The Darkness

The city of Manehatten was quiet tonight. Although some would argue that due to the screams that could be heard from the warehouse down on Starswirl street. Inside the abandoned warehouse an interrogation of sorts was going on, the poor sap that was being interrogated had decided to try and… borrow money from the most well known gang in the city, The Crespuscolos.

“Listen buddy all you have to do is return the money you stole from us and this can all be over,” the unicorn stallion said to the tied up earth pony colt.

“I..I don’t have it. I..I need more time.” The colt said. The unicorn then slammed his fist across the colt’s face making blood fly from his mouth.

“Sorry. But you know the rules. When you borrow money from us, you gotta pay when we tell you to pay. Now...where’s the money?” The stallion asked as he stared at the colt who had a bleeding lip. But the colt only spat blood into the stallion’s face making the stallion step back as he wiped his face.

“Buck off. I need more time to pay.” The colt said to the stallion. But then the stallion, after he wiped his face, grabbed a large wrench.

“Is that a fact?” The stallion asked. But before the colt could say something, the stallion slammed the wrench into the colt’s knee making him screech in pain.

“Now, are you going to pay back the money?” The stallion asked the crying colt.

“Please! Just give me some more time!” The colt pleaded. But then the stallion slammed the wrench into the other knee of the colt making him scream again. The stallion then drops the wrench and picks up a pair of pliers.

“No. Celestia no! Please!” The colt pleaded.

“Thats enough Blueblood.” A male voice says. The stallion and the colt turn their heads and see the Head of the Crepuscolo family Shining Armor himself.

“Oh shit. Not him!” The colt says as he struggles to free himself from where he was tied. The struggle was in vain as the ropes were too tight to break out of. The blonde maned stallion, Blueblood, was rumored to actually take over the family should anything happen to Shining Armor, or at least until his little sister was old enough to take over. Blueblood stood up, perplexed as to why Shining told him to stop.

“Shining why in all of Equestria would you want me to stop now?” Blueblood asked the head of the family. Shining merely gave him a glare before grabbing his hand and twisting it around to the point of nearly breaking it.

“Do you want to ask another dumb question?” He asked the hurting stallion. Blueblood could only shake his head in order to not scream in pain. Shining accepted this answer and let him go. He turned towards the colt and gave him a warm smile that betrayed the cold look in his eyes. “Sorry about that Blueblood gets a little… excited during moments like this.”

“Excited? Oh gee, you don’t guess how much he gets excited.” The colt said back angrily. The colt then watched Shining Armor grab the pliers from Blueblood who was holding his hurting wrist.

“W..wait. What are you doing?” The colt asked the stallion. But Shining didn’t say anything to the colt. He just held the colt’s mouth open. Then using the pliers, he grabbed one of the molars and clamped the pliers on them. Shining Armor then began to pull and twist on the tooth as hard as he could. Then after a minute of pulling, the tooth came out and the hole began to gush blood making the colt scream in pain.

“Man. That one was rooted.” Shining said to Blueblood who was smiling at the colt’s pain.

“Please! I won’t tell anypony if you just let me go!” The colt pleaded.

“Sorry kid. But the rules are rules in our family. You take our money and don’t pay us, we take some teeth.” Shining said back. Shining Armor then placed the pliers down and grabbed a car battery and some jumper cables.

“No. No! Anything but that!” The colt yelled as Blueblood took off the colt’s bloody and dirty shirt. Shining Armor then connected the cables to the battery and then began to spark them making the colt quiver in fear.

“Please! Let me AHHHHHHH!” The colt screams as Shining Armor connects the cables to the colt’s body. Steam flew from where the cables were connected to the colt’s body. The colt screamed in agony as pure electricity was flying through his body. Then after a few minutes, Shining removed the cables from the colt’s skin. “OKAY I’LL TALK! I’LL TALK!” The colt screamed in fear. Shining smiled at this response and placed the cables down on the battery.

“See that wasn’t so bad wasn’t-”

That was very impresssssive young one A voice said in the darkness. Shining turned towards where he thought the sound came from.

“Did you hear that?” Shining asked Blueblood who only gave him a look of confusion.

“Hear what? I think that your sleepless nights are finally getting to you brother.” the blonde stallion said to him. The tied up colt, still frightened by the two stallions, started to see several figures through the windows of the warehouse. The shadows only seemed to be observing but as the colt looked closer he noticed that their eyes, sweet Celestia they had glowing eyes!

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO SICKOS PLAYING AT HUH?!” The colt screamed at them. The two stallions looking at him with a glare in both their eyes.

“What are you talking about you… idiotic… Mother of Celestia what the hell are those things?!” Blueblood shouted as he pointed towards the small creatures on the windows. The first ones to break through were completely barbaric trashing everything in their line of sight that wasn’t shrouded in light. Shining Armor and Blueblood grabbed the pistols they had in their holsters and fired at the creatures but each time one connected the creature that it hit merely laughed or made a joke in a disturbing voice, “hehehe That tickled.”

