“Princess!”

Celestia bolted up, panting, though she soon regretted moving so suddenly. Her head throbbed with a sharp, stabbing pain. Her ears rang. Her vision was rimmed with stars. Her nose was filled with the smell of vomit that had tried to come up her throat. It was an assault on the senses, and Celestia could only lay back down and lift a hoof to her throbbing head.

“W-what happened?” Celestia asked as she cracked open her eyes again. She could see she was laying on a worn tarp with another covering her as a blanket. Her head was resting on a pile of guard issue saddlebags. She was also still in the rotunda, her light sphere spell having floated to the ceiling like a balloon, illuminating the space.

She wasn’t alone, either. Twin Blades, Path Finder, and Night Gaze had been laying nearby, but the trio had stood up and moved towards her. “Fortress went nuts and clubbed you in the head with a lamp.” Path Finder said, holding up a lamp which had a large dent in one side. “She got you good too.”

“Where is she now?”

“She ran off into the tunnels, but don’t think about that right now,” Twin Blades said before she went to Celestia’s side. She gently moved Celestia’s hoof away and brushed back some of the princess’s mane, revealing the lump on the side of her head. “Okay, now that you're awake, I think it’s safe to move. We need to get you topside and to a medic. You have to have a concussion after that.”

“Do you really think she has a concussion? I mean, shouldn’t she be loopy and seeing stars and—”

“It’s not that bad of a concussion,” Twin Blades said as she let Celestia’s mane fall back into place. “It’s minor, but that doesn’t mean she won’t have symptoms. Princess, do you think you can stand?”

Celestia shifted, wincing as the movement made the throbbing in her head worsen. Still, with the three soldiers watching, ready to catch her if she were to stumble, Celestia struggled to her hooves. She was shaky for a moment, as if she was a foal that hadn’t yet learned to walk. Yet, with her body now upright, her headache slowly began to fade to a dull discomfort as the ringing in her ears and the stars in her vision disappeared.

“I... I think I’m doing better now that I’m upright again.” Celestia took a ginger step forward and noticed the feel of stone beneath her hoof. She looked down and saw her shoes were missing. Her chest piece and crown were gone as well. “Where are—?”

“They are right here, Princess,” Night Gaze assured, showing that her royal vestments were stored securely in a saddlebag. “We thought you would be more comfortable without them. Would you like them back?”

“N-n... no, I don’t want to bother with them right now. Just please, keep them safe.”

Night Gaze nodded, securing the flap on his saddlebags. At the same time, Twin Blades moved in front of the squad, stepping beneath the archway she had marked when they first arrived at the rotunda with all the other guards. “Then it’s time to retreat. We need to get you back to the surface and then we can—”

“No, we can’t leave yet.” Celestia said. “We need to go back to the crypt.”

“Why would we go to the crypt when it’s in the exact opposite direction of the stairs that lead outside?” Twin Blades asked firmly.

“I know, lieutenant, I know, but... I think I had a vision.” Celestia took a few steps to the side, finding her balance as she recalled what she had seen. “In my dream I saw twisted clocks before I was chased by a wall of darkness. I saw a purple star and heard Twilight calling to me. She lead me to the coffin chamber, which is at the far end of the crypt. I then heard a muffled shouting and thumping before I was grabbed, lifted off the ground, and crushed.”

“I believe it was a message from Twilight, that she’s trying to tell us she is in the crypt.” Celestia turned to look back at the squad and found concerned eyes looking back at her. Her temper flared and she stomped a hoof. “It is what I saw!”

“We don’t doubt you princess, but you did take a blow to the head. And you're sounding a little—”

“Off your rocker,” Path Finder said, only for Night Gaze to lift a hoof and smack him in the back of the head. “I mean, disoriented. Yes, that’s,” he paused to rub the back of his head, “what I meant.”

Celestia furrowed her eyebrow. “I am not—” She winced and staggered back, her headache coming back full force.

“Going anywhere but outside. You’re hurt,” Twin Blades said firmly as she stepped up to the princess. “I promise, I’ll lead a dozen soldiers straight to the crypt if you believe that is where Twilight is. Right now, however, your safety is a priority. You need to see a doctor.”

“But Lieutenant—”

“Princess, do you remember the promise you made to me when we arrived? You agreed you would follow my orders, and my orders are we’re retreating. We’re getting you topside, getting you to a doctor, then we’ll come back and storm this place with as many troops as we can. We’ll find Princess Luna, we’ll find Twilight, and we’ll pin down whatever in tartarus is attacking us. Now form up, grab anything that’s left of our supplies, and get ready to move out.”

