The Darkness Beckons

by Flash Conception

Chpt 2: The Darkness Emerges

The Darkness Rises: Book one

Argon, Remedy and Lemon were checking the entrance of the temple, while Spects and Flash hung back to trade secrets with one another, as they did when the girls were preoccupied. Their bond of Bro-ponydom required secret meetings when possible.

“So, what did Remmy say about her very special somepony, has she told you yet?” Flash rushed. There was no telling when the girls would be back to ask them for help. They knew that it was bound to happen, as it did so many other times.

Spects straightened up, and bit his lip “not yet, she said she would tell you when you figured it out.” Spects knew that Flash would believe him, so Remedy would be able to tell him for sure what her feelings were without Flash catching on.

“How the hell am I going to figure it out if she won’t tell me? Is this some sort of crude game?” Complained the now riled up pegasus.

“How should I know? Anyways, did you find out if Lemon had a very special somepony?” Spects looked back at Lemon. His face glowed red, and he had to turn to avoid Lemon from looking back by chance.

Flash sighed “no. That mare is difficult to figure out.sometimes I even wonder how you fell for her in the first place.” Flash knew it had happened when they were in kindergarten, Spects never said how it started. It was one of those "We don't like to talk about it" moments.

“Love makes us do crazy things, my friend. Lets head over. Looks like Remedy may have found what we were looking for”. They both started into a light trot to be informed on the ever apparent information.

---

“From the looks of this, it seems we have to do some kind of ritual to unseal the gate”, Remedy explained. The group winced when they saw the blood stains on a stone near the entrance. Remedy noticed the horror on their face, and reassured. “No we’re not going to sacrifice anypony. There is no way i'm letting any of us die down here. However there IS a way inside.”

Flash stomped his hoof, bringing Remedy's attention to him. He motioned toward the looming temple, “Care to enlighten us then, Ms. Remedy?”

Remedy glared at Flash “ Keep your pants on! I need you to fly Lemon to the top of that column, and place her on the circle. Then stand adjacent from her”

Flash complied. He flew the mare without even breaking a sweat to the top of the stone column. as he did, he noticed engravings in the granite that made him shiver. Regardless, he moved to the other column. As he placed his hooves on the cold stone, the column shifted down, only a few centimeters, but significant enough that Flash was concerned.

“Uh, this doesn’t seem exactly stable! the column moved down!” Flash spoke frantically.

“Thats normal, its a stone plate.” Remedy cooed. She knew how to tease the bold pegasus. “can the pegasus who flew faster than anypony in The Wonderbolts Camp as a colt not handle a bit of change?”.

Flash blushed “j-just get the damn thing open”.

“Very well. Spects i need you to walk under that torch, and be ready to cast a fire spell. Argon, stand away from the exit, no telling how its going to open so everypony be ready.” Remedy slid into her position. Aiming her horn at the torch, she yelled “Spects, Now!”

A burst of flame swept through the cave, illuminating the cavern. Argon moved just as the rock went flying past him impaling the wall where he had stood only moments before.

“Well, that was almost unfortunate,” Argon noted. “My demise would surely put a damper on things here, now wouldn't it.”

“Sure would, now lets head into the unknown!” Remedy rallied.

---

The darkness was overwhelming, the only light source being Argon’s light spell. Naturally, he was behind Remedy so she could look for signs of traps. The others mimicked Remedy’s movements as best they could.

“We haven’t run into any traps yet” griped Flash, flapping his wings twice. “I could easily fly f-”

Argon spoke softly “I hate to interject, but first of all, without a source of light, your visibility would be zero, meaning you could run into something unpleasant. Secondl- Oof”. Argon bumped into Remedy, who had frozen in the middle of the hallway, looking carefully at something.

“Something’s not right” she declared. “We’ve been walking in a straight line for far too long, this temple couldn’t possibly be 3 miles long, we’d have seen it from the side of the mountain.” The moment she finished her statement, the hallway light up, and everyone could see the fine detail in the hallway. Runes littered the walls, and they were glowing.

“I’m no expert” interjected Lemon, “but i don’t think that’s a good thing.”

---

“The trap has sprung. Now i have all the time i need to plan everything down to the last detail. They must not touch the heart before it is ready. If they are aware of the trap, they will be here in no time.” the Shadow Colt stated.

“If I don’t do this right, SHE will reawaken... I can not allow HER to rule Equestria again! Her elements have faded to oblivion, and her power with them. But the prophecy said she would return one day, and return to power. This CAN NOT HAPPEN. They would want it to happen from ignorance.” The Stallion rambled on.

