A Tale for Twilightby Simon S BorderlineChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1A Tale for Twilight It was midnight, the full moon was shining bright as it hung high atop Twilight's library. Princess Luna had especially made sure there were extra stars in the night sky as a favor for Twilight. Inside the library a small mouse scampered across the floor in search of a crumb of food to feed his starving belly. It's nose sniffing constantly to detect any signs of danger, which to his senses were nonexistent. Death came on swift wings as Owlicious wrapped the small creature in her razor sharp claws with a vice like grip. She turned silently throughout the main floor before returning to her perch and landing as softly as she took off. The mouse disappeared in two quick gulps while upstairs Spike snored quietly in his basket. He turned slightly as he dreamt whatever dreams a dragon dreams after consuming a meal big enough to fill his belly and warm enough to warrant a happy heart. Twilight observed all this from under her blanket after a muffled bump distracted her from her literature. She had not known how Owlicious spent her nights without her until now. After crediting the mouse with knocking over a small object in the room below she retreated back under her covers with a sigh of relief. She used her magic to turn her lamp back on and flipped through the book pages until she found her place again. It was quite a thrilling read at times, at others scary, and still others exciting and suspenseful. She refused to put it down until she was done. Twilight looked forward to these weekends when she was free to binge on reading marathons and cranberry muffins, with regards to Pinkie of course. She also had to thank Luna for providing her the perfect atmosphere for this book. It was so perfect in fact she found herself unable to hold her eyelids open for much longer. But that was earlier, and that mouse had spooked the sleep right out of her, now she was prepared to keep going. Twilight started at the top of the page again just to reread her favorite caption in the story thus far. She smiled with tired eyes as she started reading again. She did not get past a third of the page before her eyes started to droop again. She instantly jerked her head off her warm mattress and blinked her eyes open and shut to rid herself of her ailment. When she was confident she could power through her grogginess she returned to the top of the page to start over. Her eyes shifted from side to side and from up the page downwards to the bottom where she was sure was the best part. With each new line she read her eyes skipped down the page. When she finished a sentence she grew eager for more and dragged her vision lower and lower. It wasn't until she saw the words running together that she realized her eyelids betrayed her and carefully slipped their way over her eyes as she continued. Again Twilight jerked her head up from the under the covers, though this time more than she had meant to. She nearly threw herself out of bed and struggled to get back in position. Twilight shook her head and even slapped herself to clear her head. With new found determination she covered herself again and stared down the page that refused to let her go any lower this time than halfway. Twilight took a deep breath before continuing her read yet again from the top of the page. She refused to be defeated by a simple piece of paper. She began reading the same line for the third time when she started to feel the true warmth and comfort of her bed. Her belly was filled near to the brim with sweets that radiated love and affection from one of her best friends. Twilight closed her book. “Who am I kidding?” She said as she shifted under her covers and set the book to rest on her nightstand along with the lamp she slowly turned off. The warm golden glow it cast about the room gave way to the silver moonlight that cast shadows against the cold darkness. All in all a good night for Twilight Sparkle, and a good night's sleep lay ahead. Twilight leaned back into her pillow and yawned widely stretching every muscle in her body as she... THUMP! Twilight jumped up in her bed as the loud noise reverberated throughout her house. She pulled the covers up to her face and sat shivering in her bed. Instantly her mind wandered to the book, though she knew it was immature to do so and she imagined, it, coming up the stairs to get her. She recovered quickly from her thoughts however, assuring herself there was nothing to be afraid of. 'It was probably just Owlicious who knocked over a book. I'm sure she's sorry and putting it back in its place.' She thought. “Spike are you awake?” Twilight flashed back to when she was a filly and ran to her parents room whenever there was a storm. “Owlicious? Is that you?” Twilight asked the empty doorway in front of her. After several moments of silence Twilight calmed down and lay back down to bed a bit exasperated, but otherwise fine. Twilight tried to clear her head of the nonsense that piled up from her little spook. She closed her eyes and tried thinking of her friends and all the things they did together. She tried thinking of her favorite childhood memories and reading Daring Doo as she grew up. 'Daring Doo, I bet Rainbow Dash wouldn't mind dreaming about her tonight.' She smiled at the thought just to push that little noise out of her head. It was probably just her imagination, but if it was then why did she hear it again. And again...the sound of creaking floorboards seemed to be getting louder. No, not louder. Closer. Twilight remembered the loud thump she heard earlier and her mind wandered to a more realistic threat, perhaps a burglar. As she heard the creaking again she sat up in an instant and cast a powerful glow from her horn to reveal the perpetrator of her thoughts. But when she opened her eyes she found nopony in sight. She lowered the light as Spike snorted and turned over. She felt absolutely childish being afraid. 'But a perfectly natural fear of course. Darkness hides threats we can't see so it's really not all that childish but in fact rather rational.' She thought as a cold draft made its way into her room and under her covers. She shivered as another less frightening possibility occurred to her. Twilight made her way downstairs, walking down creaky steps. 'Mystery solved' On reaching the bottom Twilight found an unlocked window swinging just a bit in the cool night air. She breathed another sigh of relief when she noticed Owlicious was gone. Normally this would worry her, but upon reflecting on her midnight routine earlier Twilight figured she was probably still hungry and stepped out. A sudden gust of wind surely blew the window against the rafters. Twilight closed the window and started back up the stairs in deafening silence. Halfway up she noticed a stain on one of the floorboards and felt a warm trickle of something down the side of her cheek. She rubbed it off with her hoof and inspected it in the darkness, it smelled rather bad too. She looked up and saw what appeared to be a larger stain, like the one below on the ceiling above. Judging by its size and smell she decided it was most likely a mildew stain she just had never noticed before. The previous owners must've not looked after the roof very much. Just as she was about to step away Twilight grew entranced by the stain. As she continued to stare at it she grew positive she could see something, but every time her eyes darted in one direction or the other the darkness melded into whatever she had seen and prevented the full image coming together. At one point she thought she saw movement, but then another drop of the questionable liquid dropped into her eye and she had had enough. Walking back into her bedroom she uncovered her eye and tried inspecting the liquid in the moonlight which to her eyes appeared brown in color. In texture it was rather sticky but in composition it was runny. Twilight sighed and lifted a polishing cloth from nearby to clean her hoof and eye. Twilight thought about maybe not starting her reading marathons before bedtime if she wanted to avoid more of this same nonsense. She crawled into bed and shut her eyes determined to fall into a deep sleep. Just before she did however she slipped one of her eyelids open to look at the basket next to her bed. Why did she keep it there again? Chapter 2Twilight awoke the next day with horrible pain. Her entire body ached as she slowly clambered out of bed, her stiff joints cracked loudly as she put weight on them. As she stretched one of her legs bumped against the empty basket she remembered seeing last night. Twilight kicked it aside as she made her way downstairs to continue her morning routine. A quick miserable breakfast of bread and water would have to do as she needed to arrive early for the first of her many errands. 'Life would be easier if I had an assistant to help me.' She thought as she packed a load of quills and parchment into her saddlebags. Twilight trotted over to her door and opened it to a blanket of mist that slowly spilled into her home. 'This is strange weather for Ponyville' she thought as she stepped outside. The small droplets of water clung to her pelt and chilled her. She closed the door to prevent any further mist from entering her library and damaging the books. As she did she turned to find Mr. and Mrs.Cake walking down the street some distance away and called to them. The cakes stopped midstride, though only momentarily as their expressionless faces looked for the source of the noise. Twilight waved at them as they started moving on again. 'That was strange, but I guess they just couldn't see me.' She shrugged it off and continued on her way. All down the street she past many pony silhouttes on either side talking amongst themselves or otherwise ignoring her completely. She stopped hoping to get her bearings within the thick cloud that seemed to dampen conversation. Gritting her teeth at the dull steady ache of her back she strained to listen to the few words she could scarcely understand but clearly hear. The voice seemed feminine and young, and though it was speaking it seemed to be more lyrical than usual, as a sing-song. 