Night Gaze and Path Finder saluted before quickly gathering up all the spare supplies. Celestia did not snap to orders so willingly. She glared Twin Blades down for a moment, but the lieutenant just glared right back, showing no fear in the face of her princess. Finally, Celestia conceded. With a deep frown she nodded her head, turned, and went to try and retether her light sphere spell, which had floated to the ceiling.

At the same time, Celestia saw the lieutenant join in the search of the room. She however, did not work beside Path Finder and Night Gaze, who were packing up anything that could have been of use. No, Twin Blade was searching for something, a something she found. She slipped her wing beneath a saddlebag, and removed an item from beneath it.

Yet, before Celestia could see what it was, Twin Blades had tucked it into her saddle bags.

“How you holding up, Princess?”

“I am fine,” Celestia replied coldly as the squad continued towards the exit. They had left the rotunda behind as well as her light sphere spell. The blow to the head she had suffered, and the resulting headache, was making magic near impossible. A basic level light spell made her head throb like it was being pounded on by a hammer. An intermediate tethering spell, which would have let her pull her light sphere spell along like a balloon on a string, was beyond her capacity at the moment.

Still, the squad had enough light to see. The light gems in the soldiers’ armor, and Path Finder’s horn, illuminated the tunnels ahead and behind as Twin Blades guided them back to the entrance. And they had to be going the right way. The air was growing less stale. The smell of the Everfree Forest began to waft in the air. The entrance was close.

This, however, did not bring relief to Celestia’s thoughts or her headache. She could only think of the crypt and Twilight. Her dream, she did not believe it was a result of a concussion. At the same time, she was a mare of her word. She had promised she would follow the lieutenant’s orders. She also didn’t like to admit it, but she did need to see a doctor. If she was to raise the sun in the morning, which could only be a few hours away, she would likely need a double dose of something prescription strength.

“Here are those stairs,” Twin Blades said as she made a turn and began to ascend the ancient stone steps, everypony else following a few steps behind. “I hope Shining Armor has a good excuse why he hasn’t sent the reinforcements we needed.”

“I don’t care what his excuse is,” Path Finder said. “I’m just glad we’ll be leaving this nut house behind us. I mean, no offense Princess, but I wouldn’t want to live here.”

“This castle was far more warm and welcoming a thousand years ago, Sergeant,” Celestia said firmly. “It was a beacon, so much like Canterlot. The greatest minds, the finest artists, the most talented craftsponies, they all called this castle and the surrounding town their home, once upon a time.

“And there was never reason to fear the dark. All were able to rest their heads at night in peace, knowing my sister kept watch over them like the moon in the sky. The evening was as welcoming as a soft bed and warm blanket after a long day. Perhaps, too welcoming. So many ponies found rest at night. So few stayed up. It all lead to so much trouble.”

“So, then why did you abandon this castle?”

“It wasn’t one thing. The ponies in the castle town all left, ruining the local economy. The stallions and mares of the royal court were jumping at shadows, fearing that Nightmare Moon hadn’t been defeated but was just waiting for an opportunity to strike. That and... the halls above held so many memories... I couldn’t walk ten steps without thinking of Luna and... what I had done.”

“Sergeant, maybe this isn’t the time to be talking to the princess about this?” Twin Blades said, glancing over her shoulder as the squad continued to ascend the stairs.

“Sorry,” Path Finder quickly apologized. “You know me, I just like to kill time.”

“It’s quite all—” Celestia came to a stop, looking up the staircase. The path forward disappeared into shadow, and, like in the archives, Celestia suddenly felt an urge to step into the darkness. She knew enough this time to resist the silent siren call. “It’s time you shouldn’t have needed to kill. Lieutenant, this staircase was not this long when we came in.”

In a brief few moments, the feeling in the air changed. Like a pony who had removed a mask to reveal a disfigured facial feature, the staircase suddenly lost it’s feeling of freedom. The smell of the forest outside faded, succumbing to the dry, stale smell that choked so many of the tunnels. The echoes from their hoofsteps and breathing became distant, as if the staircase stretched on for miles ahead of them.

“Horseapples,” Path Finder whispered as he turned around and focused the light from his horn down the corridor behind them. “L-lieutenant, I think I heard something.”

“Don’t lose your head, Path Finder,” Twin Blades said firmly before looking back at Celestia. “Princess, I know you're in no state to do it, but we need light, and a lot of it.”

