Eternal Darkness

by Rezz

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 19629

Nightmare Moon after being banished from Equestria returns, planning to make night eternal and destroy her sister with her dark magic. The only thing stopping her being the elements of harmony.

A thousand years ago Nightmare Moon was banished from Equestria to the Badlands; a unforgiving place where Changelings terrorize ponies and where crime roams without law. Today she seeks her revenge on her sister Celestia only there is one problem. When Nightmare Moon was banished the Elements of Harmony cast a protective barrier to prevent Nightmare Moon's return. This barrier however is invisible to the eyes of ponies and because of this many ponies believe Nightmare Moon is nothing but a legend, a tale used to scare little fillies and colts but sadly this legend is far from fake.

Nightmare Moon plans to return to Equestria and with it she will bring Eternal Night and nightmares to all of her treasonous subjects who turned their back on her night that millennium ago and blindly followed the path of the sun. She will have her eternal night, no matter who she must go through and who she must destroy.

(Note: This is a Alternate Universe story and will have a lot of modifications to some characters. Later within this story will be blood and horror elements since this story will involve dark magic and cases of violence).

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-23 07:09:04 UTC

Prologue.

The two sisters kept eye contact as they attempted to catch their breath; ones gaze was full of hatred, the others full of disappointment and anger. “Sister I beg of you to stop this fighting.” Celestia stated before her sister laughed.

“Why? So that I can be your tool again? So that you can get all the worship while I get all the fear and hate? I’d rather die!” Nightmare Moon replied, baring her magically sharpened teeth in an angry growl.

“I have never used you sister I...”

“Save it!” snarled Nightmare Moon before flying up into the air, both her eyes and horn illuminated a blinding white as the clouds outside the castle began to circle around with hurricane force. “Feel the chill of darkness!” Nightmare Moon yelled, her Canterlot voice causing the remaining windows left to shatter into a million fragments. Blotches of shadows fell from the whirling clouds, crashing onto the floor and quickly beginning to take forms, causing Celestia to stare with horror as they took the forms of ponies.

The ponies resembled Alicorn's though their faces were featureless, the only detail visible being their blood red eyes and their tentacles which sprouted from their backs.

“Give yourself to the darkness.” The conjured creatures chanted calmly as they slowly approached the princess of the day, their eyes empty of anything but darkness.

“Do you fear me now sister? Do you think I am a simple foal? Hahahaha!” Nightmare Moon laughed hysterically as thunder began to strike the castle, pieces of stone and its wooden supports exploding in multiple places.

Celestia backed away from the conjured shadow ponies, their chanting ceased and replaced with a hellish giggle. She knew she had only one hope of defeating her sister now, she needed to find the Elements of Harmony. Thinking quickly Celestia turned and began to gallop away, her sisters laugh echoing through the hallways after her. Celestia turned the first corner to her right only to find more of the shadow ponies approaching towards her, their hellish giggle louder than ever. Celestia gained a firm expression before illuminating her horn and firing a powerful magical blast at the shadow ponies. Her ray reverted them back to splashes of shadow on the ground, bringing a grin to Celestia’s features which was quickly wiped away at the sight of them reforming. The shadow ponies doubled, instead of three approaching the day princess now were six, their features being dark grins once more.

Celestia backed away once more before turning around to go another way, only to come face to face with one of the shadow ponies. Its face split in half where a normal ponies mouth would be before opening a horrific amount six times the normal limit of a ponies jaw, its teeth bloody and its throat non existent; in its place was another mouth with even larger teeth.

The shadow pony dove forward, releasing a scream so loud Celestia felt as though her eardrums would rupture from the sheer volume. Its body collided with hers, knocking her onto her side before charging forward, its companions following closely behind with their razor teeth ready to rip into her flesh.

Celestia channeled her magic to her horn immediately, quickly followed by sending a blindingly bright ray of light directly into the shadow ponies second mouth, the ray of light shredding its way through its form and through another, thus causing the two to fade out of existence. Before the others were upon her she was already to her hooves, her wings spread while she galloped as fast as she could, the shadow ponies no longer walking, but running on both the floor and the walls, their wings no longer wings but large razor blades made out of the same shadows of their very being.

Faster and faster Celestia ran but the shadow ponies kept gaining ground on her, their screams getting louder and louder. They were screaming her name now, taunting her in sadistic sentiments.

“You can’t hide from the darkness Princess! Hahaahaha!” one screamed in a high pitched hellish voice, its eyes splitting into another pair to give it a similar appearance of a spider.

An explosion erupted from the wall in front of Celestia, sending shards of glass and timber into her form, causing her to collapse and slide across the stone floor, a blood trail following directly behind her.

She rose once more and galloped, much slower now however for the explosion had injured her worse than she had been before. She turned left only to have something leap on top of her, immediately followed by a sharp pain stabbing into the back of her neck.

“Die! Die die die ahahaha!” a shadow pony screamed, its tentacles on its back beginning to slash at her flank and legs like razors, ripping flesh from her body while it proceeded to bite at her neck, hoping to reach her brain stem or one of her arteries.

Celestia immediately charged her horn, followed by releasing a flaming pulse of light throwing the shadow pony off her.

Celestia forced her way through a door, collapsing before the pedestal possessing the elements of harmony, a puddle of blood pooling around her from her injuries. Tears rolled from her eyes, not from her wounds but from her inner pain. Her sister was no longer her sister, what once was her sister was now a horrible monster of the darkness. Consumed by corruption, jealousy and hatred.

“Here I come Princess!” a shadow pony screamed sadistically as it charged towards her fallen form, its tentacles ready to finish her off as they morphed into blades.

Celestia gazed to the elements of harmony before whispering “Help me”

The shadow pony dove through the air but a second before it could claim its kill it froze in mid air. Confusion washed over the demonic creature before it began to feel pain, a horrible scorching pain only comparable to the flames of Tartarus. Its form immediately became alight with white flames, flames of purity. It faded out of reality immediately before a shield, white and transparent expanded through the castle.

Nightmare Moon paused as she sensed all of her minions die before her eyes widened with fear. The wall came for her, and it came faster than she could see. The wall did not stop with Nightmare Moon however and continued to expand past Canterlot, Ponyville and all other cities, finally stopping at the borders of Equestria, purifying the land of evil before disappearing.

Followed by the barrier was nothing but silence. The sun was now in the sky and the only indication of the previous events being the damage to Canterlot Castle. Celestia kept her gaze on the elements, a small smile forming on her face. “T-thank you.” she thanked before falling unconscious from her injuries and exhaustion.

….. and with the elements Princess Celestia forever banished Nightmare Moon, the princess of the night, preventing her from ever returning and bringing upon eternal night.

Nightmare moon stared at the last sentence of the book before it ignited in black flames. “Are you OK mother?” Nightmare Moon’s filly age adopted daughter asked, not receiving an answer at first.

“I am fine Chrysalis, now please, go to sleep, Its noon and you must get your rest” Nightmare Moon responded, rising to her hooves and exiting the cave her changeling daughter and her had inhabited. “Besides, tonight your training intensifies.”

“Forever night mother” the young changeling said happily before resting her head on her pillow and closing her eyes.

“Forever night my young princess” Nightmare Moon responded before turning her gaze back outside to the hot desert of the badlands, her features emotionless.

I will have my revenge.

Chapter 1: Ponyville Part 1: The Fortress.

That recipe for Elxion Chlorik is the most complex thing I have ever read. Ashes, blessed water, alicorn hair, molten glass, ground diamond and something called Flare rose. How in Equestria will I possibly get all of that? I don’t understand how the pony who wrote that three centuries ago even thought of that!

Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a pony clearing his throat to get her attention. She turned her head to find a royal guard, dressed in gold armor that bore the Canterlot seal upon it. His coat was white while his eyes were green, the horn protruding from his head showed that he was a unicorn. “Lady Twilight Sparkle, the princess is ready to speak with you.” he announced, annoyance in his voice which meant he had been standing there longer than she had known. She blushed slightly with embarrassment before nodding for her reply; she then rose to her hooves and proceeded towards the twin doors, pushing them open with her right hoof before proceeding inside.

Twilight had spent all her life learning magic, it being her passion and her talent while she grew up. When she was just a filly she had been given the privilege of joining Princess Celestia’s advanced school for gifted Unicorns where she soon reached the top of her class. Celestia was impressed by the talent and potential she possessed and one day took her on as her very own student; because Twilight grew up in the lower class section of Canterlot she had been shocked by how her lifestyle had changed so quickly. Originally her parents had to work two jobs in order to pay for both her education and her brothers but once Celestia took Twilight under her wing everything since then had been provided for her family. Twilight was taught by members of the upper class on how to be polite and how to be a lady. She did not care much for the lessons but they were useful when she socialized with ponies of high class.

As she neared adulthood she was approached by Celestia and asked what she wished to do with her life. Twilight replied that she wished to serve the princess till the day she died which is when Celestia offered Twilight the option of becoming a royal advisor, a position only available to those with a high intelligence but could still only be reached by being chosen by Celestia herself. Twilight had accepted and since that day she had dedicated her time to her studies, learning as much knowledge as possible.

Her coat was a pale light mulberry while her mane was a moderate sapphire blue with moderate violet and brilliant rose streaks. Her eyes were moderate violet while her cutie mark was of a large pink star with much smaller white stars around it.

Her hooves echoed through the throne room, breaking the silence each time they connected with the white stone floor as she trotted down its length. She felt a claw of nervousness grip her heart but upon seeing her mentor her nervousness evaporated. Excitement flooded through Twilight’s being as she trotted towards the throne slightly faster, eager to speak with her idol. Twilight did not simply see Princess Celestia as a monarch or a teacher, she idolized the princess and attended all celebrations with her mentor, enjoying the princess’ company over any ponies in Equestria.

Celestia smiled as her most talented student approached her throne. Wishing that the important matters that she wished to discuss with Twilight were kept private she leaned to her left to tell the guard to vacate the room with his fellow soldiers and await to return outside. The guard gave a small nod, knowing that a verbal response was unnecessary. He trotted down the throne room, passing Twilight and leading the other seven guards out of the room, the twin doors closing behind them and leaving both Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia alone.

“Twilight Sparkle my most faithful student it is nice to see you this fine day.” Celestia greeted as Twilight gave a respectful bow in front of Celestia’s hooves, rising once more afterwards, a large smile on her face that emitted joy for all to see.... though in this case it was only the two of them.

“Thank you princess it is a pleasure to see you as well! I understand that you have something you wish to talk with me about?” Twilight mentioned, her grin still plastered on her face. Celestia was much larger than Twilight; she was an Alicorn, a pony that possessed both a horn and a pair of wings. Pegacorns possessed these as well however they did not possess immortality and were similar in size to ponies while an Alicorn was about three times taller. Alicorns also possessed incomprehensible amounts of power, an example of this being the ability to raise both the sun and the moon daily.

Celestia had a clean white coat and a mane of different light shades of green, pink and violet. Her mane unlike any other pony that Twilight knew of sparkled with what appeared to be stars and naturally ignored gravity, appearing to flow in a light breeze constantly. Her eyes were a pale light greyish magenta that both held kindness within them and authority. Worn on her hooves were pink shoes made from an unknown metal that was a mystery to everypony and a secret to her; her cutie mark being a blazing sun. Her posture was perfect and her beauty was unmatched within the borders of Equestria.

“Yes I do; as you know, I am attending the celebration of harmony in Ponyville in two days. However there is a more pressing matter than a celebration centered around peace.”

