Beware The Beast in Black
Late at night, so late that morning was just a few short hours away, Princess Luna lay in her bed trying to get some sleep after a long night of royal duties. However, this night something haunted and plagued her as she slept. It was a dream, a wickedly horrible nightmare that played over and over in her mind. In the dream she stands alone in small room unable to move as the shadows that covered the walls begin to take a form and creep closer and closer to her. As the shadow figures advanced toward Luna they howled with a blood curdling shriek, and the closer they got to her they louder they became. They grab Luna and pull her into the shadows themselves, surrounding her in total darkness, then they shrieked with the most terrifying sound she had ever heard. Then the shrieking stopped, but in its place was a constant whispering from hundreds of weak and sickly voices all talking in unison. "Free...Finally freedom...We are free...Vengeance...We are free...Darkness is coming...We are...Free!" The last word spoken was not a whisper but a mixture between a shriek and a yell. As the last word was spoken some horrible creature bared it's fangs in the darkness and lunged toward Luna.
The shock of being attacked in her dream made Luna wake up screaming. Any normal pony would have just thought this to be a common nightmare, but not Luna she knew this dream meant something she knew it was a warning. She was being warned that her darkest fear had returned and was set lose upon Equestria. No sooner than she had woken up she heard a loud crash and horrible racket being made deeper in the castle then she heard her sister scream, but not out of fright like her Celestia was screaming for her life. Luna heard her sister then rushed to be at her side fearing that the worst had happened. Outside Celestia's personal quarters the area wear the two guards were assigned to be was covered in deep claw marks, chunks missing from the walls, bits of destroyed armor from both the guard lay scattered on the ground, and Luna could feel a dark presence had been there. Inside Celestia's room was a far worse sight; the the room had been ripped apart the only thing in the room that was not destroyed was Celestia's crown, which was sitting unnaturally in the center of the room. The worst part though, was the fact Celestia was gone.
Luna became frantic as stared out the newly added hole in the wall leading outside. "No this cannot happen this isn't possible!" Luna said racing out of the room calling for help as loud as possible trying to rally the guards, and every guard pony in the entire castle was by her side in a matter of minutes. Luna showed them what had been done to Celestia's room. "After what has happened I want the whole castle on lockdown!"
"Yes Princess!" Said the unicorn captain of the guard ponies as he ordered his troops. "I shall send a detachment out to find Princess Celestia and the culprits as well."
"That will not be necessary captain."
"But Princess!" The captain sad in alarm in confusion.
Luna's only response was to raise her hoof at the captain. "It will not be necessary captain, for I shall assume that task myself."
"Princess Luna I must insist that you let my guards and I handle this. With Princess Celestia missing you're left in charge and if something were to happen to you Equestria would be left without a leader."
"Captain I understand your concern, but this something I must do."
"Then at least allow me to accompany you."
"No captain, you are needed here the troops will need your guidance now go they need you help."
"Yes Princess."
Luna waited until the captain had completely left her sight before she went on her way. She flew out of the castle through the new hole in Celestia's room, but instead of wildly searching Luna flew in one direction as if she knew where to look. She was flying in the direction of the Everfree Forest; it was now apparent that whatever had happened was somehow linked to something in the forest. Luna didn't stop for anything her mind focused on the task at hand; she flew over the forest as swift as her wings would carry her. She passed right over the treetops avoiding all of the obstacles in the forest below.
She landed when she reached her distention the ruins of the castle she and Celestia once called home, the ruins that once held the Elements of Harmony, the place where she was freed from Nightmare Moon, but none of these events had anything to do with why she was there now. She slowly walked inside, and since it had been some time since anypony had been there the dust had begun to collect once again giving the whole castle an eerie feeling. Every step she took made her grow more and more weary of her surroundings, but the only noise in the castle were her own hoofsteps. She walked down a long hallway adorned with torn tapestries and molded paintings, but the only thing the hallway led to was an entrance to a cellar. Luna took a deep breath as her horn lit up and opened the doors revealing the pitch black darkness below the doors. Her horn lit up the cellar as she walked down the creaking steps, and once in the middle of the room she could finally see what she was there for.
On the wall adjacent to the stairs was a large circle with some type of ancient writing around the brim of the circle and on its inside was a magical symbol with a huge crack running through it. "The seal has been broken! It must've escaped!"
Then the voice from her dream, the one that sounded as if a legion of sickly ponies were speaking at once, spoke up. "Yes...We have...We are free."
