A Dark Infection

Chapters

Fighting the Darkness
Feeling the Madness
Escaping the Sadness
Can't Hold It
Can't Feel It
A Nightmare Made Real

Fighting the Darkness

It’s been two years since Midnight’s terror. Equestria has been healing slowly but surely after the damage it had taken. Cities and towns of the lands were being restored. The ones lost in Midnight’s rage were mourned with tributes. Life wasn’t easy nowadays but then again maybe it never was.

With a loud scream, Luna had shot up from her bed. Heavy heaves and gasps were escaping her chest as sweat dripped from her forehead. Just then a knock came against the door. The queen sniffed and cleared her throat before answering, “Yes, who is it?”

“It’s me, Blueblood,” the stallion spoke as he opened the door wide enough to poke his head in, “Are you okay?” The unicorn walked in further after asking his question. Luna shook her head to clear away the aftershock of the nightmare.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Blue. It’s just-“the blue mare stopped in mid-sentence. Tears flooded from her eyes as she began to cry uncontrollably. The white unicorn walked over to his relative and pulled her close, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. The blue mare could not help it. The constant nightmares kept making her relive the terrifying moments that happened that day.

“It’s the nightmares again isn’t it?” Blueblood asked her. The queen pushed him away gently and brought her hooves up to her face to wipe the tears away.

“There just nightmares, I can handle them,” she lied. Her eyes were still red from the crying. Blueblood raised a brow; he obviously wasn’t going to take the same excuse over and over again. Luna smiled softly and placed a hoof on his broad shoulder. “It’s okay don’t worry about it, but thank you,” she said to both reassure him and herself.

Blueblood nodded his head and walked towards the door, but he stopped abruptly on his way to turn and look at her. “Are you sure?” he asked. Luna nodded in response as she watched the stallion leave.

Luna was taking notice to how much he had changed since Celestia’s untimely death. He had become much more mature than before. She also praised him countless time for visiting towns and cities to keep up appearances for her. He’ll make a fine ruler one day, she thought.

The queen remembered hearing a few servants say that she herself wasn’t fit to rule. She it was very seldom that she walked in on such conversations. She never was angry though. She just apologized and asked them how she could do better as a ruler.
The mare shook her head. It was best not to think of such things now. The mare prodded her hooves at the blanket that covered the lower half of her body. The blanket was a gift from her sister. Luna had received it from her as a filly on her Birthday. She smiled softly before directing her head over to the window. She had to raise the sun up soon. The blue alicorn gave off a smirk and threw her hooves into the air.

“The night shall last slightly long than usual!” she shouted quietly to herself before collapsing onto the bed and throwing the blanket over herself.

Later in the morning, Luna was finishing a pile of paperwork. It was her least favorite thing to do, but it was her responsibility now and she just had to accept that. With the glow of her horn, she levitated the last document onto the pile. Just then, one of her personal guards walked in. This one being Rarity in her slightly primped up guard uniform. Her horn’s blue aura was levitating a bouquet of flowers as she approached Luna’s desk.

“Princess Cadence sent another bouquet to the kingdom,” she mumbled as she set them on the desk. The young mare had an angry yet upset expression on her face though she still retained some charm.
“Make sure my thanks are sent to her,” Luna ordered as she placed them in a vase, “What’s the matter?” Rarity lowered her head and began to glare at the carpeted floor. Luna showed a look of sympathy and walked over to the angry mare. She draped her wing over Rarity to console her, “Go on. Tell me.”

The unicorn sighed, “Somepony set fire to Twilight’s home back in Ponyville. I know she did bad things when she turned into Midnight, but I want those you won’t forgive to remember that she was once good. I want them to remember the real Twilight instead of that monster.”

The queen nodded in understanding before removing her wing. “Have they found the ponies who committed the crime?” she asked. Rarity shook her head which disappointed Luna. How could such ponies get away with such a crime? “I’ll be sure to look into the investigation,” Luna informed her, “You and friends can have the rest of the night and tomorrow off.”

“Are you sure? What if something were to happen?” Rarity asked, giving off a surprised look. Not that she disapproved of the idea of a short vacation, but she wanted to make sure Equestria’s queen felt safe. Luna smiled, “I’ll be fine. Besides, I want you and your friends to find any of Twilight’s possessions that survived the fire.”

Rarity nodded her head, accepting the offer before bounding out the door. She called out a thank you before exiting the room. Luna sighed, Yeah. Everything will be fine. The time was almost here, and she really didn’t want to return to the prison. She had to do it though because she promised to return Twilight to her old self. Sadly after two years, the queen hadn’t made any progress.

Luna then took a deep breath and gathered enough magic to teleport to the Dark and Light realm. Using the spell, she arrived in the center of the realm. A gasp escaped her lips, the queen backed up. She saw dark blotches leading into the light. She’s come into the light, Luna thought surprisingly.

“Twilight! Where are you? Twilight?” she called. There were no signs of her. Had she escaped? Even if she were good again, she shouldn’t have been able to leave the realm. Only Luna could teleport her back to their dimension.

A dark laughter sounded from the darkness as a figure approached. It was Midnight, but she was in a disgusting form. Half of her body was so terribly burned that Luna could see parts of what were her bones. “You see Luna? I can’t ever go back. I won’t ever return. I will never leave,” Midnight said. She was breaking into a psychotic laughter but at the same time bursts of tears were flooding her face.

