Under the Northern Skies

by Prolet

Chapter 11: Darkness and Light

A distorted, yet recognizable landscape blinked into being. The area I was seeing was rocky, just like I had assumed, but also quite level. It took some time for me to get used to the ‘eagle’s eye’ spell, and to make matters worse, the picture painted into my vision was in grayscale. Not to even mention disorientingly blurry.

“How’s it going?” called a voice from beyond the magic veil.

“Sush,” I responded, keeping my focus on the task.

I let my gaze wander around. About thirty yards leftwards, one of the huge boulders was jutting out of the ground like someone had dropped it there from the skies. Next to it were the remains of two tents. Infuriatingly, where the edge of the pit could be seen on the right, the image began to crop into a void. My problems with magic were significantly hampering the line of sight – on a better day, I could’ve seen much farther.

Lifting the focus, I crashed back into the real word. I was immediately hit by strong nausea as the rocks twisted back into their real forms, color returning to the world. Rarity stood in front of me, looking worried.

“Well, Twi?”

“Nothing,” I answered. “I could see very little, but there’s nopony at the tents, at least. This whole ‘espionage thing’ wasn’t very useful.”

Rarity bit her lip. “We’ll just have to hope for the best, then.”

“Yes. Since there isn’t anything else to really be done, we should get moving again. The earlier we arrive, the better – we want to be there before getting caught by the pony on our tail.”

“If you say so, Twi.”

We gathered our stuff and continued up the mountain. The boulders at the excavation site now loomed very near. I felt my pulse rise as we got closer to the place we’d worked so hard to reach. The prize, a horribly dangerous one at that, lay ahead. Every now and then I glanced down the mountain, once catching a glimpse of our pursuer. Luckily, he was still quite far away.

Time seemed to crawl. Every step, every rock I climbed over – each one of them pushed me towards the artifact. And towards the calling. There’s bound to be something waiting there for you, be it in good or in bad.

“What do you think will happen?” I asked, not even trying to hide my growing anxiousness. We’d be there in any moment.

“I think the cultsponies are the most likely option,” she answered with an equally tense voice. “Of course, it could be something else. But that would make the most sense.”

“Yeah, Rares, that’s probably the case.”

No further words were exchanged as we climbed the last few stones on the marked path. The mountain was level here. Ahead of us stood the huge boulders, casting tall shadows on the ground. Two abandoned tents were visible close to them, as well as a dilapidated radio transmitter. Not a soul was there.

“This is it, Twi,” said Rarity with a hushed voice. “Let’s take a good look.”

We moved as silently as possible, trying to avoid alerting anyone who might be here. The bare mountainside of the site didn’t offer any clues; nothing, save for a few empty cans that had once held food, told that there had ever been ponies here. No blood, no traces of fighting, no hurriedly packed equipment – nothing. I found it odd, but was also slightly relieved. At least we wouldn’t have to wrestle with mountain bears.

“The tents,” I said to Rarity, taking glances behind me, just in case. “If the ponies here left something important behind, it must’ve been there.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t the guards search them when they paid this place a visit?”

I nodded. “Sure did. But you never know. Stranger things have happened, even on our journey.”

When we made our way close to the tents, shivers started to hit me, increasing in intensity as we got closer. It was like a curtain of cold air had been hung upon the ground. Rarity seemed to suffer the same effect, but was likely too wary to say it out loud.

There was nothing inside the tents – they were abandoned, just as reported. All of the heavy equipment of the expedition, save for the irreparably damaged radio, was gone for good. Nevertheless, Rarity and I were still suffering from the sudden onset of cold. I couldn’t shake a feeling that something was terribly wrong, and soon backed away. The warmth the sun had offered only moments ago was now gone, even some distance from the tents.

“It’s… cold,” noted Rarity.

I nodded. “It sure is, Rares. And we’ll have to find out why.” Magic. A powerful unicorn must be lurking here. There’s no way any lesser mage could create a field of freezing cold in the middle of a warm, cloudless day.

“Any ideas, Twi?”

