Applejack felt the Shadow Ponies before she saw or heard them. A deep chill and an overwhelming ache flooded over her even before she’d registered their screeching. A Shadow Pony leapt into view and raced toward her. She yelped and staggered back, nearly slipping, but by now the rushing shadow was familiar, and she’d had the presence of mind to keep track of her surroundings. Applejack could feel the magic of her Element flowing through her, though that might just have been the final dregs of adrenaline. She ducked and rolled in the other direction, allowing a swiping hoof to sail past.

No time to check on Dash. Ahead of her was another Shadow Pony—one instant it was flat against the wall, then as her point of view lined up suddenly it had depth and was already leaning into a leap—while others were circling around from the rear of the room. There were at least half a dozen of Midnight Oil’s former minions, dancing and streaking across the floor.

She turned and got her back to the nearest bookshelf. A Shadow Pony stared at her from the other side of the cage, then leapt through like it was made of smoke. She waited until she could see the purple of its eyes, then dodged to the side, turned, and swung her forehoof, hitting it in its neck. It stumbled its landing and slammed into the bookshelf, scattering books and scrolls through the air. Its shriek cut through the static and rattled Applejack’s bones.

Something swooped by overhead. Applejack jerked back, teeth bared, but it was Rainbow Dash, rocketing past and aiming straight for a Shadow Pegasus. She was yelling something, but Applejack couldn’t hear her through the static. Her target seemed more acrobatic than Rainbow Dash herself, dodging deftly and turning to strike in one motion. Rainbow Dash hurtled straight at a towering spire of books but veered to the side at the last moment.

A Shadow Pony jumped over a pile of books towards Applejack. She crushed her hat to her head and snarled. Spying the pile on the ground at her hooves, she grabbed a particularly thick-looking book and flung it at the Shadow Pony. The silhouette knocked it aside only to be met with a swinging hoof to its face, followed up with a kick to its chest. It staggered back, and Applejack shoved forward, knocking it off balance and backwards. It stumbled over a loose book, fell onto one of the eternal book fires, and shrieked. The fire roared and the static lessened somewhat.

From behind her came a familiar groan. Twilight hovered over the altar, her head thrown back and her eyes blazing white. Even amid the burning fires and the darting shadows, she glowed with a presence. Her wings had grown, as had her limbs and neck, approaching regal proportions. There was no trace left of the scrawny, injured Midnight, and even Twilight was almost unrecognizable, save for a brilliant pink stripe through her mane and tail.

And there was a distinct possibility she might not change back.

“Twi! Ah’m comin’—Whoa!”

A shadow darted between her and Applejack. Applejack barely registered the pair of glowing purple dots, but definitely felt the frost from its hoof swing right past her nose. Her center of balance was too far back to fight effectively, so she scrambled back and ran.

A flash of color: at the far end, a large Shadow Pony held Rainbow Dash by the ankle, preventing her from gaining altitude. Dash desperately struggled and swung her hooves but the Shadow Pony had reach on its side. It looked ready to slam Dash into the ground. Applejack cried what she hoped was a terrifying war cry and galloped for the silhouette. Dash and Applejack made brief eye contact, then Dash angled herself and pulled the Shadow Pony below her. Applejack hooked to the side, lining up. Less than a pony’s length from the Shadow Pony, she planted her right forehoof on the ground and turned, swinging her body out to her left. With the momentum of her lower body she kicked out her hindlegs, striking the Shadow Pony in the barrel. It flew sideways, but kept its grip on Rainbow Dash long enough to pull her along.

The Shadow Pony crumpled into another; Rainbow Dash was flung across the chamber and skidded along the ground, past the altar to the other side.

“Dash!” Applejack cried. She started forward, only to have her path blocked. A black wave descended on her, and a frozen hoof knocked her back and had her seeing stars. She slid across the ground and into a pile of books. The Shadow Pony loomed, panting and angry. She tried to scramble back but her hooves couldn’t find any grip.

“Dash!”

---

Dash slammed into the ground and rolled to a stop. The room was spinning, and some small part of her realized the ringing in her ears was from knocking the back of her head. She blinked, struggling to bring the room into focus. The purple and white blob floating ahead and above her was probably Twilight, or whatever Twilight was turning into. The looming mass of darkness would be a Shadow Pony or two. The brilliant orange and yellow glows in the distance were fires, or maybe Applejack. The fuzzy golden spotlight on the ground beside her was—

The knife! She reached out, just able to touch the handle before she was pulled away, a tight frozen grip around her ankle. She reached with her other foreleg but managed only to push it a centimeter further out of reach. She snarled in frustration and kicked at the Shadow Pony. It yanked her back, its jaws snapping dangerously close to her neck. She rolled onto her side and kicked again, catching the Shadow Pony in the face and pushing herself forward just enough to grab the knife. It was warm to the touch, and though heavy it was perfectly balanced.

She rolled onto her back. The Shadow Pony stood in front of her, snarling. She could hear its whines of anger and its snapping jaws, could feel its savage breath on her face, cold and dry. It leapt forward, jaws snapping.

She winced, holding her forelegs up to protect her face, and smelled the wash of ozone from up close, but the inevitable bite didn’t happen. Oh, duh. She swung the knife wildly. The Shadow Pony backed up with a snarl.

Dash grinned. She leapt into the air, adjusted her grip on the blade, and dove for the Shadow Pony. Her foreleg outstretched and the blade held firm, she slashed past the Shadow Pony before it had a chance to dodge, feeling only a slight pull as the knife sliced clean through the silhouette. It shrieked and stumbled before exploding in a storm of golden embers around Dash as she landed.

They’re not real ponies. They’re not real ponies. They’re not—

A wave of cold blew in from behind. Dash spun, wings splayed out for balance and knife held firm, and caught the surprised Shadow Pony in the side. Sparks spewed from its wound before it disintegrated. The blade was powerful.

The static in the chamber abated somewhat. She could see clear across the chamber, between towers and fires. Applejack was being slowly pushed back by two Shadow Ponies: they were trying to circle her, and gained ground with each swing, buck, and dodge she took. Dash lifted off the ground and rushed over, knife at hoof. If she could just graze the top of one of them—

A Shadow Pony knocked into her and suddenly the room was upside-down. Applejack was above her, about to be overwhelmed. No time to slow and aim. Dash hollered at Applejack and tossed the knife up at her. Applejack glanced down at her just in time to see the glowing blade, pluck it from the air, and slash wildly.

“Oof!” Dash slammed into a heavy bookshelf, knocking books everywhere. She heard the shriek of a dying Shadow Pony, and glowing embers splashed around her. She lifted her head, shaking the stars from her eyes, and tried to make sense of the orange and gold blur in front of her.

Applejack reached down, forehoof extended as she came into focus. Behind her, the other Shadow Pony’s howling was cut short as it detonated, surrounding Applejack in a storm of smouldering paper while the blast whipped her hair into a halo. She was covered in soot and dust, panting, with sweat streaming down her face. Blood lined a triplet of nasty looking scratches on her cheek. In her jaw she held the knife by the handle. Her hat was off-center. She looked angry. She looked awesome.

“You look like shit!” Dash yelled over the noise.

Applejack swore at her for several seconds, though what exactly she said around the handle Dash couldn’t quite make out. Dash smirked and reached for Applejack’s hoof. Suddenly she was standing on all shaky fours. They looked past the cage to the front of the room.

Twilight was unrecognizable. She was as tall as Princess Celestia, with a mane and tail of billowing black smoke that occasionally flickered purple. Even as they watched, piece by piece a set of gleaming armor slammed onto her and locked into place: heavy-looking greaves and horseshoes, guards protecting the leading edges of her impressive wings, and a chanfron wrapping up over her forehead and down her neck. Her wingspan was fully double Rainbow Dash’s and her horn was as long as Dash’s foreleg and sharp as their knife.

Hovering behind her, just out of an Earth Pony’s reach, was the Tome of Shadows. The air around it throbbed, and it was hard to look directly at it. Less and less magic was pouring out of it into Twilight. Once Twilight awoke, they’d have no chance of getting to the Tome, and even if they could there was no guarantee they could separate the Tome from whatever Twilight was becoming without hurting her—or worse. Dash gulped.

