"Sister! We're done arguing the matter!"
"Tia! You can't say that, I must know why I was attracted to that ruin in the first place!" Not this same argument again. Celestia was sick of explaining the dangers of the Everfree forest to her younger, darker sister. She wouldn't allow her only blood relative endanger their life for such a ridiculous reason!
"That ruin has something within it! More than just the pedestal of the Elements, there's something... darker... brooding..." Celestia stared, this was the first she'd heard of this 'Dark, brooding' thing within the castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.
"Why didn't you say before?"
"We were... worried... that something was awoken when we- I mean, Nightmare Moon fought the Elements of Harmony." Celestia was prepared to let this all fall under some guilt of Luna's after what she had done under the name "Nightmare Moon" but as she opened her mouth to dismiss the issue for what felt like the hundredth time. She saw her sister, her eyes filled with sorrow, regret, and most terribly of all, fear.
"You truly think there's something back there?" The solar princess queried, a frown of worry quickly growing on her forehead.
"Yes sister." Luna replied, her voice strong even with her nerves so obviously shaken. "I must know, if it was me that caused this. If it wasn't then it may be something far worse!"
"Luna..." Celestia began carefully, obvious worry for her sister becoming prominent. She didn't want her sister to go back there if it could be helped, too many bad memories could send the moon princess spiralling into misery and that could lead to the nightmare returning! "How can you be sure?"
Luna stared for a moment, her eyes growing round and horrified at the thought of explaining. She swung her head away and stared out to the gardens outside the throne room. "We can feel it..." She said, barely louder than a whisper. "Sometimes, it fades a little, but it's always there somewhere..." Her voice cracked at the thought of the feeling. With a cold chill running up her spine, she shuddered and looked to her sister. Her eyes where now completely full of tears. "It feels like... something's touching us...something cold... and dead... it touches us, and makes us feel just as cold and dead. It's something... wrong, it shouldn't be there!" Celestia took a step towards her sister, trying to comfort her.
However at her contact, the dark alicorn backed away fast, her hooves scraping loudly against the tile floor. "No!" the alicorn whispered, shuddering again. Tia couldn't understand how she hadn't noticed this behaviour before today. "I can feel it now Tia! Worse than ever! That's why I need to go find it... and end it! Before it becomes too strong for me!" She was bighting back on true tears of horror. "P-please Tia! I NEED to find out!" Tia sighed, realising that if Luna was getting like this, she would only get worse the longer the place went unchecked.
"Very well little sister... if it means so much to you...You may go, but the second things seem too bad, if you find yourself in any trouble, promise me you will teleport out of there!" Celestia's gaze pierced through her little sister, who felt burnt beneath their heat filled glare.
"Yes sister..." Luna whispered, trying to compose herself once more. Without another word, she suddenly stood and headed for the entrance hall.
"Wait Luna," the princess of the night glanced back to see her sister looking at her with a hopeful smile. "Won't you join us for Cadence's dress measuring before you leave?" for a moment Luna was close to accepting, but for some reason, her eyes were drawn towards the forest on the horizon through the window. As she gazed, she could feel it again. Those invisible decaying hands, slowly caressing her body.
She gulped, trying her best not to be physically sick across the polished hall. "N-no sister..." She choked finally. "We do not believe we would be much company tonight. Send our niece our deepest apologies." and wit that Luna left the hall, headed for the royal carriage stable. The sooner she set out, the better.
No sound came from the forest, not a single birds song, or the snuffling of small furry creatures, noting made a whisper. The entire expanse was as quiet as the grave. Luna walked slowly, keeping her eyes moving, ensuring no rock went unchecked, not a single tree trunk left unnoticed. She knew how easy an enemy could twist the forest to frighten others. After all, she had done it herself.
The princess found nothing on her travel towards the castle, but found the deadly silence more than unsettling. With the area devoid of sound, it left Luna only able to feel the approaching darkness, her eyes stared into the distance, and it almost seemed like the shadows were reaching out, consuming all she looked at, trying to plunge her world into shadow once again. When this happened, she would usually stand on a twig, more to ensure she could still hear than a genuine accident.
The forest at night was far more terrifying than it had seemed through Nightmare's eyes. It created illusions that even Luna: the princess of the night and master of the moon, could not recognise immediately. She felt vulnerable, and unsafe!
The castle stood out like a dark inkblot against the sky. No light came from within, why should there be? The centuries had long since passed since the woodland had consumed this place taking Equestria's original capital for itself. Now, it was a shadow of its former self, the spires stretched into the air, and the exposed moon cast spindly shadows across the forest floor. Luna stood beneath their shade staring up at the castle she had last seen through twisted and tainted eyes. She gulped, trying to hide some of the fear that was emanating from her, and failing badly. She took a trembling step forward as she stared up at the tattered ramparts, every bone in her body feeling almost numb by the cold of the night, and the chilling feeling of the cold ghostly hands around her neck which had built to a climax as she had arrived here.
