Pinkie Pie awoke from her slumber and lazily sat up in her cramped tent, the top half of her body wobbling back and forth as her heart struggled to pump blood to her extremities. Smacking her lips, the troll fumbled around with her blanket, tossing it aside before reaching for the snack she had left herself. When her hoof bumped into something hard, she blinked and looked down, finding that the brick was where she had placed it.

Grinning to herself, the troll opened her jaws wide and bit down on the slightly blackened hunk of stone, chewing noisily as her brain slowly woke up. As she crunched on her evening snack, she looked about her small tent curiously, noting that the light of the sun had faded significantly. Though still present, it was distant enough that it didn't bother her eyes, and she grinned excitedly as she thought of what was in store for her tonight.

“Mmm, I wonder if there are going to be any good-tasting rocks around here,” muttered the troll, who pulled out a jar of homemade whip cream and dipped the remaining half of her brick in it before tossing it into her mouth.

Packing up her things took little time, as the shaman had only a small pouch of ingredients and other alchemical items as well as her sleeping gear. Putting that away along with her tent didn't take long, as Pinkie Pie deftly flattened the simple cloth structure into its case. Even though she was only at it for a few minutes, it was still enough to remind the troll of the unnerving silence present throughout the small clearing.

Looking around, she noted that despite sleeping relatively close to the edge of the forest, there were very few bird calls or other sounds common in the dense wood. Putting that thought out of her mind, the troll happily bounced her way through the clearing and up the small hill. Before her stood the two undead, their backs turned to her as both peered intently at the simple wooden door, their horns glowing faintly.

Dropping her saddle bags near the entrance, Pinkie Pie bounded over to the pair, noting the frowns on their faces. “Hiya girls. How goes the studying?” she inquired cheerfully.

“Not bad, though we ended up getting distracted for a few hours when someone decided to remember they had a map of the area,” Twilight remarked slightly bitterly.

Sunset Shimmer threw up her hooves. “I’m sorry that getting killed made me forget about some minor details like a crummy map!”

“What map?” Pinkie Pie inquired, gazing at the space between the two undead.

“We put it away already, but it shows the surrounding area. Only it's a thousand or so years out of date,” Twilight replied, sighing. “And I am sorry about that, Sunset. This stupid door is just trying my patience.”

“You and me both,” Sunset muttered.

“I thought Sunset could get through,” Pinkie Pie began. “Didn't you already do so before?”

“It doesn't work anymore,” Sunset answered, raising a hoof. “See?”

Pinkie Pie watched as the skeleton reached forward and tried to press her hoof against the closed door, only to be blocked by a golden field which popped into existence. The yellow aura held firm as Sunset Shimmer pushed her limb against it, small ripples originating from the point of Sunset’s hoof. With a sigh, the skeleton took a step back and adjusted the light cloak she wore before glancing to the shaman expectantly.

“I don't suppose you have any ideas for us by chance, do you?” Sunset inquired.

“Anything at all, really,” Twilight pressed. “Because at this point nothing has worked, and I’m running out patience as well as spells.”

Pinkie Pie hummed thoughtfully, eying the door closely before shifting her attention to Sunset. “You said you were able to get through it before. What changed?” inquired the troll.

“Well, I died, for one,” Sunset deadpanned.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “And she no longer has that bit of Celestia’s magic in her! Do you think that was it?”

“Hmmm.” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin. “Sunset, what did it feel like when you passed through the door the first time?”

“Kind of like it was fighting me right up until I felt a pinching sensation,” Sunset explained, shuddering slightly. “It was quite uncomfortable to say the least.”

“That's strange,” Twilight murmured. “It feels like there is a simple pass gate spell on the door. One meant to allow anyone of a certain designation in. Either you would be able to get in or you couldn't, there shouldn't have been any resistance.”

Pinkie Pie grinned and grabbed the skeleton by the shoulders. “Sunset, what did you think of the night before all the bad stuff with Celestia happened?”

The undead shrugged. “Normal, I guess? Though I suppose now that I’m thinking about it, I was a bit of a night owl. I’m fairly certain I didn't wake up before noon for my entire adulthood. Hell, I built my entire class schedule to allow me to stay up late.”

“Wait, you don't think she was a nightborne while living in Canterlot, do you?” Twilight questioned.

Pinkie Pie’s grin grew slightly larger, and she took a step back, releasing the undead from her grip. “I think that was the case exactly!” announced the troll.

“Which explains why it took a bit to get me through the door, because Celestia’s magic overruled it somehow,” Sunset Shimmer finished.

“And without it you are back to being a friend of the night once more,” Pinkie Pie declared.

“Okay, well, that explains that, but not what we are going to do about this door,” Twilight remarked, tapping her hoof against the golden barrier in emphasis.

“Could you do that again please?” Pinkie Pie asked, the troll already wearing a knowing smile.

Twilight blinked and pressed her hoof against the barrier. “I’m not sure why you wanted me to do that. I still can't get through it.”

“But what's different between you and Sunset?” Pinkie Pie pressed.

Twilight looked to the skeleton expectantly, a baffled, pleading look on her face.

Sunset meanwhile was inspecting the other undead’s hoof closely. “Wait, there are no ripples. It's not trying to push you away.”

Twilight looked to the door and found that her assistant’s assertion was indeed true. “But it's still not letting me inside though,” Twilight exclaimed.

“I’ve got an idea!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, raising a hoof triumphantly in the air. “Wait right here, I’ll be right back!”

The two undead watched as their friend bounded over to where she had left her bags, which the troll began to dig through.

“What do you think she’s up to?” Sunset Shimmer whispered.

Twilight shrugged. “I have no idea. Though I’ve got a good feeling that she’s onto something.”

“You know I’m starting to think that neither of us are particularly good at lateral thinking,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.

The other mare snorted. “Tell me about it. We could both learn a lot from Pinkie Pie.”

“True,” Sunset admitted.

The troll popped back from around the corner, a pipe in one hoof and a small ruby in the other. “I got it! This will tell us exactly what we need to know.”

“I would say this isn't the time to have a relaxing smoke, but then again, I don't think that's what you plan on doing,” Twilight remarked, stepping back from the barrier.

“Noper doper! Besides, smoking is bad for you,” Pinkie Pie proclaimed before sitting down in front of them and putting one end of the long thin pipe into her mouth.

“I’m pretty sure Twilight would be fine even if she started smoking,” Sunset Shimmer pointed out.

“I don't know, have you ever smoked before?” Twilight countered.

