Turmoil Rising

by JFT

Chapter 26: Descent Into Unknown

“Ahh… my head...”

There was darkness. Then blurry dim light began to emerge on the vision. Rainbow Dash finally woke up from a daze. She wasn’t sure what exactly happened, all that she recalled was her and Zecora falling into the darkness as the snow under their hooves gave out. That’s when it hit her.

“Zecora?” she quickly rose and called. “Zecora! Where are you?!”

“I’ll ask of you to not yell in my ear, though first, lift up your rear,” the voice said.

She shook her head, realizing that she was sitting on something very comfortable, only to look down and discover that she sat on top of the zebra.

She quickly jumped off. “Yikes! Sorry about that, Zecora! I- WHOA!“

The blue pegasus would not stand for long, as she slipped and landed straight on her belly and slowly slid away, spinning. She screamed in panic, unable to prevent it herself, only to suddenly stop. Somebody was pulling at her tail. The zebra seemed to have bit it before the pony could’ve spun further away, and then pulled her back to her side.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Save your thanks for the time being, I don’t believe we’re better... At least it’s what I’m seeing,” the shaman said in a sour tone.

“Do you remember anything?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Last I remember we lost footing under our hooves, and then I blacked out.”

“Your gap seems to be the same as mine, to find where we are I could use a sign.”

They both looked about. They were in an ice cavern, slippery frozen water surrounding them both above, below, and beside them. Yet surprisingly it wasn’t as dark. It seemed there was a light source coming from somewhere, but they couldn’t point it out from where.

“How the heck did we get this far?” blue pegasus wondered. “There’s no hole through which we fell above us.”

“Feel free to make a guess, but more pressing matters I must address,” the zebra answered, then quickly took off her saddlebags and began rummaging through.

“Errr… what are you looking for?” the pony wondered.

She wouldn’t wait long, as the shaman pulled out a jar, containing a black mass that shifted, with a single spark of light in it, still trying to attack its captor. She sighed in relief.

“Why did you have to bring that thing with us?” the wonderbolt questioned. “If we have to keep making sure that the jar doesn’t break, it would’ve been safer to just leave it back at the Crystal Empire.”

“I don’t trust anyone to guard this well, even for a spell. The risk of our enemies finding it and releasing its evil is too great to tell,” she explained. “I’d prefer to keep it at hooves length, rather than-“

Zecora stopped before she could finish. Rainbow Dash gave her a confused look as to why, but then she noticed the reason. The shadowy mass inside the container went silent and motionless, yet its form was still visible. It turned to the side of the jar and pressed its face against the glass, letting out what resembled a wailing sound. Both the zebra and the blue pegasus were unsure what this was about. Why was the abomination acting as if it was being called?

They heard something. A low whisper. They couldn’t make out what it was saying, not because it was too quiet, but rather because it was unintelligible as if more than one voice was talking over each other. But they did know where it was coming from. Their heads turned in the direction that the shadowy mass was. They gazed into the icy tunnel, unable to see into the darkness, but they could clearly hear it. The only question remained was: who was making that sound?

The voice began to grow louder all of a sudden, causing the rainbow-maned pegasus to gulp, but it didn’t end there. The whispers began to turn into screeches of terror. In the back of her head, panic began to set into the wonderbolt. Little by little she began to walk backwards, until finally… she dashed away.

“Rainbow Dash, wait for me!” exclaimed Zecora. “The further you run, the worse it will be!”

But her call went unheard. She quickly tossed the saddlebag on her back, grabbed the edge of the neck of the jar between her teeth, and rushed after her. If they got separated, it will lead to only more trouble if they get lost.

Meanwhile, the pony kept running in fear, but the moment she tried to turn on the first corner, she slipped again, fell on her belly, and spun for some time until she finally crashed into something. She groaned, getting back on her feet, and then instantly froze at what was in front of her.

The shaman managed to catch up to her soon, luckily not experiencing the crash that her companion just did, dropping the jar out of her mouth on the patch of snow. “Please, I must protest. The Princess and her other friends have gone missing, I do not jest. If we don’t go together, the perils ahead we will not weather.”

“I don’t think we’re alone anymore…” Rainbow Dash uttered in a tone of fear.