A Shadow Pony stood between them and the altar. Above, a Shadow Pegasus loitered. Dash quickly scanned the room but couldn’t see any other silhouettes. We can do this.

Applejack spat the knife into her hoof and panted, “Get the Tome! Ah’ll hold ’em off. Then we stab it.”

Dash nodded once and rocketed off towards Twilight.

---

Holding the knife in her clenched jaw, Applejack ran forward, ready to slice the Shadow Pony in half. It bent at the knees and spread its hooves. Applejack angled herself to the side and swung.

CLANG

The knife struck the corner of the altar, and was almost yanked from her grip. Applejack barely had time to turn to avoid smacking into the back wall. How had she missed? She shook her head and tried to shift the handle in her mouth and readjust her grip. The Shadow Pony followed her across the chamber.

Applejack needed to get it into an open area so she wouldn’t hit something solid and lose her hold on the knife. She sped between two bookshelves and around a brazier, hoping to slow it down. Ahead the ground was mostly free of loose books. Applejack skidded to a stop and hid beside one of the bookshelves. She couldn’t hear her anything beside her deep gasping breaths. For all she knew it could be about to—

The Shadow Pony burst into the open, following Applejack’s path. Applejack was ready, and launched herself towards it. A roar slid through her clenched jaw. Everything else faded to silence. The Shadow Pony finally noticed and turned to face her. Applejack angled herself to the side and swung.

CLANG

The knife clattered harmlessly to the ground. Applejack barely had time to register that her mouth was open and empty before the Shadow Pony had reared up to stomp on her. She gasped and scrambled back, nearly falling on her rump. A heavy hoof slammed into the ground between her knees, horseshoe ringing. She turned to run.

Only when she was galloping did her mind catch up enough to process what had happened. She hadn’t hit the altar, earlier—she’d hit the Shadow Pony then, too. Armor? she wondered, though none of the other Shadow Ponies had been able to deflect the burning blade, and she couldn’t recall any of Midnight’s minions wearing anything more substantial than ceremonial clothing. Or maybe the Tome of Shadows was finally intervening. Either way, she didn’t want to try for a third time. Maybe it was just this one?

“Dash!” she yelled. “Knife!” She was panting too hard to yell anything else, and couldn’t get around her pursuer to get the knife herself. Maybe the Shadow Pegasus was still vulnerable. If not . . . Her only option was to get her hooves on the Tome and destroy it. Somehow. She hadn’t worked out that part of the plan.

She ran around the cage and weaved between burning spires, turning to lead the Shadow Pony away from the knife. Dash flickered into view overhead, trying to zigzag around the Shadow Pegasus and reach the Tome. Every time she made a move the Shadow Pegasus slid to block her and chase her back, forcing Dash to dodge out of the way. Dash wouldn’t have time to land and grab the knife.

Applejack looked around. She couldn’t see the Shadow Pony, but that only meant it was hidden in one of the shadows bouncing around the chamber. The area around the knife was clear, though. “Dash!” she hollered.

“What?!” Dash yelled, her voice more than a little stressed.

“Catch!” She slowed to a stop, fully expecting to feel the searing pain of the Shadow Pony kicking her in the barrel, or the weight of it crushing into her from above. Wiping the sweat from her face, she peered into the darkness, trying to pinpoint the Pegasus’ position amongst all the smoke and fire light.

“Now!” Dash yelled from somewhere behind her.

Applejack grabbed the knife by the hilt and tossed it straight up, regretting it almost immediately. No way had she thrown it high enough—and she couldn’t even see Dash. She watched it loft lazily into the air, slowing to a stop. Where was Dash? C’mon!

The knife fell, pointing straight down. If it hit the ground and broke—and Applejack didn’t dare try to catch it blade first—

Rainbow Dash blasted over Applejack so suddenly that her wake nearly knocked Applejack over. Books scattered and bounced behind her. The knife was gone. She could hear a faint “Aw, yeah!” trailing behind Dash. Applejack cheered, absently reaching to check that her hat was still on her head.

Dash turned to meet the Shadow Pegasus head on and swung—

The Shadow Pegasus raised its foreleg to shield its face—

There was a flash of light, then a moment later the screech of metal on metal. Sparks exploded outwards, quickly disappearing. Applejack heard a faint, echoey, “What the fuck?!”

“Shit!” Applejack swore, catching motion ahead of her. A Shadow Pony was barreling down on her. She feinted right then dodged left, running and trying to sort her thoughts.

She had to get to the Tome, that much was obvious. And she’d have to jump, somehow, never mind that it was Dash’s job, or that it was easily out of her reach, or that any moment Twilight was about to wake up and snatch the Tome for herself. Or snatch Applejack, midair, as she flailed helplessly, reaching for the Tome which was still easily out of her reach—

She pushed the thought from her head and focused on the ground ahead of her. If she had even one chance, she had to try.

Applejack leapt over a burning brazier and slid on her side beneath two collapsed bookshelves propped up against one another. She risked a glance behind her, searching for her pursuer, but her vision was bouncing violently as she navigated the book-strewn terrain, and heat from the fires was making the air hazy.

Dash and the Shadow Pegasus danced overhead, her blade flashing as she slashed and stabbed at her opponent. Every few moments a screech and a shower of sparks would explode from their union. Dash was surprisingly graceful with a knife, but it was getting her nowhere. Even as Applejack watched Dash was led away from the front of the chamber and the Tome, and when Dash tried to ignore the Shadow Pegasus and go around, it would knock her back, out of balance.

Up to me, as usual. Applejack lined up with the altar and the Tome and tried to judge the height.

The Shadow Pony leapt in front of the altar, sliding sideways to a stop between it and Applejack.

Her legs were burning. Her lungs were heaving. Her vision was blurred with sweat and heat. She yelled her best war cry, and leapt.

The Shadow Pony reared up, fanged mouth and hideously sharp horseshoes reaching for her. This close she could see deep into its open mouth, a gaping void that threatened to swallow Applejack whole. The sounds of the chamber faded to a low hum and a crackling of white noise.

Applejack kicked desperately. Her right hindhoof connected with its forehead, slowing her fall only slightly. The next instant, her left hindhoof struck the beast on its back. She kicked downwards with all her might and reached forward. Suddenly she was airborne again, unbalanced and spinning slowly.

The Tome hovered just ahead of her. She reached with both forehooves and caught it, then reached for her hat as it slipped from her head. The air beside her exploded in a swirl of violet light. Then the ground was rushing at her. She clenched her eyes shut and held her breath—

---

Dash dodged the Shadow Pegasus’ slash, saw an opening, and lunged. She wasn’t getting through the Shadow Pegasus’ armor, or whatever power it had acquired, but that didn’t matter. She just had to get past it, had to get to the Tome and stab it with the brilliant blade held in her right forehoof.

An icy cold hoof grabbed her ankle and yanked her back. She yelped and kicked, trying to free herself. The Shadow Pegasus turned, pulling Dash around and throwing her back. She turned into the throw, stabilizing and putting a little distance between her and the beast.

“Alright, so you’re stubborn.” It was like sparring with a Wonderbolt. She cast about, hoping for some flash of inspiration, some light to go off and—

Of course! She could lure the unsuspecting Shadow Pegasus into one of the bonfires—feed it so much light and heat that it would explode! It kept between her and the Tome, so with a little maneuvering, she should be able to slide it right into one before it noticed.

She smirked. They were fast and powerful, but not clever! Certainly not as clever as—

“Rainbow!”

Dash whipped around. At the head of the chamber, near the altar, Applejack was caught in a hazy aura. Smoke condensed in the air around her, holding her up and obscuring her. Her head had popped out of the smoke, and a foreleg reached desperately for anything to pull her free. She was holding her hat in her hoof and yelling obscenities. Below stood a Shadow Pony, watching intently.