The Celebration of Harmony was a yearly celebration in Equestria where the sun rose and did not fall on the horizon for a full twenty four hours. The sun stayed on the very edge of the horizon, making the twenty four hours a constant sunset that blanketed the land in beauty and peace. Following half a year later was the celebration called Nightmare Night where the night lasted for a full twenty four hours. Twilight enjoyed the Celebration of Harmony and Nightmare Night but prefered the Celebration of Harmony due to what it meant.

The Celebration of Harmony was a day to be thankful for everything you had, a day where all worries were gone and you could be happy that you lived in such a lovely place where hunger and war did not concern you in your day to day life. Nightmare Night was a night where ponies dressed up as different creatures of darkness such as Changelings, Timberwolves, Ursas, Zombies and even in some cases, Nightmare Moon herself. Only one statue was in existence of Nightmare Moon, its location hidden within the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was believed that if a young filly or colt did not present the statue with candy Nightmare Moon would gobble you up instead, forever trapping your soul in a realm of nightmares. Twilight knew her mentor hated the celebration from a comment one year that she had made, insulting it by calling it a complete mockery to Equestria’s history. In recent years she had even began to consider cancelling it.

“There is a fortress hidden within the Everfree Forest. This fortress is guarded by a special division of the guard tasked with defending Equestria’s most powerful weapons and to prevent Discord, one of Equestria’s most powerful enemies from returning. Discord as you know ruled Equestria in a state of pure chaos, causing everypony in Equestria to live miserably and in constant fear. I one day discovered the Elements of Harmony and rose up to defeat him, imprisoning him in stone forever. The Elements of Harmony and Discord now would counter each other, making both useless in the case of him returning which is why we cannot allow this. If Equestria were to have a horrible chaotic event Discord could overpower the elements temporarily, allowing him to escape his imprisonment but the moment he did so the Elements and him would become useless, allowing other evils to enter Equestria; those who wish harm upon the ponies and who seek power by controlling all those under my rule.

I request that you go to the Ponyville Fortress to both make sure that the Elements of Harmony are still there and that Discord’s imprisonment is still solid. I also request that while you are there awaiting my arrival that you meet with each individual who is in charge of contributing something to the celebration. Here is a scroll that contains both your instructions and a seal that will give you access to the fortress, without it the guards would place you under arrest so do not misplace it under any circumstances. Half of the ponies on the list have already been confirmed to be ready and are marked by a line through their name. So Twilight Sparkle, do you accept this request?” Celestia wondered after her explanation. Twilight’s face brightened with excitement.

“Of course!” Twilight exclaimed happily, her ears perking up at the idea of helping her mentor. Celestia smiled before rising to her hooves and walking with Twilight back down the length of the throne room.

“I am glad Twilight. I would go there myself to check the Elements and Discord’s imprisonment but I cannot at this time.”

“I understand princess.” Twilight responded as the two reached the twin doors once more though before Twilight departed Celestia gave her the scroll.

“You’d better get your things packed then. Consider your previous duties for the next three days cancelled.”

“So wait where are we going?” Spike asked as Twilight packed her things into a saddlebag.

Twilight turned her attention away from her books to her baby green and purple dragon friend who was tapping his clawed foot while he awaited an answer. “Ponyville, its the closest town to Canterlot, we will be taking a chariot to a fortress though to attend to the more important task that the princess gave us.”

“Hello Twilight.” A kind soft voice that Twilight would recognize anywhere spoke. Twilight turned around quickly before her jaw dropped for a moment but then turned to a look of pure excitement.

“Cadence!” Twilight shouted with excitement, galloping across the room quickly to hug her childhood foalsitter, now though one of her closest friends. Cadence or Princess Cadence Mi amore Cadenza was a pegacorn who was the descendant of a king who ruled what was now known as Manehatten. Through her family tree there had been many Unicorns and Pegasi, causing the most recent generations in her family to be Pegacorns. Cadence possessed a bright pink coat with a light violet and pink mane. Her cutiemark was of a heart made of crystal while her eyes were pink; atop her head she wore a gold tiara that bared one amethyst atop it.

“I heard you and Spike are going to Ponyville to make preparations for the arrival of Celestia and the other ponies from Canterlot. Also I hear you are going to inspect the Elements of Harmony; out of curiosity do you know anything about them?” questioned Cadence as she sat herself down.

“Yes I’ve read a lot about them. They protect Equestria from darkness and are in a way our last defense against powerful foes.” Twilight responded, a small smile forming on Cadence’s face before she shook her head softly.

“No, sadly that is not one hundred percent accurate. In many books they hide the truth to not create fear among the population. Evil can enter Equestria, the only evil they prevent constantly is the one who challenged their power. I am telling you this so you don’t drop your guard out there, many ponies will view you as a target.” Cadence warned which brought a confused look upon Twilight’s features.

“Target? What do you mean?”

“Someponies wish for Discord to return or the evil that the Elements keep away. They are cults that wish the death of the royals, specifically Celestia and if you were harmed it would hurt Celestia. I am just asking you to keep your eye out alright?” Cadence explained, receiving a nod from Twilight.

“Got it.” Twilight responded confidently before the two gave each other another friendly hug.

“I’ll see you in Ponyville Twilight.” Cadence stated as she departed, waving her hoof before she closed the door, receiving a wave back from Spike.

“So who exactly are we meeting with when we get to Ponyville?” Spike wondered before Twilight handed him the scroll for him to read it himself.

“My most faithful student. You are to meet with the following ponies and confirm that they will be ready within two days. Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody are in charge of both the modern music and the classical music. The next two ponies are named Applejack and Pinkie Pie, the two making the treats for the celebration. Pinkie pie is also in charge of decorations while a pony by the name of Rarity is in charge of the fashion. Additional entertainment by animals trained to do certain activities is being handled by a pony named Fluttershy.” Spike read out loud for Twilight to hear which caused her to roll her eyes in annoyance. I already know what it says Spike, I just read it ten minutes ago. She thought with annoyance as she continued to pack their things.

“Why are most of these other names and the instructions following them scratched out?” Spike wondered, pointing at the various lines on the scroll caused by a quill striking through sentences.

“Those are the ponies we don’t have to meet with.” Twilight responded before closing her saddlebag once more.

“Hey Twi, I’m hungry.” Spike announced, looking down at his scaled belly which Twilight heard growl.

Celestia help me...

“Nice and sunny.” Captain Brave Heart commented happily at the sight of the almost clear sky. As he turned his head he noticed a chariot approaching in the distance; colored gold and being pulled by two Pegasi he knew it was from Canterlot. By the size of the chariot he knew it wasn’t Princess Celestia which made him wonder who it could be.

“Chariot approaches!” he bellowed to his soldiers, gaining their attention away from what they were doing to pass the time. Almost immediately the soldiers restrapped their helmets on and galloped to their posts, ready to follow more orders; spears in hoof and shoe blades ready in case of combat. Unlike the armor of the Canterlot guard, the Ponyville guard and all garrisons near it wore black armor with the Equestrian seal in gold. This particular division however was special in that it was tasked with guarding the Elements of Harmony. Due to the weather and dangers of the Everfree forest every guard within the fortress wore full suits of armor covering every inch of their bodies except their faces, underbellies and wings. Beneath their armor they wore black gold trimmed tunics to protect them from the Everfree Forest’s weather and to keep them warm during the cold nights. On the right armored shoe that they wore, on the right side were compact blades designed for combat; normally not visible unless the guard hit the side of their hoof against something hard, which would cause the blade to snap out and lock into place, only being returned to its hidden position by a hidden trick that would unlock the blade and allow the guard to put it back.

They all stood to attention and awaited orders from their commander who watched the chariot as it touched the ground. He grabbed his helmet, it bearing much more decoration to present his rank. “Front row with me!” he commanded as he descended from the walls, reaching the ground and proceeding towards the door. The first six pegasi guards followed directly behind him, the fortress’ thick wooden doors opening ahead of them, followed by them exiting the fortress and proceeding towards the chariot only a few hundred hooves from their current location.

“This is a restricted area! On whose orders are you here?” a deep voice demanded, gaining Twilight’s attention from tieing her saddlebag on herself. In front of her were seven guards, the one who spoke being the commander. He possessed battle scars across his muzzle, his coat brown and his mane black while his eyes were blue.

“I am here by orders of Princess Celestia; she has requested for me to examine both the Elements of Harmony and the statue of Discord. I present you with this document as proof.” Twilight responded confidently, her magic moving the scroll over to the captain who snatched it with his left hoof. He began to read the document, leaving only the sounds of the forest between them. After a moment he gave a small nod.

“Welcome to the fortress Lady Sparkle. We apologize for our rather rude introduction.” The captain apologized, allowing Twilight to take the scroll once more with her magic. “Shall I give you a tour?” he offered, receiving a small nod from Twilight before he noticed Spike. “Is that dragon with you?” he questioned, eyeing Spike suspiciously.

“Yes, he is my friend.” Twilight responded, crossing her hoof across herself before lowering it back to the ground.

“He must stay, only one civilian under the princess’ orders may enter, its protocol.” The captain explained before Spike went to protest; Twilight’s hoof prevented him however as she gave him a glare that told him to shut up.

“That is fine.” Twilight agreed before following the captain back up the small hill to the fortress. The air was much fresher here than Canterlot, each breath seeming to cleanse Twilight while the cool breeze from an unknown origin made her even more relaxed, her previous annoyance and problems disappearing as she followed the captain. The fortress’ walls were a smokey grey color, years of erosion giving each stone an uneven appearance yet the wall from what Twilight could see was as solid as a rock. As they entered the fortress the wooden platforms that the guards stood on became visible and the main building where she guessed was where the elements were laid in front of her. It was one floor and was longer than it was wide. Thirty guards stood attention, all of their left hooves across their foreheads in a respectful salute.

A few guards followed her with their eyes while others stood stone faced, initially telling Twilight which ones were more experienced than others. The two of them neared the main door that entered the building, the captain opened it, allowing Twilight to enter first before he followed, closing the door behind them before proceeding to lead the way for the two.

“Princess Celestia created this branch of the Ponyville guard to specifically protect the Elements of Harmony. Only the best guards in Equestria are placed here with most never leaving these positions. I have been here for thirty years, guarding this fortress with my life and passing upon my judgement on those who attempt to get in.” Captain Brave Heart explained as the two trotted down the corridor; the corridors being dimly lit by torches along the walls. A sweet smell filled the air, reminding Twilight of yeast bread. “The Elements of Harmony are located within my quarters, secured in a safe whose combination has only been known by the captains of this garrison. Discord’s statue is located on this floor within a locked room that only I possess the key to. The door is made from solid steel so unless a pony could melt their way through its impassible. Are there any questions Ms Sparkle?” The captain asked, turning his head to give a look of curiosity.

“Yes, how many soldiers do you have within your ranks?”

“As of right now: thirty seven.”

“How many are Pegasi and how many are Unicorns?” she questioned.

“Seven unicorns, thirty Pegasi. The Unicorns are brought here in order to provide extra firepower against creatures or ponies who decide to attack.”

“Ponies have attacked?” Twilight wondered, her voice rising slightly without her notice at the thought of ponies committing such treason.

“Yes, many times in fact. There are cult groups dedicated to seeing Discord’s return. I pity their ignorance and their fate once we arrest them. Princess Celestia has given us full permission to execute those who attack, you being Celestia’s student you know how rarely Celestia will give that option.” He stated, receiving a nod from Twilight.

