Fallen From The Light

Chapters

II - Baptism Through Blood
III - Preparation
IV - Nightmares of the Risen
I - The Fall of Magic

II - Baptism Through Blood

Luna walked through the castle halls, flanked on either side by pegasi of the Night Guard. She entered Celestia's private dining room to find Celestia awaiting her arrival, slumped partially onto the stout wooden table and addressed her sister. "No word yet, I take it?"

Celestia lifted her weary head, slowly shaking it. "Nay, not a whisper..." She wearily sighed, fatigue written across her features. "Oh, how I miss her. And when she does show up, I dread what we may have to do."

Luna forsook her seat in favor of comforting her sister, walking over and lifting Celestia's head with a hoof, looking her in the eyes. "Do not despair, Tia. I did not myself all those years ago, and now that it is Twilight missing, we must be strong; if not for ourselves, then for her. I fear the action we may have to take, but we will have her back." She embraced her sister, softly whispering the next words. "Twilight shall always be Twilight, regardless of what may happen."

Celestia closed her eyes and let herself be consoled by Luna. "I know, Lulu. I'm just so scared; she's become very dear to me, and her loss cuts deeply." She relaxed, then tensed up as she opened her eyes. "I will do whatever it takes to save her, and we'll finally have a chance to put that monster down, too." She eased out of Luna's embrace, looking at the plate of food half picked over. "I'm not feeling too hungry anymore. Shall we go see what Shining has gathered today?"

A small smile crossed Luna's face as her sister's despair lifted. "Very well. It was going to be my next stop before the night court anyways. That stallion has been running the guards into the ground; hopefully he has something for us this evening."

Luna and Celestia walked through the castle down to the lower levels, where the barracks and jail where situated. Entering into the command room, they walked onto a scene of organized chaos. Even with night rapidly approaching, guards filled the room, exchanging reports, organizing one of the many filled boards with reports tacked to them, and running errands. At the center of it all stood Shining Armor, creases on his brow caused by stress making themselves known.

"I want companies Bravo and Delta to have three search parties ready to go for tomorrow morning, by the sun's rising! Ensure they take sectors romeo two through sierra six, and I want a report for every sector!" he barked out as he bent over a table in the center, a quill furiously writing over parchment before the paper joined a large stack next to him.

"Good evening, Captain Armor. Any news?" Luna asked, everypony ignoring their presence as they carefully made their way to the table.

Shining briefly glanced up from his parchment before moving his head back down to focus on the reports in front of him as he growled out his answer. "None yet, and it's beginning to frustrate me! Every method we've used for locating her have failed! We've tried triangulating her magical signature, nothing. Tried tracking the enchanted earring I gave her specifically in case something like this happened, and nothing! Even brought in the one guard whose talent was divination, and she was stumped." He punctuated each failure with the slam of a hoof on the desk's surface, the final one leaving a small dent as he sighed.

"I see. I know we have tried the same methods as well, although I was unaware of the earring." Celestia quietly said, masking the weariness of her voice. "It must be the chaotic magic masking her presence from us."

Shining sighed once more, picking up the stack of reports with his magic and cramming them into a small folder. "Yes, that's the conclusion we've come to." He turned and finally faced them both. "But we also have equally disturbing reports. We have her presence narrowed down to the Everfree Forest, although truthfully, it's so large that doesn't tell us much. However," his hoof pointed towards a nearby board, its surface nearly plastered with reports, "all of those reports are casualty reports. Search patrols have encountered timberwolves that are roughly sixty percent larger than normal, as well as manticores that are thirty percent larger. We've already had to cut down on the number of patrols and increase the size of the parties, but even so, we've had numerous injuries."

He picked up another folder and opened it, revealing its lone piece of paper. "Even the zebra mystic Twilight knows reports that the plants of the forest are becoming less responsive to her; some outside force is exerting its influence on the forest as a whole. Whatever, or whoever, is behind this... it's no joke."

Celestia shot Luna a knowing look, and opened her mouth to speak. However, before she could utter a word, a resounding crash sounded out as branches of an apple tree struck the desk in front of them, accompanied by a chromatic burst of light. Everypony paused, the room deathly quiet as Celestia and Luna's eyes widened in shock.

"Twilight!" Celestia exclaimed first, immediately turning to Shining. "Captain, I need you to prepare a company to secure Ponyville against any potential threat, and I want them deployed as soon as possible. My sister and I will be going in advance and will await your arrival."

Without a word, Luna moved next to Celestia, their tails intertwining as their eyes closed, a destination in mind. As one, their eyes popped open, flowing with power as their horns radiated light, and they were gone from sight, a white afterimage the only evidence of their visit.

"Twilight, is that you?" Applejack nervously asked, eying the mare in front of her.

With a deep and rich laugh, Twilight levitated the stetson hat off the ground, her normally violet magic a vibrant red coloration. Setting it down on top of her head, she simply smiled, her fangs readily obvious. "Oh, Applejack. Is that anyway to greet a friend?" With a quick motion, a pair of wings the same shade of her coat unfurled, the lack of feathers increasing Applejack's heart rate.

"A-Are those wings, sugarcube? H-How in tarnation?" Applejack stammered out as she slowly backpedaled from Twilight, who closed the distance with a single flap of her leathery wings, the stetson fluttering off in the breeze.

Twilight licked her lips, the saliva causing her fangs to glint even more in the moonlight. "I take it you like them? You can have your own, you know. Kind of why I'm here, really." She walked up to Applejack's side, tenderly nuzzling her frozen friend's neck, then dragged her tongue from the base to the nape of her neck.

Applejack violently shivered at the intimate contact, her mind yelling at her to move, but her body refusing to comply. "W-What done happened to you; we've been worried sick this last week," she managed to stammer out, causing Twilight to take a half step back and look her in the eyes.

"Oh, it was wonderful. I met an amazing stallion who gave me such power. I mean, I'd always asked or worked for stuff when I wanted it, but now..." She moved back in and nipped at Applejack's neck, her voice slightly muffled by the fur, "I know that I have the power to simply take what I want, and when I want it. And, Applejack, I want you..."

Twilight sank her fangs into Applejack's neck, the warm blood quickly filling her mouth as Applejack began to grunt in response. Twilight revelled as she drank the magically rich blood, enjoying it as much as the involuntary sounds coming from Applejack. Slowly removing her fangs, she licked the bite mark, causing it to quickly fade as if it had never been there. Pulling back, she noted the dazed look on Applejack's face.

"Sleep now, AJ. I'll be back for you once I've got the other girls." Twilight stared into her eyes, her words weighted by a hypnotic gaze as Applejack's eyelids quickly closed and she collapsed to the ground. Licking the last remnants of blood from her fangs, Twilight wickedly smiled. "One down, four to go."

Two forms streaking through the night sky forced her focus to them. Twilight began laughing madly, shooting up a small flare of red. The two figures in the sky immediately corrected their course, headed directly for her. "Oh, fun!"

The two alicorns came in hot, forming depressions in the ground as they landed. “Twilight!" Luna called out, ready to run to her side, but halted as she noticed the glowing eyes and wings.

"Her eyes, Luna. It's going to have to be the hard way." Celestia calmly spoke, preparing herself for a fight. "Twilight... forgive me for what I am going to do. I know that you can hear me."

A tittering laugh erupted from Twilight's mouth at the words being exchanged. "Oh, looksee here! It's Little Luna and her big sis Celestia! Long time no see!" Twilight's voice rang out, multi-layered.

"Redamarc." Luna growled the name, hatred dripping from her words like venom. Her legs tensed as she subconsciously shifted into a fighting stance. "Return Twilight to us, and we may make your destruction swift."

Laughter greeted her words, a wide grin forming on Twilight's face as Redamarc spoke through her. "Oh, Little Luna. I see the time on the moon has made you stiff. No pleasantries, no hellos, just straight to business, I see. Lighten up some, enjoy yourself! Afterall, it's not everyday your ole pal Red decides to come and pay you a visit!"

