Canterlot An Eccentric Trespasser [Closed]

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves blinked, glancing back at Celestia as the thing chittered hungrily at her. When he looked back, the little fluffball was quivering. Suddenly, a fuzzy leg, twice as long as the body, popped out of the fluffy mass on one side, then on the other, and then again, and again, till the fluffball was a blue, fluffy, ten-legged spidery thing. The legs lengthened and grew leaner, lifting the fluffy body up off the floor.

Doctor Whooves took a step back, something resonating in his memory. "That's not a parasprite," he said hesitantly. He'd read about cousins of the parasprites... what was it he'd read? Visions of chaos, swarms, and disasters floated across his mind. it was something ancient, he knew. Something gone for not hundreds, but thousands of years ... comon, Doctor. You're the history expert. What is it? Another flash, a full scale extermination order. One of the few in history. What could countenance that?

The fluffy lil' blue creature rose up, its eyes glowing with a soft pink glow, and opened its mouth again, letting out another cheerful little chitter around the two mandibles that emerged from either side of its mouth, and it skittered forwards towards the three ponies.

Doctor Whooves retreated again, uncertainly. The eagerness at finding some huge, slavering monster seemed to disappear before this single tiny, fluffy, spidery creature, replaced by nervousness and dread. "Hold on there," he tried to reassure it, "We're not going to hurt you ..."

[MudBug]

Something put off the Princess greatly, it could be told in the great monarch's body language and stance as the tiny fuzzy beast as legs sprouted from its body and it chittered despite its sweet and small size and looks, it disturbed her on a great level. Why she couldn't figure out.

But it did.

Looking at this tiny creature brought back horrible feelings of dread and the sun princess actually found herself taking a few steps back to spread the distance between her and it, whilst still keeping an eye on her sister. Infact she spread out one of her wings as if to usher Luna back aswell.

Whatever that little thing was. Whatever it did. She didn't want Luna exposed to it and that was as simple as that.

"Doctor, as curious as you are, I think we should vacate...quickly." There was a deep sense of urgency to her voice, almost a pleading.

It made her guard's anxious as they stepped forward and took their stances infront of their charges, a slightly irate snort escaping their nostrils.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna gasped, stepping back just a couple paces as each long thin leg seemed to grow out of the body. Well, it certainly wasn't as cute now. But it wasn't all that fearsome looking either. It chirped again, but Luna didn't flinch. She was merely curious as to how something so cute, even if odd, could end up down here. And for how long had this poor creature been trapped here, without food or comfort? Luna knew what that was like.

It began to approach, and Luna felt suddenly drawn to it, despite her sister's previous warning. Though the Doctor moved away, she took a step toward it. It wasn't threatening at all, rather, it seemed a bit friendly. Just looking for a little love after being in such a place as this.

But Celestia's large wing reached out again, ushering Luna backwards instead of just halting her hoofsteps. She looked up at her sister in confusion, even as Celestia spoke to Doctor Whooves. She could see the grim look that came over her sister's face, and her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest, though why she wasn't sure. The guards took up their positions, and Luna could tell they were ready for a fightâ€â€but against what, exactly?

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves nodded slowly to Celestia. "True, but we haven't found out what's going on yet ... and this seems familiar, but I can't put my hoof on it... " He stepped back another step, and then looked around quickly as faint skittering noises sounded echoing in the halls around them. dots of light started appearing, in pairs, in the darkness beyond his lantern, and into the glow cast by his light came another little creature, this one a bright pink, then a third, of a pale green, and a fourth, of a vivid purple. Then three more. Then another two. Then five more...

Their too many legs carried them along the floor, the walls, even the ceiling, moving in short little bursts forward as they appraised the five ponies ... but their baleful gaze seemed especially to focus upon Celestia and Luna. They started letting out cute little squeaking noises, as if chatting with each other, and the skittering noise echoing through the hallways increased, from the movement of who-knew how many more of these?

"But then, that's what libraries are for!" Doctor Whooves said quickly, backing up much more rapidly. "Research, that seems to be the thing of it!"

[Dio]

“We’ve no time to waste, Doctor.” As she spoke, Celestia’s entire countenance changed, suddenly adopting a stolid grimness that wasn’t there before.

The horde of skittering, spider-like creatures poured out over the stone, undaunted, innumerable, and seemingly implacable. The sound of millions of tiny legs scraping stone filled the corridor with a horrible din akin to feedback static. Even Celestia was having trouble maintaining her concentration enough to cast.

There was something deeply unsettling about the skittering arthropods, but it was not the fact that they were creepy, crawling, critters. Celestia had an appreciation for all creatures great and small in the world over which she kept careful stewardship. But with this stewardship and eons of experience came a distinct affinity for the subtleties of the aether. Something within these creatures clawed at her incorporeal senses, testing her magical defenses.

They were close now, too close.

