Candlejack felt the cold sting of a sharp blade creating a nasty gash on his cheek. The young adolescent stumbled, his body screaming in pain. The crowd erupted into cheers. Thieves, killers, murderers and drug dealers gathered in the middle of what they called "The Pit". A very cliché name if you had asked Candlejack. But it definitely was appropriate considering the sewer prison was just that. Candlejack grunted in pain, feeling his legs give out.

He painfully looked to his side, seeing a tall pony with a muscular build and a mane cut that was just peach fuzz. A scar trailed down the pony's face and cheek. The side effect of the many times this pony had tried to escape, only to wind up catching the side of a Solarium lance and a massive bludgeoning to his head by the ETG. And yet, despite that, this pony grinned triumphantly, goading the crowd into more cheers. The razor sharp hoof claw glinted with the pegasus's blood. Candlejack wanted to call it quits. He wanted to just lay there and let his miserable defeat speak for itself.

But a strange sensation came over him. One that he still couldn't describe to this day. Was it just foolish thinking that worked out in the end? Or was it adrenaline kicking in at max? Or maybe... the thrill of the fight had finally crawled into him. In whatever case it was, Candlejack found himself grinning and shakily stood up. The muscular earth pony turned to look at him, his matted and stained brown coat and black eyes studying the tiny pegasus.

"Still want some more, flesh bag?" the pony challenged, his voice deep and raspy. Candlejack finally managed to climb to his hooves before spitting out freshly formed blood and wiping his muzzle.

"It was just a lucky shot..." he said with a small grin. The pony arched a brow before cracking his neck and readying himself.

"Alright then. The next one won't be as lucky."

"Get him, Strong Hoof!" a pony cried out.

"Show that flesh bag whose boss!" another cried out. Candlejack frowned when the crowd began chanting "Down with the flesh bag!" over and over. He clicked his tongue, ignoring the jolt of pain when he did.

"Typical cutthroats." He rasped. Candlejack swayed a little as he pushed himself off of the wall. Before he knew it, he was suddenly feeling the stinging sensation again, only this time, the feeling was accompanied by something cold sliding into his side. Candlejack choked and looked down to see the hoof claw at his side. The blood flowing when Strong Hoof pulled it out. There was no force or anything applied to the attack. It was just a simple slide it in and pull it out. But it was enough to cause Candlejack to fall to his side. Beaten and mangled, he definitely wanted to just die right then and there. New Equestria has quickly started to annoy him.

Its citizens. Its monarchy. Its government. Everything about it was just so... shit. 'There has to be a better place than here...' he thought tiredly, his vision beginning to blur. 'Maybe... the light will help me find it?' his ears were ringing and his breathing slow. Suddenly, his blurred vision noticed something. A small rustic and grey looking syringe was all he could make out. But he knew what it was. He had seen the previous combatants use this as a drug to keep themselves high and under control.

This was more than just a stimpak. It was called "Ambrosia" to the druggies. Very rare stuff that they say had been stolen from an export deal with the above ground. Slowly reaching out to it, his hoof crawled through the filth in order to reach it. Finally clasping it, he brought it in and hunched himself, hoping that the feigned death would be enough to fool them. The muffled cheering told him that the match was over and Strong Hoof was basking in his next kill.

'No... not yet...' Candlejack thought to himself. 'I won't die here... Not in this shit hole of a place!' He jabbed the needle in his chest and gasped, eyes widening at the sudden course of energy and new found strength flowing through him. His body ignored the pain, the ringing in his ears faded, the blurred vision clearing. Not only that, he felt a tingly feeling on his side. Whatever this "Ambrosia" is, it had an immediate kick. One that Candlejack wanted to take full advantage of. Jumping to his hooves, his smile wide and maniacal, Candlejack cantered forward, flapping his wings once to propel himself up just enough to plant his forelegs on the distracted pony's back.

Heaving himself onto the back, Candlejack quickly reached for the hoof claw that was being held in the air and with a sudden twist of his body and hooves that were locked around it, a bellowing yelp and a surprised gasp from the crowds told Candlejack that his opportunity was indeed what he had expected. With another twist of his body, Candlejack managed to spin and flip the massive muscular pony over his hooves and onto his back. A sleight of hoof unhooked the claw and without even bothering to put it on, Candlejack held the bloodied weapon at the neck of the pony. His hoof locked around one of the blades, creating a fresh cut that trickled blood onto the pony.

Strong Hoof was stunned at the sudden turn of events. Candlejack breathed heavily, the drug still fresh in his veins. The maniacal smile now turned to a triumphant one. However, the pegasus wasn't done. The Pit was all about blood, broken bones and two ponies beating the crap out of each other. And while Candlejack had a sheer amount of wounds created by this pony, there was hardly a single one on his opponent. Locking his other hoof around the hoof straps, Candlejack brought the blade a little further down. And with a quick push of his new found strength, the claw dug into the pony, deeper than it should have.

The next thing that made Candlejack grin was the accompanying scream that followed. Such satisfaction that he didn't think he would ever feel. Candlejack, however, wasn't entirely satisfied. He pulled the blade out and reared back again, the blade hovering over his head. With a loud roar, Candlejack brought the hoof claw down into the pony again. Only this time, Strong Hoof was quick to react and caught him in mid-strike.

"Argh!! Bastard, take it easy!! You win!!" he yelled. Candlejack slobbered a bit, his face in sheer anger. He struggled against Strong Hoof, only to see that his efforts were only making him lose this new found energy he had. Candlejack then let himself be disarmed, forcing Strong Hoof to let go, only to have Candlejack bring his foreleg back and struck hard against Strong Hoof's muzzle. The pony groaned as another strike hit true. And again. And again. And again. Over and over and over. Each strike inflicted onto Strong Hoof was making Candlejack laugh a little insanely.