Sunset Shimmer nodded. “Once, back in college.”

“And now just look at you,” Twilight replied, gesturing to the skeleton’s body.

Sunset pressed her hoof against her head and groaned. “That was terrible.”

“Good one, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie offered. “Though I’m pretty sure you annoyed Sunset Shimmer a bit. I think she's going to have a bone to pick with you from now on.”

The skeleton groaned even louder, burying her head in her hooves. “Why me?”

“I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think she has the guts to fight me,” Twilight added, sharing a snicker with the giggling Pinkie Pie.

“How do you two still have more? I would have thought you'd’ be sick of skeleton puns after all the ones you made on the walk over here,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.

“Nah, I’ll never get tired of them,” Twilight declared.

“I feel like there is one more pun in there, but I can see Sunset is in pain,” Pinkie Pie stated.

“Thank you, Pinkie,” muttered the bitter undead.

“Anyway, what's with the pipe?” Twilight asked, turning back to the troll.

“It will help us figure out if my guess is right,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, stuffing a small wad of dried plant matter into the end. “Now just sit down and get comfy, this only takes a second.”

Twilight and Sunset did as they were told, watching closely as Pinkie Pie sat across from them, the troll crossing her back legs under her. She then tapped the ruby twice against a nearby stone, causing it to glow faintly and emit a small wave of heat. Placing the pipe against her lips, Pinkie Pie then reached out and pressed the ruby into the small conical bowl at the end.

After several seconds of silence, Pinkie Pie lifted the stone and placed it beside her, all while taking short puffs. Once it seemed as though her ingredients were completely alight, the shaman took a much, much deeper breath, causing the entire pipe to glow faintly. Though it looked to be a simple wooden pipe that was only odd because of its length, that all changed when it began to light up.

Shimmering pink runes lit up along its exterior, each one flowing into another, starting at the very top of the bowl and ending at the mouthpiece. Though Twilight wasn't the best at recognizing runes, she could tell that these were meant to identify something, though what that meant, Twilight wasn't sure. While Twilight tried to figure out what manner of magic had been placed on the pipe, Sunset Shimmer was marveling at her friend’s lung capacity.

Pinkie Pie’s chest seemed to keep on inflating without end, until suddenly she stopped, removed the pipe, and slowly exhaled at the space above Twilight’s head. She then shifted to Sunset Shimmer, before releasing the last bit of smoke straight up, the smoke seeming to collect just above each one of them where it shifted and folded inwards on itself, eventually resembling a faintly pinkish-white cloud that seemed content to simply float there.

Both Twilight and Sunset Shimmer wanted to ask what was happening, but both mares had a feeling that they were going to get answers soon. Before that could happen, they were left with even more questions when the clouds above both Pinkie Pie’s and Sunset Shimmer’s heads turned black. Unlike her companions’ clouds, Twilight’s remained the way it was for a few seconds before shifting and becoming a mix of orange and white.

“It looks like the clouds you see on the edge of the horizon at sunset,” murmured Sunset Shimmer.

“Fitting,” Twilight remarked.

“Aha, I was right!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, pointing to her cloud as well as Sunset’s. “We are both nightborne, but Twilight is neither.”

“How is that possible? I thought you were automatically one or the other?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Yeah, Nebula made it sound like those were the only two options,” Twilight added.

“Not so,” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, waggling a hoof at the pair. “Zecora taught me that it was possible to be neither, but it was incredibly rare. Thankfully this means that we will probably be able to get inside.”

“Really? Well, that's great. ‘ause my next plan was to dig under the whole thing,” Twilight remarked.

“I doubt that would have worked, but don't worry, I’m pretty sure this will,” Pinkie Pie declared confidently. “We just need to make the spell think that you are sunspawn.”

“How will we do that exactly?” Sunset Shimmer inquired.

“Simple, we gotta find some sunflowers, a dozen velvet teacup flowers and a jar of morning dew gathered from the pines of a coniferous tree,” Pinkie Pie explained matter-of-factly.

“That sounds like it may take some time,” Twilight murmured, tapping her chin.

“Nah, not really. I did that on the way here,” Pinkie Pie replied, pulling the needed ingredients out of her bags and setting them on the ground in front of them.

“Damn Pinkie, you are on fire today,” Sunset Shimmer praised, raising her hoof expectantly.

The troll giggled and clopped her own hoof against her friend’s. “Thanks, Sunny Bunny, but I can't take all the credit on that one. Zecora mentioned that these old places sometimes needed a sunspawn to get into them.”

“How did she know that?” Twilight questioned.

Pinkie Pie shrugged. “No idea. But she has plenty of really old stuff in her room, so maybe she explored them back in the day.”

“Regardless. How long should it take to make this potion or whatever it is you are going to make?” Sunset Shimmer inquired.

“Not long, only a few minutes, but if you guys could get a small fire started, that would help. In the meantime I’ll crush the sunflower seeds and pulp the stems,” Pinkie Pie replied, pulling a mortar and pestle out of her bags as well as several jars of varying size.

“Sunset, would you mind?” Twilight asked, turning to the skeleton expectantly.

Who nodded. “Sure thing. I think there was a bunch of deadfall not far from here.”

“I don't need much! Just enough for a small fire!” Pinkie Pie shouted at the retreating unicorn.

“Got it!” yelled back the undead.

Pinkie Pie began to hum as she mashed the ingredients, her focus entirely on the task at hoof. Twilight couldn't help but fidget and watch as Pinkie Pie got to work, opening her mouth to speak, only to close it immediately after.

“Hey, Pinkie,” Twilight began, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie replied, not looking up from her paste which she was scraping into a smaller container before moving onto another set of ingredients.

“I know I said it before, but I’m sorry I didn't trust you,” Twilight exclaimed, her shoulders slumping. “Even after you proved yourself reliable and knowledgeable, I still didn't consider your council with the weight it deserved.”

Pinkie Pie hummed softly. “That's okay, Twilight. I know it might be a surprise, but a lot of people in Ponyville have trouble trusting me and don't usually take my advice. So I’m used to it.”

“Really? But you’ve lived there pretty much your whole life, right?” Twilight questioned.

“More or less,” Pinkie Pie murmured, applying a few drops of morning dew to the paste before working it into it. “I know I told you this before, but I grew up on a rockfarm, which was very isolated. Trolls can also eat pretty much anything, flesh, dirt, plants, rocks. My uncle exclusively ate rotten meat, said he liked the texture.”

“Well, that's… gross,” Twilight muttered.

