Peaceful No Longer....

by skwoogle

Rating: everyone
Tags: Other, Spike, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 7265

A mysterious dream plagues Twilight, but when it soon becomes a reality, how will the Mane 6 cope?

Since the Elements of Harmony all started living in Ponyville, things have been far from normal. From their first battle against Nightmare Moon, the fillies have been inseparable. Now, they must face a new enemy. One that Twilight has been dreaming of. One that nopony knows anything about...

Published 2012-03-06 18:23:25 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-20 18:49:12 UTC

What Lurks In The Shadows...

What Lurks In The Shadows

This story takes place before Discord has been released. Only details from season 1 are used.

Ponyville. A town that, to any outsider, looked as normal as could be. However, things were rarely normal. Among the town's many inhabitants lives the Elements of Harmony. A group of six special ponies that represent what everypony in Equestria stood for in their most pure state. They are called upon by Princess Celestia in times of trouble. The most noticeable being during the return of Nightmare Moon.

Princess Luna, in her evil and jealous state, was stopped when she returned from her thousand-year banishment to the moon. The mares banded together and, using the power of their friendship, managed to save the land from eternal night. However, when the Princess returned, she did not come alone....

~ -

Twilight and her friends were in the old castle, having just defeated Nightmare Moon. Luna was back to normal, sitting with her sister and apologizing for everything she had done. But there was more. Something that seemed to stay in the corner of Twilight's eye. Something that scared her, that sent shivers down her spine. When she turned to look, there was be nothing behind her but the old, crumbling wall. It was a different story when she turned to look back. A monstrous creature with no defined form had replaced her friends and her dear teacher, leaving Luna cowering alone in a corner. It looked at her, moving fluidly and erratically while keeping it's eyes fixed. The unicorn was paralyzed with fear as the monster finally reached forward to devour her...

Twilight awoke in a cold sweat, her chest heaving up and down. She had a nightmare, the same one she had been having for weeks now. The memory of what she had dreamed was still so vivid in her mind, and it still gave her the shakes. Even though Luna had been back for over half a year, she had only recently been feeling uneasy. The monster she had seen was almost indescribable, and through all of her research she had been unable to come up with anything that made sense to explain what it might be. Turning over, she attempted to fall asleep again.

~ -

This world, so new and so full of possibilities. All we have done is wait and hide, building up our power. The time soon will come for us to rise, to take this place for ourselves. They won't know us, they won't even see us...

~ -

Eventually, the sun rose, shining upon the tired unicorn. A single bloodshot eye opened as the sent of sauteed daisies reached her muzzle. “Spike better have made some strong coffee...” She mumbled as she rolled out of bed and onto the floor. The plans she had with her friends today were supposed to be fun, but in her current state she dreaded anything that didn't include staying still with her eyes closed.

After finally making her way downstairs, she saw Spike busy in the kitchen. Putting on the best smile she could, she went in to greet the small dragon. “Good morning, my number one helper!”

He turned to face Twilight with a smile. Owlowiscious was in the room, but sleeping on top of the fridge. Still, Spike did love the fact that he was number one to her. “Morning, Twilight! I’m making breakfast, and it’s almost finished. There is some coffee, if you would like.” He said while motioning over to their coffee press.

Twilight managed to pour herself a cup before wandering over to the table and sliding onto a pillow. Soon enough, a tray piled will food is brought out and set in front of the almost sleeping mare. Spike sat down, looking concerned. “Twilight, you’ve been looking really tired the past couple weeks. What’s going on? Is there something on your mind?”

She chuckled, the fact that the young dragon was talking like her mother was ironic. “Just some bad dreams, nothing to worry about.” She began her meal with a long sip of the dark brown brew. “Oooh, that’s lovely.”

With a smile back on his face, Spike wandered off to clean up the kitchen. He knew that if anypony could deal with their issues, it would be Twilight.

She quickly finished the daisies and headed over to the front door. Grabbing her scarf, she put it on while stepping out into the cool autumn air. “I’ll be back later, Spike. Thanks for breakfast.” Without waiting for a response, she shut the door and continued out into the world.

~ -

We are unnoticeable, untraceable. We can do what we want without the concern of others. When we strike, we will strike silently. We will strike with precision.

~ -

The friends all met in the town square. The plan had been to travel to Fillydalpheia for the day, but upon arriving Twilight found out something...unexpected. The group was huddled around a panicked Applejack.