Such energy. Such satisfaction. 'By the divine goddesses yes!! This is amazing!!' Candlejack was about to deliver another when somepony stopped him in mid strike. The new interruption pissed the stallion off, turning his blood thirsty anger onto the new pony. However, the stoic face that he met eyed him as Candlejack felt something prick his neck. Candlejack felt the energy and strength leave him, the pain that was inflicted on him coming back as a tidal wave of agony and numbness.

"It's over, kid. You won." The stallion said to him. Candlejack stumbled and fell to his side, his breathing was rasp and his whole body screaming out in pain. All he could muster was a groan.

"Dammit, Shiv. You snuck the flesh bag some Ambrosia?" the massive pony said, trotting over to him as if the stab to the chest was nothing but a bruise. However, Candlejack could see the work he put into on the pony's muzzle. Strong Hoof snorted once and spat blood out, his look narrowing at the young stallion. The earth pony next to him, one that was in a darker grey coat and a black as night mane and blue eyes shrugged.

"Kid needed an edge. Besides, even without it, he did take you off guard for a good minute." He said. The pony grunted. He wasn't too happy about being beaten by a smuggler and his "bet".

"No honor among thieves." Strong Hoof said.

"Never truer words spoken, Strong Hoof." Shiv responded nonchalantly. Candlejack remained on the ground, too tired to even move a muscle other than his eyes. "I have to say though. Despite being new to Ambrosia, he took it pretty well. Didn't suffer a heart attack after the first few seconds." Strong Hoof grinned suddenly.

"Only because I don't give them the few seconds to have it last." Shiv shrugged.

"I dunno. You were pretty caught up in the moment." The pony smirked. "If I didn't know it, you were annoyed at the pony jumping around on two legs." Strong Hoof frowned.

"About that. How did you even manage to do that? I swear, I've never seen a pony try to brawl on two legs. Even though it's mainly when they lock together in a tug-o-war, to see you move casually around the place without so much as losing your balance. I have to give you kudos." Candlejack only replied with a tired groan. Shiv smirked again.

"Hey, Moonshine. Give this kid 'the refresher'. I think he deserved it, don't you all agree?" Candlejack wasn't aware that he had a crowd not too far off murmuring quietly to one another. A pony appeared next to him. A very pretty mare. While as dirtied and matted as the rest of them, Candlejack could tell that this widowmaker definitely is an eye catcher. With the right grooming of course. But since that is lacking here in this shithole of a prison, she had no other choice but to let the smell and filth cling to her. The mare sported a sapphire coat and a straight mane that covered one of her piercingly cold yet pretty green eyes.

"Not bad, kid. You'll fit in just right here." Moonshine said with a small quirky smile as she dug into her tail and withdrew a flask. Candlejack was uncertain about accepting a drink from a hired assassin that has bedded with her targets and snuck poison into their drink when they weren't looking. A very common practice of assassination. But one that definitely worked out for her until she was ratted out by one of her "over needy" clients that tried to shimmy his way under her tail, only to have her outright kill the pony in public by bashing his head in repeatedly with her hoof.

When the earth pony mare held his head up and tipped the flask in, Candlejack prepared for the worse. Only... there was something strange about the taste. No flavor. Refreshing. And almost as if it had come out of a lunarium freezer. Candlejack found himself sitting upright, wiping his muzzle and arching a brow.

"What... was that?" he rasped, wincing as he tried to shift his wings only to hear a pop and a crack. The mare smirked.

"Water. Plain and simple." She said. Candlejack couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at this.

'Wait, what are you thinking?! You want an assassin to poison you!?' he shook his head of the thought and winced when the pain came back. Strong Hoof leaned against the cobblestone wall and grinned.

"Have to say. I didn't think you would out right stab me. That's usually Shiv when he's trying to set an example." Shiv cast him a sideways glance.

"Somepony needs to show that they aren't to be bucked with. And I say this kid here has proven just that. So, instead of calling him flesh bag. How about... Death Wing?" Moonshine flinched.

"Really? How edgy can you be in names?" she asked in mock sarcasm. Shiv looked at her stoically.

"Then what do you have in mind?" Moonshine hummed in thought before coming to an idea.

"Death Wing." She said with a smile. That caused a strange reaction from Shiv. One that made Strong Hoof bellow out in laughter.

"Aye, you know Moonshine only wants the last words." Shiv sighed and rubbed his muzzle. Moonshine, however, beamed at another thought.

"Or maybe, how about just Jack?" she said. Shiv arched a brow.

"What makes you say that?" Moonshine shrugged.

"Well, he jumped around a lot. Almost like that game of jumping jacks. And his name has Jack in it. So I just figured, why not Jack?" Strong Hoof snorted in agreement.

"And don't forget that if Jack gets jacked up, expect to be the fool later." Moonshine pointed at him.

"Ahh, like a jester! Perfect!" The two hoof bumped and Shiv let out a quiet sigh of annoyance.

"Well, then it is settled. Welcome to our underground society, Jack. We hope that your hooves draw blood and your teeth razor sharp." Candlejack was baffled. All he wanted was food. He didn't expect to just suddenly be given a name and a place in the circle of cutthroats that ruled the place.

Aurora shot out a hoof, her claw stubs extending as they grabbed ahold of Manic's jumpsuit. Pulling her back as the heavy devices landed where she once sat in horror, Aurora found it hard to pinpoint exactly where she was going. The static in her vision and the white noise in her ears were creating so much interference. Whatever this "anomaly" was, it was angry and wanting blood. Aurora felt something hard strike her on the back of the head, causing her to register a grunt of pain and stumble forward.

"Manic!! Are you alright!?" A voice called over the increasing static. Aurora swayed a bit, the blunt strike sending pain signals throughout her body. "Manic! This way!!" Spotlight called out over the gale of electronics. Aurora felt a tug on her hoof. Being pulled along by the filly, who had seemed to snap out of her stunned state, Aurora looked back, seeing the static in her vision completely blur out. But as it did, she heard a small voice whisper.

The sin must be paid by blood. And thus his blood shall be paid.

