is a different type of spell compared to the one he regularly uses?" Rarity questioned.
"Once we enter within the fog, we will journey into a world of fear. Who knows how deep this fog goes," Celestia said.
"Can't... Can't we you just teleport into the prison?" Fluttershy asked, hoping for a positive answer.
"I'm afraid not, Fluttershy," Celestia answered, disappointing herself as well. "Fright's fear spell disrupts our use of magic. Once we enter this fog, teleportation spells will be useless."
"So we have two options... Face our fears or let Fright and the rest of those who help him break out every prisoner in Tartarus," Pinkie Pie spoke, scaring herself a little from the options she presented.
"Sitting around and doing nothing isn't an option," Rainbow Dash barked.
"I'll go," Celestia announced. "Fright's sick, twisted spells of fear are something none of you can endure. We have all seen what it can do, but in order to save Equestria, I will do what is necessary."
"Princess Celestia, you going in alone is not acceptable. I'm coming with you," Twilight stated, standing her ground and not taking no for an answer.
"Twilight..."
"I am aware of what his sickening spells do, it may corrupt our minds and make us afraid of the real world itself, but what happens when you get past all that fog? Do you expect to take on Chrysalis and her changelings by yourself? You've seen the damage this Hunter can do. You will be outnumbered and Chrysalis has proven to be powerful when it comes to magic and Fright has plenty more of his fear-inducing tech. You may be an alicorn, but you can't do this alone."
Now grasping the reality of the situation, Celestia knew Twilight had a point, but seeing her under the effects of dark magic would only pain her.
The Princess of the Sun released a sigh, "Twilight... Your devotion and courage is something everypony should admire. But if you journey with me then you must face the fears that await. I don't want you to face the fog, I don't want anypony to. But you withhold a point I cannot argue. You do not need my permission to come, but this is a decision you must make on your own."
"Twilight Sparkle, do you wish to accompany me on tackling the fears beyond this door and stop the breakout of Tartarus." She asked.
It was silent. Not another thought was needed.
"Yes," Twilight stated.
Simply, Celestia nodded and looked towards the rest. "And the rest of you?"
Applejack and Rainbow Dash stepped up.
"We're by your side, princesses," Applejack notified.
"I'm going to give those creeps something to fear," Rainbow Dash smiled with confidence.
Shining Armour stepped up, but before he could get a word out, Celestia was quick to deny any sort of request.
"I'm afraid you can't accompany us, Shining Armour," Celestia denied.
"But-"
"You have done so much to stop our opponents, but in the condition you're in, it would be wise to rest up." She advised.
Shining Armour presented a look of disappointment but acknowledging his Princess's command. "Understood."
He looked at his sister and pulled her into a hug, "Please, be careful. I don't want you going in there, but we're running low on options. Please, Twilight, be careful."
"I will." She acknowledged.
Shining Armour pulled himself away, making his way back to the airship where the soldiers attended to the those that were hurt.
Before Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy could step up, Twilight quickly spoke.
"I understand if you three don't want to come and that's fine." She said.
The three were unsure of what to do in a situation like this which only made them more scared.
"Twilight, in a situation like this, we really don't know what to do," Rarity said.
"You can wait until the fog clears," Celestia instructed. "Once the fog dissipates, gather as many soldiers that are deemed fit for battle and lead them into the prison."
"We understand, Princess," Pinkie Pie acknowledged.
Rainbow Dash gave a disapproving look towards the three, her eyes filling with disgruntlement. Both Pinkie Pie and Rarity were unaware of her disappointed glare, however, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of her expression. Immediately, the yellow pegasus was consumed by guilt with her heart aching to see her best friend dissatisfied.
Promptly, Princess Celestia faced the fog with Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack at her side.
"Are we ready?"
The three nodded.
"Once we enter this fog, there is no going back. We must confront the nightmares before us and stop this breakout."
Creepily, the whispers became more apparent as the four got closer to the fog and then... Silence. They entered through the vast blanket of terror, unknown to what psychological tortures would await them.
As Fluttershy watched the four vanish into the fog, the image of letting down Rainbow Dash grew more in her head like a virus spreading. This was more painful to endure especially after the talk they had in Canterlot Gardens after the announcement. She remembered the exact words she cried.
