A War of the Mare's Talesby Moonlight GazeChapters1 - A Fearful Night2 - A Loving Moon 3 - The Bloodied Leader4 - A New Magic1 - A Fearful NightIt was a dark day in Equestria. Clouds covered the sun and it was becoming dark out quickly. The three little ponies in the Everfree Forest began to worry, not knowing what to do as the last little bit of light began to fade out behind the clouds. As Luna raised the moon they were almost at their destination. “So…what do we do after we get there, it’s almost night out?” Scootaloo looks at her two friends with a look of puzzlement on her face. “Scootaloo makes a good point, Apple Bloom,” says Sweetie Belle, with a hint of worry in her voice. “Don’t worry now, ya’ll, we’ll be just fine,” replies Apple Bloom matter-of-factly. “I don’t think that we’ll encounter too much trouble out here. Maybe we could find Zecora and stay with her for the night.” “That sounds great and all, but where is it from here anyway?” asks Scootaloo. “Yea, I mean I know you hang out with Zecora a lot, but how do you get there from here?” asks Sweetie Belle skeptically, doubting that this plan will work. “Well…I don’t really know…maybe this way,” says Apple Bloom, pointing towards a darker part of the forest. “Well…let’s try it,” says Scootaloo with a hint of fear in her voice. “Yea, there doesn’t seem to be a better plan at the moment…” says Sweetie Belle, jumping at the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. As the three little ponies continue on in the direction they are unaware of the pony following them. They continue on, jumping at all the little sounds that the forest makes as the night gets darker. The clouds finally scatter into the sky, revealing the stunning full moon. The light casts eerie shadows through the forest, making fake faces with the trees and leaves. An owl hoots at the sight of the moon, startling all three of the fillies. “Dear Celestia, what was that!?!?” exclaims Sweetie Belle in a high pitched, panicked voice. “I-I don’t know, and I don’t particularly want to stick around to find out!” exclaims Scootaloo, starting to move forward. “Ya’ll get scared to easily, it was just an owl,” says Apple Bloom calmly. “C’mon, let’s keep moving so we can make it to Zecora’s.” As they continue on they fail to notice the shadow that falls behind them. Having followed them since they entered the forest it is becoming anxious. It begins to pick up pace, staying hidden from the sight of the fillies. The mysterious pony uses her magic to move a large branch, making a loud rustling noise. “Dammit,” whispers the pony to herself. The three fillies pay no attention to the sound, too focused on their journey to notice it. As they continue on the pony follows quietly behind yet again. As the three fillies reach a clearing they begin to realize that they are nowhere near Zecora’s home or the exit. The pony waits in a bush on the side of clearing, hidden from sight. “Well it looks like we’re lost,” says Apple Bloom, slightly worried. “You don’t say!” exclaims Scootaloo angrily. “Calm down now Scootaloo, she tried her best,” says Sweetie Belle. “Yea, cut me some slack! I didn’t see ya’ll making better plans, so this was what worked!” exclaimed Apple Bloom angrily, staring at Scootaloo. “Okay now, really, let’s all calm down and stop yelling like children,” says Sweetie Belle in a mother-like tone. “Okay, how about we just try to retrace our steps backwards towards the entrance of the forest?” asks Scootaloo with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Okay, we’ll try it,” says Apple Bloom apologetically. “I agree,” says Sweetie Belle, happy now that her friends have stopped fighting. As they turn around they see the slightest hint of a silhouette in the bushes. The pony, seeing the curiosity on their faces, turns and runs to find a new hiding spot. As she runs she uses her magic to teleport her ahead farther, giving off an explosion of light in the night. “Dear Celestia, what was that!?!?!?!?” exclaims Apple Bloom, fear hanging heavy on her voice. “I-I don’t know…but I say we follow it!” exclaims Scootaloo more bravely than she feels. “Well, who knows, it may lead us out of this forest,” says Sweetie Belle doubtfully. The three fillies begin to rush after the mysterious figure. The pony, having quite the head start, stops for a break, again hiding in a bush. She watches to make sure she wasn't followed, but she remembers the fillies saying they should follow her. Relaxing a little after a minute she begins to lose focus. “Well, I guess they didn't have the courage to follow me after all,” says the pony tiredly. “I think I should continue on ahead a little more and wait for them where I found them.” As the pony begins to move she hears the three fillies walking in the direction of her bush. She peers out through the branches, seeing them a few yards away. She begins to back out of the bush, she hits the back of a tree. “Ow, dammit!” the pony exclaims. “She’s over there!” exclaim the fillies in unison. Weighing her options, the pony feels her stomach growl. “Well, no use delaying this meal anymore,” she whispers to herself. The pony turns toward the ponies, her face covered by a hood. Just then a bolt of lightning flashes through the sky, revealing the pony’s cutie mark. It is of sharp, white fangs with blood dripping from them. The fillies catch this, and a look of fear plagues each of their faces. “Well fillies, since you couldn’t control your curiosity you’ll die here now,” says the pony ominously. “I am feeling rather hungry after stalking you all night.” “What have we gotten ourselves into?” asks Apple Bloom, fear prominent in her voice. “We’re too young to be killed here. What should we do?” “Well, if we don’t want to die, I suggest we RUN!” exclaims Scootaloo, turning around quickly. “I agree, there’s nothing else we can do,” says Sweetie Belle, turning equally as fast as Scootaloo. “Do you really think you’ll get away from me?” asks the pony. “I doubt that you’ll make it halfway back to the clearing before you’re all dead!” As the pony says this a wind knocks her hood off. Her blood-red mane shows brightly in the moonlight. Against her black coat it appears to be a river of blood flowing quietly through the forest. Apple Bloom sees this, realizing who the pony is. “H-how can you even be real!?!?!?” exclaims Apple Bloom, fear dominating her voice. Her legs begin to tremble. “You’re just a pony from an old mare’s tale. You’re…you’re…Bloody Death, the cannibal pony of the Everfree!” “Yes, you are quite right,” says the pony calmly, s all of her victims say this. “But alas, I am not just a mare’s tale, I am very real. And lucky for you I’m too hungry to want to make you suffer. Though that just means you’ll die quicker.” Bloody Death jumps towards Apple Bloom, who barely dodges the attack. She turns and uses her magic to bind the filly to one spot. Scootaloo tackles Bloody Death in a quick motion, moving quickly out of the way of her snapping jaws. Sweetie Belle attempts to use her magic to lift a stick, having little luck. As Bloody Death binds Scootaloo as well, Sweetie Belle is just able to get a stick off the ground. She swings it toward Bloody Death, who stops it with her own magic. “Good try little filly. Too bad you don’t have enough power to stop me!” As she says this Scootaloo is just able to get out of the now unfocused grip of Bloody Death’s magic. She again rushes in and tackles her, but is slower to move this time. Bloody Death’s teeth scrape along Scootaloo’s neck, drawing blood and leaving a shallow wound. “Are you all right Scootaloo?” asks Apple Bloom, nearly fainting at the sight of the wound. “I’ll be fine, it’s only a scrape,” says Scootaloo matter-of-factly. As they says this Bloody Death pounces on Sweetie Belle, just missing her neck with her teeth. Sweetie Belle uses her back legs to kick Bloody Death in the stomach. When she does this Bloody Death moves off of Sweetie belle, vomiting on the ground. Sweetie Belle takes this chance to pick a slightly bigger stick up off the ground and slam it against the back of Bloody Death’s head. Bloody Death falls to the ground, unconscious. “Let’s not waste any time now!” exclaims Sweetie Belle. “We need to run!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom follow Sweetie Belle back through the forest. They reach the clearing again, this time not stopping to discuss anything. They run for a little while longer, running out of breath. They stop to take a break, thinking they are safe. Bloody Death is close behind, though, because when Scootaloo yelled she woke her back up. Bloody Death sneaks up on the three fillies, binding them all with her magic. “Sorry girls, but it looks like I’ve won this game. Too bad for you the price of losing is deadly!” she exclaims, not taking notice of the ever present moonlight. A rustling sounds behind Bloody Death, and out steps Princess Luna. “How dare you try to hurt such young children!” exclaims Luna furiously. “I do believe that ponies are vegetarian, not carnivores! You shall pay for your deeds here!” “Ooh, Princess Luna, so scary!” exclaims Bloody Death mockingly. “I doubt that there is anything you can do to save them.” As she says this Luna shoots a beam of magic at Bloody Death, knocking her backwards into a tree. She then proceeds to shoot another beam, impaling Bloody Death in the stomach. Bloody Death’s magic gives way and the three fillies break free of its grasp. Finishing the job, Luna fires one last beam of magic, hitting Bloody Death square in the head, killing her instantly. “I’m sorry you had to see that fillies, but it was for the best,” says Luna regretfully. “It’s okay Luna, we’re just happy you came along when you did,” says Scootaloo happily, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodding their heads in rapid agreement. “Well it is my job to watch over my subjects at night. I take note of everything that happens in Equestria when the moon is up,” says Luna matter-of-factly. “Well, all the same, thank you Luna,” says Sweetie Belle, slightly annoyed at the little lecture. “Luna, can you lead us out of here, please?” asks Apple Bloom hopefully. “Of course my dear fillies,” says Luna in a motherly tone. The four ponies go back through the forest, and into Ponyville. As they all make it home Luna goes back to the castle, telling her sister of what happened. “Well, dear sister, I believe it is time we act.” 2 - A Loving Moon 2 - A Loving Moon “Let us hereby have this meeting adjourned.” Luna’s message echoes around the room to the rest of the attending ponies. These include Twilight Sparkle, Celestia, Cadence, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and the dragon, Spike. As the ponies bustle about to exit there is a lot of talking about the meeting. Having been about the Cutie Mark Crusaders encounter with a Mare’s Tale last night it was that they are to all be on guard. There seems to have been a resurgence, according to Luna, of the Mare’s Tales, ponies that were evil but were subdued