"Monster." Celestia quietly spoke, her tone a stark contrast to the fire that burned in her eyes. "As Luna said. If you return Twilight to us now, we’ll promise to make your ending swift. Otherwise," Celestia stood tall, her words filled with hatred, "we'll hunt you down, and I'll enjoy seeing you slowly die at my hooves."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Twilight waved a hoof back in forth as he repeated the words a few times. "I must say, those wings are rather ugly." Twilight let out a weird warbling laugh. "And why would I want to 'return' this thrall to you? I quite like her, she's very powerful. Plus, I have some revenge to see to. I hope you enjoy this first gift of many!" The jovial tone disappeared, Twilight taking a fighting stance, her wings spread out at her sides. The next word was spoken aloud, although there was no need to.

"Kill."

Twilight launched forward, her red eyes glowing and her sharpened horn glowing red as nearby branches were lifted from the ground, following behind her. Luna and Celestia split to each side of her charge and raised shields, the limbs splintering against them. With a flap of her wings, Twilight neatly turned in the air, coming at Luna's backside.

Luna, startled at the dexterity Twilight showed, suffered the clip of a hoof against her flank as she moved to dodge. Twilight taunted her as Luna put some distance between them. "Hah, a little slow there, Luna! You're the one who taught me how to fight, I thought you could handle a flying opponent!"

Luna forced herself to remain calm and in control; it would do no good to get angry. After all, this was Twilight, and her goal was to save her, not kill. She caught Celestia's eyes and briefly nodded, the duo taking to the sky as they levitated some of the larger branches littering the ground.

"Oh, fun!" Twilight exclaimed, swooping in close to Celestia. She had to shift at the last moment to try and avoid a branch from Luna as well as Celestia's horn, which came dangerously close to her side.

"Twilight, I know you can hear us! Fight him!" Celestia desperately pleaded, her horn igniting with its golden aura as she prepared a spell. She carefully followed Twilight; Celestia was having a difficult time getting a bead on her.

Laughter rang out as Celestia was forced to abandon her spell in favor of a shield once more as apples were turned into improvised projectiles. Normally, they wouldn't be an issue, but one that missed her embedded itself into the trunk of a tree. "Oh, but I am fighting! I'm fighting you, aren't I?"

"ENOUGH!" Luna boomed out, her horn glowing, the magic almost tangible in the air around her. As she gathered more power, her eyes began to glow, the spell discharging moments later. The few clouds in the sky gave way under the sudden onslaught of wind as a concentrated cone made its way towards Twilight.

Tucking her wings into her sides, Twilight skimmed the top of the cone as she skipped across its surface, much like a pebble on water. The next gust of wind knocked her to the ground, where she landed gracefully on all four hooves.

Celestia tried sneaking up behind Twilight, her previously abandoned spell ready to go. As Twilight landed, Celestia discharged the magic, the electrical bolt headed for its mark. At the last moment, Twilight moved, causing it to simply graze her flank as she cried out in pain.

Luna landed next to Celestia and faced Twilight, who was attempting to shake off the numbing sensation that had spread to encompass her left flank. "I'll try to subdue her; it hopefully won't take much more." She spoke softly, undercurrents of emotional pain in her voice.

Celestia just nodded, looking up briefly to the moon. "When I give the signal, you know what you need to do, right?"

"Yes," was the only word Luna spoke as she dove for Twilight; who was starting to dive at her. She struck Twilight head on, her hooves colliding with the smaller mare's side, causing yet another cry of pain. Luna internally cringed as she closed the distance once more for what she hoped was the final blow.

Celestia hung back, watching and waiting for the opportune moment to reenter the fray. She watched as Luna retaliated against a wild swing at her with a controlled flap of her wings, bringing her to Twilight's flank. A quick two strikes from her hooves connected with Twilight, causing Celestia to cringe.

Twilight was panting heavily, her side still numb, and her right rear hoof hovering off the ground as she turned to face Luna on three hooves. She flapped her wings to go airborne, but was quickly dropped back to the ground as a spell affected her immediate area. Her body felt heavy, her wings unable to take her weight to the sky.

Celestia saw her opening and went for it, launching herself forward. Grasping Twilight in her hooves, the impact knocked the breath out of Twilight as Celestia immediately decelerated.

Luna came over and helped Celestia secure Twilight, her back to the ground and her wings anchored at her sides. Twilight attempted to struggle, but her physical and magical strength were both exhausted from the short, but intensive fight. Luna took full control of her bonds, freeing Celestia to do what she needed to do in order to free Twilight from Redamarc's control.

Celestia's eyes shifted from cerise to a deep red as they began to glow. "Now, Luna." Celestia raised both of her forelegs to her mouth, two sharp fangs protruded from her lips as she carefully bit into each forehoof, a small trickle of blood beginning to pool in the wounds. Her fangs disappeared as she carefully lowered her forehooves to Twilight's head, her magic holding Twilight's mouth open.

"Virtus ex sanguis datarius, voluntas erit redeo!" She dripped the blood into Twilight mouth, where it splashed against the back of her throat. After a few moments, Twilight involuntarily swallowed. Celestia held her hooves there as the self-inflicted wounds began to heal, the last of the blood splattering in Twilight's mouth. "It's done, Luna..."

Luna moved to support Celestia, who slumped over in exhaustion. Celestia weakly smiled at Luna, who removed her magic from Twilight. "It should only take a few more–" Celestia was cut off as Twilight became stiff as a board, her eyes snapping open, showing the deep red color of her eyes slowly bleed back to their original lavender color. A scream passed through her lips, her coat regaining some of its color, her wings snapping open, rigid. Along the main bone structure of her wings, from the base to the very tip, pegasus feathers began to sprout, her coat finally stopping just a shade or two shy of its original lavender color. Her eyes were now back to their normal color, with the exception of a small cerise ring near the very center of each pupil. The feathers stopped growing, the same color as her coat and wings, looking extremely out of place on the otherwise leathery appendages.

Twilight was still as Celestia and Luna watched, their breath held nervously. A groan erupted from her, causing them both to let out a loud sigh of relief. Twilight's eyes focused and took in the sisters over her, concern evident in their eyes.

"Oooohhh...." Twilight groaned, pain radiating from every muscle in her body. "I had the strangest dream..." She paused, taking in her surroundings, noting the destruction of the orchard around her, the unconscious Applejack and Spike in the distance, and Luna and Celestia over her, both looking extremely tired. Finally, she looked to either side of her, noting the appendages attached to her sides, and raised her hooves to her mouth, where they were greeted by two sharp teeth.

"Oh, horseapples."

Author's Note

Uh... yeah. I'll just go sit in the corner and pretend I didn't take this long to get this chapter out. Truly sorry on the long wait folks, really am. I've got no excuse behind it though. I'll see about working on the third chapter (Titled Nightmares of the Risen) sometime really soon. Also. I suck with action scenes.

Thanks for your patience, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Latin Phrase is supposed to be "Strength of blood given, will be returned"

III - Preparation

Celestia and Luna surveyed their immediate surroundings, noting the destruction caused by the confrontation. A few dead trees were a small price to pay to bring Twilight’s mind back, even if they would have an interesting time attempting to explain the damage to the unconscious Applejack. Luna walked over and examined her closely.

“She’ll be fine after she gets some fluids in her once she comes to, Celestia. Just missing some blood, but no worse for the wear.” Luna looked over to Spike. “I believe the little one is simply exhausted from the spell you bound to him, after all, it is much more burdensome than a mere scroll.”

Celestia listened to Luna’s words as she held Twilight close to her in her hooves, examining her. “That’s good to hear. We’ll definitely have to explain this to Applejack before we leave for Canterlot. Twilight will no doubt be unconscious for a few hours, it took nearly all I had to free her from his influence and she needs her rest now. I dread what he did to her during this past week...” She drearily sighed, taking a small comfort in the steady beating of Twilight’s heart as she rest a hoof on her neck, working a spell to hide Twilight’s new wings with her magic.

Movement quickly drew their attention, causing Celestia to instinctively move a wing to cover Twilight from view. Moments later a massive red stallion drew into sight, his gaze on the damaged trees. His jaw dropped as he took notice of the princesses, and concern crossed his face as he noticed Luna standing next to Applejack.

“What... happened here?” Mac cautiously asked as Luna allowed herself to relax.

“Do not fear, Big Macintosh. There was a potential threat to your sister and Twilight, but it has been neutralized. Even though they and Spike are both unconscious, they did not come to harm. Might you help us carry them back to your house while we await the arrival of our guards?” Luna calmly asked Mac, looking at Celestia from the corner of her eye.