And just like that, the room began to calm. The devices clattered to the floor and the anomaly had vanished into a peeling wisp. Aurora's vision came back as crisp as it had been when the filly worked on her. The three stared in awe at the mess. Spotlight pulled the filly into her chest and stroked her mane, seeing the terrified filly tremble. With a quick sniffle, Spotlight gave a small smile.

"I'm glad we were able to get to you in time." She said. Aurora darted her eyes around the room. Hesitant to step forward, she held out a hoof to the room. "W-wait! What if it isn't gone?" Spotlight stated. Aurora blinked once and pulled her hoof back. This feeling that was forced into her. It felt so surreal. Of course, it wasn't the first time she had been angry. But this wasn't just anger. Her self-aware chip was picking up a lot of mixed emotions. Sadness, guilt, betrayal.

She put a hoof to her chest as if in a small prayer.

'This is... an awful feeling.' She thought.

Candlejack covered the flank. His head bowed in thought. Why did that memory come back to him? It felt so long ago, but it made him feel a little... what's the word he was looking for? Candlejack shook his head. 'No, that place needs to burn. Ponies shouldn't live like that." He thought.

And you think they deserve a better place up here?

Candlejack frowned. 'They deserve a better life period.'

And yet, here you are, walking this desolate world, acting like nothing is going to go wrong. You really are a sad pony.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Candlejack said aloud.

"What was that?" Candlejack looked to see White look back with Zelori. They had walked quite a ways from the community. The zebra buck covered the front, guiding them. He stated that as long as they follow him, they can avoid the pockets that pierced through the cooling aura. And so far, no pony has combusted... yet. Candlejack shook his head of the thought before responding.

"Nothing. Just talking to myself." Zelori eyed the pegasus worriedly before looking ahead. White cocked a brow.

"In any case. That about sums up what happened after the fact." White sighed and bowed his head. "I figured the weather would just burn it alive. But as you can see, the book still remains looking brand new." Yaba nodded.

"The dark magic it has been containing is what's keeping it alive. Dispersing it would be... difficult." Zelori rubbed her chin.

"But wouldn't the magic just come back?" she asked. Yaba shook his head.

"I said difficult. Not impossible. Dark magic can be entirely erased. If you know what you are doing and what you are looking for." He looked up to the cloudless sky. "The outlawed practice maybe a forbidden art. But through creation must come destruction. Nothing is perfect. In this case, dark magic can be erased. However, to do so requires a lot of sacrifices. What created it was easy. But whoever created the art made sure that it would be difficult to destroy." He looked over his shoulder as he continued. "There was a time when my ancestors had practiced this art. It was to ensure that the spirits of the damned would not come to rob us of our foals and create safety amongst our kin." Zelori was intrigued to hear about this buck's knowledge of necromancy. So much, in fact, that her question was something that was entirely expected.

"Are you from the clans?" she asked. Yaba smirked.

"The clans are just sorry excuses for keeping our ancestor's traditions alive. I do not belong to them. I belong to Gaia." Zelori was in awe at this response. However, her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"So... what exactly are the clans?" Mr. Yaba looked back ahead as he replied.

"The clans are many. Yet few are active in today's modern time. Those that stay true to our ancestors have created small communities in Oasis. Others that have accustomed to today's time reside as gangs and entrepreneurs to Aretilla and its surrounding communities. But there is only one clan that remains true to Gaia. And it is the one that I belong too." Zelori leaned forward, her interest piqued. The zebra buck grinned widely, the exposed melted flesh stretching. "Myself." The answer disappointed Zelori.

"I-I don't understand." Zelori asked, a little taken aback by the response. Yaba nodded.

"Which is why I assumed you were just a filly fresh from the womb. And I was right in a sense. You have much to learn of Gaia's ways. In order to be with her, you must understand her. Hear her voice and carry out her wills. In return, she asks you respect the gifts she has given." The buck snorted and frowned. "But as you can see, Gaia has been tainted and wildlife has... mutated from what it originally was." He shrugged. "At least the tribes are quiet."

"Tribes?" Zelori asked.

"The buffalo. Surprisingly enough, there are some that have survived for years. The flocks. Griffons that have onced despised each other are now a species dedicated to kinship and loyalty. They reside in their fallen kingdom of Griffonstone. The tribes. Buffalo that retain their stance in the herd grounds. They prefer to live in the Badland's canyons as the flora there grow enough to satisfy them. The clans. Zebra that have come to terms with today's world and yet try to remain true to their ways of Gaia. However, with most, they decided to hypocrisies themselves with fame, fortune and an iron hoof.

"Then you have the bloodkins." White perked up.

"You mean the dragons?" He beamed. "I heard that the Dragonlands are dangerous, but the promise of riches and fortunes are tremendous!" Yaba snorted.

"That is a rumor. While most expeditions have resulted in the loss of many, those that have walked out of there were granted wealth beyond their imagination." He sighed. "At least, only one pony had said that before he went stark raving mad at the delusion." White arched a brow.

"You make it sound like he was just lying." Yaba nodded.

"He stated that he was promised wealth beyond his imagination. Yet, he walked out of there with empty hooves. Whatever happened to the poor sod, it was enough to drive him mad to the point where he ended up jumping into the Barren Sea and into the maws of a sand wyrm." Zelori rubbed her chin.

"Interesting. And what other tales does this world have?" she asked. Yaba shrugged.

"I've only accompanied the Second Expedition until they decided to go their separate ways. We were dedicated into creating safe roads, areas and marking places for the Third Expedition to make habitable."

"So what happened to make your face all screwy?" Candlejack suddenly spoke up. Yaba snorted angrily before responding.

"The acid of a sand wyrm is something not to boast about." Candlejack winced.

"I wasn't going to imply it. It just seems that you have your fair share of battles to tell." Yaba growled a little.

"Indeed. This place isn't for those that are naive and wet under the ears. Which is why I must advise caution for the place I am about to take you too." Candlejack gave a small hoof wiggle.