The two came to a much larger room. The room possessed a bookshelf, a few tables with chairs, a doorway leading down a pair of stairs to a lower floor and finally in the corner of the room was the iron door that possessed Discord behind it.

“This is where you live?” Twilight questioned, doubting that guards with this level of skill would only have this for entertainment.

“Yes, it is not much but we usually will make the best of it. Usually somepony will tell a story or we will have a card tournament, it all depends on who is on that night shift that night and how eventful the day is.” He responded before leading Twilight across the room to the steel door.

He pulled a small key from underneath his front armor plate before slipping it into place with his teeth, finally turning it with his hoof, bringing with it a *click*, signalling the door being unlocked.

The captain pushed the door open, revealing to Twilight the chaos that once was Discord. Twilight at first stared with surprise at the sight but as she continued to look at it she felt confused, her ears dropping a little atop her head. “He is the one who did all that chaos to Equestria all those years ago? His body doesn’t even make sense!” Twilight examined at the multiple pieced creature, its base species unknown to her.

“That’s the point, he is so chaotic that he himself is chaos in flesh.”

Twilight examined it all over once more till finally remembering what her original purpose for being here was. She began to examine the actual stone itself, seeing if she could find a crack or two which would show signs of weakness. All around the statue it was solid, a chip not even in sight which surprised Twilight but she knew it was a good thing. “We all done?” The captain wondered before Twilight gave a nod, followed by the captain closing the door and locking it, the key being nestled safely within his armor once more.

“Now are we off to see the Elements?”

“Yes.” The captain responded, giving a slight nod with his answer before he began to lead her back the way they came, stopping halfway to take a left and take her down the staircase. As the two proceeded deeper into the fortress they came across a bunk area. Forty bunks filled the long room, the floor being carpeted unlike the rest of the fortress; each bunk possessing personal items of each guard including family pictures, books, clothing, uniforms and anything else you could think of from what Twilight saw. At the end of the room was one final door, it being made of wood and possessing a simple iron lock on it.

“This is my office and quarters, secretly it is also where we keep the Elements of Harmony.” Captain Brave Heart explained, opening the door to reveal a small desk, a bed similar to the ones behind them, a bookshelf and a few belongings. It wasn’t what Twilight had expected which explained the confused look on her face. In Canterlot an officer was given a much larger bed and a desk that could sit three ponies. Usually the officers quarters would possess both a lounge area and a sleeping area along with a fireplace, but this room possessed none of these features, it resembled more a common ponies room after moving into a new house.

“The personal room is enough for me, I do a lot of my planning in here and write all my documents on that desk. Though it isn’t much I do enjoy it.”

“But you’re guarding the most important artifacts within Equestria, why is everything so....barren here?” Twilight questioned, receiving a small chuckle from the captain.

“I’m guessing your friends in the guard of Canterlot never told you about the different conditions depending on where you are stationed correct?” he wondered, receiving a shake of the head from Twilight. “Your living conditions are not determined by who you are, it all matters on where you are stationed. In the Ponyville guard we do not have that much spending money, so what we do use it on is repairs when we get it. In Canterlot every guard is babysat by the nobles and have everything paid for you, heck I wouldn’t be surprised if the armor they wear is made of real gold for fuck sakes.... excuse my language Lady Sparkle.” he apologized for his vulgarity.

“Its fine.”

With that the captain lead Twilight to the desk which he proceeded to tip over. Beneath the desk’s resting spot was a small square of carpet a darker shade. The captain proceeded to push the square of carpet away with his hoof, revealing a small safe a few inches below the floors level.

The captain began to enter the code while Twilight continued to examine the room, the bookcase catching her interest but quickly losing it as she realized that she had already read all the volumes present on it. It amazed her overall that this is how the Royal guard worked, sometimes requiring its soldiers to put in half their salary in order to fix their living conditions sounded horrible to her. If they enjoyed their job she was glad to hear it but she still didn’t like that idea.

*Click*

Twilight turned her attention to the captain to find him pulling a small chest out of the safe. Deciding to lend a hoof, she took the chest with her magic; setting it down on the ground gently. He opened the lid for her revealing the most anticlimactic objects ever; the Elements of Harmony were nothing but rocks.

“You’re kidding me.... right?”

The captain began laughing, not a fake laugh but one of genuine humor. “Nope, these here are the six Elements of Harmony.” he responded with no sign of a lie within his voice.

Twilight faced the Elements of Harmony once more, a puzzled expression forming on her face. How could rocks defeat such powerful foes? Her thoughts were interrupted by the Captain closing the chest once more. He then proceeded to pick it up, and place it within the safe which he closed and turned the dial, another *click* sounded, indicating the lock was secured.

As Twilight left the living quarters and once more found herself outside she found the soldiers now standing guard along the walls or flying patrols in the air above. “Lady Sparkle, before you go I am assigning a soldier to guard you while you are visiting Ponyville.” the captain stated, earning a curious expression from Twilight.

“Why?” she asked with interest.

“Since you are a student of the princess some ponies.... some insane ponies mind you might wish to cause harm upon you. Therefore I will be assigning Rainbow Dash to your side; tell her what you need for the princess and she will take you to all the different stores within Ponyville.” he explained before looking around.

“Private Rainbow Dash!” he shouted into the sky before in a black and blue blur a pegasus appeared. She was a mare around Twilight’s age with a very light cerulean coat. Her eyes were a moderate cerise while her mane was not one color but all the colors of the rainbow. She didn’t have any style in her mane or tail which was unusual for Twilight, considering every mare in Canterlot had their manes styled. “You are to escort Twilight Sparkle around Ponyville and defend her with your life, understood?” The captain questioned, receiving a salute from Rainbow Dash.

“Yes captain!” the mare responded before the Captain gave a nod, followed by turning and trotting away to attend to his other duties.

Twilight looked away from the departing captain to the pegasus who was now her bodyguard to find her with a smile. “I’m Rainbow Dash, call me Dash or Dashie, its how everyone refers to me.” Rainbow Dash said, extending an armored hoof which Twilight shook.

“Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you Rainbow Dash. We need to make sure that the orders will be ready for the Celebration of Peace, I hope you know where all the places are.” Twilight hoped which brought a nod from Dash.

“Yep, I know where they are probably, I’ve been to every store in Ponyville since moving here from Cloudsdale.” Dash said as the two began their approach towards the chariot which brought Twilight here in the first place.

“Good, how long do you think it will take?”

“If you were a Pegasus, an hour. Since we need to walk, most likely four.” Rainbow Dash responded which was better than what Twilight had hoped for.

“Well, at least we are off to a good start.” Twilight said happily, her new ally giving a small smile before Spike ran up to the two.

“Who’s this?” Spike asked curiously.

“Spike this is Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash this is Spike. She is here to protect us and show us around Ponyville.”

“Nice to meet you Spike.” Rainbow Dash greeted, extending here armored hoof which Spike shook. “So how in Equestria did you get a baby dragon?” Dash wondered; dragons being considered a danger to Equestria which usually meant ponies didn’t keep them as pets.

“Its a long story, I’ll explain it to you on the way.” Twilight stated while they climbed into the chariot.

“Sounds good, guards please take us to Ponyville.” Dash ordered, the two Pegasi guards giving a nod before they began to take off.

Chapter 1: Ponyville Part 2: The Tour

“So you two will be alright?” One of the two Pegasi wondered, his head turned so he could watch Twilight and Rainbow Dash exit the chariot.

“Twilight turned her head to face the guard before giving a small nod. “Tell my brother we made it safely.” She requested which was returned by a nod from the guard.

“Fly safely.” Dash wished as the two pegasi began galloping away, followed by spreading their wings and taking flight, pulling the chariot behind them and into the sky. Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight and gave her a smile. Alright so three to four hours of trotting around Ponyville... could be worse, I could be in Canterlot. Rainbow Dash thought to herself before giving Twilight a smile. “Alright so you ready to go Twilight?” she wondered curiously before a itch in her right wing distracted her. She spread her wing and shoved her muzzle into its soft feathers to get rid of it before folding them once more to her form.

Twilight turned back to Rainbow Dash and smiled. “Yep, I was thinking we should start with the clothing and then the food, what do you say?” Twilight wondered, pulling the scroll out of her saddlebag once more to examine it. Oh thats right, we need to go to Sugarcube corner where if I am not mistaken Applejack and Pinkie Pie are working together.... dammit. She thought to herself before giving Twilight a small nod.

“Sounds good Twilight, then I think it would be best for us to go to the pony in charge of animal care and then the two in charge of the musical entertainment. Overall I think this will take us like I said earlier four hours.” she replied before gesturing with her head for Twilight to follow. “Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

With that the two of them began trotting down the streets of Ponyville, the sun bright in the sky above them and the sounds of the busy town becoming louder as they got deeper into the town. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but hate herself for wearing the tunic beneath her armor today. In the Everfree forest it stayed a moderately cool temperature due to the amount of clouds that normally covered it with the assistance of the tree tops it usually blocked out the sun and kept it nice and cool. She had thought earlier in the morning that it would have been a good idea but it now had become apparent that she had been dead wrong.

“Hey Rainbow Dash I got a question.” the baby dragon riding Twilight’s back wondered. Dash turned her head to barely manage to see the dragon, her helmet limiting her vision even though it lacked protection for her muzzle. She had to remember his name for a moment but it came quickly.

“How can I help?”

Spike thought about his question for a moment, planting a claw on his lips for a second. “Why is the town named Ponyville?”

Dash stared for a moment, slowing her trot so she was now only a hoof ahead of Twilight. How in Equestria am I to know that? I was born in Cloudsdale.... “Um.... I can’t really answer that because I wasn’t born here, nor did I grow up here. I’m from Cloudsdale.” she said for her answer.

“Oh... well how did you get assigned to Ponyville?” he asked curiously.

“I... can’t really answer that either, I did a good job and for some reason they transferred me here. Its a nice place though.” She said commenting the small town.

Twilight now asked a question. “Out of curiosity are you a first generation guard? Or has your family been in the guard before?”

Rainbow Dash had been asked this question many times and she had been asked about her cutiemark hundreds of times due to it being completely unrelated to what her occupation was. “Yes I am the first in my family to join the guard.”

“Why did you join?”

“Well... I wanted to protect and serve the innocent. I had always hated criminals and what better way to get rid of them than to be a guard? I’m kidding mostly, I joined to protect and serve yes but it was mainly due to what I had available to me in life. I excelled at sports in school and sucked at studies. My grades were dirt other than the physical ones and that meant that I didn’t have a hope in tartarus of getting into a good college or a good career. I looked at what was easily available to me and I had three options: I could become a weather pony, a courier or a guard. I’m too active to be a weather pony, you only work for three hours a day and then your done. Sure the pay is good but it wasn’t my thing. Being a courier was an absolute no for me simply because I never in my wildest dreams would want to be a mailmare. So I asked the guards in Cloudsdale what it was like and they explained it to me. After six months of training I got my status as a guard of Equestria.” Dash explained as the three of them descended a set of stairs.

“Interesting.... Out of curiosity have you seen the elements of harmony?” Twilight asked, causing Rainbow Dash to chuckle softly.

“Yep, let me guess, you were shocked right?”

“Well yeah, I can’t believe all this time that our most powerful weapons are six rocks.”

“Well, yeah better believe it cause its true.” Rainbow Dash explained as they turned left around a corner. Rainbow Dash smiled to herself lightly at the memory of her first day on duty at the fortress. The captain had asked to see her and he had shown her the six elements of harmony. She originally had thought it was a joke but when her captain insisted she had gawked at them for almost a full minute. She still found it surprising that those had saved Equestria twice.

