Traveling Tantalus and Tree Tits Troupe. (Private)

Sugary didn't think Eve would accept the offer, but still sighed lightly as she had her offer rejected. "Your concern for me is appreciated, but I wouldn't be making the offer if I didn't think I could handle it. Had my fair share of trials as is... But very well. I'll save it for later." She still wasn't comfortable with the tense air Eve was giving off, but there was little she could do about it for now.

Once they got to the next room, things would be different as yet more rumbling occurred, and part of the walls to their left began to crack noticeably, a haze of darkness following soon after briefly. "... Something's coming!!" said Sugary as she prepared herself for another fight. But no sooner had she spoken that putrid vines and ancient treeroots shot out from the walls towards them as they whipped all around, carrying heavy rocks and debris with them from the wall. It would be easy enough for both Sakura and Eve to tell they were definitely infused with dark magic.

"Sakura!" Eve grabbed the treemare by the jacket, pulling her away from a root quickly. "Hmm...got any ideas, Tree?" Eve asked, flexing her fingers slowly, staring around, ready to dodge anything that came near.

"One, but that means grabbing those vines. And you two pumping light magic through me." Sakura said, half a dozen vines lashing out from her forearms to keep the other roots and vines back, but she was too hesitant to be able to do much.

"Sakura, didn't I tell you that you have enough life energy inside you to do damage already? Go ape, seriously." Eve grinned, patting Sakura's shoulder, and the treemare nodded immediately, vines twisting together and lashing out together, the life energy within them powerful as a weaker light spell, but when they tried to grab hold of Sakura or her vines, they'd be burned like she was on fire. "Good, keep that up, me and Sugary will stop anything that gets too close to you, alright? No hesitation. These things are here to kill us. You. Me. And Sugary..." She trailed off with a smirk as Sakura snorted angrily at the mention of Sugary's name, the vines lashing out with eager gusto, splitting apart to thrash at anything and everything at moved, the treemare in the zone as she kept glancing around, continuing her attack relentlessly, arms moving not unlike how a maestro's would.

Eve chuckled softly and glanced back at Sugary, leaning in to whisper. "It looks like she wants to keep you safe."

Sakura would indeed fare well against the hostile vines, purifying much of them with her own attack. However, she might find herself a bit overwhelmed as more of the walls in the same room began to crack, and from each crack that was large enough, more dark vines would attack. "Look alive!" Sugary would zap and cut any that got too close from behind, but it seemed more were slowly on the way, and even those that were being fought back were not being thwarted too easily as the vines seemed to grow stronger the more dark energy was pumped to them. It was uncertain what was feeding them power, but it was certainly putting in increasing effort against the group.

"Sugary, start giving me some light magic, I'm going to empower it and pump it through Sakura." Eve said, grabbing Sakura's shoulder and reaching out for Sugary, and as soon as the unicorn touched the undead, her aura flared to life with a wave of pure malevolence, pushing the nearest dark spirits back before it flowed through with the light magic Sugary would give Eve, pumping into the Treemare. "Sakura, it's all flowing into your vines. Send them back to Tartarus, will you?" Eve smirked, watching as her own aura faded away, while the very same aura flared around each of Sakura's vines, sending dark-purging magicks into each corrupted plant on contact, the plant mare lashing out at random while Eve kept up the control of the energies around the herm's vines, making sure they did not backfire.

Sugary would, with a fair bit of hesitation, do as asked and give his power of Light to Eve. She didn't doubt she might be able to handle it, but such spells were meant to harm the likes of her, and outright giving it to her might as well be similar to just handing her poison. "I really hope you know what you're asking for!" She'd try her hardest to just give the spell as non-aggressively as possible in the hopes Eve could make proper use of it quick enough after her horn flared and the magic was given.

Indeed the rotten vines would be heavily overwhelmed this time as the entire room purified itself off of them as they seemingly burned into thin air, but not long after, another rumbling could be felt and the howl from earlier got louder. "Something is definitely not happy about this... Eve, Sakura, you holding up well?"

Eve grinned as the corrupted plantlife was purged, and patted Sakura on the back. "There we go, room's clear. And nah, Sugary, it sounds just peachy!" She chuckled and grinned a bit more, nodding to Sugary lightly. "Thanks for that energy, I think Sakura shouldn't get rid of those vines, though. Uses up some mana to grow them, doesn't it, Tree?"