“A mage, a unicorn, is probably somewhere close-by,” I answered. “We can only hope that the pony’s stupid enough to reveal herself. Or himself.”

For a while, we stood still, trying to catch a glimpse of the pony, but to no avail. I noticed my teeth had started clenching. The scene was surreal: a long-abandoned camp in the middle of a dull, grey mountainside and the sun high in the sky, with the temperature in the levels usually experienced during winter. Only our chaser catching us was missing.

Regardless, there was no time for loitering. Despite fighting shivers constantly, we moved back to the tents. Beyond them and the monoliths was our final target; now that we were here, there was no turning back.

When we walked past the boulders surrounding the pit, the wind stopped, along with the sound of our hoofsteps. The world had fallen silent. My legs started to shake, barely keeping me on my hooves. I could see from Rarity’s face that she was equally tense.

“Rares. It’s happening again,” I stated, unbearable fear halting me. But Rarity didn’t seem to notice – instead of turning towards me, she continued along her path.

“Twilight Sparkle. You have answered my calls. Don’t be afraid,” echoed a voice inside my head. I felt like screaming, but no sound came out of my mouth. Rarity was already a few yards away. She didn’t even glance back.

My head started to ache. “Destiny is not an option,” boomed the voice. “It’s not a choice. Now, go.”

Fog built up in the blink of an eye, hiding Rarity from me. The only thing visible was the rocky ground. I swallowed hard, closing my eyes. Concentrate. Wake up.

“Go,” demanded the voice. If the chills had been strong before, it now felt like I was swimming in a lake under the polar ice cap. I put all my effort in making a single, short step. Only barely was I able to lift my hoof off the ground. The next one was much easier, but still a struggle against my brain, shocked by the entire situation.

“Go.” Pushing the voice back into the deeper reaches of my mind, I steadily moved forward. My pace was one of a snail’s, hampered by the bone-freezing cold and fear.

“GO!”

I hesitated for a moment, then surged power into my horn, warming the air around me. Pain began wracking my head right away, but there was no stopping now. I continued moving, this time much less hindered by the temperature. A lump was forming in my throat. You have to get out. Rarity must be-

In a blinding flash, light and sound returned to the world. The sun’s rays scorched my eyes. For my relief, Rarity was only a few feet ahead of me. I stopped to catch my breath. Will someone be waiting for me?

Rarity looked back at me, her face full of worry. “Twi? Something wrong?”

“I… uhm…” I was at a loss for words. “We should continue. Sorry.”

“Alright,” commented Rarity with a strained voice.

We slowly made our way towards the pit – even though the air was still cold, it wasn’t as freezing as before. From ten yards away, I started smelling a foul stench coming from the pit. It only got stronger as we got to the edge, making me retch.

On the edge, I took my time, and so did Rarity. We traded frightened glances before taking a peek at the bottom.

And there, on top of a large metallic plate with ominous carvings, lay a half-decomposed, brown stallion. I was paralyzed by shock, unable to look away. Bones were protruding from his skin, creating a grotesque sight. No, no, no. We should’ve turned back. This was stupid. I heard Rarity throwing up, but my gaze was still nailed at the scene down in the pit. The runes snaking around the bluish square started to glow a purple light.

“Rarity!” I shouted.

“Twi... that’s just…” Rarity responded from behind me, her voice shaking. “Dear Celestia! What happened to him?”

The light intensified, some now shining through the metal slab, making it seem like a small star had been buried under it. The body now glowed just like the surface it rested on. Horrifying, yet bizarrely beautiful in a way, the scene burned itself into my mind. I was fascinated. Entranced.

“Rares, you have to see this.”

Rarity carefully walked next to me, keeping her eyes shut. When she opened them, astonishment washed over her face. “Just what is this, Twi?”

“No idea. But it’s beautiful.” Patterns started to emerge. The light pulsed at times – it looked like it was trying to emulate a tune of some kind, but failed to emit any sound.

“There’s no going back now,” echoed a voice inside my head, making me almost keel into the pit. “You said that yourself, Twilight.”