While Mac’s attention was on Luna, Celestia quickly brought forth a simple illusion spell, laying it on Twilight. Taking a quick look beneath her wing confirmed the magic worked, and she withdrew her wing from around Twilight.

Mac hesitantly answered Luna, moving next to his sister. “Sure can, Princess. I’ll get Applejack, if you two could follow me?” He wormed his way under Applejack to get her onto his back, her steady breathing and unharmed appearance doing much to calm him down.

Luna gently grasped Spike within her magic, Celestia carefully taking Twilight within hers, and the trio made their way to the Apple’s house. On the way, Celestia copied a trick she had learned from her sister and reached out with her mind, seeking out one stallion in particular. Finding it, she gently brought her magic to touch his mind.

Captain Armor. We’re at the Apple homestead. Come in quietly as the threat has been contained for now. Nothing further expected at this time; however, be prepared to transport the Elements back with us. We have Twilight. Celestia awaited confirmation from Shining, holding the spell open so that he could reply.

Understood. ETA is seven minutes, Princess. Shining, out. Celestia severed the connection between them, her attention turning back towards the mare that lay within her magic.

"They're roughly seven minutes out, Luna. I want Shining to gather to gather the Elements and have them brought to Canterlot, at least for now." Celestia continued to gaze at Twilight, her cracked composure showing concern to any who might look.

Before Luna could reply, a rainbow blur came to a screeching halt in front of them. "I heard a lot of noise, and then I saw the orchard... what the buck happened?! " Rainbow asked, eyes going from half lidded to fully open in shock as her tired mind finally noticed the unconscious ponies and dragon.

"Rainbow Dash, I must ask you to quickly rouse your friends from their rest and have them gather at Rarity's. We will explain everything later, but we need you to do this for us, and as soon as possible." Luna paused, a thought coming across her mind. "And, should Rarity give any trouble, simply speak the phrase 'Nocti Lunum,' it should cease any words she might try to get in edgewise."

Rainbow looked at Luna oddly, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Okay, can do, Princess... Will they be alright?" she asked, unwilling to depart before knowing how her friends were doing.

"Yes," Luna quickly replied, watching as Rainbow zoomed off before the last of the word had left her lips. Turning to Celestia as they walked into the Apple household, she quietly spoke under her breath. "That should keep them safe, so long as no other moves were planned by him tonight. We can only pray they don't become too involved."

Mac directed them to a couch in the living room, where he gently set Applejack down. Luna gently levitated Spike to rest on the couch as well, but Celestia opted to sit down and hold Twilight herself. "Thank you, Big Macintosh. I assure you, she will be fine and should wake soon," she spoke, attempting to assure the still skittish stallion. "However," she continued on, "we will need her to come to Canterlot with the rest of the Elements so that we may discuss what happened tonight. Any damages to the orchard will be covered by the crown as well."

A short five minutes later, with the only event being Mac chasing Applebloom back into bed, a quick rap on the door alerted Celestia and Luna to the arrival of the guards. Shining Armor quickly and quietly entered the premises, his eyes locking on to Twilight as he walked into the room. "Twilight..." He turned to both princesses, saluting. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I have on hoof the entirety of Bravo company with me. We also have additional carriages waiting for yourselves and the Elements." He relaxed, looking at his sister. "How is she?"

Celestia serenely smiled, her composure under her control once more. "She will be okay... for now." She ran a hoof through Twilight's mane, a calming motion to her. Looking up, she addressed Shining to his face. "However, for now, we must make haste to Rarity's boutique and collect the Elements." Celestia levitated Spike onto her back as they got up, soft snores emanating from his still form.

Shining Armor escorted them all to a carriage that awaited outside, both night and day guards flanking the sides. Both groups quickly saluted the group as they loaded into the carriage. Shining offered to carry Twilight, but Celestia declined, holding the mare close to her.

A short trip later brought them to Rarity's house. Lights on inside showed that at least some of the ponies they were gathering were already present. Luna knocked on the door, an extremely tired Rarity answering it. "Oh, Princess Luna, do come in! Everypony has already arrived, even dear Fluttershy is here. She came over earlier by chance, something about her bear friend chasing off some wolves."

Luna and Celestia entered the house to a scene of relative calm and concern. The only pony who appeared to be truly awake was Pinkie; the rest were all bleary eyed, the aroma of coffee and tea mingling in the air. "Good evening, everypony," Celestia stated, all attention on her and Luna. "No doubt, you all are wondering why we had Rainbow Dash gather you all at such a late hour."

Nodding heads met Celestia's question, who carefully moved a wing out of the way to show the still unconscious Twilight on her back. "A situation has arisen, and as such, we will need to bring all of you to Canterlot to stay for some time." Concerned looks filled the room, all focused on Twilight as Celestia continued speaking. "We're not certain how long this visit will be, but the safety of the Elements is our top priority. We cannot allow anymore of you to come to any harm.

“Twilight was hurt, but thankfully Luna and I were able to reverse the hold on her mind. She didn’t come through unchanged though... she’ll need all the support from you all that she can get,” she quietly explained before dropping the magic disguising Twilight’s changes. Gasps filled the air, but Celestia held up a hoof to ensure nopony spoke, the only sound that of Spike’s snores. “I just wanted you to be aware of this first. We need to get to Canterlot as quickly as possible, so the full explanation can wait until then. Just know that she is the same Twilight you have known all this time.”

Without another word, Celestia reapplied the spell disguising Twilight and lifted her up with magic before walking outside. She gently brought Twilight and Spike back to the carriage, the rest of the mares following in a line behind her. Sweetie Belle on Rarity's back got a few questioning glances, but nopony said a word. Luna was the last to leave, a large wooden case grasped within her magic as she closed the door to Rarity’s house. Quietly, they loaded into three separate carriages and departed into the night sky, flanked by pegasi guards, as they headed for Canterlot.

Twilight awoke in an odd place. She was within a cuboid space that was dimly lit, nothing but a dark void beyond it, held back by an invisible force. Quietly walking up to one of the walls of the cube she found herself contained in, she probed it with a single hoof. On contact, ripples radiated outwards, the dark blue surface feeling cold, yet comforting. On the other side, darkness rushed to where she had touched, but it was unable to breach the barrier.

The mare let out a sigh, sitting down in the center of the cube after thoroughly probing each wall, swirling a hoof on the floor in boredom. She couldn't recall much of anything beyond bits and pieces of what seemed a nightmare, and no matter how hard she tried to remember, nothing came to her.

"Twilight Sparkle..." A voice sadly spoke, startling her as she jumped to her hooves. Two mares looked at her as they seemingly appeared from one of the walls, sadness and hope in their expressions.

"Luna, Celestia? What's going on? I recall having this really bad nightmare, but..." She trailed off, recalling the brief moment of lucidity she’d had, and what she had witnessed. Looking over herself, she noted a distinct lack of wings, fangs, and any other things to mark her as different, but she knew that the moment she had experienced was no such dream. "That was real, wasn't it?" she asked sadly with a forlorn look on her face.

Celestia rushed forward to hug her, warmth spreading through Twilight at the contact. "Oh, Twilight. We had thought you lost... I am truly sorry, all of this is my fault." Twilight leaned into her embrace, even though she was uncertain as to what Celestia meant.

Luna walked to her sister, waiting for Celestia to break her embrace with Twilight. "We are inside your mind at the moment, Twilight. You are currently unconscious within our castle."

Twilight looked around, noting the cube's walls were the same color as Luna's magic, and put the connection together. "Did you put a shield up in my mind? That's what this is, right?"

Celestia cringed slightly as Luna began talking. "Yes, I've kept a constant barrier here in your mind since Celestia freed you from another’s control. We were occupied taking measures to protect your friends and needed to ensure that we would be here when your mind awoke once more," she explained, resting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder for a brief moment.

Twilight simply looked between the two of them, confusion, sadness, and a whole range of emotions running through her face. "I... fought you two, didn't I? And I drank Applejack's..." Twilight trailed off, turning somewhat green at the memory of her actions. A hoof rubbing her back did little to help her disposition though.

Silence reigned for the next few minutes as Twilight worked her nerves back up, unsure just what to say. The warmth of Luna and Celestia, even if this was only in her mind, helped her keep it together. Finally, she broke the silence that had descended on them. "Is Applejack... Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes," Celestia gently replied, the one word giving Twilight much relief, even if it was only a drop in the bucket.