This truly was the place. The source of the choking, dying, feeling. Now to find out why it was here.
Luna's steps echoed loudly across the cavernous hall, the gaping space that had once been the ceiling, let the silvery light of the moon shine down into the harmony hall. The pedestal with its five outstretched shelves sat ahead of her, half obscured by the shadows of the surrounding spires.
Luna took a deep breath, closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt her magic travel from her brain down to her horn and then out into the physical world. She opened her eyes and gazed up at her target -the silvery orb floating high in the sky. She bit her lip as she aimed, then fired a single shot of dark blue magic into the atmosphere. A seconds pause, then the moon's light began to intensify. When she looked down again, the princess could see far more thanks to the improved light.
With no understanding of where she was meant to be going, the alicorn decided to investigate the podium. One of the arms that had once held the elements had crumbled and fallen to the floor since she had last been here. Since she had confronted Twilight Sparkle... It all looked the same, she wasn't sure why she was surprised, it wasn't this place that had changed but her. It felt strange standing in the place where she had once -no, Nightmare Moon had once- tried to bring on eternal night to Equestria.
She reached the pedestal and stared at the shelf where loyalty had once sat. Loyalty... maybe if she had had a bit more, she wouldn't have changed, into that... that...
"Goddesssssss?"
Luna jumped, turning in a whirl of startled fear. She searched for the voice that had just spoken, the low sinister whisper. All that greeted her was the sight of the empty chamber. For a few moments, nothing, then came another noise. A low slow laugh, emitting from behind her. "Hmhmhmhmmmmm" Fear was quickly gripping the night princess's thoughts now, the laugh sounded ominously like the draconequus Discord's and the very thought of him being here, struck fear deep in her heart. Her legs shook slightly with nerves as she turned again to look upon the pedestal of the elements.
The laughter seemed to almost build as the princess stared at the stone figure. Her dark ears twitched as they sought out the source, with a trembling footstep, she began to walk around the large stone sentinel and began to inspect the small area behind. As she came closer to the shadowy space, the laugh intensified even more, still a low chuckle, but now Luna was sure she could discern that it was female, not the dark male laugh of Discord. Her legs felt weak with a fleeting sense of relief, only to be crushed by the overwhelming sense of confusion, and fear of the unknown.
As her head passed under the shadow of an overhanging shelf, the laugh died, and all Luna could hear were the faint chirrup of crickets in the far of distance.
The silence was more terrifying than the laugh. She wanted to run, to flee, to cast a teleportation spell and be gone from this place. She wanted to be safe and sound in the comfort of her royal bed sheets with the guards standing resolutely by her door. She bit her lip, thinking hard. As she did she noticed a glow against the cast stone beside her, upon inspection, she realized it was the glow of her own magic. That made her mind up! She wasn't going to let fear control her, so far there had been nothing to suggest anything wrong, only an imagined laugh, which was most likely the wind through the cracks in the walls.
As she brought her nerves under control, she also lowered the glow of her horn, but just before it vanished completely, she spotted something glinting in the corner of her eye in the dwindling light of her magic. She investigated, and found it to be a roughly etched scratching of a moon in the stone of the pedestal. Luna frowned, it was half moon just like the one emblazoned on her flank. She leant in to look closer, unaware of the still dimly lit horn atop her head. As she leant in, the tip of her magnificent horn lightly tapped the rock, and almost immediately the moon, shined silver.
Luna backed away slightly, surprised by this odd kind of magic. The light from the etched moon intensified, glowing so bright that it illuminated the back of the room, casting long shadows up the walls on the side of the hall. A single crack beneath the moon began to shine too and as Luna watched, the white light, almost like a thick slow liquid, began to run down the side of the stone structure and towards the floor.
As the pure light touched the slab on stone on the floor beneath it, a flash of light seemed to emit from beneath it, the light shone from under the stone slab and escaped through the sides of the stone as it gave way to its neighbours. After another moment, the light vanished, leaving behind nothing. Luna frowned, bewildered by what she had just seen. What had it done?
Cautiously, she took a step forward gazing at the stone slab. As her hoof touched the ground, it echoed out around her, and at the sound the floor began to shake. It built quickly and savagely, leaving the dark alicorn frozen in horror. Luna's eyes grew wide with even more fear as the stone slab beneath her shook, then fell away making her plummet down beneath the floor of the hall of harmony, and into the dark gloom beneath her with nothing more than a terrified scream.
