Hard Truths

Chapters

1: Fucked Up In The Head, Or, Yep, She's A Stalker
2: Birds and The Bees, First Encounter Of The Asshole Kind
3: Nightmare's Mysterious Little Friend
4: The Fleeing (Part 1)
5: The Fleeing (Part 2)
6: This Shit Sucks
7: A Small History Lesson
5 1/2: A Brief Interlude Back To Canterlot

1: Fucked Up In The Head, Or, Yep, She's A Stalker

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The scream ripped through the poorly constructed house, echoing of the walls and almost making the ponies by the bed deaf. Folding his ears back, Brute Stalker glared down at his wife with his flaming orange eyes, muscular dark green body twitching in annoyance. "Peacock, why the fuss? A shitload of other mares give birth all the time."

Shooting her would-be husband a glare from chilling green and blue eyes, Peacock Stalker grunted in anger before another spasm rocked her teal blue body, sweat dripping down her purple mane and tail.

Not caring for a second dose of death by glare, Brute walked away to the door, seating himself in front of it, just like he was at work and was guarding the exclusive downtown clubhouse Mating Dance.

While he left, the housewife and old friend of Peacock, Disco Light, a silver pony with white eyes and a shimmering blue mane and tail, stepped up besides her. Removing the cigarette from her mouth, Disco extinguished it on the floor while telling her old friend, "Now, I been forced to do a couple of these since we grew up and moved to different parts of this Tartarus-wracked hellhole, and let me tell ya, they ain't pretty or pain-free, as ya can already see. Don't worry though, they go quick enough once the head shows up."

Barely able to register her friend's words, Peacock nodded just as yet another spasm hit, nearly making her faint in pain. Grinding her teeth, the laboring soon-to-be mother waited for her friend to tell her when to push, unsure in her addled brain precisely what to do and when to do it.

Fighting the urge to light another cigarette, Disco examined the hole the new life was going to pop out from. Seeing it contorting and trying to open wider, Disco nodded. "Alright, Peacock, the kid's coming out to play. You'd better push right now if ya want this to go right."

Following instinctively on the word of the technical housewife who doubled as a dancer, the blue mare gave her all, and the head of a baby pony popped out her hole. It was black as a starless night, with a silverish mane. As the baby's mother continued to shove, more of the foal appeared. Finally, the newly born slid onto the bed at Peacock's hooves. Trotting up, Disco wiped off the nasty mucus of the sack and gently rubbed the belly of the small creature till it let out a tiny gasp, breathing for the first time.

"Well, there ya go, chango presto, a little unicorn mar-"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Although her screaming still hurt the ears of all present, it was not as intense before. Raising an eyebrow, Disco looked back at the little mare's exit hole. "I'll be damned! You just full of surprises, ain't ya, Highness? Looks like one just wasn't enough for ya," she snickered, using the old nickname she had for her friend.

Grimacing, Peacock didn't wait and pushed. The thing that slid out may have once been a foal, but now it looked like something that had been burned then put through a woodchipper.

Disco whistled. "Damn, that be nasty. Wonder what the hell happened to this one."

Grunting in exhaustion, Peacock looked from one baby to the other. "Twin unicorns...oh Celestia. I've heard about this. It's said that if you manage to somehow form twins, especially if they're unicorn, one twin will suck the other dry in the womb. An earth pony becomes two times stronger, a pegasus two times faster, and a unicorn...two times more powerful."

Disco let out a whistle. "That's some scary shit. I don't envy ya. Why, regular unicorn foals are hell, imagine what two wrapped into one will be like."

Looking down at the little black mare, Peacock felt something spark inside her. Turning her attention back to Disco, the new mother held a blazing determined expression in her eyes. "I don't care. Somepony's gotta take care of her, and it ain't gonna be nopony but her parents!"

Brute, who had sat silently observing the scene, now stood and approached the bed. "Sucked 'er dry, eh?" he whispered to himself, watching the bundle crawl over Peacock as she went to feed.

Suddenly, the foal stopped mid-crawl and look back, opening her eyes, which made everyone gasp. "What the hell?!" exclaimed Disco, extremely put off by what she saw.

Brute only chuckled at this. "Guess this means she is purely, without a doubt, a Stalker. Only this family could cause a foal like this to be born into the world."

After the initial shock wore off, the two friends muttered agreement as they all watched it turn back to feeding. Nibbling on her mother's nipple, the newborn was unaware of the scrutiny it was under.

As the foal continued to feed, Peacock went into deep thought. No one said anything for awhile, then Peacock said, "Nightmare."

Startled by the sudden breach in the quiet home, Brute and Disco both jumped, then embarrassed blushes came to their faces. "Oh, uh, what?" questioned Brute, who was feeling terribly awkward for the first time in a long time.

Chuckling to herself, Peacock told them, "I think her name should be Nightmare. Nightmare Stalker. It fits, don't you think?"

As the name was quickly agreed by her father, Nightmare Stalker peeked at them from the corner of her blue sclera with red irises pair of eyes.

2: Birds and The Bees, First Encounter Of The Asshole Kind

The sound of thumping could be heard above the little ten year old's bedroom, as well as pleasured moans. It would have made many others blush, but to Nightmare, this was just another night. Her parents often did strange things, both during the hours of sunlight, as well as when the moon shone above. She would try asking them questions about it, but they would only tell her she'd know when she was older.

Sighing and rolling over in her bed, Nightmare continued to listen to the odd sounds above her. They eventually faded away, and the mare prepared to close her eyes and sleep, but then the sound of hooves caught her attention. She frowned. Her parents were usually asleep after it all stopped.

Maybe one of them had to go to the bathroom.

That thought was quickly dashed as hooves pattered down the stairs and stopped just outside her bedroom door. Both afraid and curious now, Nightmare waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Knock

Ear twitching, Nightmare sat up and stared at the door some more, waiting for something to happen. It came in the form of another knock, this one much more loud and forceful.

"Uh, come in?"

The door creaked open, and Peacock Stalker walked in, closing the rotten wood door behind her. Raising an eyebrow at her daughter, Peacock trotted over to her bed. "Well, I guess I owe you father five bits."

Confused at her words, Nightmare tilted her head, asking, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Chuckling, Peacock sat down next to her daughter's bed, shaking her head. "You see, Nightmare, when two ponies place a bet, they both have differing ideas about things, and money is placed. Whoever was right gets that money. Understand?"

Nodding, Nightmare threw the covers off and got up, stretching, before joining her mother in sitting. "Yeah, I see that all the time. I remember Liquor and Frothing doing that over who would get to pop Jay-Jay's 'cherry', whatever that is."

Peacock raised an eyebrow at her daughter again. "Huh. Neither of them won that one. As for what they meant, well, I think you're about the age I was when my mother told me. Ten, right? Or eleven? There's honestly so much going on right now I lost track."

A little hurt that her mom forgot her age, Nightmare half mumbled, "Ten." Blinking and looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully, Peacock stood like that for a few seconds before turning back to Nightmare. "Eh, what's a year? 'Sides, you hear your father and me every night, so what the hell."

Nightmare listened in rapture as her mother began to describe what really happened to make babies, from the moment of two ponies falling in love, most of the time, and then the kissing that starts out, and what happened once they reached the bedroom. She also told her about how some simply do it for pleasure, like what she and daddy did all the time.

By the time her mom was finished, Nightmare wore a very disgusted, yet curious, look on her face. The two sat there in awkward silence as Nightmare's little mind slowly processed everything she'd just heard. Then the ten year old said the first thing that came to her mind.

"I always knew the other kids' stories about storks was bullshit."

Peacock burst out into a laughing fit, her sounds of mirth echoing through the house. "Wow, you're a sharp one," she just managed to get out, having trouble breathing for a sec.

When her laughter finally subsided, Peacock ruffled her daughter's head. "Oh, ya kill me kid," she said with another chuckle. Nightmare smiled at her mom and nuzzled her under the chin. "I love you mommy."

Caught off guard, Peacock felt her heart swelling at her daughter's adorable act. A smile edged its way onto her face as well, and she kissed the top of Nightmare's head. "I love you too, my little Moony," she replied, using a nickname she had come up with when the foal was just a toddler.

Sighing contentedly, Nightmare pulled back and curled up on her bed, her silver with a dark blue streak tail wrapping over her hooves. Smile still plastered on her face, Peacock took the blanket at the end of Nightmare's bed and laid it over her daughter. Kissing her on the head one last time, Peacock backed away and headed for the door. "Sleep well, my little Nightmare."

As the ten year old slowly fell into slumber, Peacock made her way back upstairs. The creaking of the bed made Brute wearily lift his head. "Where have you been?" he questioned.

Instead of answering directly, Peacock chuckled and told him, "We have the funniest foal I've ever met." Then she promptly covered up and followed her husband to dream land.

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"Ugh...."

Lifting her head groggily, Nightmare glanced around, smacking dry lips. Blinking to clear her blurry vision, she got to her hooves and stretched. Hopping from her bed, Nightmare stumbled for a second, then slowly made her way to the door.

The moment she opened it, she promptly closed it again. Walking over to her closet, she opened a secret compartment, closing it again just in time for the door to open.

The thing about living in the hidden underbelly of Canterlot was all the things you have to live through. Drunken ponies, foalknappers, rapists, con ponies, and the guards. Especially the guards. Unlike at the palace, these were not civilized, mannered ponies. There was no room for such a thing as kindness in this darker part of Equestria. Which is why the guards did a regular home invasion thing, hoping to catch criminals in the act. It was supposedly unpredictable, but everypony knew the guards had a schedule to keep track of whose house to hit.

