Moon Unit Zappa

by RarityEQM

The River

"Bright Spark! The Bridge!! Destroy the -HUROK!!" Virga screamed from somewhere high above them. Bright Spark didn't bother to glance back at Virga or try to guess what had happened to Virga for him to make such an interesting sound, instead, he threw himself over the crumbling remains of the wooden planks of the bridge, launching himself forward into a daring leap. The moment he cleared the last planks of the bridge and was airborne over the safety of the ground on the other side, Bright Spark twisted his body in mid-air, and fired a blazing shot of destructive magical energy at the bridge connecting the chasm, obliterating it entirely. A perfect shot that left the bridge a smoking heap where it once had been.

He climbed to his hooves, feeling a wave of relief washing over him, but it was short lived. Even with the bridge destroyed, monsters still flung themselves from the pit, climbing out and hissing, but their numbers were much, much fewer. So few, that they had relative ease in fleeing from the bridge, dispatching what few monsters that remained. The Flesh Foals had all mostly climbed up on the other side of the chasm, and it would take them some time to climb all the way down and all the way back up. It granted them enough of a reprieve to retreat well away from the bridge and the chasm, where Bright Spark gamboled.

"Did you see that?! That one-two ice shot I did? I cast San Script's Sand Blast! Full Plate, did you see....what? What happened? Where are Dinky and Diamond?" the pony gasped breathlessly, the adrenaline still racing through every inch of his frame. His teammates, however, did not seem to be quite as enthusiastic. They seemed sullen and somber, sharing dismal glances with one and other before Full Plate cleared his throat.

"Dinky fell from Everscream Bridge, and Diamond sought to give chase,"Nettleglum explained, quite suddenly standing next to Bright Spark. This time, Bright Spark's surprise melted instantly and was replaced with a hollow pit in his stomach. He turned and peered down the path, back towards the chasm and presumably they'd left the children.

"Wha- what? What do you mean Dinky fell? S-she couldn't have, she was right behind me, she- I didn't see...that- can't- no. " he stammered, already turning to throw himself back down the path. Sure, he'd saw both of them tumble from the bridge for a split second, but he'd assumed one of his teammates would have saved them! He thought they had made a clean get away!

"What are you doing?! We have to go and get them!!" he barked when he noticed his company hadn't moved a muscle. Virga shook his head darkly.

"If Dinky fell, the fall would have killed her, not to mention the pit was full of those things. She'd have been torn apart." He said solemnly. Bright Spark's mouth dropped open. He shot a pleading glance at his teammates, struggling to find the error in the logic. This couldn't be happening. No!

"But...I thought Diamond was invincible... How could they have beaten her?" He asked, almost spitting the words from his lips as soon as they came to him. Nettleglum shook her head in return, gazing down the path back towards the pit.

"If miss Dancer had succeeded in rescuing Miss Doo, they may yet remain alive, but I can't sense their souls. It is possible Tartarus prevents Princess Luna's boon from working properly. I can see the auras of life force, and I cannot see theirs at all." Nettleglum mumbled to herself.

"The crystal?" Bright Spark asked, but Virga was already fishing it out of his saddle bags. He set it down in front of them and peered into the blue tinted pyramid. Only a pure crystal blue returned his gaze. There were no tiny pegasi to be seen or squeaky voice to be heard. Virga gave a grim scowl and tossed a look back at the rest of the group, shaking his head sadly.

"I'm afraid they're gone. Our mission, however, remains the same. We must return Princess Luna to the surface. Come, the River of Styx is this way. " Nettleglum intoned. She had no taint of regret in her voice or sadness to speak of. Perhaps losing one of their own had no effect on a dead girl. He drew in a quiet breath. The fillies couldn't have been old enough to even consider dating yet. Not old enough to know their first true love. Not even old enough to make a million mistakes to regret. They were dead, and all he found himself thinking about was the empty spaces the Servants of Shadow now had on their roster.

******************

The path they took was a craggy one. Like the chasm of the grand canyon, it was all reddish clay and dirt that piled high into plateaus. Nettleglum lead the four of them down a long winding path that twisted and curved into a stony set of stairs.