“We’re out of time, Doctor. Guards, escort Princess Luna back to the castle. I will deal with this.”

The Sun Princess firmly planted her gilded hooves upon the cold stone, bracing them for the spell she was preparing to cast. The faint lavender glow about her horn suddenly peaked in intensity, becoming nearly unbearable to look at. Celestia’s eyes smoldered the same shade of lavender, obscuring her pupils to the outside observer, but only serving to enhance her own vision as she partially immersed herself in the aether.

To the princess, the corridor walls seemed to fade away, becoming semitransparent and indistinct. All around her, waves of faint violet flowed, glittering, shimmering, and scintillating like a million diamonds. But something was wrong. Just in front of her, where those creatures were, there were no waves, no crests, no shimmers. There was no aether. There was only void; cold, dark, magickless void.

Surprising, to be certain. But Celestia had little time to consider the ramifications. A flick of her horn and the warp and the weft of the immaterium wove itself together at the Sun Princess’ whim. A glowing wall of shimmering arcane force stitched itself together in front of the advancing horde, cutting off the corridor and isolating the creatures from the retreating ponies, at least for the moment. The creatures’ impacts on the force field set blue ripples shooting across the surface, striking the stone walls, dislodging loose bits of dirt, and throwing brightly colored sparks from where the field met stone.

The creatures clawed and scrabbled, mindlessly slamming into the force field over and over again. There it was again, that feeling of void, like a whirlpool that was slowly sucking down all the ambient aether; the chilling feeling of nothingness given substance. Even now, Celestia could feel the force field spell weakening, as if the very presence of the creatures was anathema to anything that involved magic.

“Doctor, the spell will not hold them for long!” Celestia said tersely, the glow finally subsiding from her horn and eyes. “We must return to the surface at once. When we do, I believe an explanation is in order...”

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna watched as a seemingly endless stream of the strange creatures seemed to come from nowhere. She gulped, feeling a chill flow through her. One—one was cute. But the number of glowing eyes she could see before her was nearly overwhelming... and she was a bit frightened by just the sheer amount.

Her ears pinned back against the sound, resisting the growing noise of mob of fuzzy critters. They were creeping closer, and the din grew louder. She looked to Celestia again, just as she gave the order for Luna to be taken away. Celestia didn't even glance down at her; her eyes were far too focused on the creatures in front of them.

Celestia's stance changed as she prepared. Luna could tell that the spell would be difficult. Celestia's eyes were narrowed in concentration, her chest rising and falling with purposeful breaths as she focused.

The guards flanked Luna on either side, cutting her off from direct contact with her sister. Though, they looked a bit disgruntled at the thought of leaving their ruler. Though Luna should have held the same status and importance as her sister, she could tell that they were more protective of Celestia.

But it didn't matter, because Luna wouldn't budge. Even if she couldn't do anything to help, she wasn't going to leave Celestia down here to face an unknown danger. She also didn't fancy the idea of traveling back through the ancient passages without her sister, even with the guards in tow. If there hundreds of this type of creature living down here, who knew what other things might be lurking?

Luna jolted to attention at the stressed urgency in Celestia's words. Something was terribly wrong, and Luna still wasn't sure what it was. Now wasn't the time to ask, and Luna broke away from the guards stand by her sister's side. “Celestia?” her voice quivered more than she realized. “What's wrong?”

[Bramble Rose]

The tiny, fluffy, ten-legged critters were balked by the barrier only briefly - the horde itself seemed to pause, confused or curious, as they looked at the nearly invisible barrier. One bright pink critter raised one leg, tapping at the barrier, and watching a blue ripple spread across its surface. A series of chittering squeaks sounded from the horde of creatures, and then quiet again. An eerie quiet as they all stared at each other across that magical wall.

"Well, then, that's useful," Doctor Whooves said with relief. "Nothing wrong now, I guess, your nocturnal highness. There's something familiar about these, but I can't quite remember... I need a library, and luckily, this castle has-"

A pale green critter opened its toothy great maw wide and bite a hole out of the barrier as big as its body. It skittered through to the side with the ponies, then paused. It quivered, hunkered down upon itself, and then seemed to explode outwards - to one side of the pale green one, there was now a bright blue one, and to the other a soft lavendar. A red critter followed suit, taking a bit and then splitting into three versions of itself, then a third, and then the whole hoarde was voraciously devouring the invisible shield, the mass of critters trippling in size as they ravenously turned the wall into swiss cheese, and then nothing.

Doctor Whooves smiled brightly, perking up. "Oohhh, *that's* what they are! Manasprites! Well, I never! I thought they'd exterminated those little critters years ago! You see, they multiply as they eat magical energies, and -" Doctor Whooves paused. "Oh, of COURSE! All the missing guards are UNICORNS!" He smacked his hoof against his forehead. "How could I have missed that?! Well, this explains everything! What a relief, I-"

The horde, finished with its appetizer of a wall, started to swarm forward once more, and Doctor Whooves scrambled backwards. "Oh. OH. Right! Talk later, run now!" He turned and fled before the now even more numerous swarm, turning and rushing up the corridor, back towards where they had come. He unerringly took turn after turn, following their route back to the entrance, his hooves beating frantically over the stone floor as he followed his impeccable memory's path...