Looks like Nightmare's was on the list today.

"Huh. Coulda swore I saw something."

Here's another thing about this place: foals are illegal. Yeah, you heard right. Whenever a foal is born here, it is supposed to be given up for adoption on the safer side of town. They were trying to stop this place from giving them another generation of sluts and drunken idiots to deal with, and hoping to have them all be the almost fucking brainwashed ponies who blindly lived under Celesta's rule. Of course, the parents usually didn't go for that, and made ways for their foals to hide in case.

The sound of crashing objects dragged Nightmare from her thinking.

Damn. They're doing it again. Typical.

Being the oh so tough guys the guards were, they would generally wreck or take things to get a rise out of the ponies whose home they were invading. It almost never worked these days. Everypony was too used used to it, save a few hotheads who wound up in jail.

"All clear," Nightmare heard one of the guards out in the shabby living room say in disappointment. He and the others quickly left, but Nightmare still remained hidden. For every house they ransacked, they always kept one of them waiting by the place to watch for the pony's nasty little secrets to be brought out when they thought it was safe. Which meant no showing her face for another day. Her mom would have to sneak her food.

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"Ah. Great to be out of there."

The day which Nightmare had spent in her cramped quarters was one she was starting to get used to. Not that the guards hit her house on a regular basis, but they did it often enough she could call the hidden closet space her second bedroom.

Smiling at her daughter, Peacock ruffled her mane. "Well, the next one won't come for another month at least, so no hiding for a while."

Hearing that made Nightmare grin, and she almost gave in to the urge to leap with joy. Thankfully, she managed to restrain herself.

While she beamed, Peacock examined her daughter. After a moment minute, she nodded. "Alright, Nightmare, honey, I think it's about time I give you a little taste of responsibility. Daddy and I are going to go talk to Liquor about something, and I want you to hold down the fort till we get back. Ok?"

Although slightly confused, Nightmare also felt the thrill of pride that her mother was trusting her like this. "Of course, mom! I promise I won't let anything happen while you're gone!"

Peacock nodded, a proud smile on her face. "Good. Now remember, no opening the door to anyone, and if someone tries to break in, hide."

Nodding in understanding, Nightmare watched her mom leave her bedroom. She heard talking and a little yelling on the other side of the door, then the opening and closing of the front door.

The house was now deathly silent. Looking around, Nightmare rubbed one of her forehooves with the other. Now that she was alone, she realized she had no clue what her mom wanted her to exactly do. Just simply sit here and wait?

After she had been contemplating this for a while, she heard a crash come from her parents' bedroom. Rushing quickly out of her bedroom, Nightmare stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Hello? Mom? Dad? You still here?"

She heard hoofsteps approaching the top of the stairs, but the pony who appeared was not one of her parents.

"Hey kiddo," said Liquor, a drunken grin on his face.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Peacock and Brute stood directly below the sign of the club, which read, The Flying Buffoon, in big, cheesy neon lights. Sighing, Brute looked through the window beside them, eyes locking on the clock behind the bar. "Where is that idiot? He was supposed to be here half an hour ago. We need to settle this debt."

Peacock laid a hoof on her husband's shoulder. "Relax, you know how he is. Probably drunk off his ass and lost again. He'll turn up sooner or later."

Grunting in disbelief, the couple waited ten more minutes. Then a familiar pony stepped out of the club. "...and fuck you too!" she was screaming back at somepony inside. There was a reply, but the door closed before anypony outside could really hear it. Grumbling, Disco took a cigarette and lit it, getting in a few puffs before she noticed the two ponies staring at her. "Peacock? Brute? What the fuck you doing here? I thought ya's was making a deal with Liquor."

Peacock gave her friend a strange look. "We are. This is the place he said he'd meet us." Disco raised an eyebrow as she took another drag. "Well, he was here earlier, but 'e said he was gonna meetcha at your house. Left just twenty minutes ago."

Peacock paled as she exchanged a look with her husband. "Our house?...Oh sweet Celestia. Brute, did we remember to close the upstairs window?"

The look on her husband's face said it all. It didn't take long for Disco to realize what the panic was about, what with the absence of a certain black filly. Throwing her cigarette down, Disc's eyes blazed as she stomped it out while saying, "Ah hell no. If he's hurt even one tiny fur on my goddaughter's head, I will fucking kill him!" With each pronunciation of the last words, she twisted her hoof, grinding the cigarette into the ground.

She probably wasn't lying either.

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Nightmare stared in absolute horror at the pony above her, alarm bells ringing in her head. She knew rule number one of her part of the city was never, ever approach strangers. Especially ones who are not only named after alcohol, but also have a moonshine bottle as a cutie mark.

Gulping, Nightmare went to take a step back. Liquor was not lost this action, even in his drunken state, and took a step forward, down the first step of the flight of stairs.

"A-ah, hey Liquor. What brings you here?" she asked, stuttering. The drunkard grinned wider and took another step forward, which made Nightmare take one back. "Oh, just settling an old debt with your parents. You know, a lot of stallions here can't wait for you to grow up."

The way he said those things made more alarm bells go off. "Yeah, and why's that?" she asked, attempting to stall for time.

Liquor shrugged, replying, "Oh, well, ya see, there's this thing called the birds and the bees. It may sound like an animal thing, and technically it is, but for us ponies, it's special. And, well, stallions prefer to have it with gorgeous, unique, young mares, much like yourself. Get it, little filly?"

Her mind had gone beyond full grown panic. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but knew revealing that her mother told her the other day would be a very bad idea. "O-oh. Sounds interesting. Can't wait to learn about it. Hehe...."

Everything seemed to pause as the two stared each other down. Then Liquor made his move. He rushed down the stairs, making Nightmare react by bolting toward her room. Slamming the door shut, she quickly turned her dresser, which was to the side of the door, in front of her door. Banging was heard not a second later as the drunken stallion tried to get in. "Oh Niiiiightmaaaare. Let your uncy Liquor in!"

Ignoring him, she dove into her closet's hidden space and curled up inside. A few minutes later she heard her door bust open with the sound of splintering wood. Nightmare nearly forgot how to breath as the drunkard stumbled into her room, rage apparent on his face. "Come on, you ungrateful little brat! Show yourself!"

Cowering in fear, Nightmare remained as silent as a butterfly, barely managing to get in air in her terrified state. She could hear him clopping around her room, searching and cussing up a storm. Then, the hoofsteps stopped. Nightmare's heart dropped into her stomach, for they had ended right outside the closet.

Suddenly, an eye appeared in a narrow slit of the hatch. "There you are."

Acting on instinct, Nightmare turned around in the crowded space and bucked with all her might. The hatch burst open, hitting Liquor clear in the face and sending him flying. Seeing her chance, Nightmare scrambled out and shot like a bullet from her bedroom. She was halfway up the stairs by the time she realized there was no sounds of pursuit.

Eyebrows furrowing, she tiphoofed back down to her doorway and peeked inside. What she saw nearly made her laugh, had she not been terrified of waking him. There was Liquor, unconscious, drooling a puddle onto her floor. His hindhooves were up in the air above his face, with his back against the wall where her bed used to be before he had tossed it in his search.

Feeling slightly more safe, but also knowing he could wake up soon, Nightmare went back to the stairs, up them, and inside her parents' bedroom.

It was there when she finally saw how the drunk got in. Quickly, she rushed over and slammed the window shut. Sighing in relief, she went to the door of her mom and dad's room and shut it, locking it. Stupidly enough, it and the front door were the only things to have locks. No windows did, nor her bedroom door. Oh well. Not like they could offord the things.

After waiting for what seemed like hours, Nightmare finally heard the front door burst open, then slam shut, and her mother call, "Nightmare! Sweety, where are you?!"

Unlocking the door, Nightmare threw it open, and rushed downstairs, leaping into her mom's embrace. "Mom! Dad! Godmommy Disco!" she said, delighted to see them all here, especially her godmother, who rarely visited.

Disco gave her a quick smile before a pissed-off scowl overtook her. "Alright, where is the asshole?! I will rip his precious meat sack right off him!"

Wincing at her godmother's choice of words, Nightmare pointed to her splintered door. Disco marched inside. Then couldn't stop laughing. "Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Kid's got your strength, Brute!" she laughed out, dragging the still sleeping Liquor from the room. Everyone could see the huge bump on the idiot's head.

Peacock looked down at her daughter, who had stopped hugging her and had turned to watch. "You knocked him out? How?"

Feeling suddenly awkward under the three adults' gazes, Nightmare rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I had gone into the closet space like any smart pony woulda done, but then he found me! Before he could open the door, I turned and bucked the thing open. And, well, his head was right there..."

More laughter erupted around the room, and Peacock hugged Nightmare again. "Oh Moony, you truly are my clever little filly."

3: Nightmare's Mysterious Little Friend

"Nightmare!"

The teenage mare looked up from her book, sighing deeply as she closed it with her left hoof. Great. Here we go again, she thought, getting up and trotting to her bedroom door.

Out in the living room, her father was stumbling over his own hooves, drunk off his ass, as he tried to navigate around the furniture. "Nightma- oh, there you are! What the fuck took you so long?!"

Ignoring his question, Nightmare trotted up to him and let him lean against her as she guided him towards the stairs. While she did that, Brute continued to blather on and on, the smell of cheap beer filling the air. "Too bad your momma thought we weren't worth it, eh? Look at us now! W- we famous! The stupid bitch! Hope she rots in Tartarus with that Celestiadamned Rex!"

