Why does it always have to be this dark… the quivering filly thought to herself before she shook her head and sighed. "Just take it one step at a time, Scootaloo. You've done this before… just one step at a time," she said, though the sentence was meant to reassure her and help keep her nerves from destabilizing again, each word came out quieter and more unnerving than the last.
She hated feeling fear, she hated going on her own, even if it was safer. But perhaps most of all, she hated the dark and was sick and tired of seeing it. The lack of warm colored light had, of course, started to get to many ponies. It sickened them. The lack of sunlight wasn't natural of course, it meant things couldn't grow right, if at all. It meant the lack of warmth and play, the lack of sharp vision, the lack of security. So it didn't surprise Scootaloo at all with just how dark the long and foreboding hallway was.
Looking around and making sure nopony had followed her, as instructed, she quickly reached into her saddlebags and rummaged around nervously. "C'mon, where's that stu- stupid thing," she muttered, her voice cracking a bit. The silence was beyond unnerving, even if it meant she was, in fact, safer being alone, ironic but very true.
Finally, she found the object of her desire, a small and very portable lantern that could be easily lit with the tap of one's hooves. The thing was designed in such a way to allow just enough light to leak out around the occupant in question, but not so much that one could easily be seen. Objects and inventions like that were, of course, quite illegal but were a necessity ever since she took over. They required no unicorn magic of any kind, self-powered by a portable battery.
She looked around nervously yet again and with a deep breath, she placed her front hoof over the top of the lantern and soon it slowly illuminated a small area of her surroundings. Feeling slightly better, if not much, she hooked the tiny lantern to the back of her bags and cantered onward. The light was barely enough to help her sight, but it was a damn sight better than before so she took a shuddering breath and continued onward.
Every once in a while the unnerving silence was broken up by the occasional jingle of the lantern, or her hooves. This obviously didn't help matters, but she knew hurrying along wasn't in her best interest. "One step at a time… slow as you can go," she urged herself and eventually was able to make a steady pace, despite her fear.
She rounded a corner only to enter another similar looking hallway of darkness. Stopping for a moment and double checking her map, she made sure that turning right and not left was, in fact, the right direction before moving on. "One- one s- step at a time…" she stuttered.
The darkness from the precious hallway was nothing compared to the new one. While the moon was absolutely sickening to see to most ponies, it at least provided some form of light in the open entryway from earlier, now it was completely gone with only her magic lantern to light her way. It was near impossible to make out any details beyond the occasional stone column and odd pony statue which looked to have seen better days. Several had simply crumpled to dust and or broken down to rocks. Gulping and doing her best to ignore the finer details of the forbidden place, she simply tried to do her best to move onward. With each passing step, it became harder and harder to justify moving forward.
After a few more map checks and a few more turns, Scootaloo decided it was high time to take a break. Sighing to herself again, she placed her hoof over the lantern and watched its light slowly fade into nothing. She hastily took a seat on the cold and unwelcoming stone and waited, the only noise that could be heard was her breathing exercises which were meant to calm a scared little filly. They didn't help much.
How do I even know this will work…? she thought suddenly. What she was doing seemed both crazy and a tad exciting, if not one of the riskiest things she could ever think to try. Does it matter? What other choice do you have?
She had to admit, her brain had a good point. It was getting harder and harder to stay hidden as the da- nights stretched into eternity. Even for the "free" creatures, she could sense a feeling of complete unease as time marched onward. Feelings had become bitter, dreams turned to dark thoughts of utter madness, hope but a faint ember in the ever eternal nights. But it wasn't just herself that felt this way, she could tell practically everypony and everybody had started to succumb to the darkness, to their bitter thoughts and dark ideas. With every passing d- night, more and more would give into their new queen's dark and sickening way of life. With every passing night, more would join her army with even more on the way.
Dreams had become particularly difficult to deal with. Shakily she reached into her bag and rummaged around until she found yet another illegal item: a dreamcatcher. Enchanted by some of the most powerful unicorns who could still think for themselves, it was their only weapon against the queen's nightmares. Sleep obviously didn't come easily to the young filly, or anypony for that matter, for it was a sure fire way to wake up as another of the queen's army; it was a sure fire way to lose one's soul. Shaking in fear at the mere thought, Scootaloo fought back tears of despair and anguish while her bitter thoughts continued to circle around in a loop of eternal darkness. Suddenly she could sense magic swirling around her as she panicked, watching sickening shadows began to envelop her little hallway.