"I'm not too worried. But go ahead."

Yeah right.

Mr. Yaba eyed the stallion before continuing.

"The place is an abandoned church of the sisters." He looked up to the sky again. "The two that have rose the sun and moon years ago. A church dedicated to them and their ways." He glanced sideways to White. "A place where a certain cult had resided in before being disbanded." White bowed his head shamefully. "While ten years have passed ever since, things change quickly then you think. If we are to challenge the dark magic, we must first purify it in a place with the sister's touch. The Church of the Eclipse." Candlejack hummed in thought before sighing.

"So, just who are the two sisters then? You say they raised the sun and moon like they were goddesses. Kind of sounds similar to The Church of Solis and The Church of Artemis." Candlejack wasn't too familiar with religion. But having the ETG divided between Solar and Lunar guards was just uncommon for him. And even then, the churches made it a big deal to invoke their practices or remain a heretic and judged by Tartarus himself. Yaba, however, cocked a brow at him.

"Solis and Artemis?"

"They are a group from where we come from. Two religions unified under a single banner, but have different practices. You would be given the blessings of the Sun father or the Night father and be left to a life in their embrace. Or be branded a 'heretic' and marked by their society as a lost lamb." Candlejack snorted.

"If you ask me, they should keep their bibles to their noses and not into others." He said. Yaba frowned.

"So, you are not a part of this... blasphemous religion?" Candlejack casually waved a hoof.

"I'm an agnostic by heart." Zelori rolled her eyes.

"In any case. You referred to it as 'blasphemous'. Why is that?" Yaba grinned.

"It's best I show you. If your religions are conspired differently to that of the sisters, then maybe you will have a different opinion once you know exactly who they are." Candlejack blinked.

"You mean... we are actually going to see them?" Yaba shrugged.

"More or less." He beamed and trotted forward. "And here we are." He stopped and let the three trot up beside him. The three gapped in awe. The building before them was massive.

The church, a remnant of what it once was, lined with partially destroyed or crumbled pillars with etched in drapes of the sun and the moon in a on and off pattern. The building had definitely seen better days. It divided into three wings. The left side had a roof that caved in and the right side had what appeared to be a makeshift look out. The center, however, had a tall tower with a cracked bell hanging over head. The windows that lined its two stories were either boarded up or sealed off completely. The patios of the wings were blocked off by dirt and sand that gathered over the years of decay.

One of the walls looked like it had caved in and a sand dune covered it up. But that wasn't what enticed them. Before they saw the building, they saw the statues. Decrepit and cracked, the statues of two alicorns reared proudly on pedestals. However, one of the statues was shorter than the other. Its head and mane laid shattered at the base of the pedestal, the horn cracked to a stub along with its' right foreleg and its' partially destroyed left wing. The other, a taller one, was missing one wing and part of the alicorn's mane and tail lay shattered at the base. The sand buried whatever missing pieces that had fallen off.

But Candlejack pieced together what it would look like in his head. Two alicorns rearing proudly together, their horns locked in an embrace of power. The five ponies trotted down the hill and Candlejack noticed a plaque as they walked around the decrepit statue:

Our goddesses of the sun and moon. Pr**nce** Cel***ia and P***cess Lu**

Most of it was hard to make out. As if the plaque was fading away along with the statue. But just nearing the statue gave him a chill down his spine. Something about what it was previously, definitely had struck mixed emotions into many ponies. But the emotion he was feeling was something more than just a powerful haunting memory of a place dedicated to them. Something told him that at some point in life, these goddesses existed. And the sheer thought of powerful beings ruling the land... shook him to the core.

'Geez, the sisters seem more intimidating than the fathers.' He thought. Trotting to catch up with the rest of the group, they stopped and admired the entrance. Two tall oak doors that were marked and splintered with the years of decay and abuse of the weather. The same could be said for every inch of the walls holding the place up.

"Be ready for anything. For all we know, a Jackal may have taken residences of the place." Yaba said as he reached for the doors. With a loud creak and groan of the door, the five stepped inside. The lobby was littered with decayed paper and the red velvet carpet was torn and melting into the splintered floor boards. However, upon entering and moving through the entrance, they rounded a corner and through a pair of smaller looking doors that were broken to a half. A gasp of wonder left Candlejack.

On both sides of the trailing velvet carpet that lead up to a wide podium were long benches lined perfectly symmetrical. Candelabra stands lined each row of seats, the melted wax showing signs of constant use. Above them was a balcony with more benches lined perfectly symmetrical. Draped over the balcony was a flag that was entirely different than the ones from outside.

It was a picture of two alicorns circling an object in the middle. Years of abandonment made it faded and the stitching coming undone. As they traveled down the long and straight path down the rows of benches, Candlejack did a complete three-sixty degree turn to take in as much as he could. Despite the decrepit environment, he could tell that there were some additions to the place. There were lockers lining the walls that seemed to be falling apart on one another. Whatever lied dormant in them was no longer existing. The podium was also blocked off by a pile of sandbags and pointy looking wooden fencing. But when Candlejack saw the podium, his eyes immediately fell to the stained glass windows.

On the left was a mosaic design of a flowing maned midnight alicorn. Her horn pointing and releasing a magical beam off into the wall. The right one was similar, but depicted a regal white alicorn in a flowing mane of green and pink. She too was releasing magic from her horn off into the wall. But the center stained glass was much more in depth than the side ones. A mosaic pattern of colors showing a grassy hill, ponies cheering for joy as the sister's magic collided onto a being. This being may have been a pony, but something about it was... off.

The pony had strange black lines on the joints and the pony had a fauxhawk mane. Surrounding the pony was a golden circle with a star in the middle of where the pony resided. The star's points had colorful looking gems inside it. A purple star, a red lightning bolt, a balloon, a gem, an apple and a butterfly.