Luna backed up from the monster. Was Midnight that dark of a creature that the light burned her? It seemed quite comical, but in such a serious situation it wasn’t a good thing. This was a big sign that Twilight’s mind was gone and Midnight was all that remained.

“You see Luna, I was trying. I really was,” Midnight teased. The gray alicorn came closer, “I tried so hard to listen. No, she did. Your Twilight tried and looked what happened. Her new body has become a monster inside and out.” The queen hardened her surprised look into a deep glare. Half of her wanted to give up. She’d have to destroy Twilight and Midnight, if there was any of Twilight left. The other wanted to get the princess back. She wanted to keep the promise she made to her sister and Twilight’s friends.

“I hate to rain on your parade, but I’m not giving up. No matter how many times you say you won’t come back. I’ll keep trying. I’ll try to my last breath. You forget Twilight, I have an eternity to try, but your friends don’t. I’m trying to get you back to them as fast as possible,” Luna began, “It’s clear that I’m trying with all my heart. So, I guess it’s you who will have to try harder!”

Midnight’s victory expression melted away and turned to rage. “Shut up!” she yelled. The crazed alicorn paced back in forth. “I won’t let you win. I won’t lose. I can’t lose. I’m god. I am god. I will sacrifice my soul. Wait haven’t I already? I will rid the streets of the weak vermin. Only the strong can survive in this world!”

Luna stepped towards the darkness, trying to get herself close to the mangled alicorn. “You really have changed. Twilight, you’ve gone mad,” she whispered. The gray hued mare froze in place and directed her orbs to Equestria’s queen.

“Luna?” a more calmed voice escaped from her lips. Was this the real Twilight? Had Luna finally broken the barrier that kept them apart for so long? The blue mare reached her hoof across into the dark realm. Pain electrified her body and caused her to retreat back into the light. She let out screams, she’d been infected. A black and gray hue of colors lasted on her fore-leg. The colors were only near her hoof, but if this was truly an infection of the darkness then it would spread.

Midnight reared back and slammed her hooves onto the ground. “It worked!” she screamed, “It worked!” Luna, who was still lying on the ground, looked up at her. The queen’s eyes were filled with sorrow and were pleading to ask why, “What have you done?”

“I’ve been flooding my soul into this darkness. I knew you come into it when you thought your lovely Twilight was coming through. It will infect you. Poison you until you end up your dark self once more!” Midnight screamed. The gray alicorn flapped her wings rapidly in triumph while Luna stayed on the ground. Her eyes stared out blankly. She couldn’t believe the events that had just occurred. How could I be so stupid? She thought, I’m going to turn into Nightmare Moon again.

Author's Note

Surprise. Sorry it’s not Chapter 2 for A Princess, A Klutz, and A Timelord. I got a huge writer’s block for it’s Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. In a dream, I had a dream about Dark Magic’s sequel. Thus, this chapter was born. For now, A Princess, A Klutz, and A Timelord will be on a brief hiatus. I want to get all I can remember of my Dark Magic 2 dream out before attempting to write them both at the same time. I wanna see how it goes. ^.^ For now, enjoy this. (Thank you snow for giving me time to type.)

Feeling the Madness

“NO!” Luna screamed. The blue alicorn was in a state of shock. Midnight was prancing around and flapping her wings in a state of madness, “I did it! I've won! Nothing can stop me! You're nothing Luna! All will worship me! I am god!”

Luna pulled herself from off the ground and began to gather magic in her horn to use the teleportation spell. Once done, she used the spell to retreat from the monster. She arrived in her room which was perfect. If she were to appear in the throne room, the guards would notice her 'infection' and suspicion would arise.

The mare raced over to her nightstand and began to search through the drawers. She had to find something to hid the infection on her leg. “Where is it?” she kept repeating. Finally, she had found it. The item was a small roll of gauge bandage. She levitated the roll with her magic and stared down at her leg. The black hue was spreading slowly. “I still have time,” she told herself, “I have time.” If the infection kept spreading at this rate, she'd probably would have fifteen or thirty days to find a cure since apparently her remedy didn't work.

The mare began to wrap the bandage around her leg until she had covered it completely. After, she placed what was left of the roll into a saddle bag. She'd put other items in the bag as well such as food and her dark cloak. She placed the bag on her haunches before approaching her desk to write a few letters and use a simple spell to send them. The letters were to leaders of a few kingdoms. Luna knew that she couldn't do this journey alone. Finding a cure wouldn't be that easy, it never is.

Luna trotted out of the door and headed towards Prince Blueblood's room. Without knocking, she barged in. “Luna, what are you doing in here?” he questioned confusingly, “You can't just-” He stopped and eyed her bandaged leg. His surprised look turned into a light focused rage. “What happened?”

“No time to explain,” she trotted closer to him before finishing, “I need you to look after the kingdom for a little while. I have to go do something important. I know this is a lot to process right now, but I need you do this for me, okay?” The blue haired mare pranced over to a pair of double doors in the prince's room that led to his balcony.

“Wait, what?” he asked. Blueblood followed her, wanting an explanation for her getaway. “Where are you going? What's wrong with your leg?” he kept questioning. The queen ignored him and stretched out her wings to take off. Before she could, Blueblood had wrapped his hoof around one of her legs this leaving her hovering in a air a bit awkwardly. His blue eyes stared at her solemnly. He demanded an explanation. Luna looked down, she didn't want to tell him.

“Just trust me, okay?” she asked pleadingly. The stallion waited a couple moments to think before letting her go. Luna nodded a thank you before she flew off. Blueblood glanced in a few different directions, “Wait! Where should I tell them you've gone?”