'I must be near the playground.' Twilight thought and hurried down the street to pass the children as they played. When she got to the playground however it was not as she had imagined. Up until now their was no shortage of children wanting to climb, and run, and sing, and play. But no longer. Before today the grounds were carefully tended and playground equipment inspected and repaired when needed to be. What Twilight saw was in a sense sad and malicious. The grass grew long and wild. The slide and jungle gym were broken down and splayed out under its weight. The chains on the swing set were rusted through and the chairs hanging loosely at the ends. And the see-saw rotted in place. There were no children anywhere in sight, except for the one spinning slowly on the carousel. She was difficult to see through the mist and so Twilight approached her as the song came into full clarity. “Ring around the rosie Pocket full of Posies Ashes, Ashes All fall down” Twilight recognized Applebloom as the carousel stopped so that they could make eye contact. She was estranged to find her holding onto the bars with her head hanging low. She didn't speak a word for a long time afterward and seemed completely oblivious to Twilight's presence. Finally Twilight asked, “Is...everything okay Applebloom?” Applebloom didn't move at first, her actions disturbing Twilight more than she already was in a playground full of nothing but crushed innocence. Then slowly and deliberately Applebloom raised her head until her eyes met Twilight's. “He didn't want me.” As she spoke the mist grew thicker and started concealing her form from view. Twilight drew back in fear, her breath quickened and pulse raced. What did she mean? Why was she alone? Who is this HE that didn't want her? Another voice then broke through the mist, it was Rainbow Dash. “Over here Twilight. Twilight, over here.” She turned and strained her eyes in vain to find her friend. “Hurry up Twi! Before it's too late.” “Rainbow where are you? Why is there so much mist in Ponyville?” There was silence for a moment. Then, “What are you doing Twilight!? Run!” Twilight didn't know what she was talking about but now she was panicking too much to care. She galloped to where she thought Dash's voice was coming from. The mist weighed her down as it soaked through the papers in her bags. The whole while she ran she listened to Rainbow's voice as it came through urgently and clear as a bell unlike the others. “Just try to catch up to me!” Now Twilight's fears becalmed themselves as she thought Rainbow Dash was taunting her rather than drawing her attention for a more important matter. “Rainbow Dash just stop it!” Twilight slammed to a halt. The whole time she was chasing her invisible friend her eyes were pasted to the sky in hopes of finding her against the sun, but the mist blocked out everything. And so she didn't see the solid object she collided with. The pain in her body intensified ten fold with the worst of it in her lower jaw and shoulders. She had trouble breathing and she saw spots before her eyes. There was a loud ringing in her ears over which she could hear Rainbow's disconcerting last words. “Why didn't you listen?” Twilight lay on the ground for a while before standing up and shaking the damp bags off her body, she felt too weak to carry such heavy baggage. As she stood she found the object she ran into was Carousel Boutique, home of her friend Rarity. At once she felt relieved, Rarity would never turn down a friend in need. Twilight opened the door to a dark unkempt front room. Supplies and needles were scattered about the floor, the shades were drawn down shutting out natural light. Rags hung from mutilated pony dummies, and beautiful dresses were torn to shreds just outside a door at the far end of the room. A door which was slightly ajar and from which the faintest glow of light was discernible. The hinges of the door creaked as she pushed it open and found Rarity sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by more garbage. Her horn glowing slightly as she raised a comb back and forth slowly. She was muttering something under breath Twilight just couldn't make out. In the darkness of the room Rarity was just visible as a ghostly white figure, but even in the inky darkness she found something wrong with her. Something was just not right. Twilight, against her better judgment decided to call her attention. “Rarity, it's me Twilight? I just ran into your house but, are you okay?” She said as she slowly made her way around the room, keeping her distance. As she did she found that Rarity was combing a fluffy white lump she grasped in her forelegs, a little smiling mouth protruded from under her curls. The whole time Twilight looked at her she continued to whisper to herself. Twilight couldn't stand this. She lit her own horn and shone its light toward Rarity. She was sickened by what she saw. Rarity's pelt had become a sickly green colour and it had withered away so much at some places entire patches of her hair where missing. Her mane too suffered as it no longer was lustrous and thick but rather thinning and pale pink. Twilight held her breath for fear of uttering another word to Rarity. She didn't need to worry about who would make the next move as Rarity stopped her combing and turned her face to Twilight. Again Twilight bit her tongue as she saw the full extent of Rarity's ailment. Her face was withered like a prune and smeared with age old mascara. Her cheeks sunk into her mouth and her eyes were clouded over. As she smiled at her, her lipstick stained lips revealed crooked yellowing teeth and breath strong enough to inspire revulsion in anypony. “Hello Twilight. Don't I look marvelous?” “Rarity. What happened to you?” “Why nothing I should say. I'm as beautiful as always. Don't you agree?” Twilight didn't know what to say. “Rarity what's wrong with you? Why is the store such a mess? Why are you such a mess?” “Twilight I'm so insulted. I'm as organized as always, and as beautiful as always. Aren't I pretty?” “Rarity....No. What is...” Rarity flew into a fit of rage. “What are you talking about you unkempt shrew!? Do you not see my magnificence or can't your shotty little Canterlot eyes behold my beauty!?” Suddenly she brought the fluff to her ear. It was then that Twilight saw the fluff she was combing was actually Opal, or at least what was left of her. The cat seemed to have dried up and mummified. It's eyes were missing from their sockets and it's lips stretched open its mouth reveal the rows of tiny sharp teeth that stuck out of bone. “Oh, what's that Opal? Oh, yes if my dear little spiky-wiky were here he'd tell me how pretty I look. He always thought I was beautiful.” Rarity smiled wildly at her dead cat and Twilight couldn't help but ask. “Who's spiky-wiky?” “Why only the most adorably darling little baby dragon you've ever seen. It's a shame really that he had to leave.” Rarity snuggled her cat like a child does her favorite plush toy. Twilight thought for a second and her eyes fluttered about as she began to recall why she had that basket. It was for Spike. That basket was his bed. But where did he go? Twilight left the room without a second glance at her friend. She had to find Spike before something else disturbing happened to him. She ran to her library at full speed not caring for those she bumped against on the street, it seemed as if the crowds were pushing in against to keep her from moving on. Twilight reached her home from memory, nothing appeared to look the same in the fog. She burst through her door and called out for Spike to no avail. She ran up the stairs and screamed as she saw Owlicious hanging from her ceiling, her wings and legs were spread at as if by some invisible force. Her beak was opened frighteningly wide and her tongue seemed to have been ripped out. The mysterious stain she saw last night was the pool of blood that congealed itself around her and caked her feathers from head to toe. Twilight's eyes began to water as some disembodied shriek thrust the owl hard into her chest knocking her backward down the stairs. Twilight landed hard on the cold hardwood floor with her owl friend at arm's length from her. Twilight opened her eyes slowly to discover the rough tumble and lack of air in her lungs left her with tunnel vision. Dazed, she tried making her way to Owlicious who was still rasping for breath. Twilight tried to comfort her in her final hour as the owl's little chest puffed in and out a final time. Twilight's eyes welled up with sadness and she lay there next to the lifeless body of one her closest friends. She didn't pay notice to the mist filling the room until a cold wind buffeted her. The mist thickened around her, isolating her from her surroundings until she appeared as alone as she felt. Twilight tried to see beyond the mist this time. This time it was different. It was no longer as placid as it had been when she first saw it. Now it seemed to twist and unfurl, slowly at first, but the more she noticed it, the faster it was disturbed. Twilight sprang for the door when she began to see horrid disfigured faces. Outside, the world had become void of life. The ponies that crowded the streets earlier had all vanished without a trace and the skies had darkened intensely. An orange blaze in the western sky gave Twilight the impossible notion that the sun was setting just moments after it had risen. Twilight felt an icy wind that carried its way slowly over her backside and to her breast, caressing her body. The breeze calmed her nerves as it hypnotically whispered sweet nothings into her ear. The voices confused her to the point of becoming lightheaded, or perhaps it was the little trip she had earlier. Twilight gasped as the wind pierced her body. The caresses no longer soothed but stung, and dug deep into her core. She felt a sudden wave of warmth before an unfamiliar coldness started creeping up her body from her hooves. She didn't want to die. Twilight dug her hooves hard into the ground and pulled hard from the entrance. The claws came loose but scratched fervently after her as she struggled to pull completely free. Twilight broke into a gallop as the mysterious force let go and she didn't stop. Not until she nearly tripped over Fluttershy in the middle of the road. Twilight skidded to a halt as she saw her on her knees sobbing uncontrollably. Twilight didn't know what else to do in this strange environment, but consoling her seemed like a good start. “Fluttershy, what's wrong?” Fluttershy spoke through broken sobs. “I-I-It hurt-so-much.” “What did?” “She just-she just lay-there.” “Fluttershy...”Twilight didn't know what to say. She observed several claw marks on her back and flank, there were also dark bruises around her belly. “What happened to you?” “What-did-it-want-from-me?” Twilight lay next to her friend and stroked her mane as she continued to cry. The whole world seemed to delight in her friends' sadness as it blocked out all other sound just to amplify her crying. There was no rustle of leaves, or gurgle from the stream. Nothing. Twilight continued to cry until Applejack came