Note. This story takes place before ‘Magical Mystery Cure’.
Being alone in the dark can be a very scary thing for an individual, especially if they can't move. A lone pegasus mare awoke in a small square room with no lights, tied to a chair. Her once butter yellow coat and light pink mane were dirty and ruined. Her teal eyes darted around the room, looking for a source of light, but none was found.
Suddenly, a door swung open, causing the mare to squint at the sudden brightness. The room was illuminated by the light, letting the mare view her surroundings more clearly. It had dull gray walls with two chairs and a bucket of water on the stone floor.
When the pegasus’ eyes finally adjusted to the light, she saw a unicorn mare in front of her. She was wearing a black sweater and a ski mask to conceal her identity and cutie mark. The only visible parts of her body were her aqua horn and hooves, as well as her green eyes.
“Hello Fluttershy,” the mare said, taking a seat in front of her.
Fluttershy was visibly shaking when she heard the mare’s cold, uncaring voice.
“P-please, don’t hurt me,” she quietly begged, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.
“I’m not going to hurt you Fluttershy. You’ll be just fine as long as you give me the information I want.”
“W-what information?”
The mare cleared her throat. “First, I want to know where Twilight Sparkle keeps the Elements of Harmony.”
Fluttershy looked away. “Oh, um… well, I don’t -”
“I don’t think it would be in your best interest to lie to me. This will be a lot easier on the both of us if you tell me the truth.”
Fluttershy could tell by the mare’s narrowing eyes and shifting in her seat that she was growing impatient.
“They’re in the library,” Fluttershy answered quickly.
The mare smiled. “Good. Now, on to the next question. How far would you go to protect the ones you care about?”
“What?” Fluttershy asked with a puzzled expression.
“Let me rephrase that. Would you let your friends die, knowing you had a chance to save them?”
Fluttershy gasped. “I would never leave my friends to die! That’s horrible! How could you even think that?!”
The mare smirked. “That’s good to hear, because I have a very special job for you.”
Fluttershy just stared at the mare with worry.
“I want you to tell your friends to meet you at your house at twelve o’clock. Say that it’s very important.”
“Why?”
The mare sighed in frustration. “Don’t worry about that, just get the job done.”
“I won’t do it if you're going to hurt them,” Fluttershy said with a stern voice.
The mare’s eyes widened a little at Fluttershy’s assertiveness. Realizing her mistake, she quickly changed her expression back into an angry one. ”If you refuse, then… well, let me show you what will happen.”
On cue, an earth pony stallion with blue hooves and deep sky blue eyes came into the room, pushing a chair with a tied up baby dragon. The stallion was wearing the same attire the mare had. Fluttershy immediately recognized the purple dragon as her friend Spike. She gasped, but Spike said nothing in response, he just stared at the ground with a look of sorrow.
“He’s a little upset because I punched him in the face when he didn't listen to me,” the mare said. “That kid needs some more lessons on how to respect his elders.”
The meek pegasus’ tears stopped coming and her eyes began to burn with fury. “You hurt a poor innocent child for trying to defend himself! You’re a monster!”
The mare smirked. “You haven't seen anything yet.”
Without warning, she harshly grabbed Spike’s head and held it above the bucket of water. Spike stared at the liquid in fear. “Hey! What are you -.”
“Shhh,” the mare hushed. “Typically, a creature will drown to death as soon as they begin to lose consciousness. This should take around two to three minutes. This is because water will begin to enter the airways, which will eventually cause throat spasms. This then shuts down passage to the lungs.”
Tears were running down Fluttershy’s cheeks like a waterfall as she stared in horror at the sight before her. “Stop it, please!”
“Are you going to do what I tell you?!” The mare yelled back, her face turning red.
“Yes! Just don't hurt him anymore!”
The mare released Spike’s head, letting him sink back into his chair. He began to shake for what Fluttershy imagined was fear of what the unicron was going to do to him next.
“I’m glad you came to your senses Fluttershy,” the mare said as her face went back to its usual color. “I don’t know how Twilight could handle losing her number one assistant. Now, I’ll let you two have some time to catch up.”
The mare turned around and left the room with the stallion, shutting the door behind her and leaving the pegasus and baby dragon in total darkness.
The next room had the same dull color scheme as the last one. The mare walked to the middle of the room and turned her attention to a male changeling that stepped out of the darkened corner.
“It’s time,” the mare said.