“I’ll have to ask Princess Celestia about them more.” Twilight spoke before Rainbow got a question of her own.

“What is the princess like?”

“She is both kind and wise. She usually is very busy but when I have spoken with her she has pointed me in the right direction. She has taught me a lot and given me tips on how to improve. She is the perfect teacher in my opinion.” Twilight replied happily, a smile shining on her face.

“You speak highly of her.”

“Of course, she is the nicest mare I have ever met and I am honored to be her student.”

“I’m glad to hear that!” Dash said happily before approaching a store in front of them. On the store roof was a sign that read The Carousel Boutique. The store was painted purple and much larger than some stores which indicated that the owners also lived within the building as well. Dash looked to Twilight and smiled once more. “Alright we are here, ready to go in?”

“Sounds good.”

“Then what did you do with the other fifteen bits Sweetie Belle?” A mare wondered from behind a desk. The desk was made out of a regular wood and covered in a half completed suit and a sewing machine. The mare had a white coat and light blue eyes. Her mane and tail were purple and curled in a styled fashion. Her cutie mark, like most ponies did not resemble her occupation, it being three light blue diamonds.

“Well sis.... me and Applebloom spent it.” A filly sitting in front of the mare replied.

“Well the store ran out of gold silk so I bought some candy for Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and I.” The filly responded, receiving a sigh from the older mare. The filly had a similar coat to mare but her mane and eyes were different. Her main was purple with a pink streak while her eyes were green. A blank patch where her cutiemark would be indicated that she had not found her talent yet. The oldest between the two noticed Twilight and Dash enter from the corner of her eye before regaining her posture.

“Sweetie Belle, please go to your room till I call you.” the mare requested, a groan of disappointment coming from the filly.

“But I...” she began before the mare’s gaze became firm and authoritative, silencing the young filly very quickly. “Sorry sis, I’ll wait for you upstairs.” she apologized meekly before turning around and trotting down a hallway.

“Good afternoon and welcome to the Carousel Boutique. My name is Rarity and I am sad to inform you both that we are no longer accepting orders.” she greeted before Twilight approached and extended her hoof which Rarity shook politely.

“Good afternoon I am Lady Twilight Sparkle and I am here in Ponyville on the Princess’ orders. Will the clothing be ready in time for the celebration?”

Rarity gained a surprised look on her features at the mention of the princess before smiling and nodding. “Yes of course, if you’d like I have my list in my supplies room if you’d care to follow me.” Rarity offered before a smile formed on Twilight’s face.

“That would be excellent.” Twilight expressed before having Spike climb off her back.

Rarity turned to Dash and gave her a curious look. “Are you coming?”

“No, dresses have never been my thing but thank you.” Rainbow responded before receiving a small nod.

“Very well, come now Twilight Sparkle, I shall show you what I have designed.” Rarity declared proudly as she led the purple unicorn across the room.

With that the two mares left the room, leaving Rainbow Dash and Spike alone in the entrance to the store. Dash had met Rarity once before but never really socialized with her due to their occupations and more than likely their personalities were completely different. She felt that if she started socializing with Rarity the only topic Rarity would discuss would be things that involved the upper class of Canterlot. Rainbow Dash also had never liked dresses, she usually avoided them in fact but occasionally she had worn them. The only occasions she could think of was a wedding when she was a little filly and again when she was in the last year of her schooling.

I hope this doesn’t take long...

Spike approached the mare in thought before poking the thigh of her left foreleg through her armor, gaining her attention. “Hey Rainbow Dash what do you do in your spare time?” Spike wondered curiously before Rainbow Dash thought about the question.

A bit vague and hard to reply to but I’ll answer it anyways.

“Well it depends, usually I’ll just come into Ponyville and say hello to some of the other ponies. I’ll buy music occasionally and maybe even see a travelling show if they are in town. What I really love to do though is racing.”

“Racing?”

Rainbow Dash eyed Spike with a ‘are you serious?’ look which caused the baby dragon to blush lightly. “Yeah racing, you know? First one across the finish line wins, the last one is the loser?”

“Well I know that.” The baby dragon stated with annoyance, crossing his arms across his scaly chest. “But why do you like it?”

Rainbow thought for a second before replying. “I like the feeling it brings with it, I love the wind blowing through my mane and the rush it gives when you’re fighting to win something. You know when you play a board game or something and you just really really want to win it badly?” Dash wondered, receiving a nod from the baby dragon. “Thats how I feel when I race. I get adrenalin flowing through my veins and I just want to win so badly. I hate losing, always have which is why I try to always get faster.”

The baby dragon seemed to be taking a small amount of interest in the rainbow maned pony before him before asking another question. “How often do you win?”

“Every time, haven’t lost since I was eighteen!” the rainbow maned guard boasted proudly before blushing lightly. “Sorry, I get a little carried away.” Dash said before giggling after her sentence, receiving a small chuckle from Spike.

“Well everyone does it every now and then.”

“I use to do it a lot, to the point of it being rude; however I eventually found myself alone and without friends because of my attitude. I eventually became more mature but I sometimes get carried away.” she explained before lifting her right foreleg off the ground and brought her hoof to her muzzle, followed by itching a small spot. “One tip I got for you Spike: Don’t boast, the only thing that will come out of it is regret.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Spike responded before wanting to know one more thing. “How old are you?”

“Thats considered rude to ask a mare her age, but if you must know I am 21.”

Just as Rainbow Dash replied to the question Twilight and Rarity returned from the other room.

“Excellent darlin’, I’ll see you at the celebration!” Rarity said happily.

Twilight turned to face her new friend and smiled. “Sounds great, I’ll see you there!”

With that Twilight nodded for Dash that they were ready to leave, bringing the rainbow maned mare to her hooves once more and then proceeding to follow Twilight outside.

“Rainbow Dash was just telling me about herself a little more.” Spike spoke up, earning a curious look from Twilight before she faced Dash, wondering if she would tell her what it was.

Dash chuckled lightly before explaining the same thing she did to spike before.

“Thats interesting Dash, out of curiosity why didn’t you pursue your racing? You could have made money as a professional flier.”

Rainbow Dash had been asked this by a good number of people to the point where she knew the response immediately. “It would have been just as monotonous as being a Wonderbolt.” She explained which brought even more curiosity from Twilight.

Wow if I keep this up she’ll probably write a book of my life by the time we’re done.

“What do you mean? Did you want to be one as a little filly?”

“Well... yeah, but I soon discovered that torture was not what I wanted for the rest of my life.” Dash replied earning a surprised look from both Twilight and Spike as the three turned a corner to the left.

“What do you mean?”

“You know how every month or so there is news about them or some other celebrity in newspapers and magazines?” Dash questioned, earning a nod. “Well think about this, what if everything you messed up on was judged by all of society? What if your name was ruined because for an example you were gay or you were... uh... cannibalistic?”

“What?” Twilight questioned, before Dash facehoofed.

“Ugh OK maybe cannibalism isn’t a good example but what about homosexuality? What if just because you were gay everyone in all of Equestria criticized you for it and named you as a bad pony?”

Twilight gained a look of thought on her features before replying. “Well it would be horrible, especially if you were trying to keep it a secret.”

“Exactly.” Dash said before sighing. “The Wonderbolts are idols to so many fillies in Cloudsdale, they are idols and ponies children can look up to. But the problem is this: If one of the Wonderbolts messes up, they all look bad and the press will hammer them for answers, following them around and trying to get the next big tip of news. You are never alone as a celebrity, people will constantly want to question you and learn secrets about you and thats how the news works. If you screw up as a wonderbolt you could lose your reputation and your career.

My life is not perfect, no ones is and thats what the Wonderbolts are expected to be, perfect. Anything that was once secret to you will be known by everypony eventually. I couldn’t live like that.”

Twilight gave a small nod to her friends explanation. “So you didn’t pursue it both because you would be the center of attention and you would lose all that is you correct?”

“Pretty much, except that its not that I would be the center of attention for a short time, it would be all the time. Ponies would follow me around everywhere I went and I am not the kind of mare that likes that sort of thing. Being a guard is interesting; you meet all kinds of ponies and you learn a lot everyday. Of course you know the crimes and the punishments but you learn so much more such as how to improve this skill or that skill. Its very interesting and thats why I like it.”

“Have you ever killed someone?”

Both mares turned to face Spike who blushed lightly and slowed his pace a little. “Well I’m just curious...”

“To answer that.... No.” she replied before Spike was given a icy glare from Twilight.

“Well we are here.” Rainbow Dash stated before pointing with her hoof to the store ahead of them. “The two ponies who are in charge are named Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Applejack is a descendant of the founding family of Ponyville, they run a farm not far from town and thay still speak lak dis.” she said, ending the sentence in her best impression of a far southern Equestrian accent. Twilight couldn’t help giggle along with Spike.

“Ok and the other?”

“Pinkie Pie is a pony who sometimes can’t shut up. She’s nice and quite funny but the problem is that she doesn’t know when to stop so it causes her to sometimes get into trouble or annoy people. She considers herself everyones friend though and somehow remembered my name.” Rainbow Dash sighed once more before looking straight ahead. “Applejack and I have always had a little bit of tense relationship. You see, in Ponyville you need permits in order to set up a stall in the market or own a store. Now I’ll admit she is a busy mare but just because you are busy doesn’t mean that you can let your papers fall behind.” Dash stated before receiving a nod from Twilight.

The building to Twilight appeared to be modelled after a gingerbread house with frosting which caused her to shake her head softly at the silliness.

A bell was heard in the small store gaining Mr Cake’s attention from his work but before he could speak Pinkie Pie came out of nowhere and rushed right up to the new visitors.

“Hello! What is your name?” the pink pony in front of Twilight greeted before Rainbow Dash stepped in to introduce them.

“Hello again Pinkie Pie, this is Twilight Sparkle, she is from Canterlot and is here to make sure the food will be ready by the celebration.”

Pinkie Pie’s smile seemed to grow much larger to almost an impossible limit. Her eyes were blue and full of excitement while her pink mane was poofy and erratic, kind of like her. Her coat was pink and her cutie mark was of a blue balloon and two yellow balloons.

Pinkie Pie immediately began speaking so fast Twilight and Rainbow Dash could barely understand a single word. “Thatsgreatbecausewearemakinggreatprogressonthepastriesandbakedgoods! Themainfoodthatponieswillbeeatingwillbepreppedtomorrownightandthencookedatthecelebration! Isn’t that awesome?”

The shouted question caused Twilight to stare awkwardly at the pink pony who kept smiling in a way that was beginning to get creepy. “Howdy!” another mares voice spoke, causing Twilight and Rainbow Dash to look away from Pinkie.

The mare standing in front of them had a orange coat and a blond mane. Her mane was tied up casually like many southern mares. Her eyes were emerald green while atop her head was a brown cowpony hat. On her flanks were her cutie mark which were three apples. Upon noticing Rainbow Dash her eyes narrowed slightly with annoyance and the two stared daggers at each other for a moment before the silence was broken by Twilight.

“So they will be ready right?”

Applejack turned her head to see Twilight giving her a curious look before the kind smile returned to her face. “Eeyup they will, would you like to try some? On the house.” Applejack offered.

Twilight felt a small smile form on her face. “That would be lovely! Thank you!” Twilight expressed before the southern pony directed the three to a seat. While both Twilight and Spike were happy about the idea Rainbow Dash was annoyed by the presence of the orange earth pony.