“Ah just don’t know, fillies...” Applejack was saying, beginning to tear up as the purple unicorn walked up.

“Hay, what’s up?” She tried to sound cheerful, but found it hard. The looks on her friend’s faces showed depression, sadness. It was as if some great tragedy had befallen them. “Wait, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Applejack attempted to dry the tears from her face before trying to speak. “Well, as ah’m sure you’v heard, ponies have been disappearing lately. Every week, one or two of them end up not coming home...” She fought with herself to not cry again. “Well, last night Big Mac was one of them. Ah was gonna go into town with him, but Granny Smith isn’t home and someone needed to keep track of Apple Bloom. Ah’ve been asking around, but nopony has seen him! It’s as if it’s all mah fault...” She leaned against Fluttershy for support, unable to stop the tears any longer.

Twilight looked to the ground. She thought she had a bad night, but now this....what could be going on? It was rumored that the forest had been attracting more visitors, and everyone just assumed that the missing had wandered in and gotten lost. It was a different story with Big Mac. He had lived here since he was born, and knew the dangers of the forest. Things had just gotten more serious.

She stamped her hoof, getting the attention of the group. “Come on! We shouldn’t just stand around, doing nothing! I’ll bet we can find out where he went if we all look.” They all seemed to perk up. The idea of somepony with a plan seemed to give them some hope. “Applejack, you and Rainbow go look around the edge of the Everfree forest. See if you see any signs of something strange. Rarity, Pinkie, you two go around town and ask some more about what everypony saw. Fluttershy, you and I will go see if any of your animals know anything. Everypony meet back here by mid-day, and we can see if we can piece together what happened.”

The pep talk seem to work. Applejack even managed to crack a smile. “Thanks Twi. Your a great friend.” She turned to the others. “You heard the mare, let’s find my brother!”

AJ and Dash quickly raced off towards the looming forest, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. At a much slower pace, Pinkie and Rarity also trotted off towards the surrounding businesses. That just left a purple unicorn and a yellow pegasus standing in the middle of the square. “Where do you want to start, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, well, I though we would try my house. Lots of the animals talk to each other, and any news travels fast. I’m sure that there would be something there.” She seemed strangely assertive, but that may have been because of the gravity of the situation. “We could always try the pond if that doesn’t work out.”

“Whatever you think is best.” Twilight said, motioning for Fluttershy to lead the way.

~ -

We will tear this place down, brick by brick, and rebuild it in any way we see fit. As our numbers grow, we gain confidence. The time soon will come to act. The time to put our plan into motion. What has happened is but the beginning...

~ -

Once the pair arrived at the cottage, Fluttershy flew around to gather all of her friends. They came, looking anxious and curious. They only gathered if there was a problem, or some big announcement from their pony caretaker.

“I'm so sorry to have to gather you all like this,” Fluttershy said while landing in front of the group. “There seems to have been a problem. Big Mac has gone missing.”

The animals seemed to deflate. Big Mac was the only other pony who seemed to visit them regularly. He would come over, visit with Fluttershy and help with anything they needed. He was their second caretaker, the one they could count on if Fluttershy wasn’t there for a night. Frantically, Fluttershy tried to get their attention again when she noticed the look on their faces.

“Now don’t worry. We are doing everything we can to find him, and that’s why we’re here. If any of you saw him last night or heard something that would be useful, please tell me.”

Dozens of furry and feathery appendages raised into the air immediately. Fluttershy began trying to get some information, but Twilight couldn’t help. She couldn’t even move.

Fear had gripped her. It was if she was back in her dream, the feeling of something just outside of her vision. With a great deal of strength, Twilight forced herself to turn and look behind her. All she could see was the normal path to Fluttershy’s cottage, the grass drifting in the light breeze, some pebbles rolling across the ground. Feeling certain it was nothing, she forced herself to turn back. Luckily, she was not faced with a monster this time. Everything was just as she left it.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and trotted over to her friend. Angel Bunny was making some outrageous hand gestures in an attempt to explain what he had heard to Fluttershy. “Wait...so you...but what...ok.” She turned away from the perturbed hare and towards Twilight. “He says that the last he saw of Big Mac was him leaving the Golden Horseshoe. He looked a little tipsy, but not too intoxicated to get home.” She looked saddened once again. “We need to try the pond. Hopefully the others are having better luck.”