I shook my head, but a glance behind me told that the fog had returned. “Wrong, whoever you are. There’s always a choice.”

“Twilight? What are you talking about?” asked Rarity, backing away from me. She looked like she could faint any moment.

“I…” The fog was still there, creeping closer and closer towards us. Only the bright glow of the artifact was keeping it at bay, though I had no idea how. “If we can’t go back, we must go in.”

“Twilight?!” Rarity sounded shocked. “What on Equus are you talking about?”

“We’re not giving up.” Instead, you’re risking both of your lives. “You have to trust me. Please, Rares. The only way is forward.”

Rarity gave the pit a glance, then stared back into my eyes. I felt myself quite small. “Really? I mean, really? There’s a body down there, for Celestia’s sake!”

“Is there?” The light was already so luminous that I could no longer see very well what was happening down there. “Perhaps. But in every other direction is only the nothingness of a void.” Where did that even come from?

“The nothingness?”

"Yes. We can't go anywhere else. There's no running away."

A feeling of revelation struck me. This was what we had come here for. Of course the artifact would be a door, transporting us somewhere far away. To do something important... hopefully. I took a step forward, holding my left forehoof above the brilliantly shining drop.

But a hoof was wrapped around my waist, preventing me from falling down.

"Twi! Don't! Not a step forward!" demanded Rarity with a desperate voice.

"Go," echoed the voice inside my head once again. The pull of the door was incredible; I wanted to jump, to dive into the translucent surface. A blurry forest could now be seen under it. I knew it had to be done. Ignoring Rarity's pleas, I forced myself ahead, breaking her hold with a surge of brute strength. As air rushed past me and the light turned into darkness, I could still feel two soft hooves tightly clinging onto me.

--

"Twilight?" asked a weak, recognisable voice from somewhere near. All I saw was complete darkness – however, I felt that I was lying on a hard, cold and rough surface. My saddle bag was gone. Panic immediately started creeping into my mind. Where am I? Did I jump? Why?

"Rares? Is that you?" I lit up my horn, but its light was very dim, like something was obscuring it. Out of nowhere, a white face jumped into the small aura. Rarity painfully ran into me, knocking me over with a thud.

Rarity helped me back onto my hooves. Her face was full of both relief and anguish. “Thank the Goddesses you’re here!” she let out, hugging me tightly. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t hold you off, darling, but-”

I put a hoof over Rarity’s mouth. “There’s no need for that, Rares. I don’t know why I did that... but I think I had to. In any case, we have more important matters to discuss right now.”

A moment of silence ensued. The floor was apparently wood – rough, untreated pine planks, a thin layer of dust coating them. Nothing else could be seen in the light’s short radius.

“Let’s find out what this place is,” Rarity finally said, her voice very tense. “Bite my tail. We can’t afford to get separated.”

I complied, the taste of various flowers filling my mouth. It made me wonder how Rarity was able to keep herself from getting all dirty during our hike. One of life’s many mysteries. “Affright, Raves. Fready fhen you are.”

Rarity giggled nervously and began to carefully walk forward. She lit her horn, but the light wasn’t any brighter than mine. The only sound in the void was our rhythmical hoofsteps against the aged planks.

After a while, it became obvious that we weren’t going to reach anything. I let Rarity’s tail fall out of my mouth. “Rares, we need to think of something else.”

“Mmmh,” agreed Rarity. “What is this place? I don’t understand. One moment we were there, then you jumped and... we were here.”

I rubbed my chin. “Well... I can’t think of much. It’d be logical if this was some kind of magical prison. There’s always at least some way out of those, but it’s often quite unconventional to prevent easy escape.” Just a part of the test.

Rarity sighed. “A prison?”

“Yes.” My stomach gurgled, reminding me of the the frightening fact that we had no food with us. “I’m sure we can break out. How; I don’t know yet.”

We sat down to think about the possibilities. Rarity asked me whether the floor could have some kind of weakness, but that felt unlikely. However, I was ready to try - and just as I had expected, burning the planks with magic was impossible. They didn’t even warm up the tiniest bit. Why have I not read much about unnatural areas like this? I was bound to get trapped in one some day.