Scootaloo bit her lip as hard as she could, desperate to chase those thoughts away. It didn't take long for her lips to begin bleeding, which seemed to do the trick. Almost instantly all the bitter thoughts of giving up vanished, leaving her just a tiny ember of hope. She could sense a forbidden sort of magic creep away from the forbidden chamber, just as mysteriously as it had entered. Her body began to itch incessantly.
It's getting worse, she thought with a shake of her head. It hadn't been the first time she nearly gave into thoughts of despair, and if she didn't hurry to her destination then it would not be her last. Scootaloo then placed her catcher away and rummaged around in her bag until she found a black felt box, inside were several hoof crafted cylinders, crafted from fine wood. On either side, she could see the faint etching of a little bird, a phoenix. Feeling herself yawning, she gently placed the end of one of the cylinders into her muzzle, of all things and firmly placed her hoof on the end side, not unlike the lantern.
The effects were immediate.
She took a few deep breaths as a strange magical substance began pouring into her lungs and into her bloodstream with her nervous system putting out little signals of panic. Her fight or flight response urged her to run, to stop what she was doing and to hide, but she ignored her body's cries for help and finished the substance until the entire thing was drained. When it was done, Scootaloo sighed and blinked in astonishment. She could feel new found energy coursing through her little body while she wings buzzed in excitement. The magic found in the strange capsules were nothing compared to a good night's sleep, but it was the best she could do until her mission was over. She then set the capsule aside which collected alongside several other spent ones and shut the box. She shook her head and lit the lantern again before moving on. The first few steps she was forced to pause while her ears began to ring and she could feel the world began to tilt to the side with a wave of nausea hit her.
"S- stupid capsules," she stuttered while clenching her teeth in pain.
Panting for air she took a long swig of water from her canteen while she waited out the pain. She was wide awake, sure, but that meant her other senses were just as overcharged, too. As if her whole body had just been through a fire. It took a solid five minutes before her body let up so she could continue; it was still somewhat painful, but her body was slowly growing used to the magical drug.
After checking and rechecking the map for probably the fiftieth time, she finally ended up somewhere that wasn't just an endless series of hallways. And she wasn't alone.
"Halt young one, show me your face, prove to me that you lack the dark queen's… grace," the stranger said, muttering the last word with a grunt of contempt.
Scootaloo stopped in her tracks and quirked a brow, trying to squint through the darkness. Her mini lantern failing to give her many details. "Uh, do you always rhyme like that?"
"...Rhyming is how I learned to speak just like you, but I can see by your tone that your values are not askew," she said and stepped forward. The mare that Scootaloo imagined in her head wasn't at all how she imagined.
"You're a zebra? But… I- I thought you'd be a unicorn!" Scootaloo exclaimed, sounding flustered and annoyed.
For a few moments, she didn't speak and simply circled the young filly, examining her from head to hoof. The Zebra wore a dark looking cloak of some kind which shielded her body. Finally, she spoke.
"Ah, it is most fortunate that a unicorn I am not.
Too many fall to the dark queen's magical rot.
Bane and boon, can a unicorn's horn be,
It has the magic to set fallen ones free.
And to protect the mind, it shields,
From the thought control she wields.
But a horn's magic shines too bright,
It can be seen, as a fire in the black of night.
Because of this, very few who possess a horn are trusted,
Leaving many with horns which are… adjusted…"
"Um, are you saying she can find other ponies by using a unicorn's horn? Th- that she can find ones in hiding by using that?" Scootaloo asked, already feeling the answer in her gut.
She nodded. "Now I must inquire,
Why travel here, is your news dire?"
Scootaloo was about to reach into her saddlebag when she stopped dead in her tracks. "First, sh- show me your lantern," she said, cursing under her breath at just how frightened she sounded.
"Ah, forgive me it must have slipped my mind," she said and quickly waved her hoof over a near-identical lantern to Scootaloo's. It slowly illuminated her face, revealing the finer details. It was then that the small filly promptly screamed. "Calm yourself, surely this proves we are aligned."
It took all of ten seconds for Scootaloo to quiet down as she blushed. "I- I'm s- so- sorry," she stuttered. "It's just, um, you look kind of scary…"
The zebra sighed.