Nightmare simply let him rave, knowing he would only be saying mainly ridiculous things tonight. Too bad one of them wasn't what he spewed out at that last part, right after the untrue famous bit. Her mom really had left to go with a stallion named Rex. Guess they should of seen it coming, a pony doesn't get named after one of those asshole birds without being an asshole themselves.

Still carrying on about marriage, commitment, and sex, Brute didn't even really notice where he was going. He simply let his daughter do the walking for both of them.

Just like every other day.

Nightmare's dad didn't used to drink a lot. In fact, he was once one of the most controlled drinkers around. But after that night, the night Peacock told them, and he went berserk, Brute could no longer contain himself. He'd now lost his job, his wife, and his daughter's trust.

No. I can't keep thinking about this.

Shaking her head, Nightmare finished taking her dad to his room. She just managed to peel him off her, and he now stood in the middle of the room, looking around in confusion. Then his gaze landed on her again.

Hiccuping, Brute stumbled closer. "Ya know, I sometimes think our family is cursed. Does that sound crazy?" Before Nightmare could answer, he spoke again. "How else you explain those eyes o' yours, eh? They look like something from a Celestiadamned horror story. Like this one my mom used to read to me as a colt, about this crazy bitc-"

Nightmare cut him off. "Dad, you need some sleep. You look really tired. I bet everything will be better in the morning."

Brute's eyes blazed, and he rose to his full height, towering over his daughter. "What did you just say to me?!" he scream, raising a hoof.

Nightmare simply stood there and watched it come down. Then she was on the floor, with Brute standing over her, the anger slowly fading from his eyes. "Oh no. Honey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Before he could finish, Nightmare got up and walked out, a fresh, bleeding gash now joining the other ones healing on her head. She did not look back to see her father hang his head dejectedly and close his door, heading to bed.

The black unicorn mare did not cry. She had lost all her tears long ago. Instead, she simply stepped outside and withdrew a pack of cigarettes hidden under a small crack in the staircase leading down to the grimy street in front of her house.

Her godmother Disco Light had gotten her hooked on the things. Said they helped relieve stress, which Nightmare found entirely true, even though she knew they were also bad for her.

Of course, Disco had only been able to come over when Brute was gone, for her presence upset him. A lot. Really. He had gone on another rampage like when mom left the moment he saw Disco.

Taking one of the white and light brown tobacco sticks, Nightmare also produced a lighter from the hole and lit it. Taking a drag, she released it, and watched the smoke drift into the air.

"Hey! You're a minor!"

"Hmm?" Looking down, Nightmare saw one of Luna's Night Guard approaching, an angry expression on his face. This only served to amuse Nightmare. "Wow, really, hotshot? I never would've guessed."

This made the guard's face twist deeper into anger. "Hey! Watch your tone, bitch!" Unfazed, Nightmare took another drag and puffed the smoke in his face, for he was standing that close now. "Temper, temper. Well, whatcha want, hotshot?"

The guard was obviously finding it very hard to control his fury, and Nightmare was clearly trying not to laugh. "As a minor, you are hereby to be escorted to the Royal Flight Orphanage!"

Now Nightmare really couldn't hold it back. And as she finally looked up, giving the guard full view of her eyes, she laughed. "Oh yeah? Ya gonna make me go, dipstick?"

The guard's jaw had hit the extremely dirty street. "Wh- what are you?" he whispered in fearful awe. Chuckling, Nightmare leaned toward him like she was about to whisper a deep, dark secret.

"I'm a cursed little mare," she said in a low tone, baring teeth made sharp by some of the more odd, unhealthy things her family had been forced to eat, like small rocks, or frosted-over dirt and grass.

The guard was now running down the street like a frightened child, yelling something about quitting or finding a way out. Whatever, Nightmare thought, continuing her smoking.

Craw!

Nightmare looked up to see a bright orange and red bird circling overhead. Removing the cigarette from her mouth, Nightmare doused it out and continued to watch as the bird swooped down and landed on her shoulder. She smiled at the warm glow the odd creature provided.

"Hey, Flamina, nice to see you again."

The fire bird simply let out another craw and hopped off, standing in front of Nightmare, the cigarette under one of her talons. Nightmare could swear she saw the raised eyebrow. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But hey, can ya blame me? Dad's always giving me these new shiners," she informed the phoenix, pointing to her head with a hoof. Flamina let out an angry call at the sight of drying blood on her friend's forehead.

Nightmare could not understand this bird. At least, not most of the time. One day, she simply showed up out of the blue while she was crying over the loss of her mother, and she hadn't stopped coming every other week since. Nightmare hadn't questioned it, learning to go with the flow long ago.

Huffing, the black unicorn shot a look at her father's bedroom. "Yeah, well, one day he'll get his." At a disapproving grunt from Flamina, Nightmare sighed. "Ok, ok, I know, too harsh. Seriously, though, I got over mom a long time ago, and they only got together a few days before my birth after finding out mom was pregnant, which means I've known her for just about as long as he has. He needs to grow up."

Flamina sat looking at her for several minutes in silence, then opened her wings and took to the sky. Nightmare sighed as she watched the bird leave. "Fuck," she muttered, "talk about being a dumbass."

Having obviously finished her smoke and insulted herself, Nightmare went back inside to finish her book.

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Craw!

Nightmare's head snapped up from her reading, having started on another book. "Flamina?" she questioned, getting up and trotting through her open door and then outside.

Circling high above again was the phoenix, obviously waiting for Nightmare to come out. Upon spotting her, she skydived, pulling up at the last second and dropping down at the bottom of the stairs.

Raising an eyebrow at the unusual turn of events, for the bird never visited more than once a day the times she did visit, Nightmare stepped off the small square of cement that led to the door past the last stair step.

Joining the bird on the street, Nightmare realized Flamina had something gripped in her talons. The phoenix held it up, revealing a necklace of simple design. Really simple. It consisted only of a worn strip of leather with a fading silver charm that swirled like a lollipop. Removing it carefully from Flamina's claws in fear of snapping it, Nightmare examined it closer.

"Uh, thanks, Flamina."

The bird let out a proud call before once more taking to the sky and disappearing around a corner.

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Nightmare had never really given much care for magic. She was perfectly well aware she had the power of two unicorns, but it didn't matter to her. In this part of the city, it was rather useless anyway. There were all sorts of wards preventing too much magical use as it was. So, she only cared to learn important and simple one, such as levitation, teleport, and push/pull.

That was why she found it so difficult to learn anything new. That was why she was having such huge trouble with her defense spell.

"Come on, you stupid thing, work!"

Her horn spluttered with a dark grey aura, and a shield the same color began to form in front of her, its bottom was pointed, and the top had two wave-like drops, forming a spike tip in the middle, and two tips on either side of the top.

Unfortunately, the spell did not last long, and the shield vanished. Grunting in exhaustion, Nightmare looked up in defeat. "I should've thought to learn this before that incident with Liquor!" she chided herself.

Suddenly, her horn shone, and Nightmare gasped. Concentrating, she shoved her magic back down, her breathing coming in shallow gasps at the difficult prospect.

Another reason why Nightmare rarely used her magic: she would always have to force it back down before it could explode. As previously mentioned, she does have the power of two unicorns, and as such, it proved rather difficult to keep it from surging once summoned. It took all her might not to let it take control. That had happened once, and, well, it hadn't been pretty. Let's just say it was in public, and a lot of blood was washed down the storm drains that night.

Of course, growing up in an area such as this, death was a trivial thing, and many simply shrugged it off, including children. After having lived there for twelve years, for she was twelve when it happened, Nightmare had been desensitized to such things.

Now, a sixteen-year-old Nightmare kept a repeat from happening.

Laying down in her bed, Nightmare sighed tiredly. "Maybe sleep will help," she mumbled, closing her suddenly heavy eyelids.

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KRA-BOOM!

Nightmare shot from her bed, eyes instantly alert and searching the area for what had made the noise. Realizing her bedroom was empty, Nightmare galloped towards her bedroom door. Lifting her hoof, she took hold of the knob and turned it. Her door flew open as she stepped out into the living room.

Just in time to see the jagged remains of the front door come flying at her by some invisible thing's magic, spiked edges ready to spear her.

4: The Fleeing (Part 1)

Nightmare's mind tried to process what was happening, while her body simply reacted on impulse. Before she knew it, Nightmare was leaping, the pieces of door passing under her as she landed right in the middle of the living room.

Glancing around in panic, Nightmare felt herself get kicked in the side, and she went flying into a wall. The wall cracked under the force, dropping Nightmare into the tiny kitchen of the house.

Body protesting, Nightmare scrambled up and backed away from the living room, eyes darting around to find...nothing. What in the seven hells of fucking Tartarus?

Just then, the pieces of cracked wall scattered, and Nightmare saw something shift, the living room became an odd blur through whatever entity was coming after her again.

Now trapped against another wall, Nightmare watched with a growing sense of horror as whatever this weird thing was approached her, no doubt wanting to kill her.

"Get away from my daughter!"

In all the ruckus, neither being had heard Nightmare's father rushing down the stairs. Now, he leaped into the kitchen, landing between Nightmare and the apparition.

Despite all that Brute had done, Nightmare had never been so happy to see him. "Dad, what the fuck is that thing?!" she asked him, her voice high-pitched and squeaky.

Without looking back, Brute answered, "Nightmare, there are things in this world I was hoping this family would never have to deal with again. It looks like I was hoping for nothing. This family really is cursed, but in a much darker way than you think. Now hurry, kick out that wall and run. Whatever you do, do not look back."

While they spoke, what could only be a phantom got closer, shards of the broken wall rising around it as he went to attack. Brute did not miss this, and was quick to slam his hooves down on the oven door. It came detached with a shriek, and he held it up as a shield just as the shards flew at them. One managed to get past the shield and slash Nightmare across the cheek, making her gasp in pain as blood splashed onto the ground.