"So..." Twilight let the word hang in the air, unsure of where to even start at.

Luna looked to Celestia, who gave a small nod. The barrier's color became two-toned, a golden cube starting to form within the confines of the larger, dark blue one. Once the color finished shifting to purely gold, Luna spoke up. "Twilight, I must depart before you confront your memories. I am afraid that at this time I would not be of much help here. My sister, on the other hoof..." she trailed off, a look of pity directed towards Twilight. "Try and keep her safe, Tia."

Luna faded from view as she removed herself from Twilight's mind, leaving Celestia behind. "Twilight, I..." She hesitated, anguish marring her features. "I won't try to sugarcoat it, Twilight... Once I lower this shield, all of your memories from the past week will come flowing back. While you were missing from us, you will remember all of them," she painfully spoke, closing her eyes for a brief moment. “I have no doubt that a week within Tartarus would leave you with less horrors to confront.”

Twilight's eyes widened in shock as she listened. "But, I attacked Applejack... what could be worse? I already feel awful about that..." she anxiously spoke, her ears flattening against her skull in response to her emotions.

Celestia unexpectedly embraced her, quietly talking into her ear. "Yes, it will be much, much worse that that, Twilight. I am sorry, if I could, I would take these memories and keep them under lock and key, but... the longer we delay this, the worse it'll be, if that is even possible." Celestia broke the embrace, but left a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. "I'll do my best to ensure that they only come to you one at a time, Twilight, so that you can have the easiest time processing them. Just know, though, that no matter what is revealed, and I mean no matter what... I will not blame you for anything nor think less of you."

The cube's color slowly dimmed, becoming thinner as Celestia began to cut back on the power feeding it. "Again, I'm sorry, Twilight. I will be here the entire time, I promise," she quietly spoke as the cube began to collapse, the shadows pushing at the slowly failing barrier. Without a sound it simply disintegrated, the void rushing in to encompass them both.

IV - Nightmares of the Risen

Twilight’s head pounded hard as consciousness slowly returned to her. Her mind felt heavy, weighed down by an unknown force as she tried to recall the last thing she remembered. Luna and her had just fended off a large pack of timberwolves that had been acting extremely odd, and Celestia had arrived moments after they’d finished fighting. She had called out to Twilight, but her mind failed to grasp what Celestia had said. The last thing she could remember was complete darkness, and a coldness that seeped all the way down to her bone.

The headache slowly subsided as Twilight pulled her attention from the past to the present. Her eyes still closed, she focused on the scents around her. A heavy, earthen musk filled her nostrils with each breath in, that combined with an almost imperceptible dripping noise of what Twilight presumed to be water meant that she was somewhere underground. Lingering on top of that was the faintest traces of burning wax and wick, telling her that candles were nearby.

As her eyes slowly opened, she let out a small groaned as she tensed her muscles, feeling restraints on each leg and her neck and barrel, severely limiting her mobility as she lay on a hard surface, belly down. Rather than panic, the rational side of her mind won out as she tried to examine her surroundings. Through her somewhat blurry vision she could make out a rough, natural stone ceiling which only reinforced her idea of being below ground. The faintest bit of light filled the cavern she was in, the candles only illuminating a few feet before fading into darkness.

Twilight tested her restraints as she blinked a few times to clear her vision, trying to pull on her magic, only for a cold sensation to wash over her horn, a sure sign of a magical inhibitor. She went still as her clearer vision revealed some finer details that she couldn’t see at first. Carved into the ceiling were a series of intricate runes in an unknown language. In the runes were what appeared to be five definite points that could only be magical receptacles, but she had no clue as to their purpose.

“Ah, good… You’re finally awake,” a male’s voice purred from the darkness, its direction indeterminable as it seemed to come from everyone at once. “Twilight Sparkle. Student of the oh-so illustrious Princess Celestia,” he spoke in a dark tone, sounding almost clinical if it weren’t for the mocking laughter that had preceded Celestia’s name.

Shivering as the voice seemed to penetrate her very being, Twilight frantically looked around, trying to find the speaker in the darkness. “H-hello? Who’s there? What’s going on?!” she frantically called out, not able to spot even the eyes of the creature who had spoken.

The shadows themselves seemed to coalesce into a figure just outside of the light, a pair of red, reptilian eyes leering at her as whatever he was stayed just out of range of the candles. They slowly circled Twilight as fear began to flood her system. Only after completing a full circle did they finally move into the light, revealing a crimson colored dragon just larger than Celestia. “Why, it’s me, of course!” he spoke, as if Twilight should be aware of him.

“We have a treaty with the dragons… You can’t do this, it’s a v-violation of it!” she sputtered out, her eyes noting how the candlelight danced off his scaled much like Spike’s did after a polishing. Twilight pushed against her restraints as he moved closer, eyeing her up as one would a potential meal.

A deep, rumbling laugh that chilled Twilight to her core emanated from his mouth. “You mean those weaklings of a once-proud race who now see ponies as equals? As if I stand with them anymore!” He reached out and traced a claw from the base of Twilight’s neck to her chin. “You see, I plan to have myself some fun... and it starts by having my way with you!”

Twilight began to struggle as much as she could against her bonds, her pupils heavily dilating as fear flooded her. She had never felt more defenseless in her entire life, at least when confronting Nightmare Moon she’d had friends around her. But now, she was alone, no magic at her disposal, and at the mercy of this dragon. “N-no, anything but that!” she stammered out.

He continued to critically examine her, tracing his claw from her chin down her body and over her flank, stopping at one of the wounds that had scabbed over from the fight with the timberwolves. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, savoring her fear as he opened them to look at her face. “And just exactly what is it that you think I plan to do?” he asked with a bit of disgust in his voice. Before she could even have a chance to answer him, he spoke back up, applying a bit of pressure to the wound, but not breaking it. “Certainly not sex, as your mind seems to have jumped to. After all, you’re just a pony,” he said the word with utter contempt, his lips curled in a sneer as he punctuated the word with a stab into her would, opening it back up.

As Twilight lightly screamed in pain, he brought the red-coated claw to his mouth and sucked on it, cleaning the blood off. “Mmmm… so delicious,” he remarked, going back for another taste as he dug into her side again. He moved to where she could see him, and he leered at Twilight. “You see, you’re so far beneath me, you truly have no idea… I’m a dragon, you’re a pony. Prey. Food,” he let the word linger in the air as he licked the blood off his claw again, bathing in Twilight’s fear and pain.

“I had originally planned on simply killing you, but I’ve since come up with a better idea… You’re going to make a lovely pawn, my prey. Why, I think I might even have you try to turn against your teacher and do your best to kill her… or perhaps one of your friends, hmm? So many choices, it’s so hard to make a decision!” he gloated over her, taunting and digging at her deepest fear.

Twilight found a bit of conviction as his words really dug into her. “You can’t turn me against any of them! I’d never harm any of them, never!” Thought filled with her newfound conviction, it was impossible to hide the uncertainty from her words, which caused the dragon to laugh.

“Oh, that’s only what you think, my pawn…” he trailed off as his taunting words were replaced with archaic mutterings, a language that was oddly melodic, yet just by hearing it she knew that it was wrong, an abomination to everything she knew.

The words continued to fill the air, the abominable melody starting off quiet, nothing more than a mere murmur, but quickly crescendoing as the cadance shifted, the words coming out quicker and quicker. Overhead, the five focal points in the runes began to glow, a black color that slowly faded towards a bright red in color.

Pain began to fill her, a trickle at first, but growing in intensity as the vile words continued. She lost all concept of time, only aware of the pain flooding her body and the evil melody that seemed to fill every pore of her being. Twilight was barely aware of the fact that he had grabbed her mouth, forcing a goblet filled with something into her mouth. She reflexively swallowed it all down in a single gulp as he held her mouth shut and pinched her nose, and then the pain erupted to heights she didn’t even existed.

Her body felt like it was warping, objects erupting from her back as everything within her seemed to shift, her screams filling the air as his twin pools of magma simply stared at her in sick pleasure. Eventually, the twisting sensation slowly dissipated, leaving Twilight on the verge of unconsciousness as the dark magic finished its work. She was barely aware of a few words, ones which seemed to echo inside her very mind before she passed out.