“AJ!” Dash yelled. “Hold on!” Gripping the knife firmly, she launched herself towards the Shadow Pony controlling her. “I’ve got—”

The Shadow Pegasus rammed into her side, knocking the wind from her. She bowled through a spire of books and crashed into the ground. There was a sharp pain on her tongue, and she tasted blood.

The Shadow Pegasus was on her in an instant, standing over her, a black shape rearing up with its sharp-looking horseshoes hovering right over her head.

Dash gasped and threw her forelegs up in front of her face, nearly cutting herself with the knife, saw the bright flash of light a centimeter from her eyes. Hooves slammed into the ground right beside her ears, catching and pulling on her mane. It snapped its jaw at her, barely held back by her forelegs. Its breath smelled like freezer-burn. Its wingspan stretched clear across her vision. This close to its face all she could hear was an offensive wall of hissing white noise covering a deeper hum. It pressed close.

She spat blood at its face and tried to slash at it. The Shadow Pegasus grabbed her hoof and forced it back beside her head. She gasped, then kicked it in the gut. It howled, leaping backwards to keep its balance. A pump of her wings launched Dash at the Shadow Pegasus. Before it could even blink Dash had grabbed it around its chest and toppled them both to the ground.

Adrenaline surged through her veins. Straddling its gut, she leaned back, lifted the knife high above her head, and stabbed downwards. It waved its forelegs, trying to knock the blade aside. The knife skidded across the Shadow Pegasus’s leg guards, showering them both in glowing sparks and deafening Dash with the shriek of metal-on-metal, and dug into its chest.

The Shadow Pegasus yelped then exploded beneath Dash, and she crashed to her knees. She hung her head and gasped in a huge breath, desperately trying to fill her empty lungs, and only realized she was yelling at the floor when her throat started hurting. Even though they were trying to kill her, and even though they were made of shadow, the Shadow Ponies moved and felt like real ponies. She’d raced Pegasi like that before. She’d straddled Pegasi like that before.

“Dash!” Applejack yelled. “Look out—mmf!”

Dash spun, knife held ready to strike. Towering over her was the Shadow Pony, and floating behind and above it was Applejack, muffled by whatever Shadow Magic was holding her in place. Dash aimed higher, at its chest, and brought the knife up—

But the Shadow Pony was all wrong—her eyes had no trouble focusing on its body; its mane flowed in a breeze Dash couldn’t feel; and despite its hold on Applejack it wasn’t savagely attacking either of them. It was waiting patiently for Dash to do something.

And it had a horn, and wings, and a cutie mark and armor and—Twilight. Twilight!

Dash jerked back, and looked at the knife. Its light was almost blinding. She gulped, clenched her eyes shut, pulled back—do it do it just do it Applejack’s in trouble DO IT!

The Shadow Alicorn casually plucked the knife from her grip. Dash grabbed at empty air for a few moments, trying to pretend to herself that she could make the hard choice, but she couldn’t suppress a guilty wave of relief. Thick tendrils of smoke wrapped around her, restraining her limbs and wings, and she was lifted into the air beside Applejack. She looked awful.

“I’m sorry,” Dash muttered, realizing how utterly she’d failed.

Applejack nodded, not making eye contact. “Me too.”

“Hi, Rainbow Dash and Applejack! I’m so glad to finally meet you!”

Wat.

---

Twilight carried Dash and Applejack towards the front of the room to hover before the altar. She looked calm and relaxed; nothing like the Twilight that Dash knew. Aside from a shimmer of violet hiding in her smoky mane, the brilliant purple of her eyes, and the sparkling silver of her armor, she was a Princess-shaped carving of obsidian, tall and imposing, with none of the gentler lines that their friend possessed.

Her voice was different, too. Gone was the defensive, frantic Twilight Sparkle; this was cheerful, deceptively innocent, and very—well, very Pinkie.

“I’ve heard so much about you! I just know we’re gonna be best friends!”

Twilight smiled, and walked around the altar. Her motions were graceful and fluid, while her mane floated behind her, defying gravity. Each step rang out clear on the stone floor. The ground beneath her hooves disintegrated with each step; when exposed to the air, her hoofprints smoldered and smoked, leaving a trail of charcoal behind her.

Dash narrowed her eyes. “Twilight?” she asked hesitantly.

“Sparkle?” Twilight’s smile faded. “Yeah, she’s in here, too. Very noisy. Urgh, you should hear her.”

She stood before them and looked past them to the rear of the chamber. Dash twisted to look at whatever Twilight could see, but there was nothing there. She turned back—and Twilight’s lip was trembling.

“ . . . do anything, I swear,” Twilight moaned. The raw desperation and shame in her voice was frightening.

Sweet Sisters, no. She’s still—

Twilight staggered and looked up at the ceiling, her posture broken and beaten. “Just let them go. You don’t need them, I’ve got all the power you—” She froze, lifted a hoof, and prodded her face. Her eyes grew wide, and she screamed, “Run! Get out! It’s going to kill you!”

Dash flinched, ears flattening against her head. The smoke holding her in the air tightened as she squirmed and struggled.

Tears started streaming down Twilight’s cheeks. “Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Run! You can’t do anything, it’ll—”

Twilight paused, shook her head once, and huffed. “She’s been yelling in my ear for a while now. So annoying.”

“You let her go!” Applejack howled. “Get yer ink out of her mind before ya stain it completely!”

“Let her go?” Twilight laughed. “Hel-lo? She needs me! I am the best thing that could have happened to her. Sparkle’s going insane on her own. Look around you. There are literally books on fire and shadows dancing in the streets. Her mind is a freaking mess. And all she needs is somepony to talk to. She tried to tell you, Applejack, but you were all, like, ‘At least my sister’s doing well!’ And you didn’t even give her a chance, Rainbow Dash.

“She couldn’t tell you, but she’s telling me. She’s telling me about how she can’t see past her own choices, how she’s totally jealous that you can just relax and enjoy your insignificant days without the responsibilities of royalty, and how she’s worried that one day she’s going to lose it and hurt herself, or—worse—you.

“And she’s telling me all about you. Oh, you’re good ponies. You don’t deserve this. It’s her fault you’re down here in the first place. Puh-lease.” Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked slowly around Applejack and Dash. Each step rang clearly through the crackling of fires, and the floor smoldered behind her. “We all know that’s not entirely true. Sparkle didn’t drag you into the jungle. She didn’t drop you into the darkness. She didn’t try to crush you or drown you or explode you or tear you to shreds.

“I mean, how could she? You two are adventurers!” she exclaimed. “A noble and rare breed, pulling back the curtains of time to reveal culture, magic, and history! You would dig to enormous depths to find the smallest piece of your ancestry. You would cross lifeless deserts for a chance at immortal fame. And you would kill scores of minions to save some poor, defenseless, pathetic pony. Sparkle would’ve been hard-pressed to stop you.” She stepped in front of them and reached a hoof to the ceiling, posing heroically before cracking a smile.

“I knew an adventurer, once. A young Earth Pony, this total hunk, who lives a life of tedium, his special talents wasted. All through his youth this stallion dreams of leaving his dreary farm to explore the world.” Twilight dipped her head and touched her chest. Her voice was softer, thick with memory. “He’s convinced there’s more out there than farming and brewing lantern oil. He can feel it. This close to the Void he’d have to be lame not to. It draws ponies. It drew a whole city of them.

“He wants to know, needs to know, even at the expense of his family, of his friends, of his life. When the opportunity to leave presents itself he volunteers. Eagerly. It doesn’t matter where he’s going; he hates his life for holding him back.”

She sighed, smiling.

“What happened to him?” Dash asked.

“I ate him.”

“You—you ate him?”

Twilight turned to face Dash and leaned close. She grinned, fangs bared and tapering to perfect points. Her breath was odorless and sterile.

“They brought him to me, and I swallowed that desperate loser’s soul. He yearned for knowledge, so I showed him the yawning expanse of truth that stretches from the darkest corners of the world to the deepest depths of the Void. Just as I ate his mother, and his best friend, and a hundred other farmers, and soldiers, and scholars. Just like I did to Sparkle.” Twilight smiled, her nose a centimeter outside Dash’s reach. “Just like I’m going to do to you. Sparkle’s Pegasus and Earth Pony magics aren’t fully formed yet and, to be honest, I’m freaking starving. Up you go!”