Luna jumped at the voice that seem to come from all around her, but what startled her the most was that a new voice joined those that spoke. It was the pained voice of her own sister she could her it as plain as day, and it destroyed her emotionally. "What have you done with Celestia?"
"She...Has joined...Our ranks..." Luna's heart sank with every word. "She...Is ours...Now."
"No she is not yours! She'll never be yours!"
"Oh...But she is...And there is...Nothing...You can do..." The voice said trailing off into wickedly evil laughter. Once the laughter had gone quiet whatever was speaking stepped out from the sheer blackness around Luna. A tall creature with a leathery black hidethat had a very emaciated look and it circled around Luna like a wolf about to pounce. Its back was hunched over revealing every bone in its spine that eventually trailed off into a long, boney, and whip-like tail. It walked on all fours and on each of its hand were four digits, one thumb and three fingers, each having a long sickle-like claw on it. The creature gave a toothy grin and leaned its head in towards Luna showing it cat-like eyes and massive fangs. As it circled Luna something so delightfully evil crossed the creature's mind, and then it began to speak again, but this time using only Celestia's voice. "Luna, help me! I need you Luna! Where are you?”
He was using her sister’s voice just to taunt her and it infuriated Luna. “STOP THAT!”
The creature gave a satisfied chuckle and continued taunting Luna with Celestia’s voice, “What’s the matter Luna can’t stand to hear your own sister?”
“You’re not Celestia now STOP USING HER VOICE!”
“Oh but I am Celestia and everypony else I’ve engulfed in darkness.” The creature stepped forward causing Luna to back away. “Your sister paid the price for hating the dark,” it stepped forward once more and shifted back into its normal voice, which for some reason no longer paused in between words, “now you will pay just as dearly for betraying it, so-called Princess of the Night!”
Luna didn’t like being threatened; her horn lit up brighter the light frightened the creature and it backed away. “Listen you vile beast I will save my sister and I will most certainly enjoy ridding Equestria of you once and for all.”
Her horn began to glow brighter and brighter, and while the light frightened the creature something mad him laugh. “You and your sister together could barely defeat me all those years ago, and with her gone what could possibly make you think you can stop me by yourself?”
“Who said I would do that I had to do this by myself?” With that remark a great white flash filled the room as Luna disappeared then reappeared outside the ruins of the castle. Luna could her the beast, even from all the way outside the castle, howling and shrieking in pain, and hearing that sound made Luna fly off has fast as she could toward Ponyville and the only pony that could possible help her now, Twilight Sparkle. The flight from the castle to Twilight’s library was extremely short, and since Luna was being driven off pure adrenalin she was there in what seemed like only minutes. She touched down on the ground right outside Twilight’s library then quickly moved over to the door.
Luna furiously pounded on Twilight’s door; she knocked so wildly because she knew that with each passing moment the creature was closing in on her. Finally, Twilight open the door and surprised to see anypony let alone Luna at her door. “Princess Luna what are you doing here?”
“No time to explain right now may I come inside?”
“Of course Princess.” Twilight said stepping aside allowing Luna inside, and after Luna quickly darted inside Twilight slammed the door shut. “Can you tell me what’s going on now?”
“I need your help Twilight Sparkle; my sister has gone missing.”
“Missing! We have to go find her!” Twilight exclaimed as she started to the front door, but Luna used her magic to force the door shut and keep Twilight from opening it again. “Princess what are you doing we have to find her she may need our help!”
“I know where she is, and yes she does need our help.”
“Then why don’t we go help her.”
“Because she is not just missing she has been taken by a creature that is the manifestation of pure darkness, and now it’s after me.”
“Then why don’t we: go find this creature, beat him, and save Princess Celestia?”
“Because we can’t beat him! Celestia and I fought him years ago and we nearly couldn’t beat him then, and now that he has her he’s going to be darn near impossible to beat him!”
Twilight was puzzled by this, how could the creature stand up to the two most magically powerful beings in all of Equestia? “Now I just have a whole list of questions like: what is this creature, why was he so hard to beat, and why does he hold such a grudge against you and Celestia.”
Luna lowered her head this memory was clearly painful to remember. “It’s a long painful story that you need to know about, but I will have to tell it fast.”
“Why?”
“Because I had to know if he had really returned so I went to find him when; I did find him I was nearly attacked. I fled and temporarily paralyzed him in the process he will recover soon though, but before he does you should know this story.”