“You. Are. Mine.”

Twilight came to slowly, pain coming from every joint in her body, including quite a few she had never even been aware of. Her mind still seemed muddled, perhaps even moreso now than previously, as if somepony had drizzled a large amount of molasses on it. Slowly, she opened her eyes and groaned, trying to get her hooves under her as she looked around her.

She was in a cell of some sort, thick iron bars running from the ceiling to the ground, looking as if the bars had been present long before the small cell had been formed. Haphazardly, she managed to stand up, her entire body protesting her actions as Twilight groaned in pain, a gnawing feeling in her gut as something at her side shocked her.

Craning her head to look at her side, her eyes widened as she locked up, a wing at her side, one just like the Night Guards that Luna had. A thin, leathery-looking membrane ran between the primary support structure of the wing, the edge of which twitched in time with her heartbeat, which was rapidly increasing. “W-what the…” she squeaked, coughing a few moments later from an extremely dry throat.

Before she had a chance to further examine herself, that voice from before filled the air as he seemed to appear from the very shadows. Twilight also realized that even though there wasn’t any perceivable source of light, she was able to make out every detail around here, even if the colors seemed slightly muted. “Oh, my little pawn finally awakens. You’re quite the weak one, I must say, out for a full two days… why, you must be absolutely ravenous right now!” he leered at her, pacing in front of the bars.

“W-what did you do to me, and who are you?” Twilight asked, panic tinting every syllable as her stomach grumbled, a gnawing sensation that was only made worse by having attention drawn to it. She found herself feeling a bit weak, but still able to move, the lingering pain already fading. She tried to call upon her magic, nearly grinning as she felt it flood her horn with its familiar warmth. She tried to grab his head, but the magic failed to leave her.

His toothy maw grinned from ear to ear as he laughed. “Me? I’m Redamarc, but to you, Pawn, I’m simply Master. As for what I did, well, I had my fun, of course!” Redamarc waved a paw, and Twilight felt a barrier form between her magic and herself, causing what she’d managed to pool in her horn to harmlessly dissipate. “You see, when a superior vampire, such as myself, feels like having a bit of fun, he can take a weak, inferior race and easily turn and subjugate them to his will. You are a pony, so you are obviously inferior. Now, bite your leg for me.”

Redamarc enjoyed the surprise that crossed Twilight’s face as her body began to move, her head lowering slowly to her leg as she opened her mouth. “What… s-stop, stop it!” she cried out before she bit down on her leg, feeling two sharp points.

“And you can stop now, I just wanted to prove a point, pawn,” he casually remarked, grinning at her. “See? I also suggest you don’t try and use your magic on me again, I can make it quite painful… not that it really matters, you’re completely powerless before me, pony.” He opened the cell, waving with his hand, Twilight following him moments later. “Oh, did I also mention that I can assert my power from anywhere? You’re mine, and I cannot wait to see how your so-called princess reacts to her special little student trying to rip her throat out!”

Twilight found herself unable to speak as her body followed behind Redamarc, the steps clumsy, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t resist his mental commands to follow. It was as if she were simply watching a film, unable to control the outcome of what was shown on the screen. “Now, we need to take care of that gnawing hunger of yours, the first feed is always the most important, and I’ve got food already prepared for you! Of course, you’ll still have to work a bit in order to capture it, lest you go hungry, but the instincts should take care of that little issue for you!”

Not even able to speak, Twilight found her body following him through a wide tunnel under the ground for a short time before coming out into a large, open cavern. Way up at the top was a large crack, the moon barely visible through the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest. Her gaze was brought to still form on the ground as Redamarc finally relinquished his control over her. She noticed the pale yellow wings at the mare’s side, and the teal mane, the pony somewhat familiar to her, although at the moment she couldn’t place just how she knew her, or her name.

“Now, here is your meal, Pawn,” he began speaking, that manic grin still plastered on his face. “I’m going to wake her in a minute or two, and you’ll have to catch her. If she manages to escape, well, I’ll just have to go and kill her myself, won’t I?” He began to fade into the shadows, laughing once more. “I truly doubt that will be a problem, however… bon appetit!” his taunting voice lingered in the air for a few seconds, even after he’d disappeared.

Raindrops! The mare’s name came to Twilight’s mind as she remembered where she’d seen this pony before. The mare who helped work the weather underneath Rainbow, even though Twilight had never talked to her, she remembered her now. She tried to move closer to the downed mare, but found her body not responding as that laugh echoed, this time solely in her mind.

“Now now, I can’t let you at her when she’s down, there’d be absolutely no sport or fun in that! Why, I think I’ll go on ahead and let her wake up now and then give her oh, let’s go with a fifteen second headstart!” True to his word, as his voice left her mind, Raindrops moaned.

“Oh, what’d Derpy hit me with this time…” she muttered before jumping to her hooves in alarm. “What the heck, where am I?! Twilight, is that you?!” she cried out, spotting Twilight standing a few feet away from her. “The entire town has bee— what the, are those wings?!”

Twilight’s eyes were as wide as saucers as the gnawing in her gut only intensified as Raindrop’s panic caused the mare’s heartbeat to rapidly increase, the faint sound of the pumping blood reaching Twilight’s ears. “G-go, just go! Trust me, leave and bring back the Princesses!” she frantically called out as Redamarc’s voice popped into her mind, counting down the seconds.

“Wha—”

“Just GO!” Twilight immediately cut Raindrops off, the panic in her voice causing Raindrops to jump back, her wings flaring out. “Get help, but leave now!” Raindrops nodded her head and immediately took flight, filled with fear. She had gotten a good look at Twilight, even in the dim moonlight, and she was scared from that alone.

“Three,” his voice counted down, Raindrops now only a few feet into the air, the hole in the top of the cavern easily two hundred feet above them. Each beat of wings took her further away, and Twilight tightly closed her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to fight him off.

“Two…” Twilight kept pushing against him, the sound of Raindrop’s heart slowly fading as she continued to move further away, She kept pushing, but it seemed that the more she fought, the stronger his presence in her mind became, no matter what she tried.

“One~” he taunted her, and she could just picture that damned grin on his face as she locked her muscles, head bowed towards the ground as she fought with all of her strength, refusing to attack Raindrops. The only thing she could hear were the wingbeats now, but it wasn’t enough time, she needed more time for—

“Go.” Twilight’s eyes snapped open as her conscious mind was roughly shoved aside, her legs bracing against the ground for a mere moment before pushing off with all of her might, wings outstretched as instincts took ahold. Taking to the air, Twilight looked at Raindrops, who was at most thirty feet ahead of her.

Although she flew clumsily, those thirty feet quickly closed, and as Raindrops turned her head to look at what was coming from behind, Twilight barreled into her, knocking her. Raindrops let out a yelp. “What the hell, Twilight?!” she called out, straightening herself as Twilight fell a few feet before turning to face her. The color drained from her face as she saw Twilight’s eyes, there was absolutely nothing there of the pony she knew as the town’s librarian; they were those of a predator, and there was no other way to put it.

With fear and adrenaline fueling her, Raindrops pushed with all of her might towards the rent in the ceiling, trying her best to escape. Her ears flickered around, listening for the telltale signs of another pony flying so that she could react better the next time Twilight attacked.

Twilight came directly from below her, barely missing Raindrops as she barely shifted in time to avoid Twilight’s body. A wingtip clipped her head, causing her vision to swim for a moment as Twilight circled back for another strike, her mouth bared and twin fangs exposed, the moonlight glinting off the teeth.

Raindrops cried out in pain as Twilight connected with her, this time managing to hit her outstretched wing. Momentarily losing control over it, Raindrops plunged twenty feet before catching herself, only to have Twilight land on top of her shortly after recovering from the blow. She was forced the remainder of the way down and forcibly pushed into the hard rock at a speed that would have even left Rainbow Dash dazed.

Twilight hissed at her before closing her mouth on Raindrop’s neck, sinking her fangs in and starting to greedily gulp the resulting blood. Raindrops moaned and tried to flap her wings to move, but Twilight simply struck at one of the struts with a hoof. The snapping sound from the strike caused Raindrops’ screams to fill the air as she continued to struggle, but to no avail.