Right into another swarm of Manasprites! He scrambled to a stop, his eyes wide, as their sharp teeth snapped at mid-air. "AYIPE! Not that way!" He turned and fled down a totally random corridor, then another, leading the group as they avoided pocket after pocket of Manasprites, till he finally fled through a door and slipped to the side. After guards and princesses both had slipped through the door, he slammed it shut and threw the latch to lock it, then let out a breath. A scrabbling of legs scraped along the other side of the thick wooden door, but it seemed to hold. Doctor Whooves let out a long exhalation and looked around.

They were in a series of room. If there was a way out of these rooms other than the door, he didn't quite know yet, but at least they weren't being set upon at the moment. Old furniture and tables suggested this had once, a long time ago, been some sort of meeting room, or perhaps a guard barracks.

"That'll hold 'em. Eat through magic walls in a breath or two, but good solid wood ... well, they've no taste for it. Well," Doctor Whooves said. "Well, well, well. Hrm. Manasprites. And the two most powerfully magical ponies in all of Equestria. Two of the nearly most powerful sources of magic in all the land... Well. It's not as bad as it could be. At least the Elements of Harmony are still back at the Sister's Palace in the Everfree Forest, or over in Ponyville, and not here at the castle. Oooo, I wonder if they can devour Discord's magics? That might be good or bad, not sure. It'd certainly be an *interesting* experiment..." he mused to himself, getting a little distracted.

[Dio]

"Luna!" Celestia said firmly, looking down into her sister's eyes. It was no use. Luna was defiant-- terrified, but defiant-- eager to help just the same. There would be no sending her away. "There's no time to explain. We need to get out of here. Quickly!"

The Doctor led them down corridor after corridor, dodging the spider-like creatures and bits of loose stone as they went. Dead ends and manasprite swarms broke their route, forcing them to continuously adjust until even Celestia was unsure of where exactly they were in the dungeons.

Finally, out of all the dead ends and near misses, the ponies scrambled through an open door, the doctor quickly slamming it shut behind them and barring it closed. Though the manasprites scrabbled and scraped, they seemed to have great difficulty breaking through a physical barrier. In the ensuing lull, Celestia dared to breath a sigh of temporary relief.

"Are you all right, sister?" the sun princess said, addressing Luna first.

Celestia's ears perked up at the Doctor's words. "Manasprites?"

The term resonated with her somewhere deep inside, whether it was because of some long forgotten memory or the veritable aetheric static they seemed to be projecting, Celestia did not know. Somehow the feeling was familiar… very familiar. That fact alone made Celestia very uncomfortable.

The doctor continued on his mumblings; something about the Elements of Harmony, Discord's magicks, experiments. "Let us stay focused, doctor."

The Sun Princess slowly looked about the room, a conference chamber of some sort. There really wasn't much room for maneuvering, but doors were present on all four walls, meaning they were not trapped in a dead end. Celestia began pacing around the table, trying to clear her head of the static and perhaps think of some way to escape.

"If we cannot use magic to defeat them, doctor," she began, "then what do you propose? I need to know everything you know on these… manasprites."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna's eyes went wide and she gasped, stepping back as she watched the horde quickly devour the magical wall separating them. What kind of creatures were these, that magic had no affect on? How could they hope to escape from something that readily welcomed any barrage she or Celestia could offer?

But as the Doctor took off and Celestia followed, Luna was right beside her, doing her best to keep up and not be left in the dark. Though Luna enjoyed the night and the darkness, down her it brought her nothing but fear. Her heart pounded in her chest, and at every turn Luna struggled not to trip over her own hooves and get left behind.

When they finally reached the small room, Luna fought hard to catch her breath, all the while staring at the door they'd come from, ready to run again. But there was no need. Her breathing raspy and shaky, her throat constricting in fear. Luna realized that her body was also shaking a bit.

What would have happened if they'd been caught? If either of them had been caught... Though Luna herself had little magical power since her return, it was still a piece of who she was. Less magic also meant she was weaker, unable to fight as well as her older sister. She wouldn't even stand a chance at defending herself if—if—

Luna shook her head to clear it as Celestia spoke to her. “I—I—I'm fine.” Luna replied shakily. She hoped Celestia wouldn't notice how nervous she was, but her sister was too preoccupied with what Doctor Whooves was going on about.

“Mana—Manasprites?” she whispered. Luna began to pace back and fourth about the room, her head spinning. She'd heard that term before... it struck a chord within her and filled her with dread, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Though, from what she'd seen... these creatures thrived on basically eating magic.