Imagine a tunnel, dark and cold. It's width reaches no further than the span of your arms, it's a few feet short of being tall enough to stand straight in, making you have to stoop. In the distance some unseen luminescent material casts a dreadful green glow against the walls, making them look almost alive as it flickers and makes them seem as though they're breathing. No other light is visible, and the green glow only illuminates the bare minimum for you to see, it's a cold, horrible place, and the stink, the stench of death surrounding you grants this place the deserving title of 'Hell.'
This was the tunnel that Luna found herself in now. As she pulled herself from the ground groggily and looked around, her head gave an agonizing pang. She yelped and reached up to investigate the problem, when she pulled her hoof away, she saw the faint speckle of red blood against it. When had she hit her head? When he had fallen? If so, she didn't remember which suggested that she'd been knocked unconscious, and judging by the bitter cold running up her body making her shiver, she'd been out for a while.
Luna glanced around the dark tunnel, it lead off in two directions, no sign or carving like the image of the moon could be seen. She had no idea which way to go. It was then she felt it again. Those dead hand groping and caressing her body, there were more of them now, many more! Maybe it meant she was closer to finding the source of the sense, but it still made Luna feel sick to her stomach. She felt the taste in the back of her throat, almost like acid burning away slowly making her almost gag and vomit right there. She fought back however, swallowed brought her growing nerves under control as best she could, and began to move down the tunnel, slowly and cautiously.
As she walked, she swore she could hear something, almost like a clicking noise, following her as she walked, stooped down low in the narrow passageway. She stopped and held her ears high, trying to discern if the noise was real or not. As she stopped however, all the noise seemed to die away once again leaving her in total silence. A little rumble as a stone fell to the floor just ahead made Luna jump. She looked ahead, and was sure she saw something... like a hoof... disappearing around the sharp corner ahead.
"Wait!" Luna cried, trotting forward to catch up with the pony. Her voice was shaky and squeaked with fear, but she was determined to catch whoever had just vanished around the bend. She would stop them, and make them explain what this place was! Normally, the idea of shouting in such a place, filled with Celestia knows what kind of creatures or threats, would have seemed foolish, but Luna's nerves were beginning to get the better of her. She refused to leave before there was genuine reason, but she no longer wished to be alone in this terribly dark place.
She rounded the corner, her hoof steps echoing loudly all around her. "Please wait!" She cried again. Then stopped. There was nothing. No other pony, no passageway, only a wall. Luna would have run straight into it if not for the glowing toadstools at the base, illuminating the end to the stone hallway. Luna scowled in complete confusion. She had been sure she'd seen somepony!
Annoyance quickly gave way to genuine fear when Luna began to ponder... if nopony was here now, and she'd seen one come around the corner, then where were they now? Luna's ears twitched again as another sound came from behind her. The soft rattle of a small stone falling again... and the distinct sound of something softly touching the floor. Luna whirled around, "I knew I saw somepo- AAAAHHHHH!!!" the princess screamed as something small and black leaped towards her from the gloomy shadows. All she could register before she fell backwards was the flash of sharp white teeth, and the gleam of two bright green, lifeless eyes.
She fell towards the wall, and hit her head again against the hard stone. Stars exploded into life around her vision, blurring her assailant threatening to drag Luna back into unconsciousness. For the second her vision was blurred, Luna lost track of her attacker, she only knew that it's weight against her chest vanished. When the stars finally disappeared, and the dim tunnel came back into view, there was no sign of green eyes or shining teeth.
Luna stared into the gloom, every inch of her quaking in terror at what had just happened. A second of pause passed, the she hear it above her, a scrabbling noise and the displacement of more stones. She glanced up to see a gaping hole in the ceiling, plenty large enough for that... thing, to climb into and flee. But what had it been? She hadn't seen it fully, and before she could truly see it, it had vanished.
The deep thoughts caused her head to pang hard. She winced and checked her head again, this time there was a lot of blood. The sight made her feel woozy, she swayed slightly and staggered back against the wall, she had just enough control to avoid another head bump while she thought.
She needed to go home, not out of fear -though every part of her shuck with plenty of it- but out of concern for her own well being. The blood coming from the multiple head wounds was far more concerning than investigating what was down here, she could always return, now she knew something was here -be it evil, or simply wild- she had evidence to present to Tia. She took a deep breath, cleared her mind, then began to think of Canterlot.
As her mind filled with the image of the city, with its castle's many flags and parapets, she wished to go home. She saw the tunnel walls glow with the blue tint of her magic and she sighed with relief. At least the blows to her head hadn't affected her ability with magic. She thought of her room. Her bed, her warm covers, the safety of the guards outside. Then finally, the word. 'Transport!'
Nothing.
She stared at the long tunnel ahead of her, still it was that dark green circle surrounded by black. It didn't vanish from sight in an explosion of her blue magic, the sound of the spell discharging didn't fill her ears. She still stood there, alone in the dark.