Redamarc watched from the shadows with satisfaction as Raindrop’s struggles slowed, eventually ceasing altogether as the light in her eyes dimmed before being entirely snuffed out as Twilight continued to drink the blood from her neck, not even letting go when there was simply nothing left to get.

“Well done, Pawn!” he cried out in glee as he forced her to look at him, her blood soaked muzzle causing him to clap his hands in delight. “Now, one lesson down, let’s move on to the next…”

“M-monster!” Twilight sobbed out, restrained once again. Redamarc laughed and didn’t bother to silence her, he’d come to quite thoroughly enjoy everything she had to say since killing a few ponies. It’s not like they mattered any to him, for they were just walking blood banks, a bug beneath his foot on his quest to achieve his true goal. “H-how can you even live with yourself? You’re n-nothing but a monster!”

“Of course I am!” he gleefully replied, looking over a spread of obsidian objects on a small tray. “As for how I live with myself, well, that should be easy enough for an egghead like yourself to figure out, shouldn’t it?” he asked, jabbing at her once more.

Twilight’s mind was a mess, her emotions all over the place, when she actually had control over them, that is. Redamarc seemed to delight in tormenting her, letting them all build up without her being able to do anything but stew in them inside her mind, which only made things worse. Even now, she wasn’t entirely certain how she was still functioning, but she was, somehow, after nearly a week under his claws.

“Now, as I’m sure that uppity little whore has no doubt taught you, every creature has an internal magic flow inside their body. Any disruption to this flow usually tends to have rather drastic, and often fatal, side-effects,” Redamarc lectured her, ensuring she couldn’t talk while he did so. “These fun little things here are made from obsidian, and when infused with my magic, have a fun little effect!” he explained, revealing a large variety of piercings for nearly every spot of the body.

He hummed a bit as he picked through a few of them, letting Twilight see what he was doing the entire time. “You see, I can actually make them a part of your magic, so that should the whore manage to free you when I send you out to cause some fun, you and her both will always think of me! Now, where can I put these at that’ll make them nice and visible to everyone, hmm…” he trailed off, grinning as his eyes settled on her head.

Without saying another word, he reached out, jamming a claw through the outside base of her right ear. He replaced the claw with an obsidian earring, pausing and examining his work. “You know, during my observations, I saw how she looked at you… almost as if you were her daughter! How absurd!

“Now, every time she looks at you, she can see just how badly she failed!” he exclaimed, puncturing her ear again, just a bit above the first hole as he placed another earring in it. “Not even telling you about her past, or the potential threats still out there!” He jabbed her a third time, leering at her. “She can see how she is the one who failed again!” he taunted, loudly laughing as he put a fourth earring into her ear.

Looking her over intently for a short time without saying a word, he pulled back, nodding. “Perfect, just enough to remind both of you of her failing, should she even manage to save you, that is,” he grimly spoke, putting the tray aside as he looked at her. “Of course, that wasn’t even the fun part, that happens now!”

Twilight’s screams filled the air as he began to chant that damned language again, forcibly twisting the magic that ran through her body to include her four new piercings. The words continued for just a few, short moments, until he finished with a smug look on his face. “And done, now should anyone try to remove those earrings, well… you might just have one of those nasty little fatal side-effects!

“I think we’re all good now, at least to the point where you can have some fun of your own! Now, do I send you directly after your idol, or do I send you off to ‘visit’ with one of your precious friends, hmm… decisions, decisions…”

Celestia was unable to even consider sleeping as she lay on the bed with Twilight, who was doing her best to break free from Celestia’s grasp. They had dropped the barrier around her mind hours ago, and if it weren’t for the sound barrier Luna was currently powering around the room, no doubt guards would have stormed the room almost immediately after the barrier was dropped.

She could do no more than sit here and wait, holding Twilight tightly to her as she did her best to provide comfort as the nightmares continued to roll forth, memories that she would never even wish on her worst foe running through Twilight’s mind. Her ears splayed against the back of her head as another soul-shattering screamed rent itself from Twilight’s mouth, and she could only close her eyes and silently cry as the struggling picked back up once more.

Tonight would be one without sleep.

Author's Note

This was originally ~2,000 words of content. Still debating on if I should cover more, I didn't want to go through the entire week, just hit on a scene or two or three. Hope you all enjoy this.

I - The Fall of Magic

Twilight unfurled the scroll in front of her, reading its contents once more as she carefully made her way through the thick confines of the Everfree Forest, the surroundings dim due to the amount of sunlight filtered by the thick canopy.

Twilight,

I received your compiled notes regarding your latest thesis, 'The Elements of Harmony, and Their Effects on Chaotic Regions.’It is an interesting theory, and one that Luna and I are most intrigued by. If you are not aware, the Everfree Forest only became such a region because of the fight between Nightmare Moon and myself a millenium ago. I also saw your request to execute field work within the Everfree Forest, specifically the old castle. While I want you to stay safe, I'm also aware of how you are when something with as much potential as this has enters your mind. Your written request is merely a formality, I suppose.

Therefore, I, Princess Celestia, hereby authorize your field work. As with prior times, if you require extra expenditures, you know what procedures need to be followed. However, and I cannot emphasize this enough, stay alert and be aware at all times while in the forest. As you know, danger potentially lies around every corner.

Good luck Twilight, and we anxiously await the results of your research. This could be just the break Luna and I have been looking for to deal with the Everfree and fix yet another of our past mistakes.

Celestia

P.S. - This is Luna, Twilight. I also implore you to remain safe while within the wild forest. If you wish, delay your expedition until I am able to take a day off, and I shall come down and personally escort you myself. This is a chance to right one of the many wrongs I performed a millennia ago, as well as keep a dear friend safe.

A laugh forced her attention from the scroll as she furled it back up and placed it in a saddle bag. "Twilight. You have read that scroll at least a dozen times now. Tell me, what is it that bothers you so?" Luna asked, the two of them carefully navigating the last stretch of their journey to the castle.

Twilight paused for a step, bringing her to Luna's side. "Nervous habit, really. I didn't bring any texts with me, just my instruments. When I'm nervous, I like to read." She shrugged as they continued to walk deeper into the forest. "By the way, thanks a lot, Luna. I think the forest somehow realizes when either you or your sister is here. I don't even hear anything."

Luna let out a booming laugh, her mood a stark contrast to their environment. "Why, is that the hypothesis of your next research project, Twilight?" She chuckled, changing her voice as she attempted to mimic Twilight's voice. "The Everfree Forest. Why it–" Her left ear twitched, her relaxed stroll was replaced by a ready guard, evenly distributing her weight across her hooves. "I do believe you have brought bad luck down on us."

Twilight stopped, ears sweeping in all directions as she attempted to pick up on whatever sound Luna had heard. Her horn lit with magic as she assumed a basic defensive stance, her back to Luna's left flank. "I don't hear any–"

A snap in the underbrush caused both mares’ ears to rotate towards the source in the darkness to their right. A pair of gleaming yellow eyes filled with malice caught the edge of Luna's vision, causing her to react by tossing a weak bolt of lightning in its general direction. They were greeted with a muffled impact of magic on something hard, and the sound of more underbrush cracking as the body of something rolled through the brush.

"Come, let us hurry to the castle, Twilight. Take the lead. I'll ensure our rear remains protected. It seems that the forest was quick to disprove that particular theory." Twilight began to scramble towards the castle, simply blasting aside any underbrush or brambles that appeared in her way. Luna carefully followed behind her, ears swiveling in all directions for further disturbances in the forest.

The sun hung high in the sky as they crossed the somewhat newly constructed bridge and entered into the clearing of where the remains of the once proud castle stood. They had remained unaccosted during the rest of their expedient travel to this place. They slowed their hasty pace to that of a leisure walk, ears still listening for any signs of trouble as they trotted their way to the courtyard.

“I do believe we are clear of any trouble now,” Luna stated, her eyes still darting around looking for movement, wary and alert. As she continued looking around, she noticed that Twilight was still on edge. "So, Twilight. Would you tell me your hypothesis once more?" Luna asked, hoping to quickly bring her down from the adrenaline rush.

As soon as the words reached Twilight, her posture began to change as the lecturer within her came to the front. "Well, when we faced down Nightmare Moon a few years ago, I noticed that there was a distinct lack of growth centered on the castle itself. The rest of the forest is currently kept from spreading by the inherent harmonious magic found in the lands surrounding it, but this land here should have fallen to the Everfree a long time ago." Twilight slowly trotted to the left of Luna as they walked into the courtyard of the ruined castle, the sun on their coats warming them both.