to mind. She was the most reliable pony in all of Equestria, and if she wouldn't stand by her side through all this craziness nopony would. She wiped the tears from her eyes and refused to cry further as a protest against the world that relished in her sorrow. Twilight stood alone in her tortured world and trudged achingly through the empty streets of ponyville until she reached the entrance to the Apple family's farm. When she heard Applejack's familiar laughter Twilight became hopeful that she would be able to help. As she rounded the corner of the barn however her heart sank. There was Applejack standing in front of her endless orchards of apple trees watching them all burn. The flames shot high into the sky and lit up the fog with an angry glow of orange, the sun had not set at all. Twilight approached Applejack to confront her on her mental state. “Applejack, what is going on?” Twilight had to scream to be heard over the roar of the inferno. “Isn't it great Twi? Big Macintosh just ran into the orchard with torch in mouth soon as heard the news. He even left me a pile for myself, ain't he a sweetheart?” Applejack tossed a lamp into a wood pyre. “Applejack what are you talking about?” “Granny Smith is dead Twilight. We don't have to look after these apples anymore.” Applejack laughed again, the same warm laugh Twilight always heard now seemed hollow. “But these apples are your livelihood. You've always lived for them remember?” “Not anymore. I'm finally free Twilight.” Applejack said as a tear broke free from her eye. She turned slowly, took two big hops and lunged herself into the bonfire. Again Twilight was witness to the unbelievable as she saw her friend twist and writhe in pain. Her mane and tail burned up and her coat smouldered away so the fire charred the flesh beneath. All the while Applejack was screaming she had a smile on her face. A smile that grew bigger and broader as her lips melted away. Twilight turned and ran from the horrible scene. Her chest ached as her bruised ribs heaved in and out. Her flank burned as scratches from the claws exposed her tender flesh to the blazing fire and freezing cold. Her eyes stung from tears freezing against the icy mist. She ran because she wanted to leave this horrible nightmare behind. She wanted to leave the torture and pain that she had endured. She wanted to leave her friends alone to their fate. She just wanted to leave. Chapter 3Twilight had no idea where she was, as fast as she ran she didn't seem to go anywhere. The blanket of fog had thickened so much she felt it suffocating her. She continued to run, eyes shut and tears streaming until finally she came to a stop. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to make sense of it all, but as long as she kept her eyes closed she kept seeing that grizzly sight so she opened them. The darkness was so dark when she opened her eyes it hurt just to look into it, she stopped running and held her hoof up to her face but saw nothing. Twilight concentrated her magic into her horn and shone as bright a light as she could to penetrate through the dark, every bone and muscle in her body protested in agony as she pushed forward. She walked further into the nothingness beyond hoping against hope to find some answers but finding none as her horn struggled to alight anything beyond her footfalls. She heard a scuffle somewhere and wheeled around expectantly. Nothing. She heard a distant shriek of a laughter and retreated until she felt a bump. Again turning she found nothing even as she stretched her hoof out to feel for the strange object that stopped her. She looked around a final time before continuing on. ... Twilight had no idea how long she had been walking, a week, a month, a year? She just knew she couldn't stop, every time she did they would come back. Every time they came back they would come closer. From the first time she heard them they never left her and she always knew they were there. She never gave them a name because they would never let her sleep. They were quiet at first but then the further she walked the louder they became making her cry and plead to give her a moments peace. And then it stopped. Everything just stopped, there were no voices, there were no sounds, there wasn't even a breeze. All her world just went dead and there was nothing at all. Twilight settled down and closed her eyes to rest, the light of her horn dying down and her drowsiness lulling her to sleep. Then she heard it, it was faint at first just like them, but then it grew louder. Twilight slowly opened her eyes and lit her horn as she tried covering her ears to make it stop. The ringing in her ears was the same as when she had water in them after a little swim. That thought brought her momentary happiness before the ringing threw it away, it was so loud her head began to ache as if it were to explode at any moment. And then it stopped.. Suddenly a blast of overwhelming laughter of every kind surrounded her, in the light of her horn she caught glimpses what was beyond. Twilight rushed forward but could not manage to see their full form as they stayed just out of her reach. She stopped to catch her breath and they just laughed harder. She tried running off after them again to bring them into the light but they matched her pace and again managed to stay just one step ahead. She stopped again, her panting being drowned out by all the laughter that surrounded her. She tried running one more time but stopped as soon as she realized it would be pointless. So she began to think and took off again, this time though she ran straight in one direction before changing course and running of in another. Aha! She saw one of their hooves, at first she thought they were great big ponies maybe even horses, but now she knew they were floating. 'They must be pegasi' she thought. 'All this time they were just pegasi' a little mumbled laugh escaped her lips as she came to the realization. She smiled as well, now she knew who her tormentors were. Twilight tried new ways to get them into the light. She tried false starts then turned to look behind her as she stopped and saw a little bit more, after that she tried running in circles and watching their silhouettes move around lazily. She even skipped a bit before losing her temper at not seeing them again. Twilight became angry and started chasing them again with abandon jumping this way and that just trying to get another glimpse at them, for Celestia's sake all she wanted was a glimpse! Twilight gave a misstep on her next landing and fell heavily on the floor, the laughter grew louder and louder all the while. Twilight struggled to get up as she heard the laughter blot out all sense of thought she had in her mind, it was so deafening she couldn't think and she always thought that was just a figure of speech. She was wrong. 'I was wrong' thought Twilight. A little giggle escaped her mouth as she looked down at the floor. “I was wrong.” she said out loud though she couldn't hear herself. “I WAS WRONG!!!” Twilight threw her head back as she started laughing with them, chortling with the best and cackling with the worst. She jumped up and down and rolled around on the floor, her sides split and her mouth ached from laughing so much. Then she choked. Twilight rolled over on her stomach as she stopped laughing and struggled to breathe. They were still laughing when she regained her composure and started crying. Small tears at first but before long she was bawling. Twilight wailed and sobbed uncontrollably as they kept laughing, finally she could take it no more and with every last ounce of strength left in her body she let out a howl. Her magic increased tenfold by her loss of control and lit everything up around her. What she saw made her wish for the eye piercing darkness once more. It had seemed that all around her all of ponyville had come together. Everypony she met every face she knew hung in front of her all with wide smiles on their faces, partly due to their dried cracked lips stretched over their teeth and gums. Their glassy milky eyes were rolled back in their sockets where others had theirs missing completely. Their bodies were pale and stiff as they clung to the air like sock puppets, they were dripping as well. The dark brown liquid wasn't blood though, she knew too much to think it was blood, it was spoiled rotten lymphatic fluid flowing from the various cavities on their rotten bodies. Twilight turned around to run again in fear but one of them came down upon her and shrieked in her face, she fell back as another flew forward and slapped her across the face. Twilight turned to see who it was when she felt another slap on the back of her head, tears flew from her eyes from the force of the hit. Twilight looked up as Cadence's figure dropped forward at her from it's place with her arm outstretched. Twilight shut her eyes and braced for the hit that never came. She looked back as Cadence flew back up, but another hard slap came from her left and they continued. They carried out this way in no visible pattern that Twilight could predict. Tears flowed freely as they continued to assault her, laughing altogether the entire time. She was lifted by one of them and slammed onto the ground knocking the wind out of her at the same time before she was picked up again. They threw her around another three times before they let her lie there in misery and agony. They all danced around her and shrieked into her ears even louder than before if it was possible and laughing in her face. Through her tear stained eyes however she managed to see something beyond them. Though their best efforts weren't enough she spotted two insignificant beads of light glowing dully in the darkness. Suddenly the laughing started dying down and they weren't pushing their faces into hers anymore. For a long time she stared at them and they stared back. It wasn't until Twilight felt alone again that she managed to stretch out her arm to them. 'Please. I just want them to stop.' The beads did nothing but watch. 'I just want my friends back.' Nothing. 'I just want to go home.' The beads remained unchanged in their position or glow. Twilight just lay there alone. Then it all came together, a warm breeze brushed against her cold tear streamed face, a warmth of love filled her aching body, and sweet whispers of comfort filled her ears. Twilight felt encouraged and managed to must the force to drag herself to the beads. Little by little she made her way as she started to her her friends voices calling out to her. “Twilight you can beat this...” 