“So ya’ll from Canterlot you said?” Applejack asked, attempting to keep the conversation going and the mood positive. Twilight sat herself on one of the chairs and began levitating the fork and knife.

“Yeah, I am actually one of Princess Celestia’s students.”

Applejack’s face came into view from around the corner once more. “Shut up.” She said in a disbelief tone.

“Its true, she sent me here to make sure everything was going smoothly.”

“It sure is! Tons and tons of cool stuff is going on!” Pinkie Pie pointed out happily from out of sight before coming back into view with a large plate balanced on her head. Twilight used her telekinetic abilities to lift the plate from the pony’s head and rest it on the table which received a thank you from the pink pony.

Dash who had been silent this whole time sat back casually and examined the events of Ponyville outside the window though she was still listening to the conversations. “Thank you Pinkie Pie.... and Applejack.” She said expressing her gratitude though she paused for half a second at the end which caused Applejack to gain a frown but she didn’t let it get to her.

Applejack turned her attention to Twilight who was already halfway done the muffin. “How do ya’ll like it?” Applejack wondered, making eye contact with all three of them to show that she was asking all of them the question.

“Excellent!” Spike responded through a mouthful which caused it to come out as a incomprehensible sound.

“Its lovely.”

“Its nice thank you.” Rainbow answered lastly, receiving a nod from Applejack.

“Great! We made them ourselves!” Pinkie exclaimed happily.

“Everything in here was made by you.” Dash pointed out which caused Pinkie to think for a moment.

“Your right! Good job Dashie!”

Spike was the first to finish his muffin, followed by Rainbow and then Twilight. Upon finishing consumption of the muffins Applejack had grabbed the plate from the table with her teeth and had carried it into the back while the three departed towards the exit.

“Glad to meet you two, thank you for the muffin and I hope you have a good day.” Twilight wished her farewell before Pinkie Pie ran up and began waving her hoof.

“Bye! Have a great day!”

Before her departure out the door Rainbow Dash stopped and turned to look Applejack in her emerald eyes. “I thought I should warn you, your permits will expire in two days.” Dash said before pushing the door open and exiting the bakery.

“Bitch.” Applejack insulted silently before shaking her head and turning around.

“Come on Pinkie, lets get back to work.”

“Alrighty!”

“So... I guess the vendetta is real eh?”

Rainbow Dash turned her head to see Twilight for a moment with a curious look but realized what they were talking about.

“Yeah, we’ve never liked each other. I usually hate being around her and whenever we are we argue. She mainly doesn’t like me because she can’t sugarcoat things with me like she does with the others.”

That explanation gained a confused look from the purple unicorns face while the baby dragon walking beside her was in his own world it seemed. “What do you mean?”

“Her family supplies the fortress with Apples and treats every week and because of that reason she gets a small amount of immunity from the other guards. If she forgets her permits the guards will let it slide a few more days instead of closing up the stall she sells her apples at. I however will see that she doesn’t have them close the stall down till she gets them renewed. I am very by the book and I don’t get persuaded.”

The stone walkway beneath the ponies feet turned into a soft gravel as they left the town and proceeded down the road towards a hill not far from their current location.

Twilight gave a small not. “I see.... Do you know this next Pony?”

“Yeah, remember? I told you earlier. She and I went to school together. She is a little shy but other than that she is very kind and nice to talk to. Just let me do the talking at first alright?” Dash requested receiving a small understanding nod from Twilight.

Chapter 1: Ponyville Part 3: Darkness Beyond the Horizon.

“Oh come now Angel, if you don’t eat the rest of your food you will be hungry in an hour.” Fluttershy, a yellow coated pink-maned pegasus explained to one of the many animals she cared for. This particular one being a white bunny who since its arrival a year and a half ago had given her plenty of attitude. Due to her good nature and kindness she rarely ever raised her voice; instead she prefered speaking in a soft, gentle tone.

Angel Bunny leaned back on his hind paws, putting him in an upright biped state. He crossed his arms to show his disagreement, leaving the remaining green vegetables untouched on his plate. Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed as her face lost its emotion, giving her a cold and sinister look at showed the bunny that she was dead serious. Angel stood his ground for a few more seconds before the stare got to him. He lowered his head in a apologetic fashion, defeated. He turned his attention back to his remaining food on the polished white plate and then returned to his quadruped form, followed by his continuation of his meal.

Fluttershy’s kind and gentle face returned once more. “Thank you Angel, I’ll get you a carrot for when you’re done the rest of your food.” she spoke. Though she gave her animals a sinister stare once in awhile she would never dream of harming such innocent creatures, she had always been too gentle for violence.

Upon hearing such a sentence the bunnies ears perked up with recognition towards the mention of a carrot. His hesitation gone he began to devour the remaining greens on his plate as though they were the carrot itself.

The yellow coated pegasus smiled to herself with satisfaction before she turned and began trotting towards her refrigerator to get the carrot.

Knock, knock, knock!

She gasped from the sudden and unexpected noise, her body tensing up immediately as a natural response. She slowed her breathing, calming herself as she remembered that it probably was nothing at all.

But what if it is something? Something that is dangerous or harmful? Or what if its both?

Her own thoughts began to panic her, her breathing becoming heavier as a million thoughts of who or what could possibly be behind her front door raced through her mind.

“Fluttershy its Dash!” A voice called out though it was muffled from the door.

Fluttershy’s panic evaporated from her being at the sound of the familiar voice, this voice specifically being her best friends and the only friend that lived in Ponyville. Fluttershy trotted towards the door followed by pushing down on the lever-like handle to open it, allowing a breeze of fresh air to enter her small home from outside. Peeking her head out from behind her door her light blue eyes met with her friends... They then met with another set belonging to another pony, this pony being a unicorn.

Fluttershy immediately tensed up once more and felt a lump form in her throat, preventing her from saying anything more. “Hey Fluttershy, lovely day isn’t it?” Rainbow Dash asked, receiving a small meek nod from Fluttershy who seemed to be slowly sinking back into the safety of her cottage.

“This is Twilight, I thought we would come by and...”

SLAM!

“Crap.” Dash sighed before face hoofing. “Fluttershy open this door!”

Fluttershy stood awkwardly on the other side of the locked door, scared of the stranger on her property. “D-Dash.... come back later..”

Rainbow Dash growled with annoyance before an idea formed in her mind. “Fluttershy, if you don’t open this door I’ll break it down.”

Fluttershy eyed the door awkwardly. She knew Dash could if she wanted to but she didn’t know if her friend actually would or not.

“I’ll break it down, you know I can Fluttershy. Remember my fifth month of training? I kicked that door off its hinges and it was stronger than this one!”

Fluttershy deciding to act quickly before her friend actually did it unlocked the door nervously and opened it.

Rainbow Dash smiled at her success before gesturing a armor clad hoof towards Twilight. “This is Twilight Sparkle my new friend, Twilight this is Fluttershy.” She introduced, pointing from Twilight to Fluttershy.

“Nice to meet you Fluttershy.” Twilight greeted, extending a hoof and showing a smile. Fluttershy hesitantly shook Twilights hoof.

“Um, hello... Twilight.” Fluttershy greeted meekly before noticing Spike on Twilight’s back. “I-is that a... Baby dragon by any chance?”

“Yep sure am!” Spike replied proudly before Fluttershy’s nervousness began to fade and her interest overcame her.

“How in Equestria did you get a baby dragon?” Fluttershy questioned with surprise, her eyes fixated on Spike.

Twilight smiled, glad that the awkward atmosphere was now gone. “Well I’ll tell you the whole story if we find a place to sit down.” Twilight spoke before Fluttershy nodded, excitement clear within her features before leading both Twilight and Rainbow Dash to a shaded spot beneath a large pine tree. Spike climbed off Twilight’s back before he sat down in between both Fluttershy and Twilight.

“When I was a little filly my parents noticed that I had a passion to learn magic. I loved studying new spells and learning about famous unicorns so my parents decided to enroll me into Princess Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. Here I quickly rose to the top of my class and Princess Celestia quickly noticed me. She accepted me as her personal student and for my first task she wanted me to hatch a dragon egg. I spent almost a month trying to perfect the spell required and sadly every time I tried it on the egg it failed. One day I managed to get it just right and he hatched.

From that day on I raised Spike and he has become both my best friend and my assistant. He is actually quite helpful.”

“Thank you Twi.” Spike thanked, receiving a nod from Twilight and a smile.

“No problem!”

Fluttershy examined Spike’s spikes on his head and back and though dull now would most likely become sharp later on in life. “Is it true you eat gems?” she wondered, directing the question to Spike who looked up to her.

“Yep, my favorite kind though is fire ruby.” Spike answered with a smile before beginning to rip grass with his claws to occupy himself.

“So Fluttershy you still are prepared to look after all the pets for the celebration?” Twilight wondered, pulling out the scroll to mark it off if she answers in the positive.

“Of course, I have everything prepared.” Fluttershy said before poking Spike’s shoulder with her hoof.

Spike turned back to face Fluttershy and gave her a look of curiosity. “What?”

“I was just seeing what your scales are like.” Fluttershy explained, receiving a awkward gaze from Spike. Noticing the awkward atmosphere forming between the two Twilight spoke up.

“So you require no assistance from the Princess?”

“Oh no I will be fine, but thank you.” Fluttershy said, turning her attention back to Twilight. “Would you like some lemonade?”

Twilight smiled at the unexpected offer. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

Fluttershy gave a small nod before rising to her hooves and approaching her cottage to get the four of them drinks.

So many years....

Orange and red blanketed the sky beautifully in a glorious sunset that would bring romance and happiness to some who would wish for it to last longer. To her however it sickened her; she wanted nothing more than for the sun to go down. It was not because she wished to sleep, it was because she wished for her night to claim its rightful place in the sky. Her night, the night that she loved, the night that had been stolen from her grasp.

Nightmare Moon’s heart burned with hatred though her face was emotionless and her eyes unreadable. A millennium ago she had fought for her night and she had failed because of six elements that her sister hid behind like a coward.

Her coat was black like the night and though many ponies possessed a similar coat, her mane and tail were unique to her only. Her mane flowed lightly in the air, seeming to ignore gravity and portray an entire nebula within it. Stars seemed to sparkle within the light violet and blue nebula that was her mane. Her eyes were cold, being a moderate cyan in color but her pupils resembled those of a cats in shape. She was one of the two remaining Alicorns alive but unlike her sister who was the princess of the sun she was the princess of the night. Covering her form was protective purple armor that from a distance could be seen as black. Engraved on the chest plate and on the flank plates was a white crescent moon that dimly glowed. The armor also concealed her cutie mark, it being of a crescent moon surrounded by a patch of violet. From her enchantments she had made the armor both weightless and magic resistant, allowing her to wear it at all times within the chaotic Badlands.

She could see the border of Equestria from this distance, its powerful walls preventing those who did not have clearance to pass from entering Equestria, or so they thought. A pony approached Nightmare Moon, not a random one but one that had given her their soul as a sign of their loyalty. The pony was female with a dark grey coat with its only eye being yellow that possessed a cat-like pupil similar to Nightmare Moon’s, her mane and tail being black. Her teeth were sharper than normal but the most noticeable characteristic was her wings. The Pegasus’ wings were not feathered but instead were black and similar to the wings of a bat. Her form was covered in armor similar to Nightmare Moon’s but unlike Nightmare Moon her armor did not possess the crescent moons and her helmet was of a different model. Her armor possessed a stone on the front of her chest plate, the stone resembling both the color and shape of Nightmare Moon’s eyes, this being a sightstone.