"Whoa..." Candlejack breathed.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Yaba said as he marveled at the stained glass windows. "The right alicorn. Princess Celestia. She rose the sun and ruled Equestria's ponies for millennia. The left, her younger sister and princess of the night and dreams. Princess Luna. Together, there powers combined to show their unity." He waved a hoof over to the middle window. 'Combined with the power of the Elements of Harmony, this pony was lucky enough to have been bestowed the power to become a messiah to the war. He united ponies. Brought them together in a successful attempt of friendship. For he was the second pupil of The Princess of Friendship."

"The Princess of Friendship?" White asked. Yaba nodded.

"Some say she had vanished during the war of Neighpon. But rumor states that she had merely retreated into the powers of the Elements along with the other bearers in order to preserve the balance of the world from fading. With the princesses gone, no pony knew what would have happened next."

"The Big Bang?" White asked again. Yaba remained quiet.

"Perhaps. But again, I wasn't a part of the Third Expedition. Once my duty was completed, I retired to a quiet life." He frowned. "Or so I had thought." White shrunk back a little with a sheepish smile. He then blinked once.

"Wait, the Second Expedition? How old exactly are you?" Yaba snorted angrily.

"I've lost count. But I can tell you this, I've been around the bush longer than when Aretilla was just but a mere sanctuary with a terrible over-population problem." He sighed. "We do everything for them and in return they treat us like ancient relics. The nerve." Candlejack trotted past them, catching their looks. He squeezed his way past the fencing and over the sandbags before reaching the top of the podium.

"Incredible..." he whispered. Zelori eyed her brother with caution. She knew his curiosity was dangerous enough to get himself nearly killed. And the buck did warn them that anything can go in this place.

"I do not mean to be rude. But aren't we here to handle a necromancy problem?" Zelori asked. Mr. Yaba hmphed in agreement.

"Indeed. We must find the altar of the sun and moon. Their churches were separated to those who followed one or the other. If we say the prayer to the two, we should be going into step two to ridding the problem." He looked to White. "And your sister will be spared once we have completed the steps." White gave him a serious look.

"Of course." He said. Mr. Yaba trotted past him.

"There is a time where ponies must prove themselves. You may have found your destinies, but have you really understood it? With any luck, maybe you can finally figure that out." White didn't respond. He knew what the buck was talking about.

"Time to man up, then." He said. He looked back to see Candlejack looking at the window. He narrowed his eyes. Something was indeed off about it. And as if on cue, the window shattered and Candlejack balked as a figure zipped through. Time slowed. The glass raining down around him as if a wonder was taking place. Before he knew it, Candlejack felt something hard strike him in the chest and he went sailing with the figure on top of him. Zelori snapped to and readied herself. White and Yaba backed away as Candlejack groaned in pain as the figure stood up over him. A tri-goggled pony dressed in a black espionage attire.

His goggles trained on the unicorn DJ.

"It was a real pain trying to find the right moment to strike. But I guess they wouldn't mind if I sin just a little bit longer." The figure glanced over his shoulder to look at the windows. He made a motion with his hoof over his muzzle and chest. "Forgive me, oh goddesses, for the sin I am about to commit. May your shining embrace wake this land again." Zelori dashed to the front, standing in a bi-pedal position and aiming her hooves at the figure.

"Who are you!?" she stated. The pony turned and shrugged.

"Just a pony trying to survive everyday ordeals. That's usually how it goes here anyway. But if you really want to know." He pointed to White. "I'm here for the brat." White backed away.

"M-Me? Why?" he asked. The pony cocked his goggled head.

"Your little sister owes somepony a great deal. One that she backed out of. It is time for her to return it back. But it seems that she cannot be convinced through reasonable means. So I figured, why not take the brother and force her to give it up." White grit his teeth, the anger displayed on his face.

"You better back off from her..." he growled. The pony chuckled lightly.

"Ah, kids these days. Always finding their place in this shit hole of a world. But you do know how we work, don't you?" White darted his eyes in thought. He then gasped.

"W-wait! Who hired you!? What does my sister owe!?" The pony rubbed his chin in mock thought.

"Something that belongs to my client. He hates it when somepony doesn't give him what he wants. So, he sends me to claim it." The pony reached back and an alien looking weapon hummed to life. "And that is what I intend to-" The pony wasn't expecting a gut punch. It was quick and the feeling instant. The pony hunched over, dropping the weapon, his goggles facing the maniacal grin of the stallion he had thought was downed.

"How about you shut the hell up!" Candlejack said. He grabbed ahold of the collar of the pony's suite and head-butted him. His goggles flew off and the pony grunted in pain, stumbling off of him. But Candlejack quickly swiped a hind leg underneath the disgruntled pony, causing him to fall to his side. Jumping to his hooves, Candlejack was immediately on him.

"Zelori! Help them with that problem! I'll keep him distracted. Make sure the kid and his sister are safe!" he said as he delivered two good hoof punches to the pony's muzzle. Now that the goggles were off, Candlejack noticed a pair of slit yellow eyes looking back at him with anger. Candlejack had his hoof caught before he could deliver a third strike and he was shoved off of the pony. The pony looked to see the retreating figures of the three. Zelori looked back, a worried expression towards the pegasus before she turned and covered the flank.

"Dammit! I'm not done with you yet!!" The pony scrambled to his feet, but Candlejack bit down on the pony's mask. He brought the pony around and bucked him in the side, causing the attacker to sail into the benches, moving them as he did. The pony stood up, rasping in pain. Candlejack arched a brow. He wasn't new to the species. He just found them a little odd at times.

And thestrals were no different. The bat like pony rubbed his muzzle and spat out the blood. Candlejack stood up into a bi-pedal stance and bobbed a little. The thestral arched a brow before giving a sideways glance. He growled.