It was then she took her father's advice, and gathering her strength, she kicked the wall behind her with all her might. Of course, the old, termite-ridden wood splintered easily under the blow. Whipping around, she finished the job with her forehooves, punching at the wall until there was a hole just big enough for her to get through. She glanced back at her father, who was still fighting the phantom, one last time. The final thing she saw of him was his cutie mark, the door to a jail cell with a silver key in front of it, as she leaped through the opening.

As she ran down the street, a blood-curdling scream sounded from her house. Inside, freshly spilled organs and blood now painted the walls.

[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Nightmare could feel the thing now chasing her. It put terror in her blood, knowing it would not be satisfied till all the Stalkers were dead.

Running as hard as she could, Nightmare raced around corners, through alleys, across roadways, and through small, stagnant streams that crisscrossed the entire underbelly of Canterlot.

It wasn't until she rounded an old, broken down pub that she finally stopped, and it wasn't her decision to do so. As she raced around the outer wall of the club and past another alley, something reached out and yanked her back. She opened her mouth to scream, but now what felt like fur obstructed her mouth, making any kind of noise impossible. She kicked out instead, landing a solid hit on whatever living pony now held her in thei-

Wait...living pony?

Pausing in her frantic struggle to get away, she saw a familiar silver coat stumbling down the alleyway, obviously reeling from one of her blows.

"Damn, girl, you sure got some kick to ya!"

Before Disco knew what was happening, hooves were wrapped around her neck, and she was being squished in a bear bug of epic proportions. "Oh thank Celestia it's you, Disco! I really need someone who might know what the hell is going on, as well as maybe a little comfort because I think whatever attacked the house killed..."

Unable to finish the sentence, Nightmare released Disco, who began coughing to get her air back. After a couple minutes, she finally managed, "Damn, I feared as much. Peacock and Rex didn't make it either."

Nightmare's eyes widened. "Wait, why go after mom and her new coltfriend? They have nothing to do with us!"

Disco looked up at her goddaughter, a sad expression on her face. "They weren't married yet, which means she still had the Stalker name. As far as he is concerned, all Stalkers must die."

Nightmare tilted her head. "Who is he?"

Before Disco could answer, there was an odd, throaty gasp down the street. Disco Light immediately pulled Nightmare behind the dumpster that sat next to them. "Listen," Disco whispered, "ya have to get away from here. Escape the city, and hide. Whatever happens to Equestria, don't let them find you. Ya need to train and prepare yourself. Go to the Pie family rock farm, tell them who sent you. Ya might now just be the last hope. When I distract that thing and take it around the corner, you need to run. Got it?"

Nightmare went to protest, but the look on Disco's face forbid it. Near to tears, Nightmare nodded. Satisfied, Disco leaped out from behind the garbage dumpster and ran into the street, yelling, "Hey, ugly, come get some!" A heart-stopping scream sounded, and then Disco hoofed it around the corner, a floating green mare specter on her tail.

Taking a deep breath, Nightmare counted to three, then ran. Just like before, she did not stop. She continued to weave in and out of the grimy Canterlot streets, till suddenly, she saw a light ahead. Taking a chance, she leaped through it, and now she found herself in the classier part of the city. She almost paused to look around, but just then, an angry cry from behind her made her blood freeze. Now, she went even faster, galloping down a sparkling clean upper Canterlot street. Behind her, she heard much yelling, and then some screaming as they saw whatever was after her.

When she reached a large, open city square, she felt something brush her tail, and, acting on impulse, felt her magic rise to the surface. A shield formed behind her as the grey blast from her horn lit up the entire square. Panic seeped into Nightmare's brain as her eyes flickered their odd red on blue match to a glowing grey.

Knowing what was about to happen, Nightmare looked about wildly, then spotted her only real means of escape.

Now at a full-out gallop, she launched herself over the wall, directly into the pool of water below. The moment she was in the water, the current pulled her in, and screams echoed above her as she tumbled down the waterfall, falling down the mountain towards the river below.

5: The Fleeing (Part 2)

Celestia rarely had good dreams these days. Despite being known as the wise, loving, dependable leader of Equestria, many of her decisions haunted her. Even if she never let it show in the presence of her little ponies, there was no escaping herself in dreams.

And as the moon shone high above, the princess of day found herself in yet another nightmare. It was one of her more repetitive ones, and it was the one she hated the most.

Deep inside the dreamscape, Celestia found herself battling against Nightmare Moon. The sun princess's entire body hurt, so much so that she wanted to stop and just give up. The mere thought of her hurting her little sister the same way caused her to hesitate every time she went to strike the dark mare.

Nightmare Moon was not unaware of this, and used it to her advantage at every turn. "What's the matter, sister," she taunted, spitting out the word 'sister' like it was venom, "can't handle a little sibling rivalry?"

Gasping as Moon blasted a beam of pure black magic at her flank, scorching it and obliterating the cutie mark there, Celestia turned to look at what had once been her sister. "Luna, please stop this! It doesn't have to be like this, we can work this out!"

Nightmare Moon ignored her desperate plea, instead rearing on her hind legs and bashing her sister across the face. Blood covered the walls and floor as Celestia stumbled away, coughing up the dark red liquid, her jaw broken.

**No, it can't end like this!, she thought desperately. It was then she realized what she was standing on. *No. Please don't think of such a thing. I can't do that*, she begged her mind, which was already forming the plan.

Sadly, Celestia could only watch in what doctors called an out of body experience as her horn slowly lit, and the panel slid back, revealing those oh-so-dangerous gems. The same gems she and her sister had once used together to stop the evil Discord. The ones they had bonded over during their search to find them.

While Nightmare cackled evilly above what she thought was her defeated ex-sister, Celestia's magic slowly lifted the Elements of Harmony. The sun-raising alicorn was forced to watch as the Elements began to spin around her. Faster and faster, until her eyes glowed white and she began to raise from the ground.

Nightmare Moon realized too late what was happening. She turned to run, but the rainbow had already formed, and it hit her square in the chest.

Celestia could hear Moon screaming, screams that made her picture the flesh being peeled from the dark alicorn's bones, of her organs being burned as her sister was vanquished from the inside out. She wanted to cover her ears, to drown it out, but she couldn't move, she didn't even have the capacity to blink. It was like the world was slowly fading around he-

"Sister!"

Celestia bolted awake at the sound of slamming doors and Luna yelling at the top of her lungs. Glancing around, she realized she was back in her room, and had only been having another nightmare.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, she turned to look at the princess of the night, who was completely sane and alright. "Oh, Luna, you frightened me. What is it?"

While Celestia was collecting herself, Luna had began pacing the room. As soon as her sister had questioned why she was here, Luna said, "Sister, there is a huge emergency going on!"

Celestia breathed another sigh of relief as she stood, hopping off her bed. "Lulu, you know the Elements will deal with whatever the problem is. If it is so big as for you to be bursting in here, I take it we lack the means to stop whatever it is ourselves."

Luna shook her head, a grave expression on her face. "No, sister. The Elements must never know about this. For they have returned, and with them, that family."

It was like somepony had hit Celestia with a brick wall. "Are you sure?" she whispered, fear edging her voice. At Luna's nod, Celestia slumped down to the floor like she had just had her feet bucked out from under her. "Tell me what happened," she told her nightly sister simply.

Luna took a deep breath, going to stand near the one window in the room, looking down on the whole of Canterlot as she began. "Late this evening I felt a disturbance in the wall separating the upper and lower parts of the city. I immediately rushed to the Guardian's Balcony, and when I looked down, I could see the twisted magic only one them could have. As I watched, a gray light suddenly lit Greens Square, and when I used the telescope to get a closer look, I could see a pony falling down the mountain, and the barely distinguishable shadow of the phantom. I've already had the Night Guard deal with it, but I fear this is not the last we'll see of either."

Celestia, who had been listening in horrified rapture, took several minutes to gather the strength to stand. Clearing her throat, she told her sister, "We both know what this means. We have to be prepared for it when the Summer Sun Celebration happens in two weeks. I want you to recruit more Night Guards, since the bat ponies are probably just as aware as to what's happening, and I will again make the society we long ago disbanded. Even if the battle goes our way, they will not all merely disappear. Also, I'll be hinting at Twilight to be extra careful in the coming weeks. Even though the Elements may not help much in this particular fight, I cannot completely overlook them. Now, we should go and prepare. There is much to do, and little time to do it."

With a defeated sigh, Luna left her sister's bedroom, Celestia right behind her.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Nightmare's eyes flashed opened as she looked about in a panic, the recent events that had happened still fresh in her mind. Coughing, she dragged herself away from the water, worried that her pursuer was still behind her.

As her muddled brain tried to pull itself together, Nightmare glanced about groggily, taking in everything she could. From what she could gather, she was in the middle of a large grassy field. On her left were large, towering mountains, on her right, across the river, was a thick woodland.

Casting her thoughts about, she tried to remember if she had ever actually seen a full map of Equestria, and if so, where she might be on it.

Nightmare then dredged up the memory of her eleventh birthday. It was just a few months before her mom had left. In the Stalker household, birthdays were not a very spectacular thing. A few seemingly useless presents and a cupcake. Of course, even though she was young, Nightmare was a Stalker, and she didn't care for having expensive, easily breakable toys.

Nightmare's brain was directing her to the part of her birthday where her godmother was handing her a large sheet of paper. "Happy birthday, squirt," Disco had said. Upon examining the paper closer, Nightmare had realized it was a map of Equestria.