From her mouth all the way to her jaw bone on the left side of her face was a horrible scar from when she was younger; caused by a spear that had sliced its way through her cheek. It had never fully healed, causing those who stood beside her to see her teeth and the tender flesh of her gums. She had lost her other eye years ago and wore a black eyepatch where it once was.

Nightmare Moon had known she was coming a few minutes ago, the sight stone on the chest of her armor making sure of that. “What?” Nightmare Moon asked emotionlessly, receiving a bow from the mare standing behind her.

“I have the mirror my princess.”

“Good, put it down in front of me Umbra.” Nightmare Moon ordered, calling her by her name. Umbra approached her princess before grabbing the shard of mirror off her back with her teeth and dropping it down in front of Nightmare Moon. “Leave me.”

Umbra gave a small nod before turning around and beginning to walk away. Nightmare Moon looked up to find the sunset now gone, it now turning to the night by her sisters will. The moon under her sisters power rapidly began to move across the sky, causing the moonlight to spread across the land as the moon found its starting spot within the night sky. She looked down to the mirror before her eyes glowed white along with her horn, both radiating dark energy. She cast a spell at the mirror, causing it to glow brightly and then revert to normal, though now she was no longer looking at herself. Within the mirror was a figure shrouded in the darkness of the Everfree forest.

Its pupils were black like all other creatures but the iris around it was very different than other creatures. Around its pupils its eyes were a very dark blue but on the outer edges it was a very bright green at the bottom half of the eye but at the top half it remained blue though lighter. Its sclera had a very light greyish blue coloring to it, the entire eye seeming to be more reflective than a ponies. The eyes and the shape of a gnarling jagged horn were all Nightmare Moon could see of the creature in the dim light of the moonlight that leaked through the tree’s of the Everfree forest but she knew who it was.

“Mother.” A female voice spoke, its voice sounding like two voices speaking slightly out of sync with each other.

Nightmare Moon smiled darkly. “Its time to execute the plan, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis smiled sadistically. “Their pain, is my pleasure.”

With that the communication ended and Nightmare Moon saw herself in the mirrors reflection once more, her eyes cold and merciless. A small smile spread across her features, revealing her sharp teeth before she chuckled lightly.

Chapter 1: Ponyville Part 4: Nightmares are Real

“Captain I have come to relieve you of your duties for the night shift!” Sergeant Iron Hoof declared with a salute of his hoof. Captain Brave Heart returned the salute with one of his own and nodded.

“Affirmative Sergeant.” Brave Heart responded before he lowered his hoof and proceeded to trot down the staircase leading to the ground floor. The night sky was overhead and his limbs ached from a long day of guarding the fortress. He could hear laughter and some of the other guards talking from within the fortress which he walked into, the door nearly wide open which brought annoyance to the captain.

“I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I wanted this door to always be shut.” Brave Heart spoke to three stallions seated at a table twenty hooves away. They went silent for a moment and their gaze met with the Captain’s.

“The door? We had closed it sir.”

Brave Heart rolled his eyes as he shut the door. “I don’t care who forgot to shut it, just keep it shut! Understood?” He spoke, raising his voice to get his point across. All three stallions nodded their heads before Brave Heart proceeded towards the staircase and descended down them.

Guards were climbing into their beds to go to sleep, many of them simply giving a nod to the captain as he passed by them towards his office. He would love to join them, however he had documents that needed to be filled out and prepared for delivery for tomorrow. A loud crash however stopped his progress and all of his fellow guards froze as they listened. An explosion sounded, followed by a bell, a bell that told the captain that they were under attack. “Attack, get that armor back on!” Brave Heart order before his soldiers kicked their sheets off and began to equip themselves once more. Brave Heart spread his wings and began to hover in place, his sword releasing with a tap of his left hoof. He then proceeded towards the staircase which he flew up but what he noticed sent a chill down his spine. It was dark and it was silent, the sounds of battle were not anywhere to be heard, the only sound coming from the darkness being a dark giggle as two eyes showed themselves within the void.

“Ugh Pinkie Pie gave me a headache today.” complained Applejack as she walked beside her brother down the road from Ponyville towards Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac, a stallion with a red coat and a orange mane nodded as he walked beside his sister. “The bright side of it all though is that tomorrow is the last day and then I can come back and help at the farm.”

“That will be good.” Big Mac responded simply as he chewed his gum.

“Its not that I don’t like the gal, its just that she can’t keep her mouth shut.”

Big Macintosh leaned closer to his sister while he spoke. “Well atleast you helped her, many other ponies in the community with jobs much easier than ours did not even bother to help with the preparations at all. So at least you did something little sis.”

“Yeah you’re right; oh by the way the nightmarish mare showed up today.”

That sentence brought a laugh too Big Macintosh as the two turned a corner so that they were now directly beside the Everfree Forest. “Let me guess, Rainbow Dash?”

“You know it, turns out we need our papers renewed once more.”

A confused look showed on Big Macintosh’s face. “Did we or did we not get them papers renewed?”

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, we did last year but not this year. I guess thats another hundred and twenty bits down the drain and towards the corrupt bastards that own this town.”

Big Macintosh gave his little sister a look of annoyance. “Oh right, those ‘losers’.... happy?” Applejack asked before Big Macintosh chuckled and nodded.

Big Macintosh turned and spat his gum out to the left while Applejack examined the beautiful night sky. She could name a few of the constellations but many of the names were an enigma that she hoped to solve one day when she had free time to do so. “Hey.” Big Macintosh spoke, nudging his sister with his right foreleg to get her attention. Applejack turned her head in time to see a figure collide with a tree top, ruining its flight and causing it to plummet towards the ground.

The figure hit the ground and the sounds of a stallions screams of agony were heard through the night sky. Immediately Applejack and her brother rushed forward to find a stallion Pegasus, his coat brown and his mane gold. He was dressed in armor that told Applejack he was a guard but it confused her. Why would a guard be in the Everfree Forest? The question would hopefully soon be answered.

Applejack examined his wounds and noticed his wing was in a completely incorrect direction, it obviously being broken from the impact of his fall. His body was badly burned as though someone had temporarily lit him on fire, his coat burned away in many places and the tunic beneath his armor nearly gone. Her eyes met with his and his eyes widened as though surprised.

“The fortress! You must send for help, its under attack!” he shouted with haste before he began to cough violently from his injuries. “You! *cough*.... Must hurry!”

Applejack went to say something before she heard two other pairs of hooves approach. “What is going on?” demanded a female voice that Applejack immediately recognized. Out of all the ponies…. she thought with annoyance before she turned her head to see Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle galloping towards them.

“What the… What happened here?” questioned Rainbow Dash as she approached with Twilight Sparkle close behind, the baby dragon Applejack had met still sitting on the violet unicorns back.

“We saw him fall from the sky, he says that he is from the fortress.” Applejack responded as Rainbow Dash approached the injured guard. Rainbow examined him and her eyes widened with surprise.

“Swift, what happened?” Rainbow Dash asked, recognizing him immediately. She looked at him and then in the direction of the Everfree fortress, concern growing on her face.

The stallion, recognizing Rainbow Dash’s voice and turned his head so that he could see her. His eyes began to glimmer with hope before he jumped to his hooves and leaned closer to her, a hoof extended and pointing to her. “Rainbow Dash! You need to go to Ponyville and get the guard, the fortress is under attack!”

Rainbow Dash seemed to recoil at that, surprise showing in her eyes for a moment before she began to think. “Twilight, were you taught teleportation magic?” Rainbow Dash questioned before she turned to face Twilight. Twilight nodded, followed by tilting her head to the side and raising a brow.

“Yes, why?”

“Because I am heading to the fortress. I want you to teleport to the Ponyville guard headquarters and send them to the Everfree Fortress for reinforcements.”

Applejack couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Wait, you’re planning to go to the Everfree Fortress which may be under attack while we speak, alone? Do you know how crazy you are?” Applejack questioned, her question being ignored by the mare.

“Twilight I need you to get the guards and Applejack if you would be so kind, please take Swift here to the hospital.” Rainbow Dash requested before she spread her wings to fly.

“No!” Swift shouted, galloping towards Rainbow Dash in order to tackle her to the ground before she could take off, but he was too late. She flew up into the air at high speeds and in a matter of seconds she disappeared from view. “Come back!” he shouted before he succumbed to a coughing fit once more. “You *cough* gotta get the Ponyville guard to.. *cough cough* the fortress…” He pleaded before he began a coughing fit once more.

Applejack turned her attention to Twilight who now seemed to be thinking of a plan. “Applejack, I need you to take this stallion to the hospital. Rainbow Dash and the other guards may need those reinforcements and without them they could be overpowered. Spike, write a letter to Celestia telling her that the fortress is under attack. The Elements of Harmony cannot fall into somepony else’s hooves.” Twilight ordered before teleporting, leaving Applejack and Big Mac with the injured guard.

“Come on partner, lets get you some help.” Applejack suggested as she began to help him walk back to the road and towards Ponyville.

“They already are dead.” He whispered and Applejack sighed.

“You’re probably right.” She commented reluctantly.

Rainbow Dash’s hooves met with the stone ground of the fortress. It was quiet, the only sound being the leaves of the trees blowing in the wind around the fortress. She looked around to find no sign of combat or struggle, everything appeared normal. Why is there no damage to the walls or gate if this place was attacked? Also, why is no pony around?

Rainbow Dash heard a creak to her left, causing her to jump back and spread her wings, allowing her to fight in a heartbeat if necessary. However the noise had only been the half open door blowing in the wind. Rainbow Dash stared into the darkness, it being unnatural to her. There is no light inside, where are the torches and where are my fellow guards?

She proceeded slowly towards the door, her wings still extended in preparation. She raised her left hoof to pull the rest of the door open and allowing her to stare into the endless void of darkness. What are you doing Dashie… she asked herself mentally.

Proceeding forward into the darkness her heart rate began to increase. The door slammed behind her and she gasped in surprise, turning around immediately. Her breathing was fast and her eyes were taking longer than she wished to adapt to the darkness. A soft humming noise caught her attention before she proceeded towards its source. Turning to her left she came across the sight of a torch lit on the ground with the captain seated in front of it. His face was scarred and he seemed to be oblivious of her presence.

“Captain.” Dash whispered before she silently proceeded towards the captain who was only fifteen hooves away from her current position.

“Private…” Captain Brave Heart greeted in a way that didn’t feel right to Dash. His voice was calm and collected but spoke her rank in a venomous tone.

She stood there awkwardly for a moment before she moved closer so that she was only a hoof away from the captain. “Captain, where is everypony? Why are all the torches out?”

Captain Brave Heart smiled before he began to sing a song. “Click click close your eyes, the changelings are going to find you. Click click hide your kids, the changelings are going to find them. Click click never hide, the changelings will always find you…”

Rainbow Dash stared at her Captain for a long moment in confusion. She had heard the word Changeling before but she did not know what a changeling was or if it was even a thing that existed. “Changeling?” She questioned, causing Captain Brave Heart to immediately lurch forward so his face was close to hers. Rainbow Dash stepped back and for the first time noticed that his eyes were bright green and dimly glowing.

