Chapter One
The Darkness We Keep
Chapter One
Twilight Sparkle grimaced as she peered at the map below her. Things had gone from bad to worse ever since… Twilight closed her eyes, pushing away the thoughts. There was no time to dwell on what had happened. She needed to push forward. The only way they were going to save Celestia was to not dwell on the past. That had gotten them into too much trouble already.
Beneath her, another section of the map went dark. Mount Aris. Not even the Hippogriffs had been able to withstand Tirek’s new power, it seemed.
The door to the map room swung open. Princess Luna strode in, flanked by two of her Night Guard. She looked… less than pleased.
“Princess,” Twilight said, her voice strained from hours of research.
“Twilight. I trust the Map has already delivered the news from the front lines,” Luna said stiffly. “Mount Aris has fallen.”
“I saw as much,” Twilight said. “Were evacuation plans able to be made in time?”
“Queen Novo and Princess Skystar were able to be evacuated to Canterlot, along with the magical pearl that the Queen wielded. The Hippogriff Royal Guard stayed behind, valiantly giving their lives to prevent Tirek from taking the citizens,” Luna explained. “The city states remaining have been able to take in what refugees they can, but resources are wearing thin.”
“Tirek’s power grows and grows with each new area he takes control of. Keeping the pearl away from him is important, especially because we might actually need it,” Twilight said, ruminating over her notes real quick. “In fact, I believe it’s the final piece of the preparations we need to rescue Celestia.”
Luna grimaced. “Are you certain that you trust this… imp? He could be leading us right into Tirek’s claws,” she said.
“I believe that Pix and Celestia both made some sort of mutual connection,” Twilight said. “A sort of friendship as it were. He feels guilty over what happened to her.”
“Still. Be careful with trusting him too much,” Luna replied. She looked down at the map. “How soon do you believe you will be able to finish once you have the pearl?”
“I believe everything is in order,” Twilight said. “Pix has explained that there is back door of sorts from Tartarus to the Summer Lands. But we’d be braving the worst parts of Tartarus in order to get there.”
“Excellent. I shall have a contingent of my best guards escort the Queen and the pearl to your location within the hour,” Luna said, her horn glowing softly as a scroll appeared in midair before popping back into nothingness. “You will be taking the other Elements with you, I assume?”
“Naturally,” Twilight said with a smile. “I was just about to call for them.”
“Cadance and I shall do what we can to stave off Tirek’s approach then. I can only hope that you are successful. Goddess speed, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said with a firm nod before turning to leave. She stopped at the edge of the throne room. “Twilight?”
“Yes, Princess?”
“Bring my sisters back please. Both of them,” Luna said solemnly.
“Don’t worry, Princess. Nopony is getting left behind,” Twilight replied.
Luna nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Twilight sighed and turned to the map. She channeled her magic into a spell and cast it into the device. It seemed relatively simple to do so, even though she had mostly no control over how the map functioned she could influence certain things, like where the other Element Bearers were at.
Now then… it’s almost time. Celestia, I’m coming for you.
* * *
Twilight paced the map room nervously. In the last hour even further areas of the edges of the map had gone dark. Twilight had began to worry whether or not Luna was even still alive, let alone whether she would be able to get the pearl to her. The others had arrived a half hour before, along with Spike. They too, sat pensively while Twilight paced.
“Twilight, you should sit. I’m sure the Princess is alright, darling,” Rarity said. “Luna has been in far tougher scrapes than that brute Tirek.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Luna is kicking his sorry butt right about now,” Rainbow Dash interjected.
Twilight scowled, her ears popping upwards at the sound of a knock at the door. She quickly threw open the door with her magic, revealing none other than Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and the Hippogriff Queen, Novo. The latter did not look thrilled to be there. The formers appeared ragged and tired.
“Cadance, Shining? What happened to Luna and the guards she was supposed to send?” Twilight said.
“Tirek… Tirek is approaching Canterlot. Rather than waste resources in expending guards, she sent us to bring the Queen,” Shining Armor said flatly. “Queen Novo, you remember Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
“Your majesty,” Twilight said.