by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, before she was banished to the moon. They were thought to have been destroyed, living only in the stories told to fillies, but it seems that they are coming back now. Each pony is expected to have to face at least one Mare’s Tale, but it was made apparent that some may face more. Between Luna and Celestia over a thousand Mare’s Tales had been banished. It is unclear as to if they are all back, or if just some have found a way back to Equestria. Luna ponders this as she raises the moon, following her routine. She keeps a watchful eye over Equestria, looking for any sign of a Mare’s Tale. She is too concerned in her observations of Equestria to hear the pony stepping up beside her. As she approaches she sneers, laughing at Luna’s obliviousness. “Well, it’s hard to believe that you are the same pony that banished me all those moons ago,” says the pony sarcastically. “Your mane is not its old light blue, and you can’t hear those who approach you. What happened to you? Did your sister’s banishing you to the moon damage you that much?” “Well, it’s good to hear your voice again,” says Luna, sighing. She recognized the voice instantly. It belongs to a Mare’s Tale that she banished many moons ago, just when they began appearing the first time. She never dreamed she’d see her again. “I have changed more, but not because my sister banished me to the moon.” “Well, whatever you say, princess,” says the Mare’s Tale mockingly. “I doubt that you even remember my name now that you’re back from the moon.” “It would be impossible for me to forget such a wretched name,” says Luna. “Of course I remember your name, Wordsmith. Such a name for such a twisted pony as yourself.” “Haha my dear, now that is a matter of opinion. My name is perfectly fine for me,” says Wordsmith with a hint of mockery in his voice. “In case you forgot I am a bit good with words. I did almost make you believe that killing yourself would stop me, didn’t I?” “Sadly, that is true,” says Luna, remembering then. As she faced him, Wordsmith had twisted whatever she said into a weapon against her. As soon as she vowed to defeat him he said that he would stop his terror if she killed herself. She was about to when she realized he was just turning what she said into a weapon against her again. She used that opening to banish him to a faraway land, hoping to never have to deal with his words again. Too bad it was not to be that way. “Well then Luna, how about it? Should we continue where our little battle left off the last time we met?” As he said this Wordsmith started to move closer, slowly, towards Luna. He moved slowly enough so that she wouldn’t notice, and it worked. “How did you-! Dammit Wordsmith, why are you so annoying with your words! I guess I really do have no choice but to banish you again,” Luna said with a hint of sadness. As much as she hated Wordsmith she had to admit that she liked the way he looked. He was a slightly taller pony with a striking black mane that went perfect with the night. Even now she could feel herself blushing at the thought of him. She hoped so much that if she saw Wordsmith again that he would have changed. Then maybe they could have been together. “I am sorry milady, but I don’t see how you plan to do that. All of the Mare’s Tales, including me, were training to get better after you banished us. That is why we are here now, we believe that with all of us we can take Equestria. It is only a matter of time.” Wordsmith was now back to his old tricks, but he was being honest. Even he could not stand to lie to such a beautiful Princess. The mere thought of Luna made him more tame, less willing to try to harm anyone. He didn’t want to have to kill her, but there was no other choice. “Well, Wordsmith, I think you have underestimated all of us. Since you have all been banished we have found a new Princess. Princess Twilight Sparkle is stronger than Celestia with her magic and that is a fact. And all the same we have all been getting stronger just as you have. I doubt that your endeavor will be as easy as you think.” Luna was finally slipping back into the mindset that Wordsmith is a threat to Equestria and that she must protect it, even if it meant killing Wordsmith. “Fine by me, if you can touch me that is. I no longer rely only on words for fighting. I have trained more physically and I can tackle hoof-to-hoof combat better. I do think that your pleas are quite cute, but they mean nothing to me. You will not banish me again!” Wordsmith leapt forward, tackling Luna to the ground. “How dare you!” Luna exclaimed, furious that she had let her guard down. She kicked with her hind legs, throwing Wordsmith off of herself. She stood up and leapt toward him, landing beside him. She pinned him by his legs, pushing down with all her weight. Wordsmith squeezed his front leg out from under her hoof and hit her straight across the face. Luna recoiled, turning away for a moment. Wordsmith got up and lunged toward Luna, hitting her on her spine as he landed. Luna collapsed from the impact, her mouth bleeding from his first strike. “So, Luna, are you still okay? Do you still think you can beat me, or do you accept that I am stronger than you? You must see by now that your attempts are futile,” Wordsmith said mockingly. He was happy now that Luna, the one who banished him so many moons ago, was now on the ground because of him. He felt a surge of power. “Of course I think that I can still beat you,” Luna said matter-of-factly. “I doubt that you will ever be able to stand up to me, even if you trained for a thousand moons!” As she exclaimed this Luna picked up a nearby chair with her magic. She flung it straight at Wordsmith, hitting him square in the back of the head. Wordsmith collapsed, unconscious. Luna thought quickly of the rope that was outside her room. She went out and picked it up. When she came back into the room she tied up Wordsmith, ready to interrogate him when he awoke. About an hour later Wordsmith regained consciousness. “Damn you, Luna!” he exclaimed as he saw her, feeling the rope around his legs. “How dare you tie me up! You only knocked me out because you fought unfairly! What type of leader are you if you can’t even fight fairly!?!?” “Calm down Wordsmith!” Luna exclaimed, tired of his yelling. “I had to do what I did to protect Equestria. Your mind games won’t work on me. Now, tell me what the Mare’s Tales are up to. Why have you decided to come back to Equestria?” “We want to rule Equestria. I told you that already, didn’t I? We trained since you banished us and we felt that we were finally strong enough to do so. I guess that wasn’t true, though. Look at me, defeated again by you.” As he went on with his speech he was working on getting out of the ropes. He felt one leg slip out, and he knew it was only a matter of time. He used the now free leg to get a second one out. He in turn used that leg to get the rope off the other. Only one leg still had rope on it. He slid the rope off the final leg and continued his speech. “I would not underestimate us, though. We are a very worthy opponent for the Princesses. Trust me, we will succeed in out endeavor, and Equestria will be ours!” At the final exclamation, Wordsmith jumped from the chair and again tackled Luna. Luna was caught off guard and flew backwards. She hit the wall and let out a yelp. Wordsmith rushed toward her. As he got right in front of her, Luna shot a beam of magic at him. The beam hit Wordsmith and he flew backwards. Luna took this chance to get up. She shot another beam of magic, hitting the wall behind Wordsmith. The wall collapsed, encasing Wordsmith in its debris. “What the hell Luna! How dare you do this! I will not remain in this prison!” Wordsmith rammed against the wall with all his strength. The impact knocked him out cold, allowing Luna to take a break. She resisted the urge to remove the debris around him, for she knew that when he awoke he would try to attack her again. Wordsmith was not the same pony as he was. He was now possessed by his need for power. “It is a shame that you changed so much,” said Luna longingly. She thought of a world where she and Wordsmith could live together in the castle. “It could have been different if you hadn’t been consumed by your need for power. I should know better than anyone what that can result in. I tried to kill my sister and was banished to the moon. I know that it is lonely, that it results in longing. I am ashamed that you will not even have the luxury of being banished after today, though, for your crimes were too great this time.” “Well at least I know the feelings are mutual,” said Wordsmith, having heard Luna’s rant. “I wished that we could be together also, but you seemed bent on killing me. And your right, it is lonely being banished. With that said, I can only imagine what it would be like to be dead. It must be the loneliest feeling in Equestria and all the lands beyond it.” Wordsmith broke through the debris just enough to see Luna. She sat staring at the debris, watching his cage that she made. As Luna sat there, lost in her thought, Wordsmith broke a little more of the debris. He began breaking more and more of the debris, slowly, until there was a hole large enough to show his face through. Luna looked up and gasped at the sight. Wordsmith, having looked so beautiful before, now had his face covered in blood. It had many scratches on it with blood flowing from them. “What happened to you?” asked Luna, bewildered. She couldn’t think of how that happened. Then she realized that she could see him. “You broke through the debris? I applaud you on that, but why would you do something so dangerous?” “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been doing a lot of stupid stuff lately,” Wordsmith replied, coughing on blood. “It was my mission to kill you because I had fought you before. He thought it would make it easier, but he was wrong. It only made it harder because now I can see your beauty. There is no possible way I could kill you.” Luna knew that, for once, Wordsmith was being true. She could tell from the tone of his voice because even when he used words against her he couldn’t sound completely sincere. It was the one flaw with his weapon. He could wield it well, but not perfectly. Then she realized something Wordsmith had said. “Who is the he you speak of?” Luna asked, wondering how he let that slip. “He is the leader of the Mare’s Tales. He is the strongest of us all, far stronger than what I am. Bloody Death, who you encountered in the forest last night, was stronger than me, but even she doesn’t compare to him. His name is Hidden Terror. He looks only for the strongest ponies to fight, and kills anypony else who gets in his way. He has a strange power, a power made completely of darkness. He speaks strong, with authority. He also stands tall, above the average pony. He is taller than you but not quite as tall as Celestia. You would know him if you saw him. His mane is red, as are his eyes. He looks like