“Yes Dash, a Changeling…” He spoke before he sat back down and chuckled. “They were originally thought to be demons… demons that stole children in the dead of night. They are from the Badlands, a desert that is full of criminals and lacks a government. That song, it comes from the badlands. The Changelings feast on emotions and kill their victims slowly in order to prolong the pain and the emotions.” Captain Brave Heart explained before he raised his sword, it already released and ready for combat. His eyes reverted to their natural color and his face immediately filled with sadness and regret.

“Captain…”

“I am so sorry Rainbow Dash, I am so very sorry…. I suggest you follow my lead.” Brave Heart spoke before in a swift motion he cut his own throat, sending his blood gushing out all over the burning torch, extinguishing its flame and sending the two into darkness.

“Captain!”

Rainbow Dash rushed forward and began trying to save her commander. His blood began to dampen her hair and cover her face and armor. She forced her right foreleg to his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding till a searing hot pain was felt in her side. She screamed in agony as something proceeded into her body till she tore herself away from the Captain, his sword’s tip now covered in a fresh layer of her blood.

She laid on the floor crying out in pain as her blood soaked her tunic around the wound and began to pool on the floor.

A giggle from the darkness behind her caused her to stop screaming and instead grit her teeth to listen. She very slowly turned her head to see over her shoulder and what she saw caused her heart rate to rise quickly. Piercing through the darkness were two green and blue eyes, their pupils similar to those of a cats and their visibility clearer than day from the way they glowed. What the fuck is that?

The Captain’s last breath ended with a gurgle while the pain in Dash’s side continued. She did not know how bad it was, she did not care though because these eyes were just staring into her own and she did not know what they belonged to.

“So, Rainbow Dash is it?” a female voice spoke in a sly tone. Its voice was unique because it sounded to Dash as though two voices spoke out of sync slightly; like the voice of a demonic entity. “I am so glad you decided to arrive.” It spoke before it made a rapid clicking noise as it approached.

Rainbow Dash jumped to her hooves despite the pain it brought to her side. She was lucky, the wound was in her right side and had hit a rib instead of her internal organs though  it still hurt more than anything else in Dash’s life. “Who are you?” Rainbow Dash demanded before jumping into the air and beginning to move her wings to hover in place. Her left armorclad forehoof collided with her right, releasing her sword from its locked position against her leg, allowing it to snap into place like a pocket knife.

The creature that owned the eyes chuckled darkly once more. “I the puppeteer, you the puppet.”

“Stay back!” Rainbow Dash warned, extending her right forehoof in the direction of the eyes in an attempt to intimidate the creature with her blade. It stopped for a moment before a cold feeling surrounded Rainbow Dash as its magical hold prevented her from moving. In a flash of motion Rainbow Dash was brought directly to its eyes so that they were only about a hoof and a half away from her own.

Rainbow Dash’s breathing increased as fear began to take hold of her. She couldn’t move to defend herself, she was at the complete mercy of whatever it was. “Now, Rainbow Dash I am going to ask you a few questions. You will answer these questions or I will make you answer them, understood?” the creature spoke, followed by Rainbow’s eyes filling with resistance. She spat at the creature and upon hearing it hit its face Rainbow Dash smiled.

“Fuck you.”

The creature did not seem phased by such a response and instead giggled. “Have it your way.” It spoke before Rainbow Dash felt the magical hold focus on her left wing. Slowly she began to feel the magic spread her wing out till the joints and bones stopped; however the hold kept bending. The Pegasus began to panic and attempted to escape but it was too late.

*Snap!*

Rainbow Dash screamed in anguish the moment she felt the bone snap in her wing. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried before she screamed once more as the creature bent her wing the other way, grinding the broken bones together so that Dash could hear and feel them at the same time. She breathed quickly in an effort to dull the pain slightly but it was futile, the pain just kept getting worse and worse.

The creature chuckled darkly which send a chill down Rainbow Dash’s back. “Question one, does anyone know you are here?”

Rainbow Dash hesitated, not wanting this creature to have an advantage over those who would hopefully arrive shortly. Do I tell it or…

Rainbow Dash’s thought was interrupted by her being thrown across the room. She screamed in terror, her broken wing preventing her from saving herself which gave her a feeling of helplessness that she had never felt before. She was falling and she could do nothing to stop it. She crashed into what she recognized as one of the tables which collapsed beneath her. She slid across the top and hit her head, her helmet preventing any injury but falling off in the process. She arose to her hooves only to feel the magical hold grip her hindlegs. She reached out in a desperate attempt to wrap her hooves around something, anything to prevent herself from being pulled away. Her adjusted eyes could make out a table leg which she wrapped her forelegs around.

She was quickly pulled away from the table, ripping the leg she had grabbed from it as she was thrown through the darkness. Rainbow Dash screamed in terror as she flew helplessly through the air once more. Her screams were cut short from her collision with the wall. Her darkened world spun upon hitting her head before she fell to the ground, hitting the solid floor with a loud clank of metal from her armor.

She looked up to find the eyes of whatever the creature was looking down at her from above. Whatever it was, Rainbow Dash could now see the general shape of it. It stood just as tall if not a little taller than Princess Celestia. Its body was thin, very thin and its horn was gnarled. It chuckled once more, causing Rainbow Dash to cover the rest of her body with her right wing in an effort to protect herself in case the creature threw something at her or decided to attack. “Question one, does anyone know you are here?”

Rainbow Dash, now fearing for her life answered quickly this time. “Yes!” she responded, fearful that if she even hesitated a fraction of a second that it would anger the creature.

“Question two, where are the Elements of Harmony?”

Rainbow Dash froze, she knew that this question would arise, why else would this creature be here?

“I repeat, where are the Elements of Harmony?” It repeated, its voice now filled with minor annoyance.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, knowing that this was most likely where the creature would kill her. “I-I won’t tell you… Just kill me you monster!”

The creature kept its gaze before it began to laugh, not a short chuckle like the others had been but a laugh of genuine dark humor. “Oh no, I don’t have any intentions to kill you quite yet. You still have to tell me the location of the Elements of Harmony. If you won’t then I will simply have to dissect your mind till I find them.” The creature stated before its eyes illuminated brighter and its horn glowed a bright green. Rainbow Dash’s muscles tightened as she expected herself to be thrown once more but instead she was met with the sound of the door being busted down. She opened her eyes a moment later to see white balls of light fire into the room, illuminating the entire room and blinding her momentarily. The moment her vision cleared she wished she hadn’t been able to see.

Dead mutilated bodies of her fellow soldiers laid on the ground all across the room. Their eyes were lifeless and full of fear, as if they were frozen in time the moment they had died. Pegasi had their wings torn from their bodies while Unicorns no longer possessed their horns. Many had their throats slit like the Captain, some appearing to be intentional while the majority had been killed against their will, it being clear to Dash from the way their eyes were.

Her eyes turned to the creature that stood before her and she stared in fear at the monster. Like she had described before: Its body was tall, as tall as Princess Celestia herself however she had not been able to make out its holed legs. Its mane was long and holed like its legs had been. Colored dark cerulean and styled straight with a single strand of hair lazily hanging down across the right side of its face, its holed mane and tail simply added to its sinister appearance. It did not have a hide like that of a ponies, no it instead had thick black chitin over every inch of its body like a insect. Its wings were like those of a insects unlike the usual Pegasi.

It smiled at Rainbow Dash, its razor sharp fangs becoming visible before it quickly leaned forward. Rainbow Dash braced herself for pain but instead felt something warm with the consistency of shampoo spray all over her side and over the wound the captain had caused her.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and looked in disgust at the creatures bright green vomit that was spread over the rest of her right side. “What the fuck…” Rainbow Dash began before the creature grabbed her in its magical field once more and threw her through the air.

She screamed in terror as the world spun before she collided with somepony, knocking them over and sending a fresh wave of pain through her wing and battered body. She gritted her teeth through the pain as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks before somepony turned her over. “Who are you?” A orange stallion with a black mane questioned. He was dressed in armor similar to hers but instead of a gold trim on the tunic it was silver, signifying that he was part of the Ponyville guard. He wore a officers helmet and his eyes were brown.

Rainbow Dash stumbled forward, pressing her front hooves against the officers chest before her eyes met with his.

Lieutenant Stone eyed the injured mare who had her hooves pressed against him with curiosity. She was injured badly with one of her wings broken and from the blood that currently was running down the side of her head he guessed that she had a head injury. “We have to get out of here!” she screamed in a full panic.

Clearly traumatized Lieutenant Stone noted before he pushed her off. “I am sorry, but we do not have time for this. Ms Sparkle, please see too this Pegasus.” Lieutenant Stone ordered before Twilight Sparkle approached, receiving a shocked look from the Pegasus.

“You need to listen to me!” She screamed, tears now running down her face and her eyes full of plead. Just as she finished the rest of the guards entered the room and Lieutenant Stone shook his head.

“We will speak of this after we slay the Changeling.” Stone stated before he proceeded to the front of his guards. He stood now, only twenty hooves across from the Changeling. He examined her and he knew immediately what type it was. “You are under arrest by order of Princess Celestia for the murder of over twenty five soldiers of Equestria. If you do not surrender yourself immediately we will be forced to take lethal action.” Stone announced, drawing his sword with his magic and pointing it towards the Changeling Queen. Why, why would this Changeling Queen be so far into Equestria? It lacks a crown…. meaning its a hiveless queen. But why in Celestia’s name would it come here for the Elements?

The Changeling queen stayed silent for a moment before it began to laugh. It laughed with genuine humor at everything the Lieutenant had said. Before Stone could proceed the orbs of light disappeared and the room immediately became dark once more. “Someone fire a light!” Stone ordered before he looked behind himself. One of his soldiers fired a flash of light, allowing Stone to see his soldiers but he froze for a moment. Standing with his soldiers were ponies made out of the shadows. Their eyes were blood red and their limbs were twisted. Spikes sprouted from their backs and their manes were made out of flames. His soldiers appeared to notice them as well. “Attack!” Stone screamed out, charging forward towards the monsters and stabbing his sword into the chest of one of them.

He then pulled his sword out with his magic and then proceeded towards another. He could barely see anything, the only thing telling what a monster was and what wasn’t being their blood red eyes. Another beast charged towards him, quickly meeting his sword as he sliced its head clean off. Blood covered the floor as more and more bodies began to fall. He slashed right and left, killing more and more of these vile creatures before there was only one remaining. The two of them were alone, none of his soldiers had survived and because of this he was livid. “You!” he shouted, pointing his sword to it before the creature spread its torn wings and showed its shadow blade.

It flew towards him at high speeds, its eyes burning with hatred as it neared him. He jumped to the side, dodging its blade and with a battle cry he stabbed the monster through its temple and out the other side of its skull. He chuckled with satisfaction as he looked at the dead figure still stuck on his blade. A green orb of light appeared above him, allowing him to see his surroundings and he froze.

Stuck on his blade was not a monster, but one of his Pegasi soldiers. “N-no…” he spoke before he looked around to see all of his soldiers dead, all of them having killed each other. He heard a loud buzzing noise behind him which caused him to turn around to find the Changeling queen hovering in the air, a smile on her face and her eyes glowing dimly. “Y-you…. you!” He screamed but before he could react something collided with his horn.

Twilight stared in shock as the Lieutenants horn was sliced off by a stray sword the Changeling had grabbed with her magic. Blood poured down his face as his screams of pure anguish filled the room. Rainbow Dash laid on her side beside Twilight, her eyes averted and her head shaking back and forth. “I-I warned him…” Dash whispered as tears ran down her face. Twilight ignored her, frozen in fear at what she had seen.