The zebra looked past the block of her companion and realized what she’s just crashed into. A covered bundle laid on the ground in a patch of snow, next to a leather bag; it looked like a cloak, pony-sized, and somebody was clearly underneath it. The two mares were silent for a moment, then the blue pegasus reached out and prodded it. It didn’t respond. She then reached for the hood and slowly pulled it off. What followed then could only be described as a cry of horror, as Rainbow Dash seemed to have revealed what looked like an equine skull.

The sun was slowly setting on the Crystal Empire. The royal guard had finally returned to the city after combing through the forest patch for hours to find any trail of Queen Chrysalis and the changelings but to no avail. It seemed that they had just disappeared into thin air. And of course, captain Flash Sentry had to report to his ruler the unfortunate results.

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty,” he apologized, as he stood before the throne upon which the Crystal Princess sat. “We failed.”

She sighed. “It’s okay, Captain. It would’ve been foolish to think Chrysalis would’ve been captured this easily. Return to the rest of the guard and announce the next shift change, and resume as it was up to now.”

He took a bow and trotted out of the throne room. Cadence leaned back on her throne, rubbing her forehead. Now they had a confirmed sighting of changelings as Twilight warned her, but even with all the preparations, despite the quick and effective response, their leader managed to avoid capture somehow. What more could even be done at this point? And how long will it be before the changeling queen makes her next move? In her questioning, she looked out the window and watched the last sunrays disappearing over the mountains. That time of the day was coming, to put the little filly to bed, and with the situation she had to deal with and not be able to give her the time of day, things were likely not going to be well.

She slowly made her way to the little girl’s room. She’s likely going to be sitting by the side of her bed, holding her Whammy, and have a really moody look on her face. Yet as she went through the door, she saw a scene she wasn’t expecting. Flurry Heart sat in the middle of the room with sheets of paper all around her, levitating colors about, drawing, while humming to a tune.

“Flurry sweetie, I’m sorry mommy couldn’t play with you today,” she apologized.

“It’s okay, mama,” the filly simply answered.

She found it odd; she expected her to be less receptive, so she inquired further. “Why are you so happy today? Weren’t you bored?”

“No, mama. Grandpa Gar and his friends played with me.”

“Grandpa… Gar?” Cadence’s eyebrow crook. “Who is he?”

“He’s a nice old man, mama,” the filly eagerly explained. “And he brought his pets to play with me.” She picked up the pictures that were laying on the ground and began showing them to her mother, starting with what looked like a cat with a goat’s head and rabbit ears. “This is Sigby. He’s really good at hiding.” She switched to the next one with a strange green snake with arms and legs, and a head of a pig. “This one’s Ramdi. She’s really fast and she can always find him.” Next, she showed the picture of a bear with cap paws and an elephant’s head. “Here’s Baku. He’s a big sleepy baby and is really slow.” Lastly, she gave her a picture of a chicken with an elephant’s trunk and tusks. “And this is Hatty. He likes to jump a lot and likes to bop my nose.”

Her mother was unsure what to think of. She’s never heard of these creatures and the way they were drawn, it seemed as if they were made up. But then her daughter brought up the last picture. It was colored all green, she had drawn herself, along with a purple, green-maned unicorn, and next to her… was a figure that she couldn’t quite make out, it was partly blue, and completely covered in black, looking very ominous, even if he did have a happy smile drawn on.

“See? Here I’m in the garden with Granny Misty and Grandpa Gar,” she explained.

“Granny Misty? Was Mistmane there as well?” her mother inquired.

“Yeah,” the filly answered, “but they just sat down and talked, while I was playing with grandpa’s pets. He had to leave, but I hope I get to see him again tomorrow.”

Cadence smiled, then lifted her child off the ground. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t bored all day. But now it’s time for you to go to bed. I’m sure you’ll have a lot more playtime tomorrow as well.” She stacked her drawing by the side of her bed, and then levitated her, tucking her in. “Have sweet dreams, Flurry Heart,” she said as she kissed her goodnight.

As the little filly closed her eyes and huddled up in her bed, the mare slowly walked out, turning off the lights, but not before she had a few more parting words. “I love you, mama.”

“I love you too, sweetie,” the Princess of Love said as she slowly closed the door.

She sighed. She didn’t recall seeing her daughter leaving the castle. None of the guards even reported that she left. How has this escaped her notice? And this “Grandpa Gar”, who was he? She needed answers, and luckily, she now knew who to turn to for them. But Mistmane could wait until morning. It’s been a long and exhausting day. She would need a good shut-eye herself before she goes to make inquiries first thing in the morning.