he’s covered in blood, which is quite befitting for him.” Wordsmith used this as his final gesture of good faith towards Luna, revealing his leader to her. Luna recognized this gesture and moved the debris away from him. She knew he would not harm her anymore. “Thank you for the information,” Luna said, amazed at how good of a description he gave. “I can relay it to the others and we can watch for him. Now, how about we clean and dress your wounds? You look very beat up.” “Yes, that would be great… Thank you,” Wordsmith said, not sure of how to address Luna. “So, what will happen to me then? Will I be executed, or will I be locked away? I don’t want to be killed, nor would I like to be locked away. Would it be possible to be set free? I swear I will not harm anypony. I’ll help you kill Hidden Terror!” Wordsmith was scared of being left alone again. While he acted like it was fine when he was banished he was terribly lonely. He couldn’t decide what to do, seeing as how there was nopony else to make it seem less lonely. This terror showed on his face as Luna looked at him in the beautiful moonlight. “I will see what I can do,” Luna replied, sorry for having hurt the pony so much, both now and in the past. “I am sure that, upon my request, my sister will let you be free. It will help when I tell her the information you gave me about Hidden Terror. That will be seen as a great form of forgiveness for your crimes. Also, I may help to assure your freedom by a few words. Now answer me this, would you like to be with me? If you would that may help, but be assured you will be free even if you say no.” Luna knew of Wordsmith’s feeling for her. She had seen them both today and in the past. She had also seen them in his dreams. Peaceful dreams where they walked together in the night, noses touching. She had the same feeling for him. “We both know my answer,” replied Wordsmith, blushing as he realized she had most likely seen his dreams. “You have seen my reluctance to hurt you, both now and in the past, I’m sure.” Wordsmith paused, not knowing how to say what he thought. He flustered for a moment, stuttering as he tried to speak. He had never said anything like this before, since he had been alone for so long. “Luna…I-I-I-…” Luna waited patiently, knowing what he meant to say. She didn’t finish his sentence aloud, nor did she continue with her response. She merely waited for Wordsmith to finish. In an instant, though barely audible, Wordsmith blurted, “I love you, Luna!” Luna knew he said it, but teased him some. She didn’t want him to get off too easy for what he had done. “What was that, Wordsmith?” Luna asked mockingly. “I couldn’t quite understand you. Speak louder, or let your words be lost forever.” Luna tried not to laugh as she spoke. She wanted what she said to sound serious, but the thought of her talking to him like that was hilarious to her. She waited for his reply. “You know what I said,” replied Wordsmith, slightly annoyed, but laughing a little. He knew she didn’t mean what she said. “However, for your amusement, I’ll repeat myself. I said…” the words caught in his throat. He had trouble saying this to her. “I love you, Luna.” Luna smiled as he said it. She wanted to hear that from the beginning, but she wasn’t sure he ever would. “I love you, too, Wordsmith,” she replied, her voice quiet yet steady. She was happier than ever now. She had finally found somepony who she loved. As they continued down the hallway, they walked in step with each other. Their manes brushed against one another’s as the moon gave way to the sun. As Celestia appeared in front of them, Luna looked up, smiling. Celestia knew what had happened, and she had already made her decision on Wordsmith’s freedom. She loved to see her younger sister so happy. “Dear sister, shouldn’t you dress this stallion’s wounds. You wouldn’t want them getting infected now, would you?” Celestia spoke calmly, with a voice full of love. She would never think of locking up someone who Luna loved so much. Nor would she lock up someone who was so helpful. She smiled as they walked past. “Thank you, sister,” Luna whispered as she passed. She was happy now that she knew Wordsmith would be safe. She couldn’t wait till Wordsmith had healed. She wanted to show him how beautiful Equestria was in the night. She could finally share her beloved night with somepony else. They walked off down the hall, heads together. Celestia smiled as she watched them. She knew her sister was happy now. She turned around, heading off to call a meeting. There was no more time to waste. Even if he was peaceful now, Wordsmith had gotten into the castle. Celestia had underestimated the Mare’s Tales. She had to gather everypony immediately. 3 - The Bloodied Leader"Everypony, it is good to have you all gathered here today!" Celestia was regarding the room of ponies that now sat in front of her. The same ponies from yesterday were here now, but Wordsmith was added to the group. Sitting quietly, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Spike, Cadence, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were very curious as to who this new pony in front of them was. "We happen to have had another run in with a Mare's Tale last night. Wordsmith, the pony sitting with you now, found his way into the castle somehow. However, he is no longer of harm. Luna has made quite sure of it." Celestia smiled at her sister, having already teased her of the noises that came from her room last night. Luna, in reply to the look, blushed strongly. "Yes, Wordsmith was a pony I'd know from the first time the Mare's Tales appeared." Luna regarded the ponies from the table, feeling the heat of their gazes. "Please, do not be alarmed. He is on our side now." Twilight didn't seem to be convinced. "So, if he's on our side, why did he sneak into the castle last night?" She eyed Wordsmith with a cautious curiosity. She wondered why the princesses were so quick to accept him, but she then noticed how close Luna was to him. "Wait a minute...Princess Luna, are you and him...?" Luna blushed more at the hinted accusation. She simply nodded her head in a quick movement to confirm Twilight's suspicions. Twilight simply smiled in reply, seeing as to why they accepted him. However, she was still not convinced. "Cadence...I don't mean to be rude, but can you please search Wordsmith's heart to show whether or not it's pure? Cadence, having already done so, replied, "Yes, he is assuredly on our side. The heat emanating from him is the same as what I feel when I stand with Shining Armor." Wordsmith blushed gently at this, turning away. Twilight, pleases with the answer, nodded. "Good then. I suppose we have nothing to worry about." She smiled warmly at the stallion, who smiled in return. Celestia took the chance to regain control of the meeting. "So, now that we have all seen that Wordsmith is on our side, I believe I should allow him to introduce himself, and tell us all of the leader of the Mare's Tales." She gave Wordsmith a glance, and he rose from his seat. "Yes, thank you princess. As you all know now, my name is Wordsmith. I am a Mare's Tale whose power comes from the way I can manipulate my words. While some may say that it's a useless power, I find it to be one of the most effective, since words can effect emotions, which have the strongest effects on ponies. But, continuing along, I do willingly share information about the Mare's Tales' leader. His name is Hidden Terror. He is of a taller stature, standing a little below Princess Celestia, and his mane is blood red, just like his eyes. His coat, however, is of purple and black. He is one of the easiest ponies to spot, but he is quite the force to be reckoned with. He is someone far stronger than you could ever imagine." Rainbow Dash interjected. "Does he have some sort of special powers or something? Because if not, I bet that I could beat him." She used her natural self-satisfactory tone, which made Wordsmith laugh a little. "Trust me miss," he replied, "the power he holds is far more than absolute. His power is something far beyond normal magic. It is made of pure darkness. Something that could never be quelled by even the purest of light." Applejack recognized this type of power. "So is he something like what King Sombra was?" Applejack asked in her country twang. "Because if so, there's no need for ya'll to worry. We'll take care of him in no time." Wordsmith simply laughed at the proposition. "No miss, he is far beyond the power of King Sombra. And his power is much darker. Trust me when I say this, you can not underestimate him. He is someone who is far beyond what anyone you have ever faced could even hope to be." At this, all of the ponies felt a sudden sense of fear. They all knew that his words were not simply a creative way of saying this, but rather the complete truth. Suddenly, the floor of the castle started shaking. A guard rushed into the room. "Princess Celestia, this is of the utmost importance! A pony has breached the castle, and the first battalion was wiped out in a single hit! You must come quickly!" Without another word the guard rushed back off to the lower floor. Celestia took no time to act. "Everypony, we have to move! Be ready to attack once we reach the lower floor! There is no time to waste!" Everypony in the hall rushed to the lower floor as fast as they could, where a robed pony stood in the center of the floor, surrounded by a large pool of blood and the bodies of twenty or so Royal Guards. "O-Oh my...T-This d-doesn't look...G-Good..." Fluttershy was shaking as she looked at the pony in the center of the floor, fear having taken control of her whole body. She couldn't even take a step to hide behind Rainbow Dash. The robed pony took no time to address his new visitors. "Ponies and princesses, what a pleasure to see you." His voice was rather deep and slow, almost soothing. Though there was something about it that brought even more fear to the ponies. "I figured that I might find you all here. I suppose I should introduce myself...Though I'm sure that you already know who I am." The pony removed his hood to show a blood-red mane with glowing red eyes atop his black and purple face, a large scar across the top of his muzzle. Wordsmith winced at the sight of the pony. He was fear stricken, and he knew exactly what would come of this encounter. "Everypony...It would be far better for you all, and all of Equestria, if you ran now. There's no way that-" A dark struck Wordsmith in the head, killing him instantly as he fell over, blood oozing from his head. Luna looked both horrified and outraged at the sight of her now-dead lover. "You...Damn...Fool! What have you done! What in all of Equestria have you done!?" Luna acted on instinct, and her mane began to darken. Her voice began to turn from its usual semi-lightness to the dark tone that it had taken when she was Nightmare Moon. "How dare you...You damned bastard!" Luna was now turning back into Nightmare Moon, the anger taking control of her. Celestia watched