Luna paused in her worried trot, then turned and made a beeline for Celestia. She stood next to her sister, laying her head on her sister's shoulder and then looking up at her. “T—Tia—” Luna cleared her throat, silently excusing herself for using the childish nickname. “Celestia... what'll we do?” Her heart was still pounding, anxious of the path they'd left behind—and the uncertain path that lay ahead.

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves took a deep breath and frowned. Absentmindedly, his tail brushed off an old, dusty, cobwebbed chair so he could sit down in it, one hoof coming up to tap at his chin thoughtfully.

"I have read about them... once. I wish I had the book, it's back at my personal library in Ponyville. Ah, what was it? Menaces of Magic? No ... Profane Powers Beyond Ponies? No, not the Poninomicon ... The Bestiary of Banal Threats? Perhaps. Hrm. Well, there's definitely a good news / bad news thing going on here. Good news is - your guards are still alive. That's why the manasprites have been stealing food - to feed the guards. They've got them webbed up and cocooned, and are feeding off their unicorn magic. Bad news is, that means they'll just keep multiplying as long as they have your guards."

He pondered a bit more, then lit up. "Ah! I remember something!" He trotted quickly over to the door and swung it wide open. The entire corridor was awash with surprised-looking manasprites, and the door itself was coated with them, too, like a multicolored fuzzy rug. Doctor Whooves casually grabbed one bright blue manasprite off the door and closed it before they could react. "They're terribly guarded against magic - attacking them directly with spells will just make them multiply, make them stronger. But..." He dropped it to the floor and dropped his hoof onto it, and it burst in a shower of blue smoke and red sparks, washing up over his face and making his mane stand up a bit, his face getting just a little sooty. "A little impact will disperse them back to the magic they're made of. But the bad news is, if you do that to all of them at once... it's kinda explosive, unless you have some way to contain or absorb all that magic."

He let out a frustrated noise. "They're not supposed to exist anymore! This is supposed to be impossible! Ahhh, well. Four stars, bonds loosed. I should have expected anything." He glanced up at Princess Luna. "AH! Princess, your magic was always the strongest, back in the day. Celestia couldn't hold a candle to your might! Have you recovered fully from the Elements of Harmony yet?" Then he frowned. "No, no - if you had, your mane would be all sparkly, like the beautiful night. Well, at least that means you're safer from the manasprites. They'll all head straight for Celestia."

"They're related to Parasprites, so they were lured to their destruction by music ... but what *kind*? It wasn't polka, I know that got ruled out. I don't think it was the Clopamanea, either. Ahhhh, what was it..."

He sighed, frowning again. "Man, if I could only get at my library. Or my lab. Or even my cart. Just one cloud-crystal. I don't know what to do." He glanced up at the others. "But I will! Just ... give me time! I always think of some way out of these situations!"

[Dio]

The Doctor’s explanation brought Celestia much needed respite. She breathed easier knowing that the manasprites were not malicious; for a brief moment she feared that they would attack and consume magic-using creatures with the fury of a hungry manticore, but the relationship was less predatory and more mutualistic.

Celestia’s countenance softened at Luna’s stuttered response. Eons of experience did nothing to dampen the raw, visceral, fear of the unknown, nor the unnerving nature of many magical creatures’ shadow in the aether. A faint smile tugged at her lips at the mention of her diminutive name from a time long past.

“We’ll do as we’ve always done, Luna,” the Sun Princess replied, gently nuzzling Luna’s cheek. “Make our way through the chaos together.”

The sound of creaking hinges made Celestia’s ears perk up. The princess whirled around in time to see the brown earth pony crack open the door. Her horn glowed faint lavender again as she prepared to stem an oncoming tide and rebuke a foolish... SLAM! The door was closed just as quickly as it was opened. In the Doctor’s hoof was a single manasprite, looking just as confused as Celestia.

"They're terribly guarded against magic - attacking them directly with spells will just make them multiply, make them stronger. But...” he smashed the thing against the ground. Rather than the crunch of an insect meeting its demise, there was a loud pop and a fountain of blue smoke and crimson sparks. “...a little impact will disperse them back to the magic they're made of. But the bad news is, if you do that to all of them at once... it's kinda explosive, unless you have some way to contain or absorb all that magic."

Celestia’s incorporeal senses tingled as the fountain of sparks slowly subsided. While the lone manasprite was a mere pinprick of void in the aether, the sparks from its disintegration made her hair stand on end. The aether had palpably changed, becoming charged with energy very suddenly with just the tiny explosion.

“This is dangerous,” she said, “An explosion of manasprites would not only cause physical damage, but have serious repercussions in the aether as well.”

