Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

by JustAnotherTimeLord

Rating: everyone
Tags: Spike, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad
Length: 2843

Nightmare Night in Ponyville is the same every year, only this year, Twilight is a princess. While in the bliss of reading, Twilight soon finds that the past has come back to haunt her on the night of nightmares.

Twilight Sparkle is now a princess, and she has acclimated into her position well. This year, she will experience her first Nightmare Night as a princess, but being a princess means sacrificing free time for hard work.

But tonight is not her best night. On this Nightmare Night, the night where nightmares come true, the past will come back to haunt her.

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This story was originally written to be for the EqD Nightmare Night contest/competition thing. As you can tell, I have missed the date. But I promised that I would release it, and so I am.

Title is thanks to the Great and Powerful ToixStory. The fantastic picture is thanks to this guy and the picture can also be found here.

Published 2013-10-29 22:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-29 22:30:02 UTC

Knocking on the Chamber Door

A shrill scream broke the cool night air of Ponyville. It was followed by maniacal laughter, and even more screaming.

And then there was just laughter.

Ponyville’s Nightmare Night was in full swing, the entire town once again striving to outdo what had been done the year prior. Orange streamers were strung up from street light to street light, while the poles in Ponyville proper supported orange lights, illuminating the tents with light.

The Ponyville center held many games and activities for ponies both young and old, and it was filled with fields of candy, so much that the parents of young fillies and colts could only look on with horror.

The entire town took part in these activities, some seeking candy, while others were simply there for the memories. The entire town except, that is, a newly coronated princess and her number one assistant.

“Twilight, come on!” Spike whined. “Just because you’re a princess now doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun!”

As he spoke, he tried to see Twilight through the mountain of books surrounding her, pushing aside books ranging from Equestrian on one peak to books on leadership on another. With these obstacles removed, Twilight was revealed, reading yet another book; in this case, How to Be a Princess, by Sunny Skies.

“I know, Spike, but I need to do this reading,” Twilight said, not once looking away from her book. “If I’m going to be a princess, then I need to know everything there is to know about how to rule.”

Spike furrowed his brow. “You could have just taken up Celestia’s offer to teach you personally.”

“I couldn’t ask her something like that. She has more important things to do than teach me.”

“She’s on vacation . . .“ Spike said with a sigh.

Taking a bookmark from across the room with her magic, Twilight marked the page she was on, and shut her book with a light thump. She sighed and looked at Spike. “I’m guessing you really want to go to Nightmare Night this year.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“All right, how about this: you finish up the kitchen, and you can go by yourself this year.” A smile slowly started to form on her face as she waited for Spike’s impending reaction.

There was a second of silence. “Really?!”

“Of course. You’ve grown quite a bit since we first moved here. I think you’re ready to take on some responsibility.”

“Thanks, Twilight!” Spike sped off towards the kitchen, a huge smile splitting his face, like a filly getting ready to go out to their favourite restaurant.

Twilight chuckled to herself before she was cut short by a loud crash coming from the kitchen.

“Sorry about that!” Spike yelled.

Twilight rolled her eyes and returned to her pile of books. She stared at the tome she had just been reading, then looked at the rest of the works of literature.

With a flick of her horn, Twilight grabbed How to Be a Princess in her magic and tossed it aside. “That book was really uninformative anyway.” She looked around her to find something else to read that would pique her interest. An old, olive drab book caught her eye, and she brought it over to her. The book was titled: An Examination of Alicorn Magic.

“Interesting . . .” Twilight hummed before taking it in her magical grasp and flipping it to the first page.

“Chapter one: Introduction,” Twilight read aloud. “Well, it’s starting out interesting.”

Then, she dug into her book, the distractions of the world around her flickering and dying out like the whisper of a dying ember.

It had been quite a while since Twilight had started her reading, and she had made respectable progress with her book. Having just finished chapter thirty-two, she decided to pull her muzzle from the book and rest her eyes. She blinked a few times, fighting back the blurriness before looking at her surroundings.

The library was just as she had left it before she had started to traverse the world of literature, and maybe a little tidier, evidence of Spike’s cleaning. Twilight smiled at the thought of him scurrying to go and play with his newfound Cutie Mark Crusader friends for Nightmare Night. Spike had tried to keep that one a secret from her, but becoming an alicorn gave her almost omniscient abilities.

Or a larger knack for secretly following ponies.

Twilight got up from her book fort and stretched out her wings. She glanced over to the kitchen, where she had seen Spike last, then chanced a call.

“Spike?”

There was no reply, suggesting that he had left hours ago. She turned to look at the clock placed on the center table of the room, noting the time: 11:55.