~ -

We sit patiently. Observing, watching, monitoring. Nothing shall interfere with the plan. No pony, no bunny, no griffin. All will end. Silence will cover the land and all those who dwell within it.

~ -

Unfortunatly, AJ and Rainbow seemed to be having just as little luck. The earth pony walked a bit inside the forest, while the pegasus soared above. The attempt at the birds-eye-view was futile through the thick canopy of interlocking branches and leaves. “Do ya see anythin?” Applejack called up.

“Nothing yet!” Dash called back down. The clearings were few and far apart, leaving most of her time flying over the greenery. She spiraled downward, meeting AJ at the edge of the forest. “Well, there’s much more forest to explore. He could be anywhere.” She laid a hoof on the earth pony’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

“Heck, ah know. I just worry too much.” A look of greater concern crossed her face, and she looked around. “Rainbow, ya know that feeling ya get when you’re being watched?”

“Sure!” she said, pausing slightly. “You feel it too?”

AJ nodded in response. They both looked around, but nothing was there. It was a normal day, the only movement caused by the breeze and the occasional leaf rustle from some scampering creature. “Ah guess it’s just stress...” she said, still looking unsure. “How ‘bout we go look somewhere else?”

“I couldn’t agree more,” the pegasus said before taking into the air. “Let’s try more towards Sweet Apple Acres, he could have been on his way home.”

“Good thinking!” AJ said as they walked away. However, the feeling of fear still remained.

~ -

As an enemy, we are to be feared. They cannot stop what they do not suspect or see. We will do whatever it takes, and stop at nothing until every pony has been purged from this land...

~ -

The pond was a ways away, and the two ponies couldn’t stay long. They had to meet their friends, after all. However, this trip would prove to be quite useful. It seemed that the word of Big Mac’s disappearance had already traveled fast, and the creatures were already prepared to help when they arrived.

“Oh, how wonderful! Now, who can tell us something about Big Mac?” A small line formed in front of the kind pegasus. Twilight tried her best to help understand what the animals were trying to say, but it was futile. Only somepony who had been around them for quite a long period of time could make out the rapid, sporadic actions they used to communicate.

Twilight wandered off, moving more towards the section of the forest they were close to. A path ran off into the trees, but this one was a frequent trade route. Any helpful hoofprints would be nearly impossible to spot. However, with a keen eye, the unicorn noticed something. Something small, and almost insignificant. Attached to a bush next to the path was a small tuft of red fur. While she pondered the chances of this being from Big Mac, Fluttershy wandered over.

“Find anything?” she asked. All Twilight could do was shake her head. She didn’t want to get any hopes up too early. “Well, none of my little friends saw anything. Should we head back to town?”

“It’s around time we met back there, why not. I’ll bet they found something helpful for us.” As Fluttershy turned away, Twilight levitated the patch of fur off of the bush. Tucking it into a pocket in her scarf, she started walking with her friend back to town.

~ -

We have many names, many myths. Time has warped us, demented us. We are more than anything we were before, and still grow. The threat, the skill, increases daily. When the time comes, there will be nothing left.

~ -

The groups all finally arrived back in town. Twilight was the first to speak, acting as leader once again. “Ok, what did everypony find? Rarity, you and Pinkie go first.”

Straightening herself, Rarity began before the pink earth pony had time to come up with what to say. “Well, we went around to nearly every house and business in town. Nopony saw much. The best we got was Berry Punch telling us she saw him leaving the Golden Horseshoe last night, but she is hardly a reliable source.”

“Ooooh! Everypony did say that they would keep looking for any sign of him!” Pinkie seemed proud she managed to get something in.

“Angel Bunny told me the exact same thing!” Fluttershy seemed to exclaim. “Apparently, he was still looking alright at that point.”

“No surprise there. He was gonna go into town for some cider. Unfortunately, we seemed to turn up empty hoofed as well, fillies,” Applejack said, hanging her head. Suddenly, she looked up. “Wait, did ya fillies see anything strange? Notice anything odd?”

They mares looked from one to another, unsure of what their friend was implying. They all ended up shaking their heads.

“Come on! Something out of place, something that didn’t make sense! Did ya’ll feel like ya were being watched?”