She tried again, this time closing her eyes ensuring she could concentrate fully, but yet again, when she opened her eyes, the grim passageway was there to great her. Luna was worried now, for some unknown reason, she wasn't able to teleport out of the dank and cold place. Nervously glancing up at the hole I the ceiling, conscious of the fact that the creature with sharp teeth could return while she was vulnerable, Luna decided to make her way back down the dark passage, towards where she had started.
So she did. Her hoof steps were far slower than before, more sluggish as well, she could hear the sound of her hooves scraping loudly as she put one in front of the other. Soon after beginning, she realised how bad the blows to the head had affected her. It was becoming a tremendous effort just to keep moving forward, and with each step she took, her head screamed in protest. She tried not to be sick, the pain coupled with the ever present dark sense made it difficult for the princess to keep her lunch down. However, by swallowing hard, and concentrating on where she was going, she was able to avoid emptying her stomach.
After what felt like hours of waling Luna stopped and looked around. She was sure she'd been here. Then again, being a simple tunnel meant that most of the walls looked identical and made it impossible to be sure if the night princess was near where she began or if she had passed it without realising. Luna glanced back, bighting her lip with worry. HAD she passed where she had awoken? She gazed up at the roof of the tunnel, hoping to find some tell tale sign of the hole she had fallen down.
Being the first time she had looked up, her mouth gaped in shock. Even if the hole he fell down was there, she had no way of telling. Hundreds gaping spaces were carved through the ceiling, plenty of them sizable enough to fit a pony of her build and stature through. Why were there so many? More importantly, what had made them? They were far larger than any subterranean creature she knew of.
"Hmhmhmhmmmmm..." Luna jumped, that was definitely a laugh again! Not an open cackle like a coyote, but the concealed giggle of a pony! Luna stared down the passage which she had not yet taken, sure the noise had come from down there.
"Hello?" She asked cautiously... remembering that that noise had been up on the surface just before she had been plunged into this dark nightmare. No response came. "I-I..." Luna began, trying to put some authority in her quivering voice. "I... am Princess Luna, ruler of the night... and you shall reveal yourself!" More silence.
Then...
"Luunaaaaa..." That same low voice whispered back, mimicking the name it had just been given.
"Yes! Now come out!" She ordered. A screaming silence came to great her, which scared the princess even more than the whisper, it meant that whatever it was, had either left her, meaning she was alone once more... or even worse it had stopped speaking so it could come closer without detection. Luna's legs began to shake violently. "Are you still there?!"
"Luunaaa..." The voice repeated, far more faintly this time. Down the passageway. Luna knew it would be foolish to follow, so she turned back, deciding to try and make her way back towards the dead end, she could try and blast her way out, at least with a dead end she knew whatever the voice belonged to couldn't approach without her spotting it quickly.
Luna turned, and screamed, as what looked like a thousand green eyes stared back at her from within the gloom of the tunnel. They must have dropped from those holes above, but how had they done it so silently, so impossibly? The closest pairs of eyes stared back, just beneath gleamed rows of sharp teeth. Luna let out another scream, and ran away, the only way she could, towards the voice.
She didn't look back, she kept running, the exertion made her head pound so painfully it blocked out all sound, her blood throbbed loudly in her ears as her vision blurred with terrified tears. She rounded several corners, and was blessed as she saw no more eyes waiting for her. She spotted several smaller tunnels sprouting off from the one she was streaking down, but as she glanced down each one, she saw more eyes staring back at her. With another scream, Luna kept running.
She was so intent on what she was doing, she didn't even see the tunnel suddenly explode outwards into an enormous spherical chamber. Only when the tight space around her disappeared did Luna realise what she had stumbled across. She turned back and saw a large boulder close to the entrance. Praying that her magic wasn't completely damaged, that it was only teleportation, she clenched her teeth and willed the large rock to move.
A chorus of screeches emitted from the tunnel making Luna stop and stare. Then she saw the true extent of the danger she was in! From the dark, occasionally illuminated briefly by the green glow of the walls, was a seething mass of... things... the green of their hateful eyes was the only true thing she could see properly. The occasional mangled looking hoof came into view, or a sharpened horn, but one thing was constant, their bloodcurdling shrieks as they poured towards the princess.
With adrenaline suddenly fuelling her actions, Luna poured all her spirit into her horn, clenching her eyes shut in fear ad concentration she begged it to push the boulder into the place of the tunnel entrance. Painstakingly slowly, the rock began to roll, awkwardly due to its odd shape. Luna dared a peek out from behind her scrunched up eyes and saw the swarm of monsters was getting even closer. The boulder was beginning to obscure the entrance, but not yet fully block it, if she didn't hurry they would come pouring in and Luna -exhausted by the run and dazed by her injuries- would stand no chance against such a vast horde.