Luna couldn't help but smile as Twilight continued on with her hypothesis as they came to a stop inside the courtyard, ruined pillars lining the sides, vines creeping up them. "Because of this fact, I believe that the harmonious magics of the Elements of Harmony, even when dormant, permanently affected the land, centered on the castle. The instruments I have with me should be able to tell if the magics were indeed corrected, or if this clearing is simply a fluke in the grand scheme of things." Twilight paused as she began to pull out small measuring tools from her saddlebags, each piece floating in front of her for a moment as she calibrated every one of them.

"If not a fluke, it means that Tia and I may indeed repair the damage we caused to the land here over a millenium ago, something that my sister was unable to accomplish during my absence. You truly are a remarkable pony, Twilight. I foresee that you will herald in many changes during your life for Equestria, and all for the better good as well." Luna directed a warm smile towards Twilight, who began to blush underneath the praise.

Twilight began to set various instruments into motion as they began to study the ambient magics in their surroundings. "Luna, I'm just a bookish librarian who gets ideas from what I've read, that's all. If I hadn't stumbled across an old volume on the basics of Harmonious Magic, I doubt that this hypothesis would have even formed. You truly do give me too much credit, you know?"

Luna simply replied with a laugh that reverberated off the walls. "Twilight. It did not take me long to realize what it was that Celestia saw in you that so endeared you to her heart. You have one of the sharpest minds she has ever seen, yet you are always so humble about it." Luna noticed that Twilight was looking at an instrument readout and leaned in really close before she whispered. "And, you have nice... instruments."

With a startled yelp, Twilight jumped into the air and dropped her instrument. As she found solid footing once more, she raised a hoof to her barrel and glared at Luna, a faint tinge of rose coloring her cheeks. "Luna! Don't joke like that!" she huffed, getting her instrument off the ground and taking down the measurements.

A glint formed in Luna's eye, unnoticed by Twilight. "I am just kidding, Twilight. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Might I ask what you thought I was going to imply?" Luna gleefully teased Twilight, enjoying one of their many exchanges.

Twilight's face turned red, her lack of words as good as an admission of where her thoughts lay. She coughed into a hoof, attempting to recover from the embarrassment caused by Luna. "Well..." she began, "I could always tell Celestia about the time you–"

Luna was the one to yelp this time, her hooves waving about in front of her. "Oh no, don't you dare tell her about that! You said it was a secret between just us two, remember? If she knew I was the one who put that in her shampoo, well..." Luna trailed off, holding her breath.

Laughter followed shortly after, leaving Luna to sputter for words. "Now I was the one joking," Twilight giggled, gathering her tools. "Shall we head inside so I can take more readings?"

Luna quickly gave one last scan of the surroundings with her ears before following Twilight inside. Passing through a wide arched opening where doors once stood, they entered the dark interior of the ruined castle. Using her horn for light, Luna alertly followed behind Twilight, lighting the way for the two of them. Periodically Twilight would pause long enough to look at an instrument, jotting the results down on a piece of parchment before signaling to Luna to continue forward. Sometime later, they arrived in the room where the Elements of Harmony had been stored.

Twilight started to take more readings, Luna remaining quiet as she contemplated the young mare before her. Twilight had most definitely been a close friend for some time now, and she was always impressed by how she carried herself. Hmm, no matter the project, she always approaches it with such energy and enthusiasm. Even our simple stargazing sessions, she's always so full of life, and it is always so contagious. Oh, how I would love to one day... Luna continued to think as she watched Twilight take down some notes, her head moving back and forth between instruments and the parchment.

"Now that's interesting..." Twilight muttered to herself aloud, a few pages of notes circling in front of her.

"Have you discovered something, Twilight?" Luna asked, moving closer to Twilight.

Twilight gave a quick nod of her head. "I believe so." She pointed to a few numbers and figures on a parchment piece. "It appears that the Elements did have an effect on the environmental magics. At the fringes of the clearing, the chaotic magic levels are rather high, but there is a mingling of harmonious magic contained in it. The closer to the element room, the higher the levels of harmonious magic. The chaotic levels are consistent throughout the entire area here. The variable is the saturation of harmonious magic. I'm not entirely certain as to what this means, as one won't find chaotic magic in any of the cities, just harmonious, but it's a step in the right direction."

Luna looked over the figures as Twilight spoke, nodding alongside her as she took in the readings herself. "This does indeed look promising. Do you need more readings, or can we return to Ponyville to process the results?"

Twilight stifled a giggle at Luna's speech pattern. "Yeah, that'd be a good idea. I think this is enough data to get started on. If it turns out to not be sufficient, I can always return later." Twilight packed her saddlebags full with her instruments and parchment once more, then put them back on. "Ready, Luna?"

Twilight and Luna began walking for the exit of the ruined structure, the dim interior lit by their horns giving way to bright, blinding sunlight. Unknown to either mare, one of Twilight's instruments was still on and taking readings. A beeping sound pulled Twilight's attention to it, while Luna simply looked forward.

"Wait, what is this... Luna, this is picking up a massive source of chaotic magic! It's showing between double and triple the normal values! What's going on?" A snap brought her ears to focus on the distance, her eyes following shortly after.

"Twilight... prepare yourself." Luna spoke softly, yet her voice was filled with seriousness. "Remember the magics I have taught you in our lessons, you will most likely need them. Try to pacify them only, but if things get too hectic, please focus on keeping yourself well and disregard their safety."

Twilight's eyes widened at Luna's words as she scanned towards the trees across the ravine, taking note at what lay in them. "I understand, Luna..." She hesitantly spoke, working up her nerves for the potential upcoming conflict.

All along the tree line, countless pairs of malice-filled eyes stared at the pair of them. Yellow and red were the prominent eye colors, and a deep throated growl was heard from the gathered creatures. Twilight slowly removed her saddlebags, hanging them on a piece of stone high and out of the way.

Twilight eased into a battle stance, Luna following suit as they stared down the predators in the tree line. "Timberwolves, I think. At least," Twilight did a quick scan with her eyes, "fourteen of them, maybe more. This isn't normal predator behavior..."

Luna quickly powered her magic, searching the currents for one mind in particular. Upon finding it, she carefully connected her magic to it while remaining alert. Tia. Castle, Timberwolves. Twilight estimates at least fourteen. Really wish I had taken you up on your guard offer right about now... She knew her message was received when a feeling of complete shock entered her mind, and she withdrew her magic just as the first timberwolf made itself visible.

Twilight was the first to act, a bolt of pure magic leaving her horn and striking the massive wolf in the side. Its stature shrank slightly, and a chunk of wood clattered to the ground, but the creature appeared to be otherwise unharmed, continuing its rush across the bridge.

As more wolves joined the first, Twilight shuddered. "Luna, something's not right. They're at least fifty percent larger than they should be, and that blast I hit it with should have at least knocked it out for half a day. Should we go back inside?"

Luna slung a magic bolt of her own, attempting to scatter the slowly circling predators. "Nay, Twilight. I sent Tia a message to get here, and quickly. If we can manage it, it's best to stay in the open so she may immediately see us when she arrives." Another bolt of magic from Luna struck the same wolf, finally dropping it. "Besides, there is little to use as a barricade within the castle. Celestia stripped most of the contents when she made the move to Canterlot."

The wolf that had taken three blasts appeared to be stirring slightly as the remaining ones all tensed, spread out in a half moon shape centered on the ponies. Luna and Twilight stood next to each other, horns bright with magic, waiting for the next move to be made.

A howl rose from the pack as two wolves charged from opposite sides towards the ponies. Twilight instantly reacted, raising a shield wall between the rapidly approaching wolf and herself, while Luna let loose with another powerful bolt of magic. Two collisions sounded, both wolves out cold. Another four were already on their way, however, and Luna called to Twilight as she judged their angle of approach.

“Twilight, quickly teleport us six hoof-lengths back in three, two, one, NOW!” she yelled out as Twilight timed their teleport. They left a white afterimage in their wake, reappearing exactly where Luna had requested. Twilight witnessed Luna using her magic to call on the power of the earth itself, a giant spire rising from the ground and striking two of the wolves as they sailed through the air.