Twilight sat down preparing for the long story. “Then by all means tell me the story.”
Luna took a deep breath before she began to speak. “Long ago, back when Celestia and I first started to raise the sun and moon, the night sky was completely empty except for the moon. So, to fill the emptiness I created stars. Their creation was one of my greatest achievements but one of my greatest follies; because it had awoken him. He came from absolutely nowhere and wreaked havoc all over Equestria; he took ponies and fed off their magic and life-force. To do this he grabbed his victims then he shrouded them in the darkness emanating from his body until he had completely enveloped the victim. When he finally grew tired of feeding off innocent ponies he decided to go after Celestia and me.”
“Why?” Twilight said interrupting Luna’s story.
“Because all light, even starlight, has the power to destroy him, and when Celestia raised the sun it forced him to take refuge in the night. Then when I created the stars it took away his sanctuary forcing him to hide where there was no light, places of pure darkness. He hated me and Celestia for the light we brought and he wanted us gone so that he didn’t have live in fear of the light.” This astounded Twilight she thought the stars had always been a part of the night sky. “That’s why he attacked us, but we thought we could defeat as if he were nothing; we couldn’t have been more wrong. Whenever we tried to use magic on him but it only made him stronger. He almost killed me and Celestia because whenever we used our powers he just fed off our magic and made himself stronger.” Luna’s spoke with fear and pain in her voice as she relived this traumatic event.
“How did you end up defeating him then?”
“We used an ancient spell that he couldn’t feed off of; it was much too complex and ancient for that. We laid a trap for him in our old castle, and he set it off just like we had planned. The spell sealed him inside another dimension, and until now I thought the seal was unbreakable.”
Twilight took a massive gulp. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what happened?”
“He broke the seal on the spell, broke into the castle, and…” Luna paused as tears began to form in her eyes. “He managed to consume Celestia in darkness! Now unless I can find a way to kill, not just defeat but kill him, soon she’ll become a part of him forever.”
Twilight grew teary-eyed as well. “What is this monster?”
“He’s known by so many names: demon, shade, specter, fear feaster, night crawler take your pick they all mean the same. Death and darkness, because that is all that he is.”
“If light destroys him why don’t you just raise the sun and fry him?”
“I can’t raise the sun if I do he’ll just go into hiding until it sets, and by then it will be too late to save Celestia.” Now Luna’s eyes were not just watering they were like flowing rivers.
Twilight hugged the weeping alicorn trying her best to comfort her. “We can do this Luna all we need to make a plan.”
Luna pushed the unicorn away and yelled. “We don’t have time to make a plan! He’s been gorging himself on Celestia’s magic which means he probably already recovered and on his way here!” Then she realized something, there’s a certain baby dragon that wasn’t in the room with them. “Twilight where is your assistant?”
“He’s asleep up stairs.”
A pang of fear went through Luna. “ALONE! Twilight he’s in great *CRASH* danger!” Luna turned her head toward were the noise seemed to come from. In that same instance every source of light in the house went out, extinguished by some unseen presence. “He’s here.”
Every word shook Twilight to her very core and was only made worst as she heard Spike scream. “SPIKE!” She yelled as she and Luna raced up the stairs. Spike quickly open and shut the door then began bracing it with his body.
Luna’s eyes widened in horror, she knew that the no door would ever hold back this monster. “Spike get away from that door!”
But before anypony could do anything a pair of, inky black, claw baring hands shot through the door without even damaging the door. “NO!” Twilight screamed in a desperate plea as she grabbed onto Spike trying to pull him free of the monster’s grasp. A dark aura had begun to wrap itself over Spike, covering more and more of the baby dragon, but Twilight didn’t release the grasp she had on Spike’s hand. The last look in his eyes before the aura enveloped his face was a desperate plea for help. Now the only thing left free from the darkness now were his arms and hands which remained clasped to Twilight, but she could start to feel his grip loosening as the inky blackness crept up his arms. “Spike don’t let go! Please don’t let go! I can get you out of this.” Spike completely let go Twilight when the aura reached his wrists; Twilight went to grab him again but pulled back by Luna’s magic. “NO! LET ME GO! I CAN SAVE HIM JUST LET ME GO!” Twilight cried out desperately trying to get free of Luna’s magic.
Luna held Twilight close to her and looked into her eyes. “Twilight he’s gone! I’m sorry but he’s gone!”