The Shadow Magic propping Dash in the air tightened around her barrel and hovered her over the altar.

“Let me go!” Dash said, struggling with her free foreleg.

“Does that usually work?” Twilight asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine that actually works.”

She set Dash on top of the altar, lying on her side, one half of her face pressed against the warm, solid stone. Dash tried to turn her head or prop herself up, without success. Something flashed at the edge of her vision. Oh, crap. Twilight had the knife suspended above her. Suddenly it was filling her entire vision. It looked much sharper with the blade facing her than it did with the hilt in her hoof. Her bravado drained in an instant. “Oh, fuck me, no. Please. Oh, Princess, no! Don’t do it!”

“Re-lax. I’m just going to turn you into a Shadow Pony and steal your magic. Won’t hurt a bit,” Twilight whispered. Dash snorted and struggled, twisting to keep the knife in view, not wanting to watch but unwilling to look away. Twilight’s magic held her firm. “It’s worse if I miss and, believe me, I have not had as much practice stabbing things to death as you have. Hold still!” she bellowed, her voice resonating through the chamber.

“Stop it!” Applejack yelled, from just within her view. “Don’t you dare touch a feather on that Pegasus! Don’t you dare!”

“Oh, please.”

A hoof touched Dash’s feathers, whisper-soft, and stroked down the length of her wing. From the right pony that might’ve felt reassuring and safe, intimate and familiar. This only made her cramp up, made her muscles ache. She groaned, trying to twist free.

Applejack snarled, and pointed at Twilight with her free hoof.

“You don’t get it. Yer messin’ with the wrong ponies. Yer messin’ with me. Y’all may have spoiled Twilight when she weren’t lookin’ and caught Dash with yer magic but Tartarus ain’t got no fury like an Apple scorned!”

Twilight huffed and turned to watch.

Applejack said, “Apples ain’t nice ponies. Apples do not play fair. Somepony threatens an Apple, he threatens all of us. When bandits broke into our home Ah didn’t cower and call for help. Mah brother and Ah beat those scoundrels to within a hoof of their lives and sent ’em crawling back. When we found out our neighbours were trashing our crops, we burned theirs to the ground. Mah parents died protecting our family and our farm. We have ruined better ponies for less.”

Applejack glared at her, nostrils flaring. “So you better hope you don’t mess up, ’cause if you do, even for an instant, Ah’m gonna grab that knife and stab ya deep. And ya better not hesitate, ’cause Ah won’t. The moment Ah’m free Ah will cut. You. Up and spill that disgusting ink all over the ground. Ah will snap yer spine. Ah will tear you page from page. Ah will use you as tinder! Ah will gut you over and over if ya put even one fucking scratch on mah sisters!” she spat.

“Do ya get me? Am Ah makin’ sense? Do you think Ah’m lyin’? Let go of them, or so help me, Ma and Pa, Ah will make you wish you hadn’t been found. With the biggest fuckin’ smile Ah will make you beg for death. And when this place comes crashin’ down around us Ah will bury you so far in the ground even roots won’t find ya, you—you—you catalog! Yer dead! Dead! Argh!” Applejack roared, thrashing against her bonds.

Dash opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t figure out what. She knew Applejack meant it, too—Applejack’s brutal honesty was plain as the blood on her face. Applejack really would die for us. For several long, drawn out moments she watched Applejack toss and turn and swear herself into an exhausted lump.

Then Applejack sniffled and started bawling.

“Ple-e-ease, don’t do this,” Applejack moaned, words dragged out. Tears streamed unheeded down her face. “Just . . . just let ’em go. Ah don’t care what ya do to me. Ah’ll do anything you want. Just let ’em go. Please.” She slumped in her bonds and hung her head, weeping gently. Her hat fell to the floor.

“Do you mind?” Twilight asked, finally.

Applejack didn’t answer, at first. She sniffled and wiped at her face with her free hoof, then strained for her hat. “Can ya please grab my hat? Ah can’t reach it.”

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked, as she floated the Tome up in front of her, above Dash but just out of reach of the bound pony. “Now’s really not the time.”

“Mah hat. It belonged to Pa.” She stretched her forehoof out as far as it would reach. “Ah need it.”

“Lemme think about it—No.”

“Gimme my Celestia-damned hat!” Applejack cried.

“Eenope.” Twilight peered close and flicked some rubble off of the Tome.

“That’s it!” Applejack screamed, her voice hysterical and hoarse. “Yer a dead mare! Once that snapstone goes off Dash is gonna kill you!”

“What?!” Twilight snarled, whipping around to glare at Applejack, then paused as a tiny stone fell harmlessly from between the Tome’s back cover and last page.

Rainbow Dash watched it fall, slow, lazy. Everything seemed muted and heavy. Applejack’s warning made sense. She winced in anticipation, but even her eyelids were slow and sluggish. She caught a brilliant flash of sparkling white—one of Twilight’s barriers, centimeters-thick and almost opaque, separating her and the Tome from the snapstone. The chamber turned a stark black-and-white, and the itching sensation was so strong Dash thought she’d erupted in hives. It was agony.

Just as her eyes shut, the air around Dash erupted in flame and light, pressing up against Twilight’s barrier. Rainbow’s smoky bindings peeled away in the blast; her coat and skin went from chilled to singed in an instant. The fire retreated with a roar as air rushed to fill the empty void, audibly shattering the weakened barrier. She reached blindly, and found her foreleg free of Twilight’s magic.

The knife fell into Dash’s waiting hoof. The Tome was exposed. Twilight snarled. Dash spun, sliced the knife back behind her, and felt it dig home.

Twilight grunted, and suddenly the chamber was silent.

Dash released the knife. Applejack was yelling something, but Dash couldn’t really hear what. She peeked out from under one eyelid, not sure if she wanted to see what had happened. She was leaning over the edge of the altar, facing the floor. A thick black tar was dripping onto the floor, already spreading down the slight slope towards the center.

“Eww,” Dash muttered, and looked up.

Twilight’s barriers had fallen, taking the brunt of the blast with them and leaving nothing between her and Dash. For a long moment Dash couldn’t figure out why the knife wasn’t falling—Oh. Oh no.

Dash had stabbed the knife nearly hilt-deep into Twilight’s chest.

She gasped and jumped back, falling off of the altar in a heap. Pain flared out from her wing, the same wing Twilight had casually stroked and the same wing she had injured racing for the Sanctum. She scrambled to her hooves and reached for the blade. “No, no, no!” The blade slid out easily, taking a disgusting, drooling lump of shadowy mass with it, and she jerked her hoof back like the knife had bitten her. “I didn’t mean to. Twilight! Twilight!”

She knew what came next. She winced, expecting another burst, a sizzle of embers, or a Twilight-shaped pile of coals. Instead, Twilight slumped and collapsed to her side in the mess of her own Shadow Magic.

“Twilight!” Applejack screeched, her voice shrill and panicky. She shoved Dash out of the way and collapsed beside Twilight. “Say something!” She shook Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight shuddered.

Applejack grabbed Dash and pulled her close. “What did you do?!”

“I didn’t—I just—You told me to—”

“Ah wanted you to destroy the fucking book! Not stab our friend!”

“I didn’t mean to!” Dash yelled, pulling herself back.

Smoke began evaporating off of her body, wisping into the air. Twilight was still breathing, but it was coarse and ragged, and her horn was flickering.

“Twi?” Applejack tried again, softer this time. “Can you hear me?”

After a few moments, Twilight nodded. “You guys did great,” she whispered between shallow, stuttering breaths. “I knew you could do it.”

Her armor, too large for her deflating body, clattered loudly to the floor around her. Neither of them said anything else. Applejack awkwardly petted Twilight’s mane.