“Just think of something!” she called in reply before flying faster towards her destination, The Crystal Empire.

The wind and snow were raging hard as she approached the hidden empire. It sat in the middle of the arctic and was guarded by it's cold. The mare's cloak was waving harshly in the wind. It made her vision of the fortress disappear and re-appear. She approached the barrier and stared at it closely. She was hoping the infection of the darkness couldn't stop her from getting through. She hesitated before stepping through. She was able to, but not without experiencing excruciating pain. It felt as if she were being squished between two heavy walls. Once through the barrier, she coughed up small pools of blood and threw up a small distance away from where she entered.

Luna felt a bit dizzy but better then when she entered. She was arriving close to the center of the town, where the castle was located. At the entrance stood two guards, hopefully Princess Cadence had gotten her message and told them she was coming. She took a deep breath before approaching them.

“Halt,” one of them ordered, “State your name and business.” Luna paused for a moment. She was worried if any of the empire's civilians saw her enter news would spread of her arrival. She looked to the floor, “I'm hear to see Princess Cadence.”

“Your name,” the other asked. The mare frowned and removed the hood quickly before putting it back on. “The Queen,” she heard one of them say. Luna made a slight shush noise towards him. “Yes, I am sorry. Go right on in,” the guard said with the bow of his head.

Luna trotted into the palace and made her way to the throne room. A couple of servants around the castle stared at her, but she ignored. Once reaching the doors that lead to it, she paused. She began to wonder whether asking her and Shining Armor for help was a good idea. She thought the same thing about it other rulers she asked.

She gulped and shook her head to clear her thoughts. She pushed the door open and walked in. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were ordering around a couple guards. Near the door, there were three saddle bags. This confirmed to her that they were coming with, but she didn't know who the third bag belonged to. “Luna,” she heard the pink haired mare call. The mare removed the hood and galloped toward the pair.

“Thank you for-” she stopped and took notice to the mare's slightly swollen belly. She was at lost for words. Princess Cadence looked at the queen in confusion. It took her a few moments to figure out what the blue alicorn was staring at.

“Oh,” the pink pony said as she glanced towards Luna and her own belly. Shining Armor stood next to her with a hardened expression. He's allowing her to go? Luna thought confusingly.

“I can't possibly allow you to come with me in that condition,” the blue mare stated, “Especially while I'm like this.” Luna stared down at her infection. It had spread farther up her leg and was starting to appear in her chest.

“I've already tried to stop her,” Shining Armor said harshly. He probably was arguing about it with her not to long ago. Luna could see that he was still a bit tense. Princess Cadence smirked slightly, “I lost Twilight. I'm not going to loose you. Don't worry about it, but I'll tell you that I'm bringing one of my guards with me along with Shining Armor. Who know when you could.. you know.” Luna nodding her head in understanding. The princess glanced towards the door, wishing to have a move on.

“Flash,” Shining Armor called, “Time to get a move on.” A guard with orange fur and a blue mane nodded his head, “Yes, Sir.” The three gathered their saddle bags and followed Luna to the exit. Exiting the kingdom, Luna stared at the sky.

Her heart stopped as she saw a image flash in her mind. The sky was dark with a red moon. She saw thousands of bodies lie as far as her eyes could see. They were in mangled conditions. There were a few ponies standing near the bodies, but she couldn't make out who they were. She could have saw more, but the picture flashed and vanished in a matter of seconds and it was all she could make out. Was this their future, or the madness beginning to take effect? She wished she knew, but for now she would have to endure the hell her mind was becoming.

Author's Note

I wish I could have written this chapter better, but I'm satisfied with the product after many edits. I guess you could call this chapter the calm before the storm. Heh heh. SUPRISE. ITS FLASH. He's not here to steal your waifu though. I just thought he would be nice to add to the beginning of the group. They're is still more to add to the group. -Psst.TheLeaderOfTheGriffonsToBeThereSoon- Hope you liked this chapter. I'm off. Hopefully my ritual for snow works.

Escaping the Sadness

The white hued stallion kept trying to dive into a serene state of mind, but he kept becoming agitated every time Luna invaded his thoughts. Many equines had confronted Blueblood about the disappearance of the queen, so he did what Luna had ordered him to do. Each time he said that she was off on royal business with some delegates from Saddle Arabia.

“Leave, all of you,” the prince finally muttered out to the guards in the throne room. “I need sometime alone.” Without hesitation, they followed his order and exited the room. The prince was trying to make the area feel a bit more tranquil to make him feel more calm. His efforts had been put to waste. Prince BlueBlood still felt like he had a few screws loose, but he tried his best to act sensible.

“Luna, where are you?” he puzzled to himself. Continuing to ramble to himself, he strolled over to the balcony that over looked Canterlot. He plopped down onto his haunches and gazed down onto the town. Some ponies stopped in their tracks and looked at him, waiting if he had anything to say. The prince smiled at them and gestured for them to move on.

A few memories flooded into his mind, he was remembering previous times of the great princesses giving powerful speeches. One of them recalled Twilight's speech when she became a princess. He pictured his Aunt Celestia standing next to her student with a proud look. If only things hadn't come out to be so tragic. BlueBlood tried to imagine how it must of felt to be killed by their own student and in such a horrible way as well. Celestia must have felt helpless and hurt.