They were almost there, a few more seconds and they would be on her. One single pair of eyes seemed to be closer than the rest, was it about to make the gap before the boulder blocked them out? 'Only... a little... more!' Luna thought between bursts of willpower as she put everything she had into the last line of defence. The rock had only centimetres left. The princess saw it was about to roll that last bit, she willed it to hurry, and as it began to tip. The creature in the lead screeched loudly. Luna opened her eyes in time to see it reach out, screaming, it's decaying and mangled hoof searching for undoubtedly the princess's throat.
The hoof passed over the threshold, just as the boulder began to roll to its side once again. The large rock came down hard on the small black limb, crushing it with a loud crunch that made Luna cringe in disgust. The limb flailed in pain and an agonising screech came from the other side. The limb pulled back in retreat and as it did, it allowed the rock to fall those last few centimetres and fully block the gap with an echoing thud.
Luna was panting now, out of both exhaustion and fear. Now she had the chance, she stared around the cavernous cave, it was slightly brighter in here, and it was obvious why. At the base of the walls was the occasional crystal. Not small ones like in the Canterlot jewellers, but enormous clear beauties tinted with green which reflected and refracted the light of the fungi back into the room. They looked both beautiful, and terrifying at the same time.
Then came the voice.
"Thank you for shutting out the children... now the adults are free to talk! Hmhmhmhmmmm" That laugh again! So whoever, or whatever had been outside, then in the passageway, was now inside this large chamber with Luna. Luna stayed silent, she quickly cast a spell to brighten her horn, the crystals enhanced the light as best they could, but Luna's spell was weak, she was tired. So very tired, darkness not of the real world was creeping in the corner of her eyes, threatening to drag her into a forced sleep, but she kept her eyes wide, forcing the dark back!
Luna turned in a circle as she crossed the room, ensuring she spied out every spot of shadow where the owner of the voice could be lurking. It was hopeless, there were far too many places it could be hiding. Her flank suddenly bumped against something, she glanced back to see the largest crystal in the room, towering above her. It was almost... mesmerising. She turned around and stood head on, as she looked down, she saw another tunnel just to the right of the large gem, this one slightly larger than the last, easier to move through.
But before she could bring herself to make her way into it and continue onwards, she felt drawn to the crystal almost as though something was calling to her from it. As her gaze returned to it, she realized the sweat relief of the cold dead hands vanishing. For the first time since she had returned, she finally was her normal self again.
The crystal was intricate it actually reflected a perfect image of the princess back, her upper half exposed by her spell, the rest of her vanished into the surrounding dark. She almost found serenity within the stone, a slight moment of calm even with everything that was happening, with those things just on the other side of the boulder, with that voice somewhere in there with her.
As Luna stared, the moment of relief was shattered as she felt a breath on her neck, cold and saw two dark green eye pop into life over her reflection's shoulder.
"Nice to see you finally answered my calls... mother..." Luna didn't scream, she didn't move. She merely stood there, her eyes fixed on those two gleaming green eyes above her left shoulder. They glinted with malice at her, then disappeared from view. Luna took the moment as an opportunity, not for a moment did it occur to her that the creature could have attacked her easily just then, all she knew was it had moved away, and that was her chance. She made her way towards the tunnel and tried to escape, but as she did, she saw from within the dark, more of those first creatures. Small and black; they blended into the shadows perfectly and if it hadn't been for their eyes, the princess would have run straight into them. So why hadn't they kept themselves hidden?
"What' the matter mother?" Cried the voice in mock pain. "Forgotten me all ready? It was only a year ago! Then again..." Luna began to back away into the centre of the cavern praying for some sight of the creature addressing her. She spotted several other tunnels leading off from the camber, but didn't dare make the same mistake twice, there were sure to be more of them waiting further ahead, she had to wait for her chance, then somehow, miraculously make it out alive. By the sound of the voice, it was female... "We have both changed so much in a year, haven't we?" It questioned the princess as if an old friend. Then again it was already calling her 'Mother' for whatever reason. "Don't worry, I understand." It giggled playfully "Here, let me remind you..."
A sudden blast of dark green light exploded from one of the many shadowy corners of the room. It sailed straight for the poor princess, who in her need to preserve her own life, ducked and abandoned her light spell. Plunging her into near darkness, besides the light of the large green spell sailing overhead. Luna knew that even though she'd seen the origin of the spell, the darkness she had just gifted her attacker was her downfall, by the time she got up, she knew the entity must have moved.
She prepared to re-cast her spell, when suddenly a new light flickered into life from behind her. Faint and changing oddly. Luna turned to see the large crystal from before now glowing an array of different colours. She didn't dare approach it knowing what lay close by, but she stared, realising the spell had not been meant to strike her, but the enormous gem.