“Yes… I do remember her,” the Hippogriff said casually. “I don’t understand why you have brought me here if you mean to give my race’s greatest treasure to a pony who once tried to steal it.”
“Please, your Majesty. If you would take a seat, I will explain everything,” Twilight said, glancing at Shining and Cadance. “You both look like you’ve been running yourself ragged. Take a rest, please.”
“I’m sorry, Twily. But we must rendezvous back with Luna and the Canterlot Guard. Backup from the Griffons and Crystal Empire is on the way, but we need to stop Tirek from taking Canterlot,” Cadance said softly. “If we don’t… then it won’t be long before he arrives here.”
Twilight scowled again. “Fine. But… please… take care of yourselves and each other. I don’t want to come back to find out either of you have died,” she said, leaning in to give the other two royals a firm hug.
“Don’t worry, Twilight. It will take much more than Tirek to get rid of me,” Shining Armor said with a wink. “Come, Cadance. We’ve already been away far too long.”
Cadance nodded and turned to the door with her husband. Within seconds, they had disappeared, leaving Queen Novo standing there. She still appeared irritated.
“As I was saying, your Majesty, please have a seat. We will be moving along shortly, and you will need to flee,” Twilight said, motioning to one of the seats surrounding the map. “Tirek will be coming soon, and you should not be here when he does.”
“What do you mean? Where are you going?” Novo asked, cocking her head to one side.
“We are going to rescue Celestia. But to do that, we need the magic inside your pearl to become strong enough to withstand the journey where we are headed,” Twilight explained.
“I don’t know about this, Twilight,” Applejack chimed in. “Are you sure that we’ll be able to save her?”
“It does seem quite daunting,” Fluttershy said nervously.
“We must try,” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia’s power could give us the tipping point in turning the tide against Tirek. Between her and Princess Serenity, we should be able to re-imprison him in Tartarus.”
“But Twilight, Tirek escaped Tartarus before. What is there to stop him from freeing himself once more?” Rarity asked.
“I have a plan for that, but it’s something we’ll need to discuss later on,” Twilight said. “We need to focus on the task at hand. Queen Novo, I will need the pearl now.”
Novo apprehensively reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a glowing spherical shaped object into her claws. She lifted the pearl into the air where Twilight took it carefully with her magic. She gingerly carried it over to the map, setting it on a brazier that had been constructed solely for the purpose of holding it.
“Alright. I think that’s it. We’re ready to get started. Girls, take your places,” Twilight said.
The others began taking their seats in their respective thrones as Spike approached his friend and mentor.
“What about me?” the young dragon asked.
“Your seat next to mine,” Twilight replied with a smile. “I wouldn’t go anywhere without my Number One Assistant.”
Spike nodded and scooted off to his seat. Twilight turned to the stunned Queen of the Hippogriffs.
“Remember, as soon as we are gone, take the pearl and head towards the Everfree Forest. My student and friend Starlight Glimmer is waiting there with the zebra Zecora to receive you. The forest should prevent even Tirek himself from finding you,” Twilight said. She sighed. “At least, until we can return that is.”
Novo nodded, watching on as Twilight turned to her own throne. The alicorn took her seat and glanced at the assembled ponies.
“Before we begin, I just wanted to say how grateful I am to all of you,” she said. “Where we’re headed… it is not a pleasant place. The creatures there will grant no mercy to us should they discover our presence. We will need to stay together.”
“Hey, it’s no sweat, Twi’. We’ve got your back always,” Rainbow Dash replied coolly.
“Yeah, we’re not going anywhere,” Pinkie Pie interjected. “Except maybe to Tartarus. I wonder if they like Tartar sauce in Tartarus? Should I maybe bring some?”
“I somewhat doubt that, Pinkie,” Applejack said.
“Alright. We’re meeting Pix on the other side of the gate. Our objective is simple. Penetrate the border of the Summer Lands and rescue Celestia and Serenity,” Twilight said with a gleam in her eye. “Are you ready?”