As the doctor went on, Celestia continued to pace, studying the heavy iron-studded doors of the conference chamber with quiet curiosity. Magic offered no purchase against the manasprites, but wood and stone and iron proved quite the impediment. The dungeons were honeycombed with these passages, built for transit and housing in the event of war or some other disaster. The oldest structures probably dated back to the time of Discord. Somewhere in these passages was the source of the manasprite infestation lay.

“Hmm... doctor,” Celestia began, turning to address the stallion, “I once read of a species of ant that farmed aphids for honeydew. It appears that the manasprites are doing the same with the guards for magic. In addition, their current behavior suggest collective consciousness, like the ants, and in that... a queen.”

Celestia turned once more to face the exit farthest from the door which now held the manasprites at bay. “If memory serves me correctly, there is a large cistern a few levels down which was used to store fresh water in the event of a siege. It is large enough and well protected enough to support a queen and any of her manasprite attendants.”

“We should be able to descend through that door,” Celestia said, gesturing towards the exit on the far wall. “We cannot afford to remain here for long, so I suggest we move immediately.”

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna perked up at the Doctor's “good news.” Those poor guards. she thought to herself. How long had they gone trapped down here, unnoticed? How many of them were there? Even though Doctor Whooves had said they were alive, that was only as far as the Manasprites were concerned. There was no guarantee that the guards had been able to survive without sunlight, or that they hadn't just lost all hope and starved themselves. And what of illnesses that could be contracted in place like this? It made Luna sick to think of them trapped down here, not knowing their fate, and possibly dying a slow tortured death. She swallowed a lump in her throat, not even attempting a brave face.

She was caught off guard as Whooves opened the door they had come from, and she shirked into a dark area of the room in an attempt to hide from the inevitable onslaught. But it never came, and Luna was surprised at how easily a Manasprite was exterminated. Of course, it would take an army of ponies to make a dent in them, since magic had no effect.

“W—What?” Luna said in disbelief as Doctor Whooves explained the bit about her sister. She glanced from one pony to the other, now speechless. Not only was she utterly useless, but Celestia was the one in danger. But though Celestia had expressed concern for her, now the two other ponies in the room were more concerned with the matters at hand. They were the only two who knew what they were doing, and Luna as just in the way. So she sat away from the pair, just outside the light from Celestia's horn, and out of the way.

Luna's ears perked at Celestia's theory about the Manasprites. It was entirely plausible, and somehow... it felt right. Luna had surely studied these creatures long ago, along with many other things she couldn't recall. It had just been too long for her to know anything of value.

But as Celestia mentioned leaving, Luna stood boldly, if a little stiffly. She was scared to go forward, but more afraid to stay trapped here. At least if they were running away, they'd be making some sort of progress. She moved close to the Doctor, though she mostly brought of the rear of the group. Luna saw staying out of the way as her best option, even if she would have felt more comfortable by her sister.

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves nodded, and gave a broad grin. "Now, that sounds like a plan!" He hopped to his hooves, full of energy. "After you, your Highness! Allon-zy!"

He sprung to, following after Princess Celestia, pulling out a small screwdriver and fiddling with it thoughtfully. He kept glancing over to Princess Luna, as they went through the various corridors, following Celestia's memory through the deep passages.

"You know," he finally said to Princess Luna, "My library talks about you two a lot." He glances up at Princess Celestia. "The Library of the Doctors. It might be why you two almost remember me - because my title, Doctor Whooves, isn't unique to me. It's passed on, from pony to pony. We each inherit the previous Doctor Whooves' possessions, library, and solemn duty. To seek out the ills of the land, and heal it. I don't remember, offhand, who was Doctor Whooves last time you were both alive. Might have been a pegasus, might have been a unicorn."

He looks to Luna. "I know I often feel scared, cause I can't do what a pegasus or a unicorn can do. I can't fly, I can't use magic. But I still do my duty. I find my way - not because I have some sort of power, but because it's the right thing to do. And because that gives you strength. You know the words - Loyalty. Laughter. Honesty. All the good stuff."

He grins roguishly. "Right now, my dear Princess of the Night, you have the most ... *potential* ... amongst all of us, here. You have more capacity for growth than either of us. You may surprise yourself, yet."

[Dio]

The passages were dim, sporadically lit only by the cold fluorescence of everburning torches and patches of bioluminescent fungi that clung to the walls like miniature glowing bookshelves. Periodic flares of lavender hue backlit the ponies trotting down the seemingly endless lengths of stone passages as the Princess periodically lit her horn, “feeling” the surrounding aether for familiar reference points. Celestia did her best to keep her uses of the navigation spell short, lest it attract the attention of additional manasprites.

Ah yes, the Doctors. Among the myriad ancient societies that kept their hooves on the pulse of Equestria, the Doctors were among the oldest. The smattering of idle chatter between them was strangely comforting, a small island of normalcy in the depths of the catacombs among the whims of the aether.

“You know,” Doctor Whooves finally said, “My library talks about you two a lot.”