'That was Applejack' Twilight thought. “Give'em the ol' one two” 'And Rainbow Dash' “Darling you simply mustn't” “Oh, please come back to us Twilight” Twilight pushed herself harder as she heard her friends calling for her, and though she dragged herself closer to the beads they remained unchanged. “Come on, Twi. Show that phony bony maroney who's boss.” 'Pinkie Pie?' Twilight turned around to see a bright white light shine behind her and was confused. She turned back and saw the beads' glow intensify. Twilight didn't know what to think until they started edging closer. Learning to fear them Twilight pushed off the ground as she remembered why she was here. Twilight had knocked over a shelf in the old section of the Canterlot library and found an old tattered book. Thinking it was interesting to say the least she stowed it away in her saddlebags and didn't begin to read it until yesterday night. Remembering back to the strange title her translations read “The Necromantic Principals”. Twilight started running towards the light as the beads raced for her as well. Running faster than she had ever hoped to in her entire lifetime she realized it was too late as the wave of darkness began to envelope her. Twilight reached out for the light but it pulled away, surprised she dropped to the floor and shut her eyes knowing what was coming. But it didn't. Twlilight opened opened her eyes to find that she was alone in the dark. The light had moved away but behind her the darkness had also retreated, the beads once again docile. She heard a voice in her head that nearly made her question her sanity once more. As the voice spoke the light grew brighter turning the cave of darkness into a blinding wasteland. The shadows moved further back into their corner as the words trumpeted throughout the land and reverberated inside her head it felt as though it would split open any second. Then all was silent again as the light vanished from the scene turning into a small bright orb that floated gently ahead of her. All was grey around her. Twilight herself felt conflicted as to what to do. Behind her lay certain doom but what of this light? Had it arrived to be her savior? Now it lay still and silent. The voice she heard demanded that she stay behind and not move any closer. The voices she heard in the library pleaded with her to go on, then assaulted her. Twilight remained in this limbo for more time than she'd care to admit when making a decision but ultimately decided that she would not remain here. She would continue to run to the light in an effort to escape, she would not stop until this place was a suppressed memory deep in her psyche, and if this endeavor would prove fruitless at least she would see her end. Tightening her sore muscle Twilight again started for the light which made no attempt to flee the second charge. Twilight swore she heard a deep rumbling laughter from behind as she was again in reach of the light which grew brighter at the last second and trumpeted in protest. Twilight reached through the light and fell herself fall through the air while a massive gust of air spread out around her. She saw an unfamiliar stone ceiling above disintegrate and blow itself away as the wind howled. Frantically searching around her she saw her friends standing around her crying, they all climbed into bed and hugged her. Twilight was shocked but hugged them back nonetheless and started crying herself. “Wait, what's happening? Why are you all here? I though...” “Twilight Sparkle.” Princess Celestia called. “I am deeply dissapointed in you.” “What? Why princess? I don't even understand...” “That is exactly why. Have you any idea the evil you just unleashed upon the world?” There was a cry of fear all around the destroyed castle as every pony looked up at the sky and watched the sun and the moon moved of their own accord into alignment and created a solar eclipse. Princess Luna arrived next to them. “Sister what is happening? Surely this is not what it seems.” The moon above began collapsing into itself in a fiery twisting vortex as it breached through to the other side. Dark spectres came to life in the depths of the celestial body and looked down on Equestria with hungry eyes. The ponies below could only watch in horror as the flaming inferno spread across the moon casting aggressive shadows down from a reddened sky. Luna watched helplessly as her namesake crumbled behind the violent force of an evil long past. It wasn't until the twisting flames completely overtook the moon and exploded outward in a coronal mass that the shadows began to descend upon the land. A cry of fear and hysteria from the surrounding city of Canterlot reached the dilapidated castle while the ponies ran around in terror. The red eyed phantoms reached into every nook and cranny of the city tormenting stallions, mares, and fillies without discrimination or restraint. Soon the foul wind spread into the grounds of the castle and started attacking the guards and nobles alike. Before them the two princesses and the ponies watched as the angry wraiths exacted their eons long revenge on the ponies by taking them up into the air and swarming around them. They were swallowed up and lost amid the mass of twisting furled darkness the phantoms incurred with their ethereal bodies. It wasn't long after their whinnies of pain and fear ceased. It was then the phantoms turned their attention toward the ponies standing against them. The guards who weren't crushed under the rubble ran to their princesses and lined up in front of them with spears at the ready. The phantoms did nothing but gaze down on the pitiful beasts before letting out vulgar screech and amassing among themselves once again, congressing their numbers into a single heavy black figure from the depths of which Twilight saw the same two beads as she had seen before. The guards held fast and called out fearlessly as the massive ball of darkness extended a single clawed arm from within itself and wiped away their voices. Their bodies remain stiff as stone in their places before shivering in their places. Not long after they collapsed in heaps before the ponies as their flesh began to melt away before their eyes. Voiceless screams escaped their mouths as they held them wide open and watched themselves dissolving out of existence. Bones snapped under their own weight and organs melded together in clumps of grisly pulp, all they while their eyes sunk back into their skulls before they lay still at last. The ponies screamed as the malignant phantasm inched slowly towards them. Celestia and Luna raised a veil of protection around them as it crept closer and urge them to believe that everything would end well for them. Before the shadow reached the edges of their veil it lifted enveloped them in its cloak, casting them into a darkness they've never experienced before passing over them. Celestia lowered her veil glanced all around her in a panic. “Twilight!” As it was Twilight had run off the moment the darkness peered back at her with the same hunger it had from before, and now she was running for her life. Peering back she saw the floating death in hot pursuit behind her. She knew it wasn't any use to run from this devil of a long past era, their would be nowhere she could go or hide that it would follow her. Twilight knew there was only one way to rid herself of this nightmare once and for all. She switched trajectories and heard her friends calling behind her, urging to stop and come back to them. But it was no use, her mind was made up. With tears in her eyes Twilight realized how pitiful this would look to those around her, perhaps even selfish, but regardless she continued to push on and with a final scream horror she leapt into nothingness. Beneath her the ground ceased to exist for hundreds of feet below her, the cliff face was jagged and not altogether vertical, perhaps on the way down she would slam against a boulder and free herself faster. Farther along she could see the droves of ponies running from their homes and villages as the haunts berated them every step of the way. She wept for them as she began to make out the leaves atop the highest trees and the blades of grass flowing in the wicked breeze they brought forth. She hit hard against the floor and broke nearly every bone in her body as the forces of gravity held her against the flat wall of rock. It didn't give way to her nor had pity on her frail body as she was consumed by pain and the smell of blood filled her nostrils before her mouth went on to taste it. She was in sever pain, her cranium had fractured in multiple places and her mouth was beyond any recognizable shape. Her neck had twisted back in some sick angle pushing the shattered vertebrae beneath tight against her skin. Her forelegs which were spread out in the fall now lay as useless constructs of flesh and sinew. Her chest too had suffered greatly in the fall for it had caved in on itself as all the ribs in her body crumbled under the tremendous weight of her body. All this and more Twilight slowly became aware of as she lay on the floor painfully rasping for breath with every heave. Twilight struggled to move but everything in her screamed out in pain. From not too far off she heard a scuffling but she couldn't turn her neck. Behind her she heard a shrill piercing cry before a rattling took over. Above her she could see the same pale figures as before, lit bright against the blackened void behind them by the light at the end of the tunnel. Twilight begged for the light to remain and comfort her but it slowly drew away from her again, fading away into nonexistence. Wide eyed and terrified Twilight let out a small choked gasp as she watched the last of it disappear into oblivion, then slowly she started to hear it again. Like an echo it surrounded her, softly at first but then it exploded in a cacophony of cackles, howls, shrieks, chuckles. This time it was louder, this time it was meaner, it was triumphant and arrogant, and it never stopped. The laughter kept going without visible sign or pattern that it would stop anytime soon, not even to catch its breath. The laughter had no end. Author's Note Oh motherfucker i can finally post this chapter. Believe it or not i actually started this story a year .5 ago but was never happy with the ending. But now i think i finally got, i broke that damned year long block i had on this story and i am a little happy with it. I had a better ending in mind i think but seeing as how its 4 in the morning you'll have to forgive me if i had to write in a secondary ending. Anyways if you liked this story let me know, if you didn't like it let me know, or if you just want to say hi there's the comment box. I'm going to sleep. P.S. i had no one proofread this yet because i just wanted to get this out of my head already.