Pinkie Pie shrugged and lifted up her concoction in order to observe it in the moonlight. “As such, some folk don't trust us or think we’re cannibals or something. Add that to the fact that I started learning how to be a shaman pretty young, and a lot of people take what I say with a grain of salt.”

“But that doesn't excuse what I did,” Twilight declared firmly. “You had proven yourself trustworthy, and I didn't even know any of that stuff anyway. Not like that would have mattered, mind you.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” Pinkie Pie smiled. “You know, I think the reason we ran into this problem is because we didn't get to go on any cool adventures to bond over.”

“I don't know, that timberwolf thing was pretty harrowing,” Twilight countered.

“Nah, that's like only a random encounter, not a whole adventure with traps and puzzles and stuff,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, the troll going back to mixing more of the ingredients together.

“True, well, I think this definitely counts,” Twilight declared with a smile.

“Totally!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, flashing the undead a toothy grin. “All we need is a third act twist and a boss fight, then we’ll have checked all the boxes.”

“Well, I’d like to avoid the boss fight if possible,” muttered Twilight absently. “Though I am looking forward to the loot at the end.”

“And don't forget all the experience!” Pinkie Pie added.

“Do you think we’ll level up?” Twilight asked, the mare holding back a laugh.

“Hehe, maybe. If so, then I’m totally putting a level in alchemist,” Pinkie Pie replied, the troll and undead sharing a well-deserved giggle.

“What did I miss?” shouted Sunset Shimmer as she trotted up to them, a bundle of wood roughly three feet in length and two feet in diameter held in her grip.

“Nothing, just having a laugh as it were,” Twilight explained.

Sunset Shimmer shrugged and deposited her bundle of twigs on the ground. “Is this enough?”

“You betcha, now stand back while I work my magic!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Are you sure I have to drink it? ‘Cause I’m not sure my body would even absorb it,” Twilight inquired, glancing expectantly at Pinkie Pie while holding a bottle of red liquid in her hoof.

“Eeyup!” Pinkie Pie answered, bobbing her head excitedly. “It's not about digesting it. The potion just has to be in your belly so that it overwhelms your natural aura and convinces the spell you're a sunslicker.”

“Well, that's good,” Sunset Shimmer remarked.

“Quite,” added Twilight who swirled the liquid around in its container. “What does it taste like?”

“Acidic hot sauce,” Pinkie Pie replied, shrugging when she got a questioning look from Sunset. “What? I like using it on my fries sometimes.”

“Well, down the hatch, I suppose,” Twilight murmured before tipping the small vial back and swallowing its contents.

Sure enough, it tasted exactly like a strong vinegar mixed with hot sauce, creating a less than fantastic combination that was at least palatable. Twilight had to admit that if it were atop some fries with some sharp cheddar, it might even taste pretty good, though it was much too strong by itself. Choking down the last bit of the liquid, Twilight licked the inside of her mouth, trying to rid herself of the lingering flavour.

“So how long do we have to wait before it works?” Twilight questioned.

“Oh, only a few seconds. You should probably get in there before it wears off in like a minute,” Pinkie Pie explained.

Twilight’s eyes went wide and the undead quickly turned around, scrambling for the door with a panicked look on her face.

Sunset Shimmer leaned towards the troll. “Does it really only last a minute?”

“Nah, I’m just messin’ with her,” Pinkie Pie replied, the two creatures sharing a giggle at Twilight’s expense.

The unicorn didn't even notice the exchange as she was too busy trying to get past the barrier which stood between her and the door. The pony shook her head before focusing on pushing past the light resistance that met her hoof. Though it took a second to accomplish, her hoof reached the knob, and Twilight was finally able to push open the door.

She didn't bother looking around and instead leapt through the opening, her nonexistent heart pounding in her chest. Once on the other side, Twilight let out a slow, unneeded breath and shot Pinkie Pie a scowl.

“You know you could have told me that before we started,” Twilight remarked slightly bitterly.

“Nah, this is way funnier,” Pinkie Pie replied, giggling all the while.

Sunset Shimmer chuckled. “She has a point, you know.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Just tell me where to go already.”

“First floor is where I found the map and seemed like where they were going to make a last stand,” Sunset Shimmer explained. “Above us is the barracks, then what seemed to be a storage area slash supply making space and finally an officer’s quarters that has a hatch to go onto the roof.”

“Do you know where the shield array is?” Twilight asked.

Sunset Shimmer shrugged. “Not sure. My first guess would be the basement, but those spells work best when cast from a higher point.”

“Maybe the roof then,” remarked Pinkie Pie hopefully.

“It's possible,” Twilight concluded. “I’ll start by giving the place a onceover and see if I can't find anything.”

“Best of luck,” Sunset Shimmer offered.

“Thanks, I’ll-” Twilight blinked. “Wait. If I don't manage to take down the shield, will I be stuck in here?”

Pinkie Pie rubbed the back of her neck. “Oops. I guess I didn't think that through.”

“Better find and disable it then,” Sunset Shimmer added.

Twilight let out a long sigh. “Fair enough. I’ll be right back.”

The undead unicorn turned around and gave the room a brief onceover, her eyes scanning the hastily constructed defences. The old armor and weapons scattered about caught Twilight’s attention, but the pony quickly brushed them aside, focusing instead on the main table. Though the map that once adorned it was gone, Twilight could tell where it had rested as piles of markers and slips of paper sat on the edge of where it would have been.

Glancing past that, Twilight peered towards the stairs down and after getting a strange crawling sensation up her back, decided to head upwards first. Climbing the stairs up onto the first floor, Twilight looked back briefly and noticed that her friends were busy chatting about something. Though she could listen in if she wanted, she ignored them and began to search the barracks, looking for any sign that this was where the array was located.

Alas there were no open spaces that a spell of such power would need, and though magic blanketed the area, it did not originate from this floor. Putting the rows of beds behind her, Twilight made a note of going through the trunks which lay at their base some other time. For now she had a mission, an important one that she couldn't ignore, prompting the mare to climb ever higher.

The next area was not wide open like the barracks and had a window on one side while a door sat on the other. Already open, Twilight pushed it the rest of the way and stepped through, observing her surroundings closely. Again things seemed disorganized, with bits of paper as well as random alchemical ingredients scattered all over the place.

A small part of the undead wanted to organize all the potentially valuable as well as ancient and possible rare reagents, but reluctantly resisted the urge for now. All that was important about this floor was that it didn't feel like the source of the spell, in addition to lacking the necessary open space. Pushing on, Twilight exited the room and ascended the stairs once more, making her way into the officer’s quarters.