in horror as her sister began her transformation again. "Luna, you must restrain yourself! We can try to heal him, but it won't be worth anything if you become Her again!" Luna looked at her sister and saw the tears in her eyes. She landed back on the ground and began to calm down. "Sister...I'm so sorry. I let the hate take me over again. You're right." Luna calmly turned toward the one who killed her lover. "And I suppose you are the leader of the Mare's Tales? The "Hidden Terror" that Wordsmith so generously told us about?" Every word that she said dripped sarcasm and hate. Her voice, while having returned to normal, was toxic. The pony in the center of the room simply laughed. "Yes, you are quite right. I am Hidden Terror, and you have seen only a fraction of what I can do. I just had to take care of the loose end that was giving away valuable information to you all." Hidden Terror looked exactly as Wordsmith had described him. He stood just under Celestia's height, with a blood-red mane and glowing red eyes. His coat was pitch black, with purple marks that almost looked like cuts in it. There was a dark aura coming from around him as well. It looked far more sinister than the ponies could have ever imagined. "Since my business is taken care of, I shall take my leave. I hope that we meet again soon, dear ponies. For at that point, I shall take control of this land." Hidden Terror disappeared before their very eyes, a cloud of black smoke vanishing him. The ponies simply stared at the spot where he was, dumbfounded and fear-stricken. "Princess Celestia," Twilight said, fear in her voice, "I think we have a lot more on our hands than we ever thought." All of the ponies simply nodded in agreement. Author's Note I apologize for the hiatus. I don't really know why I took it, but I did. I'm hoping that, after having grown up a bit and becoming more mature, I might be able to keep a better schedule. I can't guarantee that things will go how I want, but I'm hoping to add a chapter each week to this story. I also hope that, as I go along, it gets better and better. Any constructive criticism you may have, please feel free to comment it. I want to make a story that is not only fun for me to write, but also fun for you to read. I am only 16, but I hope that I can make a story that might be seen as great by all of you. Thank you all, and I hope that this story comes along well. :) 4 - A New Magic"Luna, please stay calm!" Twilight was trying to calm the princess who was freaking out while Celestia and Cadence worked feverously to try and heal Wordsmith. "They're trying everything they can. He was hurt badly, but I'm sure the other princesses can save him." Luna simply shook and cried in Twilight's embrace, her heart wounded deeply from the potential death of Wordsmith. She had never felt a pain this deep, not even when she realized her mistakes once she was banished to the moon. "Thank you Twilight...But you must understand that this is a very painful situation for me..." Luna cried heavier as she said this. Her tears streamed from an endless pool that was held somewhere in her eyes. When Twilight looked at the princess, she was reminded of a young foal crying because it was lost. It pained her to see Luna like this, but she knew that there was simply nothing she could do. All she was capable of was sitting there and holding her through this tough time, hoping beyond all odds that Wordsmith would be resurrected. As if on command, Celestia called from the room she was in. "Twillight, Luna, please come see this! Wordsmith is breathing again!" The two princesses rushed into the room at the sound of this. Sure enough, they were greeted by a bed, upon which Wordsmith lay, breathing softly. His chest rose and fell ever so slightly, letting everyone know that he was still alive. Luna was still sobbing, but a smile had appeared on her face. Twilight was baffled that the princesses actually resurrected him, but she was happy all the same. "It was a very difficult process..." Cadence looked very tired as she spoke, seeming as if most of the work was done by her. "It took more than we thought to save him. It also took some...Unconventional means, to say the least." Cadence's eyes dulled as she said this. Twilight knew what she was talking about. She had read about in a book before. One that she was only permitted to read recently by Princess Celestia, since it held knowledge of Dark Magic, a form of magic that was considered to be treachery. It could pull off amazing feats, even bringing a dead pony back to life, but it required rituals, incantations, and, most of all, the life force of another pony to do. Twilight never thought she'd see a pony use it, but this situation seemed to be exactly that. "Cadence, may I talk to you in private for a moment?" Twilight wanted to confirm her suspicions, but she didn't want to say anything in front of Luna, for she knew it would only make her sadder. Cadence simply nodded her head and followed Twilight out of the room. "I hate to ask this, but...You used Dark Magic to save Wordsmith, didn't you?" Twilight's eyes clouded for a moment, already knowing the answer. Cadence hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yes...It was the only way we could save him. He was already dead when we took him into the room..." Cadence almost fell sideways, but Twilight caught her. "Sorry...It was my life force that was used to revive him. I didn't want Luna to be left alone like that...But it took much more of a toll than I thought it would. I never expected it would end up like this..." Cadence's eyes closed as she rested upon Twilight, having no energy left. "Celestia assured me that I would regain my strength withing a week or two, but...It feel like I'm dying. I can barely stand anymore...Please don't tell Luna though. She would hate herself if she found out." "Yes, I know." Twilight knew all too well how it would feel to know that you caused someone else harm for your own personal gain. Even if you didn't do it purposefully, it still made you feel terrible. "I'm sure you'll be fine. You just need some food and rest. Though maybe I could use some magic to try to heal you a little bit." Without waiting for a reply from Cadence, Twilight started to use her magic to heal her. Cadence looked a little better once she was done, but she still looked drained. "Well...It helped a little at least. I'm sure it'll be fine soon." Twilight smiled reassuringly at Cadence, who now stood on her on. "Thank you Twilight. It means a lot." Cadence smiled back, thinking about how she would have done the same if Twilight was the one who used her life force. Cadence wasn't entirely sure if she would truly be okay though. She knew when she went through with this plan that there was a chance she might die, but luckily Wordsmith came to before all of her life force was used. She didn't know whether or not she would regain her full strength though. Something told her, and everyone that knew what she did, that it might not. But they chose not to dwell on it. Luna walked out of the room and smiled. She rushed over to Cadence and hugged her. "Thank you so much Cadence. Because of your magic, and your sacrifice, you saved Wordsmith. I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you regain your strength." Both Cadence and twilight looked shocked at the fact that Luna knew what was done to revive Wordsmith. Luna saw the astonishment on the princesses' faces and replied, "Did you not think I knew of Dark Magic...? I was one who used it at one point before as well. Though mine didn't resurrect anyone..." This statement only served to astound the two princesses more. "It was Dark Magic that made me into Nightmare Moon. I hated everything so much that I resorted to the destructive forces Dark Magic had, but it was overpowered by the Elements of Harmony in the end. It was for the best that way, believe me." Twilight still looked surprised, but she asked, "If the Elements of Harmony stopped the Dark Magic that made you Nightmare Moon...Is it possible that they could stop Hidden Terror's magic?" Twilight knew that Hidden Terror's magic was something different entirely, but she thought that there might be hope. "I'm afraid not Twilight..." Luna turned to face the princess, a darkness clouding her eyes. "Having seen his magic before my very eyes...It is something that, as Wordsmith said, can't be stopped by even the purest of light. It is of a darkness that can only come from pure hate and darkness...From someone who harbors no love in his being, and who has shut himself from the outside world." Twilight knew that Luna was right, but it still hurt her to know this fact. Luna saying it made it absolute, but it stung all the same. "I'm afraid that if we are to ever beat him...We will need to not only rely on Pure and Dark Magic...But another form entirely." At this Twilight looked incredibly confused. She had only ever heard of Pure Magic and Dark Magic, so she was curious as to what this third type could be. "I believe you have revealed a bit too much, dear sister." Celestia now walked out of the room, a solemn look on her face. "I had wanted to wait to tell them of the third type of magic...But I suppose there is no other choice now." Celestia turned and faced Cadence and Twilight, a serious look on her face. "You must promise me that what I'm about to tell you will remain in your minds alone, and that no matter what you will not tell anypony about this magic, nor will you use it without express permission from me and me alone." Cadence and Twilight nodded their heads together in agreement. "I need a sounded bond, not simply a nod of your heads." Cadence and Twilight replied in unison. "Yes ma'am, we swear on our lives." Celestia nodded her head. She knew that she was being strict, but this was knowledge that had to be kept secret for as long as possible. The power that this magic held was far greater than anything they had ever seen, but it was also impossible to control. It could end in the destruction of the entire world if not used carefully. "Thank you. Now...I suppose I shall tell you of the strongest and most dangerous magic in all of this world." Author's Note Hello again everyone! Now, I know that I said I would add a new chapter each week, but I'm on Holiday Break from school still, and I'm bored, so I decided to write another chapter. I hope that you all like it so far. I know that I have the gore tag on here, and I also know that there really hasn't been any yet. Rest assured gore fans, there will be gore in this story. I'm purposefully avoiding it for right now. I have had a plan for this story ever sine I began writing it a year and a half ago, and I still remember it to this day. Yes, I do write these on the days that I post them, but I try to make them all flow in some way. I am aware that I am not the best story maker in the world, but I am happy with how it's turned out so far. But as far as the gore goes, you'll just have to wait. Once the story truly picks up, it will make its appearance. In due time my dear readers, in due time. :)