“I’m sorry!” Dash blurted out, torn between wanting to hold Twilight and not wanting to touch whatever Shadow Magic still inhabited her body. Dash’s lower lip trembled, and she fought to keep her eyes open, even as her vision grew watery—fought to face Twilight and own up to her mistake and not look at the wound in Twilight’s chest or the frighteningly large pool of Shadow Magic spreading across the floor. She’s stabbed Twilight. She’d stabbed Twilight. Oh, Celestia, no. This can’t be happening.

Twilight tilted her head to look at Dash and reached up to touch her face. Twilight’s hoof was cold. Dash winced. Whatever Twilight said, Dash knew she probably deserved it.

“It’s okay,” Twilight said with a proud smile. “You saved me.”

Dash crumpled like she’d been punched in the gut. “No,” she said, all tiny, eyes clenched shut. “I didn’t—I’m not brave like Applejack, it was gonna eat me, and I had the knife and I tried to save you and I—I—I’m so sorry!” she wailed, burying her face in her hooves.

“Oh, Rainbow.” Dash felt a foreleg wrap around her shoulder. “You’re the bravest pony I know. You did wonderfully,” Twilight said.

Dash seized Twilight and pulled her into an embrace, still sobbing. Twilight had shrunk nearly to her original size. There was so much Shadow Magic on the ground.

“You too, Applejack,” Twilight said. “I was so impressed with your heroism. And you’re better at make-believe than you think.”

“Ah forgot about the snapstone,” Applejack admitted with a sniffle, barely heard over Dash’s crying. “Ah should’a used it earlier.”

Twilight chuckled weakly. “I’m glad you didn’t. Your timing was perfect.” Her voice was strained, like even the effort of speaking was too much. “There’s so much I need to explain, but there’s not enough time. The cavern’s going to collapse, and I can’t hold it back much longer. There’s a hidden door behind the altar. You just need to—”

“No,” Dash interrupted, speaking into Twilight’s mane.

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked.

Oh, crap. “I—” She could feel their eyes on her, had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling, had to hold Twilight close to keep from yelling and flying away. Oh, Celestia. She knew what she was doing, but—

No. This is what heroes do. I owe her this much.

And she couldn’t imagine life suddenly without Twilight.

“It’s my fault,” she insisted, wiping tears and snot from her face with her foreleg. She propped herself up and looked Twilight in the eyes. Twilight was staring at her, jaw hanging loose. Dash said, “I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“Dash—” Applejack whispered.

Something hard and heavy collapsed nearby. Dash flinched, but forced herself to keep her face straight and reassuring. That was what Twilight needed—reassurance that it was going to be okay, even though they all knew it wouldn’t be okay—

Twilight shook her head. “Well of course you’re not leaving me alone. I can’t teleport like this. Applejack’s going to carry me, you’re going to lead the way, and we’re all going to escape.”

Dash blinked. “But . . . this is the part where you tell us to leave . . . because you’re dying.”

Twilight arched an eyebrow.

“I . . . killed you?”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, trying to push herself up to her hooves before falling flat with a grunt. “The Tome’s destroyed. I’m all better, I swear. Look!” She pointed.

“Huh?” On the floor behind Dash, the knife fizzled and sparked, fading to a lifeless grey. The black tar had drained away from the lump in which it was still embedded, leaving the copy of Daring Do and the Legend of the Metalsmith in its place, mostly intact save for large scorch marks and a missing rear cover. Rainbow pushed Twilight back and looked at her wound. There was almost no Shadow Magic left, only a tiny black line from where the blade had barely penetrated.

“So . . . I didn’t stab you to death?”

“What?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Of course not! I said you saved me.” She waved a hoof at the surrounding chamber. The shaking was strong enough that books were toppling over. “Except for the ceiling. I’m pretty sure that’s my fault. If we don’t get moving—”

“Omigod omigod omigod!” Dash cried, and swept Twilight into a fierce hug. “I thought I’d killed you!”

“Oof!” Twilight squeaked. “Can’t—breathe—Urk!”

“Don’t care!” Dash said, burying her face in Twilight’s frazzled mane and squeezing harder. She could feel a giant goofy grin spreading across her face. She was crying again.

“You . . . ya sure y’aint dying?” Applejack asked. “Yer not tryin’ to get us to leave before lockin’ us out or somethin’? Ah mean, if one of us was gonna do the other one in, it’d be Rainbow for sure.”

“Hey, fuck you!” Dash laughed through her tears.

“We’re all dying, Applejack,” Twilight wheezed, shoving at them both, trying to get herself free. “Some of us might die a little sooner if you don’t listen closely.”

Dash nodded, releasing Twilight and wiping her face clear of any evidence that she wasn’t always awesome.

“First, there’s an exit behind the altar. One of the stones is offset a little. Push it back and a doorway will appear. The stairs lead almost straight to the surface.”

“So we strap you onto mah back, Dash leads the way, and we saunter right out of here? Seems a little easy.”

Twilight shook her head. “Second, I don’t know how long I can keep these projections intact. It might get a little geologically unstable so, no, it won’t be easy. Might need to hurry.”

“And third?” Applejack asked.

Twilight clenched her eyes shut, and her horn started glowing. Around their hooves, dust and pebbles started rolling towards a point, congregating in a pulsing mass that slowly hovered up to eye level before splitting into two. Twilight peeked from one eye before exhaling in relief.

The two glows faded; one clattered to the floor at Dash’s hooves, and the other fluttered a little more quietly in front of Applejack.

“Third, you’ll need these.”

Dash grabbed the white bowl-shaped helmet, felt its weight and its stiffness, and traced the outline of its brim.

“Why?” she asked quietly, eyes wide, unsure how many conflicting emotions she was going to have to deal with tonight.

“Dash!” Applejack scolded, swinging a heavy, filthy duster up and over her back. Seeing Rock Gambit in the flesh was shocking.

Dash shook her head. “No, like, why do we need these?”

Twilight pointed past them, to the center of the room. “Because I don’t have the strength to deal with him.”

---

Rose turned around and gasped. Twilight’s Shadow Magic had puddled in the center of the room, bubbling and splashing in place. A head and foreleg popped free of a large bubble, then the other foreleg struggled out of the puddle.

“Midnight . . . Miss Oil . . . Why?” Cairo moaned, once his mouth was free. He leaned his weight forward and tried to haul himself up like a pony emerging from a pool. Shadow Magic dripped down his face and neck, splashing onto the ground before him. His eyes burned a brilliant purple, visible even in the harsh light of many burning fires. “You didn’t have to kill me. I would have given you everything. You only had to ask!”

“Okay. Time to go,” Rose muttered. “Keep him busy, Daring. We’ll find the exit—”

“And you!” Cairo’s burning purple eyes locked on to Rose. “Rose Gambit! I help you defeat her, and instead you save her? You truly are a hero,” he spat.

“Yeah! Ah am! And yer a monster, through and through!” Rose yelled.

Cairo stood on all four wobbly legs, though his puddle of Shadow Magic continued burping and roiling beneath him. He raised a forehoof and stared at it, like it wasn’t even his. “Yes, I suppose I am,” he muttered after a moment, then pointed at her and growled.

“Leave Midnight and I will let you and Miss Do live.”

“Or else what?”

Cairo roared, more beastial than any pony should ever sound and loud enough to shake the whole room and push the three of them back. The air blackened around him as he drained darkness from the corners and edges of the room. His forehoof bubbled, then a mass of Shadow Magic extended from his hoof and shot right for Rose, crossing the distance between so quickly that she barely had time to shut her eyes and wince.

“Ha!” Daring yelled, followed by the roar of a wounded animal. Something metallic clinked and clanged on the ground. Rose opened her eyes to see Daring floating in front of her, an eternally burning book in one hoof, and a length of chain on the ground. It had missed and instead clamped itself around a pair of books.

A bulge appeared on Cairo’s back, and more shadowy chains raced out, swinging at Daring. Daring fanned the book back and forth, barely fending them off.

“Go!” she yelled. “Open the stupid door already!”

Rose hefted Midnight onto her back and darted for the wall behind the altar. Light and shadow danced across the wall as Daring and Cairo fought. Daring yelped and a second later a jet of Shadow Magic slammed into the wall only centimeters from her face. Rose threw herself behind the altar and looked for the doorway.