Chapter 1A Tale for Twilight It was midnight, the full moon was shining bright as it hung high atop Twilight's library. Princess Luna had especially made sure there were extra stars in the night sky as a favor for Twilight. Inside the library a small mouse scampered across the floor in search of a crumb of food to feed his starving belly. It's nose sniffing constantly to detect any signs of danger, which to his senses were nonexistent. Death came on swift wings as Owlicious wrapped the small creature in her razor sharp claws with a vice like grip. She turned silently throughout the main floor before returning to her perch and landing as softly as she took off. The mouse disappeared in two quick gulps while upstairs Spike snored quietly in his basket. He turned slightly as he dreamt whatever dreams a dragon dreams after consuming a meal big enough to fill his belly and warm enough to warrant a happy heart. Twilight observed all this from under her blanket after a muffled bump distracted her from her literature. She had not known how Owlicious spent her nights without her until now. After crediting the mouse with knocking over a small object in the room below she retreated back under her covers with a sigh of relief. She used her magic to turn her lamp back on and flipped through the book pages until she found her place again. It was quite a thrilling read at times, at others scary, and still others exciting and suspenseful. She refused to put it down until she was done. Twilight looked forward to these weekends when she was free to binge on reading marathons and cranberry muffins, with regards to Pinkie of course. She also had to thank Luna for providing her the perfect atmosphere for this book. It was so perfect in fact she found herself unable to hold her eyelids open for much longer. But that was earlier, and that mouse had spooked the sleep right out of her, now she was prepared to keep going. Twilight started at the top of the page again just to reread her favorite caption in the story thus far. She smiled with tired eyes as she started reading again. She did not get past a third of the page before her eyes started to droop again. She instantly jerked her head off her warm mattress and blinked her eyes open and shut to rid herself of her ailment. When she was confident she could power through her grogginess she returned to the top of the page to start over. Her eyes shifted from side to side and from up the page downwards to the bottom where she was sure was the best part. With each new line she read her eyes skipped down the page. When she finished a sentence she grew eager for more and dragged her vision lower and lower. It wasn't until she saw the words running together that she realized her eyelids betrayed her and carefully slipped their way over her eyes as she continued. Again Twilight jerked her head up from the under the covers, though this time more than she had meant to. She nearly threw herself out of bed and struggled to get back in position. Twilight shook her head and even slapped herself to clear her head. With new found determination she covered herself again and stared down the page that refused to let her go any lower this time than halfway. Twilight took a deep breath before continuing her read yet again from the top of the page. She refused to be defeated by a simple piece of paper. She began reading the same line for the third time when she started to feel the true warmth and comfort of her bed. Her belly was filled near to the brim with sweets that radiated love and affection from one of her best friends. Twilight closed her book. “Who am I kidding?” She said as she shifted under her covers and set the book to rest on her nightstand along with the lamp she slowly turned off. The warm golden glow it cast about the room gave way to the silver moonlight that cast shadows against the cold darkness. All in all a good night for Twilight Sparkle, and a good night's sleep lay ahead. Twilight leaned back into her pillow and yawned widely stretching every muscle in her body as she... THUMP! Twilight jumped up in her bed as the loud noise reverberated throughout her house. She pulled the covers up to her face and sat shivering in her bed. Instantly her mind wandered to the book, though she knew it was immature to do so and she imagined, it, coming up the stairs to get her. She recovered quickly from her thoughts however, assuring herself there was nothing to be afraid of. 'It was probably just Owlicious who knocked over a book. I'm sure she's sorry and putting it back in its place.' She thought. “Spike are you awake?” Twilight flashed back to when she was a filly and ran to her parents room whenever there was a storm. “Owlicious? Is that you?” Twilight asked the empty doorway in front of her. After several moments of silence Twilight calmed down and lay back down to bed a bit exasperated, but otherwise fine. Twilight tried to clear her head of the nonsense that piled up from her little spook. She closed her eyes and tried thinking of her friends and all the things they did together. She tried thinking of her favorite childhood memories and reading Daring Doo as she grew up. 'Daring Doo, I bet Rainbow Dash wouldn't mind dreaming about her tonight.' She smiled at the thought just to push that little noise out of her head. It was probably just her imagination, but if it was then why did she hear it again. And again...the sound of creaking floorboards seemed to be getting louder. No, not louder. Closer. Twilight remembered the loud thump she heard earlier and her mind wandered to a more realistic threat, perhaps a burglar. As she heard the creaking again she sat up in an instant and cast a powerful glow from her horn to reveal the perpetrator of her thoughts. But when she opened her eyes she found nopony in sight. She lowered the light as Spike snorted and turned over. She felt absolutely childish being afraid. 'But a perfectly natural fear of course. Darkness hides threats we can't see so it's really not all that childish but in fact rather rational.' She thought as a cold draft made its way into her room and under her covers. She shivered as another less frightening possibility occurred to her. Twilight made her way downstairs, walking down creaky steps. 'Mystery solved' On reaching the bottom Twilight found an unlocked window swinging just a bit in the cool night air. She breathed another sigh of relief when she noticed Owlicious was gone. Normally this would worry her, but upon reflecting on her midnight routine earlier Twilight figured she was probably still hungry and stepped out. A sudden gust of wind surely blew the window against the rafters. Twilight closed the window and started back up the stairs in deafening silence. Halfway up she noticed a stain on one of the floorboards and felt a warm trickle of something down the side of her cheek. She rubbed it off with her hoof and inspected it in the darkness, it smelled rather bad too. She looked up and saw what appeared to be a larger stain, like the one below on the ceiling above. Judging by its size and smell she decided it was most likely a mildew stain she just had never noticed before. The previous owners must've not looked after the roof very much. Just as she was about to step away Twilight grew entranced by the stain. As she continued to stare at it she grew positive she could see something, but every time her eyes darted in one direction or the other the darkness melded into whatever she had seen and prevented the full image coming together. At one point she thought she saw movement, but then another drop of the questionable liquid dropped into her eye and she had had enough. Walking back into her bedroom she uncovered her eye and tried inspecting the liquid in the moonlight which to her eyes appeared brown in color. In texture it was rather sticky but in composition it was runny. Twilight sighed and lifted a polishing cloth from nearby to clean her hoof and eye. Twilight thought about maybe not starting her reading marathons before bedtime if she wanted to avoid more of this same nonsense. She crawled into bed and shut her eyes determined to fall into a deep sleep. Just before she did however she slipped one of her eyelids open to look at the basket next to her bed. Why did she keep it there again?
Chapter 2Twilight awoke the next day with horrible pain. Her entire body ached as she slowly clambered out of bed, her stiff joints cracked loudly as she put weight on them. As she stretched one of her legs bumped against the empty basket she remembered seeing last night. Twilight kicked it aside as she made her way downstairs to continue her morning routine. A quick miserable breakfast of bread and water would have to do as she needed to arrive early for the first of her many errands. 'Life would be easier if I had an assistant to help me.' She thought as she packed a load of quills and parchment into her saddlebags. Twilight trotted over to her door and opened it to a blanket of mist that slowly spilled into her home. 'This is strange weather for Ponyville' she thought as she stepped outside. The small droplets of water clung to her pelt and chilled her. She closed the door to prevent any further mist from entering her library and damaging the books. As she did she turned to find Mr. and Mrs.Cake walking down the street some distance away and called to them. The cakes stopped midstride, though only momentarily as their expressionless faces looked for the source of the noise. Twilight waved at them as they started moving on again. 'That was strange, but I guess they just couldn't see me.' She shrugged it off and continued on her way. All down the street she past many pony silhouttes on either side talking amongst themselves or otherwise ignoring her completely. She stopped hoping to get her bearings within the thick cloud that seemed to dampen conversation. Gritting her teeth at the dull steady ache of her back she strained to listen to the few words she could scarcely understand but clearly hear. The voice seemed feminine and young, and though it was speaking it seemed to be more lyrical than usual, as a sing-song. 