"Mhm, so I should probably keep the light energy? And my vines, of course?" She asked, the vines coiling around her forearms underneath her jacket, hiding themselves away. "And that doesn't sound so fun...But yeah, Sugary, I'm fine."

"Nonsense, Sakura, I'll have plenty fun if it's like I hope it is." Eve grinned lightly, an inferno of challenge in her eyes as she adjusted some of her right arm's armor, grinning. "I'm ready for whatever comes, and I know it. Only thing I worry for is you guys...I know you two are strong, but at least I know you mortal crazies are pretty strong." She smiled at them, trying to act a bit different than when Sugary saw she had been, trying to shrug off the dark energy around. "C'mon, let's get going." She said, moving on ahead carefully, hands raised and ready.

If nothing else, Sugary liked that the mares kept up the pace as well as they did. She also had to admit that he underestimated Eve as she took his Light magic with ease for a cursed being. "Impressive..." said she in a low voice as they moved on once the room was safe enough to continue moving from, right next to Sakura while watching both her and Eve cautiously, each for different reasons. "Right behind ya, Eve. If they're getting more aggressive, we must be getting closer..."

She was honestly not sure what they might be getting closer to, but something else was on her mind regarding their opponents, and Eve herself. But the main key to their success lied on Sakura it seemed. She'd try to devise an improvised plan for later is it became needed. That thought would soon be pushed to the back of her mind as this time their foes did not wait till another room to attack them further, but rather, the walls around the pathway were starting to enclose around them as the ultraviolet light lost their shine and their glow was nearly a malevolent dark red instead. It seemed to close at its slowest around Sakura and Sugary side by side though. "We have to push through, now!!"

"Sakura, spread out those vines!" Eve barked, running ahead quickly as Sakura's vines spread out, pushing against the walls while protectively circling all three of the mares. Eve kept moving, but lagged back to keep with the other mares, growling as she stared ahead, and as soon as she eve saw the exit, she grabbed one vine, and yanked hard, throwing the Treemare with Sugary in tow as the vines had wrapped around the unicorn, but Eve was still back farther, and with the walls so close, she chose to stop, and shove her arms out, as if the mare was trying to push the walls back to their places. Sakura had another idea, and grabbed the armored mare by the waist, yanking her on top of the other two mares. "Ow...Didn't need to pull so hard, Sakura..."

((Old grudge))

Sugary was a bit sore from the experience as she now lay below both Sakura and Eve. "Ow... is right..." Unfortunately, she nor the other mares would have much time to lament their predicament, nor admire the new room they were in, as the room shook violently and the ground below them cracked and collapsed in a wide area. "AaaaAAAHHH!!"

This time, Sugary would use her magic to both cast a barrier as well as a levitation spell as the debris around them fell, and the ground came close at an all too accelerated speed before they all gently touched down instead onto the area below for quite a distance. It would soon become apparent that the fall wasn't accidental however, as the ultraviolet light focused on one large area in particular where an old large rotten tree lay, pulsing with vein-like roots on itself and within in a twisted form. For now though, the tree seemed to do nothing just yet... but none could shake off the feeling they were being watched constantly right now as Sugary struggled to get back up and clear the debris around them. "Ugh... You gals okay...?"

Eve had landed on Sakura, in a not-so-comfortable position. "E-Eve...please get your knee...o-off my crotch..." Even apologized and pulled away from Sakura, staggering to her feet and looking around as the Treemare cradled her crotch, groaning softly. "Next time, bring ice on the adventure." She said softly to Sugary, getting up slowly and looking to Eve. "You okay, at least?"

"My armor only made it worse on you, I'm fine, and, eh, sorry about that." She said weakly, staring at the corrupted tree nearby. "Sugary, you sensing what I'm sensing?" She said with a growl, drawing her dagger, the blade slowly drawing dark energy from the mare herself. "Quickly, you two, defenses up."

Sakura blinked and drew her vines outwards slowly, forming a wide circle around them, but Sakura winced lightly. "I think a rock hit my leg..." She mumbled, getting on one knee with a pained look. "If that thing's alive, I'm on defense." She said softly, rubbing a her leg lightly and wincing again.