The prince shook his head and retreated back indoors, trying to find a positive memory. Luna's speech came to mind, she had given it after the dark events. BlueBlood remembered how she didn't even try to hide her emotions but instead let them show. The queen had choked into a slight cry in the middle of it, but still continued rather than stop and collect herself. The stallion found it most moving with most ponies, but some had found it unprofessional. I guess they felt as if leaders shouldn't cry, BlueBlood thought. He couldn't help but to feel conflicted about it.

His mind fell into a morbid state when his blue eyes met the ones of the portrait Celestia. If felt as if she were here. Time and time again, he began to wonder what would have happened if he had been there. Would things be the same as it was now? Or would the great solar princess be here ruling with her sister and reformed student?

Blueblood wiped away some tears that escaped from his eyes before returning to the throne. A powerful green flare of fire appeared before him and a letter manifested from it. He raised a brow at the letter before levitating it with his magic. He wasn't expecting to receive any mail other than the documents he had to sign in Luna's place, so he cautiously opened it. It read:

Dear Luna,

We found a book on some sort of evil magic that survived the flames. It doesn't look like it came from her library, it seems to old and torn. The Twilight we knew would have kept her books looking shiny and new. Applejack suggests that she might have acquired it from you and your sister's old castle. We decided to hold on to it for now. Its best if we give it to you from hoof to hoof.

News reached us that Twilight's parents killed themselves a few days after her home here was burned down. While we were here, Fluttershy did as well. I guess she couldn't handle-She couldn't deal with the pain anymore. Rainbowdash doesn't think they each killed themselves. She claims that there must be something out there thats forcing them or something. The rest of us tend not to think about it so much. We feel that they just should lay to rest in peace despite the way they died.

In short, we wanted to inform you that we are going to stay in Ponyville a little longer. I know you'll understand.

From,

Applejack, Pinkie Pie Rainbowdash, and Rarity

Prince BlueBlood crumpled up the letter and gritted his teeth. Why? He kept thinking. Why does this have to keep happening? The stallion cleared his throat and took a deep breath to calm himself. He straightened the letter back up to its neat form and placed it next to the throne. He wondered how the letter wasn't sent to Luna herself.

“They must not have known that she left. That must be why it was sent directly here,” he hypothesized. Just then a flare of black mist and purple fire manifested and faded multiple times. A figure's silhouette did the same until both had appeared completely. The prince shouted for his guards but none appeared.

“Don't even try, no one can hear you,” a mare's voice informed him. BlueBlood gave off the low growl and ran to the balcony. His eyes widened in shock. The whole town was in a stand still. Ponies were frozen in place. Their eyes were empty, dull, and emotionless. What is this? Some sort of time stop spell? He puzzled. When he turned and ran back towards the figure. His eyes met with those of a gray hued alicorn mare.

“Twi-” he stopped and corrected himself, “Midnight.” The mare gave off a crazed grin that was somewhat seductive in a way. BlueBlood was disgusted with her form. She had what looked like markings of a rope around her neck and her eyes were somewhat red. Half of her body had suffered severe burns that BlueBlood hadn't seen on her before. Well technically, he never saw Midnight before him. He was only told and shown various drawings and statues of her.

“Hello Prince,” she greeted in a withered voice. BlueBlood's horn grew an aura for he was about to shoot her with a beam of magic. Instead, he was thrown a couple of feet away from her for she had reacted faster. “Tsk-tsk. You really shouldn't try harm a mare. Its just not right,” she said in a sympathetic mock.

BlueBlood gritted his teeth in pain. His side ached each time he tried to remove himself from the floor. “How did you escape? What do you want?” BlueBlood asked in a harsh tone as he began to fire questions left and right. The dark mare ran her hoof up his neck before holding his chin. She tilted it upwards to meet her gaze.

“I need your body,” Midnight informed him. BlueBlood raised a brow and gave off a look of disgust towards her. “Don't have your mind in the gutter Blue. Filthy minded fool. I don't mean the need for your body in a sexual way, but-” she paused in her sentence and licked his face, “if you want it that way I don't mind one bit.”

BlueBlood cringed at the thought. He tried to get up, but the alicorn had used the spell to control his body like she had done to Celestia.

What are talking about? Tell me now!” he demanded. The mare's head and neck swung in different directions. He could hear her joints cracking in between jerks. Her mouth opened up wide and a shadow flowed out. It hovered next to her. BlueBlood could only see a pair of eyes in its ever so changing form until it changed into a full faded figure of a stallion. It was Sombra, and he was in a ghost like state.

“I am the one you really needs your body. You are going to be my ticket back into a physical form. You will be my vessel.”

Author's Note

-eats popcorn- OH MY GOD. NEW CHAPTER. DARKER THAN EVAR.

Alrighty, explanation time. The chapters will be alternating from now on. From Luna to BlueBlood. Hope that won't be took confusing. Why must I ruin their lives so much? I always feel bad, but it has to be done! Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. UP UP AND AWAY!

P.S. Just want some feedback if my writing has gotten better.

Can't Hold It

Luna darted along the path. Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flash followed behind her, trying to catch up. The queen looked over her shoulder to check if they were keeping pace. By what she'd seen, it was clear that she was going to fast. The blue mare came to a halt and waited patiently for them to reach her. She felt a sting of hate for herself, she had forgotten that Cadence was pregnant. Running must have been hard on her.

Ceasing the running, Flash heaved a question to the queen, “Excuse me, but where exactly are we heading?” That's right. Luna had forgotten to tell them their destination. Stuck in her thoughts, the three waited patiently for her to say something.