1 - A Fearful NightIt was a dark day in Equestria. Clouds covered the sun and it was becoming dark out quickly. The three little ponies in the Everfree Forest began to worry, not knowing what to do as the last little bit of light began to fade out behind the clouds. As Luna raised the moon they were almost at their destination. “So…what do we do after we get there, it’s almost night out?” Scootaloo looks at her two friends with a look of puzzlement on her face. “Scootaloo makes a good point, Apple Bloom,” says Sweetie Belle, with a hint of worry in her voice. “Don’t worry now, ya’ll, we’ll be just fine,” replies Apple Bloom matter-of-factly. “I don’t think that we’ll encounter too much trouble out here. Maybe we could find Zecora and stay with her for the night.” “That sounds great and all, but where is it from here anyway?” asks Scootaloo. “Yea, I mean I know you hang out with Zecora a lot, but how do you get there from here?” asks Sweetie Belle skeptically, doubting that this plan will work. “Well…I don’t really know…maybe this way,” says Apple Bloom, pointing towards a darker part of the forest. “Well…let’s try it,” says Scootaloo with a hint of fear in her voice. “Yea, there doesn’t seem to be a better plan at the moment…” says Sweetie Belle, jumping at the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. As the three little ponies continue on in the direction they are unaware of the pony following them. They continue on, jumping at all the little sounds that the forest makes as the night gets darker. The clouds finally scatter into the sky, revealing the stunning full moon. The light casts eerie shadows through the forest, making fake faces with the trees and leaves. An owl hoots at the sight of the moon, startling all three of the fillies. “Dear Celestia, what was that!?!?” exclaims Sweetie Belle in a high pitched, panicked voice. “I-I don’t know, and I don’t particularly want to stick around to find out!” exclaims Scootaloo, starting to move forward. “Ya’ll get scared to easily, it was just an owl,” says Apple Bloom calmly. “C’mon, let’s keep moving so we can make it to Zecora’s.” As they continue on they fail to notice the shadow that falls behind them. Having followed them since they entered the forest it is becoming anxious. It begins to pick up pace, staying hidden from the sight of the fillies. The mysterious pony uses her magic to move a large branch, making a loud rustling noise. “Dammit,” whispers the pony to herself. The three fillies pay no attention to the sound, too focused on their journey to notice it. As they continue on the pony follows quietly behind yet again. As the three fillies reach a clearing they begin to realize that they are nowhere near Zecora’s home or the exit. The pony waits in a bush on the side of clearing, hidden from sight. “Well it looks like we’re lost,” says Apple Bloom, slightly worried. “You don’t say!” exclaims Scootaloo angrily. “Calm down now Scootaloo, she tried her best,” says Sweetie Belle. “Yea, cut me some slack! I didn’t see ya’ll making better plans, so this was what worked!” exclaimed Apple Bloom angrily, staring at Scootaloo. “Okay now, really, let’s all calm down and stop yelling like children,” says Sweetie Belle in a mother-like tone. “Okay, how about we just try to retrace our steps backwards towards the entrance of the forest?” asks Scootaloo with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Okay, we’ll try it,” says Apple Bloom apologetically. “I agree,” says Sweetie Belle, happy now that her friends have stopped fighting. As they turn around they see the slightest hint of a silhouette in the bushes. The pony, seeing the curiosity on their faces, turns and runs to find a new hiding spot. As she runs she uses her magic to teleport her ahead farther, giving off an explosion of light in the night. “Dear Celestia, what was that!?!?!?!?” exclaims Apple Bloom, fear hanging heavy on her voice. “I-I don’t know…but I say we follow it!” exclaims Scootaloo more bravely than she feels. “Well, who knows, it may lead us out of this forest,” says Sweetie Belle doubtfully. The three fillies begin to rush after the mysterious figure. The pony, having quite the head start, stops for a break, again hiding in a bush. She watches to make sure she wasn't followed, but she remembers the fillies saying they should follow her. Relaxing a little after a minute she begins to lose focus. “Well, I guess they didn't have the courage to follow me after all,” says the pony tiredly. “I think I should continue on ahead a little more and wait for them where I found them.” As the pony begins to move she hears the three fillies walking in the direction of her bush. She peers out through the branches, seeing them a few yards away. She begins to back out of the bush, she hits the back of a tree. “Ow, dammit!” the pony exclaims. “She’s over there!” exclaim the fillies in unison. Weighing her options, the pony feels her stomach growl. “Well, no use delaying this meal anymore,” she whispers to herself. The pony turns toward the ponies, her face covered by a hood. Just then a bolt of lightning flashes through the sky, revealing the pony’s cutie mark. It is of sharp, white fangs with blood dripping from them. The fillies catch this, and a look of fear plagues each of their faces. “Well fillies, since you couldn’t control your curiosity you’ll die here now,” says the pony ominously. “I am feeling rather hungry after stalking you all night.” “What have we gotten ourselves into?” asks Apple Bloom, fear prominent in her voice. “We’re too young to be killed here. What should we do?” “Well, if we don’t want to die, I suggest we RUN!” exclaims Scootaloo, turning around quickly. “I agree, there’s nothing else we can do,” says Sweetie Belle, turning equally as fast as Scootaloo. “Do you really think you’ll get away from me?” asks the pony. “I doubt that you’ll make it halfway back to the clearing before you’re all dead!” As the pony says this a wind knocks her hood off. Her blood-red mane shows brightly in the moonlight. Against her black coat it appears to be a river of blood flowing quietly through the forest. Apple Bloom sees this, realizing who the pony is. “H-how can you even be real!?!?!?” exclaims Apple Bloom, fear dominating her voice. Her legs begin to tremble. “You’re just a pony from an old mare’s tale. You’re…you’re…Bloody Death, the cannibal pony of the Everfree!” “Yes, you are quite right,” says the pony calmly, s all of her victims say this. “But alas, I am not just a mare’s tale, I am very real. And lucky for you I’m too hungry to want to make you suffer. Though that just means you’ll die quicker.” Bloody Death jumps towards Apple Bloom, who barely dodges the attack. She turns and uses her magic to bind the filly to one spot. Scootaloo tackles Bloody Death in a quick motion, moving quickly out of the way of her snapping jaws. Sweetie Belle attempts to use her magic to lift a stick, having little luck. As Bloody Death binds Scootaloo as well, Sweetie Belle is just able to get a stick off the ground. She swings it toward Bloody Death, who stops it with her own magic. “Good try little filly. Too bad you don’t have enough power to stop me!” As she says this Scootaloo is just able to get out of the now unfocused grip of Bloody Death’s magic. She again rushes in and tackles her, but is slower to move this time. Bloody Death’s teeth scrape along Scootaloo’s neck, drawing blood and leaving a shallow wound. “Are you all right Scootaloo?” asks Apple Bloom, nearly fainting at the sight of the wound. “I’ll be fine, it’s only a scrape,” says Scootaloo matter-of-factly. As they says this Bloody Death pounces on Sweetie Belle, just missing her neck with her teeth. Sweetie Belle uses her back legs to kick Bloody Death in the stomach. When she does this Bloody Death moves off of Sweetie belle, vomiting on the ground. Sweetie Belle takes this chance to pick a slightly bigger stick up off the ground and slam it against the back of Bloody Death’s head. Bloody Death falls to the ground, unconscious. “Let’s not waste any time now!” exclaims Sweetie Belle. “We need to run!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom follow Sweetie Belle back through the forest. They reach the clearing again, this time not stopping to discuss anything. They run for a little while longer, running out of breath. They stop to take a break, thinking they are safe. Bloody Death is close behind, though, because when Scootaloo yelled she woke her back up. Bloody Death sneaks up on the three fillies, binding them all with her magic. “Sorry girls, but it looks like I’ve won this game. Too bad for you the price of losing is deadly!” she exclaims, not taking notice of the ever present moonlight. A rustling sounds behind Bloody Death, and out steps Princess Luna. “How dare you try to hurt such young children!” exclaims Luna furiously. “I do believe that ponies are vegetarian, not carnivores! You shall pay for your deeds here!” “Ooh, Princess Luna, so scary!” exclaims Bloody Death mockingly. “I doubt that there is anything you can do to save them.” As she says this Luna shoots a beam of magic at Bloody Death, knocking her backwards into a tree. She then proceeds to shoot another beam, impaling Bloody Death in the stomach. Bloody Death’s magic gives way and the three fillies break free of its grasp. Finishing the job, Luna fires one last beam of magic, hitting Bloody Death square in the head, killing her instantly. “I’m sorry you had to see that fillies, but it was for the best,” says Luna regretfully. “It’s okay Luna, we’re just happy you came along when you did,” says Scootaloo happily, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodding their heads in rapid agreement. “Well it is my job to watch over my subjects at night. I take note of everything that happens in Equestria when the moon is up,” says Luna matter-of-factly. “Well, all the same, thank you Luna,” says Sweetie Belle, slightly annoyed at the little lecture. “Luna, can you lead us out of here, please?” asks Apple Bloom hopefully. “Of course my dear fillies,” says Luna in a motherly tone. The four ponies go back through the forest, and into Ponyville. As they all make it home Luna goes back to the castle, telling her sister of what happened. “Well, dear sister, I believe it is time we act.”