"The queen's scouts saw through my trickery
and gave me this scar upon their victory," she said rather bitterly.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that," Scootaloo said rather dumbly. Though she couldn't help but notice that she hadn't even introduced herself. "I'm Scootaloo by the way."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, young Scootaloo,
Call me Zecora. But believe we have business to do?"
"Huh? Oh!" she exclaimed and hastily rummaged into her bag and found the object of her desire. It was a simple scroll that had been nicely sealed and placed inside of a metal container for safe keeping. The outside of the container had various runes and emblems adorned along the side, but none were more so prominent or important as the main symbol in the center: a shining phoenix, for just like the Phoenix could die and resurrect, so too could the sun.
Carefully the young foal took the capsule and touched it to her lantern. In an instant, the runes shone to life with the same prominent color seen in Celestia's holy sun until the seal finally broke. Zecora smiled and retrieved the scroll from inside while Scootaloo placed the seal carefully back into her bag and waited.
Zecora hummed to herself as she carefully read the scroll over and over. Scootaloo also noticed some of the wording on the parchment would glow dimly, changing the text form the magic of the lantern to reveal something that had been previously hidden. She figured it was a nice way to conceal secrets which were sorely needed in the age of the dark queen.
Zecora continued to carefully read what had been inscribed on the note, making the occasional note on a separate parchment, but Scootaloo began to grow worried. Technically speaking there wasn't anything wrong with getting nervous when you were alone with a strange zebra and were inside a long, dark and forbidden hallway. That was a perfectly sane thing to feel. But something about the whole situation felt off to Scootaloo. She hadn't done many deliveries before, Zecora being the first of hopefully many to come, but the unnerving silence really wasn't helping her stay calm. Suddenly an even stronger disquieting metamorphosis was sensed by the young filly, somehow getting even more muted. She glanced over to Zecora to make sure that she was alright, and no dark magic had gotten to her mind, though the zebra continued to read as if nothing was wrong with the world.
Easy, Scootaloo. Things are fine, she's just translating the runes or something. Easy, she thought as she nervously glanced down to a few strange devices in her saddlebag. One probably wouldn't be of much help if they got caught, being a simple first aid kit. The second was a magically enchanted flare, meant to alert the Shining Phoenix to not come visit whatever place where the blaze would have gone off. In retrospect, Scootaloo noticed that it was only really useful for aiding the Shining Phoenix by warning them of threats in case of capture; she'd been instructed to only use it if defeat was imminent.
Kind of useless if you want to get rescued though… she thought bitterly.
The third and final item was effectively a weapon of sorts, which thankfully had gone unused in her travels. While it no doubt would be useful in case of actual emergencies, Scootaloo didn't very much enjoy the weapon's origin, as the Queen's "Shadow Guard" had long ago figured a way to outfit their soldiers, namely Earth Ponies with some magic of their own. Carefully her hoof rubbed the side of the case which held a spiraling horn, what was strange about it wasn't that it was a unicorn's horn or even the fact that it was attached to no actual head or body. No, the strangest thing, that made Scootaloo queasy to even think about, was the lack of actual skin found on the horn. It was simply a small, spirling horn made from bone with a few strange runes attached to it.
Breaking her chain of thoughts, Zecora finally spoke again.
"This map is indeed what I've been after,
a way to escape from this disaster.
Though without magic to enchant the way,
I fear we'll all be stuck here at bay."
Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion, trying to decipher the meaning in her words. "Um, do you mean we need unicorn magic?"
She nodded. "But finding somepony we can trust
will surely lead to a bust," she said quite bitterly.
Scootaloo looked inside her bag and motioned for Zecora to look inside at a particular item, a case of some kind. The zebra merely shook her head.
"While that is an effective way to defend,
its lack of powerful magic will surely lead to our end."
Scootaloo shook her head and moaned. "Drat. Where's the map lead anyway?"
Zecora smirked.
"The map is a very useful guide,
for if we can activate this mirror," Zecora said while gesturing to something that Scootaloo hadn't even noticed before, "we can use it to find a place to hide."
Scootaloo blinked and looked over to the large, towering object. She supposed it was a mirror, but in the darkness, it looked like a large slab of some kind. Ignoring Zecora for a moment, she walked up to the thing and shone her lantern onto it. In the small details that she could make out, Scootaloo noted that the thing was quite ornate in design. It was nicely curved with iron metal bars bent around the sides for decoration. Five gems had been studded on both sides with a larger gem stuck in the middle at the very top. There was also a few other designs higher up that she couldn't quite see. The thing was certainly massive. Though when her lantern got near, she could just tell that it wasn't giving off near enough magic to activate it, so she sighed.