With that, a switched flipped in Twilight’s head. She had seen something strange. Something so small, so unnoticeable, that it was as if it wasn’t there. The pebbles out front of Fluttershy’s cottage. “Now that you mention it, there was one small thing. It isn’t nearly windy enough to blow pebbles around, is it?” The group all shook their heads. “There were some pebbles rolling around outside of Fluttershy’s cottage. That doesn’t really make sense....” She paused, thinking what the other could have seen. “All the animals were at your house or the pond, right Fluttershy?”

“Oh, yes,” she said. “Any creature within half a kilometer of the forest came by to help.”

Twilight turned to AJ and Rainbow. “Did you two see any animals in the forest while you were there?”

“Didn’t see any, but we heard them running... through... the... bushes... wait!” Rainbow realized what she was actually saying. “How could they have been there?!”

“That’s the point, they couldn’t have. What could it have been...”

“While I didn’t see anything odd, I can identify with that feeling of being watched.” Rarity piped up. “It was as if everywhere we’ve gone today there was somepony following us.”

The group now seemed more confused than ever, being left with more questions than answers. Once again, Twilight had a hunch and she was going to do her best to find out what had happened.

“Alright, so we know that there seems to be something going on.” She started, gaining the attention of the mares. “At this point, we know nothing. Less than nothing! That needs to change. Ok, you five need to go around the town again. This time, ask about anything strange that other ponies have noticed. Ask if they feel as if they’re being watched. While you do that, I’m going to see what I can find in the library. I’ll even send a letter to the Princess if necessary!”

“But Twilight, how will you know what to look for? It’s almost as if whatever-they-are are ghosts!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Wait....what if they are ghosts? Or shadows that eat you! Or...” Rainbow put a hoof over the earth pony’s mouth before she could continue.

“Don’t worry, I have an idea. Some thing that came to me in a dream.” She turned to walk to the library. “If you find anything, ANYTHING, come see me. Any information is good information.”

~ -

Suspicion, HA! The Elements think they are onto us, but seem to have no idea what they are facing. We have planned everything, and everything is going as it should. If things change, we can act fast enough to put a stop to them...

~ -

Twilight entered the library, instantly calling for her assistant. Spike appeared quickly at the bottom of the stairs. “Spike, take a letter...” she began.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m sorry, but this will not be a friendship report. It’s more of a request. My friend’s brother has gone missing, and we are doing everything we can to find him. They are currently searching and asking around town, but I’m in the library to dig up as much information as I can. Now, onwards. I found the enclosed clump of fur out on a path, and it seems to match one Big Macintosh. I cannot confirm it myself, but I was wondering if you could. There has to be some form of energy from the pony who lost this that you could track. Please, give it a try.”

She paused, looking over at Spike. He stood ready, willing to write whatever would come next. “Spike, the next part is kind of private. Mind if I write it myself?”

He shook his head, relinquishing the quill and parchment into her magical aura. “Thanks, I’ll tell you when I need you to send it.”

“Just call me down.” He said while walking back up the stairs.

“Now, with what little information we have, I normally wouldn’t be trying to find answers to our problems in the library. Alright, I would, but not on such a serious matter. The reason I’m here is because of my dreams. I know it sounds silly, but for the past couple weeks I have been having the same nightmare every night. We’re in the old castle, just after stopping nightmare moon. The only difference is when I look away and back. Only Luna remains where she was, and everypony else is replaced with this...hideous creature that can change it’s shape. It goes to eat me....and I wake up. I would just attribute it to stress or something trivial usually, but with the strange occurrences lately I can’t be too sure. Is it connected, I don’t know. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to find out! Please respond to this as soon as possible, anything would help! Thank you.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle”

With the letter done, she floated the patch of hair out of her scarf, making sure to roll it securely into the letter. Once she was done, she called Spike down.

“Ready?” he asked. She only responded with a nod. He sent it off, happy he could help. Unfortunately, he only made it halfway up the stairs before the response hit him. He tumbled back down, holding the new piece of parchment.

“Uh oh...” Was all Twilight could say. The princess never responded that fast. Unrolling the parchment, there were only six words on the sheet. Watch out. Coming to see you.

As soon as she finished reading the words, a brilliant flash illuminated the room. Standing, in her full glory, was Princess Celestia. She quickly gained her bearings after the long-distance transportation, focusing on her student.