Night loomed over the city. The residents were tucked away in their beds, oblivious to whatever is taking place outside their houses. Meanwhile, the crystal guards patrolled the streets and guarded the borders. This was probably one of the worst times for those who were designated for the nightshift when the shadows themselves could be harboring the enemy. For that reason, those who stood on the edge of the city, gazing into the darkness beyond, were especially jumpy. But regardless, the night was mostly peaceful. And to make sure the stalwart defenders wouldn’t lose their nerves during their watch, some of the other guards acted as delivery ponies to supply their co-workers with refreshments during the long night, it almost turned into a small social gathering. And it was during that eventful moment that it happened. It started with one of the guards opening a bottle of soda pop and it made a fizzing sound… a fizzing sound that didn’t seem to end. It seemed to have suddenly become multiple and kept growing louder with every passing moment. That was when the guards realized something wasn’t right as it started to sound a lot like buzzing.

“Flare!” one of them yelled.

A unicorn crystal pony cast a spell, sending a sliver of light into the night sky, where it exploded, illuminating the land. A giant dark cloud loomed in front of them, just outside the visibility. But any of those who were present during the afternoon events immediately recognized what it was. Changelings have returned!

“What’s the matter, guards?!” a sinister voice rang out from the buzzing darkness. “Is your dear princess too sleepy to protect you?”

Silence lay over the Crystal Castle. Not a peep could be heard, besides the sound of the guards patrolling the corridors as the two members of the royal family slept, but one of them would soon be in for a rude awakening. The sound of hooves could be heard galloping down the hallway, ceasing, and then the beating on the door to the princess’ room began, waking her up.

“Your Majesty! Emergency!” the voice called on the other end.

She yawned, got out of her bed, traipsing over to the door, and opening it to find captain Flash Sentry, his mane completely frazzled. “Captain, what’s wrong?”

“It’s the changelings, Your Majesty! They’ve returned, amassing on the southern border!” he answered.

She was finally roused, fully awake. “Already?!”

“They’ve gathered just like last time, and they’re not doing anything, just looming over our troops in the night.”

“Send as many available guards you can spare to meet them! We can’t allow them to use the cover of night to infiltrate the city!” she ordered.

“Right away, Your Majesty!” the captain of the guard responded and turned, running off. He galloped down the hallway, when he suddenly heard the sound of hooves next to him, as it seemed that Cadence was right by his side. “Your Majesty, what are you doing?”

“If the changelings are preparing for a night attack, it’s all the more imperative I’m by the troop’s side. If we get overwhelmed I’ll have to use my power to expel them.”

“But Your Majesty-“

“Besides, the pegasi won’t be able to join the battle in the dark. I won’t hear it, captain,” she dismissed his argument.

Among the buzzing sound, a single yawn could be heard. A group of changelings lined up in close formation to form a ledge, upon which their blossoming queen lounged. She was observing the events that she witnessed no more than several hours ago; with the armored soldiers at the front, the unicorn spells were being nullified, and the cover of darkness made it difficult for their opponents to perceive them. And she knew that the pegasi will have difficulty tracking them down this time around. She only cared if the only pony who could be a significant threat would appear.

It didn’t take long before those thoughts came true. A bright flash erupted in the distance, illuminating the Empire in perpetual light, blinding the changeling army, and fast approaching, even the crystal guards below were confused for a moment, but then the cheers followed. It was her! The Crystal Princess was fast approaching with the captain of the guard by her side, and the pegasi battalion at her back. This was it. That was the sign for Queen Chrysalis to spring into action.

“The princess of the Crystal Empire approaches!” she dramatically announced. “Our plan has failed! Retreat!”

And without further delay, the changeling queen flew away, and the swarm instantly followed.

“They’re running away again, Your Majesty!” the orange pegasus pointed out.

“Flash, go to the troops below and order some of the pegasi to follow,” the princess ordered, “I can track Chrysalis down and guide the troops to her.”

He saluted and descended below, while the royal continued to pursue the dark cloud, with the pegasi army at her tail.

Calm still laid over the castle, and in her room, the little filly was fast asleep. But the loud voice and the sound of galloping hooves could be heard outside her room. She shifted. A few moments later more voices could be heard outside, and this time, a bright light began to shine through the window and into her room. At this point, the situation literally forced the girl to wake up, as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was still sleepy, yet she couldn’t understand why it was day already. She slowly wobbled over to the window and looked outside. There was no sun in the sky, it was still night. However, she saw a light source flying across the Empire into the distance. What was it? Her eyes were barely open and she couldn’t make out the figure. She would soon forget about it, when a flash erupted behind her, followed by a familiar voice.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed at this hour, little girl?”