2 - A Loving Moon 2 - A Loving Moon “Let us hereby have this meeting adjourned.” Luna’s message echoes around the room to the rest of the attending ponies. These include Twilight Sparkle, Celestia, Cadence, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and the dragon, Spike. As the ponies bustle about to exit there is a lot of talking about the meeting. Having been about the Cutie Mark Crusaders encounter with a Mare’s Tale last night it was that they are to all be on guard. There seems to have been a resurgence, according to Luna, of the Mare’s Tales, ponies that were evil but were subdued by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, before she was banished to the moon. They were thought to have been destroyed, living only in the stories told to fillies, but it seems that they are coming back now. Each pony is expected to have to face at least one Mare’s Tale, but it was made apparent that some may face more. Between Luna and Celestia over a thousand Mare’s Tales had been banished. It is unclear as to if they are all back, or if just some have found a way back to Equestria. Luna ponders this as she raises the moon, following her routine. She keeps a watchful eye over Equestria, looking for any sign of a Mare’s Tale. She is too concerned in her observations of Equestria to hear the pony stepping up beside her. As she approaches she sneers, laughing at Luna’s obliviousness. “Well, it’s hard to believe that you are the same pony that banished me all those moons ago,” says the pony sarcastically. “Your mane is not its old light blue, and you can’t hear those who approach you. What happened to you? Did your sister’s banishing you to the moon damage you that much?” “Well, it’s good to hear your voice again,” says Luna, sighing. She recognized the voice instantly. It belongs to a Mare’s Tale that she banished many moons ago, just when they began appearing the first time. She never dreamed she’d see her again. “I have changed more, but not because my sister banished me to the moon.” “Well, whatever you say, princess,” says the Mare’s Tale mockingly. “I doubt that you even remember my name now that you’re back from the moon.” “It would be impossible for me to forget such a wretched name,” says Luna. “Of course I remember your name, Wordsmith. Such a name for such a twisted pony as yourself.” “Haha my dear, now that is a matter of opinion. My name is perfectly fine for me,” says Wordsmith with a hint of mockery in his voice. “In case you forgot I am a bit good with words. I did almost make you believe that killing yourself would stop me, didn’t I?” “Sadly, that is true,” says Luna, remembering then. As she faced him, Wordsmith had twisted whatever she said into a weapon against her. As soon as she vowed to defeat him he said that he would stop his terror if she killed herself. She was about to when she realized he was just turning what she said into a weapon against her again. She used that opening to banish him to a faraway land, hoping to never have to deal with his words again. Too bad it was not to be that way. “Well then Luna, how about it? Should we continue where our little battle left off the last time we met?” As he said this Wordsmith started to move closer, slowly, towards Luna. He moved slowly enough so that she wouldn’t notice, and it worked. “How did you-! Dammit Wordsmith, why are you so annoying with your words! I guess I really do have no choice but to banish you again,” Luna said with a hint of sadness. As much as she hated Wordsmith she had to admit that she liked the way he looked. He was a slightly taller pony with a striking black mane that went perfect with the night. Even now she could feel herself blushing at the thought of him. She hoped so much that if she saw Wordsmith again that he would have changed. Then maybe they could have been together. “I am sorry milady, but I don’t see how you plan to do that. All of the Mare’s Tales, including me, were training to get better after you banished us. That is why we are here now, we believe that with all of us we can take Equestria. It is only a matter of time.” Wordsmith was now back to his old tricks, but he was being honest. Even he could not stand to lie to such a beautiful Princess. The mere thought of Luna made him more tame, less willing to try to harm anyone. He didn’t want to have to kill her, but there was no other choice. “Well, Wordsmith, I think you have underestimated all of us. Since you have all been banished we have found a new Princess. Princess Twilight Sparkle is stronger than Celestia with her magic and that is a fact. And all the same we have all been getting stronger just as you have. I doubt that your endeavor will be as easy as you think.” Luna was finally slipping back into the mindset that Wordsmith is a threat to Equestria and that she must protect it, even if it meant killing Wordsmith. “Fine by me, if you can touch me that is. I no longer rely only on words for fighting. I have trained more physically and I can tackle hoof-to-hoof combat better. I do think that your pleas are quite cute, but they mean nothing to me. You will not banish me again!” Wordsmith leapt forward, tackling Luna to the ground. “How dare you!” Luna exclaimed, furious that she had let her guard down. She kicked with her hind legs, throwing Wordsmith off of herself. She stood up and leapt toward him, landing beside him. She pinned him by his legs, pushing down with all her weight. Wordsmith squeezed his front leg out from under her hoof and hit her straight across the face. Luna recoiled, turning away for a moment. Wordsmith got up and lunged toward Luna, hitting her on her spine as he landed. Luna collapsed from the impact, her mouth bleeding from his first strike. “So, Luna, are you still okay? Do you still think you can beat me, or do you accept that I am stronger than you? You must see by now that your attempts are futile,” Wordsmith said mockingly. He was happy now that Luna, the one who banished him so many moons ago, was now on the ground because of him. He felt a surge of power. “Of course I think that I can still beat you,” Luna said matter-of-factly. “I doubt that you will ever be able to stand up to me, even if you trained for a thousand moons!” As she exclaimed this Luna picked up a nearby chair with her magic. She flung it straight at Wordsmith, hitting him square in the back of the head. Wordsmith collapsed, unconscious. Luna thought quickly of the rope that was outside her room. She went out and picked it up. When she came back into the room she tied up Wordsmith, ready to interrogate him when he awoke. About an hour later Wordsmith regained consciousness. “Damn you, Luna!” he exclaimed as he saw her, feeling the rope around his legs. “How dare you tie me up! You only knocked me out because you fought unfairly! What type of leader are you if you can’t even fight fairly!?!?” “Calm down Wordsmith!” Luna exclaimed, tired of his yelling. “I had to do what I did to protect Equestria. Your mind games won’t work on me. Now, tell me what the Mare’s Tales are up to. Why have you decided to come back to Equestria?” “We want to rule Equestria. I told you that already, didn’t I? We trained since you banished us and we felt that we were finally strong enough to do so. I guess that wasn’t true, though. Look at me, defeated again by you.” As he went on with his speech he was working on getting out of the ropes. He felt one leg slip out, and he knew it was only a matter of time. He used the now free leg to get a second one out. He in turn used that leg to get the rope off the other. Only one leg still had rope on it. He slid the rope off the final leg and continued his speech. “I would not underestimate us, though. We are a very worthy opponent for the Princesses. Trust me, we will succeed in out endeavor, and Equestria will be ours!” At the final exclamation, Wordsmith jumped from the chair and again tackled Luna. Luna was caught off guard and flew backwards. She hit the wall and let out a yelp. Wordsmith rushed toward her. As he got right in front of her, Luna shot a beam of magic at him. The beam hit Wordsmith and he flew backwards. Luna took this chance to get up. She shot another beam of magic, hitting the wall behind Wordsmith. The wall collapsed, encasing Wordsmith in its debris. “What the hell Luna! How dare you do this! I will not remain in this prison!” Wordsmith rammed against the wall with all his strength. The impact knocked him out cold, allowing Luna to take a break. She resisted the urge to remove the debris around him, for she knew that when he awoke he would try to attack her again. Wordsmith was not the same pony as he was. He was now possessed by his need for power. “It is a shame that you changed so much,” said Luna longingly. She thought of a world where she and Wordsmith could live together in the castle. “It could have been different if you hadn’t been consumed by your need for power. I should know better than anyone what that can result in. I tried to kill my sister and was banished to the moon. I know that it is lonely, that it results in longing. I am ashamed that you will not even have the luxury of being banished after today, though, for your crimes were too great this time.” “Well at least I know the feelings are mutual,” said Wordsmith, having heard Luna’s rant. “I wished that we could be together also, but you seemed bent on killing me. And your right, it is lonely being banished. With that said, I can only imagine what it would be like to be dead. It must be the loneliest feeling in Equestria and all the lands beyond it.” Wordsmith broke through the debris just enough to see Luna. She sat staring at the debris, watching his cage that she made. As Luna sat there, lost in her thought, Wordsmith broke a little more of the debris. He began breaking more and more of the debris, slowly, until there was a hole large enough to show his face through. Luna looked up and gasped at the sight. Wordsmith, having looked so beautiful before, now had his face covered in blood. It had many scratches on it with blood flowing from them. “What happened to you?” asked Luna, bewildered. She couldn’t think of how that happened. Then she realized that she could see him. “You broke through the debris? I applaud you on that, but why would you do something so dangerous?” “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been doing a lot of stupid stuff lately,” Wordsmith replied, coughing on blood. “It was my mission to kill you because I had fought you before. He thought it would make it easier, but he was wrong. It only made it harder because now I can see your beauty. There is no possible way I could kill you.” Luna knew that, for once, Wordsmith was being true. She could tell from the tone of his voice because even when he used words against her he couldn’t sound completely sincere. It was the one flaw with his weapon. He could wield it well, but not perfectly. Then she realized something Wordsmith had said. “Who is the he you speak of?” Luna asked, wondering how he let that slip. “He is the leader of the Mare’s Tales. He is the strongest of us all, far stronger than what I am. Bloody Death, who you encountered in the forest last night, was stronger than me, but even she doesn’t compare to him. His name is Hidden Terror. He looks only for the strongest ponies to fight, and kills anypony else who gets in his way. He has a strange power, a power made completely of darkness. He speaks strong, with authority. He also stands tall, above the average pony. He is taller than you but not quite as tall as Celestia. You would know him if you saw him. His mane is red, as are his eyes. He looks like he’s covered in blood, which is quite befitting for him.” Wordsmith