As she watched the colours solidify, and swirl to form shapes that she recognized as the castle above ground, Luna heard voices, as though over a large expanse of water, faint and echoing. "W-what are you?" one voice asked, broken and dishevelled. Luna recognized it as the voice that had just addressed her. Only more hoarse, and more pained. The image suddenly sprang to life before her, and showed a creature, almost like a pony, shrouded in shadow above its waste, at the back of Element's chamber. Before it stood...
No...it couldn't be... she would remember, she could recall everything she had done! This was false, a lie, a fabrication! It had to be! "Your salvation." Replied Nightmare Moon from within the crystal. Giving a wicked smile as she did so.
"You're a pony! What could you do to save us?" The shadowy figure spat viciously. Nightmare laughed that dreadful laugh, the one that came from her evil soul. Luna hated watching this, yet she couldn't look away, she was too afraid. She had to see this...
"Time..." Nightmare mused, "I can give you time, safe from anypony else, to recover, to build up your strength, then reform your numbers." The pony like figure scoffed, yet she sounded slightly interested.
"Why?"
"I may have use of you in time." Nightmare chuckled, and the image faded returning to the tinted green of before.
Luna stared at the crystal incredulous at what she had just watched.
"You found me..." Whispered the voice once again, pulling Luna's attention from the giant gem. "Helped me into this place, and let me live my life. It's just a shame that you never came back..." There as almost an air of misery within the entity's tone now."But I never lost faith, I waited, and called, begging for Nightmare Moon to return to me, the creature she saved, the one who idolised her, as almost a mother." Luna understood now, the feeling she had felt was not meant for her, but for the monster she had once been.
"But now that I see you... I'm not that impressed..." Luna gulped hard, she wasn't sure, but she had a feeling she knew what was coming. She glanced to the tunnels again, still those things waited outside. She still didn't know what they were! That image in the crystal had done almost nothing, only confirm Luna's worst fear. That the reason these things were here, was because of her actions. Because of Nightmare's actions. Though she didn't like it, it seemed that the best escape route was the tunnel to the side of the crystal, it was the largest, and while that meant the more monsters could be there, she could fit through and be able to run without stooping, she could be as fast as her body would allow. She just had to get rid of them for a second.
A soft noise echoed from her side, Luna turned and saw from the glow of the cave, two green eyes, and a long slender figure, slowly making its way forward. "I'd never consider killing my mother..." It purred, loving every second of this. "But... I've heard you claim you're nothing like the glorious Nightmare Moon..."
"Exactly!" Luna squeaked, backing away, trying to avoid the approaching creature. "That thing is long gone!" The figure stopped, and the glistening of sharp white teeth flashed beneath the eyes in an evil smile.
"That's good, then ending you won't mean anything to me." Luna realised the trap she'd just thrown herself in, knowing there was no way to escape what she'd said, she fled.
She rushed towards the tunnel and those creatures writhed with joy as se approached, each clamouring over another to get close. Luna let out a scream, both of fear and adrenaline as she rushed the waiting group. Her horn flashed, and a sort of shield appeared around her, streamline and only covering her front half, she meant it as a battering ram.
Luna ploughed through the creatures, who all scratched and screamed as she slammed past them. She felt several claws lash out at her unprotected back and rear, gouging deep cuts into her. Yet the pain didn't reach her, not yet anyway. That would come later, if she survived. Amongst the crying and screams, Luna heard something else, that laugh again, carrying unnaturally easily over the other creatures' cries. Then, as fast as they had risen up, the screeches died. Luna looked around, not daring to take down her shield, they were gone. For the third time that night, she found herself alone in the catacombs.
She rounded several corners and took a few of the smaller tunnels, going in what she hoped was a confusing pattern for the creatures to follow. Then, sure she had put severe distance between her and the large chamber, dropped the shield and collapsed to the ground, panting. Her head screamed at her, in excruciating pain after such use and stress. Luna reached up and touched the back of her head, wincing terribly as she felt the large lump now on the back, horribly tender and -as she pulled her hoof back she saw- still bleeding.
She breathed heavily, her breath coming out shaky and laboured. What could she do? It seemed her magic was working fine, so why hadn't she been able to teleport of there? She bit her lip and tried again, focusing on the comforting feeling of home, the safety and security of Canterlot. Yet again, as her horn glowed, she thought 'Teleport!' Still nothing! Luna gasped in frustration, why couldn't she escape? Was it the rocks around her, could they hold some magical property that stopped her? Or was it... that creature, the owner of the voice.
"Taking a breather are we?" Luna bolted to her feet and stared ahead straight into those dark green eyes. They were only feet away. Luna screamed in horror, turned back and began to run again. She heard no signs of pursuit, but didn't dare look back for fear of seeing those dark green orbs of evil again. 'Keep running! Find a way to escape! Find a place to hide! Just keep running!'