Celestia nodded. They had faced this effect before, in the archives, and light had been the solution. Light had driven away the darkness and revealed the room as it truly was. The door could not be more than a few dozen steps ahead of them. They just needed enough light to pierce the darkness.

“Okay,” the princess said as she spread her hooves, widening her base. “I’ll try to conjure as much light as I can, but I won’t be able to pull open the door at the same time though.”

“Understood,” Twin Blades said firmly before jumping up and hovering in the air. “Night Gaze, watch our flanks. Path Finder, get up here with me. The moment we can see the door, we need to get it open.”

Path Finder quickly galloped up the steps to join Twin Blades, nodding his head even though their was a noticeable tremor in his breathing. The Lieutenant returned that nod, then looked back at Celestia. It was all the cue the princess need.

Furrowing her brow and cringing through her quickly worsening headache, Celestia conjured her light spell. The radiance from her horn sparked to life and grew, stretching out and pushing back the darkness. Brighter and brighter she made her horn the worse her headache became.

“We can see the door!” Twin Blades shouted.

“Hurry!” Celestia grunted out, her eyes squeezed shut and her ears flattened back against her head. Beads of sweat began to run down her face. It hurt so much. It was like her head was going to split open, like her brain was boiling, like somepony was trying to cut off her horn with a rusty saw.

“The door won’t open, Lieutenant,” Path Finder shouted, his panicked words accompanied with the rattling of the door’s hinges.

“Then we break it down. I want a breaching spell right on the seam.”

Celestia slumped, kneeling down. She was about to collapse. Her legs were shaking, her heart was pounding, and each beat sent another sledgehammer strike of pain into her skull. A metallic taste formed in her mouth and the small cut that accompanied the lump on her head reopened, sending a trickle of blood down the side of her face.

“Okay, breaching spell ready,” Path Finder announced as he and Twin Blades stepped back from the door. “Breach in five... four...”

Celestia swayed. She was blacking out. The pain was too much. She couldn’t keep it up.

“three... two...”

The light from her horn flickered. Celestia took a deep breath, trying to push through the pain, but she was on a downwards spiral. She was stalled. She could not push anymore magic into the spell and it was burning itself out. Her light started to fade. The door grew darker.

“one... breach!”

Celestia’s spell faded a moment before the breaching charge went off. It went off with a thud, the spell designed to produce no light, and the quartet heard the sound of the doors slamming open. They, however, were not greeted with pleasant moonlight or the fires of the guards who were still searching the castle’s exterior. They did not see Shining Armor. They didn’t see the old castle.

All that lay beyond the door was another tunnel and more darkness.

“No... no no... this, this is the way out,” Path Finder stuttered. He galloped forward to the doorway, stepping through and looking down the dark corridor before them. “I... I know this is the way out. The lieutenant marked the right archway at the rotunda. We made two lefts, a right, and then another left. This is the right staircase. These are the right doors. This is the way out.

“We made a right, a left, and then two rights to get here. That means we needed to make two lefts, a right, and another left to get out. This is the right staircase. This... this is supposed to be the exit!”

“Get a hold of yourself Path Finder,” Twin Blades shouted as she landed beside him.

“Shove it Lieutenant!” Path Finder snapped turning and pointing a hoof at her. “Shove your rules, your orders, and all your decorum right where the sun doesn’t shine! Just say it! We’re dead! We’re all dead! We’re going to wander around in this dark until some of us starve to death. Then, those who are still alive will do what Fortress did. They’ll eat the pony who died and then go back to starving to death until only one of us is left and then, you know what, that pony will starve to death and be food for rats!”

“We’re all de—”

Twin Blades buck came swift and without warming. She spn, aimed for his chest, and bucked out her hind legs with all the strength she had earned from years of experience in the guard. Path Finder was sent sprawling, sliding across the floor and crashed into the wall. His helmet fell off his head, clattering a few feet away. Twin Blades, however, didn’t even give Path Finder a moment to recover.

She was on him in an instant, one of her wing blades pressed against his neck.

“You say we’re dead? Well then, let me just put us all out of our misery. Would you like that? No? Then get a hold of yourself! We aren’t dead yet, and until we are dead, we’re going to keep fighting to get out. Why? Cause I want to see the sun again! Cause I want to see my friends and family again! Because I don’t want to die in some forsaken tunnel in the middle of the Everfree Forest!

“And you know what else, Sergeant? Failure is not an option. Why? Because we have Princess Celestia with us. With Luna missing, she is the only mare in the world that can raise the sun. If we don’t get out, then nopony outside will see the sunrise. Do you want that? Do you want Equestria to wither and die in the freezing cold of night?”