"I-I know, but - but what if I'm not here for you? For our friends?"
Upsettingly, she closed her eyes tight while gritting her teeth. 'I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared...'
Concerned, Rarity took notice to Fluttershy looking rather tensed.
"Fluttershy, darling... Is everything alright?" Rarity questioned, becoming a little frightened for her friend.
Just like that, Fluttershy darted past both of her friends, under pressure and entering the nightmarish fog. Instantly, her whole body faded.
"Fluttershy!" Rarity shouted with confusion breaking her voice a little.
Pinkie Pie just stared in disbelief.
The two looked at each other with muddled and shocked expressions.
"We need to get her!" Pinkie Pie screamed.
"Wait, Pinkie!" The white unicorn pleaded. "If you go into that... That abomination of nightmares, then you may get lost in your own fears!"
"Rarity! This is Fluttershy we're talking about. The poor pony won't last against her own fears! Either we leave her or try to get her."
Pinkie Pie didn't allow another second to pass, she dashed into the fog, setting herself a mission to retrieve her friend.
At this moment, Rarity was bewildered. She was looking back and forth, unsure of what to do. A yelp of frustration and nervousness escaped her mouth as she charged in after Pinkie...
Fear awaits...
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Its 3 in the morning but, it was so worth it to read this.
But I have a question. Are you gonna show only certain ponies overcoming there fear or all of them? Either way is ok with me. 
Also yay I was first. 
8203287 Simple answer: All of them. Thanks for reading.
Couldn't they just close the doors on them?
Now, things are getting interesting. And i see some influence from Batman Begins has arrived in the form of that fog. Now i'm just going to wonder what fears await them, and HOW they'll overcome them.
Oh yeah, another update
! Glad to see you back man, this chapter was excellent as always and I cannot wait for the next one.
EDIT: Oh, and this fanfic is year old now today. Congrats
I found a typo. I dunno if Shining Armor's a girl now, but I'm pretty sure he isn't.
8203932 Fixed. Thanks for pointing that out.
Oh, scrap things are getting awesomely interesting
Mainly cause I really want to see Celestia get her flank beat 
and I really hope the Hunter fights Celestia
Omg! I can't wait to read this!!! 😍
Why again did they send so few soldiers if this was such an important mission? They can't keep relying on the strategy of 'Do whatever and hope the mane six can clean it up when it fails' forever.
The end of this chapter was another reminder of that, Celestia and the others think that Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity were supposed to wait and get everyone through when the fog dissipated, now Celestia might be waiting for reinforcements that may never come.
darted past
Again, past
I'm pretty sure passed is only used in the context of approval or direct interaction with someone. e.g Someone passed a test. A paper was passed between them.
8204524 Thanks for pointing out those errors, they're fixed!
So where's Spike in all this?
Maybe spike is the hunter ?
8203874 Cheers! It's been an awesome year! I've got to meet so many amazing people when I published this story including you. Thanks for sticking around, mate!
This chapter is great! I can't wait to see where this goes!
Right after the moment Fluttershy disappeared, I shouted. It just... NOT FLUTTERSHY! Man, I'm also wondering where Discord went. But it seems that he's out of the picture.
I LOVE THIS CHAPTER! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
8205060 I'm making immense progress on chapter 20. Thanks for the support!
Aaaaayy, its back! Yes!
8205019 No problem friend
They will know fear.
How did I not find this sooner, this is a great story keep up the good work.
“Key to vengeance.”
Now where have we heard that before?
I literally made an account just to be able to comment
I know this thing is like 6 years old, but it's actually my first ever Mlp fanfic that I read and I just have to say that I love it with every single piece of my heart, i'm not sure if it's allowed to comment about the story in a chapter (if so forgive me)
Anyway here it's like 11:41pm and instead of studying for a math test I have tomorrow I spent 8 hours straight reading all this, well spent time but holy cow i'm really obsessed with this story now.
so yh i'm going to study until I can't stay awake anymore, not healthy ik but whatever. Again sorry if i'm not supposed to comment stuff like this on a chapter but i'm just new to all this tbh.