“Ready!” came the reply.
Twilight nodded, her horn glowing as it focused on the crown atop her head - the element of Magic. Removing the Elements from the Tree had been necessary once before in stopping the Pony of Shadows, but now they would be used to help create the portal to Tartarus as well as being able to access the magic of the pearl. The other Element bearers lifted their heads, their own Elements triggering as magic poured into the map and the center of the throne room.
Twilight squinted as the magic reached its breaking point, starting a chain reaction with the Pearl. The sphere began to glow, releasing its power in waves across the six mares and dragon. Twilight began to feel her own body change under its influence, stretching and smoothing it out into a leaner, stronger form.
The magic from the map and the Elements congealed into one singular space, a hole in the very fabric of space time. Darkness covered the room as the hole swallowed all of them, leaving behind everything but the ponies/dragon themselves. Within mere seconds, the portal closed and the room sat quiet.
Queen Novo stepped up to the map and lifted the pearl out of the brazier. She grimaced as she placed it into her saddlebag and quickly headed towards the entrance of the castle to make haste towards the Everfree Forest.
As she reached the door the throne room, she stopped and glanced once more at the map.
“Good luck, Twilight Sparkle,” she said before turning to leave.
* * *
Twilight slumped over, hitting the hard rock with very little grace. Her knees felt the fall, but something in her embraced the impact, protecting her. All around her, the others began to stand, glancing about in the dim light.
“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Look at me!”
Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized the Pearl had done more than strengthen their powers, it had physically changed them too. Rainbow was no longer a pony. Her body was comprised of shimmering cyan scales, her monochromatic tail whipping back and forth behind her. Her eyes glowed in the darkness and her wings were leathery and shiny.
Twilight glanced at the others. Rarity’s normally shining white coat had been replaced as well with silvery scales and a sharp diamond pointed tail. Applejack’s rustic strength had been refined into a bulkier scaled form, her tail forming a club with spikes upon it. Pinkie Pie… Pinkie had three tails somehow, each with a sharp barbed point, and dull pink scales instead of her normal coat. Fluttershy’s wings looked much as the mare had as a bat, instead having dull yellow scales that blended directly into the light around her.
Twilight quickly conjured a mirror into existence to gauge what she looked like. Her coat had been replaced by a deep purple sheen, her tail ending in a halo of crystalline shards that seemed to magically rotate in place. Her wings were draconic in nature and her eyes glowed intensely in the darkness.
“Twilight?” a deep voice said.
Twilight glanced at the source of the voice. Spike stood taller than he had before, the magic of the Pearl having grown his body considerably in bulk and size. His wings spread out on either side and his own tail ended in spiky appendages.
“My word, these scales. They are simply divine,” Rarity said, admiring herself in Twilight’s glowing mirror. “Nopony said that the pearl would do this.”
“I wasn’t sure what effect the pearl would have, but having a physical transformation makes sense,” Twilight said. “Regardless, we should keep low here until Pix has arrived.”
“No need to wait too long, Twilight Sparkle,” a hissing voice said from the darkness. A tinier form flapped into existence as Pixalagoricax appeared. The imp took in the sight of the six mares. “This… is intriguing to see. Your forms have changed to adjust to Tartarus.”
“Magic from a magical pearl,” Twilight said with a grimace. “We don’t have much time to chat about how our bodies are different however. We need to get moving.”
“Yes… if we are to rescue Celestia, we cannot stay here for very long,” Pix said, motioning for the ponies and dragon to follow him. “Come, we will move to someplace much safer than here.”
Twilight and the others followed behind the imp as he led them to the crest of the nearest ridge. Beyond it, a vast plain of desolate wasteland extended for as far as the eyes could see. Mountainous areas dotted the landscape, dripping lava that poured into a nearby lake of the magma. Twilight could see what appeared to be settlements in sporadic locations. Off in the distance, towering peaks loomed. Pix grinned widely.
“Welcome to Tartarus,” the imp said. “Now, the hard part begins.”