“N-no?” He choked out, his eyes watching the blade that was still pressed firmly into his neck.

“Then start acting like a guard and show an ounce of backbone,” Twin Blades said. She withdrew her wing, letting Path Finder gasp and cough as he lifted a hoof to his neck. The lieutenant hadn’t drawn blood, but she had been close.

Celestia and Night Gaze came up slowly behind the pair, Celestia shaking a little on her hooves but doing better now that she wasn’t trying to cast a spell. “What now, Lieutenant?” Night Gaze asked.

“I want to say we just start blasting a hole in the ceiling until we hit the surface, but considering how things are going tonight, I’m not sure that would even work.” Twin Blades answered as she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Just... give me a minute to think.”

“There is nothing to think about, lieutenant,” Celestia said with authority, even though her voice was still weak. “If we cannot escape, then we continue the mission. We look for Twilight and my sister, and, right now, my vision is our best lead.”

Twin Blades gritted her teeth, silently protesting the idea they go stumbling around in the dark because of a dream had by concussion rattled mare. Still, after fuming and fidgeting her wings with irritation, she spat a curse, turned on her hooves, and began to to walk back down the stairs.

“Form up, we’re going to the crypt.”

The descent back down the steps was like the descent into tartarus itself. The air was cold, chilling. Each exhale form their lungs produced hot puffs of steam that curled as they rose to the ceiling. The sensation of being watched crawled on their skin, as if a hundred eyes were watching them. The light from the gems in their armor and Path Finder’s horn, which had once seemed a firm shield against the darkness, now felt insufficient. To them, the darkness around them was merely biding its time and could strike out at its leisure.

Yet nothing happened. They trekked through the corridors without incident. The were able to return to the rotunda and continue beyond, retracing the path Celestia and Twin Blades had taken earlier to reach the crypt. Their path was predictable, and never did it stretch on infinitely without explanation.

“Why hasn’t anything happened?” Path Finder asked, staying close to Celestia’s right side.

“The thing that hunts for us was content to let Fortress starve and slip into insanity,” Celestia said. “For all we know, it may enjoy watching us struggle and stumble through the dark.”

Path Finder shivered and moved in a little closer to Celestia. Night Gaze and Twin Blades seemed to close ranks as well. They would not admit it, but Celestia had seen this very behavior in her students time and again. They were afraid and were clinging to her, consciously or subconsciously hoping for protection. So many in Equestria saw her as an unconquerable beacon. She was synonymous with the sun, constant and reliable.

It pained her she could not protect them as she usually would, but, without her magic, she was little more than an oversized pegasus with a forehead deformity.

“S-so...,” Path Finder said, trying to hide the tremor in his voice, “if the thing isn’t attacking us, should we even bother going to the crypt. It wouldn’t want us to find Twilight Sparkle, would it?”

“It is one of many possible explanations,” Celestia confirmed as the group rounded a corner, continuing on through the dark. “If the beast in the shadows feared Twilight or the knowledge she possessed, it would not want us to find her. At the same time, if Twilight has found a way to protect herself, the thing that hunts us may be allowing us to reach her. It may be using us to draw her out of her hiding place.

“Or,” Celestia continued, her voice growing low, “there is nothing Twilight has or knows that can help us. That all our efforts are and will be for naught.”

“Geez, Princess, couldn’t you sugar-coat it a little?

Celestia sighed and looked down at Path Finder. “I do apologize, my little pony, but... we must respect the danger we face. I am without my magic, we are without reinforcements, and we face an unknown enemy. We cannot lower our guard nor pretend it isn't there.” She looked forward again, her tone growing solemn. “We face an enemy that defies the laws of reality. And, from my experience with Discord, we must be prepared for any possibility. The creature may want us to reach Twilight, or may see us as no threat. Or—”

The door to the crypt loomed out of the darkness. It was still standing open, just as she and Twin Blades had left it. Celestia stepped past the edge of the doorway and looked through it. A icy cold wind blew out from the crypt’s depths, and the squad’s lights seemed barely capable of piercing the darkness that clung like heavy curtains.

“Or perhaps it has set a trap, like a spider with its web, and is merely waiting for us to step into its parlor.”

"Anyone vote we try to find the exit again?" Path Finder asked, glancing hopefully at the rest of his squad. Nopony raised their hooves. Instead, Twin Blades was the first to step into the crypt. She moved gingerly, and, once a few steps inside, she motioned with a wing for the others to follow.