The changeling nodded and closed his eyes. He was soon surrounded by green flames that engulfed his whole body. In less than a second, he was a normal looking gryphon. The mare rolled her eyes at him choosing a gryphon instead of a pony, but decided not to complain.
“Who did you turn into?” she asked.
The changeling shrugged. “Some gryphon I met once.”
The stallion took off his sweater and mask. He had a messy black mane with a white streak, and his cutie mark was an open book.
“I’m late,” he said, “I have to depart now.”
“Go ahead,” the mare replied. “You’ll receive your payment tomorrow.”
The stallion left the house and walked through town until he reached his destination, the Golden Oaks Library. He walked up to it and knocked on the door. After about a minute, Twilight Sparkle opened it and smiled at him.
“Are you Moonlight?” she asked.
“Yes I am,” he answered with a nod. “And you must be Miss Twilight Sparkle.”
The unicorn waved a hoof. “Just Twilight is fine.”
“If you wish,” Moonlight replied, giving a small smile.
Twilight smiled in return, but quickly got back on subject. “I assume you’re here for the book signing?”
“Yes I am. I imagine you aren't familiar with my work though?”
“Are you crazy? I thought your two books were great!”
Moonlight put a hoof to his chest. “My my, a sophisticated mare such as yourself enjoys my lousy works of literature. I’m honored.”
Twilight just smiled and stepped out of the way for him to enter. When he walked in, he saw ten ponies sitting in chairs, looking at him excitedly. He wasn't surprised that there weren't many, he imagined that horror novels were not very popular in such a happy go lucky town. Smiling at the ponies in attendance, he took a seat at the front of the library behind a table.
After answering a few question, the ponies got in a line to get an autograph. The first one up was an earth pony with a pale yellow coat and a raspberry mane with light raspberry streaks. When she put the book on the table, Moonlight stared at it.The novel in front of him was the first one he ever wrote. “I didn't think any ponies were interested in this book anymore.”
The mare smiled. “I’ve read it like a dozen times, it’s amazing! Why did you only write one romance novel?”
Moonlight shrugged. “I guess I lost my passion for that genre.”
He looked down and stared at the book for a few seconds as the mare stood there awkwardly. Without saying another word, he signed the book and gave it back.
_____________________________________________________________________
It was now evening in Ponyville, almost time for Princess Celestia to move the sun so her sister could raise the moon. The changeling-turned gryphon walked across town until he reached the train station. He took a deep breath as he stared at the multicolored train. This was his first lone mission, and if he failed, his boss would hand him over to the Royal Guard. He stepped onto the train with the crowd of ponies and took a seat in one of the carts. After an uneventful ride, the train finally reached its destination, the Crystal Empire. The changeling got off and was greeted by another gryphon. Her face and torso were grey, and the area around her eyes as well as her wings were black.
Before the changeling could acknowledge the gryphon, he took in his surroundings of the beautiful empire. His jaw dropped as he gawked at the shiny streets and houses.
“Its so...shiny” he whispered.
The gryphon cleared her throat, snapping the changeling back into reality. He quickly turned to face her.
“H-hello Grey,” he hastily responded.
“You ready to do this, Shadow?” the gryphon asked nonchalantly.
“Of course!” Shadow happily replied.
The mercenary raised an eyebrow. “You did bring my money, didn’t you?”
”You’ll get it when we get back, don't worry,” Shadow reassured her. “Now, let’s get this job done. I’ve been looking forward to a little payback.”
Grey and Shadow waited for nightfall to begin their plan. While Grey only wore a ski mask and a bag on her back, Shadow wore a ridiculous black jumpsuit. He was hiding behind buildings and somersaulting around, despite not a single pony being in their proximity. Grey just sighed and kept a brisk pace to follow the fake gryphon.
“This is it,” Shadow whispered to no one in particular as he stared at the Crystal Castle. “No going back now. There is a seventy percent chance I will die a horrible death on this mission. My only hope is that I am remembered for my bravery and –”
“Will you shut up?!” Grey cut him off. “Change into a guard and get us in already!”
Shadow looked at the gryphon in annoyance. “You know, I seem to be forgetting why I brought you along.”
“Because you can’t defend yourself!” Grey snapped, giving the changeling the same look.
“That’s not true!”
“You, as well as an entire army of your kind, were beaten by six mares in their early twenties,” Grey deadpanned.