'I must be near the playground.' Twilight thought and hurried down the street to pass the children as they played. When she got to the playground however it was not as she had imagined. Up until now their was no shortage of children wanting to climb, and run, and sing, and play. But no longer. Before today the grounds were carefully tended and playground equipment inspected and repaired when needed to be. What Twilight saw was in a sense sad and malicious. The grass grew long and wild. The slide and jungle gym were broken down and splayed out under its weight. The chains on the swing set were rusted through and the chairs hanging loosely at the ends. And the see-saw rotted in place. There were no children anywhere in sight, except for the one spinning slowly on the carousel. She was difficult to see through the mist and so Twilight approached her as the song came into full clarity. “Ring around the rosie Pocket full of Posies Ashes, Ashes All fall down” Twilight recognized Applebloom as the carousel stopped so that they could make eye contact. She was estranged to find her holding onto the bars with her head hanging low. She didn't speak a word for a long time afterward and seemed completely oblivious to Twilight's presence. Finally Twilight asked, “Is...everything okay Applebloom?” Applebloom didn't move at first, her actions disturbing Twilight more than she already was in a playground full of nothing but crushed innocence. Then slowly and deliberately Applebloom raised her head until her eyes met Twilight's. “He didn't want me.” As she spoke the mist grew thicker and started concealing her form from view. Twilight drew back in fear, her breath quickened and pulse raced. What did she mean? Why was she alone? Who is this HE that didn't want her? Another voice then broke through the mist, it was Rainbow Dash. “Over here Twilight. Twilight, over here.” She turned and strained her eyes in vain to find her friend. “Hurry up Twi! Before it's too late.” “Rainbow where are you? Why is there so much mist in Ponyville?” There was silence for a moment. Then, “What are you doing Twilight!? Run!” Twilight didn't know what she was talking about but now she was panicking too much to care. She galloped to where she thought Dash's voice was coming from. The mist weighed her down as it soaked through the papers in her bags. The whole while she ran she listened to Rainbow's voice as it came through urgently and clear as a bell unlike the others. “Just try to catch up to me!” Now Twilight's fears becalmed themselves as she thought Rainbow Dash was taunting her rather than drawing her attention for a more important matter. “Rainbow Dash just stop it!” Twilight slammed to a halt. The whole time she was chasing her invisible friend her eyes were pasted to the sky in hopes of finding her against the sun, but the mist blocked out everything. And so she didn't see the solid object she collided with. The pain in her body intensified ten fold with the worst of it in her lower jaw and shoulders. She had trouble breathing and she saw spots before her eyes. There was a loud ringing in her ears over which she could hear Rainbow's disconcerting last words. “Why didn't you listen?” Twilight lay on the ground for a while before standing up and shaking the damp bags off her body, she felt too weak to carry such heavy baggage. As she stood she found the object she ran into was Carousel Boutique, home of her friend Rarity. At once she felt relieved, Rarity would never turn down a friend in need. Twilight opened the door to a dark unkempt front room. Supplies and needles were scattered about the floor, the shades were drawn down shutting out natural light. Rags hung from mutilated pony dummies, and beautiful dresses were torn to shreds just outside a door at the far end of the room. A door which was slightly ajar and from which the faintest glow of light was discernible. The hinges of the door creaked as she pushed it open and found Rarity sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by more garbage. Her horn glowing slightly as she raised a comb back and forth slowly. She was muttering something under breath Twilight just couldn't make out. In the darkness of the room Rarity was just visible as a ghostly white figure, but even in the inky darkness she found something wrong with her. Something was just not right. Twilight, against her better judgment decided to call her attention. “Rarity, it's me Twilight? I just ran into your house but, are you okay?” She said as she slowly made her way around the room, keeping her distance. As she did she found that Rarity was combing a fluffy white lump she grasped in her forelegs, a little smiling mouth protruded from under her curls. The whole time Twilight looked at her she continued to whisper to herself. Twilight couldn't stand this. She lit her own horn and shone its light toward Rarity. She was sickened by what she saw. Rarity's pelt had become a sickly green colour and it had withered away so much at some places entire patches of her hair where missing. Her mane too suffered as it no longer was lustrous and thick but rather thinning and pale pink. Twilight held her breath for fear of uttering another word to Rarity. She didn't need to worry about who would make the next move as Rarity stopped her combing and turned her face to Twilight. Again Twilight bit her tongue as she saw the full extent of Rarity's ailment. Her face was withered like a prune and smeared with age old mascara. Her cheeks sunk into her mouth and her eyes were clouded over. As she smiled at her, her lipstick stained lips revealed crooked yellowing teeth and breath strong enough to inspire revulsion in anypony. “Hello Twilight. Don't I look marvelous?” “Rarity. What happened to you?” “Why nothing I should say. I'm as beautiful as always. Don't you agree?” Twilight didn't know what to say. “Rarity what's wrong with you? Why is the store such a mess? Why are you such a mess?” “Twilight I'm so insulted. I'm as organized as always, and as beautiful as always. Aren't I pretty?” “Rarity....No. What is...” Rarity flew into a fit of rage. “What are you talking about you unkempt shrew!? Do you not see my magnificence or can't your shotty little Canterlot eyes behold my beauty!?” Suddenly she brought the fluff to her ear. It was then that Twilight saw the fluff she was combing was actually Opal, or at least what was left of her. The cat seemed to have dried up and mummified. It's eyes were missing from their sockets and it's lips stretched open its mouth reveal the rows of tiny sharp teeth that stuck out of bone. “Oh, what's that Opal? Oh, yes if my dear little spiky-wiky were here he'd tell me how pretty I look. He always thought I was beautiful.” Rarity smiled wildly at her dead cat and Twilight couldn't help but ask. “Who's spiky-wiky?” “Why only the most adorably darling little baby dragon you've ever seen. It's a shame really that he had to leave.” Rarity snuggled her cat like a child does her favorite plush toy. Twilight thought for a second and her eyes fluttered about as she began to recall why she had that basket. It was for Spike. That basket was his bed. But where did he go? Twilight left the room without a second glance at her friend. She had to find Spike before something else disturbing happened to him. She ran to her library at full speed not caring for those she bumped against on the street, it seemed as if the crowds were pushing in against to keep her from moving on. Twilight reached her home from memory, nothing appeared to look the same in the fog. She burst through her door and called out for Spike to no avail. She ran up the stairs and screamed as she saw Owlicious hanging from her ceiling, her wings and legs were spread at as if by some invisible force. Her beak was opened frighteningly wide and her tongue seemed to have been ripped out. The mysterious stain she saw last night was the pool of blood that congealed itself around her and caked her feathers from head to toe. Twilight's eyes began to water as some disembodied shriek thrust the owl hard into her chest knocking her backward down the stairs. Twilight landed hard on the cold hardwood floor with her owl friend at arm's length from her. Twilight opened her eyes slowly to discover the rough tumble and lack of air in her lungs left her with tunnel vision. Dazed, she tried making her way to Owlicious who was still rasping for breath. Twilight tried to comfort her in her final hour as the owl's little chest puffed in and out a final time. Twilight's eyes welled up with sadness and she lay there next to the lifeless body of one her closest friends. She didn't pay notice to the mist filling the room until a cold wind buffeted her. The mist thickened around her, isolating her from her surroundings until she appeared as alone as she felt. Twilight tried to see beyond the mist this time. This time it was different. It was no longer as placid as it had been when she first saw it. Now it seemed to twist and unfurl, slowly at first, but the more she noticed it, the faster it was disturbed. Twilight sprang for the door when she began to see horrid disfigured faces. Outside, the world had become void of life. The ponies that crowded the streets earlier had all vanished without a trace and the skies had darkened intensely. An orange blaze in the western sky gave Twilight the impossible notion that the sun was setting just moments after it had risen. Twilight felt an icy wind that carried its way slowly over her backside and to her breast, caressing her body. The breeze calmed her nerves as it hypnotically whispered sweet nothings into her ear. The voices confused her to the point of becoming lightheaded, or perhaps it was the little trip she had earlier. Twilight gasped as the wind pierced her body. The caresses no longer soothed but stung, and dug deep into her core. She felt a sudden wave of warmth before an unfamiliar coldness started creeping up her body from her hooves. She didn't want to die. Twilight dug her hooves hard into the ground and pulled hard from the entrance. The claws came loose but scratched fervently after her as she struggled to pull completely free. Twilight broke into a gallop as the mysterious force let go and she didn't stop. Not until she nearly tripped over Fluttershy in the middle of the road. Twilight skidded to a halt as she saw her on her knees sobbing uncontrollably. Twilight didn't know what else to do in this strange environment, but consoling her seemed like a good start. “Fluttershy, what's wrong?” Fluttershy spoke through broken sobs. “I-I-It hurt-so-much.” “What did?” “She just-she just lay-there.” “Fluttershy...”Twilight didn't know what to say. She observed several claw marks on her back and flank, there were also dark bruises around her belly. “What happened to you?” “What-did-it-want-from-me?” Twilight lay next to her friend and stroked her mane as she continued to cry. The whole world seemed to delight in her friends' sadness as it blocked out all other sound just to amplify her crying. There was no rustle of leaves, or gurgle from the stream. Nothing. Twilight continued to cry until Applejack came to mind. She was the most reliable pony in