Bliss in Darkness

Means to an End

I rushed up the flights of stairs trying to mentally prepare myself for a confrontation with Nightmare. Even if it hadn't been her creeping on me, I still wanted some god damn answers. I wondered if I could actually take her in a fight. Sure I had my powers, but she seemed to be a very powerful being herself and I didn't want to underestimate her. I only had about a week of experience with combat, but I figured that since it had almost been constant fighting and with my power to regenerate myself I had learned a lot faster than normal.

I tore around the corner at the top of the steps and ran down the winding hallway. My makeshift cloak I had patched together was slipping down and I had to keep pulling it back on. I made a mental note to get some real clothes once this was all over. 'There had to be at least one person er... pony in this world who can make me a decent outfit.' I thought as I turned the last corner before the bedroom door. Her bedroom door.

I opened the door, and it squeaked. Of course it did, I was trying to be quiet. Luck was not my greatest ally. I was both relieved, and terrified to find that the room was empty. The sun was just peeking over the horizon at this point, casting those eerie shadows across the ground.

"Well, great. She left before I could get any damn answers" I sighed in defeat.

'Oh, but We didn't my dear friend.' Came a reply from an indiscernible location.

"Your dear friend eh? Who are you talking about? It must not be me, because real friends don't pull bull shit like that on each other..." I said, raising the tension in the room tenfold.

'Well we needed some way to get you to come up here. You see ever since those wretched ponies used the Elements of Harmony, it is impossible for us to take physical form during the daytime, so we will house ourselves inside you. That makes you our dearest of friends.'

"Woah there Miss Princess of the Night, I never granted you access to my body!"

"We do not need permission. And with power such as yours, we will never have to suffer through another sunrise!" Came her voice from my mouth.

'You dirty bitch!' I exclaimed as loud as my thoughts could possibly think.

"There's no need for such language. Besides, I think you will find our everlasting nights very wonderful. If I decide to let you live..."

'Oh you fucking...' My thoughts were cut off from her before I could finish my insult. I was hers now.

"It does not matter what you think, you are but a pawn in my game now. Serve me, or die."

***

After raising the sun like any other day, Princess Celestia stopped to admire the natural beauty of her world. Her little ponies scampering about in Canterlot, her birds and her bunnies playfully hopping and scurrying about. It was but another day of endless peace that she had managed to bring to this world. In all its perfection, something was amiss. She could not put her hoof on it. She looked off toward the Everfree Forest in wonder. 'Of all the things we have accomplished in this world, we still can't comprehend the natural forces of the Everfree' She thought as she dismissed the disturbance as a natural occurrence.

She walked the halls of her beautiful castle, giving greetings to all that made their way past her. She ate her breakfast of hay pancakes and orange juice. Still, the unnerving presence remained. 'I must be imagining things...' she thought as she walked back to her chamber. This day was perfect, save for that uneasy feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. "Interesting... I have not felt this presence since..."

Her pupils dilated as she gasped in horror.

"LUNA!" She cried with all her might, while rushing down to her sisters chambers.

She threw open the door to her sisters chambers, only to find the true Princess of the Night sleeping peacefully. 'Surely that presence was Nightmare Moon. Nopony can ever make me forget that feeling. My beautiful sister tainted by her hatred and greed...' She paced back and forth in the room, causing Luna to stir.

"Sister? Is that you?"

"Yes Luna. I felt... well... never mind. I will see you tonight." She said, again dismissing her feelings.

***

I had been hitchhiking in my own body for a few hours now. As far as I knew, Nightmare had stopped paying attention to me and my thoughts so I was alone. More alone then I had ever been. To lose control of your own body is a truly unique experience. My senses were still partially connected to me, so I could taste the blood that Nightmare was drinking from the animals in the forest. The worst part is that I enjoyed it. It felt oddly natural. Like I was always supposed to feed off the living. It was a disturbing revelation.

'Having fun being our slave young one? We have been listening.'

'Shit. Looks like nothing is private for me.'

'That's right. You are ours now. Want us to let you in on a little secret?'

'Honestly, no. But continue anyways'

'You have always been our slave. Ever since you set foot in the castle, we had control of you. What you saw was only projections. Our physical form was destroyed long ago. You really were all too easy."

'...' I did not wish to give her the satisfaction of an answer. This must be why she always referred to herself as "We" and "Us". She had bested me, and she didn't even have to lay a finger on me. I belonged to her and I was helpless. It made me wonder if anything she said were true, or just made up to fuck with my head. My anger was burning in my heart and mind.

'Our heart and mind.' She corrected,

This existence was going to be pure hell.

***

Celestia rose from her bed after pondering the origin of the strange presence. She had not felt that feeling since the Nightmare Moon incident almost two years ago. And Luna was fine, sleeping peacefully in her room. It was baffling. She paced around the room for a few minutes before the silence was broken by a team of royal guards bursting through the door. On their backs, there was another royal guard. His body was battered and bruised and he screamed incoherently for several seconds before falling unconscious.

"Princess! We found him along the border of the Everfree, northwest of Ponyville!"

"We must take him to the hospital wing! Now!" She cried fearfully as she rushed out the door. Celestia commanded the guards to leave her and search the castle and all surrounding areas for the source of this disturbance.

"I can handle myself," She said, "but there are ponies out there who need to be protected!"

As the guards fled the room the Princess of the Sun used her magic to levitate the guard to the hospital wing. She hated bringing Twilight and her friends into these messes, but they were chosen to bear the Elements of Harmony. They were Equestria's greatest defenders, and they knew the risks. Celestia did not call for them immediately, for she wanted to see if she could get anything out of the guard that was attacked.

Celestia entered the hospital wing and located a bed to lay the broken guard on. Upon further inspection not only was he battered and bruised physically, but he was pale, sickly and there was no light behind his eyes. He looked... dead.

"Don't just stand there," she cried to the hospital staff, "Do something!"

As the medical ponies rushed about she turned her focus to him. He looked as though he just woke up from a coma.

"Who did this to you?" Celestia said in a loving motherly tone.

"It was a nightmare princess... a bipedal creature... Long arms... Glowing green eyes.." He said between bloody coughs. "It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was on patrol by the Everfree Forest and..." Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he started babbling incoherently. Celestia put her horn on his head and while light engulfed the room. The guard stopped moving and looked like he was peacefully asleep.

Celestia took one last look at him before she left the room. He was awake again and very much afraid. Whatever happened was no joke, that she knew for certain. She opened the door with her magic and only got one hoof out before she heard screaming coming from behind her. She flipped around just in time to see the guard gouging his eyes out with his hooves. She ran to him and restrained him with magic as she screamed for more guards. He let out a last gasp for air as he fell unconscious once again.

"I want this city on lock down. Now. Nopony gets in, nopony gets out until we deal with this creature." Celestia said as she used her magic to retrieve a quill and paper.

"To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle...."