“Shut up, they could probably beat you!” Shadow countered, pointing an accusing hoof at the gryphon.
“I’d like to see that,” Grey mumbled.
Shadow nudged Grey playfully. “Can you at least have a little fun on this mission?”
Grey looked at her partner with emotionless eyes. “No, I want this to be done as soon as possible.”
“Party pooper,” Shadow mumbled, changing into a crystal royal guard he had seen earlier.
He opened the door to the castle and the two began to walk down the long white hallway. When they spotted a guard with a flashlight on his head, Shadow saluted. The guard stopped walking and stared at the two.
“Who’s this?” he asked.
“A member of gryphon royalty that will be having a meeting with Princess Cadence tomorrow morning,” Shadow responded with a deep voice.
The guard gave him a puzzled look. “Why is she arriving so late? And why doesn't she look like a member of a royal family?”
Grey, knowing Shadow would come up with something stupid, decided to speak first. “There was a death in the family and I was mourning.”
The guards face changed from a serious expression, to a slightly confused, sympathetic one. “I’m sorry to hear that, but wouldn't you want to cancel?”
Grey narrowed her eyes. “I never cancel a meeting.”
Sweat began to slide down the guard’s face. Fearing he just offended a princess from another country, he decided to end the conversation. “Right, well... have a nice night.”
The guard waved goodbye and walked past them. Grey and Shadow rolled their eyes and continued their descent through the castle until they found the royal bedroom. Grey quietly opened the door and peaked her head inside. Cadence and Shining Armor were fast asleep. The door creaked loudly, but the royal couple seemed to be heavy sleepers.
While Shadow stood watch, Grey tiptoed over to the bed and pulled out two needles from her bag. Not wasting any time, she jumped on the bed and stabbed both ponies in the neck. Their eyes shot open as Grey pushed the plungers down, successfully injecting them with red liquid. They both went numb as Grey hopped off the bed. The two gave the mercenary looks of shock and anger before closing their eyes and slipping into unconsciousness.
Grey stared at them with cold eyes. “Well, your highness...we have a lot to talk about.”
_____________________________________________________________________
The moon was now high in the sky, its light shining through the everfree forest, casting shadows across the ground. An eerie fog was settled on the landscape as two figures stepped through it, abandoning the creepy forest. The aqua unicorn was there without her mask or sweater on, she had a flat black mane and her cutie mark was a telescope. Beside her was a male minotaur who had a long scar going down his right eye. He was also wearing a backpack. His arms were folded as he stared at Fluttershy’s cottage.
“They're still not here, Frigid,” the minotaur said in a gruff voice.
Frigid blew a streak of hair away from her face. “They’ll be here. They're just a little busy looking for the baby dragon at the moment.”
Frigid glanced at the minotaur who had a sinister smile on his face. “What are you so happy about?”
The minotaur locked eyes with the her. “My legend is beginning to spread across the land. There are feelings of dread and sorrow whenever my name is mentioned. Soon, all will fear and respect the great Bronze Quake! After tonight, I will be known for defeating and enslaving Celestia's prize student and the Element of Magic…Twilight Sparkle! After all the enemies she’s defeated, I will be the one to come out on top!”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the one knocking Twilight out and giving her to you,” Frigid deadpanned,
Bronze rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Frigid responded with a chuckle. “And are you forgetting about Crimson Flare? That dragon is as feared in the gryphon kingdom as Nightmare Moon was in this kingdom.”
“That fool is old and weak,” Bronze scoffed. “His name will soon fall prey to the same thing Nightmare Moon became...a myth. Pretty soon, he’ll be nothing but an old mare’s tale.”
Frigid raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn't talk like that about him. From what I’ve heard -”
“You've heard stories,” Bronze cut her off. “Nothing but petty, made up stories, created to scare you.”
Frigid stared at him with an unconvinced expression. “You're right, they could all be made up, but I know for a fact that his prison is very real.”
“My prison,” Bronze said in a dark tone.
That statement caught Frigid off guard. “But...I thought -”
“He may have been one of the ones who built it, but I run it now. The diamond dog slaves I have locked up do absolutely anything I tell them. They follow my lead, no one else's. I am their leader, their master, their -”
“Let me stop you right there,” Frigid cut him off, raising a hoof. “I know that half of the gems the slaves dig up are given to Crimson. You may run things, but I know he’s still the big daddy of the house.”