Like the floor below this one, there was a door and a window across from one another, the latter of which hung slightly open. Remembering what Sunset Shimmer had told her of this area, Twilight was expecting to feel the presence of some upset spirit. When the undead walked into the room and didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, Twilight couldn't help but be a little confused by this.

Her spiritual senses had grown sharp after crossing paths with that strange fog, and yet there was nothing here. Closing her eyes, Twilight reached out with her magic, working in tandem with the nightmare which extended their shadow to all four corners of the room. Still there was nothing, and the pony was about to give up when she felt something strange and out of place.

Latching onto that, Twilight found herself drawn not to the place the pony had died, but rather the window. Opening her eyes, Twilight was shocked to find that she looked down not on the small clearing as it was, but rather as it had been. The trees only pressed in from one side, and in the distance she could see Canterlot rising above the distant horizon.

The scent of freshly tilled earth and the sound of a shovel hitting dirt tickled the mare’s senses as a faint feeling of longing plucked at her heart. Then it was gone, and she was back in the tower once more, looking down at the here and now. Twilight noticed that the nightmare had turned into a pitch black feline, its paws pressed against the lip of the window.

“You felt it too, huh?” Twilight muttered, already knowing the answer.

The cat nodded slowly.

“I wonder if she was ever reunited with whoever she was looking for,” Twilight wondered.

The nightmare dropped down from the ledge and trotted back into the room, Twilight’s shadow connecting the two beings.

“Feel like being solid for a while?” Twilight inquired.

The cat stopped, nodded, and then hopped into the luxurious bed.

Twilight watched as the creature gathered all the pillows and blankets into a central point and nestled into it, letting out a long sigh of relaxation. “I know what you mean. That was rather emotionally draining, wasn't it?” Twilight remarked.

The cat opened a single pitch black eye and glanced at Twilight before closing it and wiggling deeper into the covers.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Twilight murmured before turning back to the room.

Taking in the area once more, Twilight firmly crossed it off her list of potential array locations as it was simply too small and cluttered. The placement of the bed and desk would make it difficult for the magic to flow, leaving Twilight with only one option. Trotting back out the door, she walked up to the hatch and gave it a firm push, only to be surprised when it opened easily.

“Right, there wouldn't be rust on it, since it was being protected,” Twilight thought aloud.

Making her way up onto the roof of the structure, she noted that the crenelations were rather low and wouldn't serve as a very good cover. Then again, she was exceptionally tall for modern times, plus ponies of the past were a good foot or so shorter on average. With that in mind, it made sense as to why the battlements were so near the ground, and Twilight silently wondered what the night guard would do with this structure once it had been secured.

Either way, it wasn't her concern. She turned back and gazed down at the roof itself, immediately noting that it was completely barren. Even a moment of concentration was enough to reveal that the air was completely filled with magic. Trotting over to the edge, Twilight was about to shout down to her companions when her head bumped into something surprisingly solid.

Stumbling back, Twilight looked up to find the flickering remains of a golden bubble that had briefly popped into existence. Grumbling bitterly to herself, Twilight felt out the edges of the barrier before getting as close to the side as she could.

“Hey girls, I found it! Give me five minutes to bring it down!” Twilight shouted.

“We’ll be ready!” yelled an exuberant Pinkie Pie.

Twilight turned back to the center of the tower and began to channel her magic, only to stop. “Wait, how do I even do this anyway?” Twilight whispered to herself.

Grumbling, she lay down on the cold stone and began to feel out the array’s location. A task which turned out to be far more difficult than she would have liked, as the magic itself was easy to find but hard to pin down. While modern spells had tight arrays and wasted little power, this one was loose for lack of a better word and emitted a constant hum of background noise.

Like a kid drawing outside the lines, the actual structure of the matrix was hard to ascertain, and after several minutes of fruitless searching, Twilight gave up.

“Having trouble?” shouted the voice of Sunset Shimmer.

“It's fine, just taking a bit longer to do, is all!” Twilight yelled back.

Huffing indignantly to herself, Twilight was about to give up and simply destroy the roof before an idea struck her. She was looking at it all wrong, rather than trying to search for the spell normally, she should be measuring where the magic was strongest. With that thought in mind, she shifted her method of observation and quickly began to turn her luck around.

After a few minutes of mapping everything out, Twilight had a firm feel of where everything was, and what the array had been intended to do. It was a surprisingly simple spell, one that seemed to completely lack any and all necromantic influence whatsoever. This small realization made an idea pop into Twilight’s head, prompting the undead to conjure a drop of unfocused mana at the tip of her hoof.

Due to her necromancy growing so strong, the small orb was a faint bluish-green color, and a small plume of fog emanated from it. She then looked down and opened a small pathway into the spell array before dropping the blob into it. For a moment Twilight wasn't sure if her plan was going to work, but when the orb vanished, the array sprung to life, becoming visible even to the naked eye.

The proud golden lines stretched from one corner of the roof to the next, many different edges all feeding towards a central point where a large glowing rune emitted an almost blinding yellow light akin to the rising sun, forcing Twilight to shield her eyes. That golden energy didn't last for very long, however, as Twilight’s conjured orb of mana wormed its way from the tributary where she dropped it into the array’s very heart.

One by one the lines of magic meant to feed the main spell flickered and died, all while the central point pulsed angrily. It looked to Twilight like an organism fighting off a spreading disease, one it ultimately had no hope of containing. Necromancy seemed so antithetical to its existence that the spell fell apart in its presence, crumbling slowly until there was nothing left.

“Odd,” Twilight muttered to herself.

With a shrug, the pony rose, and after giving the now plain ground one final look, reached out for where she had felt the bubble of energy. Finding nothing, Twilight was about to depart the roof when she noticed the array flicker unexpectedly, springing back to life. Only now it was different, as the sub-runes meant to keep others out no longer functioned, while the preservation aura glowed healthily.

Or at least, as healthy as something that was emitting a bluish-green could possibly be anyway.

“It's probably fine, right?” Twilight asked, glancing down to where the nightmare was peeking out over the lip of the roof.

The cat looked up at Twilight and slowly lifted an eyebrow.

“Don't give me that look. It is so fine,” Twilight pressed.

The nightmare shrugged its shoulders before leaping up onto Twilight’s back, draping its forelegs over the undead’s shoulder and resting its head against the mare’s neck.