“Luna!” Twilight yelled, striking another charging wolf, deflecting it from Luna’s flank at the last second. It quickly recovered and retreated. As Twilight quickly scanned around them, only three of the wolves seemed to be out of action as the rest of the pack had pulled back to regroup.

“This is odd to say the least, Twilight. I only hope that sister is close by.” Luna reached out with her magic once more, seeking Celestia. A faint thought reached her as she touched Celestia’s mind once more. Five more minutes sister, at the most. I also have a flight of pegasi that will be here a few minutes after me. Once more, Luna severed the connection.

“Watch out, Luna, they’re coming again!” Twilight threw up another shield, combining a lattice matrix and then reinforcing it with a teardrop design Shining Armor had taught her. Luna glanced at two of the unconscious wolves and picked them up, tossing them at the rapidly approaching mass of predators. They were both flung forward, but the incoming predators simply moved out of the way, causing Luna to curse.

The next few minutes passed by in a blur that seemed to stretch for an eternity. The adrenaline pumping through Twilight’s veins heightened her senses as she began to act on instinct alone. She lost awareness of Luna, only faintly noticing a blur of wings and limbs on occasion in the fringes of her vision, as she was focused primarily on the threats to herself. A shield raised her to protect her flank from a strike, a bolt of magic tossed in retaliation. Following Luna's prior actions, Twilight hoisted and tossed an unconscious wolf into another that attempted to sneak up on her. In a few instances, she found herself to Luna's back, the number of wolves facing them slowly dwindling.

Sweat from exertion mingled with the blood dripping from claw marks on her flanks, causing a distinct stinging sensation with every movement she made. She turned in time, barely avoiding being struck again to glimpse Luna slamming both hooves down, crushing a timberwolf's skull beneath them.

Silently they fought on, till the last wolf remained. With a mighty crash, it flew at near rainboom speed into a wall, a sickening crack sounding out its defeat. Heavily panting, all of Twilight's senses came back to her, the first one being pain. Her hooves began to shake, causing her to collapse to the ground as she threw up.

Flying in from the sky, Celestia saw Luna toss the last of the wolves into a wall and Twilight collapse to the ground heaving. She left out an internal sigh of relief, glad that although she was too late to aid in the fight, nothing too averse seemed to have occurred, at least nothing that a small visit in the hospital wouldn't mend, judging by the blood on Twilight's side. She noticed a bubbling pool of red coming from the ground, moving towards Twilight and her sister. No, that can't be!

"TWILIGHT! BEHIND YOU!" Celestia called out, ignoring her sister's greeting, willing herself to go faster. A mass of blood-like liquid was now gathered behind Twilight, bubbling and roiling as it reached for her. Twilight, too exhausted from the combat and extensive magic use, combined with the adrenaline crash remained oblivious to Celestia's warning.

As Luna turned to see what Celestia was concerned about, pure, unadulterated rage crossed her face. She went to fire up a spell, but had little strength left, causing it to fail. Celestia landed just as the liquid enveloped Twilight, a faint, magical static hum signifying a teleport.

As the blood disappeared, it left a perfect circle of dead vegetation in its wake. Twilight was nowhere to be seen.

Celestia landed next to Luna, despair crossing her features. "It must be him, Luna. Even though I’d thought him dead... Oh no, Twilight..." She shivered, the sun dimming with her mood. Luna raised a hoof and rubbed her sister's back gently. “We’ve got to find Twilight, Luna.”

"We will find him. We will save her. It will not happen again, Celestia, I swear to you." Luna stated, her eyes steeled on the dark confines of the forest as she spoke with resolve. Out of the corner of her eyes, Twilight's saddlebags rested. "I swear it."

"Ah dun told you, Spike, you can't lose hope!" Applejack exclaimed. "If the princess put that spell on ya for when Twi shows up, it’s gotta mean she’s gonna show up! You can't lose hope!"

Spike looked at the ground in shame, despair having long since set in at the absence of Twilight. "I know, AJ, but it's already been a week since she went missing... And it was in the Everfree too..."

Applejack let out a slight small, wiping the sweat off her brow before moving in front of Spike. "C'mon partner, I know you got some faith in you somewhere in there." She rested a hoof on his shoulder. "Sides, if the princesses say they can help her once she turns up, who am Ah to question that? They're the princesses! So, cheer up, Spike."

Spike perked up slightly at Applejack's words as the last of the sunlight bled from the sky, the trees of the orchard casting long shadows on the ground, signaling the end of the seventh day since Twilight had gone missing. Spike thought back to the words Celestia had spoken to him at the library that evening.

"Spike, I'm afraid I have some dire news. Please, sit down." Celestia hadn't even waited until the door closed behind her, catching him off guard as he jumped at the sound of her voice. Moving to one of the chairs kept on the first floor, he apprehensively looked at Celestia, fear in his eyes at the distinct absence of Twilight.

"What is it, Princess? Is she hurt? If so, is she okay?" He blurted out nervously, noticing the guard pegasus that stood watch over the door.

A sad look from Celestia further scared Spike, before her words confirmed it. "She was only mildly hurt, but... I won't mince words, Spike. Twilight was taken after she and Lunabested a dozen Timberwolves while on their research trip. We aren't entirely certain by whom, but my sister and I have a very good idea of the culprit."

Spike felt himself sinking into the cushion, his heart falling to rest in his stomach. "Hurt? Taken?" He whispered, not wanting to believe what he was being told.

Celestia took immediate note of his discomfort and moved to wrap the edge of her wing around him. "I'm sorry, but yes... It was something that nopony could've seen coming. I promise you though, Luna and I have ponies out looking for her. And, when she turns up, we'll make sure all is right." She felt Spike's clawed hands wrap around her leg. "Don't worry, Spike... She will turn up, of that, we are certain..."

She consoled Spike for a short time, allowing herself time to grieve for Twilight too. Spike eventually pulled his face out of the soft fur of Celestia's leg, looking up at her with pain filled eyes. "Is there... anything I can do, Princess?"

Celestia thought for a moment, a thought coming to mind. "Yes, Spike, there is. I'm going to make arrangements for you to stay with Applejack during Twilight's absence. The moment you know Twilight is back, I want you to use this..." Celestia trailed off, her horn shining with radiance as she began a spell...

"Spike? You there, partner?" Applejack's voice broke him from his reverie, depression setting in once more.

"Yeah, I'm here, AJ. It about time to head back in?" Spike asked, the sun gently resting on the horizon, simply awaiting Luna's moon. Applejack took one last look around the orchard, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Yeah, sugarcube. I'd say it's bout that time to call it a day. Ah'm sure Applebloom and Mac have a good fine dinner ready, too." She began walking back to the homestead, looking forward to a good meal. After a few steps, she noticed Spike hadn't followed. "Spike?"

"Bwa, huh, i-it-it's..." He stammered out, pointed a clawed finger towards the now rising moon, Applejack turning to face at what consumed his attention.

Casually walking towards them, illuminated by the moonlight at her back, a mare walked towards the two of them, a smirk on her face. Applejack's hat tipped off her head as she tilted her head in confusion. Is that... Twilight? Why is she struttin’ like that?

"TWILIGHT!?" Spike yelled, violently hiccupping and causing a multihued flame to pour forth from his mouth, engulfing the lower boughs of an apple tree. The ashes magically drifted off on the wind towards Canterlot as Spike collapsed backwards, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

The mare in question chuckled, a deep sound that penetrated through Applejack, causing her to shiver. In the dim moonlight, it appeared as if her coat were a few shades darker than it should have been, and as Twilight got closer, a few jagged scars on her flank became visible. What caused Applejack the most distress, however, were the new additions Twilight had that gleamed in the moonlight.

Her deep red eyes stared at Applejack, her tongue licking over two stark white fangs that slightly protruded from her mouth and gleamed in the dim light. "Oh, Applejack," she purred, her voice that of a seductress, "it's so nice to be home."

Author's Note

Ladies and Gentlemen. I present to you Chapter One of my newest venture, Fallen From The Light. I do hope that I have your attention with this first chapter.

I hope for this to be a great ride. First time exploring Dark and Adventure, should be a fun and bumpy [For Twilight & Co] ride, so buckle on in!