Bronze responded by backhanding the unicorn. “Such insolence! You dare degrade me!”
Frigid rubbed the side of her face, giving Bronze an angry glare. “Let’s just stop talking before one of us do something we regret.”
“That would seem to be the best course of action at this moment,” Bronze said, going back to crossing his arms and looking at the cottage.
He then pulled an item out of his bag and handed it to Frigid. The item was a black gem with red snake eyes painted on it, and it was attached to a chain. When Frigid put it around her neck, the iris in her eye went from normal green to a very bright green, and her sclera became a very dark shade of black. A malicious smile formed on her face.
“Just cause you have that gem now, doesn't mean I won’t find a way to kill you if you fail to give me Twilight Sparkle,” Bronze warned. “You have no idea how long it took me to convince Crimson to give me that thing.”
“Relax,” Frigid said, not even glancing at her partner, “those six don’t stand a chance against me.”
“Remember, that gem is very old and worn out. It’s no longer as strong as the alicorn amulet, but it does give you a very powerful mind control spell.
Frigid smiled. “That’s all I need.”
_____________________________________________________________________
“Spike! Spike, where you?!”
Twilight and her friends had been looking for the baby dragon for hours. They had searched all throughout the night, but their attempts were futile. Twilight's number one assistant was nowhere to be found.
“I don’t get it,” Twilight said to the others as they stood in front of the library. “It’s like he just disappeared. Where could he have gone?”
“Maybe he’s at my house?” Fluttershy suggested, remembering what Frigid told her.
“Why would he be there?” Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered above the group.
“It’s one of the only places we haven't checked. Besides, I still need to talk to you girls about something...”
Twilight gave Fluttershy a disapproving glare. “That can wait, we have more important things at stake right now.”
Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “I know, but we should still check there.”
Twilight sighed. “I guess it can’t hurt trying, common girls.”
“Poor Spikey wikey,” Rarity said sadly. “He must be so scared.”
The six friends walked to the outskirts of Ponyville, where Fluttershy’s cottage was.
When Frigid saw them coming, she stepped out of the shadows and walked towards the girls. Behind her, still concealed by the shadows, Bronze took off his bag and placed it on the ground, pulling out a tied up and gagged Spike.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Frigid said, causing the ponies to look in her direction, “it’s good to finally meet you.”
Before Twilight could respond to the mysterious mare, a black and green aura formed on her horn. She shot a blast of magic at the unicorn, hitting her in the chest. When the blast reached Twilight's body, she felt an intense burning sensation. As she was thrown into the air, the pain grew to intense levels, causing Twilight to scream in agony. Her friends watched in shock as she was sent flying in the opposite direction, hitting her back on the ground a few feet away.The five ponies gasped at the sight of Twilight lying lifelessly on the ground with a scorch mark on her chest. Rainbow immediately turned around to attack the one who hurt her friend, but stopped in her tracks when she saw a huge minotaur holding Spike in his arms with a knife at his throat.
“My friend over there will not hesitate to kill him if any of you try anything,” Frigid warned.
“What do you want?” Rarity hesitantly asked.
“For all of you to shut up and stay still. If any of you move or speak, the dragon will die.”
The five ponies instantly froze at the mare’s deadly threat. Frigid turned around and looked at Bronze. “Take the gag out of his mouth.”
Bronze did as she said and Spike immediately began to give the mad mare a piece of his mind.
“You're crazy if you think you’ll beat Twilight!” Spike yelled. “She’s defeated villains ten times tougher than you!
Frigid gave an arrogant smile that made Spike want to slap her. “I’m not going to be worrying about Twilight. She’ll be in the care of my friend here.”
The baby dragon looked up at the ginormous minotaur who was holding him .
“She, just like you... belong to me now,” Bronze said icily.
_____________________________________________________________________
As the hours of the night continued to press on, the fog from the forest traveled across the ground of the peaceful village as Frigid trotted through the empty streets with a stern expression. She came up to a newly renovated house in the middle of town and knocked on the door, tapping her hoof impatiently as she waited for the owner to answer. Pretty soon, the door opened to reveal a very tired Moonlight.
“Frigid? What are you doing here?” Moonlight asked, rubbing his eyes. “I thought you were giving me my money tomorrow.”
“I wasn't aware that you had a daughter, Moonlight,” Frigid said.
Moonlight was taken aback. “Why do you care?”
“She’s twenty-one, right?”