“Uh, Midnight? What now?”

Midnight groaned from atop her back, and weakly waved a hoof in the general direction of the wall. “One of the stones. Offset a little.”

Rose stared at the wall. The whole thing was made of rough, uneven, offset stones. “Of all the times for you to be useless,” she muttered, and started pressing stones at random.

Cairo’s wounded yells turned angry, and Daring’s more and more desperate. “Uh, Rose? Any time now!”

“Ah’m trying!” she snarled. “Which one?!”

“It’s the offset—”

“Oh, fer—” Rose spun around, lined herself up, and kicked back at the wall. The brickwork shattered behind her hooves, collapsing backwards in a heap. Midnight nearly bounced off her back but managed to stay on. A few more gentler kicks opened the hole large enough for them to sneak through.

“Told you,” Midnight muttered, rubbing the side of her head.

Rose crouched and crawled through, careful to keep from knocking either Midnight or her hat against the underside of the wall, and found herself in a darkened stairwell.

“Daring!” Rose called out, looking back through the doorway.

“Ahh!” Daring yelled, rushing at her.

“Ahh!” Rose yelled, yanking her head back just in time to avoid getting smacked in the face. Daring tumbled through the doorway, followed by a low rumbling that shook the wall. She landed on her stomach and chest, hindlegs hanging up and over her back, before collapsing with a faint slap. In her forehoof she held a hardcover book, one corner burning brightly and revealing their landing and the stairs ahead with a faint orange flicker.

Daring was quickly back on her hooves. “C’mon! That fire’s not gonna stop him for long!” she said, leaping for the stairs.

Rose shifted Midnight atop her back and hurried to follow. The light from Daring’s makeshift torch didn’t reach as far back as Rose’s hooves, and the stairs, carved directly into the cave floor, were steep and uneven. Pebbles rattled atop the rumbling stairs, robbing her of her grip, and more than a few had broken into loose pieces. Almost immediately she slipped, scraping her ankle on the next step.

Rose could hear the crumpling sounds of books collapsing, then Cairo roared and the stairwell shook.

Daring looked behind her. “I think Cairo made it past my bonfire.”

Rose glanced down towards the entrance. Cairo’s Shadow Magic had finally extinguished what little fire was left and was pouring into the stairwell. The familiar pinprick tingling of nearby magic mixed with a low growling static at the edge of her hearing. The last flickers of light evaporated; the stairs suddenly descended into an endless void.

“We’re glowing like a beacon,” Rose panted, looking at Daring’s torch book.

“I can barely see as it is, and I bet he can find us without light. I’m not getting rid of it.”

Rose nodded.

Cairo’s voice warbled up the cave. “Midnight! Come back!”

Midnight groaned and dug her face into Rose’s withers.

“You stay back, Cairo!” Daring yelled, leaping past Rose and waving the fiery book back and forth.

Cairo groaned, a ghastly sound that shook the rock around them. There was a whistle mixed with a rattle. Rose only caught a flicker of motion, then a chain length rushed right past her face, shattering against the ceiling.

“Go. Fucking go!” Daring yelled, shoving Rose upwards. Rose stumbled in the faint torch light until she found purchase, then she was running upwards, keeping her eyes peeled for blockages or missing steps.

Behind, Daring cursed and yelled, climbing much more slowly as she fought back Cairo’s attacks. Rose could hear the clatter of chains blasting away at rocks, and the sizzle of evaporating Shadow Magic. Suddenly Daring was right behind her, panting.

“Must go faster, must go faster!” Daring urged.

“Ah don’t see you carrying a pony on your back!” Rose panted.

“Duck!” Midnight yelled. Rose reached for her hat and crouched. Moments later something blasted against the ceiling ahead of them, raining dust and pebbles over them as they raced past.

“He’s gaining,” Daring said, “and surprisingly accurate.”

“No shit,” Rose panted. Her lungs burned. Her calves burned. She’d slipped enough that she was sure she’d sprained at least three of her ankles by now. Maybe Cairo still had enough of a body left to get tired, but she doubted it. He was going to catch them, she was certain. Daring’s little book wasn’t enough to fight him back and, unless Daring was hiding a snapstone of her own, she didn’t think they could beat him.

“He’s coming!” Midnight cried.

The sounds of clanking chains ceased, as did Cairo’s groaning. The air around them hushed, and the sound of their hooves and ragged breaths and hammering hearts faded; it was almost totally silent. Rose slowed to a stop and watched her breath condense in front of her face in sharp gusts. Then a howling rush of Shadow Magic surrounded them. Midnight screamed and clutched her hooves around her head, but even that was muted. Daring yelled and waved her book back and forth, but it was little more than a candle fluttering in a strong wind.

Then the storm faded, and Cairo shot forward, around a corner, and out of sight.

“That . . . was weird,” Rose panted.

Daring gulped and nodded. “He’s got us trapped. Why leave us down here?”

“Something’s up ahead. Maybe if he attacked us he couldn’t stop us in time and keep us from reaching . . . whatever’s up there.”

“Or he’s not strong enough to fight us up close. He needs distance. That chain thing. Or maybe—”

“He wants me,” Midnight whispered, interrupting them. “Cairo could pick you up and smear you against the wall. But he won’t, because he might injure me, too.”

“Wonderful.” Rose took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart.

“No, it is,” Daring said. “He can’t attack us outright while you’ve got Midnight.” She smirked. “I guess I am gonna be huddling close to you, Rose,” Daring said, pressing up against her and waggling her eyebrows. “Just for safety, of course.”

“Really? Now?”

“What, like you’re the only pony that gets to make jokes?”

Rose shoved her aside, but grinned just the same.

---

The shaking increased gradually, until Rose could feel it bouncing all the way up through Midnight. When they reached a landing and the walls opened out in both directions onto a massive, yawning chasm, the reflected light from Daring’s book seemed to crawl and sparkle down the far side as dust, pebbles, and boulders fell down the wall. It came and went in waves, so that for a second Rose couldn’t hear Daring beside her and was sure the world was falling apart, then suddenly it would be a low rumble that she couldn’t quite ignore.

Opposite them at roughly the same height was Cairo, horn and purple eyes glowing; and in between was a narrow bridge that was little more than a length of wooden runners. Rose leaned to the side and saw nothing down below except a darkness so thorough that it lacked depth or vertigo.

“That’s not fair,” Daring grumbled. “Why isn’t this bridge made of stonework and masonry?”

“That bridge can’t hold us up,” Rose muttered. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

“Daring Do!” Cairo hollered. His voice echoed strangely through the cavern, with more than a hint of static and warble. Daring’s torch light wasn’t strong enough to reveal him.

“You ready to give up?” Daring yelled back. “We’re all the way over here and you can’t toss us down that chasm without tossing Midnight over as well.”

“Hey!” Midnight said. “You are not throwing me over!”

Rose nodded. “So how’s about’cha let us cross, we all head up to the surface, and talk about this like civilized ponies?”

Cairo was silent for a second before speaking, and his response was muted. “I don’t believe we can be civilized about this anymore, Miss Gambit.” His horn flared, illuminating the whole of the landing on the other side, and himself.

Rose recoiled with a gasp. Cairo’s body had continued transforming into something grotesque. His limbs were misshaped and far too long and bent at weird angles. His horn reached farther than Rose remembered it reaching, and curved upwards slightly like a scythe. Small bubbles formed and popped over his body, and there was a constant stream of Shadow Magic drooling down his forelegs and onto the ground. The walls around him were devoid of any shadows or highlights—Cairo was absorbing the shadows around him.

“What’s happening to ya?” Rose asked quietly. In the heavy silence her voice echoed slightly

“I’m growing,” Cairo said. “The Shadow Magic is transforming me, granting me more power and vision than I could’ve ever imagined.”

“Yeah, but yer . . . ” She waved her hoof, miming the shape of his limbs.

Daring spoke up. “You’re way ugly.”

“Daring!” Rose hissed.