"So this could be a way out? A way to escape that- that bitch of a queen," Scootaloo said but not before spitting on the ground.
Zecora nodded. "Yes but-"
"A bitch is she?!" A voice said from behind, interrupting Zecora. Both ponies whipped around with their eyes widening in horror.
Before either could even comprehend who stood before them, a torrent of lavender colored magic was shot in their direction, smacking both recipients into a nearby wall. Scootaloo felt dazed, her vision blurring as the dark world around her tried to refocus itself.
Zecora acted much sooner and forced herself into a defensive stance, standing between their assailants and Scootaloo's dizzy stature.
"- I'm afraid the queen's servants are after its power,
if we fall here then it's not just our world that will sour!"
The apparent leader of the ponies stepped forward into the dim light, a sickening smile plastered on her face. The pony in question was none other than Twilight Sparkle, Queen Nightmare Moon's second in command. Her horn had been severely altered, sticking straight up in a threatening manner, it no longer looked like a soft spirling unicorn horn but more like a tool or a weapon meant for war. Just like all of the Queen's slaves and army, her once proud cutie mark had been altered to show who she now was. A six-pointed star cast in the moon's shadow. "Now then, I'm feeling a tad generous today. Apologize and I'll spare you both your lives, so long as you come quietly."
Zecora raised a strange artifact high in the air, a staff with a glowing blue gem placed on its end. Scootaloo watched the two while she clenched her teeth in pain. Scootaloo quickly reached for her bag only to sucker punched in the gut by one of Twilight's guards. She couldn't see just who did it, but that was how they choose to fight, in the shadows. Clenching in pain and unable to breathe, Scootaloo shakily stood up to her hooves.
Twilight snorted. "A smart pony would have stayed down, little one…"
Scootaloo gulped, eyeing her bag with a sense of defeat.
I'm going to die, aren't I? she thought and with very little thought for her own well being, she leapt back to her bag and dug in as quickly as her little hooves would allow.
Time seemed to slow once she reached for the case of her desire and she smashed it, reaching for the boned unicorn horn. Then she felt horrid pain creeping up her spine, a knife puncturing her if she wasn't mistaken. She screamed while the shadow guard punched and kicked where her wings connected to her spine; it was a particularly sensitive spot. Good for causing pain.
In her haste, she dropped the horn and what happened next felt like a dream or a nightmare. She was kicked to the side while Zecora seemed to be holding her own, dodging spells and even going on the offensive occasionally taking out a guard by knocking them unconscious. Scootaloo still felt dizzy, but she recognized a few of them as the Queen's personal guard. A crazy pink mare with a long straight mane and the one who had caught more innocent ponies than any of her guard combined: Rainbow Dash. It was no secret the level of depravity the guard went in order to serve the queen so loyally.
Not knowing what to do and feeling like she could barely put up a fight, Scootaloo carefully crawled over to her bag and held onto it, clutching the thing for dear life.
"Commendable at how much punishment you zebras can take. Just join us already, I'm sure the Queen will have a good use for you. And look, your little partner's already given up anyway," Twilight said nonchalantly.
Zecora chuckled quite darkly at this, though Twilight merely looked on in amusement.
"You are toying with me, stop playing pretend,
show me your full strength or face your end."
And with that, Zecora raised her staff and twirled the thing several times as if to say, bring it on.
Scootaloo looked on in shock. I- is she crazy?! she thought. Antagonizing Twilight Sparkle, the mistress of fire, the dark queen's right hoof was quite possibly the stupidest thing you could do.
Rainbow Dash and the pink menace went to step forward, but Twilight merely shook them down which they obeyed. "There's no winning this, Zebra. You can either die here with your friend, or surrender. Your choice," she said rather calmly, all things considered.
Scootaloo didn't wish to die, and she certainly didn't want to join up with the Dark Queen. What the hay do I do?!
Zecora didn't have anything left to say and merely held her stance, waiting, practically beginning for the mare to assault her.
Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Such a waste. Very well, you've made your decision. What of you, young one? Will you join up with our queen? Will you let eternal darkness into your heart? The promise of infinite power?" Twilight's eyes had twitched a few times while speaking as if she were crazy.