With a sigh, Twilight gave the array one last look before simply deciding to deal with it later. She trotted down the stairs. The weight on her back was small, but Twilight found that it grounded her in a way she couldn't quite explain. It was easy to forget about the nightmare she was bound to, but when it chose to manifest physically, it felt a lot less like having a soul parasite and more like an annoying pet.

Smiling to herself, Twilight scratched under the nightmare’s chin as she waited for her friends to arrive.

“Oh hey, Pinkie, she's back!” Sunset Shimmer shouted before turning to the other undead. “I assume it's down?”

“Nah, I just came back in order to trick you into running facefirst into it,” Twilight replied.

“That would be funny, but also not your style,” Sunset Shimmer replied, stepping confidently through the door.

Twilight chuckled. “True.”

Pinkie Pie trotted behind the skeleton a second later, chewing noisily on what Twilight assumed was a rock, given how loud the crunching was. “Shoree, shaw shome foos gowd,” Pinkie Pie explained, mouth still full of stones.

Twilight shook her head. “Well, whenever you’re done, I’m ready to check out the basement.”

“Remember to brace yourself,” Sunset Shimmer warned, the skeleton levitating their packs into the tower and placing them near the central table. “I know I said it before, but just looking at the tablet was rather disconcerting.”

“Don't worry, neither of us have lunch to throw up, though I am perversely curious as to what troll vomit would even look like,” Twilight mused.

“Like extremely chunky oatmeal,” Pinkie Pie explained.

“Augh, I don't even have a stomach, and I feel like I wanna throw up,” Sunset Shimmer muttered bitterly.

“Huh,” Twilight muttered. “Anyway, let's go check out this shield thingy and see if we can get past it.”

“Sounds good, oh fearless leader!” Pinkie Pie replied as she bounced into the room.

“Let’s just hope there is some easy way to get past it I didn't notice,” Sunset Shimmer added as she followed behind the two other beings. “‘Cause I’m telling you right now, I don't think we can brute force this thing.”

“Well, you mentioned that you didn't stay long, perhaps you missed something,” Twilight offered.

“Maybe,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.

Together the three made their way down the stairs and into the basement of the structure, the secret entrance having remained open presumably ever since Sunset Shimmer’s first arrival. Once more Sunset peeked over the side of the stairs, and once more she found herself looking down on the golden dome of magic. Unlike before however, now she had the advantage of perfect night vision, allowing her to see many of the details she missed on her first visit.

It was still a story and a half deep, with the majority of the space dominated by a raised platform at the center of the room. Though as soon as Sunset Shimmer tore her gaze from the strange stone tablet and the golden shield surrounding it, she noticed some differences. For one, the sight of the tablet didn't elicit quite the same feeling of unease as it had the first time, though it certainly wasn't a nice feeling.

It was more like she was being watched by someone or something, though she couldn't tell from what angle they were viewing her. What she could tell was that this otherworldly being was observing her in a harsh, almost judgemental light, making the undead feel rather small for some reason. Brushing that thought aside, the unicorn looked around once more, noticing several smaller details like how the walls were made of a different shade of stone than the one’s above them.

They reminded Sunset a bit of marble, though without any of the veins of grey or black which plagued most marble she had seen before. She also noticed that the shield wasn't quite as large as she had first thought, being only a few metres across and about as tall. There was also a slight lip near the magical bubble, but Sunset Shimmer was fairly certain she had just been in too much of a rush the last time she had been here.

“Unless it moved?” Sunset Shimmer whispered to herself, only to shake her head. “Nah, that's silly.”

“Did you say something, Sunset?” Twilight called from the bottom of the stairs.

“Nothing. I’ll be right there,” Sunset Shimmer called back, the undead trotting down the rest of the stairs and coming to a stop next to the taller mare. “So, thoughts?”

“It seems every bit as impenetrable as you said it was,” Twilight remarked with a frown. “Sorry, Sunset, but I was kind of hoping you were wrong.”

“No need to apologize. Ever since you mentioned wanting to retrieve this thing, I had been silently wishing that I had been mistaken,” Sunset Shimmer explained.

“Still, would you mind running through some scanning spells? I’m afraid I cannot,” Twilight inquired.

“Yeah, sure, where do you-” Sunset Shimmer began, only to be interrupted by a high-pitched whistle.

The two undead looked over in confusion as Pinkie Pie held the tone for several seconds while staring at the shield. The troll then frowned and pressed her face up against the dome, rubbing it against the smooth magical construct. Then, just when Twilight had been about to ask what the shaman was doing, Pinkie Pie licked the barrier and sat on the ground, an odd look on her face.

“So, uh, what does it taste like?” Sunset Shimmer asked in a slightly baffled tone.

“Like yellow grapes and arrogance,” Pinkie Pie replied, the troll’s gaze never leaving the spell for so much as a single second.

“Arrogance?” Twilight inquired.

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie declared. “I make emotion-packed cupcakes for a few of my changeling friends, and this is exactly what arrogance tastes like.”

“That does sound interesting,” Twilight mused. “Say, Pinkie, do you think you could make a few more of those when we get back? I’ve always wondered what emotions would taste like.”

“Focus, Twilight, maybe this will help us somehow,” Sunset Shimmer interrupted.

Twilight blinked. “Oh uh, right. Pinkie, do you have any ideas by chance?”

“Not sure yet, gotta try some more stuff,” Pinkie Pie answered, suddenly hopping up off the ground. “One sec, I need my bags.”

The pair of undead watched as their companion sprinted up the stairs and vanished.

“What do you think she has planned?” Sunset Shimmer inquired, turning to the other mare.

“I have no idea, but knowing Pinkie Pie, it's probably for a good reason,” Twilight claimed.

Sunset Shimmer nodded slowly. “So, do you still want me to do those scanning spells again?”

“If you wouldn't mind,” Twilight began. “I had a few ideas where to go, but I have to know the exact thaumatic density of the shield first.”

“Fair enough, but I’m telling you right now, we are not breaking through this the traditional way,” Sunset Shimmer warned.

“We’ll see about that,” Twilight confidently declared.

“We are not breaking through that. Even the nightmare can't sneak around this one,” Twilight muttered, kicking the barrier angrily. “At least we determined that it is indeed the same tablet from my past.”

“You know, if I had lungs, I’m pretty sure I would be panting right now,” Sunset Shimmer muttered. “I didn't even know there were that many different scanning spells.”

“Sorry, Sunset, I had to be sure,” Twilight exclaimed.