She recognized it. She knew it all too well, that grizzled tone in the voice. At the drop of a word she quickly turned, and beheld a cloaked figure, illuminated by the outside light, as it slowly dimmed away.

“Grandpa Gar?” Flurry Heart responded. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled. “I promised we’d meet again, haven’t I? Are you still sleepy?”

“Yes,” she yawned.

“Would you like to play a quick game before you go back to bed?” the ram suggested.

The child’s eyes opened wide, there was a rush of excitement in her now. “Oh yes yes yes yes!”

“Shhhhhhhh,” he tried to silence her. “Not so loud, you’ll ruin the game.”

“What game are we playing?” she curiously asked.

“Hide and seek,” the elder answered with a grin. “We hide… and the ones out there, will seek.”

The zebra examined the remains, while her companion pressed herself against the icy wall in an attempt to be as far away as possible from them… and failing miserably, as she kept sliding in their direction.

The shaman sighed. “Fret not Rainbow Dash. This pony parted long ago, I doubt it’s anyone we know.”

“That doesn’t make it any less creepy, Zecora,” the wonderbolt answered, cautiously approaching. “Who was this unicorn anyway?”

“Forgive me, but I’m not versed in reading bones,” she replied, “through their possessions, however, I might recognize some tones.”

A saddlebag lay next to the remains, partly covered in snow, an image of a yellow staff with two snakes coiled around it, with a pair of wings on top. The zebra pulled it out and opened it, emptying its contents. It was stuffed with a few books and papers, mostly they were books on magic and spells, nothing that would indicate anything specifically.

“Nothing that concrete I’m afraid, that would show who it was that met the fate so tragic. Whoever the unicorn was, seemed to be just one like any other, greatly gifted with magic.”

“Well, what about that one over there?” the blue pegasus pointed out. ”It doesn’t look like a spellbook or anything.”

The shaman looked at the book lying by the side of the bag. The cover was bland, without any title on it. She opened it and skimmed through it.

“I agree, Miss Dash,” she answered after a prolonged period. “This book, unlike others, holds a stash. It’s a diary, but not entirely.”

“Does it tell who it belonged to?”

“I cannot draw a bead from what little I could read,” the zebra shook her head, “but Sombra he knew, indeed.” She closed the book shut. “We can speculate later, we must tend to a pressing matter much greater.” She turned to face her, only to see the rainbow-maned pony with wide eyes, looking in her direction. “Why do look this way? Did I say something to cause you dismay?”

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof pointing in her direction. “Was that thing always acting like this?”

Zecora raised her eyebrow, and looked to her side, in the direction she was pointing, and soon understood what she meant. The black blob trapped inside the jar was active again, but it was displaying abnormal behavior. When it would usually lash out and try to break through its container, it was now huddled up, almost as if it was cringing, while making unusually whiny noises. She grabbed the jar and picked it up, and in a matter of moments, it returned to normal, trying to attack her captor. This was unusual. What caused its behavior earlier? The shaman put the jar back on the spot it was before, and before she knew it, the black mass huddled up once again. Zecora repeated the process a few more times and then began to realize the pattern. The black mass seems to have been acting differently when put in the proximity of the unicorn’s remains. This time she pushed it further, closer to them. And as predicted, the blob’s reaction got only more noticeable, as it aggressively pressed against the opposite side of the jar, trying to desperately keep its distance; however, there was something else, something that even Rainbow Dash seemed to have noticed.

The single spark of light inside the black mass… was flashing. And the closer it was pushed, the brighter the light shined, and in the process, the aberration began to release violent noises… almost as if it was in pain. This time around the shaman was determined to push it to the limit. She grabbed the jar and placed it right next to the remains. The black mass let out a shrilling cry, as the spark began to glow in a nearly blinding blight, but something unexpected followed. The remnants began to emanate a radiant blue glow, until they were all but consumed by it, disappearing. It then began to move towards the container, entering through the glass and then being absorbed by the spark of light. Once it was done, the bright light erupted, the dark blob let out one final cry, and then… there was silence.