Now, just because she wasn't interested in many things, did not mean Nightmare didn't have an adventurous mind. She still had dreams like every other eleven year old. That night, she had stayed up till one in the morning studying that map and hoping for a chance to explore all these places. She wanted to show the world how tough and brazen she was, and go places normal ponies feared to.

Some dream this turned out to be, Nightmare thought bitterly as she started to walk, having finally regained her hoofing. It wasn't until she was several yards from the riverbank that Nightmare realized she was limping. She assumed she must have hurt herself when she had hit the river after her fall. It had been the same impact that had knocked her out. Honestly, Nightmare wasn't even sure how she was alive.

The call of a bird made her shake her head clear. She registered that she had gotten off track, and still had no idea where she was. Sending her thoughts back to her birthday again, she tried to think about the map. There had been so many places, and to her young eyes, it seemed like adventure waited inside all of them.

Ok, let's see, since I'm not in the Frozen North, the current must have pulled me into the Silver Lining River. Now also considering I'm not standing in the desert, that must mean it didn't send me into the Everfree River. Which would put me at...oh, of course, I'm near Las Pegasus and Applewood!

Having figured that out, Nightmare stopped to consider her next move. She knew she was supposed to find the Pie family rock farm, but where was it? Certainly not near a place like Las Pegasus. The only rocks available there were in the mountains, but there was no way they could live there in the winter, and she got the feeling it was a year round working farm. So where was the closest town that could possibly have everything a rock farmer could want?

Ponyville.

Glancing back and forth from horizon to horizon, Nightmare noted that the ocean was to her right, so that meant she would need to go left to get there.

Doing just that, Nightmare started to walk. It was going to be a long way there.

[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]

You know how there are some really stupid ideas out there that ponies have no choice but to do to survive? Nightmare was doing one right now. The unicorn had been walking all day, and was just too exhausted to continue. With the sun going down, it would be foolish to anyway. Although perhaps not as foolish as making camp in the Everfree Bogg.

Unfortunately, there was nowhere else for Nightmare to go. She certainly wouldn't risk continuing her journey, not at night, especially in the Everfree. Even she had heard a couple tales about this place, none of them good. So, she pulled up a few fallen branches and some really big leaves and ferns, and scraped together a little lean-to.

Huddling inside, she attempted to make a small fire, but everything here was wet. It looked like she'd just have to make due with one of those leaves as a makeshift blanket.

Shivering, Nightmare wrapped herself in one and laid on the ground. Her freezing body was storing all her heat inside, leaving her soaking wet skin to defend itself against the cold.

Meanwhile, her mind was trying to think of places she had seen on the map around Ponyville that might be perfect for rock farming. Nightmare remembered something about a gorge and a ridge, but that was about it. By using process of elimination, Nightmare decided to try the ridge. Rumbling Rock was the name, she believed, and it seemed to her a more likely area, for living in a gorge would spell almost certain doom, especially during flooding season. Not that a place called Rumbling Rock Ridge could be any better.

Just as she was starting to drift to sleep, Nightmare heard something snap outside her lean-to. Stiffening, she tried to sit up as quietly as she could in the sucking, muddy ground, and stared off into the darkness around her. Nightmare's nerves were steadily building, and she wanted to get up and run, but knew that would be a huge mistake. Running from a crazed predator was not the answer. Her parents had made sure she knew that after the Liquor incident, since most stallions there were like wild predators.

Thinking of her mother and father brought a twinge to her heart. She knew she would never see them again. She just hoped the same couldn't be said about Disco.

Nightmare became aware she was letting her thoughts drift again. Growling under her breath, she stood silently. No way was she going down like this. She'd survived growing up in a a place that was only second to Tartarus, getting abused constantly, fighting off crazed ponies, and living after losing everything to fucking ghosts. No way in hell was some Everfree creature gonna end her.

Letting out a battle cry, Nightmare rushed from the lean-to, raising a hoof to strike. Sadly, the thing outside the shabby shelter was not just a mindless brute.

Nightmare heard something squeak just before she was lifted off the ground and thrown into a tree. Dazed, she looked up to see...a yellow pegasus?

"Huh?"

Both appeared equally startled by this course of events. The pegasus looked frightened out of her mind, but also had a mixture of confusion, anger, and what could only be described as an apologizing expression on her face. It was a very interesting sight.

Scrambling to her hooves, Nightmare brushed off a piece of mud-covered branch. "What in the hell are you doing out here at this time?" Nightmare snapped, not appreciating the scare.

The pegasus let out another squeak and hid behind her mane, crouching down and shivering in fright. Sighing, Nightmare facehoofed and started over. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. You just took me by surprise is all. I thought you were some kinda nasty critter."

The stranger peeked out a little, and her shivering reduced. "It's o-o-o-ok," she stuttered, still very intimidated by Nightmare, who sighed and facehoofed again.

"Look, yellow, I mean no harm, ok? I'm just a traveler who got hurt and had to stop after overexerting myself for the night."

Before Nightmare could even blink, the pegasus was all over her. "Oh, you poor dear. You should come to my cottage! It's much too cold out tonight, you could die if you sleep out here! I'll just find Sir Fluffs-A-Lot really quick, and then we can go."

Staring in confusion, Nightmare watched the stranger flap around real quick. After a few minutes, she let out an, "Aha!", and then produced a small bundle of fur that Nightmare was pretty sure was a rodent of some kind.

The black unicorn finally opened her mouth to speak, but the pegasus stopped her before she could. Fluttering over, she grabbed a hoof and started pulling Nightmare toward Ponyville.

The teenager began to wonder if she should be scared of this mare she was pretty sure had mood swing issues.

6: This Shit Sucks

The canyon was deathly silent, not a single thing moving for miles around. An empty barn lay crumbled deep within. It was alone, with its wrecked stone walls and gutted insides. Rotten wood lay all over what was once the floor, but was now a hole collapsing into the ground from the inside out. Not even termites bothered with this place anymore.

For several more minutes, the building that had once been a barn continued it slow descent into the earth alone, but then, for the first time in forever, something moved toward it. Or rather, somepony. The black-horned unicorn had fur the color of coal, and her mane was a pure silver that would make the moon jealous. Her tail was mostly the same color, but there was one streak of midnight blue down the middle. Her eyes were the most interesting thing, however. Where white should be was an early night blue, and the irises were a dark blood red. The only thing normal was the black pupils.

Glancing around, the mare spoke. "Hello?" she called, her silky voice echoing in the desolate canyon. Nopony replied. In fact, nothing did. No scurrying of a mouse, no call from a startled bird. It was like a graveyard.

Shivering, she padded up to the barn and stepped inside.

"Nightmaaare."

She froze in place, her head snapping to face the direction she thought it came from, but couldn't be sure cause of how words bouncing around the canyon. Her body instinctively shivered, goosebumps forming up her hooves.

Trying to collect herself, the teenager took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was another pony in front of her. The pony was pure white, even her mane and tail. Her eyes were a dark brown, and she had a slim build, much like a dancer. It wasn't the looks that made Nightmare shriek. No, it was the smile. The teeth were spotted yellow and black, and there was blood and bits of what Nightmare could only assume was skin and body parts. Past a slit in the unnaturally sharp teeth, she could see a part of what the black unicorn thought was a heart. As she watched in horror, the white pegasus mare began chewing, and she looked like she was actually savoring the thing that had once kept a pony alive.

"Nightmare!"

The shriek wrenched her attention away from the terrifying mare. What she saw made her throw up. "Nightmare, why did you let them kill us? Why?" Peacock moaned, dragging her tattered body across the rocky earth. Her teal color had been replaced by red, blood having stained it permanently. Her purple mane and tail were gone, in their places were pieces of bone and meat poking from her misshapen neck and torn apart flank. As she crawled on her forehooves, for her hindhooves were completely missing, it looked like they had been ripped clean off, Peacock let out a groan. She exposed what had once been her belly, but was now an empty husk with intestines that were barely held together by small strings of wet, sticky meat. There were several chunks missing from the things that had once been part of the mare's gut.

However, it was Nightmare's father that made her sick. His face was half missing, and the other part of it was smashed. His eyes had several chunks of woods in them, which bled profusely. His body was broken in so many places, it was hard to list them all. His hooves, his back, his spine, even his neck. He too had almost completely red fur, although a little green showed. His mane and tail were intact, but it looked like someone had taken a hacksaw to them. Several scars across his neck and flank suggested they might have done just that. What was left of the skin on his face was pulled back, like somepony had tried to pin it back as to show off his crushed skull and dismantled jaw. His eyes bulged out as he walked closer. The most brutal aspect, however, was also his stomach. It had been sliced open jaggedly, and his guts were all mixed up like a soup, with lot of blood to replace water. Several things plopped out as he approached, landing with a nasty, *splat*!

Teary-eyed from puking, Nightmare looked back up, then immediately backed away, for they were standing right in front of her. She felt her rump hit an unstable wall of the barn, and watched in alarmed terror as the white mare joined the couple, silently stalking up to her.

Nightmare's brain tried to formulate a plan, but the sight before her stalled her brain to the point of it breaking down. That was when they reached her. That was when it began.

Tearing, biting, gouging, ripping, shripping, poking, prodding, beating, pounding, breaking, the three ponies tore into Nightmare. She screamed as she felt her body being taken apart, she lost one eye, then a forehoof. She felt her skin forced away from her flank, felt the loss of her future as she realized she would always remain a blank flank, just like she had suspected after all these years, then there was an agonizing crunch from her right shoulder, and she slumped to the ground, willing it all to go away, she just wanted for it to be over, she wanted the death to come, she wanted-

...mare!"