“Twilight, my dear student. We need to save our pleasantries for another time. It seems we might have an issue... “ She said, trying to sound as calmly as possible. Her voice trailed off as she scanned the many bookshelves of the library. Finding what she was looking for, it was floated down in front of them both. “I don’t have much time here, as they will be looking for me. They would want to go after the ruler of the land, anyways.”

“Wait...who is ‘they’?” Twilight asked. The book pages flipped, quickly landing on what seemed to be a nearly blank page. “What’s an....Earthsprite?”

“They started out as a form of parasprite, a more evolved and intelligent form. One with the ability to blend in with it’s surroundings. Long before I was around, they attempted a take over all of Equestria. Luckily, the three tribes were able to contain them and send them all to a place nopony would find them. The moon.” She paused, looking around cautiously. “It was thought they would all die out, but they seem to have evolved. One must have made it back, most likely hitching a ride on Luna when she returned. The time spent here would be time to build up an army. Multiplying, growing their numbers. They must remember what happened, and what they feel they deserve.”

“Well, can’t we just send them back to the moon? It worked before...” Twilight tried to sound as hopeful as possible, but the look on the Princess’ face told otherwise.

“There are far too many of them, and that would not last. We need to come up with a way to get rid of them for good.” She looked around one last time. “I cannot stay here, they will be watching. The one thing I do know about them is they can move as one if needed. However, when they do, they cannot blend into their surroundings. Something I gather you dreamed about.” Twilight nodded, and the Princess continued. “Listen, I’m heading to a protective housing so they cannot reach me. If you need anything, Spike can still send me letters.”

The Princess trotted to the middle of the room, preparing to teleport away. “Wait!” Twilight called, causing her to stop. “What about the fur sample I sent you? Is it Big Mac’s?”

“I have given it to an alchemist at the castle. The best in Equestria. I will send you the results as soon as I hear of them.” She stood, ready to leave. “Good luck, my most faithful student.”

“Where did you last see them?” Spike asked.

“Fluttershy’s cottage, but that isn’t important. They should still be watching us.” She looked around cautiously, just as the Princess had been doing moments ago. “I have an idea, Spike. Go on with what you were doing. Look out for small anomalies. If you see something, don’t hesitate to call me.”

With that, the two tried to go along as normally as possible. Twilight searched every book she could for information, while Spike slept. He slept, until he was inevitably hungry once again.

Walking down the stairs, the sight he was greeted with consisted of Twilight surrounded by piles of books. She studied the page in front of her profusely, flipping them every 30 seconds. “Ummm, Twilight?”

She looked up, her eyes weary from reading. “Yes?”

“Anything from the others?” he asked. When she shook her head, his heart sunk. Seeing his friend, his caregiver, in such anguish hurt him. “I’m just going to make something to eat, would you like something?” Another head shake was the response he got.

Walking into the kitchen, he tried to keep Twilight’s mind off of their lack of success. “Did you find anything useful?” he called out.

“Only that a cage made of maple wood can get them to reveal what they really look like.” A small cage floated it’s way into the kitchen. “I made one when I took a break from reading.”

“What is it now, Spike,” she said as she trotted into the kitchen. To be honest, the time stretching her legs felt good. Maybe I will have something to eat...

However, the sight she saw made her jump. Spike was chasing what looked like an egg around the kitchen. “I think I may have found one...” he said, slightly out of breath.

Twilight quickly subdued the creature with her magic, sending it over and into the small cage on the table. As soon as the door closed, the egg became what resembled a small, black hamster.

“Spike!” she exclaimed. “You did it! You’ve found one! I’ve got to tell the others!” she cried, running out of the tree. Spike was amazed, taken aback that he had done something so important to help all of Equestria. Maybe Rarity might give me a kiss... he daydreamed as the cage on the table rocked back and forth. It’s occupant not happy with it’s current containment.

~ -

The plan, the plan. We must only stay to the plan if we wish to defeat them. Any ground or knowledge they gain cannot be enough to defeat us. They no not of our weaknesses, of our faults, or of what we are truly capable of...

~ -

Twilight managed to find her friends over at Sweet Apple Acres. After some time to calm down and explain what she and Spike had discovered, the group followed her back to the library. There they found the same scene Twilight had left, Spike still lost in though of his love. Luckily, he did get his wish. As Twilight told about how Spike had found the creature, Rarity leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek.