When the light finally dissipated, the two mares uncovered their eyes and beheld what was in front of them. The spark of light was once again still and lifeless, but the black mass… seemed to have lost some of its purity, as it has become more of a dark grey now.

Rainbow dash finally got up the nerve to approach the place where the remains were a few moments ago, tapping about to make sure they’re really gone. “Is… it supposed to do that?”

“I also am uncertain,” was the only answer Zecora could give, as she walked over to the jar and picked it up, examining it up close. “Whatever affected the essence will perhaps, in time, reveal itself from behind a curtain.”

“Soooo… what do we do in the meantime?” the blue pony asked.

The shaman packed the jar away and stashed all the books and papers back into the saddlebag they found. “We're only two out of ten, it's best we become whole again.”

She swung the bag on her back, and then walked past her, down the tunnel from which they just came. Seeing that unnerved the rainbow-maned pegasus; she could still hear the whispers coming from the foreboding darkness; they couldn’t go that way.

She lept after the zebra and grabbed her tail, pulling her back and preventing her from moving on the icy floor. “Hold on, let’s not rush! We can’t go down there, who knows what’s awaiting us. How about we first explore the other side instead?”

Zecora stopped walking and turned her head. “Do you speak out of fear, seeing what we found here?”

“… no!” she yelled after a moment, then taking a calmer tone. “I just think we shouldn’t jump at the worst possible choice when we got an alternative, that’s all.”

The companion rolled her eyes, then slowly turned and began walking down the other side of the tunnel. “Perhaps this time your advice I'll heed. Let us see where the other path will lead.”

As she passed her, the pony sighed in relief, wiping her brow, then hurrying after her to make sure they wouldn’t get lost.

The icy floor eventually disappeared, replaced by the hard, frozen earth, slowly ascending as they progressed through the tunnel, yet as they did, the light coming from outside kept getting brighter. The passage finally ended, and a wide cavern opened before them. It seemed like a completely different world, but it became obvious that they were under several miles of ice and snow. And just as on cue, a patch of snow lay not far from the tunnel’s opening.

“Well, I believe we got to the place where we fell…” Rainbow Dash answered, only for Zecora to resume her sentence, “...but it doesn't explain how we ended there all too well.”

The pony skittered around the snow patch, trying to continue her trot over the unexplored underworld, only for her to stop dead in her tracks and grimacing when she realized she nearly stepped over the edge. A giant hole was bored into the frozen earth, it was easily the size of a small town, spanning all around the open icy cavern, but what could’ve made it was beyond her. As she gazed about, she did notice that there were three other, bigger tunnels made into the ice, each opening on a different side.

“Which one do we take first, Zecora?” she asked.

The zebra looked about. “We shall proceed clockwise, simply stay on track. If we're lucky we'll both come back.”

“Yeah… hehe… if lucky,” she smiled awkwardly, as the zebra led the way, and the pony followed.

They walked around the giant hole for a few minutes until they finally arrived at the first tunnel, then slowly descended. The light dimmed behind them as they went deeper, however, it soon became bright again as the tunnel came to an end. What was peculiar was that their hooves were beginning to give out loud clopping sounds, as if they were walking on rock. It took a moment for them to look down and realized, they weren’t just walking on rock, it looked like a stone construction, a bridge to be exact. And then, something appeared before them that they did not expect. A giant stone wall with gates blocked their way. Rainbow dash approached it and tapped on the doors, causing it to emit the wooden sound. They certainly weren’t dreaming nor was it an illusion, it was real.

She propped herself against them. “Ey Zecora, give me a hoof so we can open this thing.”

The shaman pressed her hooves against the door and pushed. After a few moments, the creaking sounds followed as the gates slowly opened. At that point there was no mistaking it; they entered a courtyard and their surroundings became apparent.

“This…this is a castle?” the rainbow-maned pegasus was confused. “What’s a castle doing under a mountain of ice and snow?”

“I think a better question would be, why was the way cleared for us to see,” the zebra asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The gate,” she answered, “stands solid despite the passage of time. The elements alone would have crushed it like a lime.”

That was odd. And now that Zecora mentioned it, the courtyard itself seemed to have been rather clean, despite being under miles of ice and snow. Somebody else must’ve come here before them, but who could’ve been? They didn’t even know what this place was. Ravages of time, despite under low temperatures, were noticeable. The only indication was a single tattered banner hanging above the main gate into the keep, one that resembled a unicorn’s head.