“Also the Shadow Magic,” Cairo admitted. “I peeled off the ground too soon, and the unprojection has been unkind.”

“Cairo . . . ” Rose said. “We can getcha to a doctor. Some magic, maybe. Ah know a pretty powerful pony who could help you.”

“Help me?” Cairo laughed. “Why would I need help? Not when I can do this,” he said, pointing at the ground before his hooves then flicking his hoof upwards. Shadow accumulated first into a shapeless mound, then grew and formed into a familiar shape. The roaring in the chasm acquired a distinctly feline quality.

“Oh, great,” Daring muttered. “He can grow Shadow Jaguars. Because that’s exactly what I want, you know?” She giggled.

“Stop yammering and focus. We need a plan!” Rose hissed. “Unless you’d rather we turn around and try to squeeze past through the rubble?”

“I already have a plan,” Daring said, stretching her neck and rolling her shoulders. “Plan B.”

Rose opened her mouth to protest, but Daring was already in the air, flapping hard and gaining altitude. “You and I have a date, Cairo!” she proclaimed.

Cairo drew himself up to his full, impressive height and snorted. “Let’s not be hasty, Miss Do. It would be all too easy to accidentally cut the bridge and leave Miss Gambit stranded over there.”

Rose glared at him. “You’d leave Midnight stranded, too.”

“Good. I’d prefer she not leave,” Cairo admitted with a lopsided smile. “But I know you two are just dying to make it to the surface. Miss Do, if you would be so kind as to carry Miss Oil to me.”

“Me?” Daring exclaimed, insisting, “I can barely carry a pony when walking. I can’t fly her across!”

“Then you and I are on the same page.”

Something heavy settled in Rose’s gut. “Of course. The bridge can’t hold all three of us at once, can it?” she asked.

Daring landed beside her, lips pursed and frustration creasing her forehead. “No, but he won’t do anything to it while Midnight’s suspended over that chasm, and if he could teleport over and pluck Midnight like last time he’d’ve already done so. He wants her across as much as we want across.”

“You gotta distract him once you’re across, or he might cut the bridge.”

“That won’t give Cairo much time to react. He might do something stupid.”

Rose glanced down into the abyss, and gulped. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not staying down here, and Ah’m not leaving you behind. Either we make it to the surface—”

“Or we go down fighting.”

They looked back across. Cairo was panting softly, and every now and then his surface wobbled slightly, like a bubble in a breeze. “Don’t keep me waiting,” he warned them. “I can’t hold back this whole chasm.”

Daring sighed. “I’ve got an idea. You’re not going to like it.”

“Ah never do—”

“I mean you, Midnight.” She stood close to Midnight. In a voice almost too quiet for Rose to hear—and hopefully far too quiet for Cairo to hear—she said, “I’m gonna do something really stupid, if you’ll let me. But it’ll be okay. Cairo won’t let you get hurt.”

Midnight lifted her head and said, “Well? What is this stupid something?”

Daring grinned. If she didn’t know better, Rose would’ve sworn Daring was enjoying all this. “I can’t tell you. Otherwise Cairo will guess what’s up.”

Midnight stared at Daring, then shrugged. “Just don’t leave me behind.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you out for sure.” She crouched beside Rose. Rose leaned to the side and together they slid Midnight onto Daring. Daring stood and shifted her weight but Rose could clearly see Daring’s wings were pinned. Daring whispered to Rose, “Get ready to help.”

Rose nodded.

Daring bent low to grab the torch in her mouth, but Cairo called out, “Miss Do? Leave the book with Miss Gambit. It wouldn’t do to leave her in the dark, would it?”

“Awfully hard to see where I’m walking in pitch black,” Daring sneered.

“Allow me.” A trio of orbs flashed into the air beside the bridge, held aloft by floating pads of smoke and revealing a much older, much more derelict bridge than Rose had initially guessed; and even these new lights weren’t enough to illuminate the extent of the chasm. Above, below, and to either side all Rose could see was darkness; they were connected to Cairo’s landing—and their escape—by the tenuous wooden bridge.

And Daring was about to do something stupid. Rose gulped.

Daring strutted up to the bridge. Holding her head high, she set off without hesitation, putting one hoof in front of the other. The bridge creaked and groaned under the weight of two ponies—even if one of those was a lithe Pegasus, and the other a skinny Unicorn—and wobbled enough that she could only move one hoof at a time, or risk tipping the whole thing sideways.

Rose watched intently as Daring crossed the bridge. Daring casually looked over her shoulder, making eye contact with Rose, before glancing at her hooves and the bridge below.

Rose frowned. She couldn’t figure out what Daring could possibly do with Midnight on her back. Maybe Daring was planning on abandoning Midnight halfway across? Rose leaned forward, ready to rescue Midnight.

“Hey, Cairo,” Daring said, a little too conversationally.

His eyes narrowed. “Yes?”

“Catch.”

Daring shrugged her shoulders, sliding Midnight off her back—and to the side.

---

Applejack watched it happen in slow motion.

Twilight yelped, scrambling to grab something—anything—before gravity took hold and pulled her screaming from the bridge. Her wings were folded uselessly and her Pegasus instincts were laughable.

Applejack gasped, stunned, and for a moment could only stare as Twilight plunged into the depths.

“Midnight!” Cairo cried. He raced to the edge, his horn bursting to life, and shot a glowing length of chain into the darkness.

Dash shot into the air then dove like a missile straight at the Shadow Jaguar. The bridge was clear.

Go!

---

Rose snapped up the book and ran. She thundered down the bridge, certain it was going to bounce itself apart with her on it. Far below when she dared to look she could see the feeble glow from Midnight’s horn and Cairo’s chain racing to catch her.

Daring twisted in mid-air and shot hoof-first. The Shadow Jaguar tracked her motion and leapt into the air, colliding with Daring and sending her tumbling to the side.

Cairo’s chain caught and snapped taut, yanking him towards the edge. His hooves dug into the solid rock, keeping him firmly in place, and he started ratcheting Midnight back up to the landing.

Rose jumped the final few meters and slid across the landing. The shadows from her torch danced around her and immediately pulled free from the wall. Rose grabbed the book from her mouth and waved it like a dagger, evaporating the flimsy puffs of smoke and darkness.

Grunts and a staticky growling grabbed Rose’s attention. Daring and the Shadow Jaguar were tangled together on the ground near the edge. Daring was on her back, struggling to keep its razor-sharp fangs out of reach of her neck while trying to get a hindhoof under its gut. Rose bit down around her flaming book and lunged at it.

The Shadow Jaguar hissed at the sudden appearance of fire and leapt back. Its face was briefly illuminated in gold and red; all Rose could see was a mouth filled with fangs and dripping oil. Grabbing the book, Rose pushed her advantage and swung at the Shadow Jaguar. It twisted around her fiery stab and snapped at Rose’s foreleg, knocking the book from her grip. Suddenly its fangs were in her face, and Rose backed up, leaning and dodging.

Her hindhoof stepped onto open air. She stumbled, instinctively lunging forward to keep herself over solid ground, but that put her face to face with the Shadow Jaguar. It snapped at her, its sticky breath washing over her face; then a burst of fire ignited over its back. The Shadow Jaguar yelped and tried to jump free before exploding in fiery bits that scattered over the ground. Daring stood among the embers, holding the book and covered in soot.

They peered over the edge. Midnight was only a few meters away, and in Cairo’s light Rose could see her face: eyes wide, level, and unblinking; ears flat; and teeth bared. Cairo’s chain had wrapped around her barrel, and she had a couple links in a death grip.

Daring and Rose grabbed Midnight, hauled her over the edge, and pulled her towards the wall. The chain connecting Midnight to Cairo flickered then evaporated.

For a quiet moment, only Midnight moved, clutching at the ground and muttering to herself; then Daring reached for her hoof and said, “Let’s go, Midnight.”

“No!” Cairo yelled. “She’s mine!” He lunged at Midnight, his horn igniting.

Rose slid between them, planted her forehooves, and bucked back Cairo in the barrel. A solid impact. Cairo shrieked and tumbled sideways, stumbling over his hooves, and fell over the edge.