“NO!” Twilight cried uncontrollably as Luna hugged her tight, but their embrace was cut short as the rest of the monster began coming through the door howling at them both with its teeth bared.
Luna had to think something she could to try to stall the beast, and she had to do it fast. In her panicked state her mind was too clouded to think of any way to stop the beast’s advance toward her and Twilight. Acting off fear and instinct Luna let her horn making a faint glow Twilight made her horn glow with the same faint light as well. It stopped the creature’s attack giving Luna time to think of a more permanent solution to the problem, but it would only last so long and once the creature saw fit to attack again he would. While some stress had been taken off Luna’s mind she still had trouble thinking, and she strained her brain thinking of any possible way to escape. Then as her she saw the moon through nearby window, inspiration struck her. A plan formulated in her head she knew how to beat this thing now, but her plan still had a really big flaw. She would need to somehow lure the beast into the basement.
Luna leaned her head down so that she was ear level with Twilight and whispered. “Twilight I’ve got an idea but first I need to get that thing into the basement. Now I’m going to have to leave you for a second while I lure him down to the, but I’ll be right back.”
Twilight was still in shock from what had just happened to Spike and didn’t to be left alone. “Princess don’t leave me with that thing.”
Twilight was growing hysterical so Luna had to do something. “Twilight listen…”
“Please. Don’t leave me.”
Luna looked meaningfully into Twilight’s eyes. “Twilight I’ll be right back I promise; until then stay in the light.”
Twilight looked into Luna’s eyes knowing that she would keep her promise but she was still reluctant to be left all alone. Luna turned away from Twilight and stared down the creature, who remarkably hadn’t heard a word of what Luna said to Twilight. The creature snarled at her and Luna gave it a scowl right back. “You want your prize? Well come and get me!” Luna yelled letting the glow fade from her horn and racing down the stairs.
The beast gave a mighty growl then took off after Luna, completely ignoring Twilight as he ran past her. Luna ran fast enough to keep ahead of the beast but slow enough that he was still within eyesight. Although, with every step Luna took there was the growing fear that this creature would catch her. When Luna was descending the stairs leading to the basement the creature let out a cackling howl that sounded as if he were laughing. With one mighty leap he jumped in front Luna this gave her clear look at the beast. Feasting on Celestia’s magic had restored his body to peek physical condition. His once scrawny looking muscles were now massive and supple and the only bone in his body that was showing were the ones in his tail. He was no longer an emaciated and desperate looking creature, now he was this powerful beast a true predator of the night.
He spoke to Luna, but now the legion of voices he spoke with did not sound weak and sickly but rather hate and rage filled. “This is your plan? Lure me into complete darkness while also trapping yourself at the same time. Oh Princess, you’re slipping.” He let out a healthy laugh while Luna remained quiet. “When said you were going for help I never though you would lead me to such a magical gifted. From the very first moment I saw her I could sense the ability with magic she holds. Her magic is just simply,” The beast licked his chops, “delicious.”
“You won’t lay a single claw on Twilight!”
“Oh yes I will. Newsflash Princess you’re not leaving this basement, because in the dark you’re at my mercy, and there’s no escaping me!”
“You would think that wouldn’t you?” Luna said with a huge smirk on her face. Then her horn lit up out a magical net made of chains shot from her and ensnared the beast. It caught the beast off guard and before he could react the chains were pulled tight and Luna conjured a straightjacket and bound him. As he hit the ground more chains shot out of the ground binding his neck, waist, and both his legs to the ground.
“You think this will hold me down I’ll be free of this in a matter of minutes!” He yelled struggling against his bindings.
Luna looked at him then smiled. “Oh, I almost forgot the most important part!” As she said that a muzzle bound the beast’s mouth shut. “There!” Luna then quickly darted up the stairs and into the main room of the library, where Twilight was waiting for her.
“Princess what happened?”
Luna walked into the center of the room near Twilight. “I placed multiple binding spells on him, but knowing him he’ll be free of his bindings in no less than ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes! Princess please tell me you have a plan.”
“I do, and I’m going to need your help.”
“What’re we going to do to him?”
“We’re going to fry this monster! Now quickly close every door in the house and drawl the curtains in the house.” Twilight did as instructed, and while she was racing Luna stayed in the center of the room. Luna focused all her magic on one single task, raising the sun. Once she could sense that the sun was high in the sky she turned her attention to Twilight, who had just finished with her task. “Good Twilight, now when I tell you to open all the doors and windows.” A loud crash rang out in the basement, signaling that the beast had broken free of his bindings. “Quickly Twilight find somewhere to hide.”
