The Dark City

by awf

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

When they could move no longer Rusty Bones called a stop. They hadn't reached the plaza, but she thought they were close. The tunnel was unfamiliar, though. She took out the map and tried to make sense of their position. It would be the height of irony if she had gotten them lost right when they were in danger.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" she swore softly under her breath.

"Problem?" Gustaf cut in smoothly over her shoulder. She hadn't heard the griffin approach and his sudden appearance made her jump a little.

"Yeesh, don't sneak up on me like that! Here, can you make heads or tails of this?"

She thrust the map at him and Gustaf examined it closely. His claw traced the path from the deep temple up to the living sections. Then he paused. "Hmm, the shortest path would have taken us down a flight of stairs, but we didn't do that. We could have turned left here, instead of going straight. What about the arrows we were supposed to be leaving to find the way back?"

That failure was on Rusty Bones and she looked away in shame. "Two problems. We all got a bit excited when we got near and I guess we hurried too much. We forgot to make them." She looked back at where a tired-looking Ember Clover was standing still with the Professor on his back. The stallion's head was lowered and he was breathing heavily. He was done with carrying the burden until they slept. "Also, would you trust Curio's markings now?"

Gustaf looked at the floor in thought, then back up at the mare. "I see what you mean. Any idea where we are?"

She nosed his forearm until he lowered the map so she could see, then traced a few likely paths. The problem was that the city was absolutely lousy with hundreds of passages going every which way and they all looked pretty much the same.

Rusty sighed in defeat. "If we find some kind of a landmark we'd know, but I don't remember seeing anything like that. We're kinda lost."

"I'll scout around a little."

Rusty was about to say no, fearing that Gustaf might lose his way too, but then she remembered the bazaar. The bird had good orientation and he was good at tracking. He would be able to find his way back. "Okay, but don't get lost."

He cracked his knuckles and picked out a torch from his bags. "The lamps are nearly out," he explained when Rusty looked at him strangely. "Have Winter recharge them while I'm gone."

Mentioning the unicorn reminded Rusty about another important task. She brushed her muzzle against Gustav's side in a wordless 'good luck' and 'goodbye', then walked to Winter, who was trying to wring the last bits of water out of a bag. "Hey."

The other mare lifted her water bag to peer into the opening, then sighed and let it drop. "I only have one left," she said. "I guess that's enough for one day, and then we'll be pretty near the surface, right?"

"Sure thing," Rusty lied.

Their developing water situation put additional pressure on her and Gustaf to find their way. They had to get un-lost, and fast!

"Listen, we should keep moving as long as we can. We've all carried the Professor, except for you. Think you could take him for a bit?"

Already the unicorn was starting to shake her head no, but Rusty forestalled her by wrapping a hoof around her withers.

"Winter, I know it's hard, but he's gagged and he has the chain on his horn. He's safe. I also know how heavy he is, but you can do it, okay?"

Winter's ears were completely flat and she refused to meet Rusty's eyes, but she gave the tiniest of nods.

"It won't be very long," Rusty promised, "we're all tired. An hour, at most, and we'll stop to rest," Rusty went on, then remembered the empty water bag in Winter's magical grip. "It'll bring us that much closer to the outside, where we can make more water."

That clinched it and Winter Shine gave in. She sagged a little, but her nod was a bit more determined this time. "Okay, I'll do it. I-" she swallowed and turned pleading eyes on Rusty Bones. "I'm not... really used to, um, physical labor. I guess you already know that."

Her words came in a whisper and Winter darted furtive glances at Ember Clover, to make sure he couldn't overhear. In deference to the mare baring her heart to her, Rusty also lowered her voice. "I know, but you've gotten stronger in the past few days, okay? Just think of how far you've come already! Besides, the packs are a lot lighter without food and water."

Another gulp, but the words seemed to hearten the mare. She gave another nod, but then asked: "We'll go slow, r-right? I don't think I can move very fast with the Professor..."

She left the end of that sentence hanging in the air, but there was no need to say more. Rusty understood. "We'll go really slow. Besides, Gustaf is scouting ahead for danger," she lied, "so we have a few more minutes to rest. Here, take some of my water."

She hoofed her own water bag over to Winter Shine, who drank a few mouthfuls and then gave it back. "Thanks. You're sure you have enough?"

Rusty didn't want to worry her, so she forced a smile. "I'm an adventurer. This is kinda what I do," she gave the vaguely-reassuring non-answer. It seemed to work and Winter Shine looked more confident. "I'll go and poke my head in that intersection up ahead. I'll take the better lamp, can you recharge the other one?"

"Okay."