Sugary would finally get a chance to stretch a bit, but the moment was cut short as Sakura had been wounded again, and so she kneeled by her side and began to heal her leg to allow her more freedom of movement, as well as help her recover. It was at that moment however, that the tree became warped as a face formed and contorted on the side looking at them, screaming at them. Eve would feel a tremendous amount of rage coming from it, and it was far more powerful than any of the other beings as dark ones formed out of its fell branches, its roots tore out of the ground around it and quickly spread out towards the group. From another end, more screams could be heard, clearly a sign of them being surrounded with reinforcements along the way.

Sakura smiled and had started to thankfully nuzzle Sugary, but then the tree shrieked, and Sakura's vines immediately went animate, moving and swirling lightly, ready to block almost anything that came at them. "Love, next time you offer to bring me on an adventure, the answer is no." Sakura said slowly, standing up. "Thanks for the heal. Should be able to walk normally soon enough." She said quickly, turning around to face whatever was coming behind them. "I'm on defense, you two raise hell." She grinned, raising her arms slowly.

Eve grinned. "You heard her, small fry. Ready to see how lovely a fire would make this place look?" She asked him, energy flowing around her forearms, before concentrating in her hands. "Sometimes...I used to imagine my Kinetic attacks hitting like cannons..." She aimed and fired at the Demented Tree. "What do you think?" She asked rhetorically, each blast hitting with just as much power as a thirty-two pounder, but the shots weren't charged with dark or light energy. "Damn, forgot the charges. Sugary, I'ma keep blasting. You take out the little ones, and if you can, help me, too, but I'm no good taking on groups this big..." She trailed off, charging her blasts in one arm at a time, firing away with one blast every five seconds.

"Noted, but now I need you to give it your all!" Sugary said to Sakura rather vividly as the Dark tree's roots were held back by Sakura's efforts, but only briefly, before it attacked further onwards with its might, only to be halted by Eve's blasts right to the face. It wailed in anger as the blasts tore at its face, but it would regenerate soon after as it had some of its minions take the blows for it to focus better still.

When it attempted to attack again, along with some of the summoned minions, Sugary would be the one to halt it this time as she quickly charged her magic, and fired a piercing barrage of large Light needles onto the creatures and the roots and vines to buy some time and dissolve the closest of the dark ones. "I really, really think we ought to try focusing everything we got on that big one! Whatever you're gonna do, make it happen and soon, you two!" She was being rather blunt by now, knowing full well the tree would not fall easily as its power seemingly grew further.

The sound of reinforcements were slowly getting louder, while elsewhere, another numerous wailing of creatures would be heard. Cadance had not given up just yet...

Eve nodded, lifting one arm and chugging the mana potion Sakura gave to her earlier as she pointed the other arm at the tree. An orb much like her earlier blasts beginning to grow, larger and larger as her opposite hand reached for Sugary. "Charge me." She grinned, darker energies pouring into the orb, it filling with it like smoke, slowly darkening it. "Once you're done, bring up a barrier after I fire. This will be quite...explosive." She grinned madly, the arm charging her blast shaking heavily, the mare seemingly having a hard time holding it together. "Never thought I'd use a Razer, but this is a specific magical spell with a dumb ass name. But hell if it isn't appropriate." She grinned madly, a flame of madness in her eyes.

(("Defeat the Enemy!"))

Sugary looked around them as the wails and dark energies rose every second, and then looked at Eve as she finally asked for her hand and aid. The Dark tree roared as it practically leaned forward and once again forced its way onto the group by spewing a cloud of darkness from its body, increasing the number of minions further still while the vines and roots pulled back and attempted to whip the group hard. "Fine, hit 'em extra hard for me!" Sugary's eyes and horn flashed brighter as she gave her arm to Eve, and transfused a good amount of her Mana upon her without hesitation, a wave of energy running down her arm and upwards of Eve's. "Gah...! Do it now!!" She yelled somewhat exhaustedly, ready to raise a full barrier before things took a turn for the worse...