"Ahh. I was but a filly when last I was here. The river glows just as beautifully as I remember it. " Nettleglum intoned as she shuffled herself down the path. And indeed there was a glow that radiated from the river as it came into view. It was a soft, delicate bluish green sort of haze that gently spilled from the river like a fine mist. Almost eagerly, Nettleglum approached the shore and peered down the river.

"Charon shall be arriving shortly. We can ask them if the Princess has crossed the river." Nettleglum explained. Bright Spark, Full Plate, and Virga sat quietly on the river bank, peering into the ethereal splashes of souls from the river. Soon, in the distance, a small light flickered into view. It was faintly obstructed by the thick mist and fog of the river, but it was getting closer and closer.

Full Plate leveled his eyes, trying to cut through the fog in front of him. He was certain that was a boat he was looking at, and indeed, as it came closer, he became surer of himself. It was a flimsy looking vessel that reminded him of a delapidated gondola. There were pieces missing for Celestia's sake!! But the boat cut through the water with practiced finesse and soon came to a stop next to Full Plates group. 'Charon' the ferrypony, stood at one end of the boat, clad in thick white robes that obscured its body entirely. The hood that was pulled over Charon's face seemed to hide every feature it had with a deep, swirling darkness Full Plate was positive he didn't want to stare into.

Nettleglum's emotionless face twitched at the sight of Charon, and she shuffled up the to boat. A smile, perhaps? To Full Plate, it looked like Nettleglum's expressions never changed, but the rest of the Night Court acted like she was perfectly normal.

"Nettleglum," Charon said, only she didn't say it. It was a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, swirling around the inside of Full Plate's head. The gruff stallion shuddered and threw his head left and right, but still, the intrusive voice remained.

"Charon," Nettie intoned. Her voice was smooth as ever as if the sudden intrusion of another voice in her head didn't bother her in the slightest. She was still as a statue, Full Plate noticed until Charon stepped forward and beckoned towards her with a robe-clad hoof.

"Passage is one silver piece," Charon said simply, and patiently waited on the boat. Nettleglum held out a silver token she'd produced from somewhere. Like usual, no pony had seen where it came from, and no pony wanted to think about it.

"The coin is yours, but we require information, not passage. Princess Luna has gone missing from the surface world," Nettie explained. Charon gave a low, terrifying chuckle.

"Oh, yes. The Princess of darkness came through here looking for that other pony. I ferried both of them across the river." Charon remarked. At this, Full Plate and Bright Spark exchanged glances. Another pony? Even Virga looked confused as Nettleglum was suddenly holding four coins in her hoof and offering them to Charon.

"Just a moment, please." Bright Spark squeaked, reaching to grab Nettleglum by the shoulder and draw her over to the group for a private conversation. He threw a glare at Charon and pulled the Servants of Shadow close around him.

"This is the pony ferrying us across the River of Styx. I heard if you cross, you die automatically. How do we know we can trust this guy?!" He hisses. Virga shook his head quietly.

"I'm more concerned with Luna chasing after some other pony. Who else is down here?! And more importantly, why weren't we briefed about this?!" he snarled. Nettleglum bobbed her in a rigid sort of movement, although Bright Spark wasn't sure what Infomation she was trying to relay to them.

"It is perfectly safe. As safe as one can be along the River Styx. I've ridden it many a time and had no problems. Do be careful not to fall in. Getting wayward souls out of your mane can take days," she explained. Bright Spark balked. When he looked over, Nettleglum had already gotten onto the gondola and was standing next to Charon, waiting patiently.

"It doesn't matter. The mission is still to rescue Luna. This is the only lead we have." He exclaimed, quietly climbing onto the boat next to Nettleglum. Full Plate was next, boarding with a sigh and mumbling something about retirement, leaving Bright Spark standing on the shore in disbelief. They were paying money. Actual money, to get onto a rickety old boat, to travel across the souls of the dead, to find a goddess in a world of three headed dogs and monster children. Madness. It was complete and utter madness. He idly wondered what that said about him, as he stepped onto the gondala.

Comments

[Olden Bronie]

Diamond!

I am continually amazed at the depth and skill of your writing, Dear Lady! Bravo!