“She can not escape her prison.”

---

Before the group could react, the runes began to move around, centering themselves. The runes faded together to form a door in front of the group. Right before them stood a room with pillars of stone towering so high that no pony could see the top. Sitting in the middle of the room, was a small floating sphere, pulsing every few seconds. With each pulse, the room responded, its runes flashing with the sphere, pulsating throughout the rest of the temple.

“I don’t like this place,” Lemon squeaked. She hid behind Spects and mumbled “its no place for ponies.”

Remedy looked back at her friends, wiping the doubt from her expression, and said “Come on, all we have to do is find the information we need about this temple, which is probably on that... stone... and we can be on our way”.

Remedy began to trot toward the center of the room. As she did, Spects began to study the floor, and what he saw was frightening. With each pulse, he could make out a small formation on the floor near the sphere. Looking at it, he had never seen such a symbol befo-

“BUCK!” Remedy screamed in pain. Her horn had hit the edge of the ward, and before anyone could do anything, she flew back into the group, landing on Flash.

“Oh... did i mention i think i saw a ward rune?” Spects nervously laughed.

“No,” begrudged the injured Unicorn, “you didn’t”.

“Ah, so a ward is placed around the center of the temple,” Argon examined. He took his time circling the sphere like structure before coming back to his friends. “I’m sorry, this is a ward over 1,000 years old. I don’t know who could have set it, but no pony in our day and age can disable it-”

“If i may interject,” a mysterious voice hissed “there is one way, but one of you may need... motivation.”

“Wha- Where are you? Show yourself, you Coward” Shouted Flash.

The group started to look for where the voice came from. Flash saw something in the tunnel above the relic glimmer, and he flew toward it, trying to find the source of light. As he positioned himself below the tunnel, a dark shadow draped itself across him and the ward. The shadow put a hole in the ward, threw Flash inside, then sealed the top once more.

Remedy’s face was struck with horror, before she could think, she shot a bolt at the shadow, which was drawing ever closer to the remainder of her group. As the bolt struck the ground, the shadow condensed and formed a Colt, with an ash grey mane and a black coat. A streak of white riled his mane and tail. His red eyes staring into her very soul, and that scar...

“Forgive me, if the policies have changed over the past few hundred years, but isn’t it impolite to stare?” the Colt coyed.

Remedy blushed for a moment, before Spects stepped in front of her, “if we’re bringing other's manners to light, isn't it rude to trap someone you've never met before?”

“My sincere apologies, i had to give one of you motivation. They say with the right motivation, anypony can do the most impossible feats.” the colt smiled “Don’t you need to get through that barrier?”

Argon looked at the colt with interest “were you the one who put the ward up?”

The colt looked back at the Ward, “Alas, no. However, my people did. I can’t quite recall how to disable it, but there was an old riddle we used to remember how, should we forget.”

“Well don’t keep it from us!” Remedy rushed forward eagerly, “we need to get through to save Fla- er get that relic.”

“With pleasure, my lady. Might i add he can’t hear us right now.” The colt smiled.

Remedy blushed again, making it obvious that she had ulterior motives. She never thought that anypony could read her feelings that openly... If this complete stranger knew her feelings for Flash-

“You’re stalling” Spects accused. “Tell us the riddle.”

“Fine fine, don’t get your mane knotted up." The colt tilted his head back and started speaking in a language no one had ever heard before. After some time, he translated it.

What we protect is most certainly ours,
to keep from greedy thieves darkest desire.
But should we let our barrier fail soon,
our treasures will surely fill inquires.

Our spell can not be easily broken,
but those whose heart is as pure as their soul.
Should they spill their life’s blood onto the seal,
their dreams and wishes will become most real.

The colt lowered his head to bite back the laughter, as the group looked at him, dumbfounded.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!” shouted Lemon.

The Colt snickered “how should I know, i’m not the one trying to get in. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must take leave”. He hastened toward the door, before a hoof caught him.

Remedy softly asked “what is your name?”

“Umbra Descepta,” the colt turned his head to hide his scar from Remedy.

“Will we see each other again?” she looked down. She didn't want him to see the anger in her eyes.

“I suppose if the fates allow. Now go, he doesn't have all day” Umbra motioned toward Flash, who was now flying inside of the ward, looking for the way he had come in.

No one seemed to notice when he had stopped, and looked to the ceiling.