used this as his final gesture of good faith towards Luna, revealing his leader to her. Luna recognized this gesture and moved the debris away from him. She knew he would not harm her anymore. “Thank you for the information,” Luna said, amazed at how good of a description he gave. “I can relay it to the others and we can watch for him. Now, how about we clean and dress your wounds? You look very beat up.” “Yes, that would be great… Thank you,” Wordsmith said, not sure of how to address Luna. “So, what will happen to me then? Will I be executed, or will I be locked away? I don’t want to be killed, nor would I like to be locked away. Would it be possible to be set free? I swear I will not harm anypony. I’ll help you kill Hidden Terror!” Wordsmith was scared of being left alone again. While he acted like it was fine when he was banished he was terribly lonely. He couldn’t decide what to do, seeing as how there was nopony else to make it seem less lonely. This terror showed on his face as Luna looked at him in the beautiful moonlight. “I will see what I can do,” Luna replied, sorry for having hurt the pony so much, both now and in the past. “I am sure that, upon my request, my sister will let you be free. It will help when I tell her the information you gave me about Hidden Terror. That will be seen as a great form of forgiveness for your crimes. Also, I may help to assure your freedom by a few words. Now answer me this, would you like to be with me? If you would that may help, but be assured you will be free even if you say no.” Luna knew of Wordsmith’s feeling for her. She had seen them both today and in the past. She had also seen them in his dreams. Peaceful dreams where they walked together in the night, noses touching. She had the same feeling for him. “We both know my answer,” replied Wordsmith, blushing as he realized she had most likely seen his dreams. “You have seen my reluctance to hurt you, both now and in the past, I’m sure.” Wordsmith paused, not knowing how to say what he thought. He flustered for a moment, stuttering as he tried to speak. He had never said anything like this before, since he had been alone for so long. “Luna…I-I-I-…” Luna waited patiently, knowing what he meant to say. She didn’t finish his sentence aloud, nor did she continue with her response. She merely waited for Wordsmith to finish. In an instant, though barely audible, Wordsmith blurted, “I love you, Luna!” Luna knew he said it, but teased him some. She didn’t want him to get off too easy for what he had done. “What was that, Wordsmith?” Luna asked mockingly. “I couldn’t quite understand you. Speak louder, or let your words be lost forever.” Luna tried not to laugh as she spoke. She wanted what she said to sound serious, but the thought of her talking to him like that was hilarious to her. She waited for his reply. “You know what I said,” replied Wordsmith, slightly annoyed, but laughing a little. He knew she didn’t mean what she said. “However, for your amusement, I’ll repeat myself. I said…” the words caught in his throat. He had trouble saying this to her. “I love you, Luna.” Luna smiled as he said it. She wanted to hear that from the beginning, but she wasn’t sure he ever would. “I love you, too, Wordsmith,” she replied, her voice quiet yet steady. She was happier than ever now. She had finally found somepony who she loved. As they continued down the hallway, they walked in step with each other. Their manes brushed against one another’s as the moon gave way to the sun. As Celestia appeared in front of them, Luna looked up, smiling. Celestia knew what had happened, and she had already made her decision on Wordsmith’s freedom. She loved to see her younger sister so happy. “Dear sister, shouldn’t you dress this stallion’s wounds. You wouldn’t want them getting infected now, would you?” Celestia spoke calmly, with a voice full of love. She would never think of locking up someone who Luna loved so much. Nor would she lock up someone who was so helpful. She smiled as they walked past. “Thank you, sister,” Luna whispered as she passed. She was happy now that she knew Wordsmith would be safe. She couldn’t wait till Wordsmith had healed. She wanted to show him how beautiful Equestria was in the night. She could finally share her beloved night with somepony else. They walked off down the hall, heads together. Celestia smiled as she watched them. She knew her sister was happy now. She turned around, heading off to call a meeting. There was no more time to waste. Even if he was peaceful now, Wordsmith had gotten into the castle. Celestia had underestimated the Mare’s Tales. She had to gather everypony immediately.
3 - The Bloodied Leader"Everypony, it is good to have you all gathered here today!" Celestia was regarding the room of ponies that now sat in front of her. The same ponies from yesterday were here now, but Wordsmith was added to the group. Sitting quietly, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Spike, Cadence, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were very curious as to who this new pony in front of them was. "We happen to have had another run in with a Mare's Tale last night. Wordsmith, the pony sitting with you now, found his way into the castle somehow. However, he is no longer of harm. Luna has made quite sure of it." Celestia smiled at her sister, having already teased her of the noises that came from her room last night. Luna, in reply to the look, blushed strongly. "Yes, Wordsmith was a pony I'd know from the first time the Mare's Tales appeared." Luna regarded the ponies from the table, feeling the heat of their gazes. "Please, do not be alarmed. He is on our side now." Twilight didn't seem to be convinced. "So, if he's on our side, why did he sneak into the castle last night?" She eyed Wordsmith with a cautious curiosity. She wondered why the princesses were so quick to accept him, but she then noticed how close Luna was to him. "Wait a minute...Princess Luna, are you and him...?" Luna blushed more at the hinted accusation. She simply nodded her head in a quick movement to confirm Twilight's suspicions. Twilight simply smiled in reply, seeing as to why they accepted him. However, she was still not convinced. "Cadence...I don't mean to be rude, but can you please search Wordsmith's heart to show whether or not it's pure? Cadence, having already done so, replied, "Yes, he is assuredly on our side. The heat emanating from him is the same as what I feel when I stand with Shining Armor." Wordsmith blushed gently at this, turning away. Twilight, pleases with the answer, nodded. "Good then. I suppose we have nothing to worry about." She smiled warmly at the stallion, who smiled in return. Celestia took the chance to regain control of the meeting. "So, now that we have all seen that Wordsmith is on our side, I believe I should allow him to introduce himself, and tell us all of the leader of the Mare's Tales." She gave Wordsmith a glance, and he rose from his seat. "Yes, thank you princess. As you all know now, my name is Wordsmith. I am a Mare's Tale whose power comes from the way I can manipulate my words. While some may say that it's a useless power, I find it to be one of the most effective, since words can effect emotions, which have the strongest effects on ponies. But, continuing along, I do willingly share information about the Mare's Tales' leader. His name is Hidden Terror. He is of a taller stature, standing a little below Princess Celestia, and his mane is blood red, just like his eyes. His coat, however, is of purple and black. He is one of the easiest ponies to spot, but he is quite the force to be reckoned with. He is someone far stronger than you could ever imagine." Rainbow Dash interjected. "Does he have some sort of special powers or something? Because if not, I bet that I could beat him." She used her natural self-satisfactory tone, which made Wordsmith laugh a little. "Trust me miss," he replied, "the power he holds is far more than absolute. His power is something far beyond normal magic. It is made of pure darkness. Something that could never be quelled by even the purest of light." Applejack recognized this type of power. "So is he something like what King Sombra was?" Applejack asked in her country twang. "Because if so, there's no need for ya'll to worry. We'll take care of him in no time." Wordsmith simply laughed at the proposition. "No miss, he is far beyond the power of King Sombra. And his power is much darker. Trust me when I say this, you can not underestimate him. He is someone who is far beyond what anyone you have ever faced could even hope to be." At this, all of the ponies felt a sudden sense of fear. They all knew that his words were not simply a creative way of saying this, but rather the complete truth. Suddenly, the floor of the castle started shaking. A guard rushed into the room. "Princess Celestia, this is of the utmost importance! A pony has breached the castle, and the first battalion was wiped out in a single hit! You must come quickly!" Without another word the guard rushed back off to the lower floor. Celestia took no time to act. "Everypony, we have to move! Be ready to attack once we reach the lower floor! There is no time to waste!" Everypony in the hall rushed to the lower floor as fast as they could, where a robed pony stood in the center of the floor, surrounded by a large pool of blood and the bodies of twenty or so Royal Guards. "O-Oh my...T-This d-doesn't look...G-Good..." Fluttershy was shaking as she looked at the pony in the center of the floor, fear having taken control of her whole body. She couldn't even take a step to hide behind Rainbow Dash. The robed pony took no time to address his new visitors. "Ponies and princesses, what a pleasure to see you." His voice was rather deep and slow, almost soothing. Though there was something about it that brought even more fear to the ponies. "I figured that I might find you all here. I suppose I should introduce myself...Though I'm sure that you already know who I am." The pony removed his hood to show a blood-red mane with glowing red eyes atop his black and purple face, a large scar across the top of his muzzle. Wordsmith winced at the sight of the pony. He was fear stricken, and he knew exactly what would come of this encounter. "Everypony...It would be far better for you all, and all of Equestria, if you ran now. There's no way that-" A dark struck Wordsmith in the head, killing him instantly as he fell over, blood oozing from his head. Luna looked both horrified and outraged at the sight of her now-dead lover. "You...Damn...Fool! What have you done! What in all of Equestria have you done!?" Luna acted on instinct, and her mane began to darken. Her voice began to turn from its usual semi-lightness to the dark tone that it had taken when she was Nightmare Moon. "How dare you...You damned bastard!" Luna was now turning back into Nightmare Moon, the anger taking control of her. Celestia watched in horror as her sister began her transformation again. "Luna, you