Panting, Rose placed herself between Midnight and the edge. If she was a betting pony she’d expect one of those chains to come whipping up for Midnight to pull her down—

Something cold and hard clamped around her left hindleg. She yelped in surprise. The chain wrenched her backwards, pulling her off her hooves towards the edge. She collapsed onto her stomach and skidded across the ground, scrambling to grab something.

“Help!”

Daring leapt for the edge and dropped to her gut. She reached out for Rose’s hooves, but her own were slippery with sweat and grime and she couldn’t keep a grip. Rose slid back until she was hanging from her forelegs, her head barely above ground.

“Daring! Ah’m slipping!”

“Don’t worry! I’m gonna—” Daring leapt into the air and flew down behind Rose. She tried to get her forelegs under Rose’s shoulders but with so little space all Daring managed was to pull Rose further from the edge.

“I—I can’t lift you—” Daring gasped, her head right beside Rose’s.

“Don’t let go!” Rose yelled, panicking. One foreleg slipped free and she lurched downwards—suddenly she was hanging from one hoof, while Daring strained and grunted, trying to lift her up. She could feel the emptiness below her, could already feel the distance she would fall, could feel Daring’s forelegs slipping from around her shoulders. The chain connected around her hindleg was pulling too hard—her leg was going to pop free. “Oh, Princess! Help! DARING!”

“Midnight! Book!”

A flash of fire appeared above Rose. Daring grabbed the book from midair and dug the burning corner into the chain pulling Rose down. The links severed and Rose popped upwards, quickly scrambling for grip and pulling herself over the edge.

Even as Daring was helping Rose to her hooves there was a flash and a whoosh; then a pale haze shot up from the depths like a burst of steam, stunning Rose and knocking her back. Cairo’s bridge rattled and shook itself apart in an explosion of timber under the onslaught, and the fire on Daring’s book fluttered, nearly going out. Angry shouts bubbled up, along with the sounds of hungry Shadow Ponies.

“He’s still down there!” Rose yelled over the roar. “He’s still alive!”

A slab of rock crashed violently into the other landing.

“Forget him!” Daring yelled back, waving the flaming book. “We’ve gotta go!”

They hoisted Midnight up onto Rose’s back and Daring pointed at the wall. Stairs had been dug into the slightly slanted wall, climbing to the side. Without a second’s hesitation Rose leapt over the first few stairs and started climbing. There wasn’t much more room than earlier, but at least those had had reassuring walls on either side; here, half of her vision was dizzying empty space above fatal heights.

The ground buckled, launching her upwards and off balance. Daring banked and slammed into her, keeping her and Midnight pressed tight against the wall as she fell. She stumbled when she found stairs under her hooves again, but clenched her jaw shut and forced herself to keep climbing.

Distracted by motion, she looked over to watch a massive stalactite break free and tumble into the darkness. She couldn’t quite tell when it landed; she certainly couldn’t hear it over the clamber of her hooves or the roar of Cairo’s expiring magic. Another chunk of rock followed suit, this one much closer and almost hitting the stairs.

Daring flew ahead and pointed at a dark patch in the rock wall. Rose slowed and squeezed herself into the sudden opening. She could hear Daring cursing as the narrow tunnel pulled at her feathers and knocked against her helmet. With Daring and her torch book behind her, Rose couldn’t figure out how she was able to see the steps in front of her hooves; then she realized there was a bright spot ahead of her, steadily getting larger and brighter.

“Whoo!” she yelled, as a burst of energy poured through her.

The bright spot ballooned in size until Rose was leaping through it, sailing through the suddenly open sky. The heady smell of grass—grass!—and ripe apples—delicious!—plugged her nose and filled her lungs while she was still midair. She was laughing, suddenly, feeling the stress and tension drain from her body, quickly to be replaced with exhaustion.

The ground rushed up at her. She botched the landing badly, tripping over her own hooves and sprawling over the grass, and Midnight went tumbling, but she didn’t care. Rose grabbed hooffuls of grass, rolled onto her back, and shouted happily.

It was night. The moon hung overhead, obscured only occasionally by a Pegasus zipping around and yelling at the top of her lungs, and to the side, off in the distance, were the familiar, comforting lights from Sweet Apple Acres.

---

They trudged home through the orchard, with Twilight slung across Applejack’s back like a drunk. Applejack reveled in how quiet it was, finally, after the collapsing debris and evil howls and roaring explosions. Now all she could hear was Twilight snoring gently, the crunch of twigs and grass underhoof, Twilight groaning, leaves rustling in the breeze, Twilight muttering to herself, and massive yawns likely ripping Dash’s and her faces apart.

Then she realized Dash was talking to her.

“Huh?” Applejack said, blinking harder than she’d ever blinked before.

“I said—yawn—can I crash with you tonight? I don’t think I can make it home.”

Applejack shook her head. They’d been fighting for their lives against monsters bent on tearing them apart and evil threatening to spread across the country—and Dash was worried about where she could sleep?

“Real smooth. Ah—yawn—Ah suppose you’ve earned a night on the couch.”

“The couch?” Dash whined.

Applejack laughed. “We’ll put Twilight in mah bed. Don’t worry, Dashie. You won’t be alone. Ah’ll be down there with you. Ah’ll sleep with you,” she teased.

Dash laughed and nudged up beside her for a moment.

They left the southern orchard and plodded up the road. A breeze pulled and pushed at the apple trees around them, sending gentle shadows dancing in the moonlight. It was pleasantly warm out. The air smelled fresh. The slight hill was going to be the death of Applejack.

“I hope she’s okay,” Dash said suddenly.

Applejack glanced over her shoulder. Twilight had taken one look at the open sky then promptly passed out. “Me too. Hard to be mad at somepony who’s hurt.”

“I’m okay,” Twilight grunted. “Not hurt. Don’t be mad. I’m sorry.”

Applejack skidded to a stop and nearly dropped Twilight in shock. “You’re awake?” she asked, trying to twist around to see.

No answer. Twilight certainly looked dead to the world.

Applejack and Dash shared a look, then Dash said, slowly, “We’re not mad—”

“Ah’m a little mad,” Applejack admitted.

Dash glared at her. “—We just wanna know why you were down there.”

“I would be,” Twilight said. “I’m sorry. Did you like your make-believe adventure?”

“Like our—Sure. Why not?”

“I did it for you. You’re my best friends. You two, the others, the pink one—you all mean so much to me and I never say that and I wanted to do something for you and also I hate being a Princess. I’m sorry.” A pause. “Did you throw me off a bridge?”

“She’s delirious,” Dash said quickly.

Applejack asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? Twilight?”

No answer. Twilight’s snoring filled the orchard.

Dash threw a forehoof up in disgust. “Fuck it! I don’t even care. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

Applejack nodded, then corrected, “You mean later today.”

“Shit.” Dash yawned. “So . . . are you mad at me?” she asked, glancing at Applejack before quickly looking away.

I’m too tired for this. “Later today,” she insisted, resuming her death march. Future Applejack’s problem.

Dash pressed up against her, again. It was darling, even if she was going to push Twilight off. Then Applejack realized Dash was using her for support. Still kind of darling.

Sweet Apple Acres seemed so far away, but she could see a light left on in her bedroom. A laugh bubbled out, quickly replaced by coughing. She was going to have a sore throat for a while.

“What’s so funny?” Dash asked.

“Ah can climb ladders. Ah can—yawn—run marathons in the dark. And Ah’m an expert martial artist, apparently. But—” she pointed home. Her window was on the second floor. “Ah don’t think Ah can made it up those fucking stairs!”

Howling, yawn-filled laughter filled the air.

Author's Notes:

Author’s notes are available here. The next chapter, titled either The Couch or The Southern Orchard, will be posted in two weeks.

If you've been with us up to this point, now would be a great time to leave a thumbs-up. Or a thumbs-down, if that's more your style.

With assistance from Daetrin. Cover art by Foxinshadow. Alternate cover art by Diremuffin.

-wr