The Changeling queen lifted him up into the air, him being unable to save himself since his horn had been removed. She stopped moving him and held him in place the moment they were face to face, a smile on her face while the Lieutenant was panicking.

“No! Put me down! I don’t want to die! I can’t die here!” he screamed in terror before the Changeling queen pulled him closer and wrapped all four of her legs around him, razor sharp hairs used for climbing surfaces stabbing into him to hold him into place. She then leaned her head closer and began to inhale a green almost transparent smoke that seemed to form out of nothingness. After only eight seconds the Lieutenant was released and he fell to the ground, his eyes lifeless and his body still.

The Changeling queen laughed before she turned to Twilight. “As for you my little pony…” The Changeling spoke before its horn glowed. Twilight snapped out of her daze just in time to see the Changeling queen fire a ray of magic. Twilight gasped before in a half second she summoned up a barrier of magic around her and Rainbow Dash. The ray of magic hit the barrier instead of them, protecting them from the dangers that the magic held.

Twilight teleported herself out of the barrier, keeping it up to keep Rainbow Dash safe as she dealt with the Changeling. “You honestly think you can defeat me?” The Changeling laughed while Twilight’s horn lit up.

Twilight did not respond, instead she kept her horn ready in case she had to dodge another ray. She did because just as she readied her horn the Changeling fired yet another ray. Twilight gasped before she teleported across the room, causing the Changeling’s ray to hit the ground where she had once stood. The Changeling, as if knowing where she had teleported to turned quickly, readying another ray of magic as she was turning before firing it towards Twilight again. Twilight immediately retaliated with a ray of her own, causing the two rays of magic to collide. Twilight suddenly felt just how much more powerful the Changeling was as her ray began to falter under the Changeling’s superior power. Twilight dove out of the way in an effort to escape the ray of violent energy, screaming as it burned across her right side and then exploded behind her.

The force of explosion sent her sliding across the blood covered ground, soaking her coat in the fresh blood of the fallen guards. She grit her teeth in an effort to subdue the pain of her burns as she rose to her hooves, tears beginning to appear down her face from the pain. The Changeling laughed in sick pleasure which sent chills up Twilight’s spine. I can’t fight it! What in Celestia’s name should I do?

The Changeling fired another ray of magic, forcing Twilight to teleport out of harms way so that she was now beside Rainbow Dash once more who now was standing on her hooves weakly, her weight shifting from side to side as if dizzy; Twilight suspected that the head wound to Rainbow Dash’s head was the cause. Twilight noticed the Changeling charging up another ray of magic and immediately dived towards her barrier around Dash. The ray of magic missed her thankfully but the explosion did not. She screamed as the green flames licked her right side before she collided with Dash through the barrier.

Twilight, realizing she was on top of the Pegasus climbed off of her. “Sorry Rainbow Dash.” She apologized before noticing a green flame appear on the ground beside her. She gasped and turned her gaze to the Changeling outside her barrier who giggled darkly at Twilights fear and upcoming demise.

Suddenly before the Changeling could set the two ponies on fire a gold ray of powerful magic shot through the door to outside and collided with the Changeling. The Changeling screamed as it was blown through the air till it collided with the wall. The flame beside Twilight and Rainbow Dash faded and the door from outside was now in splinters. Hooves could be heard approaching, gathering Twilights attention and she smiled brightly.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed, dispelling her barrier and galloping up to her teacher. Celestia smiled lightly to her student before she examined her surroundings, finding the deceased guards stationed at the fortress as well as guards that wore the Ponyville armor. She closed her eyes and shook her head lightly at their deaths, wishing that she had arrived earlier to save them.

“Get you and the Private behind me Twilight and stay behind me.” Celestia ordered, her student hastily following the order and helping the injured Pegasus behind her teacher. The Changeling now was rising to her hooves, a savage growl originating from its throat. “Twilight, did this Changeling have a crown?”

Celestia did not receive an answer for a moment. “No Princess, it does not have a crown.” Good, that means that I won’t have to deal with any unwelcomed company.

The Changeling began to pace back and forth twenty hooves in front of Celestia, it keeping eye contact with her the entire time. She could not read its eyes but she knew what it was trying to do. Changeling Queen’s naturally had an ability to hypnotize any creature it stared at for merely five seconds but due to Celestia’s power and resistance its ability was useless.

The Changeling paused mid step before it blinked. “Interesting.” It whispered, Celestia being able to hear it due to the silence that was within the room.

“Who sent you here? I know your kind Changeling, you do not fear the Elements of Harmony like others do. You lack a crown and therefore you lack power so who sent you? Who is the mastermind behind all this death?” Celestia questioned firmly, taking two steps forward. The Changeling giggled darkly and brought a hoof to its mouth.

“I am the one in charge Celestia.” The Changeling replied, speaking her name in a tone so venomous it normally would be reserved for a lifelong enemy that one despised. This told Celestia that the Changeling had been influenced by someone, but who?

“What is your name?”

The Changeling smirked with a giggle. “I am Chrysalis.”

“That is not Changeling, who gave you this name?” Celestia questioned before the Changeling hissed and fired a ray of green magic. With a simple thought Celestia fired a ray of magic of her own, it immediately overpowering the Changeling’s and caused both rays of magic to hit the Changeling’s horn. The Changeling screamed as it fell back from the force, its body stiff for a full second.

Faster than anypony could see Celestia galloped forward. She stomped her hoof down on the Changeling’s chest and charged a ray of magic up that could incinerate this insect. The Changeling froze for a moment, fear showing in its facial features. “Tell me, who sent you or I will incinerate you!” demanded Celestia in her Canterlot voice. The Changeling looked from Celestia’s face to her horn before it giggled.

Its body began to fade into nothing more than a shadow on the ground. Celestia froze, recognizing this magic as the Changeling, now simply a shadow on the floor travelled across the room. There is absolutely no way… Its not possible.

Celestia noticed the Changeling stop at Twilight and the Private before it materialized once more. The Changeling hissed with fury as its horn glowed, stating its intent on killing Twilight. “No!” Celestia shouted before she fired a powerful blast of magic, managing to hit the Changeling before it could strike Twilight down. The Changeling screamed as the ray hit it, causing it to fall to the side from the force.

The moment before the Changeling hit the floor however it ignited and incinerated in a blink. To many they would have assumed that the Changeling had died but Celestia knew that it was simply a trick. The Changeling that she had just shot had not been real, the real one most likely had escaped already.

Twilight galloped up to Princess Celestia with a face irradiating excitement. “Princess Celestia you killed it!” She exclaimed but Celestia shook her head.

“No Twilight, it deceived me and escaped by making me think it was attempting to kill you. I should not have acted so hastily or I would have seen its deception.” Celestia then turned to Twilight, a question on mind.  “Twilight, did it ever find the Elements?”

Twilight shook her head, bringing relief to her which she expressed with a sigh. “Good.”

Celestia then approached the Pegasus who gave a bow but grimaced at the pain it brought. “What is your name?” Celestia questioned, examining her injured wing to know if it was serious or not.

“Rainbow Dash your majesty.”

“Twilight, get Rainbow Dash to the hospital immediately. I will be collecting the Elements of Harmony. You yourself should get help as well, those burns may get infected.” Celestia ordered, receiving a nod from her student before they teleported away, leaving Celestia to go collect the Elements and then get some soldiers here to collect the deceased.

“So let me get this straight. You spent two hours there, when it only should have taken twenty minutes. The reason why it took so long was due to you torturing your victims instead of simply killing them. Am I correct so far?” Nightmare Moon questioned, receiving a small nod from her Changeling daughter. “Then reinforcements arrived, you handled them quickly but then you wasted your time playing patty cake with a Unicorn till my sister arrived. She then proceeded to defeat you in how long was it?” She asked, knowing the answer but wanting her daughter to say it for her.

Chrysalis hesitated, causing Nightmare Moon to grow impatient though before she could speak Chrysalis did so. “A-about four minutes….”

“Four minutes…” Began Nightmare Moon, allowing it to brew in the atmosphere for a few moments. She examined her surroundings and purposely kept her gaze away from Chrysalis. They were in a old Changeling hive, one that had been burned out a few centuries ago by a settlement close by. She had found it shortly after finding Chrysalis and it had made a perfect home. She enjoyed the throne that was left over though she had modified it slightly to make it less… Changeling. She looked to her right to find Umbra looking straight at Chrysalis. She was unsure if Umbra was smiling or angry, it was hard to tell even for her when the whole cheek on the left side of Umbra’s face was missing.

Feeling that the silence had gone on long enough she proceeded. “Did you use your dark arts?” Chrysalis once more hesitated, annoying Nightmare. “Chrysalis, I asked you a question.” Nightmare Moon pressed, leaning forward slightly.

Chrysalis growled.

The atmosphere immediately changed. All seven of the Nightguards seemed to tense up, their yellow eyes immediately turning to Nightmare Moon. Chrysalis however had a look of absolute dread, knowing that she had made a mistake.

“What did you just do?” Nightmare Moon asked with a voice colder than ice.

“I-I…” was the only thing Chrysalis could say before Nightmare Moon, faster than Chrysalis could react raced forward and collided with Chrysalis. Chrysalis fell to the ground and immediately felt a hoof slam down on her throat. She looked up to her mothers eyes which now were glowing a bright white and full of anger.

“You little foal! I have given you everything throughout your life. All the love you could ask for and all the food you wished and this is how you thank me?” Nightmare Moon questioned sinisterly. Chrysalis tried to plead as tears began to roll down her face but she couldn’t, she was now suffocating from her mothers hoof on her throat. Nightmare Moon stepped off of Chrysalis after a few more moments, allowing her to gasp for air.

“You have been spoiled, something I should have noticed years ago. You have never had to search for your own food, you have never had to survive on your own. That needs to change my dear daughter. From this day forth you are exiled!”

“Exiled!?” Chrysalis screamed in shock and horror, immediately rising to her hooves in protest.

“Yes and if you come back before you prove to me that you have learned what it means to survive I’ll kill you.”

She began to cry. “But you can’t exile me! I’m your daughter!”

“Oh? I just did, take what you can and then get out of my sight!” Nightmare Moon growled before Chrysalis’ face changed to one of hatred.

“If I die?” Chrysalis asked, spitting the question out. Nightmare Moon chose to ignore it and chuckled lightly.

“Then you’re pathetic, If you want to earn a spot by my side Chrysalis and earn my respect you’ll have to survive. Otherwise you’re simply dust beneath my hoof.”

Chrysalis stayed silent before she turned around and began to leave, Nightmare Moon watching her go till she disappeared from sight around a corner that led up to the surface.

“My Princess.” Umbra said, her being the only one allowed to do so without being spoken to first due to her rank.

“Yes?”

“Do you believe Chrysalis will survive alone?”

Nightmare Moon thought for a moment as she began to walk away, Umbra following beside her. “I do not know in all honesty; nor do I honestly care. If she survives she will have my respect, if she dies then she was worthless.”

Umbra stayed silent for a moment as she thought. “My Princess what of Celestia? Surely Chrysalis used her Dark Arts. According to my knowledge only you and King Sombra knew Dark Arts.”

Nightmare Moon clenched her jaw for a moment with anger. Chrysalis you foolish foal. “Umbra I have a task for you.”

“Yes my Princess?”

“You are going to Equestria.” Nightmare Moon explained, receiving a dark smile from the one half of Umbra’s face that could smile.

“I will pack my things.” Umbra spoke before bowing and leaving Nightmare Moon’s side.