Moonlight narrowed his eyes. “I’ll ask again, why do you care?”
“I poisoned her,” Frigid said matter of factly. “She’s currently in the hospital fighting for her life.”
Moonlight backed up a few inches. “You...you what?”
Frigid walked right up to the stallion until their muzzles were almost touching. “I came to you and hired you to kidnap Fluttershy, and you accepted the offer. Now, a decent stallion would immediately report me to the Royal Guard, but you're not a decent stallion, are you Moonlight? I told Shadow to watch you for a few days before my plan was set in motion. He told me what you were planning.You planned to keep the blood money, then turn me over to the royal guard so you could get all the fame.
“Being a rat is one thing, but being a rat who also steals from me… I don't think I’ve ever heard of anything more pathetic. I’m going to make sure you pay for your betrayal… I’m going to leave you to rot in a cell for the rest of your life as you ponder on whether or not your daughter is still alive.”
Frigid’s words cut deep into Moonlight's heart. What have I done? he thought to himself. His daughter was suffering in the hospital and it was all his fault. The troubled stallion noticed Frigid’s horn begin to glow green and black. Before he could react, Frigid performed a sleeping spell. Moonlight's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell face first on the floor. Smiling at her work, Frigid surrounded them with a green and black aura. After a bright flash of light, the two of them were inside Fluttershy’s cottage. All the ponies except Twilight and Spike were tied up in the corner while Bronze stood in the center.
“I love the new teleportation spell this gem gave me!” Frigid said happily. “I can teleport all the way to the Crystal Empire!”
“Yea, yea, good for you,” Bronze said impatiently. “Can you hurry up and teleport us to the prison?”
“You're taking Moonlight too.”
“Fine by me,” Bronze shrugged. “The more the merrier.”
Frigid smiled with evil glee. “Everything always works out in the end.” With a glow of her horn, her, Bronze, Twilight, Spike, and Moonlight were gone.
_____________________________________________________________________
Inside the white royal bedroom, Cadence and Shining Armor were tied up in chairs in front of a long brown table. They had red glowing rings on their horns, the devices were meant to keep the rulers from using their own magic. On the other end, a changeling was leaning in a chair, his hind legs resting on the table.
“So Cadence,” Shadow said in his distorted double voice, “tell me about the Crystal Heart. I hear it’s similar to the Elements of Harmony.”
“Why would I give any information about the Empire to a disgusting, vile creature like you?!” Cadence spat.
“That’s a little harsh, don't you think?” Shadow retorted.
Cadence narrowed her eyes. “Your evil race imprisoned me in a cave, impersonated me in order to hypnotize and steal my husband's love, attacked the capital of Equestria, and trapped Princess Celestia In a cocoon!”
Shadow rubbed his chin. “Well, when you put it that way, you do have a point. I guess you do have a right be harsh with me.”
“What’s she planning?” Candace asked icily.
“Who?”
“Your queen.”
“I’m not working for her anymore,” Shadow replied. “And trust me, it took a lot of magic to disconnect with the main hive mind so she couldn't read my thoughts.”
Cadence’s eyes widened a little. “Then who are you working for?”
Shadow smirked. “You’ll see soon enough.”
Anger began to form in Cadence’s gut as she stared at the smirking changeling in front of her. After everything those foul parasites put her though, she could not simply stand by as they attempted another assault on the innocent ponies.
“You won't get away with this,” Cadence said, her voice rising. “You and whoever you're working for will be stopped and brought before Princess Celestia to face justice!”
Shadow snorted. “You know, you're being a bit of a buzzkill.”
Before Cadence could respond, the double doors at the front of the room opened as Grey walked in. “Frigid should be here soon. Get your cocoon magic ready.”
“Cocoon magic?” Shadow asked in confusion.
“That thing you bugs do when you put ponies in a cocoon and feed on their love.” Grey explained as if it were common knowledge.
“So that’s what you plan on doing with us,” Cadence whispered, remembering what Queen Chrysalis planned to do to the citizens of Equestria.
Shadow glanced at the anxious princess and gave a sinister smile. “Not just you. Without a hive mind to hold me back, I can become more powerful with the more love I take. Frigid told me that she knew the perfect eight ponies to take it from.”
“...Who?” Cadence asked slowly, already fearing what the answer might be.
Shadow’s smile grew wider and more menacing. “I believe you know them; they’re five national heroes and three innocent little fillies…”