Eve laughed a psychotic laugh as the energy flowed through her, flowing into the massive orb and making it change to a blinding white. Eve released it then, and it shot forward like a arrow from a longbow, going straight at the tree with a swirling vortex-like vapor trail around it. If it hit, the energy would hit the tree like a punch from a full-grown dragon, before the energy itself would disperse and burn away anything dark, ripping it to shreds then burning it to ashes, spreading outwards far and wide across the area around the tree, but stopping just short of Eve herself. "Hehehehe..." He laughed half-heartedly, then fell to her knees and to the side, breathing heavily.

Sugary felt her heart skip a beat as Eve really went all out with her own attack, wasting no time after the shot to raise the barrier immediately as best as she could upon request to prevent the explosion from getting them in any way. "Ah-! E-Eve!!" She tried to call out to the weakened mare, but she couldn't spare time to aid her directly.

Meanwhile, the tree was truly forced back along with much of its summoned minions, and it too was severely weakened in return as it wailed for survival. But it endured the blow much as it had survived for so long in such a place, the fell will of its kin keeping its existence strong as it slowly regenerated again, the ultraviolet walls shining intimidatingly strong now all over.

Sugary could barely believe the extent at which the evil energy went through in order to remain, but between two of them much damage was done... that still left Sakura to possibly deal a decisive blow. "Sakura, Eve is down and we're still surrounded! What's your plan!?" She was also tired, but not out for the count yet. If Sakura was somehow unable to finish what they started, she'd try for one more push of her own against the dark forces.

Sugary would hear laughter at first. Sakura's laughter, but when the unicorn looked, she'd see Sakura's entire outfit smoldering like it had lit on fire and barely burned down. But if she looked closer, she'd see Sakura's right forearm's bark was now stark white, same with her hand. And it was steaming. A lot. She let out another laugh and aimed her white hand at the dark creatures before her, a bolt of raw nature energy blasting outwards rapidly, and it would hit like a train and explode just as powerfully as Eve's earlier blast had. Sakura's ear twitched and she turned around, smirking. "Need some help, there, love~?" She asked, aiming at the tree and firing another blast, her arm getting jerked backwards with recoil from the force of it. She fired again, and again, and again. Sakura's mana was barely being spent with each blast, as Sugary would most likely be able to sense, but she'd also sense what was special about her new bark. It was channeling and enhancing the magic put through it. Effectively turning pea shooter blasts into cannonfire. But Sakura wasn't paying attention, and with each shot, her arm would steam worse and worse, like she was overheating it. The mare then, when it seemed like her arm would catch fire, let out a wave of nature energy from the arm, to shove back the dark entities around, and it did catch fire, Sakura shrieking in fear and pain as she put it out rapidly, smothering it with her jacket.

Sugary was rightly impressed by the sheer raw Mana that Sakura could muster, but her worries came true as the Ent pushed too far and injured herself, currently leaving Sugary both deeply concerned and in a desperate situation. To help with the fire, Sugary took off and tossed her own cape on top of Sakura's clothing to help while keeping the shield up. "No!! Sakura, please stay still! Let me handle this!" More than anything, she had to make sure her lover was well before doing anything else right away.

The situation was both critical, and yet the damage between Eve and Sakura all around meant that their enemies were severely weakened and distracted in getting back together. From another location, more howls occurred, though there was seemingly no pulse this time. The Dark ones were at a disadvantage, but the trio within still needed to pull through.

Eve slowly shifted and moved onto her knees, clasping forearms with Sakura's white forearm. "Sugary..." Eve panted, glaring at the tree. "Water magic around our arms...Sakura...Give me...everything..." She panted, and as Sakura grinned, nodded, and started pumping magic into Eve, the dullahan's lead grey eyes were slowly fading into a very light, icy blue color. And that was something Sugary would definitely recognize, as the same had happened when she had activated the Living Magic Seal a few days ago. Eve slowly stood up, face calm and serene, her breathing coming under control as Sakura kept feeding her energy. "I name you all enemies of the living, foes of light, and I hereby stand with two of your enemies, Sugary Market, and Sakura. They will bear witness to the punishment for your crimes against them and their kind, the living. I sentence you all...to oblivion." As she said that final word, as it left her mouth, every last bit of energy that Sakura had given Eve was released in a massive wave of raw light magic, but it only seemed raw at first, the magic itself was burning away the very souls of the dark creatures around Sugary, Sakura, and Eve, and when it got the the tree, white flames would spread across it, tearing it into nothingness and spreading deep through the ground to rip away and disintegrate even it's deeper roots. Eve's eyes returned to normal only after every last creature would have been destroyed, and this time she fell unconscious, slumping into Sakura, who caught her with a yelp and a groan.