Winter Shine walked over to where Ember Clover had laid the older stallion down. He was still bound and gagged. Rusty had considered untying him and making him walk, but she had a feeling that would be more work than it was worth. She didn't imagine whatever malignant evil had possessed the unicorn would meekly follow them when it was doing everything in its power to stop them. She remembered those dead ponies and shuddered. It had probably just been a hallucination, but that didn't say much. It could have been an image put into her mind by the evil in this place, which was even more disconcerting than her seeing things on her own. It hadn't happened since, so Rusty put it out of her mind and walked up to where two tunnels met. She kept near to one wall and carefully leaned her head out to look both ways. Down one side was nothing but darkness. She could see bits of broken wood in the distance, but that was nothing new. There had been a number of ornaments or tables or wardrobes through the passages. She wondered if the ancient ponies considered these tunnels like streets, or more like corridors within a building. She couldn't decide, herself.

Then she looked the other way.

Smoke!

Rusty gasped around the handle in her mouth and nearly dropped the light. Thick, black smoke was billowing from that side of the tunnel. There was a fire somewhere! It could be bad! If there was enough fuel, it would use up all the oxygen and they would suffocate, or pass out from the smoke!

Strange that she hadn't smelled it.

"C-mwfh!" she swore, then quickly put the lantern down. "Gustaf! GUSTAF!"

The other two ponies looked around and Winter Shine let out a startled whinny at the sudden exclamation.

"Crap, he must have dropped the torch!"

It was the only possibility for a fire to start in this deserted city. If there had been any other way, it would have happened long since! Her instincts told her to run away from that encroaching curtain of smoke, but she fought them. Gustaf was in there and if he was still alive she had to find him! Except- running into smoke-filled tunnels would be suicide. Rusty Bones pranced on the edge of that tunnel, desperately trying to come up with the idea but only capable of thinking about that smoke. Soon it would be on them. They had to move themselves if they wanted to survive!

"You two, get the Professor ready! Move!"

There was a scurry of hooves behind her, telling her that the youngsters were obeying. While she waited, Rusty took a half-step toward the smoke, then flattened her ears and changed her mind. It would still be suicide.

"Damn it! Gustaf! Are you in there! GUSTAF!"

She grumbled something about stupid birds and reached for the lantern. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Maybe they would get lucky and he was near - a few hoofsteps into that cloud. She could hold her breath and run in. She would only be able to search for a few seconds, but she owed it to the griffin to try.

The smoke billowed to the sides of the tunnel, parting as if driven by powerful wind. At first Rusty thought it was just the blaze drawing in fresh air, but she realized she didn't feel the air moving. It would have to be coming from behind her. She put the lamp down once more and licked her nose, then she lifted her head as high as she could reach. The air was completely still.

Yet that smoke was blowing away!

The mare stared in uncomprehending astonishment. There were shapes in there! Pony-shapes! The black, billowing blanket of smoke clung to two forms - two ponies standing upright and watching her. Red embers glowed where their eyes should have been.

"Mmmph!" Rusty mumbled in terror.

She took a step back as something large, a looming shadow appeared behind the two apparitions. A stray thought reminded her about the lantern, but it was already a hoof-length away and she could not make herself get it. Whatever was behind those two dead ponies was a new type of monster. It smoothly walked through them, its smoke mingling and passing through theirs. The shadow of its wings hid the malignant glow of their eyes.

"P-Please," Rusty breathed and took another step back.

The hood of smoke parted and the creature's true form was revealed.

"Gustaf?!" She locked eyes with the griffin, who was coming calmly toward her. "L-Look out! They- uh..."

There was nothing in the tunnel. No billowing smoke, no shadow creatures with ember eyes. Griffin quickly looked around at her exclamation, but he obviously couldn't see anything. He swung the torch back to examine the tunnel he'd just come from, then brought it around to light the way.

"What are you talking about?"

"The tunnel! It was full of smoke! Some shadow ponies- two of them! You walked right through them?"

His gaze on her became concerned and Gustaf hurried the rest of the way to the mare. He looked into her face closely. "Rusty- the tunnel is empty. It's always been empty. I saw your light this way so I came to tell you what I found. There was no smoke, nor- what did you call them? 'Shadow ponies'?"

She opened her mouth to tell him otherwise, but then she looked at the emptiness behind Gustaf. There really was nothing there. Another hallucination? "I- I-" she began, but had to swallow before she could finish: "I think I'm seeing things."

"Miss Bones?" came a faint voice to her side. Winter Shine and Ember Clover had come when she yelled for Gustaf and they watched her with wide, frightened eyes. "Miss Bones? What happened?" Ember asked.

She wanted to reassure them, but what could she say? Definitely not that she was possibly going crazy. "I thought I saw his torch from a distance."