"You'll regret this moment..." he hissed. Candlejack smirked and taunted by wiggling his hoof to bring it. The thestral held up a hoof and Candlejack heard the faint sound of a pop. It was quick and he almost didn't see it in time. Candlejack shifted to his side as something whistled past his ear and impaled into the wall behind him. The thestral balked in surprise before gritting his teeth, bearing the two sharp fangs. The thestral reached back and plucked something from his utility belt. With a quick flick of his hoof, the device hummed to life. A small little blade. But the edges lined with a glowing blue hue.

The thestral hissed before rushing at him.

Zelori, White and Yaba galloped down the beaten hallway of the left wing. White looked back to the door they had entered. He was surprised at how long the hallway was. The rooms and doors they had passed were either caved in, boarded off or cluttered beyond recognition. But there was signs of ponies having renovated the place. Makeshift boards and catwalks made the hallway feel a little more cramped than it should. Zelori nodded to him before he turned back around and saw Yaba buck open a pair of oak wooden doors that lead to a small room that wasn't as breathtaking as the entrance. But it was used as something else entirely.

Medical beds laid spastically around the room and covers that were taken from the once hanging curtains that covered the windows as a way to separate the beds. The three took a moment to catch their breaths.

"I think we are clear for now." Yaba said as he peeked through the oak doors he had bucked open. White shook his head.

"What about Candlejack? We have to do something to help him!" Zelori put a hoof on his shoulder.

"He can handle one pony. For now, let us focus on the task at hoof." She looked at Yaba. "Do you know exactly where this alter is?" Mr. Yaba frowned and darted his eyes before nodding to her.

"It also seems that we are a little late." He said. Zelori arched a brow before looking behind her. She balked at the sight that stood over her. It was an alter alright. Offerings gathered at the base of a rearing alicorn. Wilted stems of what were once flowers lined in dirtied stained vases on opposite sides of the alter. However, that wasn't what surprised her. What surprised her was the decorations of the statue of the Night Mother.

Bones and flesh. And from the looks of it, recent too. White felt his ramen come back to him.

"A-a-are those... ponies!?" he exclaimed. Mr. Yaba looked grimly at the sight. Who or what that decorated the statue as it was definitely had a twisted mindset. Where the statues eyes were was indeed actual eyes. The statute looked disgruntled, a colorful quilt of pony hides draped over the body. The wings were laced in entrails that were blackened and rotten beyond recognition. Even the horn tip of the statue was a bright white of a recent de-horned unicorn. Zelori darted her eyes cautiously around the room.

Her sense were telling her they weren't alone. And as if the reassure her instincts, there was the sound of whispering. Quiet, but loud enough for them to hear.

"Who dares to trespass the Night Mother's presence?"

White gulped loudly and shivered.

"W-w-we just wanted to... ask for a blessing..."

"We do not offer blessings to sinners. Offer us everything or begone from our sight.

Zelori cocked a brow.

" So, if we don't give you everything we have, you will just let us out of here?"

"Offer us everything or begone from our sight. We do not tolerate sinners."

The whispers erupted into echoed laughs. White shrunk close between the two zebra that looked around the room, trying to pinpoint the voices.

"You call us sinners. Yet you pretend to act as the Night Mother." Zelori said suddenly. "Are you certain that isn't a sin itself?" The laughing stopped and replaced by hissing.

"Do not speak out of line, naysayer!! Offer us everything or leave!!" Zelori narrowed her eyes. She then looked at the statue. Something about it was off. And she wasn't thinking the amount of pony flesh that decorated it. No... this was something else entirely. Studying the statue as quickly and analytically as possible, she then fell to the horn at the top. She couldn't help but notice the unicorn horn glowing. It was strange that a unicorn horn could still function without the pony present. But she doubted that was the case. If anything, the horn was being... manipulated.

"White, use your magic on the statue's horn." She said. White balked.

"W-what!? You want me to touch somepony's broken off horn!?" he exclaimed. The hissing was getting louder to the point where their voices were being drowned out.

"That is precisely what I am asking!!" she shouted over the loud hissing. White bit his lip.

"B-but that belonged to somepony..." he muttered to himself. Mr. Yaba put a hoof on his shoulder, causing him to shrink a little at the touch.

"If you want to save your sister, you must be prepared for the sacrifices. Man up." He said. White winced. He looked hesitantly at the decorated statue. He closed his eyes, giving into the pressure and reached out with his magic. The hissing suddenly began to stutter. As if a broken record was going off.

"W-wait! What are you doing?! Stop that!!"

Zelori looked stoically at the statue. Shifting her hoof slightly, she hooked a piece of rubble and with a quick flick, the pebble like rubble shot through the air and vanished into the darkness.

"Yeeow!! Who did that!!?"

Zelori frowned slightly before shifting over to a rock and did the same thing. This time, there was a grunt of pain and the horn on the statue broke off and clattered to the floor. When it did, the room suddenly had an instant chill. Zelori focused on this feeling. Concentrating on where the flow of magic was returning too. Her eyes widened and she looked up above. A makeshift catwalk from the previous residents of this place. But it was clear to her senses. Flicking another rock, the piece of rubble struck true at a weak spot in the rickety catwalk and with a loud groan, the catwalk gave way and a surprised yelp followed quickly after.

Dust rose in the air, making it hard to breath. Waving it away, they looked to see a disgruntled hooded pony at the bottom of the wreckage. Based on the pained voice coming from the pony, Zelori could safely assume it was a mare. She immediately rushed over and bit down on the pony's hood. The pony struggled.

"H-hey! Gerroff!!" she grunted. Zelori dropped and pinned the pony, forcing the hood off of her. She balked at the sight of a very young mare. No more than an adolescent teen. The mare sported a magenta colored coat and a velvet stripped mane and violet eyes. She was very pretty despite the dirt and grime on her. Zelori looked sternly at her.

"Do you realize what you have been playing with?" she asked. The mare shrunk a bit at the glaring mare.

"I-I-I don't know what you are talking about! I swear, the statue was like that when I got here!" she whimpered.