Lack of effort was, at least, no problem. We tried piercing through the planks, jumping in the air, reaching for the ceiling, and shooting magic missiles into the void surrounding us. Nothing had any effect. I was getting exhausted from using my magic too much, and had to stop in order to avoid burning out again, for I still hadn’t fully recovered.

“Nothing works!” I exclaimed, frustratedly stomping the floor. “Nothing! And it’s all my fault. I dragged you with me on this obscure mission. You fell into a river, or perhaps not, but we continued anyway! I mean, how stupid is that? I should have called our mission off then and there. Then, I-”

Rarity shook her head. My stomach twisted as I saw tears in her eyes – the dim lighting made her face look even more dramatic than it was. “Twi, stop. That isn’t helping. You know very well that I came along of my own free will. I refused to turn back, just like you did.”

I lay onto the cold floor, defeated. “Sure. Whatever. I suppose this is it.”

There was no further talking. I could feel all the adrenaline fading away from my body, leaving behind a feeling of empty tiredom. Soon, I let my horn’s light die out. Rarity did the same, enshrouding us with depressing darkness. It didn’t take long for me to drift off into the land of twisting and hopeless dreams.

--

“Is this what you seek, Princess?” asked a low voice. A small, homely cottage sprung into existence in front of my eyes. I didn’t even flinch.

“I don’t know.” A memory surged into my head – yes, this cottage – I had bought it only a month ago.

“Your retirement will be peaceful,” continued the voice. I had no idea what it was trying to tell me. “The struggles and hardships of our kingdom aren’t your concerns anymore.”

“Alright then, mister,” I instinctively responded. “You are dismissed.”

“Of course, Princess.” Sounds of hoofsteps going away from me could be heard, even though I saw nopony. The cottage was cold and empty, only a simplistic wooden table and one chair furnishing it. There was a hearth, too, but it was filled with dust.

I looked through the sole window. Snow-topped mountains reached high towards the clouds, a lush forest stretching its way up the steep cliffs, only to thin out and fade as the elevation rose. The view was incredibly beautiful, but still left a pang in my heart. Beautiful, pristine, untouched by pony hooves... yet, it was devoid of any meaningful life. Nopony lived here. This corner of the world sure was a lonely one.

Sighing, I drew myself away from the window. Only then did I notice something under the table – the tattered corner of a grey book. Excited, I levitated it in front of me.

A pine forest stretched on the feet of several mighty mountains. I froze in place. This time, there was a title, written in hard-to-decipher cursive script: ‘The Diary of Twilight Sparkle’. Despite feeling very uneasy, I opened the book, skimming until I found the last page with writing on it.

‘...all lost now. I can’t believe they made me do this. It’s all wrong. I hate them. They deserve to be punished. It’s not my my fault. I’ll have to take back what’s rightfully mine, and those who stand in my way shall perish.’

‘Perhaps I was wrong. No, I wasn’t wrong. But they were right.’

‘Why am I here, all alone? Life isn’t fair, I should’ve known that. I should’ve seen this coming. Nopony lives here. The Crystal Mountains shall change.’

I slammed the book closed; I didn’t want to read any more of that. What was that book, even? I didn’t remember ever writing anything like that. But here I was, all alone, in a mountain cabin, hundreds of miles from civilization. Or was I?

The walls around me crumbled to dust, the roof falling right through me. I coughed. When the dust cleared, I was standing on a mountaintop. Before my eyes, down below, lay a marvelous city on the shore of a huge crystal-clear lake. The sky was as blue as ever, the sun’s rays filling me with a painful joy.

Then, the city was gone, taken back by the forest. And I was, again, alone, like I had always been. I felt fear. Anger. Lust for recognition.

“Twilight Sparkle,” stated somepony with my own voice from under me, from inside the mountain. “It’s all your doing. But this – this is your undoing.”