It was a lame excuse and Ember, for one, didn't buy it, but he cast one glance at Winter Shine and accepted it for her sake. "Okay. So which way?"

Gustaf came to the rescue and pointed at the tunnel opposite the one he had come from. "That way. Come on. One of you grab the lamp, I think I'll keep my torch."

The youngsters took the lead and Rusty lagged a little behind so she could whisper with Gustaf in private. "Gustaf," she whispered, "I don't know what happened back there. I was sure I saw-" She didn't finish the sentence.

The griffin shrugged to himself a little, then laid a comforting claw on her back. "We're all under a lot of stress, Rusty, you most of all. It's not a nice place. We have to get out of here."

"Yeah, but we're lost..."

This time he grinned at her widely. "Not anymore! We're really close to the throne room. I nearly walked into a trap, actually. Here, I'll show you on the map!"

It was a relief, but it was also worrying that they had gone this far out of their way. A very unwelcome thought struck Rusty and she shuddered. "Do- do you think I might have hallucinated when I was leading us? If I can see smoke and shadow creatures, maybe I saw a wall where there should have been a tunnel. Or maybe I saw the map different than it really was?"

Gustaf put a claw on his beak and tapped it a few times in thought. "I suppose it's possible?"

That wasn't exactly a confirmation, but it came close. If she could not trust her own eyes and ears, what could she trust?! It went against her every instinct as a self-reliant adventurer, but Rusty swallowed a lump, took a deep breath, and did the right thing. "It looks like it's not affecting you. You better navigate from now on. Keep the map. The only other copy was in Curio's pack."

"Agreed, but I have a suggestion."

"What?"

"Take some paper, make a copy. At least the important bits, how to get up to the surface. We each take one, just in case- well in case something happens to one of us."

"Good thinking."

She should have come up with that idea herself, but the terror from a few moments ago was still addling her brain. Rusty's heart was still pounding with that fear. A fire in the tunnels would have been terrifying enough, even without dead ponies walking around. Both- it was unthinkable.

The other two slowed so Rusty and Gustaf could catch up. "How- how much further?" Winter Shine asked. She was struggling with the Professor, but she seemed determined to go on.

"We should be able to reach the Bazaar in an hour, then we'll find a place to sleep."

"So, we'll be out tomorrow?" Winter Shine asked hopefully.

"Yes," Rusty said, even though she didn't know for sure. "We won't spend another night in here, I'd rather camp up in the snow. Buck up, everypony, we're getting out of here!"

---

The group was very nearly at the end of their endurance. Rusty had had to slow down their pace several times in the past twenty minutes because Winter Shine was gradually flagging under the weight of the Professor. She had to give the mare credit; for being an out of shape, academic pony she had carried Curio a significant distance and up a lot of stairs. It still wouldn't do to push her too far. They had a long way to go and working themselves into a lather wouldn't do anypony any good.

Rusty hurried forward to catch up with Winter Shine, who was trotting along alone. Ember Clover had gone ahead to talk with Gustaf after the mare had assured him that she could keep the Professor stable with her telekinesis. There was a low, rhythmic humming noise coming from Winter Shine and whatever Rusty had been going to say died on her lips. Instead she fell in step with the unicorn and turned an ear to listen. She was saying something, just under her breath. It came out as a hum and Rusty couldn't recognize any of the words. It took her a few steps to realize that Winter Shine was singing under her breath, but even after listening for a while she couldn't place the song.

"What is that?"

The humming stopped and Winter Shine lifted her head to look. "It- it helps," she said. "So I don't think about them."

"About who?"

Winter Shine didn't answer.

"About who, Winter?"

"Can't you see them? They're following us."

The statement made Rusty's hackles rise and she twisted her head around to look behind them. Unfortunately the lantern, fixed to her pack, was facing forward and the tunnel was completely dark. Not completely, Rusty realized. There was a soft gleam here and there. She narrowed her eyes and tried to pierce the darkness.

"Hold on. Gustaf! Five minutes break!" she called.

That enabled her to turn around and illuminate the path behind them.

They scurried back from the beam of light, but not before Rusty saw a flash of white bone. How could they move so quietly on dead hooves?! "I see-" she said and gulped, "I see them."

She was glad of Gustaf who had made his way back. "What is it?" he asked, looking down the tunnel.

"Can't you see them?" Rusty asked him.

"See who?"

Rusty switched her gaze to the pegasus: "Ember?"

The pegasus came to stand beside his griffin friend and frowned at the darkness. "Sorry, Miss Bones, I don't see anything either."

"They're gone," Winter Shine whispered. "You scared them off."