“We've got two more troops to meet at Neighagra Falls. From there, we'll continue to the Foal Mountains. Once we're there, I'll explain the rest of the way,” she informed them. She quickly drew a map in the soil just in case none of them understood her rambling.

“Wait, two other troops? May I ask who?” Shining Armor asked. His brow was raised. Princess Cadence looked worried as well. The queen blamed herself for them not understanding what she was planning. The mare looked down to her legs, the black infection was spreading towards her chest.

“A troop of Griffons and another of Timber wolves,” she muttered before continuing, “Now come on, we're almost there!” The alicorn could hear a shout of protest from either Flash or Shining, but she didn't play much mind to it. Luna required all the help she could get.

The sound a rushing water entered their ears. They were nearing the falls and with that they could also hear voices. That must be them, Luna thought. The group of four raced around the corner to see the two troops at the top of the falls conversing with each other.

“Luna!” a male griffon called. He gestured his talons towards his two companions to fly down to meet her. Three timber wolves stood beside him before they followed his party members down the side of the falls.

Putting on a deadpanned expression, the two griffons stopped in front of the queen and her troop. They stood side by side and kept silent until there leader stood between them. Luna dipped her head to them. She was confused on how the griffon who called to her had such a confident expression on his face despite the matter that they were combining their powers on.

“This is Anubis. He's the leader of his kind. The one on his right is Aellai and the one on his left is Ariston,” the queen introduced. Princess Cadence bowed her head down to Anubis and he kindly returned it.

Anubis was a sturdy built griffon. His fur and feathers were dark brown. His guards were in sharply made armor. It was a silver metallic and reflected off the light of the sun. Ariston seemed like a shadow with floating eyes in his armor. The griffon was completely black. If it were night and he was stripped of his armor, nopony would be able to find him. Aellai was a female griffon. Her face and beak were roughly shaped. She had a light blue body with white spots. Luna could clearly see places on her wings where she was missing feathers.

A snort came from Flash when the timber wolves approached them. The three creatures were basically mirrors of each other, but there was a certain color around each of their wooden necks. “I am Stor, their leader. These are my guards Tommer and Ulver. I want to make it clear that they will protect me at all costs,” the leader said. He eyed each and every pony and griffon. The Timber wolves weren't on good terms with most species of Equestria, especially equines.

“I give you my gratitude for helping me on this journey. I know our kinds are not exactly on great terms,” Luna spoke, she bowed down onto the floor. This surprised Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flash. Seeing the great queen bow down to a timber wolf was shocking, but it just made a bigger reason to help her. Bringing herself back to a full stand, the combined troop looked at each other awkwardly.

“Mighty Queen, are we going to stand here and waste time like fools or are we going to get a move on?” Stor growled. The queen nodded before opening her wings, “Everypony ready?” They each blasted their wings open with great force.

“Shining Armor, will you be fine walking with the Timber wolves while we fly ahead?” Luna asked. The stallion wobbled uncomfortably, non-responding.

“Queen Luna, I will stay on the ground with him if you wish me too. Well, if that is fine with you, Sir Anubis,” Aellai offered. Her leader nodded his head, allowing her to stay. Stor cursed under his breath and started walking before it turned into a sprint. Shining Armor and Aellai glanced at each other before following the wooden wolves. They made sure to run at full speed to be able to catch up with them.

“Alright, let's fly!” Anubis shouted. He gave a powerful flap to launch himself into the air. As did the rest of them. Flying alongside each other they made their way to their first stop.

Princess Cadence could spot the tips of the mountains from a far. “Do you think the air is thick enough to breathe?” she called out the question and let the wind carry it to Luna and Anubis who were far ahead of the group.

“I'm not sure! I don't want to take any chances. We might need to fly ahead and wait for them at the base,” Luna answered. She was slowing down her flight speed so they could group together and converse.

“We might have to do that anyways. That guard pony and those timber wolves would take forever to us at the peak,” Ariston spoke out. Princess Cadence looked down at her hooves, her husband and father to her unborn foal was a part of the reason why they could not take the easy way. Flash patted her back with his hoof to reassure her. Luna took agreement to the guard's idea and flew towards the earthed ground.

Gliding to the floor, they each patiently took a seat on their haunches. Luna shook the loose bandage from her foreleg. Revealing the black fur, Anubis couldn't stop staring. The Crystal Princess and Flash did their best to look away rather than stare along with the griffon leader. “Could you not stare please?” Luna tried to ask in a polite manner.

“Oh, yes. I apologize,” the brown hued griffon blinked before looking away. He glanced over to several different directions until directing his gaze to the sky. The griffon couldn't help but to glance back over to her. “I'm sorry, but may I ask how this happened?”

The images flashed into her mind. It was overwhelming, it was like she was reliving the events. Most of all she saw the face of Midnight laughing at her. Her body started shaking with fear until she let out loud screams. She attacked Anubis and started pounding her hooves onto his face. She felt his sharp beak clamp down onto her foreleg multiple times, but was too angry and scared enough to care. She couldn't keep the rage in.

A powerful force threw her away from the griffon. Her body slammed against the jagged surface of the mountain. She felt blood pour from her head as she slide down, it left a messy stripe of blood on the mountain's side. Collapsed on the floor, she saw blurs of their bodies moving around in a panic until the world faded away.