Scootaloo gulped but did nothing.
"Of course," Twilight said with a smirk and begin to charge up her horn. A sickening laugh from both the pink mare and Rainbow echoed around the halls while the leader's horn, eyes, and body began to glow from dark violet to a crimson red.
For the second time that night, time began to slow from Scootaloo's perspective as her short, simple life flashed before her very eyes. She saw her birth, playing as a younger child, making a few friends and then everything went to absolute hell. The sun stopped shining, ponies were enslaved, exiled or killed by the queen's orders. She could see her parents… Scootaloo bit her lip but gasped upon opening them. The flash of her spell had finally gone off while Zecora smirked.
Hurdling into her face at impossible speeds was a giant orange flaming ball of magic, fit to set her pegasus body ablaze. Her vision was then filled with the back of Zecora's staff the second she twirled it, aiming the tip so that Twilight's spell would hit it dead on. The staff was struck, but rather than delivering a crushing blow, it merely began to glow.
"I'm quite fond of this staff you know,
and it will help me deliver the killing blow."
Twilight's smirk vanished as she began to shriek. "INSOLENT FOAL! YOU DARE DEFY THE DARK QUEEN IN SUCH A WAY?! YOU DARE STEAL HER MAGIC?! YOU WILL DIE IN THE MOST PAINFUL WAYS I CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE!"
Scootaloo could think to do nothing but sneak away so she could latch onto her saddlebag. She secured it around her back and went to pick up the boned horn, shocked when she finally was able to lift it without resistance.
Zecora sighed and shook her head.
"Perhaps one day I shall meet my end,
but this binding spell I've used on you is a godsend."
Scootaloo gasped, noticing just now the sickening glare Twilight had been giving them, struggling to do anything aside from grunt and breathe. Zecora had trapped Twilight and her allies in place.
"Oh, I get it! You-"
Zecora scoffed, interrupting her.
"Scootaloo, hurry and strike them,
before they cause more mayhem!"
Scootaloo's eyes widened in shock and she nodded, fumbling with the boned unicorn horn before suddenly holding it out in a tight grip. Next, she quickly donned the thing over her head while tightening a strap around the back. The horn rested just above her eyes, not unlike a real unicorn would. It felt almost sickening to her, a warm feeling seeping into her mind, a slow buzz and then a painful feeling, letting her know that the weapon was ready. She grunted and seethed in pain, pointing it directly at Twilight. Seeing this, Zecora directed her staff toward Scootaloo in an effort to aid her with her magic. Both of their spells seemed to go off at the same time.
This is for my parents you bitch, she thought and then an equally sickening spell to the one Twilight had cast just moment's before let loose with the fury of a thousand suns. It was so blinding that Scootaloo was forced to keep her eyes shut while she screamed in pain. All sound ceased to exist for the young filly for the remainder of the explosion duration. When things finally did settle, Scootaloo still had her eyes shut tight with her teeth clenched, unaware that it was indeed safe to look again.
"The mirror has been awoken,
hurry before the link is broken!"
Zecora ran up to the mirror and held up her map while muttering to herself, She then began using her staff to enchant the various runes on the side, changing and twisting them until she was satisfied that they matched what she read.
Scootaloo blinked and looked around and gasped at the disgusting sight of three very bloodied and burned corpses. The stench wafting from them was bad enough that Scootaloo Could feel her insides gas; there was no mistaking that all three had no survived the final blow.
"Hurry through the portal, now!"
Scootaloo blinked in shock and grabbed her bag before stepping forward. When a magical rhyming zebra told you to do something without rhyming, that's when you listened.
Before stepping in, she glanced over to Zecora with a frown. "Wh- what about you? And the rest of the Shining Phoenix?"
"I will jump in once you're safely hidden,
for jumping in together is surely forbidden.
If my calculations are correct,
where it sends us should be perfect.
As for the Phoenix from what I've learned,
I'm sorry but they have already adjourned.
Sending you for something this crucial surely
means their numbers are no longer fruitful.
Rest assured, given enough time they will fall,
now please hurry and enter, get on the ball!"
No longer hesitating, Scootaloo sighed and slowly entered the shimmering blue portal. She still didn't fully understand what was going to happen, but she figured anywhere was better than the nightmare that used to be her home. She took one last long look at Zecora before the world faded into nothing.