“...and the Princess told me that we need to find a way to get rid of them for good.” Twilight finished, letting the information she had thrust upon her friends soak in a bit. “Does anypony have any idea on what we could do?”

“I don’t know... but maybe he would tell us if we were nice to him,” Fluttershy suggested.

The group looked over at the cage, which was still shaking and letting out small curse words. “I don’t think that would work, darling,” Rarity replied.

“How ‘bout ah take him to the barn an’ MAKE him talk!” Applejack said, the anger of her lost brother creeping into her voice.

“I think torture would be the wrong idea...” Rainbow said, while attempting to calm Applejack down.

“Well, I think all this little guy needs is A PARTY!!” Pinkie yelled. She quickly grabbed the cage in her mouth and ran for the door.

“Pinkie! Come back!” The group called while charging after her. Unfortunately, they did not make it far. A screeching noise cut through the outside air, causing Pinkie to drop her prisoner. The cage shook more violently than before, eventually coming to a rest.

“Wh...what did you do?” Fluttershy asked. The group was confused, not knowing what had happened.

“I-was-holding-it-and-I-ran-outside-and-it-went-all-EEEEK-and-then-it...” She was cut off by a hoof covering her mouth.

“What were ya thinkin, sugar cube?” Applejack asked, doing her best to constrain herself at this point.

Before Pinkie could start speaking again, Twilight got the group’s attention. “Uh, fillies? Come look at this...” She was standing by the cage, and the remnants of the creature. All that was left of it was a pile of ashes. “I think Pinkie may have figured out how to beat them.”

“Ya, and what might that be?” Applejack said. She poked at the pile, but it seemed as if nothing of the creature had remained.

“Well, there’s only one real difference out here than inside my kitchen...” Twilight said, but was cut off by the pink party pony.

“Ooooh! Ooooh! It’s the sun!!” Pinkie said, jumping up and down.

“Wow....she got that one right...” Twilight said, slightly taken aback. Nopony would have expected Pinkie to figure something like this out. “Anyway, that’s a positive. We should send word to Celestia right away. I have a plan...”

Before she could call for Spike to take a letter, he stumbled outside holding an already-rolled piece of parchment that bore the royal seal. “Twilight, a letter came for you,” he called.

She quickly grabbed the scroll, opening it in hopes of some good news.

My Most Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,

I pray that you have discovered something useful against the Earthsprites. The more time that they have to build their numbers the harder it will be to defeat them. However, this letter is not about them. It is about that piece of fur you had sent me. It is from your friend Big Macintosh, and I hope that you will be able to locate him before anything bad happens. Good luck, and I hope to hear some good news from you.

Princess Celestia

Twilight finished the letter, setting it down on the ground before trotting over to Applejack. “AJ, we need to talk about something...”

Seeing the worried look on her friend’s face caused her to panic. “Wh..what is it? What did that letter say?”

~ -

Our fault, our one defect, revealed. As long as this is as far as they come, we will succeed. We have almost located the Sun Goddess, and with her out of the picture we will be unbeatable. Untraceable. Unkillable.

~ -

Once Applejack had been calmed down, the group set to work formulating a plan. “We need to search the path that I found the patch of fur on. I sent a letter to the Princess detailing what we know, and what we can do to defeat them.” Twilight had gotten a map out, and was explaining everything they were going to do. “As far as I can tell, the path leads to the old castle.” She paused, thinking back on her dreams lately, but then remembered Big Mac. “Now, that place is mostly sheltered from the sun unless it is right overhead. We will be at a disadvantage.”

“Uh...sorry to interrupt....but why don’t we go at a time when we aren’t...going to die...” Fluttershy asked while attempting to hide behind Rarity.

“Well, one we got mah brother to find. Two, during any safe time we won’t be able to observe them.”

Twilight nodded. “We need to try to stop this as soon as possible. We don’t want anypony else to go missing, and we can potentially put a stop to all of this.” Unfortunately, none of this seemed to calm the shaking pegasus.

“Anyway...” Twilight started again. “We need to be ready for anything that we find in there. Watch everything. They could be anywhere. They could be anything.”

With that, the group headed out. They reached the path by nightfall, Twilight and Rarity lighting their way with a soft glow from their horns. Progress was slow, as they paused every time there was a rustle in the bushes. Mostly it consisted of the normal forest animals, but occasionally the source of the noise was unable to be seen. They reached the castle by the time the moon was high in the sky.