After what felt like an hour of running, Luna turned a corner, and was halted by a wall of creatures, all of them gnashing their teeth in hunger at her. High above the rest of them, sat two eyes, slimmer than the rest more slanted, more devious. "Oh dear, wrong turn... try again!" The eyes squinted as their owner began to laugh, not a chuckle this time, but a full blown cackle. Luna reared backwards, turned tail and ran, rounding the corner too fast and slamming hard into the wall of the tunnel. She felt the stone graze her hard, but she bit through the pain. She carried on running, this time only running for a few minutes before jumping into a tunnel only to immediately flee out of it again as a voice just ahead of her said playfully. "Nope!"
How was it getting ahead of her so easily? Luna dived into a small opening, and buckled under her own weight on an uneven footing. She tumbled to the floor in pain, and skidded a few feet. She let out a sob, not of pain, but despair. How was she to get out? How long had she been gone, would Tia send a rescue? Would they even discover this place? Without her own consent, she found herself crying quietly, clutching at her now throbbing hoof. "Tia! Help me Tia please, I need you... I-I can't get out! T-T-T..." For a moment, all her thoughts were clouded by wild, unimaginable fear, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold and stinking air. Then screamed, so loud she fealt the ground beneath her shake slightly, as though she hoped her sister would hear her from so far away.
"TIIIIIAAAAAAAAA!"
She knew what she'd done, as soon as she finished, the moment of blind madness passed, and reason resumed. She stood, tenderly testing her hoof, it hurt, but she could stand it! Slowly, careful to not let her hooves make the slightest sound, she backed slowly from the tunnel opening. A second later, she saw a shadowy shape appear against the wall, cast by the grim green light. It looked like a pony, but it had holes within the flesh of its legs. The sight nearly made the princess gag, what was this thing?!? She cupped her hooves to her mouth, trying to hide even the sound of her thunderous shaking breathes while still quietly backing away.
After a few steps back, Luna felt her flank touch something. At first she thought it a wall, meaning her being trapped, but as she stood there. She heard something that made her blood freeze. "You really don't understand Hide and seek now do you mother?" Luna's eyes widened in tormented horror, as she felt the surface she was touching rise slowly and fall, as the thing breathed. A terrified squeak escaped her lips as she heard the laugh, that damned, cursed laugh, filling the small passageway.
She heard it moving behind her, getting louder, meaning it was leaning in closer. Only one chance. She felt the cold breath trickling up her neck as undoubtedly those sharp teeth she'd already seen prepared t bite down, her fur stood on end as terrified shivers ran across her body. She tensed herself, preparing what she hoped would give her an opportunity. With every ounce of strength left inside her weakened body, she turned and swung her horn as hard she could, using it as a weapon. As she turned, she felt it connect with something above the figures head, almost like a horn itself, but as the green eyes whipped out of sight from the force of the blow, Luna didn't investigate. She took her chance and ran down the hall before the creature had time to recover. If it snuck up from behind, then there must be another tunnel down here to escape through! Surely!
A dead end.
Luna stopped and stared in disbelief. Just like when she first arrived, it stood there defying her, and blocking her way. Luna looked around, searching desperately for a way out. There had to be one! There just had to be!
"Ohh, yooohhhoooo?" Luna froze, she glanced back quickly and saw the silhouette against the wall, walking leisurely towards her. "You're more like Nightmare Moon then you think princess... That was quite a cheap shot just now!" Luna returned to investigating the wall, knowing she only had mere moments left. "That's good..." The slim figure continued. "I was worried she was completely gone, but to see that side of you...I...love it." the voice seemed to find deep pleasure in the word love. It rolled off the tongue slowly and caringly.
Luna flailed around silently, trying to find an opening, and escape route, SOMETHING! "Don't be afraid princess... you're not alone..." Luna couldn't help but stop and glance back again, the shadow was far larger now, taking up most of the wall, she saw a few long slender strands of hair sway gently from side to side now it was so close to the wall. "After all," The shadows lips curled, forming the words Luna could hear, almost like it was the creature itself, not just its blocking of the dim light. "When we take Canterlot, everypony will suffer! You won't be the only one!" Caterlot?!? They planned on attacking Canterlot?
"Tia..." Luna whispered, horror of an entirely new breed growing in the pit of her stomach. The fear for her loved ones' well being! As if on cue, or by some response the sun goddess's name. Something glinted into Luna's eyes. She squinted, the bright light after such gloom and dark hurt terribly. She held up a hoof to obscure the blinding light, and see what it was. It was warm, and bright.
Sunlight!