“Let’s see what’s hiding behind door number one, shall we?” the pony nodded to her zebra companion.

She said nothing and simply followed, as she traipsed over the yard, and over to the door. The pegasus pressed against it, and this time around they opened with no need for assistance. A great hall of the throne room opened before them. This place had even more deteriorated from the passage of time: the tapestry was torn, the rugs were shredded, the walls were falling off, the windows broken, and the throne… A gasp escaped the wonderbolt. On the far end of the throne room, a figure was levitating in the air, and quiet noises could be heard coming from it… or rather, her. Both the pony and the zebra immediately recognized the too-familiar purple alicorn.

“TWILIGHT!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she charged at her, the shaman following close by.

They had almost reached her, but as the pegasus was few feet away from her, the atmosphere suddenly changed. It became dark, and Zecora seemed to have disappeared, but most of all, she beheld an unexpected sight. She was in Canterlot, on the balcony of the castle, and the world around her was covered in dark clouds, but in the distance, she saw a great dark mass approaching. And then the light erupted on the courtyard below. She knew it; that was the magic of friendship radiating and the source from which it was coming… it was the Council. But as the darkness was pushed back, a sinister cry erupted from it.

NO!

It startled her and she immediately backpaddled. The world around her shifted once more, and it was bright again, as she found herself back in the old castle’s throne room with the zebra by her side.

“Z… Zecora what the hay just happened?” she inquired.

The shaman didn’t answer. Instead, she traipsed a few feet in front of the pegasus, stopped, and then extended her hoof in the levitating Princess of Friendship’s direction. What followed looked as if she’s just put her limb into running water, except that it was made from a torrent of shadow that was invisible unless interacted with it.

She pulled her hoof back out and addressed her companion. “Explain to me, when you entered, what did you exactly see?”

“Well,” the pony tried to recollect what she saw, “I was back in Canterlot and there was this great darkness approaching, only to have Twilight and… the rest of us beat it back with the power of friendship, and then there was this horrible voice that caused me to jump and… I got back here.“

The other mare sighed. “Your princess I'm afraid is trapped by a terrible blockade. We cannot move ahead, unless we were to temper it with fire, instead.”

“What are you talking about, Zecora?”

“What you describe is something she confided in me. To wit, the nightmare which wouldn't let her be. What she's suffering through, is what we now pursue.”

Rainbow Dash gazed at her friend struggling. This is what started it all? She was reliving the nightmare of which Spike told her about?

“We need to do something!” she urged.

“I know this well,” Zecora answered, “but we've not the means to rescue her from the wretched cell. Only through the might of her will can she be free from this ill.”

“Well if that’s the case, then the only way is for us to interfere in her nightmare!” she announced, getting back up on all fours and preparing to charge in.

“Rainbow Dash, let me be blunt. This matter is not one we can confro - AAAA!” she got cut off, as the blue pegasus grabbed her by her coat and dragged her into the invisible torrent.

They entered the dark world once again. Zecora wasn’t sure this was the best course of action, but what was done was done at this point. They gazed upon the city of Canterlot from the castle’s balcony and… they both saw it. The shadowy force that was approaching them, this pillar of darkness with five faces… Starswirl showed it to both of them, as well as the rest of the Council of Friendship. This sinister force of nature… was Turmoil. They saw the radiance of magic of friendship being unable to deter it, it reached the six ponies and tentacles shot out of the shadows, one by one tearing Twilight’s friends from her embrace, devouring them whole. At that point, the element of loyalty couldn’t just stand by any longer and watch this. She lept over the edge to fly down, only for her to realize at the last minute that she couldn’t and she plunged to her doom, yet she somehow managed to land gently on all fours… it seemed that the nightmare realm wasn’t affected by physical reality.

“Zecora, hurry!” she called out for her to join her quickly.

The darkness began to close in, consuming everything in sight, seeking to isolate Twilight from everything around her, as she curled up in a fetal position. With a loud stomping sound, the shaman landed on the solid ground, she charged at the darkness, pulling out her staff, and after reaching her destination in front of the dreamer, she stood in the way of the oncoming darkness and began to wave it about, distorting the imagery, as well as their taunting voices.

The rainbow-maned pony finally reached her friend, gently tapping her cheeks. “Hey! Hey Twilight, wake up!”

The princess finally managed to open her eyes, as she realized the scenario that she had been through numerous times by now had slightly changed. “R… Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here? I just saw you-“

“Twilight, listen to me: none of this is real!” she tried to convince her. “You’re trapped in your own nightmare!”