The black unicorn shot bolt upright, smacking the pegasus above her as she failed about wildly, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. "Oh Celestia, please stop, please, no more!" she shrieked. The yellow pegasus attempted to calm her down, but Nightmare was in a state of absolute panic.

Then water was splashed across her face. Big mistake, bratty little rabbit. Nightmare, thinking it was her blood spraying out from a broken nose, shot up and started blasting randomly with her horn. Of course, she started to surge, but this time the unicorn was glad, thinking she might get to blast her tormentors away.

The cottage literally exploded, and Fluttershy and her animals were sent crashing into the ground several hundred yards away. Standing, the pegasus stared in frightened disbelief. "No...my home," she whispered, her bottom lip quivering.

At that moment, Nightmare walked from the wreckage, holding a hoof to her head and looking about in bleary confusion. "Wha- what happened?" she asked to nopony in particular.

Fluttershy rage mode activated. Target, Nightmare Stalker. Relation, injured stranger found out in the Everfree. "What happened? What happened?! I'll tell you what happened! You blew up my fucking house is what happened! I don't care what type of nightmare you were having, you had no right to attack me or my animals!"

By now, she was up in Nightmare's very shocked face. The unicorn didn't know the shy, timid pegasus had it in her. "Well, I, um, uh," Nightmare stuttered, then paused as a thought occurred to her. "What nightmare?"

The teenager could not remember anything about what happened after Fluttershy found her. It was like her mind had erased some her memories. Why? To protect her? What from?

As she contemplated this, Fluttershy began to feel unsure. This pony looked really lost, she must not remember the things that had freaked her out. While Fluttershy was glad the images that had scared the technical child were out of her mind, she could not help feeling irritated that she would not know why her only home had been blown to smitherins.

"Fluttershy, Fluttershy, are you alright?!"

Both mares looked up to see a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, her magenta eyes filled with concern.

Nightmare felt something in her stir, and she realized just how high the sun was. "Oh no, I gotta go! I have no idea how long it'll take to get to Rumbling Rock Ridge!"

As she started to gallop away, the rainbow pegasus landed in front of her. "Hey, you destroyed my friend's home! You aren't going anywhere without a beat down!"

Nightmare eyed the mare up and down. She looked physically fit, but Nightmare bet her sweet dollar the mare had never seen the real horror of the world, nor had to fight it. "Step down, miss. You'll find I'm not as easy to fight as I seem."

This only enraged Rainbow Dash more. "Oh yeah? Well, so am I!"

Nightmare saw the hit coming from a mile away, and sidestepped, sighing as she stuck out a hoof, which Dash tripped over. To the unicorn, it was like fighting off another drunk. The pegasus, for all her boasting, was probably only good at wrestling and boxing. Nightmare was just good at surviving fights and learning from them. Which she had quite often, there were a lot of angry drunks in her old home. In fact, that was the fight during which she had her first power surge, although the stress of losing her mom hadn't helped that one. Everypony in Dark Canterlot had learned from that event. Those who were left alive to spread the news, that is.

Rainbow picked herself up for another round, but then Fluttershy rushed over, yelling in her soft voice, "Stop!" Nightmare glanced at her, more than happy to oblige. Dash, however, had a bit less tact. "Hey, she can't just get off scott free! She destroyed your house!"

Fluttershy sighed and nodded. "Dash, she's just a lost and hurt kid. She probably has no control over her powers. I'm sure she didn't mean to. She just had a really bad dream."

Nightmare decided she wasn't up to sticking around for more coddling and comforting. It was too late for either of such things. She began waking away when she heard Fluttershy use her soft yell again. "Wait, where are you going?"

Nightmare glanced back before shrugging and telling them, "The Pie farm."

She caught their confused looks. "The Pie farm? As in the rock one?" questioned Dash. Nightmare nodded as she continued walking towards the town.

"Oh, um, it's between the Ridge and Boulder Hill."

Nightmare shot back a thankful smile before resuming her journey. She now had her destination. Of course, she knew she'd end up coming back later to apologize. Maybe.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Nightmare skirted the town of Ponyville. She did not feel like running into anymore ponies. Too bad things never go as planned for Stalkers.

Somepony slammed hard into Nightmare, sending them both rolling across the grass. As soon as they stopped, Nightmare leaped to her hooves and glared down at the little purple unicorn filly with blonde mane and tail. "Hey, watch it!" she seethed. The filly shied away in fright of her sharp teeth and crazy eyes.

"Hey, you leave my daughter alone!"

Nightmare turned to see a grey blue pegasus mare with the same blonde mane and tail as the filly, along with the almost exactly alike yellow eyes, except the older pony's eyes were all crossed, making it clear she was special ed.

The black unicorn dusted off her chest, huffing. "Yeah, well, maybe she should watch where she's going," she mumbled, earning a glare from the filly.

Derpy Hooves was never a particularly violent pony. In fact, most of the time, she was rather nice. However, when it came to her daughter, any rude act towards her little angel made her explode. No way was her small baby girl gonna live the life she lived as a filly.

Before anypony knew it, there was a loud, BLAM!, then Derpy stood between Dinky and Nightmare, a tiny smoking crater under her hooves. "How dare you! Dinky doesn't know any better, she's just a filly trying to play Frisbee with her friends!" The furious mare shoved her right forehoof at a couple of small ponies standing off to the side, watching with wide eyes.

Nightmare realized she was letting everything from the past couple days get to her, and lashing out randomly at anypony who so much as looked at her funny. Scowling at herself, she reined in her frustration and sighed. "Sorry, kid. Just had a lot happening lately. Didn't mean to snap. Sorry to you too ma'am. I suppose your daughter can get back to her game now."

Weaving around Derpy, Nightmare took off across the field again, wondering if she was going the right way. Honestly, telling things and distances apart in real life was a lot harder than when you looked at it all from a map.

Meanwhile, behind her, Dinky did indeed go back to playing with her little friends, the happy grin that had vanished once Nightmare glared at her reappeared, white teeth shining in the sun as she tossed the Frisbee back to a small brown stallion with a deep burgundy mane and tail.

Derpy glanced briefly at them, then returned her attention to the mare working her way towards the Silver Lining River and Boulder Hill. There was something off about her, and it wasn't just the eyes, which Derpy was only just beginning to realize were very different, even more than hers, but there was also something else. The pegasus mother couldn't place her hoof on it. Well, whatever secrets this mare hid were obviously a burden, Derpy could tell by the way she walked like every step was painful, and her head was slightly hung, with her eyebrows always furrowed in concentration over those odd eyes. Despite her gut feeling telling her to not trust the stranger, she couldn't help but feel sorry. The things that mare carried around with her were probably worse than what Derpy carried.

While the blue-grey pegasus hashed this out, Nightmare continued her course, shrugging off her worries about finding Rock Ridge or Boulder Hill. She'd find some sort of clue. Right? Not like she was gonna keep wandering forever, until whatever attacked her home and was prepping to attack Equestria found her and killed her. Right?

Honestly, she had no idea what the hell to expect out of all this. Her family's luck was always off, and with this new threat that apparently had a vendetta against them, it looked to be the end of the Stalker line. Even if she found this Pie family, she doubted they would be much help. They'd all just die at some point.

It was then Nightmare perceived the sound of rushing water. She stopped, her right hoof poised to go down, which would have ended in disaster, considering the sudden drop before her, which led straight to the river.

Great, she griped in her head, just what I need now. To cross this damn torrent.

It was true, the river was indeed in a torrent, water splashing about wildly, rushing rapidly over and around rocks, and sucking in anything that came near. If she made a wrong move, Nightmare would get helplessly dragged into the Everfree Forest, or the San Palomino Desert.

Glancing upstream and downstream, Nightmare realized she could see a rope bridge far in the distance. Guess that explained how the Pies would even get into town.

She began to make her way toward it, the ground beside her and on the other side of the river steepening into cliffs. Halfway there, she heard a rasping sound behind her. She looked back and glimpsed a shadow flit across the path she'd just made through the grass. "Fuck," she whispered.

Nightmare took off at a full blown gallop. Behind her, she heard an unearthly scream, and then sounds of pursuit. Of course she wouldn't get anywhere without bad luck following.

She reached the bridge and leaped onto it. It swayed dangerously, but she didn't stop. Nightmare was almost there when the bridge jerked to the side. If she hadn't instinctively reached out and wrapped her hooves around the rope on her left, she would have fallen into the river below.

Regaining her composure, she held on tight as she turned her attention to the end of the bridge she had come from. A literal shadow floated there, black wisps surrounding. The wisps were converging on the ropes holding up the bridge and were...frankly, Nightmare wasn't sure what they were doing. It seemed almost like the ropes were on fire, but at the same time were freezing. It confused her.

However, Nightmare knew there was no time to try and figure it out. The shadow thing would soon have the bridge broken, and she would either fall into the river, or slam into the cliff on the other side, get hurt, possibly knocked unconscious, then into the dangerous river below. In any case, she would be in worse trouble then she was now.

Her eyes snapped toward the nearby cliff edge. If she could just get over there, she would obviously survive. Judging from what she had seen, however, she knew she didn't have long.

Celestia, this would be such a boring and cliché way to die, Nightmare thought.

As the rope she wasn't gripping snapped, she realized she had mere milliseconds to act as the bridge fell out from under her, only her hold on the other rope, which was quickly being freeze-burned, kept her from falling. She took a deep breath, swung back and forth a couple times, then let go. She sailed through the air, hooves outstretched to catch the edge.

Nightmare missed. By a hell of a lot.