all of Equestria, and if she wouldn't stand by her side through all this craziness nopony would. She wiped the tears from her eyes and refused to cry further as a protest against the world that relished in her sorrow. Twilight stood alone in her tortured world and trudged achingly through the empty streets of ponyville until she reached the entrance to the Apple family's farm. When she heard Applejack's familiar laughter Twilight became hopeful that she would be able to help. As she rounded the corner of the barn however her heart sank. There was Applejack standing in front of her endless orchards of apple trees watching them all burn. The flames shot high into the sky and lit up the fog with an angry glow of orange, the sun had not set at all. Twilight approached Applejack to confront her on her mental state. “Applejack, what is going on?” Twilight had to scream to be heard over the roar of the inferno. “Isn't it great Twi? Big Macintosh just ran into the orchard with torch in mouth soon as heard the news. He even left me a pile for myself, ain't he a sweetheart?” Applejack tossed a lamp into a wood pyre. “Applejack what are you talking about?” “Granny Smith is dead Twilight. We don't have to look after these apples anymore.” Applejack laughed again, the same warm laugh Twilight always heard now seemed hollow. “But these apples are your livelihood. You've always lived for them remember?” “Not anymore. I'm finally free Twilight.” Applejack said as a tear broke free from her eye. She turned slowly, took two big hops and lunged herself into the bonfire. Again Twilight was witness to the unbelievable as she saw her friend twist and writhe in pain. Her mane and tail burned up and her coat smouldered away so the fire charred the flesh beneath. All the while Applejack was screaming she had a smile on her face. A smile that grew bigger and broader as her lips melted away. Twilight turned and ran from the horrible scene. Her chest ached as her bruised ribs heaved in and out. Her flank burned as scratches from the claws exposed her tender flesh to the blazing fire and freezing cold. Her eyes stung from tears freezing against the icy mist. She ran because she wanted to leave this horrible nightmare behind. She wanted to leave the torture and pain that she had endured. She wanted to leave her friends alone to their fate. She just wanted to leave.
Chapter 3Twilight had no idea where she was, as fast as she ran she didn't seem to go anywhere. The blanket of fog had thickened so much she felt it suffocating her. She continued to run, eyes shut and tears streaming until finally she came to a stop. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to make sense of it all, but as long as she kept her eyes closed she kept seeing that grizzly sight so she opened them. The darkness was so dark when she opened her eyes it hurt just to look into it, she stopped running and held her hoof up to her face but saw nothing. Twilight concentrated her magic into her horn and shone as bright a light as she could to penetrate through the dark, every bone and muscle in her body protested in agony as she pushed forward. She walked further into the nothingness beyond hoping against hope to find some answers but finding none as her horn struggled to alight anything beyond her footfalls. She heard a scuffle somewhere and wheeled around expectantly. Nothing. She heard a distant shriek of a laughter and retreated until she felt a bump. Again turning she found nothing even as she stretched her hoof out to feel for the strange object that stopped her. She looked around a final time before continuing on. ... Twilight had no idea how long she had been walking, a week, a month, a year? She just knew she couldn't stop, every time she did they would come back. Every time they came back they would come closer. From the first time she heard them they never left her and she always knew they were there. She never gave them a name because they would never let her sleep. They were quiet at first but then the further she walked the louder they became making her cry and plead to give her a moments peace. And then it stopped. Everything just stopped, there were no voices, there were no sounds, there wasn't even a breeze. All her world just went dead and there was nothing at all. Twilight settled down and closed her eyes to rest, the light of her horn dying down and her drowsiness lulling her to sleep. Then she heard it, it was faint at first just like them, but then it grew louder. Twilight slowly opened her eyes and lit her horn as she tried covering her ears to make it stop. The ringing in her ears was the same as when she had water in them after a little swim. That thought brought her momentary happiness before the ringing threw it away, it was so loud her head began to ache as if it were to explode at any moment. And then it stopped.. Suddenly a blast of overwhelming laughter of every kind surrounded her, in the light of her horn she caught glimpses what was beyond. Twilight rushed forward but could not manage to see their full form as they stayed just out of her reach. She stopped to catch her breath and they just laughed harder. She tried running off after them again to bring them into the light but they matched her pace and again managed to stay just one step ahead. She stopped again, her panting being drowned out by all the laughter that surrounded her. She tried running one more time but stopped as soon as she realized it would be pointless. So she began to think and took off again, this time though she ran straight in one direction before changing course and running of in another. Aha! She saw one of their hooves, at first she thought they were great big ponies maybe even horses, but now she knew they were floating. 'They must be pegasi' she thought. 'All this time they were just pegasi' a little mumbled laugh escaped her lips as she came to the realization. She smiled as well, now she knew who her tormentors were. Twilight tried new ways to get them into the light. She tried false starts then turned to look behind her as she stopped and saw a little bit more, after that she tried running in circles and watching their silhouettes move around lazily. She even skipped a bit before losing her temper at not seeing them again. Twilight became angry and started chasing them again with abandon jumping this way and that just trying to get another glimpse at them, for Celestia's sake all she wanted was a glimpse! Twilight gave a misstep on her next landing and fell heavily on the floor, the laughter grew louder and louder all the while. Twilight struggled to get up as she heard the laughter blot out all sense of thought she had in her mind, it was so deafening she couldn't think and she always thought that was just a figure of speech. She was wrong. 'I was wrong' thought Twilight. A little giggle escaped her mouth as she looked down at the floor. “I was wrong.” she said out loud though she couldn't hear herself. “I WAS WRONG!!!” Twilight threw her head back as she started laughing with them, chortling with the best and cackling with the worst. She jumped up and down and rolled around on the floor, her sides split and her mouth ached from laughing so much. Then she choked. Twilight rolled over on her stomach as she stopped laughing and struggled to breathe. They were still laughing when she regained her composure and started crying. Small tears at first but before long she was bawling. Twilight wailed and sobbed uncontrollably as they kept laughing, finally she could take it no more and with every last ounce of strength left in her body she let out a howl. Her magic increased tenfold by her loss of control and lit everything up around her. What she saw made her wish for the eye piercing darkness once more. It had seemed that all around her all of ponyville had come together. Everypony she met every face she knew hung in front of her all with wide smiles on their faces, partly due to their dried cracked lips stretched over their teeth and gums. Their glassy milky eyes were rolled back in their sockets where others had theirs missing completely. Their bodies were pale and stiff as they clung to the air like sock puppets, they were dripping as well. The dark brown liquid wasn't blood though, she knew too much to think it was blood, it was spoiled rotten lymphatic fluid flowing from the various cavities on their rotten bodies. Twilight turned around to run again in fear but one of them came down upon her and shrieked in her face, she fell back as another flew forward and slapped her across the face. Twilight turned to see who it was when she felt another slap on the back of her head, tears flew from her eyes from the force of the hit. Twilight looked up as Cadence's figure dropped forward at her from it's place with her arm outstretched. Twilight shut her eyes and braced for the hit that never came. She looked back as Cadence flew back up, but another hard slap came from her left and they continued. They carried out this way in no visible pattern that Twilight could predict. Tears flowed freely as they continued to assault her, laughing altogether the entire time. She was lifted by one of them and slammed onto the ground knocking the wind out of her at the same time before she was picked up again. They threw her around another three times before they let her lie there in misery and agony. They all danced around her and shrieked into her ears even louder than before if it was possible and laughing in her face. Through her tear stained eyes however she managed to see something beyond them. Though their best efforts weren't enough she spotted two insignificant beads of light glowing dully in the darkness. Suddenly the laughing started dying down and they weren't pushing their faces into hers anymore. For a long time she stared at them and they stared back. It wasn't until Twilight felt alone again that she managed to stretch out her arm to them. 'Please. I just want them to stop.' The beads did nothing but watch. 'I just want my friends back.' Nothing. 'I just want to go home.' The beads remained unchanged in their position or glow. Twilight just lay there alone. Then it all came together, a warm breeze brushed against her cold tear streamed face, a warmth of love filled her aching body, and sweet whispers of comfort filled her ears. Twilight felt encouraged and managed to must the force to drag herself to the beads. Little by little she made her way as she started to her her friends voices calling out to her. “Twilight you can beat this...” 