Can't Feel It

Twilight's screams filled the room. Her form was reduced to a early Midnight stage. In this vulnerable form the wounds she bared were taking full effect. She felt her neck tighten more and more, she was suffocating and choking slowly. Her eyes began to water and flood with tears. Streams of drool flowed out the corner of her mouth just as snot was making its way out of her nostrils. The mare rolled onto her back and held her sides, trying to conceal the pain.

Sombra watched her, enjoying her pain as if it were a show. “You see? That body would have failed me sooner or later. Without me, she must take the pain head on instead of a easy and slow ride. I was there slow down her death,” he spoke between chuckles, “ Nopony can ever truly save others life. They can only postpone their death. Now she must feel the pain of those she has killed and those who died for her as well.” The ghost directed his gaze onto BlueBlood who was frozen with fear. He was staring at the disturbing scene of Twilight's suffering.

“Do not worry, everypony but you will suffer the very same fate. Especially that Crystal Princess bitch. She will be the first to pay. Make no doubt about that,” Sombra informed. The stallion began to remember when the pink princess took his beloved crystal empire away from him before he slowly stalked towards BlueBlood with a wide cheshire smile. The ghostly king was waiting for this moment for a long time. “Now shall we get down to business?”

“What?” the white prince asked just before a weapon manifested from the ghostly king's shadow. It was a scythe like object with a sharp blade. It was a shiny black metallic like color. Sombera weapon swung down on BlueBlood, but he was able to move out the way before it sunk into his shoulder. BlueBlood rolled onto his hooves and scowled harshly at Sombra, but in the back of his mind he was confused and scared. “Why didn't you just take possession instead of giving me a chance to fight?”

“If I let you at least try, it gives you a sense of hope and I do so love taking the way. Besides, it wouldn't be fun if I immediately do so. Its funner that way. Like a game, and I ever do so love to win,” he chuckled before swinging again. This time cutting slightly into the prince's cheek. BlueBlood gritted his teeth together when the sharp object it. Now all he could feel was the warm red liquid drip down from his face.

“Sombra!” Twilight screamed the dark horse's name. The pain and the fear was forcing her to go insane. “Help me! Help me, I'm dying! Please!” her pitiful cries echoed around the room. Sombra became slightly distracted by this disturbing show.

Using this distraction, the Prince tried to manifest his own weapon, but failed to do so. His studies in magic weren't like that of others, so all he could do was run. Doing so made the prince feel so helpless and weak. The stallion ran towards the double doors to make an escape, but he was thrown off his hooves and near the broken body of Twilight. The harsh hit on the marble surface made him gasp for breath.

Sombra walked over to the two triumphantly, glancing back and forth at the pair. Twilight's breathing was slowing down as BlueBlood's breath was returning. Once it did so, he rolled onto his belly and tried to remove himself from the marble floor. The only thing he could do was to stand up halfway, leaving his legs sprawled on the ground.

“Oh, look look. The little pony princess is coming to her end,” Sombra snickered. His scythe like weapon vanished back into his form as he neared BlueBlood who was trying to look away from the dying pony. He curled around the white unicorn like a devilish snake and forced Prince BlueBlood's cranium look in Twilight's direction. She was kicking and writhing in pain like she was electrocuted. Her gaze switched back and forth to Sombra and BlueBlood. “How about we watch her die together,” Sombra chuckled. It was in that moment when BlueBlood knew what he had to do.

“Take me instead,” BlueBlood muttered under his breath. The shadow pony raised a brow, what was this sudden change in BlueBlood? When did he decide to play the hero role? Sombra wiped his mind of the thought and grinned widely, “I plan to.”

“I meant that I'll let you take over my body without a further fight if you let Twilight live,” the white unicorn plead, trying to make a deal with the dark stallion. The unicorn was technically selling his soul to the dark entitiy. “Keep her somewhere safe, I don't care what happens to me anymore. I just want her to-” the stallion was interrupted by a green static light that shot at Twilight. BlueBlood shielded his eyes before looking down at the princess. Sombra stood above her sleeping figure and muttered a single word, “Deal.”

Before the royal stallion could react, the shadow forced his ghostly form into BlueBlood. The stallion felt the unbearable pain of the mad king taking control. It was as if somepony was taking his legs and trying their best to twirl and shape them into any type of form.

A dark magical aura formed around his aching body. His shiny white fur was becoming a dark gray while his blond mane became a black flowing fire. His eyes slowly became red and green as he was nearing the final process. He could hear Sombra's crazed voice entering his mind.

What about your dear Luna? Aren't you afraid that you'll never see her again?

“No,” he spoke in between grunts of pain, “I know she will defeat you. And when she does, I may just get to see everypony again. I might die, but at least you'll die along with me.” The blue in his eyes completely disappeared. Sombra had finally taken over and he now stood tall.

The gray stallion strolled over to the unconscious mare and stripped her of his armor. He felt dominant and all-powerful. The stallion had finally won the game, well he at least had the upper hand in its play. Queen Luna was all he had to worry about now, once she was gone he would rule Equestria with an iron fist.

Sombra gathered dark magic into his horn before beaming it towards Twilight. Around her grew a crystal prison. It was the same one he had created when the purple pony discovered the crystal heart. This prison is now where the pony would spend her time from now on. “Twilight is somewhere safe as promised,” he mumbled to himself before directing his gaze to the portrait of Celestia.

“Death to the Sun,” he shouted before using his magic to burn the painting into ash. He grinned widely before casually walking over to the balcony. He gazed down at the frozen citizens before shards of crystals shot up from the ground in all directions. Some of them even pierced the bodies of Canterlot's citizens. Sombra looked to the sky which was becoming a dark red and dark clouds were shrouding it all around.