"What are you even doing here in the first place!?" White asked, a little surprised and disgusted that this young mare had been playing with pony flesh and bones. The mare shivered.

"I-I only stumbled upon this place! I heard i-it belonged to a cult my grandmother was a part of! I just wanted to see what it looked like!" Zelori sniffed once and frowned.

"I doubt that is the case. That look and smell is all too familiar." She moved off the mare and allowed her to stand up. The mare did so hesitantly.

"L-Look, I don't want no trouble! I just want to be left alone!' Zelori looked at the two. White was still showing signs of mixed confusion and disgust while Mr. Yaba was examining the statue, as if trying to picture it before the decorations. Zelori motioned to the statue.

"Are you the one responsible for this?" she asked. The mare quickly shook her head, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"N-no! I would never skin anything! Let alone a... a pony..." she looked at the statue. "It was like that when I arrived here." White frowned.

"And yet, you had no problems playing a unicorn's horn." He said. The mare blushed shamefully.

"I-I swear, I didn't mean anything bad by it. I-I'm not good with magic anyway!" White shook his head and stomped towards the pony, making her shrink back.

"That's no excuse!! You should be ashamed of yourself, not as a unicorn, but a pony in general!" The mare whimpered. Zelori's ears twitched at the sounds of stuggle coming from down the hall. The others heard it too.

"W-what was that!?" The unicorn mare asked, ducking behind Zelori. Zelori rubbed her muzzle in frustration.

'As if things couldn't get anymore complicated.' She glared at the mare. "You." The mare squeaked. "You are to remain with us. If I catch you escaping, I will not hesitate to put you to sleep." The mare lost all color. But she nodded her head furiously. Zelori looked to Mr. Yaba. "I do believe we came here for a reason." The zebra buck nodded and withdrew the black book from the brown bag that was hooked on his side. Holding up the book, the mare gasped.

"T-that book!" she stated. But catching the eye of the glaring zebra mare, she immediately shrunk back and quieted. Mr. Yaba then began chanting something in zebra. White and Zelori watched as the buck held the book high, his chanting turning back into Equish.

O' sisters of the land,

You who bring day and night,

Let this object know the powers

Of your glorious might.

The magic contained within its' depths,

Be released upon thy soul.

And be blessed in returned

By the light of our foals.

The room was silent. But the atmosphere was different than before.

By brilliant sun.

By glorious moon.

Let them bear witness

And release a swoon.

Unleash this power,

That it holds in its grasp.

So that it may retain

It's once rightful past.

There was a cold wind that blew through the room. Once that made White, Zelori and the mare shiver. But as quickly as it came, the room's atmosphere was back to normal. White looked around, a confused brow raised.

"Err... was that it?" he asked. Mr. Yaba lowered the book, muttering a small prayer before putting the book back into the bag.

"The Night Mother is not pleased by her defecation. I am afraid that it will be a little more difficult to gain her blessing." White shook his head slowly.

"So... wait. The book can't be blessed by Princess Luna because somepony decided to decorate her with flesh and entrails?" Mr. Yaba rubbed his chin.

"In more methodical terms, yes." White snorted angrily.

"Great. What a waste of time. Candlejack is distracting a bounty hunter and we came all this way for nothing." Mr. Yaba frowned.

"The price of playing with Death's entourage is a great one, youngling. I am afraid your family may have to deal with the curse." White waved a hoof in dismissal.

"Buck that! I'm not going to let some divine bitch tell me that I can't save my sister!" Mr. Yaba frowned again.

"You best watch your tone around the Night Mother." White snorted.

"Oh bullshit! It's a freakin' statue for goddess sake!" He turned to the statue. "Ya' hear that, Night Mother!? That's right, I'm calling your bullshit!! You are just a two bit wanna-be princess who isn't appreciated anymore! Get with the times! You are a forgotten piece that doesn't have any rights to this world!! So you can go shove that broken horn of yours up your sorry flank!!" Zelori winced. The room's atmosphere felt a little darker than usual. So much, in fact, that Zelori couldn't help but feel a disturbance targeting the swearing unicorn.

"White, I must ask that you please calm down." Zleori said as she took a step forward. The room's cold nature picked up more.

"No! I didn't touch a bucking unicorn horn for the sole purpose of being rejected!! I don't need your blessings! I'll find another way to get rid of the dark magic! So you can just rot with the rest of this place like the sad lonely piece of rubble you are!" That did it. White gapped. The lit candles suddenly flickered. White yelped when he saw the eyes that occupied the statue's sockets look at him before levitating out along with the bones and flesh that decorated the statue. As if some dark invisible force began piecing together the parts.

The bones formed together into equine structures. The two eyes occupied one of the skulls and the rest were given the pelts and hides of the quilt. Zelori and the mare cantered over to Mr. Yaba and the retreating DJ unicorn as the bones clattered to life.

"N-n-n-no way... so this is necromancy!?" the mare exclaimed in shock. She put a trembling hoof to her head. "I-I've been studying the wrong profession." Zelori frowned.

"No time to dwell on this. We have to leave. This whole operation is a bust." Mr. Yaba, White and the mare retreated back to the door, only to have it shut on them. However, Mr. Yaba, being the sheer brute he is, turned and bucked the door off its' hinges. Zelori made sure they made it through before following after them, flicking a rock at one of the skeletal ponies on the way out. There was a loud screech and the skeletons galloped after them.

Candlejack ducked a swing from the thestral, following with a good hoof punch to the pony's muzzle. With a grunt of pain, the pony flapped his bat like wings once to gain some distance away from the pegasus. He hissed.

"Damn you! Just what the hell are you!? And how are you able to read my every move!?" he asked. Candlejack smirked, wiping freshly formed blood on his muzzle after a recent few hits to it from the thestral. While the bounty hunter has more bruises and cuts, Candlejack himself hadn't been entirely too cautious. There were a few times in their exchanges where the thestral managed to get in and gave him a good strike. But despite it all, he remained on his two legs, bobbing in place, grinning challengingly at the angry thestral. The podium was littered with the many tools the thestral had tried to attempt on the pegasus, only to be disarmed in more ways than one.