Thinking she was going to die, Nightmare allowed her mind to wonder over her regrets. It was stupid, she knew that, but she couldn't help it. There were so many things she'd missed in her life, although she wouldn't have had much of a future. It was kind of dumbass really, what had she expected to happen after meeting the Pies? For her life to get miraculously better? For some real answers? Please. No adult told the truth to kids these days.

Then, she felt a hoof wrap around hers. Nightmare's fall hit an immediate stop, jerking whoever had caught her forward, while she swung towards the cliffside.

Something shot above Nightmare's head, and she heard another screech from the shadow specter. At the same time, the teenage unicorn was being pulled up and over the cliff.

It took a few minutes for Nightmare to perceive that she was not dead. When she finally gained the nerve to glance around, she saw two earth ponies in front of her. One was a light brown with a short cut grey mane and tail, both of which had dark white streaks. A beard the same grey color of his mane adorned his face. He had dark yellow eyes, and on his rear was a pickaxe.

The other pony was a mare. She was silverish grey, with a pine green mane and tail. Her mane was done up in a bun. Her eyes were crystal blue, and below them, on her muzzle, rested a pair of gold glasses. A string of beads on either side of the glasses went up and disappeared behind her pointed ears. Around the bottom of her neck was a black with white stripes collar, with a gold and blue pendant pinned in the space between each end. Her cutie mark was three triangular-like shaped rocks.

The mare was pulling on a long, elastic glowing white net. Inside the net, floating in the middle of the gorge, was the shadow creature. It was struggling to escape the net, but however much it squirmed and kicked, it couldn't get out.

Nightmare had trouble resisting the urge to raise her eyebrow, impressed. It was clear now that there were at least ponies out in the world that knew how to handle these types of beasts.

With one more good yank, the mare managed to get the shadow specter onto the ground next to them. It was no longer struggling, drained of its power.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Nightmare managed to get to her hooves. "Thanks, whoever you are. Thought I was a dead fucker for sure."

The stallion narrowed his eyes at her, clearly displeased with her cussing. Nightmare brushed the look off. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be the Pies, would you?" she said, connecting their cutie marks with the rock farm information. The couple exchanged a look. Then the stallion turned his attention back to Nightmare, his eyes hard. "What is it to you?" he asked.

Nightmare hesitated for a second. She didn't know why, but she felt that mentioning her family's name would be a bad idea out here. It made no sense. So, thinking that out oh so spectacularly, she told them.

"I was told to find you, assuming you are the Pies. My name is Nightmare Stalker."

There was an instant change in the pair. The mare and the stallion shared another look. "They've come back...it's no wonder. Just look at her," the mare said, making the two look back at Nightmare, who was just as confused as before.

Shaking her head, Nightmare scowled. "What are you talking about? And could at least tell me your names?"

The couple paused, having starting sharing whispers. Then the stallion removed his black cowboy hat, holding it to his brown chest. "Mighty sorry. We should have had better manners. I am Igneous Rock Pie. This is my wife, Cloudy Quartz Pie."

Another sigh of relief. At least she didn't have to trek through the whole damn countryside looking for them anymore. Letting a teeny, tiny smile cross her face, Nightmare nodded. "I thought so. Now, I know I'm in no position to make demands, so I will merely suggest we return to your farm with this...thing. Then perhaps you could answer some damn questions that have kinda been bothering me since, ya know, ghosts attacked my fucking house and slaughtered my family."

The Pies gasped, eyes widening in horror. "Brute and Peacock are dead?!" the mare asked. Nightmare nodded, looking back in the direction she was sure Canterlot was in. "Disco probably is too."

Before Nightmare could think, Igneous had a hoof wrapped around her, and was forcing her forward. "Fuck, this is worse than we thought. We've lost almost half our allies. We have to have this Stalker trained by the end of the month. If not, it's game over for all of us."

Nightmare was still in the dark about all of this, but it was clear something bad was coming. Great. Just what she needed. She just hoped this training wasn't what she thought it was.

And on that happy note, the three made their way toward the Pie family farm.

7: A Small History Lesson

The trip to the Pie family farm was short and very quiet. Except for the shadow specter, who started thrashing about again when they were halfway there, nopony made any sound.

Once they reached the outskirts of the farm, Cloudy Quartz stopped. "I'll deal with this thing real quick, then join you. Go ahead and start before I catch up, we don't have time to wait around. She needs to know, and she needs to know immediately."

Igneous Rock nodded as he continued forward, after a moment's hesitation, Nightmare followed. Nothing was said for a while longer. Then Igneous stopped. The farmhouse was now just in front of them, and to the side, a barn Nightmare was pretty sure the family put their mined rocks until they went into town.

Igneous turned to her, his eyes revealing no emotion as he said, "First thing before setting hoof in my home. Ghosts and many other legendary creatures are real, and there are those who hunt them. Hunters take pride in their work, and they tend to keep trophies of caught prizes they find significant. So, that being said, do not freak when you see what's inside."

Nightmare raised an eyebrow at him. "You are aware I grew up in Dark Canterlot, right? I have lived through quite some shit. 'Sides, I been dealing with these baddies for the last two days. Kinda reached the point where I've gripped the supernatural."

The rock farmer examined her for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Alright," he replied, reaching up and opening the door.

Even though she had braced herself, Nightmare was still caught off guard by what she saw. Body parts of various creatures the unicorn mare had only heard whispers about, as well as strange, cylindrical containers that one could see though, and inside said containers were strange glowing things.

The thing most prominent, though, was the giant beast that hung above the family's fire place. It vaguely reminded Nightmare of something, it wasn't until it's face came into view she realized what it was.

"A draconequus?"

The relative of Discord had been gutted then stuffed. Its face was twisted in eternal horror, having been screaming in pain when it was struck down. A few red spots were mixed in with its dark brown fur.

Igneous nodded, his gaze also drawn to the famous animal. "Yes. The draconequus race was far too powerful and mischievous to keep alive. The only untouchable one is Discord, and that is under the princess' orders. Other than that, the troublemakers were free game. The truth has, of course, been hidden from Discord. He must never know the things his race did, nor about the silent war with had with them. We have to protect Equestria after all."

Nightmare shrugged, although she didn't know the full story, she could guess. It probably was a good idea to keep something like this from a devious creature like the Spirit of Disharmony. "Ah, I see. Well, I suppose the non-dead monsters would be easiest to start off with, at least in my opinion, since we're already discussing one."

The brown earth pony shook his head. "Do not be fooled by their appearance. Draconequus are actually spirits. That 'Spirit of Disharmony' thing is more literal than anypony besides Hunters and the princesses will ever know. Not even Discord himself is aware he's not an actual living thing. All part of the top secret information."

Nightmare hmmed and continued to stare at the spirit over the fireplace. "But wait. How were you able to stuff it then?" she questioned.

Igneous seemed to contemplate the answer for a second. "You see, though draconequui are not technically living, they can create bodies for themselves. Very few did it, for the bodies were, unfortunately, not exactly pretty. They only went into them when they got really bored. We just caught this one by chance, and my family is lucky to have too. Only those with connection to all three tribes can really defeat one in spirit form. Unfortunately, the number of ponies who can have been either killed or cursed by one of the extremely powerful beings they've fought. See, there was only one family left who we knew had a fighting chance against the times coming, but sadly, so did the mastermind who thought it all up."

Nightmare did not need to be a mind reader to know who that family was. "The Stalkers. I'm the only hope left to face things like draconequus, aren't I? But how? When you say three tribes, I assume you mean the pony tribes, earth, pegasus, and unicorn. How could that be though? Only alicorns have those things, and I can assure you, I am no alicorn."

Igneous was thinking about how to answer again, obvious from the hoof he raised to his muzzle. "Well, not technically, but you do have the potential to be one, if you really wanted to, you could turn yourself. It would cost you a lot, though. Then again, you could just trade in your sister's soul, which is sorta what you took in the womb. You would be twice as powerful as one princess alone when it comes to magic, for your sister had the same connections to the tribes as you. Twice the power, especially when it comes to unicorns. Pegasus and Earth, however, get more out of flight and strength. It's all rather complicated, and there are things even the most close of friends to these families cannot know."

Nightmare took in what he was saying, slightly shocked. Not only was it difficult to imagine having the ability to become twice as powerful as a princess, but the thought she had her sister's soul...she knew she had her sibling's power, but the idea of her holding back one of her family from reaching the afterlife...it was all too crazy, even for her.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of hoofsteps coming down a set of stairs. Igneous and Nightmare looked over to see two adult earth ponies heading towards them.

One was smoke grey with a mane and tail that were a much darker grey, and she sported purple eyes. Her cutie mark was some type of shimmering purple rock carved into the shape of a book with an inkwell and quill next to it. The pony next to her was a muted purple, and she had a soft grey mane and tail, with yellow eyes. The mark on her flank consisted of a boulder with a chisel and hammer crossed like an x in front of it.

The grey one gasped. "Dad, you didn't say we had a guest! What are we going to do now that she's seen everything?" Igneous smiled slightly at his two daughters. "Don't worry girls, she's another Hunter. At least, she will be. Limestone, Marble, this is Nightmare Stalker. Nightmare, these are my daughters, Limestone and Marble. I have two more, but one is out in the field right now, and the other is an Element, and resides in Ponyville."

Ever since Disco had uttered the name Pie, something had been bugging Nightmare. She knew she had heard the name before, but couldn't place it. Now, she realized why.

"Of course! Pinkie Pie! The Element of Laughter! No wonder she's able to laugh at everything, no matter how frightening. She used to be a Hunter, I'm guessing. It would make sense, considering the stories about her weird antics and attitude."