“Ok fillies, they’ll be in the tower where we fought Nightmare Moon.” Twilight said, moving towards the steps of the crumbling structure.

“Wait...how do you know?” Rainbow asked, curious of how confident the purple unicorn was being.

“Let’s just say it came to me in a dream...” Twilight said, smiling.

“Ya... well... you better not turn out to be a bunch of them...” Dash muttered.

“Don’t worry, they can’t camouflage when they move together. And they can’t imitate voices. And they only grow to be as big as a hamster,” she said, trying to set the group at ease. “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

They moved through the remnants of the castle, keeping a lookout for any suspicious movements. With nopony seeing anything out of the ordinary, the tension grew. They arrived at the top of the tower, which was empty upon first glance as well.

“I guess they aren’t home! Time to leave!” Pinkie, dispite her constant rendition of ‘Giggle at the Ghostly’, was almost shaking.

“Wait...ah think ah see something....” Applejack said, squinting her eyes at a far corner. There seemed to be a shape, a blob of something sitting there. “What do ya’ll think it....MAC!” she said, her eyes finally realizing what she saw.

AJ ran up to her brother, trying to get him to stand up. “C’mon Big Mac. We gotta get out of here!” He lay there, unmoving on the floor. “C’mon, you gotta get up!”

The rest of the group made it over, with Fluttershy helping to check on the farm pony. “Don’t worry too much, Applejack. He’s unconscious. Not in the best state, but not dead.” Realizing her sudden amount of bravery, she quickly slunk behind the other fillies. Not knowing what else was in the room frightened her to no ends.

“Thank Celestia we found him!” she cried, holding his head in her hooves.

“You thank a false Goddess. One who will not last throughout the night...” The voice echoed throughout the room, sending a chill down everypony’s spines. “This world will not last much longer, and your time is even less...”

“Wh..who’s there?” Pinkie asked, huddled at the back of the herd with Fluttershy.

“We are not one, we are many. We are all around you. We are everywhere and nowhere.” As the voice rang out, the environment itself seemed to move. From every hole, every crack, every nook and cranny, creatures crawled out. Soon, just as Nightmare Moon had stood before, a new creature loomed over them all. “All this time, the years spent on the dark side of the moon, waiting. Waiting for your Princess of the night to return with one of us in tow. Now we have power, and we can do what we want.”

“Why don’t you just live along side us? Why can’t we just share Equestria?” Twilight called out to the form.

“We are great, and would not share this world with scum like yourselves. We exist on our own, needing nothing or nopony to help us.”

“Geez, talk about a God Complex.” Rarity sighed. “This is very dramatic and all, but can we hurry it up? I need to get home, and I’m already missing most of my beauty sleep!”

“You will not be leaving here.” As if on cue, a pile of rocks fell in front of the stairway, blocking the only entry and exit the ponies could use. “This is the end of your race, and the beginning of ours. There is nothing you can do to stop it. With your false Goddess trapped and you six here alone, what can you do to stop us?”

“Who said she was trapped?” Twilight asked.

A burst of white light cut through the room, causing the monster to howl with pain. There stood Celestia, wearing a set of golden armor. “You may have known where I was, but not where I could be...” She said before turning to face her subjects. “Thank you for that letter earlier, Twilight. Now, would you six be willing to help me?”

Most of the group was still starstruck at the appearance of their leader, unable to answer. Eventually, a voice called out. “Ah will do whatever it takes, your Highness, to stop this thing and get some revenge on mah brother’s behalf!”

“As will I!” Rainbow said, standing behind her friend.

“And us!” The rest of the group stepped forward, ready for a fight.

“Alright my little ponies, let’s show this monster what we’re made of!”

The Princess lowered her head as a yellow aura glowed around her horn. Slowly and steadily, the stars above started to move across the sky.

“What... what is... no. No. NO!” The monster attempted to lash out and hit the Sun Goddes, but Twilight managed to use her magic to deflect the shot.

“Alright!” Applejack called out, in control for a change. “We need tah protect the Princess at all costs. Twilight, you and Rarity block anything that creature may throw at her.” She turned towards Pinkie and Rainbow. The sudden appearence of their leader seemed to have given Pinkie some confidence, as she was able to stand with the group. “Ah want you two to keep any of them creatures from running away from the sun.”

The party pony began to tremble slightly. “But … but what if I get hit? It could kill me!”