“It's doooone!” Pinkie Pie announced in a sing-songy voice, the mare bouncing down the steps two at a time, a glass of swirling, smoky brown liquid balancing on the tip of her nose.

“What is done?” Sunset Shimmer inquired. “Let me guess, you made something that will help us get through the barrier.”

“Sorta,” Pinkie Pie replied, landing in front of Twilight and setting the potion next to the shield. “But first, did you guys try teleporting inside of it?”

Twilight nodded. “And use all the usual work-arounds like spirit-walking through it and dispelling it.”

“Did you try spirit-walking through the floor and getting under it?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“No, we uh, didn't,” Sunset Shimmer replied, glancing expectantly at the other undead.

“It's worth a shot,” Twilight muttered, trotting over to the barrier and focusing her magic into her hoof.

Unlike most times, Twilight’s entire body didn't become slack, only one of her limbs, which revealed an ethereal copy that was where its fleshy counterpart had been. Poking the ground, Twilight tried to extend her spirit limb through the floor, only to find that it was surprisingly solid. Trying several other spots, Twilight quickly gave up after it became apparent that her tactic had been accounted for by the shield’s creator.

“Well, it was a good idea at least,” Twilight remarked, giving her hoof a shake after it returned to normal.

“Well, I had hoped that we wouldn't need this, but I guess it's our only option,” Pinkie Pie muttered, the shaman grabbing the potion and trotting over to Twilight.

“What exactly does it do?” questioned Sunset Shimmer who peered expectantly over Twilight’s shoulder.

“This amplifies a being’s natural magic to incredible proportions. Though only temporarily, and that energy must be burnt quickly, or else their soul will explode!” Pinkie Pie explained, miming an explosion with her hooves.

“That sounds… dangerous,” Twilight muttered while eying the potion in a new and slightly uncomfortable light.

“Oh, don't worry. So long as you use all that power to cast a spell, nothing bad will happen,” Pinkie Pie replied with a shrug. “Think of it like eating a whole bunch of goodies and having to burn it off right quick or else it will go straight to your thighs.”

“That's one way of looking at it,” Sunset Shimmer added.

“Do you think that would be enough though? I know I’m strong, but this thing is incredibly powerful,” Twilight explained.

“She has a point, Pinkie,” Sunset Shimmer began. “Nothing short of an alicorn would have the raw power to crack this thing.”

Pinkie Pie hopped over to her friend and wrapped a hoof about the taller mare’s shoulders. “You’re underestimating yourself. You got the shadow of an alicorn on your side, plus every time you helped one of our friends, you got stronger.”

“I mean, a little bit, yeah.” Twilight frowned. “Wait, how did you know that?”

Pinkie Pie giggled. “We’re all connected, obviously. I mean, if we were not, then why would we all be on your butt?”

Twilight blinked and looked down to the different colored stars on her flanks. “I mean I guess, but how does that even work anyway?”

“Something tells me you aren't going to get a straight answer, Twilight,” Sunset Shimmer deadpanned.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “It's best not to question the stars, my friend. Their power is rivaled only by their mystery.”

Twilight let out a long sigh. “Whatever. I guess I have saved up quite a bit of life energy at this point, so my reserves are fairly well-stocked.”

“So, how are we doing this?” interrupted Sunset Shimmer, who waved a hoof at the shield. “‘Cause I don't think a simple overcharged mana bolt is going to get through that thing.”

“No, but a looped, overloaded dispel matrix could do the job,” Twilight began, the pony trotting around the room and eying the ground around the barrier closely. “I’ve never actually tried it before, but theoretically if we harmonized the underlying resonance frequency with our own array which was linked with a dispel rune, it could destroy the shield.”

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes narrowed. “Like punching a hole in a very large water balloon. Though that means you would need to hold that hole open.”

“Which is something I could probably do if this spell manages to boost my power by a good amount,” Twilight replied.

Pinkie Pie grinned. “So, you guys know how to get past it then?”

“Potentially,” Sunset Shimmer warned, eyeing the other undead closely. “You are aware that it may drain you completely? Plus if you don't manage to hold it open, the sub-runes will likely reabsorb the spent energy and bring it back to its old levels, right?”

“I am aware,” Twilight exclaimed, retrieving a long stick of chalk from her bags. “If it comes too close, I’ll cut the spell and we can try again later.”

“Make sure not to get super drained though, ‘cause I don't wanna get all the life sucked outta me,” Pinkie Pie warned.

“I won't let it get that far.” Twilight paused and bit her lip. “And if that does happen, then I’ll just try and focus on sapping the life force of the plants in the clearing.”

Sunset Shimmer hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose that would work, but I still don't like it. The room for error is too high.”

Twilight stood up and fixed the other undead with a firm look. “I can appreciate that I may have come close to biting off more than I can chew a few times, but this isn't one of those times. Besides, we need this tablet if we are going to have a hope of resurrecting Luna and freeing everyone under Celestia’s iron hoof.”

“I am well aware of what's at stake, I just wish there were other options,” Sunset Shimmer replied in a slightly exasperated tone. “We never did figure out exactly what would happen if you ran out of life energy, and I’m not keen on getting killed again.”

“It's fine, Sunny,” Pinkie Pie interrupted, throwing a hoof around the other being’s shoulder and giving her a squeeze. “Twi knows what she's doing and with a little extra help, I’m sure she can do it.”

Sunset Shimmer visibly deflated, shaking her head. “Fine, but if this whole thing goes sideways, I am so going to lord it over you forever.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Whatever, now are you going to help me with this or what?”

Sunset Shimmer clacked her jaw together. “I’ll charge the lines while you draw them.”

Twilight nodded and together the two unicorns got to work, leaving Pinkie Pie to hop up onto the stairs and dangle her hooves over the side. Humming a nonsensical tune, the troll watched as her friends slowly shifted around the room, their movements careful and precise. Almost as soon as Twilight Sparkle had laid down another line, Sunset Shimmer was right there to prime it with a bit of mana.

Together they made short work of the surprisingly detailed array, the nightmare having joined Pinkie Pie at the midway point. Now in cat form, the dark creature sat next to the shaman, eying its mistress’ work closely while also humming along to Pinkie’s song. After it had been completed and received three separate go-overs by everyone save for Pinkie Pie, the pair seemed ready.

“Potion time?” Pinkie Pie inquired.

Twilight’s gaze lingered on the array for several seconds before she nodded slowly. “Yes, Pinkie Pie. It's time for that potion.”

“Woohoo, I always wanted to see what this did to someone as powerful as you!” Pinkie Pie excitedly announced, hopping off the ledge, and bounced over to the pair, glass suddenly in hoof.