Night Gaze moved in behind the lieutenant, Celestia followed behind him, and Path Finder hurriedly took up the rear, not wishing to be left behind. They moved into the darkness, which was like a soupy mist. It seemed to cling around them, hanging in the air itself. Their lights could not dispatch these shadows. The cold worsened, becoming the freezing cold of a deep winter. Their armor threatened to freeze to their coats and shivers crawled up and down their spines.

"Any chance your magic is working again, Princess?" Twin Blades asked, despite the fact her teeth wanted to chatter.

"No, I've already tried to light my horn," she replied.

"Night Gaze?" Path Finder questioned.

"I can hardly see the nose in front of my face."

"Path Finder?"

"Huh... I can see something, or the lack of something."

Twin Blades brought the group to a stop and looked back over her shoulder. "Sergeant, I'm in no mood for riddles."

Path Finder shakily lifted a hoof, pointing to the groups left. "A-aren't these holes supposed to have skeletons in them?"

Twin Blades and Night Gaze turned, the light from their helmets shining on one of the nearest wall, where they should have seen the skeleton of a pony long passed resting in peace. The holes in the wall, however, were empty. All of them within the reach of their lights were empty.

"Where did they go?" Night Gaze asked.

A rattling came from behind the group. They all quickly looked back, but saw nothing in the darkness. Another rattle, this one from in front of them. They looked forward, but saw nothing. A third rattle, this time from directly above them. They turned their lights upward, illuminating the ceiling through the curls of inky black mist, and there saw pale white bones. Skeletons clung to the ceiling, their skulls turned backward and staring down at the group in silent shrieks.

A skeleton then moved, its jaw snapping shut. More rattling came from all around, the clicking of bone against bone, joints grinding without the cartilage that had once buffered their movement. Twin Blades spread her wings and thus her swords. Night Gaze and Path Finder clung close to the princess.

And Celestia screamed as a skeleton from the ceiling dropped onto her head and wrapped it's bony limbs around her. That scream signaled the horde. Skeletons rushed from the darkness in front and behind the group, rattling like the chains of Tartarus themselves. They moved against the squad, reaching and attempting to overwhelm them by sheer numbers alone.

Twin Blades struck out with her swords, striking at the skeletons and attempting to keep them back. Night Gaze and Path Finder bucked, shattering bone with their guard trained hooves. Celestia, however, continued to flail and panic, trying to remove the skeleton that clung to her head and was now bitting at her neck.

"Get off. Get off! GET OFF!"

At once, the crypt rang with Celestia's Royal Canterlot Voice, a booming sound that not only demanded attention but carried the force of a hurricane. The skeleton on Celestia's head fell apart at its joints from the below, as did several directly in front of the princess. It was a turn of luck, something Celestia needed a moment to comprehend, to believe it had actually happened.

And when she realized the weapon she possessed in her vocal chords, she acted quickly. She craned her neck out to Twin Blades, grabbing the lieutenant by the tail and pulling her away from the skeletons she fiercely fought. A gentle toss, and Twin Blades landed on Celestia's back, slightly bewildered.

"Princess?"

"Just get the sergeants on and keep the dead off me," Celestia said before turning forward. She bent her head back, sucked in a deep breath, and then with the full force of the Royal Canterlot Voice, she shouted. "BEGONE!"

A dozen of the skeletons crumbled at the force of the voice and those further back stumbled. Celestia dared to let herself smile. She glanced back, seeing the two sergeants were riding on her back as well. It was an odd situation, to say the least. No pony had rode on her back in centuries. Still, their weight was minimal and, after rearing back and drawing in another deep breath, Celestia barreled forward, shouting every few steps.

"YOU! SHALL! NOT! HAVE! US! YOU! FILTHY! ABOM! IN! ATIONS!"

The skeletons fell before her like dominos, and soon Celestia burst through the horde and was able to gallop freely down the corridor. Path Finder and Night Gaze cheered, swinging their forehooves in the air while Twin Blades smiled and gave Celestia an approving nod.

RRRRAAAAHHHHHH

The unearthly roar came from behind them, and soon the rattling cacophony of bones became deafening. Path Finder focused the light from his horn back and saw a wall of skulls screaming back at him. The horde that had assaulted them had now become one dreadful beast, a skeletal worm with a head comprised of hundreds of skulls with chattering jaws. It rocked and struck against the walls of the crypts, sending shocks through the floor that threatened to trip Celestia and send her crashing to the floor.