“Now Pinkie, you’ve got yer Pinkie sense, remember? You’ll see anything it’ll throw at you before it’s even coming!” Touching a hoof to the pink pony, she stopped shaking. “Ya need to be brave. Ya can do this, but ya gotta be strong!”

Pinkie stood, a look of war on her face. A salute was all she offered AJ as thanks before running after the creature.

“Alright Fluttershy, that leaves the last job to us.”

“A... and what might that be?” she asked, not taking her eyes off of the scene unfolding before her.

“Ah’m gonna distract the darned thing while you fly up there,” she said, pointing a hoof to the roof. “Pick up the heaviest stones you can find, and drop them down on it’s head!”

“I don’t think that sounds very nice... why don’t we just talk to it instead?” The look of disdain on Applejack’s face said it all. “Ok, I’ll get going...”

As the yellow pegasus flew off, AJ turned to see how things were going. The sun was rising, the Princess was surrounded by what looked like a magic bubble, Rainbow was flying around the creature’s head, and Pinkie was running in between it’s legs. Occasional squeals from attempting escapees could be heard as they were kicked or hit back into the seething mass of a form.

“Well, here goes nothin’...” Applejack said, straightening her hat. “FOR BIG MAC!!” she yelled, diving in before the creature.

Hearing the sudden loud noise, what could be called the creature’s head tilted downwards to face the farm pony. “Just what do you think you can do against us?” it asked, a sneer in it’s tone. Just as the sentence had finished, a rock fell hard on the top of it. The squeals and cries grew.

“Not much, just beatin’ you!” she called out. Running up the the base of the monstrosity, she turned and firmly planted her back hooves against the mass of squirming creatures. “And THAT is for mah brother over there!”

A war cry erupted out from the creature, as it swung down at AJ. She quickly jumped to the side, narrowly missing the attack. “The sun’s almost up! Keep going everypony!”

Taking heed of the warning, the monster lost interest in the farm pony and began repeatedly swinging at the Princess. While the shield held, the strain on the pair of unicorns was evident. “We can’t take much more!” Twilight cried as the monster hit again. The force field wavered for a moment before taking it’s form once again. “Get it’s attention somewhere else!”

With that, yet another stone fell from above. The monster almost fell, the impact seeming to do more damage than before. Applejack, seeing her opportunity, struck again at the base of the creature. It shuddered, but held together. Rearing up, it went in for a final blow.

“Not this time!” the Princess said as the sun reached it’s place in the sky. Able to divert her attention elsewhere, she levitated a nearby boulder behind the creature. With evident strain, she slammed the rock into it’s back, causing the creature to stumble forward into the light.

“NOOOOOOOO...” the voice howled out in pain. However, this time it was different. No longer was it a single sound. It was as if all of the Earthsprites were screaming together. After what seemed like an eternity, a large pile of ash was all that remained of the creatures.

The group, tired from the effort, gathered around Big Mac. He had begun to stir, and was bound to be confused about what had happened. The unicorns, having used most of their strength, practically collapsed on the ground next to the stallion.

“Thank you, my little ponies,” the Princess said, slightly out of breath. “A great evil has been vanquished from our land. While everypony may not know of this victory, rest assured that they all wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you six.”

“Mac!” AJ called out, noticing her brother had begun to open his eyes. “Are ya ok?”

“Eeyup.” Was all he could manage. He tried to lift his head, but the throbbing it was filled with forced him to stay on the ground. “What happened, sis?”

“It’s quite a long story, actually,” Applejack said, smiling at her friends. “One ah think we can save for another night. Ya need your rest, and I’m sure the Princess needs to fix the sky.”

“She is right. There is business in Canterlot I must attend to.” Turning away, she walked to the middle of the room. “Once again I thank you for all of your help. The land is safe once more because of you six.” In a flash she was gone, leaving the chamber feeling considerably more empty.

“Alright, you fillies better be helping me carry this lug home!” Applejack teased. Twilight managed to float the stallion up and onto AJ’s back, with Rainbow helping support him. As they began to depart, the stars were already visible once more. The night returned to as it once was, now free of the impending evil that had existed.

~ -

Being beaten was not our plan, but is not the end. Do they think we are foolish enough to send our full force against them, with the potential for us all to be wiped out? We have planned, we have prepared, and we will come again when we build up our numbers once more...