“Death to the Moon,” he finally spoke, “Once I spill blood across this damn land, all will bow to me. I will be their God and I won't feel a thing.”

Author's Note

DUN. DUN. DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. I was listening to Dr. Horrible's Sing A-Long when writing this chapter. It seemed to fit the whole story so its still literally playing in my head. BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

I got the flu btw so I feel like utter crap.

A Nightmare Made Real

A rumble shook the earthly floor. The Queen of Equestria soared over top of the broken land. She stared down at the darkened earth then back up to it's red sky. She couldn't tell if what was happening around her was a dream or a nightmare, but she did know she had to find her friends.

Had they deserted her after her psychotic episode? That was the last thing she could remember, pounding her hooves at Anubis' head before being thrown at the wall. Luna couldn't even remember if she had awoken from that or not. She had not any scars from the griffon's beak clamping and slicing on her forelegs nor a wound in the back of her skull, but it did hurt.

She now only hoped that they would forgive her. The mare had a darkness brewing inside, but none knew when it would be ready. For the first time, the queen stared up at her moon. It was still shining a bright white, but the dark red colors of the sky and the think black clouds kept trying washing it away.

Luna perched on top of a lone cloud and called for her companions and the rest of her troop. They were no where to be seen, but she gained the sight of a silhouette of what might be a town. Maybe that’s where everypony was, but the queen would be glad if anypony were. The former princess took off, the powerful force of her wings left the dark cloud torn and in pieces.

As she approached the town, the area around her became cold. The blue mare could get glimpses of her breath as white mist. “Hello? Can anypony hear me?” she called out to the empty town. The buildings seemed wrecked and burned, out of her view prods of beginning to grow dark crystals were forming.

The alicorn could smoke and thought that perhaps the town's citizen's had perished in a blaze or had evacuated. Appearing from the thick air came a familiar sight, it was the wreckage of what use to be Sugarcube Corner. This place she had been walking around was Ponyville or at least it use to be. The shaking barren and cracked floor must have been what was left of Apple Arces.

The queen felt a lump in her stomach, almost like a rock. She was feeling true fear, the same fear she felt when she had almost lost to Midnight. She stepped through the wreckage, half of its door was missing and what was left of it hung off the hinges. Even so, there was a big gaping whole in the front of the structure that there was no need for the broken door.

She searched for any remains of fluffy pink hair or signs that she had gotten out safely. The party pony might have known where and when to get out of the bakery because of that Pinkie Sense. Luna had heard stories of her using it in situations once before. The mare mostly remembered the infamous Twilight trying to find a proper explanation for the pony's predicting senses.

“Pinkie Pie?” she called a bit softly as she maneuvered safely through the dusty wreckage for she knew the entire building could topple at any moment. The air tasted of saw dust, causing Luna to have coughing fits. She spotted the broke glass of the showcase, where the baked goods were placed, scattered along the floor and followed up to the rotting goods on their shelves. Luna gagged at the smell, it was filling her nose.

Luna spotted a dried red liquid on the surface of the dusty counter top. In that moment that rock in her stomach became ice. Curiosity and stupidity invaded her mind and dared her to see if anything was concealed on the other side. She placed both of her hooves on the top surface and peered over. Just behind that counter was a rotting body of a pony. The side of their head was smashed in so she couldn't tell of their identity. The small hairs scattered everywhere weren't that of Pinkie Pie, instead the hairs were a orange color. She felt a small relief but was still disturbed.

She was frozen in fear, her eyes fixed on the maggot filled carcass. A liquid rose in her throat and caused her to jump down from the counter and lurch over to the side to let the vile escape her body. Its nasty taste clung to her taste buds as she gagged repeatedly. The pile of vomit seemed to release steam into the air. She breathed heavily in gasps trying to regain her normal breath.

A few thumps came from overhead, Luna stared at the ceiling. She waited patiently to hear the thumps again. After a few moments, two more thumped against the dusty wood. Luna moved quickly to the stairs, almost slipping in her own waste.

Approaching the top of the stairs, she slowed down her pace. She finally reached the room, Luna stared in each and every direction. Nopony was in sight, just a torn up bed. Everything was either broken or ash.

The mare examined the remains of a small creature, during her further examination she classified them to be alligator bones. The princess' raised a brow before setting them back down to form the small animal skeleton.

A loud thud came from a falling shelf, causing Luna to jump and turn. She stalked towards the fallen shelf and glanced in different directions to make sure nothing would collapse onto her. A loud shriek came from above. A pony had threw themselves onto Luna's back. She couldn't see their face for it was shielded by a cloak.

“Damn you! Damn you all!” the pony's voice yelled, it seemed to be a mare's. Luna bucked her hind-legs in a struggle to throw the mare from her back. The sound of a metal cling rang in Luna's ear before a blade was brought down to her neck. She felt the blade cut the side of her neck but no further.
Luna reared up, causing her attacker to cling to her back for a moment before falling. A scream came from the pony followed by a gurgling sound.

Luna turned to see a jagged wooden spike had pierced the mare's neck. The alicorn felt guilty, but the earth pony had it coming for attacking her. Her only wish now was to see their face. She took her hooves and pushed the hood back. It revealed to be the party pony everpony loved and enjoyed. Her normally fluffy pink mane was bone straight.