Igneous's smile widened a bit, and his eyes glazed over as he was transported to the past. "Ah, yes. My youngest. She always did have that spark her great-grandma Tiger Eye had. Things always used to be more serious around here, until she finally brought a little happiness to this gloomy place. Even with our line of work, she never lost her joyful disposition."

He was drawn from his memories at the sound of a throat clearing. Everypony looked over to see Quartz in the doorway, a cylinder much like the ones on the wall in her mouth. Setting it down carefully, she said, "We had better get her training going immediately. This Shadow Speaker was definitely up the ranks, which means he'll be sending more powerful ones our way. Ones only she could probably deal with. Maybe even his parents."

Nightmare was getting a smidge tired of hearing such references to her apparent opponent. "Alright, who the hell are you all talking about? Everypony keeps calling the guy who killed my family he or him. In case you missed it, I know very little about what I'll have to face, unless I have a choice in the matter..."

Simultaneous shaking heads confirmed her fears. There was no escaping whoever was after her. Well, this is just pinky keen, she thought, sighing.

The Pie family began exchanging looks, and Nightmare got the feeling they were deciding who would train her first. After all, they must each have a certain area they're better at each, and they needed to teach her all of them to the best of their abilities.

Then a thought occurred. "Wait...if I have a connection with all three tribes, does that mean I can use all their abilities to an extent?" This shook the family out of their silent communication.

Quartz moved inside and closed the door behind her before turning back to Nightmare. "Yes, it does. After your earth pony training here, you will seek out Stormy Winds, a pegasus who chases freak storms and disasters that pop up sometimes due to Weather Throwers. Then, you'll go to Flash Specter, a unicorn who can help with your magical problems. Hopefully in time for the Summer Sun Celebration. That's when our enemy is planning his attack. Now, I believe it right Marble begin your training. She can show you all the things you might face, as well how to possibly deal with them. Next, Limestone can teach you how to find your perfect weapon and wield it. Then, Maud will help you get in some practice. Afterward, Igneous and I will take you out into the field and see how you do. If we feel you're ready, we'll approve you to go learn the pegasus way to catch ghosts and other things."

Everypony seemed ok with the arrangement, although Nightmare was still troubled by all this sudden change. Events had spiraled so out of control in just under forty-eight hours, and she had so much more to do, and so little time.

Before she could think about it any more, Marble whisked Nightmare toward the stairs.

[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]

Nightmare flipped to the next page, entranced by what she was reading. On this one was a hairy creature that stood above even Celestia, with a snarling mouth and sharp fangs.

Name: Werewolf

Lifespan: 30-40 years.

Bio:

Werewolves started out in Germaney, when a magical accident fused together a wolf and a tall, bipedal creature whose name was lost in history. The beast then went crazy, attacking everything in sight, leaving nopony alive in its path of destruction. We found no way to counter this animal till it reached Pisa, located just at the border between Equestria and the Griffin Empire. Here, the griffins, who are far more advanced in war compared to most of us ponies, easily killed the beast with a sword made of a special silver mined only inside the Talosian Range. When it was found that there were more, we Hunters were quick to catch one and experiment on it to find out if all silver worked on it. Brutal, but necessary.

Strengths: Extremely agile, strong, and has claws and teeth that are sharper than a manticore's

Weaknesses: Inability to use many brain functions, regular silver can cause severe damage, Talosian silver will kill

Sidenotes: Aggressive attitude makes it hard to predict. Steer clear of using close range weapons. Gun or bow more preferable.

Nightmare glanced over at Marble, who had her own muzzle in a book. "So, these are some of things you've fought, eh?"

Marble looked up and nodded before putting her attention back on the book. Shrugging, Nightmare followed suit.

Name: Shadow Speaker

Lifespan: Unknown

Bio:

Shadow Speakers have been around since the founding of the Eldenine Council. No one is quite sure where they came from, but Sombra's mother and father are suspected. When a being who is capable of truly utilizing dark magic, whether they know it or not, dies, their shadows rise from them and gather all other shadows around it. It takes the general shape of the one it came from, and is capable of killing rather quickly. Extremely hard to spot, Shadow Speakers have always been one of the most difficult for Hunters to catch. Each has its own power level, depending on what their original owners could do.

Strengths: Quick, agile, sneaky, swift, and smart on their hooves

Weaknesses: Limited power source, easy to spot in daylight, hate light

Sidenotes: Trying to sneak up or surprise them is futile. They can sense others shadows, and know if a pony is aware of their presence. Spectral Power Net or Screaming Light preferred tools.

Nightmare's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "The Eldenine Council? King Sombra's parents?"

Marble sighed as she set down her book. "Yes, the Sombra family ties into the spirits and monsters we fight quite a lot. Only the Council is privy to how, but I'm sure as the last known Tresibe, you will eventually learn about it."

The unicorn glanced down at the picture of the specter before her. "Who is this Council? What's the purpose of one? To me, it seems silly to gather a bunch of ponies and make a group that holds back information that could help Hunters."

Marble scanned the small library of books that were set up on the far wall of her room. "Several Hunters agree with you, but the Council was formed long before our birth. Nopony is quite sure exactly why or how. Hell, before the Age of Sombra, everything about the spirits and such is a black hole. A shitload of information was lost with the ages. Ah, here we are," she said, abruptly cutting off her speech. She hauled out a huge, old leather book and brought it over, laying it before Nightmare. The plain brown cover was blank and crinkled, showing that it was ancient.

"This is all the information about the Council, as well as the Tresibe families. You should be careful, though. Some things are better left unread."

Nightmare nodded thanks as Marble went back to her apparently riveting book. Grabbing hold of the crinkly cover, Nightmare opened the book to the table of contents.

The information about the Council was on the very first page, and Nightmare prepared to flip to it, but then something caught her eye. It was the Tresibe family lines. Now, Nightmare was no fool. She knew that Tresibe meant Three Tribes, and that all these families were gone, killed supposedly by curses. But still, she couldn't resist spotting the one line that still might have a chance.

Skulker 378

Slaughter 387

Smashins 395

Spooks 407

Stalkers 416

Surgelings 424

Tacent 431

Of course, it helped that it was the only one underlined and not crossed out.

Not even trying to fight off her curiosity, Nightmare flipped to page 416 and began to read.

Ah, and here we reach the cunning Stalkers. This is a bloodline much more about brains than bronze. They helped make many a weapons to fight off the growing invasion threat. Why, if not for them, Hunters would technically be extinct. The other families are still confused as to why they help the lesser. Maybe for tactical advantage, or perhaps they aren't as heartless as they let on. Perhaps we weren't even meant to discover their tech.

In any case, the Stalkers are like a combination of the Skulkers and Tacents. Silent, swift, and deadly, they are the best of the best when it comes to unconventional captures. Shadow Commanders are one of their top prey, and that is quite amazing really. Then again, we are talking about a Tresibe family here. I am simply a humble traveling pegasus Hunter with not much time in the field. Unfortunately, all the catching talent went to my old brother....well, enough about me.

As I was saying, the Stalkers are indeed a high-ranking family. Some say that stupid Council has even offered them spots. Dumbass Eldenine, they should know better than to do something like that. It's upset the balance greatly, and now their precious Stalkers are going out to fight her. I have my doubts they'll come out scott free. This a whole new ballgame now.

¥¥¥

I was right. The Stalkers are gonna fall quickly, and it is the Council's fault. Now, that family has been cursed by-

5 1/2: A Brief Interlude Back To Canterlot

The rays of the sun barely ever penetrated the gloom that hung over the darker part of Canterlot, or Dark Canterlot. Inside this sunken, hopeless cesspool, a figure silently trotted down the empty streets, everypony scared back inside after the sudden, unexplainable appearence of ghostly figures. So far, it was only here that they congregated, but the pony ever so casually walking around knew that wouldn't last long.

Entering a small square, the only one in Dark Canterlot, and the main place for sleazy businesses, the silver earth pony trotted over to a table placed in the shadow of an alleyway. It was where all the really big filthy business took place. Of course, you wouldn't think that, looking at the rotting piece of wood with moss-covered legs. At least it kept the guard from getting suspicious. What kind of morally dirty, but always clean and expensively dressed, rich guy would get near that thing unless it was a life ending situation? That was always what the guards thought.

Sitting down, the earth pony looked at the pony across the table, a lime green stallion with a frazzled blue and red mane and tail. His dreary black eyes examined the mare across from him with disinterest. "So, you are the bug. I never would've guessed," he said flatly. The mare raised an eyebrow. "Yes, well, at this current moment, it doesn't matter so much. She's already on her way."

This seemed to perk the stallion up slightly, or at least it pleased him. "Good. When will she reach them?" The silver pony tapped her chin in thought. "She should already be there, but our agents say they haven't seen her. Maybe the river carried her too far and she has to make her way there. I just hope she's thinking clearly enough to aim for Ponyville."

The green stallion's eyes widened. "What?! You didn't tell her where to go?! How could you be so stupid?! We need her to shove in as many hours of training as possible! If she's not ready in two weeks..."

The silver mare waved off his concerns. "Trust me, she'll be done in a snap. If there's one thing I've learned about Nightmare, it's that she's a fast learner."

The stallion grinned, his teeth revealing themselves as he let out a weird, deep-throated sound that the mare thought might be laughter. "Perfect. We need her to be, if the Master is to have his way. In two weeks, this world will be changed so greatly, no one will even have a chance to try to escape and survive. It will all belong to us."

The mare gave an amused chuckle, giving her own wolfish grin. "Just what I like to hear," gloated Disco Light.