Silence. Clouds rolled with incredible speed into the direction I was looking at. The sun sailed through the sky in seconds, only to reappear a few later. Dirt and rock began covering the ruins of the city, bit by bit. I never saw anypony – the entire region before my eyes appeared to be abandoned. At first, a small ember burned inside my chest, but it didn’t take long for it to ignite into a burning flame. Soon, it felt like an inferno.

“The price of one is heavy, isn’t it, Twilight?” I noticed saying to myself, despite not consciously doing it.

Suddenly, the world collapsed. Images of ponies armed with swords, brilliant bolts of thunder, and mountains crumbling flashed into my mind. Until I found myself, again, submerged in water. I flailed my hooves hopelessly, knowing it wouldn’t help. There was no air. On the verge of passing out, I inhaled water.

--

I flinched, and found only darkness surrounding me. The cold, hard floor reminded me of where I was, but that didn’t ease my heartache. Rising up to to stretch my legs, I inhaled the stale air. After dreams like that, there sure isn’t any point in trying to sleep more, I thought.

An immeasurable time, probably hours, passed by. I did but sit and ponder about the possible means of escape - and came up with nothing.

“You awake?” I finally asked with a weak voice, desperate for another soul.

“Yes, darling,” came the answer from somewhere left to me. “Have been for some time already.”

“Me too,” I stated, walking towards Rarity’s voice. Her eyes seemed bloodshot and even paler than normal in the eerie light of my horn.

Rarity kept her stare at the darkness. “Do you think we’ll get out?” she questioned, turning at me. It looked like she had cried.

My stature faltered. “I don’t know, Rares. Maybe, maybe not,” I replied, shaking my head. “I’m already getting thirsty. Without water, we’ll... in a day... I... I’m sorry.”

Rarity looked like she had accepted the inevitable. “Don’t be, darling. At least we had a good time together.”

I didn’t bother with further conversation, and soon turned my light off. While leaning on Rarity’s coat gave some comfort, I couldn’t shake the terrible feeling of being utterly alone. Am I going to die here? What for? Nothing?

My mind started to wander into the dark and barely comprehensible areas of my consciousness. It wasn’t such a long time ago that I didn’t have any friends to talk about. I’d lived under Celestia’s wing – and now, I was in some place beyond the grasp of even our Goddesses, with only one other pony to keep me company. Why had Rarity even wanted to come here with me?

That’s what friends are for. They don’t leave each other hanging, not even if they face a rampant draqonequus or a changeling queen.

Or then I could just accept the simple facts I have kept ignoring for the past few days. –We’ll perish in any case. There’s no point in doing anything.

Yes, there is. Do the necessary.

Finally, I realized what had to be done. If it wouldn’t work, nothing would really be lost, anyway.

“Rarity,” I said with a stern voice.

A sound hooves shuffling could be heard from next to me. “Hm?”

“Rise up,” I demanded. Rarity did.

“What’s this about, Twi?”

I ran my hoof across Rarity’s coat to determine which way she was facing. Then, I stepped in front of her, words leaving my mouth almost instinctively. “This about your deep, azure eyes.”

“What? You...” Rarity chuckled. “You can’t even see them, silly.”

“Doesn’t matter. They’re quite beautiful, Rares.” With that, I lunged forward, catching Rarity in a deep embrace. She was locked up by surprise, as I pressed my lips against hers. Warmness surged down into my entire body. After recovering from the shock, she gently kissed me back. Rarity tasted like our bland travel rations, but I didn’t care; at least her mane still smelled like heaven.

A single, high-pitched note from a string instrument of some kind played, piercing my ears and breaking our kiss. The world lit up in a split second, overloading my already-burdened mind. My vision span around, and I fell onto the floor, passing out.

Comments

[Exemter]

What's with the 'Rares' and 'Twi' thing? I've never heard them call each othe that. Mabey Applejack, but not them. I don't know just feels off. Still an excellent story though.

[Prolet]

2683513
I'd imagine they started to call each other by nicknames after spending a lot of time together. Perhaps it's just me, though.

[Alpha123]

GET SOME TWILIGHT!!