'I can't believe this pony is actually fending for his own against me!' the thestral thought. 'This bastard...' his ears suddenly perked up and he looked over. Candlejack heard it too. The sound of many hoofsteps heading their way. Mr. Yaba burst through the door they had retreated too.

"Back already?" Candlejack asked, a little confused. Mr. Yaba was soon followed after by a hooded pony and White. White stopped and looked at him.

"We have to leave! Now!" He shouted. Candlejack and the bounty hunter exchanged glances. But as if to answer their own questions, Zelori bolted out of the hall. And she wasn't alone either. Before she could move away from the door, something shot out and landed on her. Zelori grunted in pain and let herself roll in order to toss the skeletal like pony off of her. Candlejack balked in surprise at the sight. This wasn't something he had anticipated. It looked similar to the androids he had faced many times. But this one had... actual bones and flesh.

"What in the..." Candlejack said.

"By the Night Mother's moon..." the thestral breathed. He then blinked once and turned around, backing away as something clattered behind him. One of the skeleton ponies had descended from the second story balcony and took a few intimidating steps forward. Candlejack hopped back, seeing two more landing behind him. He and the thestral were back to flank as more of the skeletons descended and surrounded them.

Zelori grit her teeth as she found the skeleton pouncing on her. She shifted sideways and locked her hooves around the neck of the creature. With a quick tug, the skeleton's neck bone ruptured and it screeched in pain. It went limp and Zelori dropped the creature, making it plop disgustingly as it hit the ground. She heard the screeching coming from further down. Zelori turned and moved towards the entrance, only to stop and turn back when she heard the sound of bone and flesh moving as one.

The broken neck bone mended itself and by some dark force, the head popped back on and the creature hissed, clearly not happy about having its' neck snapped.

"Buck me with a thousand horns..." Zelori groaned. It was one of the very few cases where Zelori would just outright do in a time of exasperated frustration.

Candlejack cast a sideways glance at the thestral. The thestral returned it. Together, the two moved. Candlejack punted the chin of one of the skeletons, spun and bucked with one leg in a sideways motion at another skeleton. Both the skeleton's heads were knocked clean off. Candlejack noticed one of the skeletons stumbling towards him, a tag in by the thestral. Candlejack shot out his hoof and cloth-lined the creature, switching spots with the thestral who immediately flew through the air. With a quick forward spin, the thestral's lunarium dagger hummed and cracked on contact with the flailing skeleton in the air.

Candlejack slid under one of the skeletons and locking both hooves at the hind legs of the creature, he rose up and picked the creature off of the ground, flipping it in the air and bucking it towards the thestral, who proceeded to hook the flying disgruntled creature, brought it around in a circle and tossed it over to another pair of skeletons. The bones shattered to pieces and clattered all over the podium. Candlejack finished off the other two with two quick jabs at one, forcing it back and with a quick flap of wings, rose up off the ground and twisted his body, extending a hind leg and colliding it with the sides of the creature's skulls together, sending their heads careening down the decayed velvet carpet.

The two backed into one another. Making sure their assailants were down, the two then turned on each other. However, the thestral caught Candlejack off balance and pounced on him, planting the lunarium dagger under his neck. Candlejack grit his teeth, feeling the burning cold sting of the blade. The thestral narrowed his eyes and before he could decide anything, the sound of bones clattering together made him look away. Candlejack took the advantage and moved the dagger away, socking the thestral in the muzzle and forcing him to back off.

"Argh! I've had enough of this!" The thestral took off, hovering in the air a bit. "Mark my words, pure wing. You cross the Night Mother again and I will ensure she is pleased with you and your 'friends' head's on a platter!" Candlejack, noticing the skeletons slowly forming back together, smirked at the bat pony.

"Aww, love you too pal. Can't wait to hear from your client about your failure." He said, waving his hoof in a farewell motion. The thestral growled.

"It is far from over, pure wing. You have my undying pledge to that!" And with that, the thestral took off, zipping through the shattered stained glass window and disappearing from sight. Candlejack frowned, looking around as the skeletons were near completion.

"Well this has been an interesting day..." Candlejack fell back on all fours and with two bounds of a gallop, he jumped over the fencing and landed gracefully on the carpet, picking up his speed as the skeletons were beginning to focus him. Zelori was waiting at the entrance for him, bucking a skeleton away before letting him through. She shut the door and nodded to them.

The six ponies galloped out of the chapel and up the hill. Candlejack looked back, seeing the decrepit statue of the two alicorns. For some reason, the shorter one appeared to have lost a bit more of its' body than previous. Only the bottom half remained with the hind legs while the torso planted itself in the sand, shattered.

'To think these ponies existed one time... guess I was right to go agnostic.' he thought, thinking back to the stained glass windows. And with the chapel, now abandoned and uninhabitable, to any wandering adventurer's beware. For The Church of Eclipse will forever remain haunted by the damned.

Author's Notes:

Information from New Equestria's Tourist Brochure.

While you are exploring New Equestria's amazing shopping districts and fine dinning, why not stop by and hear the wonderful speeches given by the priest and priestesses of the two united churches. The Church of Solis and the Church of Artemis.

If you are bright and sunny day pony, head on over to The Church of Solis, where you will be blessed with the Sun Father's brilliant light and love. Attend day sermons and enjoy the unique folks that will be your new comrades in ensuring that New Equestria's practices are forever gifted by the Sun Father.

If you are not a day pony and prefer the cold and endless nights, then turn on over to The Church of Artemis. Be at ease and one with your comrades as you are blessed with the Night Father's embrace and dream a peaceful dream, feeling like you can take on the world. And by golly, that feeling is literal, so help your fellow Solisians and Artemisians in their crusade to ensure New Equestria remembers its' once proud and faithful citizens and rulers.