'That was Applejack' Twilight thought. “Give'em the ol' one two” 'And Rainbow Dash' “Darling you simply mustn't” “Oh, please come back to us Twilight” Twilight pushed herself harder as she heard her friends calling for her, and though she dragged herself closer to the beads they remained unchanged. “Come on, Twi. Show that phony bony maroney who's boss.” 'Pinkie Pie?' Twilight turned around to see a bright white light shine behind her and was confused. She turned back and saw the beads' glow intensify. Twilight didn't know what to think until they started edging closer. Learning to fear them Twilight pushed off the ground as she remembered why she was here. Twilight had knocked over a shelf in the old section of the Canterlot library and found an old tattered book. Thinking it was interesting to say the least she stowed it away in her saddlebags and didn't begin to read it until yesterday night. Remembering back to the strange title her translations read “The Necromantic Principals”. Twilight started running towards the light as the beads raced for her as well. Running faster than she had ever hoped to in her entire lifetime she realized it was too late as the wave of darkness began to envelope her. Twilight reached out for the light but it pulled away, surprised she dropped to the floor and shut her eyes knowing what was coming. But it didn't. Twlilight opened opened her eyes to find that she was alone in the dark. The light had moved away but behind her the darkness had also retreated, the beads once again docile. She heard a voice in her head that nearly made her question her sanity once more. As the voice spoke the light grew brighter turning the cave of darkness into a blinding wasteland. The shadows moved further back into their corner as the words trumpeted throughout the land and reverberated inside her head it felt as though it would split open any second. Then all was silent again as the light vanished from the scene turning into a small bright orb that floated gently ahead of her. All was grey around her. Twilight herself felt conflicted as to what to do. Behind her lay certain doom but what of this light? Had it arrived to be her savior? Now it lay still and silent. The voice she heard demanded that she stay behind and not move any closer. The voices she heard in the library pleaded with her to go on, then assaulted her. Twilight remained in this limbo for more time than she'd care to admit when making a decision but ultimately decided that she would not remain here. She would continue to run to the light in an effort to escape, she would not stop until this place was a suppressed memory deep in her psyche, and if this endeavor would prove fruitless at least she would see her end. Tightening her sore muscle Twilight again started for the light which made no attempt to flee the second charge. Twilight swore she heard a deep rumbling laughter from behind as she was again in reach of the light which grew brighter at the last second and trumpeted in protest. Twilight reached through the light and fell herself fall through the air while a massive gust of air spread out around her. She saw an unfamiliar stone ceiling above disintegrate and blow itself away as the wind howled. Frantically searching around her she saw her friends standing around her crying, they all climbed into bed and hugged her. Twilight was shocked but hugged them back nonetheless and started crying herself. “Wait, what's happening? Why are you all here? I though...” “Twilight Sparkle.” Princess Celestia called. “I am deeply dissapointed in you.” “What? Why princess? I don't even understand...” “That is exactly why. Have you any idea the evil you just unleashed upon the world?” There was a cry of fear all around the destroyed castle as every pony looked up at the sky and watched the sun and the moon moved of their own accord into alignment and created a solar eclipse. Princess Luna arrived next to them. “Sister what is happening? Surely this is not what it seems.” The moon above began collapsing into itself in a fiery twisting vortex as it breached through to the other side. Dark spectres came to life in the depths of the celestial body and looked down on Equestria with hungry eyes. The ponies below could only watch in horror as the flaming inferno spread across the moon casting aggressive shadows down from a reddened sky. Luna watched helplessly as her namesake crumbled behind the violent force of an evil long past. It wasn't until the twisting flames completely overtook the moon and exploded outward in a coronal mass that the shadows began to descend upon the land. A cry of fear and hysteria from the surrounding city of Canterlot reached the dilapidated castle while the ponies ran around in terror. The red eyed phantoms reached into every nook and cranny of the city tormenting stallions, mares, and fillies without discrimination or restraint. Soon the foul wind spread into the grounds of the castle and started attacking the guards and nobles alike. Before them the two princesses and the ponies watched as the angry wraiths exacted their eons long revenge on the ponies by taking them up into the air and swarming around them. They were swallowed up and lost amid the mass of twisting furled darkness the phantoms incurred with their ethereal bodies. It wasn't long after their whinnies of pain and fear ceased. It was then the phantoms turned their attention toward the ponies standing against them. The guards who weren't crushed under the rubble ran to their princesses and lined up in front of them with spears at the ready. The phantoms did nothing but gaze down on the pitiful beasts before letting out vulgar screech and amassing among themselves once again, congressing their numbers into a single heavy black figure from the depths of which Twilight saw the same two beads as she had seen before. The guards held fast and called out fearlessly as the massive ball of darkness extended a single clawed arm from within itself and wiped away their voices. Their bodies remain stiff as stone in their places before shivering in their places. Not long after they collapsed in heaps before the ponies as their flesh began to melt away before their eyes. Voiceless screams escaped their mouths as they held them wide open and watched themselves dissolving out of existence. Bones snapped under their own weight and organs melded together in clumps of grisly pulp, all they while their eyes sunk back into their skulls before they lay still at last. The ponies screamed as the malignant phantasm inched slowly towards them. Celestia and Luna raised a veil of protection around them as it crept closer and urge them to believe that everything would end well for them. Before the shadow reached the edges of their veil it lifted enveloped them in its cloak, casting them into a darkness they've never experienced before passing over them. Celestia lowered her veil glanced all around her in a panic. “Twilight!” As it was Twilight had run off the moment the darkness peered back at her with the same hunger it had from before, and now she was running for her life. Peering back she saw the floating death in hot pursuit behind her. She knew it wasn't any use to run from this devil of a long past era, their would be nowhere she could go or hide that it would follow her. Twilight knew there was only one way to rid herself of this nightmare once and for all. She switched trajectories and heard her friends calling behind her, urging to stop and come back to them. But it was no use, her mind was made up. With tears in her eyes Twilight realized how pitiful this would look to those around her, perhaps even selfish, but regardless she continued to push on and with a final scream horror she leapt into nothingness. Beneath her the ground ceased to exist for hundreds of feet below her, the cliff face was jagged and not altogether vertical, perhaps on the way down she would slam against a boulder and free herself faster. Farther along she could see the droves of ponies running from their homes and villages as the haunts berated them every step of the way. She wept for them as she began to make out the leaves atop the highest trees and the blades of grass flowing in the wicked breeze they brought forth. She hit hard against the floor and broke nearly every bone in her body as the forces of gravity held her against the flat wall of rock. It didn't give way to her nor had pity on her frail body as she was consumed by pain and the smell of blood filled her nostrils before her mouth went on to taste it. She was in sever pain, her cranium had fractured in multiple places and her mouth was beyond any recognizable shape. Her neck had twisted back in some sick angle pushing the shattered vertebrae beneath tight against her skin. Her forelegs which were spread out in the fall now lay as useless constructs of flesh and sinew. Her chest too had suffered greatly in the fall for it had caved in on itself as all the ribs in her body crumbled under the tremendous weight of her body. All this and more Twilight slowly became aware of as she lay on the floor painfully rasping for breath with every heave. Twilight struggled to move but everything in her screamed out in pain. From not too far off she heard a scuffling but she couldn't turn her neck. Behind her she heard a shrill piercing cry before a rattling took over. Above her she could see the same pale figures as before, lit bright against the blackened void behind them by the light at the end of the tunnel. Twilight begged for the light to remain and comfort her but it slowly drew away from her again, fading away into nonexistence. Wide eyed and terrified Twilight let out a small choked gasp as she watched the last of it disappear into oblivion, then slowly she started to hear it again. Like an echo it surrounded her, softly at first but then it exploded in a cacophony of cackles, howls, shrieks, chuckles. This time it was louder, this time it was meaner, it was triumphant and arrogant, and it never stopped. The laughter kept going without visible sign or pattern that it would stop anytime soon, not even to catch its breath. The laughter had no end. Author's Note Oh motherfucker i can finally post this chapter. Believe it or not i actually started this story a year .5 ago but was never happy with the ending. But now i think i finally got, i broke that damned year long block i had on this story and i am a little happy with it. I had a better ending in mind i think but seeing as how its 4 in the morning you'll have to forgive me if i had to write in a secondary ending. Anyways if you liked this story let me know, if you didn't like it let me know, or if you just want to say hi there's the comment box. I'm going to sleep. P.S. i had no one proofread this yet because i just wanted to get this out of my head already.