She was right. The skulls had melded back into the shadows and there was nothing to be seen in the tunnel behind them. Perhaps they drew back from the griffin, but Rusty was sure they had still been there when Gustaf looked. A realization sent chills down her spine. This was no hallucination. Winter Shine had seen them too. Whatever these ghosts were, they were real. They should keep moving, but what good would that do? The dead ponies could keep up with them. When they stopped to sleep, they would come.

Rusty beckoned to Gustaf, who lowered his head and brought her ear near her mouth. "They're afraid of you. Gustaf- I don't want to ask you this, but..."

He interrupted before she could finish the statement: "I understand. I'll keep watch."

"I'll stay up with you."

"No, you sleep. No reason for two of us to miss sleep. At least one of us should rest and clear their head."

"But you've already-"

He gripped her muzzle with his claw to shut it. "Hush. I'm your guard. Sometimes we have to do without sleep. It's practically in the job description." Gustaf sounded confident, but Rusty knew well what this kind of situation could do to a pony. Lack of sleep, unnatural environment, constant vigil, the physical exertion of carrying Curio, and now her own hallucinations. He had to be wondering how far he could trust her judgement.

He had nopony to really rely on.

She was suddenly very glad that they had this particular griffin with them. Some of them, she knew, would have turned tail and left after all this weirdness. No amount of bits would be worth risking life and limb for. The fact Gustaf had stayed and was taking all that responsibility on his shoulders moved her deeply. He really was one in a million.

There were unbidden tears of gratitude in Rusty's eyes and she blinked them away. "You're a good guy, Gustaf. I'm happy you took the contract."

He flashed her a grin. "Happy enough for a bonus?"

That was such a griffin thing to say that Rusty couldn't help chuckling. The sound of laughter made the dark tunnel seem less oppressive. The others had heard the last few statements and joined in her laughter.

It perked them up and Rusty made up her mind. "Gustaf, how far to the bazaar?"

"Half an hour, maybe?"

"Good. Winter, give me the Professor. We'll find an empty shop and camp in there. Maybe we can barricade the door."

They shuffled the tied-up stallion and Rusty made her protesting legs move. Winter Shine breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was a mercy that the Professor seemed to be unconscious. He had been drifting in and out and Rusty was quietly hoping that meant the evil, whatever it was, was losing its hold on him. Maybe he would be back to normal once they were out of this place.

"Okay, let's go. We'll sleep soon."

Gustaf walked beside her, one claw on Curio to keep him steady and Ember took the rear. After a few steps, Winter Shine began to murmur her song again.

"What song is that, Winter?"

The mare fell silent, then sang the line more loudly.

"~~... beneath those fears and doubts, so just squash 'em~~"
"~~And let it shiiine, for all the world to see~~"
"~~That it is time, yeah! Time to be awesome!~~"

It took a moment for Rusty to recognize it, but when she did she grinned at griffin. "Sounds like one for you, Gustaf."

"Why?" he asked back.

"Celaeno was a bird, too, wasn't she? Not to mention a pirate captain."

"Bah," Gustaf jeered, "she and her entire macaw crew are a laughing stock in Griffonstone."

"How come? I thought parrots and griffins were kinda similar," Rusty pointed out.

He shrugged and shook his head. "Normally yes, but that crew are a special case. Come on- the only non-pony creatures to sing a pony heart-song?"

That didn't sound right to Rusty. "Plenty of other creatures sing!"

"Not heart-songs. Especially not pony-inspired ones."

"What's wrong with that?"

As she had expected, Gustaf had no answer to that. He shrugged and refused to answer, accepting that he would never be able to convince a pony that impromptu musical numbers were silly.

They all walked in subdued silence for a while, but then Winter Shine picked it up again: "~~~I know the world can get you down~~"

This time Rusty Bones joined in, even though she was out of practice and didn't exactly remember the lyrics. The song would lift their hearts, especially Winter's. By the second word, Ember had found his voice as well and the melody filled the tunnel.

When the '~~light, shining deep inside~~' came around, Rusty noticed that Gustaf's tail was flicking in time with the music. She grinned to herself and sang a bit louder.

They got him at the word 'awesome', and from that moment it was a quartet. Rusty was glad - the griffin's baritone really underpinned the song and it felt like some of his steadfast courage poured into all of them.

However deep underground they were, no darkness could swallow a pony's inner light! Whatever evil ruled this place, they would show it they weren't afraid. The song was a reminder that other ponies, other creatures had faced dark and scary times, and had prevailed. It said they should never give in, no matter how bleak things became. When Rusty Bones glanced around, she couldn't see a single shadow out of place, nor any sight of the walking dead. She pranced a few steps during the refrain and bumped her flank against Winter's. She nearly lost her balance with the Professor, but Gustaf smoothly steadied him without breaking his line.

He was smiling.

Rusty Bones smirked secretly to herself. So pony songs were embarrassing, were they?