“Remember, all you have to do is yell stop, and I’ll cut the feed line from the shield to our array,” Sunset Shimmer offered.

“I got it,” Twilight insisted, retrieving the potion before facing the shield.

Glancing down at her handiwork, Twilight scanned the many lines and symbols which were interwoven to form one large circle around the barrier. From there a slightly smaller, but no less intricate rune was attached to the side by several glowing orange mana paths. Even from a few feet away the pony could feel that everything was fully energized, and all she needed to do was complete the circuit.

After giving one last nod to her friends, Twilight brought the small glass up to her lips and downed it all in one gulp. The taste was akin to dirt, though it burned intensely and left Twilight’s throat feeling as though she had just swallowed a hoofful of sharp rocks. With that strange sensation lingering at the back of her mouth, Twilight found that her chest was becoming oddly tight.

It was as if something inside of her was growing, and quickly at that, though a small part of her knew that it wasn't a physical sensation. It was almost like her soul was straining to escape her mortal coil and was pushing its way through her rib cage. Twilight took one final, unneeded breath before channelling her magic into her hoof and reaching forward, connecting the final piece.

From the side lines, the two mares were startled to see Twilight’s eyes glowing with an intensity that was quite unnerving. Not only that, but her shadow grew larger, and both her mane and her tail gained a strangely ethereal quality to them which it lacked before. Stars and galaxies swirled within the pony’s hair, and her fur sparkled in the low light of the room, captivating the two other beings.

That feeling of captivation didn't last long, however, for as soon as the circuit had been completed, Twilight immediately felt the pull on her internal well of magic. The unicorn’s oddly regal appearance flickered in and out before returning in full after nearly a minute of the odd tug of war. Twilight maintained her grip despite the immense amount of energy pouring from the shield and through the array.

So much magic was being ejected that a fountain of golden sparks began to shoot from the smaller rune, the display resembling a welder cutting through a thin piece of metal. Though only a foot tall at the moment, it was growing steadily, the stream of sparks shooting further and further before dying. None had landed near any of the room’s inhabitants, but both Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer backed up just in case.

Meanwhile Twilight was struggling to hold onto the spell as more and more energy began to pour through her array. It felt almost like holding onto a water hose that was slowly increasing in pressure and swiftly growing out of control. Much like how a firefighter was carried by the force of the hose, Twilight felt her magic begin to slip from her grip.

With a grunt, the pony redoubled her efforts, regaining her footing and securing her hold on the spell using a carefully applied surge of magic. With the spell back under her guidance, Twilight settled in for the long haul, fully aware of just how much energy was stored in the shield. Even still, she was fairly confident that she could wait it out and eventually manage to wear it down in the end.

“Do you think she’s got it? She looks more confident,” Pinkie Pie whispered.

“It does seem that way,” Sunset Shimmer began, her voice tinged with caution. “But that doesn't mean this is in the bag quite yet. That spellwork was complicated, and it would have taken days of in-depth scanning to figure it all out.”

“So there might be a trap in there?” Pinkie Pie questioned.

“Or there might be nothing at all,” Sunset Shimmer replied. “It's hard to tell as you need to measure the thaumatic energy within every single line in order to accurately map the array’s intentions.”

“Which isn't something you guys had a chance to do,” Pinkie Pie murmured.

“Exactly,” Sunset Shimmer finished.

The two friends watched as Twilight continued to hold onto the spell, her hair whipping behind her as if being blown by the magic emanating next to her. Almost unseen between the mare’s hooves stood the nightmare, its gaze distant and its stance wary. It was as if the strange spiritual creature was standing at the ready, just waiting for when its aid was necessary.

And good thing too, for it only took a few minutes before Twilight began losing control of the spell again. It started with the jet of sparks forming into a single continuous golden flame, one which quickly grew until it was as tall as Twilight herself. In response, the nightmare melted into Twilight’s form, overlapping the mare in a ghostly shell of darkness.

Immediately Twilight’s pained expression vanished, though it was replaced not by a look of confidence, but rather one that was incredibly strained. Through their connection, Sunset Shimmer could feel the necromancer hemorrhaging magical power, losing the advantage she had held over the shield. In only a few seconds the tug of war went from being firmly in Twilight’s favor to being just barely even.

“What do we do?” Pinkie Pie inquired nervously, hopping from hoof to hoof. “We have to be able to help somehow, right?”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do,” Sunset Shimmer shouted over the inferno. “The magic needs to be hers, and though Twilight can give me a bit of her power, I can't do the same for her.”

Pinkie Pie frowned as she watched Twilight continue to struggle with the spell, magical fire shooting several feet into the air. “I don't like this one bit, but Twi knows her limits. I say we trust her.”

Sunset Shimmer nodded slowly. “I agree. Just be ready if things go sideways.”

In front of them Twilight seemed to have regained control of the magic, though it was a near constant struggle. Her face twisted into an uncomfortable grimace while the faint glow of an ethereal horn could be seen upon her head. Unnoticed by the necromancer, she had also grown a pair of ghostly bluish-green wings which matched her horn.

Though the pony herself was so focused on her task that she didn't even notice the change, her companions certainly did. So stunned were the pair that they didn't initially realize something had gone wrong until Twilight grunted in pain, falling to the ground. Though still radiating power like a dark star, the unicorn’s body had become even thinner than normal for her.

Twilight’s flesh was also oddly palid, her eyes sinking into her skull while her mane became thin and whisp-like. Her corpse-like appearance wasn't the only strange thing that had changed as the golden flames had also risen to a disturbing height. The room had grown considerably warmer, to the point that the edges of Pinkie Pie’s bags had started to smoke.

“Get outside, quickly!” Sunset Shimmer shouted, tossing aside her cloak and throwing her own bags on Pinkie Pie’s back.

The troll nodded and did just that, sprinting up the stairs and vanishing.

Leaving Sunset Shimmer to watch as her friend barely held on, the barrier starting to flicker in and out of existence. So close to the precipice of victory, Sunset Shimmer felt strangely conflicted, her loyalty to Twilight warring against itself. She had a duty to do as the young mare asked and an obligation to ensure she didn't come to harm, even if that harm was self-inflicted.

In the end she didn't get the chance to make a decision one way or the other, as Twilight’s ghostly horn flared brightly. With one last titanic tug, the unicorn ripped the remaining power from the barrier, briefly causing the magical fire to touch the ceiling a story and a half above them. Then it was gone, the barrier vanishing and their array going dark before turning to dust, its magical circuits having been overloaded.