“Shining, what do we do?!” Blueblood asked as he shot at a creature.

“Keep firing! They’ll have to die soon!” Shining replied. The two stallions did as he said and fired at the creatures until the worst fate fell them. They ran out of ammo.

“Oh fuck me.” Shining said as he tossed the pistol away. Then a creature came down and tried to walk towards them, but Shining figured out their weakness when the creature’s foot burned in a bit of light. But before they could retreat into the light that surrounded the tied up colt, however, one of them finally spoke up.

“Okay time out here now. Where are our manners?” The biggest, though it wasn’t saying much due to it being about up to Shining or Blueblood’s chest, said as it walked forward. “Eh sorry about scaring you there bro we just got a little excited was all.” The demon shrugged.

“Excited? YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!” Shining screamed in anger. The demons that surrounded the awkward trio started to snigger in humor before they started to tense up. The creatures, once arrogant and practically lively, started to become angry for lack of a better word.

“Well buck it seems we don’t have much time. Listen you with the blue mane. Did your dad tell you the little secret?” The demon from before asked Shining. The stallion only gave him a confused look before it face palmed itself. “Great, just wonderful. Okay short version you don’t have it inside of ya okay? You aren’t the wielder this time.” As the last word escaped it’s mouth the warehouse exploded in a bright flash of light, disintegrating all of the strange demons all around the ponies and bullets began to fly into the warehouse making Blueblood and Shining take cover. Shining managing to peer around the corner of a steel crate he saw something he’d never thought was real. They were Alicorns with bright white wings and holy golden armor.

“Are those...angels?!” Blueblood asked.

“I-I think so.” Shining replied before he saw one that was pink in color “Is that… Cadence?” Shining asked. Without Shining Armor seeing him do this, Blueblood saw an icepick laying on the floor next to him. Blueblood reached for the icepick and managed to grab it. Shining saw what Blueblood was trying to do and grabbed the stallion’s arm and neck.

“You...rotten...traitorous bastard!” Shining said angrily.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for some time Shining Armor! After I do this, I’ll become the next one to take over the family business!” Blueblood yelled as he tried to stab Shining.

“Too bad you’ll become swiss cheese!” Shining said with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Blueblood asked with a confused look. The angel in pink though saw what he was about to do and lifted up her hand. Shining suddenly became frozen, unable to move a muscle. Blueblood could only stare as his old rival was lifted before the pinkish Alicorn who looked at Shining with what appeared to be sorrow.

“This form… still loves you Shining Armor. So in honor of her last request before we took over I shall spare you on one condition.” The alicorn said as she grabbed Shining’s face and brought it in close. “Where. Is. it” she asked. Both stallions figured she was talking about whatever the demons from before told him. Blueblood, however, managed to escape the wreckage of the warehouse and got into the black car he and Shining rode in with the young colt, who probably died in the ensuing chaos.

“I. Don’t. Have it.” Was all Shining managed to choke out. The Alicorn suddenly lost her motherly features and gained those of pure rage instead.

“DO NOT THINK YOU CAN LIE TO US HOST! WE KNOW THAT THE ABOMINATION IS STILL INSIDE OF YOU! IT HAS TO BE!” The creature that was once Cadence shouted at Shining Armor. He continued to tell the same thing to her, although several times he tried to reach out to Cadence, but he started to notice that his body was suddenly felt warmer. Before now he had always felt a little cold but being near this… angel has changed him. She made him felt warm as if he was near an open fire. But then a powerful pain surged through his stomach. He looked down and saw that the angel impaled him with a knife. But before Shining Armor blacked out, the angel said something to him.

“You’re right. It doesn’t flow through you. We’ll have to find whoever it flows through.” The angel said as she placed him onto the ground gently. Then as his vision faded, he watched the angel fly off into the dark sky.

“T..Twilight.” Was all he was able to say before he couldn’t breathe anymore.

The next day startled Twilight Sparkle as she woke up inside her dark room to find it pierced by the sunlight. She started to make herself some breakfast when she noticed something… Shining Armor, her own brother, was missing. Fear soon clutched her chest as she automatically assumed the worst has happened k-keep it together Twilight. It’s going to be fine no need to panic any minute he’s going to walk through the door and everything will be alright. She thought to herself, more for comfort than anything. And as though she knew it would happen she heard a knocking on the front door. Excited that it might be her brother she ran towards it and opened it… only to find several of her brother’s employees instead.

“Twilight Sparkle?” The one in front asked.

“Y-yes?”

“It pains me to say this but I’m sorry. Last night after a business meeting your brother and Blueblood were attending there was an accident. Blueblood is alive but your brother… I’m sorry but your brother never made it.” The stallion said with remorse in his voice. Twilight took a moment to process what he just told her and when she did her whole life suddenly came crashing down around her.

“No… no h-he can’t be dead. YOU’RE LYING!” Twilight yelled at him, beating his chest with her fists. After a while she just wept in sorrow on his coat. As she did so though she could’ve sworn that, in the dark corners of her mind, she heard the sound of a mad mare laughing in pure insanity.