“I’d contest your familiarity, Doctor, but that would probably reveal more about my age than a mare should properly share,” Celestia chuckled, attempting to add a bit of levity to an otherwise grave situation. “Likewise, there are records in the Royal Archives about the Doctors, though I’m sure the historiographers made certain embellishments. Some of the literature reads like a science fiction novel!”

“Luna,” Celestia said, smiling faintly at the Doctor’s pep talk, “You mustn't lose faith. We're all in this together.”

Celestia paused for a moment to allow her sister and the Doctor to catch up. The aether was flowing here, quite rapidly. Celestia’s incorporeal senses told her that the ley themselves lines seemed warped, that all of them were flowing down towards some indeterminate point in space, as if a singularity had opened somewhere in the catacombs.

“This way,” she said. “We’re nearly there. Luna... when we arrive, I want you by my side...”

[MyLittlePonyTales]

As they made their way through passageways and corridors, Luna was a little surprised by the lack of Manasprites. They had been all over before, but now there were none to be seen. Even so, Luna couldn't help shivering as they made their way through the dark and eerie underground of Canterlot Castle. She kept glancing back and fourth, though she could see very little except for directly in front of her.

At the mention of the Library of the Doctors, Luna's ears perked subconsciously. She had been more absorbed in keeping watch, but the mention of it brought her attention strictly upon the Doctor. She felt a pang of knowing, some memory she couldn't place had resurfaced... or rather, the thought of a memory. Something that she knew about, either learned or seen... something about that library...

But as Whooves turned to her and mentioned being scared, she had to stop herself from retorting, “I'm not scared!” Saying so would completely give her away, especially if she couldn't keep her voice steady. As he spoke the names of three of the Elements, Luna could not help having mixed feelings. They were both a blessing and a curse, helping to defeat the monster Discord, and also another monster that she knew all too well... herself.

But still... Luna became melancholy and absorbed in her own thoughts for a moment. There was a reason she'd been able to wield her half of the Elements. She was strong enough, good enough to be deemed worthy by the Elements to be their holder. And yet... it hadn't been enough.

She was drawn back to reality at the Doctor's last words. “What do you mean by that?” she asked. She had a vague idea... Her magic hadn't fully come in since her return, not to mention that much of her memory was a bit fuzzy. And, being that this was a dark place, and she was “Princess of the Night”, this should be her area of expertise. In any case, whatever he was thinking was probably totally wrong. How much did he really know about her?

She turned to her sister at the mention of her name. “Yes, Celestia.” she said obediently. On the front lines wasn't exactly the place she would have chosen, but this wouldn't be her first battle. And if magic was more of a hindrance than a help, her horn would do the trick.

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves followed along after Celestia's lead cheerfully, glancing around and ducking his head into abandoned rooms with intense curiosity, not seeming to entirely grasp the seriousness of the situation. "Ah, they don't do good foundations like this, anymore," The Doctor sighed regretfully. In his head, though, his mind was racing. Aside from memorizing this route - it twisted around their previous route, he noticed, and just once he thought he heard a scrabbling on the opposite side of a stone wall - he was running through book after book in his mind, trying to summon up anything he could find about this threat, or about the twisting passages under the castle.

He chuckled softly at Celestia's comment on the Doctor's tales. "Oh, yes, wholly exaggerated, I am sure," he agreed lightheartedly with Celestia. "Those ridiculous stories about medusas at dig sites, or weeping pegasus statues that make you disappear, or delving down into catacombs with the princesses to save some guards from magic-eating bugs, are all entirely made-up, I assure you!" He shook his head. "The things some ponies will repeat..."

Luna's nervous question, though, was what had most of his attention. At first he didn't respond, pausing to study a particular support beam, and give it a tap with his screwdriver to listen to the sound it gave off. "Ahhhh..." he said, as if it revealed something significant. Then he looked up to Luna again. "Well, I mean... there are, of course, the old stories. Scholars disagree which of you had which elements... most everypony agrees that Celestia had Laughter, and that you had Magic. Old Professor Dusty Tomes put forth a particularly good assessment that I was always curious about, that when Celestia had three elements, and you had two, you had felt ... as if you weren't good enough. Like you were the lesser of the sisters, and had to depend on Celestia. That was before you knew about the Element of Magic, of course - it was during the fight with Discord that the Element of Magic showed itself to you, turning the tide. Now, obviously old Doc Tomes wasn't there, having come along several centuries later, but he referenced a lot of books I haven't been able to find as his sources. I was always curious how true that was."

He smiled cheerfully. "But even that's not as important as some of the other stories, wielder of Generosity. You always made the night without reward, until it became too much for you ... and stories say that you used to find foals, lost in the night, who didn't have enough food, and then bring them to the castle to feed them. I suspect this is what created the ridiculous stories that Nightmare Moon eats foals who don't give her enough candy ... and again, stories told by historians centuries after you disappeared. I don't know how true they are."