Luna realised what this meant, she must be at the end of the catacombs, at the highest point, in the nether between light and dark. She had been down here for what felt like days, but she had obviously been here or hours, hence the now radiant sun outside! Without thought Luna leant back aimed her horn, and fired a blast as hard as she could at the small sliver of light seeping through the cracks in stone. She heard an almighty crack, and when she looked up, the crack was far wider, letting in even more light. Dust fell from the ceiling as the tunnel shook, and Luna almost basked in the glow, of the Celestia's work! Being the princess of the night, she had never been so happy to see the sun!
Luna saw the shadow freeze, as she took another breath and built up another spell, she saw it begin to run instead of walk. "NO!" It screamed, realising too late. Luna fired again, feeling liberated by her act of defiance against her tormentor. Yet still all to conscious that she still may not make it out. There was now a hole, most was vaporised upon the impact of the spell, but some stones fell, one struck Luna's damaged shoulder, for the hundredth time that night she winced, she only cared about avoiding hitting her head again. She couldn't afford to be knocked out again! Not now she was so close! "STOP HER!" The shadow screamed, and surely enough came the overwhelming gnashing of teeth, and screeches of the little creatures from before!
Luna fired one final shot, which cleared a hole large enough for her to get through! She looked back again, through the light and dust, she saw them, a sea of green eyes. All of them vying for their kill. Luna spread her wings and beat hard, dust swirled around her, and obscured those monsters slightly. They were getting closer.
Luna was up! She was in the air, she reached out, and grabbed the ledge. Tucking her wings tightly against herself now, she pulled hard and hoisted herself up and out. Daylight! She spotted a few trees and the distant mountains of Canterlot, but didn't focus on them, she needed to get away! So close!
Luna felt her haunches pass through the hole. She let out her wings again and took to the air, determined to get away from this terrible place! She felt herself begin to pull away, she was free! Then suddenly her momentum was stopped!
Luna fell down, unable to keep herself in the air. She collapsed to the rocky floor, slamming her muzzle hard into the rugged ground. She swung her head around in horror, to see a hoof, Black, hole ridden and cold, clinging to her hind leg. It sprouted from the hole in the rock like a terrible nightmare. Far more terrifying than any story Luna had heard in her life. Luna let out an ear piercing scream. Filled with despair and torment, she had been so close! So close! She writhed hopelessly, trying to free herself, but it was in vain.
The hoof began to pull her back. Luna clutched at the rocky ground, but found no purchase, nothing to hold onto to pull back. The hole sat there, from her perspective it seemed to be opening up like a mouth, preparing to drag her in and consume her. Luna's screams didn't contain words now, they simply were the primal yells of a creature near its demise.
She rolled over an uneven sheet of stone, she tried to grab it, but it's angel did nothing to help her but flip her onto her back. She now watched, unable to twist around, unable to move her forelegs in a way to help, as the hole reached the tip of her hind hoof. Her leg curved back into the dark, consumed by the shadows. She could feel the little creatures scraping the bottom of it. But if they were so short, what had a hold of her now? As her tail and lower body slid back in, Luna's body angled to gaze back in.
There she saw once again, those two green eyes. So different from all the others now seething at Luna's hooves, they held true emotion, not blind fury like all the others. They held true hatred, rage, and anger. The owner of the eyes had lost all composure now, no jokes, laughing or snide remarks. Luna's near escape had obliterated all its desire to play. Now the once smiling teeth, were now baring down, parted in a terrible snarl. With each tug on her leg, Luna heard a grunt coming from this taller creature, obviously furious at her catch almost escaping.
"No!" It grunted. Luna screamed again, her shoulders now passing into the shadows once more. She felt a claw dig into her calf, she was obviously low enough for the others now! "NO!" the creature grunted again, louder this time!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" this time it was Luna saying it. She clung on with the tips of her forehooves, and began flailing her hind legs as much as possible. She felt the grip slacken slightly for a second, it wasn't expecting her to have any fight left in her! WRONG! She still had fight left!
She kicked, kicked, and kicked again, she felt her free leg collide with the head of one of the small creatures. She then swung it backwards and into her other legs captor. It connected hard, Another grunt, this one of pain and shock, reached Luna's ears. The grip slackened again. Luna spread her wings within the passage way, her plan worked, the wing sent the creatures backwards with the force they swung out with. The hoof holding her slackened even more, then...
She was free!
She pulled harder than last time, hoisting herself up faster, this time she didn't give her attackers chance to grab her, instead of staying in legs reach, she rolled down the steep incline of the rocky outcropping. Several rolls away, she sprang up, staggered slightly with her now spinning vision. She focused, her horn began to glow. She stared at the hole, and saw those green eyes, wide in horror and rage. It's mouth gaped open in a scream of defeat, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Luna thought hard.
'Teleport!' And there was a flash of dark blue, she was gone!