“But… but it looks so real…” the alicorn said weakly.

“With Rainbow Dash, I must agree,” the zebra shouted as she kept flailing about with her staff. “It’s all a facade to keep you from being free!”

“Zecora speaks the truth, Twilight! Think!” the wonderbolt kept urging her. “You just saw me get eaten by that black thing, yet here I am, I winter gear, along with her. You’re not back at Canterlot, and Turmoil hasn’t risen yet! We’re here to prevent that from happening! We can’t do this without you Twilight! We need you!”

She couldn’t believe it. She’s been down this road so many times now that it seemed almost inevitable. And yet, right now, at this very moment, something has changed, just as Rainbow Dash described.

She managed to slowly rise back on her hooves. “Zecora… stand back.”

The shaman heard her and she stood aside, letting the faces approach her, their vile words trying to bear down on her, while the final, sixth one, made itself manifest. And yet she just stood there, unmoved.

“You’re not real…” she slowly said.

Something happened then. Bright cracks appeared on the mass of shadow surrounding them, and it didn’t respond.

“You’re not real,” she repeated, and even more cracks appeared all around them. She finally stood adamantly and gave one final cry of defiance. “YOU’RE. NOT. REAL!”

And the darkness collapsed. The invisible veil that surrounded them shattered, but not before briefly turning into a shadowy horned equine, roaring loudly, and then disappearing.

Twilight fell on her back, groaning, while the other two mares loomed over her.

“Twilight, you okay?” the wonderbolt asked.

“Ugh… yeah… but I swear that's one mother of a headache…” she rubbed her head, then stopped when her eyesight finally adjusted and saw her surroundings. “What the… where are we?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. No idea what a castle is doing here under a mountain of ice and snow, but it’s clear somepony was here before us. They seemed to have cleared the path for us.”

“What about the others?”

“Still no clue,” the blue pegasus shook her head. “You’re the first we’ve found so far, but who knows where others are… Twilight?” She had expected her to still be reeling from the experience, but the princess defied her expectations.

She got back on her hooves and traipsed about the room. It seemed familiar in some way. The design of architecture, the tapestry… she recalled reading a history book about it, but couldn’t quite put her hoof on it what was it about. But when she turned to face the pegasus and the zebra, she saw the throne standing behind them. She quickly flew past the two and began examining it closely.

“Errr… Twilight, what are you doing?” Rainbow Dash wondered.

After a prolonged silence, she slowly turned and gave a reply. “I know where we are…”

“You do?”

“This place… this castle, it used to be the home of King Diamond Broke, father of Princess Platinum…” she answered.

The pegasus went into thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. “That last name sounds familiar for some reason…”

“It should be, Rainbow Dash!” the alicorn princess exclaimed. “She was one of the founders of Equestria! This used to be her home! It means… this castle, this place… it’s the original home of the unicorns!”

Author's Note:

New post: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/962263/slowing-down-the-pace

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

This story is getting more awesome by the next chapter. Also Grogar is almost close to his target

[nightshroud96]

So pretty much Spike would be trapped in sort of nightmare and needing rescue since its been shown Twilight is stuck in like that?
Thats really disappointing..

Kind of wonder how long till Flurry Heart will find out she was basically being duped by the Father of Monsters there.

[JFT]

10962796
Things are about to go extra spicey at this part of the story.

10963095
I'd say just about everybody's trapped in the nightmare, like Twilight... some in worse than others.
And who knows... maybe she'll never find out.

[nightshroud96]

10963112
Its bad for Spike since it brings back to how he was brainwashed by Sombra in the season 9 premiere.
Like isn't Spike basically Sombra's enemy due to season 3? I feel like how Spike is trapped in a illusion and needing rescue is just as bad as what the season 9 premiere did to him, especially since apparently Zecora and RD weren't trapped in it
Its really doing Spike dirty here honestly due to the scenario there..

[JFT]

10970994
Yes, but everybody's on equal footing at this point, which means everybody's in peril and everybody will need rescuing, not just Spike.
A way to free them, however... that may be another matter entirely, but you'll see what I mean.

[Doctor_Den]

the interaction between Flurry Heart and Grogar was surprisingly sweet. Too bad we know that Grogar is actually bad with kids.

[JFT]

11154820
Funny thing about kids; they can be molded into whatever one desires.