He sighed, shook his head at his own lack of knowledge. "There are all sorts of *peculiar* references to alfalfa in those histories ..."

Then he laughed. "Oh, my. What a tangent. What do I mean about potential, Princess? Well, I mean that you ... you aren't the pony in those histories! And you aren't the pony you've been for the last thousand years, either. You are a wholly NEW pony. A new princess. And while you may have history behind you ... you have also a future ahead of you, a future you get to write... and who can say what sort of pony you have become, in this new chance that you have been gifted? So few ponies get a chance to become somepony truly new, to get a new opportunity to decide what sort of pony they are."

He grinned eagerly. "That's the thing! You're the Princess, but beyond that, do you know who you are? It's all untested! Are you funny? Are you sarcastic? Sexy? Right old misery? Life and soul? Right-hoofed, left-hoofed? A gambler, a fighter, a coward, a traitor, a liar, a nervous wreck?" He grinned, his teeth gleaming, as he gave the princess a wink. "A heroine?"

[Dio]

Celestia stopped dead. They were close. A steel door crusted with rust and fungi stood directly in front of them. To the left, stone steps wound downwards into the gloom. To the right, more stone steps climbed upwards. Taken together, the stairs traced a corkscrew around the exterior of an extraordinarily large subterranean cylinder of iron and stone. The door ahead was just one of several access panels to the interior of the cistern.

To any magic user, it was apparent that the aether flowed strongly here. Even to those without arcane affinity, the air seemed chilled and supernaturally charged; it was enough to make any earth pony’s hair stand on end. The ley lines stretched and warped, on the verge of tearing from some presence that was sucking them down like a whirlpool. The singularity at the base of the vortex was located a short ways down the cistern. Even through the Princess’ refined sense of the aether, the view was clouded and curiously indistinct, as if a constant miasma of aetheric static lingered below.

“The source appears to be at the base of the cistern,” Celestia said, the glow in her eyes subsiding as she slipped back into the material realm. “We can choose to descend via the stairs or go to the top and descend on wing. Doctor? Luna?”

[MyLittlePonyTales]

”I couldn't tell you.” Luna said quietly, at the mention of the Elements and the battle with Discord. The event had occurred such a long time ago... and even if Luna had been living in Equestria all this, she would have had trouble remembering the story. As it was, most of her memory was shot, though she assumed she'd recall everything in time.

Luna smiled fondly at the Doctor's next piece of History. The laughter of small children echoed in her mind as she thought of those many nights she'd spent in their company. Rather than spending the evening alone while everypony was asleep, she'd sought out friendship from those much younger than herself. It was often they who were more than happy to waste away the nighttime rather than sleeping. There had been quite a few of them... but Luna's smile faded as she realized that they were all gone now. Many she had never had the chance to say farewell to... But Luna knew that. She'd been well aware since her return that anypony she ever knew, save Celestia, was gone. She was also momentarily taken aback by the fact that she remembered... although the original action was repetitive, routine, and long practiced. Still... it was unusual for her to... remember.

But she did not give this fact away. Now was not the time.

Besides, Doctor Whooves had already gone off on another tangent, and Luna found herself wholly engrossed in his words. They were... inspiring, to say the least. It was because... he was more or less right. The pony that most everypony else saw was still the image of Nightmare Moon. It was a challenge to Luna to change her image, though she regretted it even existing in the first place. But... there were those few who believed her, who believed in her... That she was not the same pony they had heard about in dark tales... Even when she didn't believe it herself.

Her ears pinned back slightly at his barrage of words. She wasn't quite sure if he was just throwing out random suggestions, or if the many traits he listed were evident in herself. “I—“ she started, and then paused as Celestia did. She glanced at the staircase leading upwards, knowing that would not be their destination, but wishing it was. It wasn't safe down here, not for any of them... but then she recalled the guards, and her resolve returned.

It just felt wrong here... as if something was lurking, waiting for them to make a move... Luna couldn't figure out if it was just her imagination, or if there truly was something nearby, perhaps even watching them.

Luna recovered her thoughts before Celestia. It was only then that she realized she'd been entranced at all. She saw the way Celestia stood, the way her eyes looked... she seemed distant, almost as if she were somewhere else entirely. But it didn't last long.

“Whatever you think is best, Celestia.” Luna replied to her sister's question. She would have liked to get as close to the surface as possible, but she was by far not the best guide or judge. Not only that, but if they went on wing the Doctor would not be able to accompany them, or would have to ride upon one of the princess. Of course, there were also spells for wings, but there was no time for a flying lesson. Besides, Celestia was far older and wiser than she. Celestia would make better decisions than Luna could any day.

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves rubbed thoughtfully at his chin, his barrage of words already forgotten. He was fairly certain Luna would choose 'heroine,' if the histories had any truth to them. Nightmare Moon was a mere 1000 years footnote in her story - not a long time at all, and she *understood* the darkness better for it, and had come back. He had faith she would help them come back from this darkness, too.