Tears welled up in her eyes and began to flood her face. “Shit!” she cursed aloud. She fell back on her haunches before collapsing on the floor entirely. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,” she kept apologizing as if she were on a never ending repeat.

Luna removed the mare's body from the spike and laid Pinkie's body on her side. She grabbed the torn sheet that hung from the bed and threw it gently on the limp form. The mare sniffled and hung her head in shame, she wanted to sit in vigil for the mare but felt it wasn't right to do so.

She jumped from the gaping hole in the front of the building and continued her search for friends or survivors. This time she would be more careful. She wouldn't want another 'accident' again. Perhaps it was best to take flight once more, ditch this place that would most likely haunt her dreams.
A loud booming noise came from a far, with the blue aura of her horn, Luna sensed a strong magic energy.

She fought with herself if she should go and investigate, but the chances were what she would find she would most likely regret. Maybe this force was what was shaking the ground before? Unsure of her beliefs, the blue mare took her chances and headed towards the destination.

The magic would explode from a single area and cause the ground to crumble and disintegrate. Dust and debris had made its way in Luna's direction, some invading her eyes causing her to stop and rub them. She was not sure how close she could get, “Maybe I should use a protection spell, just to be safe.” Sure enough, she cast the spell and was protected by a glowing blue aura around her body, this almost made her look like a angel despite her messy mane and irritated red eyes.

Luna discovered that the magic was coming from a deep crater in the crack soil below. The pause in its repeating pattern allowed her to get a glimpse of a pony, judging by their structure it was a stallion. The queen felt as if she should confront the stallion but the blue equine was unaware if he would come off as hostile.

The shine of blond hair glistened once Luna caught another glimpse of the stallion. The spell faded slightly from her body as her heart sank. That stallion was BlueBlood.

“Blue!” she shouted, her voice cracking of a mixture of sadness and anger. The charge of magic stayed at the tip of his horn, his head slowly turned towards her. An utter expression of hatefulness and disgust. His beautiful blue eyes were dark and swollen as if he had been awake for days. His expression turned into a crazed smile, “God!” Luna made a confused face, but was still disturbed.

“No, not God.. an angel! Angel, have you come to retrieve me?” the prince asked as he raced towards her, tripping on the way. He now hung from the edge where the crater led down into. His hooves reached for her fore-leg for he wanted to bring himself upon the 'angel'.

Luna stared at the white unicorn, tears were welling up in her eyes. He doesn't know who I am? She thought aloud. The glow of the protection spell faded, taking away her angelic appearance. She pulled the stallion close in a hug, he stayed limp while her hooves were wrapped around him in a tight hug.

“Weeping angel...weeping angel...no..not an angel. Demon..demon..DEMON,” he screamed in a crazed anger. He delivered a harsh blow to the queen's stomach, causing her to fall onto her back. Luna gritted her teeth together in pain and clutched onto her thin sides. Her tears were still flowing at a rapid speed. Not because of the pain, but because of Blue. She failed everypony, but most of all she failed him.

Bum..Bum..Bum..Bum.. The mare could hear his heartbeat. She couldn't explain as to why, but it calmed her crying. Now she just laid on the cracked gravel of the earth, unable to move. Her face became that of a stone cold Betty when she stared in the prince's direction. His face was a deadpan, only a dark stare could be called an expression. Another bum entered her ears as his colors changed to that of Sombra. She didn't see Blue anymore, just that monster. Luna felt the ice in her stomach once more, but now it had multiplied.

Luna stayed put to the ground, giving up and submitting to the dark crystal king. The dark stallion stood beside her, glaring down at the mare's limp body. Luna returned the stare before squeezing her eyes shut. She waited for the pain that never came, but she dared not to open her eyes. She did not wish to find out what horrors awaited her. She felt teeth clamp around her neck and pain followed them. Her breath was breaking apart before she took a final gasp.

A sudden breath of fresh air returned to her. Confused, she opened her large eyes to only see the side of a dripping wet stone cave wall. A blanket was thrown over her, the same one from Celestia. Her eyes traveled over to the blurred bodies of her troop. All were staring out of the open mouth of the cave. The timberwolf, Ulver, looked over his shoulder to see her sitting up drealily, “She's awake.”

“Luna!” a worried pink pony dashed over to the queen and pulled her in for a hug. Behind her, Luna could see a puddle and her reflection. The infection had spread, the dark fur was beginning to appear on her face and her flowing mane was more wild than ever. The sky seemed dark, was it night? If so, how?

“It's dark outside...is it night?” Luna asked, her voice seeming almost childish and innocent. Princess Cadence stared to the side, removing her gaze from the blue equine. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Three days, and no..not quite,” the pink princess informed. Wrapping her wing around the queen, she helped her to her hooves. The two ponies walked slowly over to the cave's mouth, the others letting them through. The queen was greeted by the harmony of screams across the land. The sky was blood red, its sun was just a dark rock that shined no light. The flame of fires traveled as far as the eye could see.

“This...I saw..This was,” Luna's voice trailed off as she recalled her longtime nightmare. This was all in her dream. The queen started hyperventilating, panic breaths took the place of words. A few moments had passed before Luna finally made a full sentence, “We have to get to Ponyville. Now.”

Author's Note

DUN DUN DUN. Wow. This chapter is over 2000 words. The biggest chapter of them all. Hope this one surprised you all because there are more secrets and action to be read ahead.

ALSO: Luna's nightmare, pay attention to its events because when the time comes, ITS GONNA BE IMPORTANT.