Twilight hid herself away as the beast shot up through the floor right in front of Luna. “Now I’m angry! No more playing around Princess we end this now!”
“Indeed it’s time we end this!” Luna stepped toward the beast making direct eye contact with the beast.
The beast grabbed Luna and began enveloping her in the same black aura that enveloped Spike, but even though the beast had Luna in his grasp she didn’t panic or struggle. “What’s the matter Princess, giving up already?” Luna didn’t answer him. “Well good that just makes my job all the more easier.” The blackness crept over Luna little by little. “Once you’re gone I’ll make sure to rid the sky of the moon and those horrid stars of yours.” The beast broke out into a maniacal laugh as he continued his monologue. “I finally I win! I win and you lose! You lose, your sister loses, and Equestria loses! When you’re gone I won’t ever have to fear anything again not you, not your sister, and not even the light itself!”
Luna, who was still making eyes contact with the beast as the black aura crept up to her neck, grinned at him. “You see that’s where you’re wrong. You’re forgetting one very important thing.”
“And what would that be my dear Princess?”
Luna grin grew bigger. “You forget that my sister is not the only pony who can raise the sun! Twilight NOW!”
With that signal every door and window opened and the rays of light the shined through them were perfectly aim directly at Luna and the beast. The beast howled in pain as the light hit him, and every inch of the black aura that covered Luna instantly disappeared. The beast jerked back and forth wildly as the light hit is skin, the pain was absolutely unimaginable. Blisters formed and popped releasing a black smoke and a slimy black ooze. With his skin now boiling, the creature toppled over on all fours and began shrieking and howling like an animal that was being eaten alive. In his pained shrieks the same black ooze that escaped from his blisters leaked from his mouth onto the floor, and at it hit the floor the light quickly turned it into a smoke. Luna looked at the pained pathetic beast on the floor in front of her as it reared up and yelled at her gurgling as he spoke. “I”LL KILL YOU” Before he could attack Luna though, he felt an incredibly sharp pain in his chest. He clenched his chest tight and screamed, and at the high of the scream his chest ruptured and split wide open. When it split open it sent the black ooze flying all over the room with an even greater amount of it seeped from the gigantic open wound in his chest, but the black ooze was not the only thing that erupted from his chest. On the floor in front of him lay the unconscious bodies of Spike and Celestia; Luna stared at them but her attention was turned to the beast when he let out another great howl. The beast had his claws lifted to his face his hands were now melting into the black ooze; the same went for the rest of his body. He stared at Luna the let out the greatest howl yet as his entire body melted away, and the black ooze it produced quickly turned into smoke and disappeared.
Luna and Twilight stood awe struck but then ran over to the two bodies on the floor. They were both unconscious but still very much alive. Celestia was in far worse condition than Spike was though, having every ounce of magic drained from her body left her weak, and it would take some time for her to recover. Twilight carried Spike the stairs and put him in his bed while Luna hugged her sister tight, thankful that she was alive.
“Princess Luna, will she be alright?” Twilight said descending the stairs.
“Yes, she will be ok, but it may take some time for her to recover.” Luna said with a small smile on her face, but quickly left. “Twilight I’m sorry for bring you into this mess. I put you in extreme danger and I almost got Spike killed.”
“No need for apologizes Princess, you did what you needed to do and Spikes fine now.”
“I should contact the Royal Guard I’ll need their help getting Celestia home. Thank you Twilight Sparkle, for everything you’ve done.”
Once the Royal Guard got Celestia and Luna home, Luna had the guard place Celestia in her bed since Celestia room had been completely destroyed. Luna looked at her sister resting on the bed and thought about how she almost lost her. She then turned, trying to get rid of the thought, and stared out the window, looking at the hills outside the castle. Then a weak voice broke the silence. “Luna.”
Luna’s head quickly turned back to her sister, who was now awake. “Celestia, you’re awake!” She rushed over to her sister she tried to lift herself off the bed. “Easy Tia you’ve been through a lot you need to rest.”
“I’m fine Luna.” Celestia said as she found herself wrapped in a tight embrace from her sister.
“I thought I was going to lose you.” Luna said with tears rolling down her face.
“It’s okay Luna. It’s over now, it’s finally over.”
Luna hugged her sister even tighter and whispered. “I sure hope so.”