"Well, winging it is tempting," Doctor Whooves said, and gave his shoulders little shrugs as if suggesting that he were flapping nonexistant wings, "But personally, I'm thinking of taking the stairs. Not to mention a slight nervousness of flying into the center of a hive of web-weavers like a fly coming to challenge the spider. If you wanted to give me wings when this was all over, though, I've always wanted to see the Young Flier's competition up close and personal ... but that's neither here nor there!"

He rubbed his chin again, peering thoughtfully off into nothingness.

"Or, of course, if you wanted to lead me to the stairs leading to the base, give me time to get down there, then come in from above leaking magic like no-one's business... I'm wagering every hungry bug of them are already looking straight at you ... so if you came in from above, that'd leave Her Highness Luna and myself to slip in through the stairs and try to find the queen."

[Dio]

Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath at the doctor’s words. Yes, a two-pronged approach would be logical. Either Luna or herself could approach from above to draw away any concentration of manasprites, giving the doctor enough time to locate the queen and devise countermeasures. It would be effective and quick.

Luna... when we arrive, I want you by my side. Her own words echoed in her head. Luna needed her. Celestia was not going to leave her side. She’d promised, and it was not a promise to be broken. If it took the entirety of her arcane might to contain the infestation, so be it.

“To the bottom it is,” Celestia said flatly. “I made a promise, Luna. I will be by your side for the whole of this. Into the howling dark we shall go... together.”

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Luna listened to Doctor Whooves suggested plan of attack. Though she had assumed they would all traverse the path ahead together, his idea was... logical. This was neither her nor Celestia's first battle, and a planned attack could be their best option rather than charging in and hoping for the best. Much as Luna disliked the idea of splitting up, there was no way that Celestia could deny the logistics of such a move. With a deep breath she puffed out her chest, putting on her best war face and anticipating her orders.

Celestia herself seemed to be weighing the odds and options. Good. She knew what needed to be done as well. But suddenly, her demeanor changed, and she blurted out an action contrary to what Luna expected. Her words were firm and resolute, as well as the expression on her face.

“But—but Celestia, that's crazy!” Luna stuttered. “You know as well as I do that Whooves' plan of action is the most logical. Don't be a fool for my sake!” she gave an angry snort, forcing a strong puff of air from her nose. Defeating the Manasprites wasn't just about the three of them gathered here. If even one of them got out, the infestation would be uncontrollable, and wreak havoc upon the ponies of Equestria.

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves gave a slow smile, and an approving nod at Luna's response. However, as much as he did love to hear the sound of his own voice, he also knew some times were the time to just sit back and watch, and so he did, waiting to see how this little back-and-forth between the sisters would play out.

[Dio]

Celestia was taken aback by Luna’s sudden outburst. Luna’s prior timidity had all but vanished, replaced by indignation and shock that Celestia would even suggest such a thing. She hadn’t expected Luna to be so focused on the task on hoof, so dedicated to ending the threat...

“I promised, Luna. I promised...”

Then again, it had been a millennium after all. They were still sisters, but Celestia was a fool to assume that she still knew Luna after all this time. She’d changed. Celestia had changed. Equestria had changed.

“... that I wouldn’t lose you again...”

Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head. Ruling, she could deal with. Dealing with bureaucratic nonsense, she could deal with. Even fighting, she could deal with. Politics and war and social functions were merely routine. But the thought of losing Luna again shook her to her very core, giving even the Sun Princess pause.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

”Some things are more important.” Luna said softly, turning away from Celestia's gave. It pained her to see Celestia caring so for her, even after everything she'd done. It just made this all that much harder. But there were lives at stake! More than just theirs. She was a ruler, just as much as Celestia was... and that meant being a servant to her—their subjects. This was by no means going to be easy... and perhaps they would not all come out unscathed... but in the end, even if they both perished, it was worth it if they could protect everypony else.

“If this infestation gets out, it will put everypony at risk! Lives may have already been lost! Even though they don't know it, there are a lot of ponies counting on us.” Luna gave a heavy sigh, and then turned back to Celestia. Fresh tears fell from her eyes, and her body quivered as she fought back sobs. “Just do what has to be done Celestia!” she yelled through her tears. “No matter what it costs!”

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves was torn between swelling in pride for Luna ... and a very natural fear for not only his life, but the life of all Equestria. "Beautiful, touching, heroic, loving, yes yes," he whispered hurriedly, "But also noisy and on the off-chance that they aren't actually already sneaking up on us I think we should *try* to be a bit quiet while we sneak up on them!"

He turned to Celestia then, and rested his hoof on her shoulder. "Princess... the entire kingdom knows you're amazing... but perhaps ... you need to trust in your sister, and what she can do?"