Twilight swayed on her hooves, the ethereal wings and horn having vanished, though the pony didn't completely return to normal. Her skin still hung loose about her body, and her eyes had sunk so deep into her skull that they were little more than black pits. All color had drained from the mare, and she swayed unsteadily on her hooves before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

In an instant Sunset Shimmer was next to the necromancer, her hooves grabbing the other unicorn by the shoulders. “Twilight! Are you okay? What happened?” shouted the skeleton.

“Hidden anti-surge sub-rune,” Twilight whispered, her voice hoarse. “Drained me more than expected.”

“I can see that? What can I do to help?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Grab my…” Twilight’s eyes went wide. “It's too late, run!”

Sunset Shimmer wanted to resist and remain by the other pony’s side, but there was some undercurrent of power to the necromancers' words. A power which compelled the pony to move despite not wanting to, her hooves carrying her up the stairs despite her protests. Glancing over her shoulder, Sunset Shimmer could see a dark pool form around the necromancer, from which dozens of inky black tentacles emerged.

Turning back around, Sunset Shimmer focused on merely doing as her friend had told her to, sprinting out of the room and towards the entrance. Where a terrified and utterly baffled Pinkie Pie stood, the troll glancing expectantly back at the stairs down.

“No time, just run!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.

Pinkie Pie seemed ready to argue for a moment, only for the dark tentacles to emerge from below, seeping up through the cracks in the floor. “Yipe!” cried the troll before turning and joining her friend as they ran outside.

Sunset Shimmer didn't stop after exiting the tower, running as fast as she could until she reached the edge of the clearing. Only then did the feeling of danger begin to ebb and be replaced by an intense weariness the likes of which she had never experienced. Stumbling into the woods, Sunset felt one of her forelegs catch on a rock and fall right off of her body.

Hitting the ground, Sunset struggled to keep herself together, the mare’s limbs becoming so heavy that it felt like someone had attached weights to the remaining body parts. Looking down, the skeleton picked up her fallen leg and rammed it back into its socket, trying to will it to go back where it was supposed to. After a moment of strain, Sunset Shimmer managed to regain feeling in her formerly missing foreleg and turned to Pinkie Pie.

Who stood with mouth agape and eyes wide, her attention fixated on the now strangely barren clearing that stood before them. Following her gaze, Sunset Shimmer looked on to find that every small bush and blade of grass had been killed. Not only that, but a black blanket hung over the entire area, strands of darkness twisting and grasping at anything living.

Slowly, the light of the moon seemed to pierce the strange miasma, leaving the clearing covered in grey plantlife. A slight breeze picked up a moment later, causing a brief plume of dust to pick up before being wafted into the forest. The silence which followed the gust’s departure was absolute, with not a single animal or insect stirring.

“I guess we should go back,” Pinkie Pie murmured.

“I guess so,” Sunset Shimmer muttered back. “I just hope she ate her fill.”

“Me too,” Pinkie Pie replied, her ear twitching. “We better hurry too. I got a bad feeling that something is coming to cause problems for us.”

Sunset Shimmer glanced over her shoulder nervously. “I don't hear anything. What do you think it is?”

Pinkie Pie shook her head. “I don't know what's coming, but I know it's dangerous, whatever it is.”

Not waiting for a response, the troll began to sprint back towards the tower, with Sunset Shimmer following behind at a slightly slower pace. Bits of dried plant matter crunched audibly under hoof, immediately crumpling to dust and being scattered upon the breeze. As the pair neared the tower, a low rumble emanated from the structure, making both of them stop dead in their tracks.

Turning their gaze upward, they watched in horror as the top story collapsed inwards, before crumpling into the floor below. The interior supports seemed to do their job however, and the building didn't fall any further. Though neither Sunset nor Pinkie Pie thought that would last very long, and both sprinted into the crumbling tower.

Dust billowed out from the upper floors, filling the air and making it difficult to see where they were going. That didn't stop either of them however, and the pair plunged through the room, heedless to the potential danger. Entering the basement, Sunset glanced at the ceiling and noted that small rocks were already coming loose.

“Hurry! I don't know how long this tower will stay standing!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.

Pinkie Pie said nothing, the troll merely leaping over the side of the stairs and landing next to where Twilight lay with a thump.

The unicorn no longer looked dead, and some of her youthful vigor had returned, though she still looked completely exhausted. Pinkie Pie didn't say a word, merely tossing the lanky unicorn over her shoulders before grabbing the tablet and throwing it up towards Sunset who hastily caught the enormous stone slab in her magic, the hunk of rock barely fitting through the exit.

With chunks of stone raining down around her, Sunset Shimmer guided the tablet in front of her, Pinkie Pie close behind. Together the pair kept running, putting a good amount of distance between them and the crumbling tower before stopping. Sunset Shimmer immediately trotted over to her friend and began to search through her bags. After finding that the scroll was still with her, the skeleton breathed a metaphorical sigh of relief.

Which was interrupted when the tower unexpectedly fell inwards, wooden supports snapping under the strain. The ground rumbled, and dust shot into the air, the dull boom of its collapse echoing off the sides of the clearing several times. When the structure came to rest, there was nothing left but a small pile of rubble that only barely poked out of the ground. Only the roof of the structure remained miraculously intact, the round wooden object remaining in one piece and glowing faintly with Twilight’s unique brand of magic.

Pinkie Pie let out a long breath. “Well, that sure was something, how are you feeling, Twilight?”

The undead mare groaned. “Like I died again,” she muttered.

“You didn't though, right?” Sunset Shimmer inquired.

Twilight shrugged. “I don't think so.”

Pinkie Pie’s ears flopped back and forth before her mane shot straight up, the troll gasping audibly. “It's here!” she cried.

“Wait, wha-” was all Sunset Shimmer managed before a resounding crack could be heard coming from behind them.

Spinning around, the three beings were startled to see an enormous bipedal creature wading through the trees, its marble white body spattered by a spray of blood. The monster had four arms each ending in a nearly eight foot-long blade made of a sparkling silver metal. It had no neck and only a short, squat head, while the rest of its body was thin and lanky, though still appearing to be quite solid.

Its gaze quickly settled on the trio, and after a moment of studying them, the being strode into the clearing. Its topmost limbs settled into a crossguard formation while its lower ones hung loose, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

“What do we do?” Sunset Shimmer shouted while backpedaling rapidly.

Twilight gulped. “I have no idea.”

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