"Must go faster! Must go faster!" Path Finder shouted, unable to take his light or his gaze off the horror that chased them. And Celestia tried to run faster. She tried to spring with all the speed her legs could provided. She skidded around corners, using her wings to keep her upright. Through the rattle of bones and panicked shouts of the squad, she could hear her heart pounding in her ears and could feel it pounding in her head.

Her headache... it was becoming unbearable again.

She began to waver. She was not a race pony. She had not run this far nor hard in decades, and the pain... her head once more felt like it was going to split open. Her vision began to tunnel, growing narrow as darkness overcame her eyes. She was going to pass out. She had to slow down, but if she slowed down they would be crushed if not torn apart by the skeletal worm.

Her vision narrowed further, and as it did... she noticed a star in her vision. It was not stars, it was not plural. There was a single glow in the periphery of her gaze, a glow that was growing stronger. A glow that was purple.

A flicker of hope filled her chest. They were close. She knew it! They just needed a little more time.

Breathing harder, trying to put oxygen back in her lungs, Celestia pushed through her headache and focused on the path ahead. There was a bend coming up, a right turn. She pushed down, quickening her gallop. She then jumped, spreading her wings as much as she could in the narrow corridor. She glided to the corner in the crypt, taking deep breaths. She then landed, skidded, turned to face the skeletal worm, and once more unleashed the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"NO!"

It was a single punch of a shout, which struck the beast and caused the bones in its front to crack and collapse in on one another. That lead to a chain reaction, the worm falling apart as it changed into an avalanche of bone and marrow. It loomed, threatening to crush Celestia and the squad, but she broke into a sprint again, continuing to race down the crypts tunnels.

"There!" Celestia shouted, focusing ahead. Her vision was almost totally dark, she would pass out within moment, but she could see it, the purple star. It was right before her. "The coffin chamber is just ahead!"

Twin Blades looked around Celestia's neck, seeing not the chamber but a closed door at the end of the corridor they were racing down. She looked behind, saw the still coming avalanche of bone, and then shouted over the clattering of bones. "Path Finder, open that door!"

"Yes sir!" he snapped back, turning around on Celestia's back and leaning to one side. He focused the magic of his horn on the door, and the great metal barricade began to yield. It creaked and groaned as it opened, and the growling and chattering of the bone avalanche seemed to only grow louder, angered it’s prey was about to escape.

Inch by inch the door opened, and step by galloped step Celestia drew closer. It would be tight, but the door would be open wide enough. Celestia began to favor the right side of the hallway, so she could duck in through the opening quickly. The distance was closing. They were getting so close.

"That's enough," Twin Blades shouted. "Be ready to close it the moment we're—"

"AH! GET IT OFF!"

Twin Blades spun her head around, seeing Path Finder flailing his forehooves. A skeleton had reformed from the looming avalanche of bone and had thrown itself onto Celestia's back. It was now attacking Path Finder, scraping at his face with its hooves and struggling to bite him.

Twin Blades looked back at the looming door, which was at best a few seconds away. Panic entered her voice. “Night Gaze, help Path Finder. We have to close that door the moment we get inside, or those skeletons will flood the coffin chamber!”

“Understood, lieutenant,” Night Gaze shouted, drawing himself up on Celestia’s back. He turned around, seeing the rolling tsunami of bones coming towards them and the skeleton Path Finder was fighting with. Night Gaze tried to reach out a hoof, tried the buck the beast off, but Path Finder’s panicked flailing was making it impossible for Night Gaze to land a blow.

“Hurry, the door is coming up fast!”

“Yes sir!” Night Gaze shouted before taking a deep breath. He then leapt. With forehooves extended and a battle cry booming from his throat, Night Gaze jumped over Path Finder’s head and tackled the attacking skeleton. He and the skeleton flew off Celestia’s back, falling into and becoming consumed by the avalanche of bone.

"Night Gaze!" Path Finder shouted the moment he realized who had saved him and how.

"Path Finder!"

Twin Blades' shout came the moment Celestia had ducked through the door. The trio raced into the coffin chamber and, working off instinct and his own fear, Path Finder responded to his lieutenant’s shout. He called on his magic. He slammed the door shut, and the bone avalanche crashed against it a moment later. The sudden impact made the whole crypt shake, and Celestia, who had been trying to skid to a stop, tripped over her own hooves. She and the sergeants fell forward, the moment of her sprint throwing them all into the air.

They rolled, they bounced, and then fell into a heap at the far end of the coffin chamber.