A bright green flash flooded the treehouse from outside. She gazed at the windows before turning back to her book pile.

“It seems Zecora’s demonstration is all about the flair this year. And things sure are going on rather late tonight,” Twilight said as she returned to her books and sat down, enveloping the tome she had left in her magic once again. She opened it and prepared for the coming literary satiation.

Knock

The knock barely phased Twilight. She continued to read in a world of ignorant bliss.

Knock Knock Knock

Twilight finally looked up and stared at the door, her brows furrowed and her eyes fixed in puzzlement. Who would be coming by right now? The library’s closed for Nightmare Night. More importantly, who would knock?

Twilight hesitated as her mind churned, throwing up potential visitors before discarding each as unlikely.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The sudden increase in force shattered Twilight's concentration, and so she rose and began the arduous walk to the door. She looked out the windows, but saw nothing, being only met with black. There was the occasional green flash, but besides that, all was dark.

She tensed up, stopping midway to the door.

Something’s not right.

Twilight lowered to a crouch, her horn pointed to the door as she slowly approached it.

BANG BANG BANG

Her eyes narrowed at the door as she came ever closer to it. She started to build a charge in her horn, preparing for anything at a moment’s notice.

Thoughts spiralled through her head. What could be on the other side of the door? Who cast the spell that blocked me from seeing outside? What is going on?

She judged that she was close enough to open the door with her magic, yet far enough to deal with any potential attacker. Slowly, she surrounded the door’s handle with her magic, mentally preparing herself for whatever could possibly be on the other side of the door.

DING! CUCKOO, CUCKOO!

Twilight lost her concentration as the clock struck twelve. She tried to turn her attention back to the door.

BANG

The door blasted open, flying off its hinges and into the book shelves behind Twilight. Black dots streaked into the library, and one tackled Twilight to the ground before she could even react.

Reacting on instinct, she put up a shield around her, throwing whatever was on top of her into a nearby wall with a slam. Twilight finally had a chance to see her opponent.

Or opponents.

She was surrounded by a small army of changelings, all glaring at her with menacing smiles, some even drooling as they contemplated the love a princess could offer. Twilight twirled around franticly. Changelings?! What are they doing here?! What is going on?!

She was denied any more time to think as they attacked, throwing themselves into her protective barrier. With each successive hit, Twilight was driven back a little, and her shield slowly started to falter.

If only Shining had taught me how to create stronger shields, Twilight berated herself as she tried to hold out the assault. She knew she had little time before they would break through, and then she would be at the mercy of the horde.

She had to think fast. Twilight focused her sight on the exit, knowing that she could not take on all of the changelings at once. She would round up the rest of her friends, and then do as they had done during the changeling invasion at Canterlot.

Cracks started to form in her shield, which meant it was now or never. With a grunt, she overcharged her shield, and then sent it blasting outward, throwing the changelings into the walls around her. And with that, she was off. She ran as fast as her hooves could take her out the door. When she got outside, however, she was met with a horrific sight, her eyes growing wide with terror.

The changelings had come in a force far greater than she had originally thought. The air was literally abuzz with activity as the changelings flew to and fro about Ponyville, flying into windows and stripping down the buildings. This problem was only compounded by the lack of ponies, the lack of her friends.

Oh no.

She didn’t have any more time to think. A black mass flew in front of her, its horn alight with an eerie green glow. With a nod of her head, Twilight blasted the changeling in the chest with her magic, its body careening to the ground behind her. More changelings converged upon her, all trying their best to surround and detain her. A black wall presented itself in front of her, and with a grunt, she enveloped it and threw it behind her. She could hear the screams as changelings met changelings, bodies clashing together.

A smile formed at Twilight’s lips at the thought. Changelings were awfully bad at fighting. What they lacked in skills, however, they made up for in numbers.

Twilight took off towards Sugarcube Corner, but as she neared, she realized it was entirely black, just like all the houses and businesses she had passed before. The entire building was a mess of Nightmare Night decorations, the changelings most likely trashing it while taking over Ponyville.

But where is Pinkie Pie? Where is everypony? She couldn’t stop to check, as the horde had recovered and gathered even more forces to follow her. All Twilight could hear was a terrifying, almost overwhelming buzz.

Suddenly, there was another wall in front of her, too populous to drive off. She skidded to a halt and took a sharp right to avoid the black mass, shooting off bolts at a few unlucky changelings that felt they had a chance.

As she breathed, she realized things were starting to take their toll. She had been running and gunning throughout Ponyville, and her energy reserves were starting to run dry. She looked up ahead and saw a bridge that crossed the stream that ran through Ponyville. Across that bridge would be Rarity’s Boutique. That was the best place to make her final stand.