must restrain yourself! We can try to heal him, but it won't be worth anything if you become Her again!" Luna looked at her sister and saw the tears in her eyes. She landed back on the ground and began to calm down. "Sister...I'm so sorry. I let the hate take me over again. You're right." Luna calmly turned toward the one who killed her lover. "And I suppose you are the leader of the Mare's Tales? The "Hidden Terror" that Wordsmith so generously told us about?" Every word that she said dripped sarcasm and hate. Her voice, while having returned to normal, was toxic. The pony in the center of the room simply laughed. "Yes, you are quite right. I am Hidden Terror, and you have seen only a fraction of what I can do. I just had to take care of the loose end that was giving away valuable information to you all." Hidden Terror looked exactly as Wordsmith had described him. He stood just under Celestia's height, with a blood-red mane and glowing red eyes. His coat was pitch black, with purple marks that almost looked like cuts in it. There was a dark aura coming from around him as well. It looked far more sinister than the ponies could have ever imagined. "Since my business is taken care of, I shall take my leave. I hope that we meet again soon, dear ponies. For at that point, I shall take control of this land." Hidden Terror disappeared before their very eyes, a cloud of black smoke vanishing him. The ponies simply stared at the spot where he was, dumbfounded and fear-stricken. "Princess Celestia," Twilight said, fear in her voice, "I think we have a lot more on our hands than we ever thought." All of the ponies simply nodded in agreement. Author's Note I apologize for the hiatus. I don't really know why I took it, but I did. I'm hoping that, after having grown up a bit and becoming more mature, I might be able to keep a better schedule. I can't guarantee that things will go how I want, but I'm hoping to add a chapter each week to this story. I also hope that, as I go along, it gets better and better. Any constructive criticism you may have, please feel free to comment it. I want to make a story that is not only fun for me to write, but also fun for you to read. I am only 16, but I hope that I can make a story that might be seen as great by all of you. Thank you all, and I hope that this story comes along well. :)
4 - A New Magic"Luna, please stay calm!" Twilight was trying to calm the princess who was freaking out while Celestia and Cadence worked feverously to try and heal Wordsmith. "They're trying everything they can. He was hurt badly, but I'm sure the other princesses can save him." Luna simply shook and cried in Twilight's embrace, her heart wounded deeply from the potential death of Wordsmith. She had never felt a pain this deep, not even when she realized her mistakes once she was banished to the moon. "Thank you Twilight...But you must understand that this is a very painful situation for me..." Luna cried heavier as she said this. Her tears streamed from an endless pool that was held somewhere in her eyes. When Twilight looked at the princess, she was reminded of a young foal crying because it was lost. It pained her to see Luna like this, but she knew that there was simply nothing she could do. All she was capable of was sitting there and holding her through this tough time, hoping beyond all odds that Wordsmith would be resurrected. As if on command, Celestia called from the room she was in. "Twillight, Luna, please come see this! Wordsmith is breathing again!" The two princesses rushed into the room at the sound of this. Sure enough, they were greeted by a bed, upon which Wordsmith lay, breathing softly. His chest rose and fell ever so slightly, letting everyone know that he was still alive. Luna was still sobbing, but a smile had appeared on her face. Twilight was baffled that the princesses actually resurrected him, but she was happy all the same. "It was a very difficult process..." Cadence looked very tired as she spoke, seeming as if most of the work was done by her. "It took more than we thought to save him. It also took some...Unconventional means, to say the least." Cadence's eyes dulled as she said this. Twilight knew what she was talking about. She had read about in a book before. One that she was only permitted to read recently by Princess Celestia, since it held knowledge of Dark Magic, a form of magic that was considered to be treachery. It could pull off amazing feats, even bringing a dead pony back to life, but it required rituals, incantations, and, most of all, the life force of another pony to do. Twilight never thought she'd see a pony use it, but this situation seemed to be exactly that. "Cadence, may I talk to you in private for a moment?" Twilight wanted to confirm her suspicions, but she didn't want to say anything in front of Luna, for she knew it would only make her sadder. Cadence simply nodded her head and followed Twilight out of the room. "I hate to ask this, but...You used Dark Magic to save Wordsmith, didn't you?" Twilight's eyes clouded for a moment, already knowing the answer. Cadence hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yes...It was the only way we could save him. He was already dead when we took him into the room..." Cadence almost fell sideways, but Twilight caught her. "Sorry...It was my life force that was used to revive him. I didn't want Luna to be left alone like that...But it took much more of a toll than I thought it would. I never expected it would end up like this..." Cadence's eyes closed as she rested upon Twilight, having no energy left. "Celestia assured me that I would regain my strength withing a week or two, but...It feel like I'm dying. I can barely stand anymore...Please don't tell Luna though. She would hate herself if she found out." "Yes, I know." Twilight knew all too well how it would feel to know that you caused someone else harm for your own personal gain. Even if you didn't do it purposefully, it still made you feel terrible. "I'm sure you'll be fine. You just need some food and rest. Though maybe I could use some magic to try to heal you a little bit." Without waiting for a reply from Cadence, Twilight started to use her magic to heal her. Cadence looked a little better once she was done, but she still looked drained. "Well...It helped a little at least. I'm sure it'll be fine soon." Twilight smiled reassuringly at Cadence, who now stood on her on. "Thank you Twilight. It means a lot." Cadence smiled back, thinking about how she would have done the same if Twilight was the one who used her life force. Cadence wasn't entirely sure if she would truly be okay though. She knew when she went through with this plan that there was a chance she might die, but luckily Wordsmith came to before all of her life force was used. She didn't know whether or not she would regain her full strength though. Something told her, and everyone that knew what she did, that it might not. But they chose not to dwell on it. Luna walked out of the room and smiled. She rushed over to Cadence and hugged her. "Thank you so much Cadence. Because of your magic, and your sacrifice, you saved Wordsmith. I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you regain your strength." Both Cadence and twilight looked shocked at the fact that Luna knew what was done to revive Wordsmith. Luna saw the astonishment on the princesses' faces and replied, "Did you not think I knew of Dark Magic...? I was one who used it at one point before as well. Though mine didn't resurrect anyone..." This statement only served to astound the two princesses more. "It was Dark Magic that made me into Nightmare Moon. I hated everything so much that I resorted to the destructive forces Dark Magic had, but it was overpowered by the Elements of Harmony in the end. It was for the best that way, believe me." Twilight still looked surprised, but she asked, "If the Elements of Harmony stopped the Dark Magic that made you Nightmare Moon...Is it possible that they could stop Hidden Terror's magic?" Twilight knew that Hidden Terror's magic was something different entirely, but she thought that there might be hope. "I'm afraid not Twilight..." Luna turned to face the princess, a darkness clouding her eyes. "Having seen his magic before my very eyes...It is something that, as Wordsmith said, can't be stopped by even the purest of light. It is of a darkness that can only come from pure hate and darkness...From someone who harbors no love in his being, and who has shut himself from the outside world." Twilight knew that Luna was right, but it still hurt her to know this fact. Luna saying it made it absolute, but it stung all the same. "I'm afraid that if we are to ever beat him...We will need to not only rely on Pure and Dark Magic...But another form entirely." At this Twilight looked incredibly confused. She had only ever heard of Pure Magic and Dark Magic, so she was curious as to what this third type could be. "I believe you have revealed a bit too much, dear sister." Celestia now walked out of the room, a solemn look on her face. "I had wanted to wait to tell them of the third type of magic...But I suppose there is no other choice now." Celestia turned and faced Cadence and Twilight, a serious look on her face. "You must promise me that what I'm about to tell you will remain in your minds alone, and that no matter what you will not tell anypony about this magic, nor will you use it without express permission from me and me alone." Cadence and Twilight nodded their heads together in agreement. "I need a sounded bond, not simply a nod of your heads." Cadence and Twilight replied in unison. "Yes ma'am, we swear on our lives." Celestia nodded her head. She knew that she was being strict, but this was knowledge that had to be kept secret for as long as possible. The power that this magic held was far greater than anything they had ever seen, but it was also impossible to control. It could end in the destruction of the entire world if not used carefully. "Thank you. Now...I suppose I shall tell you of the strongest and most dangerous magic in all of this world." Author's Note Hello again everyone! Now, I know that I said I would add a new chapter each week, but I'm on Holiday Break from school still, and I'm bored, so I decided to write another chapter. I hope that you all like it so far. I know that I have the gore tag on here, and I also know that there really hasn't been any yet. Rest assured gore fans, there will be gore in this story. I'm purposefully avoiding it for right now. I have had a plan for this story ever sine I began writing it a year and a half ago, and I still remember it to this day. Yes, I do write these on the days that I post them, but I try to make them all flow in some way. I am aware that I am not the best story maker in the world, but I am happy with how it's turned out so far. But as far as the gore goes, you'll just have to wait. Once the story truly picks up, it will make its appearance. In due time my dear readers, in due time. :)