Sugary was committed to giving her all once she was ready, and since the situation was critical, she was ready on the spot to the point she hesitated none to not only hold Sakura and Eve while keeping their bodies cool with water. She also didn't hesitate to further give some if her energy to them to further aid in their success.

Once Eve launched her spell, all Dark ones that were in the area were finally well and truly banished all around them as their final angry wails were lost to the echoes in the caves, while yet another pulse from the castle made short work of the remaining ones elsewhere for good as well. The purging energies all around, Sugary having given more magic to further empower Eve, protect the mares from backlash after Eve cast her spell with another barrier, she too was soon forced to kneel down tiredly, keeping the barrier and water going with the bare minimum after all that effort. She might need some help getting back up as well eventually, but she still had something else to say. "... We... did it... We really did it...!"

Sakura laughed weakly. "Yeah, we did...And hon...when we...get back...I'ma need to...destress a bit...you up...for getting on...your knees...for me...?" She panted out heavily, barely holding Eve up before the unconscious undead was transferred into the grip of the treemare's vines, but she was smiling brightly as ever, and held Eve up gently as she staggered over to Sugary, kissing her lightly and helping her up. "Let's...get out of here..." She mumbled, nuzzling Sugary, putting an arm around her, and then walking with her to the closest exit tiredly, Eve being carried along behind them carefully by Sakura's vines.

Sugary's claim of victory was not unfounded, as the caverns no longer emitted the ultraviolet light, but instead a darker, if less ominous, blue light that didn't pulse at all. It was likely meant to be the natural state of the inside. Where the vile tree once stood, there was little else but purified ashes in a big gaping hole, signaling that the damage went quite deep.

Sugary would get up and follow along with Sakura, nuzzling her back and chuckling lightly. "... We can talk about special favors later... Let's just make it back in one piece..." She was holding up well enough, but her body was burning up from lending and using a lot of magic to prevent trouble and support. It was more of a daunting task than it seemed with all the conflicting and lingering energies...

Fortunately for Sakura and the others, they would not have to walk too far once they left the caverns as a couple medic carriages pulled by pegasi arrived with gurneys for all of them specially made for the snowy terrain. From among them, a mare spoke as the others got the gurneys out. "Ah! You all made it! The Prince sent us on behalf of the Princess. Please, let us tend to you from here on out. You'll all be taken to the castle infirmary from here."

"Ah... Please do... Just walking is a chore..." Sugary was willing to accept the aid, but she was worried over Eve's condition still as she doubted much could be done for her with conventional medicine. "How about it, Sakura?"

Sakura blinked softly as she saw the medics arrive, grinning softly as she heard the one speak up. "Yeah, Sugary...sounds a lot better than walking...And this tending she spoke of sounds very...soothing." She mumbled, grinning at Sugary and handing Eve over to a few of them, and making sure they knew how to remove her armor, before kissing Sugary and smiling weakly at another medic, going with her as she, Sugary, and Eve were finally done with their adventure.

(("That you are near."))

Indeed, the trio would earn their much needed rest as they were carried off to be tended to, even if some were reluctant about it given that one was an unrelenting flirt, and another kept scaring the interns with her state of undeath, essentially throwing their very methods right back at them.

As it were, Shining and Cadance would be there to greet them in the infirmary some time later, but Cadance hah been admitted for really wearing herself out to the point she was in a controlled coma. Shining told them they had done a marvelous job, and would be rewarded appropriately once everything settled down, and Cadance regained her health back over time.

Time would pass calmly in the infirmary for them all, until one evening they had all been dispatched once they were all well enough to get moving again, while Cadence was moved to her own room as she became more stable. The group would find their way back to the Black Mambo as the sun began to set, and Sugary opened the entrance for them all with a smile. "... Home sweet home... And you two feel alright after that walk, don't you?"