She forced herself forward with renewed vigour, a direction finally in sight. This didn’t stop the attack, however. A changeling made a run for her, tackling her from behind and pinning her to the ground. It smiled as it charged its horn, preparing a spell that would no doubt incapacitate Twilight.

It never got the chance, as Twilight blasted it with a bolt of magic and then captured it in her magical grasp before throwing it at the rest of the incoming horde. It crashed right into them with a satisfying crunch, and toppled the black wall that was approaching Twilight.

She had a small window, and she needed to take it. Focusing her sight on the Boutique, she charged up her horn before vanishing in a white flash. She then reappeared across the bridge and at the doorstep of the Boutique. She turned around to look and see the progress of the changelings. She stared in disbelief as she realized they had already recovered, the horde making its way across the bridge as she watched. She turned, enveloped the handle of the door in her magic, and threw it open. Twilight jumped in before slamming the door shut. She grasped everything she could in her magic, from tables to clothing, and threw it in front of the door and windows. Then, she ran to the back of the room and stood her ground in front of one of the many closets within Rarity’s Boutique.

Twilight was panting, and she visibly slumped while standing. She had exerted too much energy in such a short amount of time, and had nothing left in her reserves to fight with. That teleportation spell had been the last she could muster. This in mind, Twilight put on a brave face, hoping to stave off the horde with pure will alone.

She waited.

But there was nothing. The door stood intact, and the windows were unscathed. There was no buzzing sound coming from outside. In fact, everything was relatively silent.

Twilight faltered. She couldn’t stand the anticipation, and her nerves and fear started to get the better of her.

Is this it? Is this how I will go? But . . . I have so much more to do! I have my friends, my family, everpony! I . . . I don’t want this to end.

She started to visibly shake, and her face shifted from fierce determination to a stark realization of the futility of her resolve. She was one alicorn versus an army of changelings. If Celestia couldn’t take them down, there was no way she could.

This was the end.

BANG

Twilight jumped at the sound as she snapped up to stare at the door. The materials that she had stacked in front of it started to fall forward, and the door’s hinges creaked as they tore loose from the wall. In a fit of fear, Twilight looked for somewhere to hide, anywhere. Anywhere was better than where she was. She then looked at the closet that was right behind her, and like a filly woken up from a nightmare, she flung it open, jumped in, and closed it. She moved back as far as she could, trying to bury herself in the clothing and the darkness. She just hoped that it would be a good enough camouflage.

BANG

Twilight started to shake. This is it.

BANG

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike . . .

BANG

I love all of you!

BANG!

There was a crash as all of the materials flew away from the door and scattered about the room, the door no doubt amongst them. Twilight closed her eyes, accepting the inevitable.

But, once again, there was silence.

Silence. Twilight hated silence now. But she didn’t have to wait long before it was broken by a familiar voice.

“You sure are one hard mare to catch,” said the voice. “A queen doesn’t usually have to do work herself, but for you, I have made an exception.”

Oh no . . . Twilight thought as she slowly and methodically moved even farther into the back corner, wary of making any sound, even breathing.

Hoofsteps sounded outside the closet. “How does it feel, Twilight Sparkle? How does it feel to have everything you ever loved taken away from you in an instant?

“It must feel terrible. And now you know what you have done to me. If it weren’t for you, I would own Canterlot right now. If it weren’t for you, my subjects wouldn’t be starving to death!”

The hoofsteps drew closer.

“I have toiled and sacrificed myself for my subjects, doing all I can to make sure they are happy and fed. But it is ponies like you I despise. You destroy the lives of an entire race, and think of it as a great deed. Do you know what I had to go through to get here?! You have not the inkling of a thought of how to rule, and you have not the inkling of an idea of loss. You always win, Twilight Sparkle. You always have some way of pulling out in the end.”

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as the hoofsteps came even closer.

“But today, the Elements of Harmony are dead. The citizens of Ponyville will die.”

The hoof steps stopped.

“And today, you shall die with them.”

The closet door swung open, and a flash of white light enveloped the entire room, blinding Twilight, her eyelids no match for the harsh light.

Then, there was darkness.

Author's Note

Things turned dark rather fast, huh? Yeah, I know. It was intentional. XP Some are going to question the point of this, no doubt. But I would really like to see what you all think it was. I am sure that you readers are fairly smart, so it will be interesting to see what you come up with.

I would like to thank my usual prereaders: RavensDagger, Kwakerjak, ToixStory, The Albinocorn, Frederick the Saiyan, and PaxBellorum. They were great.

Until next time, everypony!