Darkness. The light dazzled Skylight as she opened her eyes, the sun shining bright though the window to her Manehattan apartment, Skylight shook off the blinding sensation. Her room was wide and open there was a small desk over by the window, on it a stack of books. In an adjoining room there were a few book cases and a weird looking table. Skylight arose from her bed and trotted over to the widow. She looked out into Manehattan, the sun sparkling off of all the buildings blinding but beautiful. Skylight took in a breath of the dawn’s gentle air before turning to her apartment. She steps over to the desk and looks down the stack of books.
“No, no, no Read that one yesterday.” Skylights voice was soft and gentle but strained from stress.
Behind her a black Pegasus mare walked out of the bathroom. She stood in the door way looking over towards Skylight and the desk. Brushing part of her Golden orange mane back she walked over to Skylight and put her hooves around Skylights neck. Skylight turned her head towards the black mare.
"I see your up then" She said softly." You sound stressed? Maybe I should take you back to bed and help you relax." The black mare said quietly into Skylights ear.
She walked into the other room. Skylight following blushing slightly.
" Hey Eclipse you do not think it is strange how all the dark magic just vanished?" Skylight said tring to steer the conversation away from the earlier comment.
" Skylight dark magic was destroyed when the tree has restored we all know the stories. Why are you the only one who still thinks there is something out there?" Eclipse said slowly trying not to imagine if her marefriend was right and there still is dark magic out there.
" Maybe you are right, but my curiosity on the subject is the reason why you love me." Skylight said walking towards the door.
" That and the way you talk. Don't get into too much trouble now or I'd have to... I think you know what." Eclipse says as Skylight walks out of the apartment.
Skylight walks into the coffee shop down the road from her apartment. She takes in the smell of the freshly ground coffee as she walks up to the counter. Since Skylight is a regular is at this shop the barista pony instantly knew what Skylight was looking for. Skylight waited patiently while her morning coffee was being made.I've been looking into the sources of dark magic before the age of peace began. Normally they are centered around a powerful creature normally not a pony. One of the most powerful was Discord, a Draconequus that history texts say gave hassle to Celestia and Luna for over thousands of years. The texts also say he was reformed. I doubt that can you really reform dark magic? And is Discord still around today? I don't understand why if sources of dark magic can live for a long time why are they not tring to destroy us?
"Hey Skylight you're coffee is done." The barista pony say's breaking Skylight out of her train of thought.
Skylight trots over to a table floating her coffee just in front of her. She set's it down on the table and looks out at the dawn sky and continues to think, where is dark magic hiding?
Later that morning Skylight walks into Twilight's School For Gifted Unicorns and heads into the staff room. The room is a nice shade of light blue the light of the morning sun seeping through the windows making the plaint glow softly. The room is filled with lecturers sitting and looking over marking. Skylight walks over to the class lists for the day and scrolls through them.
"Hmm today is not too bad, at least I don't have class C7 they give me migraines." Skylight mumbled to herself.
A Tall unicorn buck wearing a black suit walks up behind skylight.
"Hows your theory on Phasing coming along?" He asked casually.
"Slowly I've been working on other things to keep my mind fresh." Skylight replied with a smile on her face.
She trots over to a chair and sits down on a chair waiting for her classes to start.
Skylight trots into her classroom, Saying good morning as she enters. She stands at the front of the room just of center. Skylight looks out at all the young unicorn filly's and colts sat in front of her. She takes a breath before speaking.
"Alright everypony settle down now today we are going to be looking into wards. Can somepony what a ward is?" She said looking out at the class.
A young filly with a silky blue mane raised a hoof."Miss Skylight a ward is a spell a unicorn can cast to protect her from other magic." The young filly said slowly tring to remember the answer.
"Very good Star Chaser. Now today we are only going to focus on Shielding wards-"
The power to the room cuts off and the room goes dark. The class start to hide under the desk and cry at the turn of sudden darkness through both fear and confusion. Skylight is looking around tring to remain calm. She casts a light from her horn.
"Is everypony alright?" She says looking around at the young scared filly's and colts.
The head unicorn buck walks in and slowly approaches Skylight tring not to look to scared for the children, he whispers in her ear."I don't know what or how or...or why but this hole city is under attack. We have been told to evacuate the children at once."
Skylight just stands there tring not to react for a reaction would make the children more scared. She looks out the window and see's green bolts of energy and explosions on the far side of Manehattan. A single tear falls from her eye at the sight.
Author's Note
After this it will get dark quite quick. So enjoy the calm while it lasts.
The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see. I don't know why but those words are stuck in my head. I guess with whats going on seeing Manehattan attacked made me look back through history. The Everfree Forest attacking Ponyvile, the Changelings attacking Canterlot, Nightmare Moon. I guess I'm thinking of these then looking at how worse this attack on Manehattan could be. I guess in my mind that sentience made sense.
Skylight, the unicorn buck and the children walked out of the Twilight's School for Gifted Unicorns. Behind them the Manehattan skyline towering above the school far in the distance. Manehattan is erupted in green energy from magical explosives, the once great city now looking like a green demonic hell. The group of ponies walked into the middle of the chariot park. They were surrounded by Royal Guards in the shinny golden armor of the Canterlot Guard. The guards were tring to round up the stundents and teachers into chariots pulled by teams of Pegasi. This must be bad for the Royal Gaurd to be here. Could this be it? Could this be the end to Equestria's golden age?
"You two bring you'r group forward and board the next chariot." a guard said sternly pointing a hoof towards Skylight and her group.
Skylight looks up at the guard who is standing on a platform so that he could be seen above the mass crowd of ponies. Skylight then took a long glance towards Manehattan. She stood there frozen eyes wide at the hellish site she was looking at. There is noway they are sending the guard in there. They are abandoning the city and setting up deference's. I.... I got to. No pony else will. I got go in and save them or at least stop this before it spreads. Skylights mind freezes as see ways up what she is about to do. I know I'm going to loose everything but if no pony else will I will.... I have to. Skylight breaks her gaze on the city lowering it to the unicorn buck.
"Hey please do me a favor, look after these kids and keep them save. I'm sorry I just can't leave." Skylight said to the buck tring to hold back a sob before turning and walking away from what could be her only hope of survival.
Alone, or so it seems as you are never truly alone. Despite the lack of ponies there still seemed to be some wildlife left in Manehattan Skylight was sat on a hill by the school it had been hours since the chariots had left. Skylight watched them all go, all of them fly off to safety. She was now sobbing has her mind has finally had time to process everything. in the space of four hours she had seen her home, possibly her friends blown up, her only escape fly off into the distance as she choose to be the better pony and do something and not sit and wait. Right time to go time to descend to hell. I guess I'll try and head home at least I'll have shelter there and I know the area I could at least operate out of there, but the important thing I need to get straight now is can I kill?
It took Skylight many hours to walk back into the mane city of Manehattan. The school was in a nice area outside of the city in the suburbs it was the ideal place to stick it as there is not much space in the city for anything now. Manehattan is one of Equestrias largest cities the downtown area alone spans three large islands in the middle of the colossal channel. Skylight found navigating Manehattan easy when there were cabs and other ponies but now making your way round is near impossible.
Skylight is walking down what appears to be a path by the side of building when a shadowed figure tackles her to the ground. Skylight rolls freely across the floor as her attacker bounced free of her when they fell. As skylight collected her self she looked at her attacker as they picked them selves up. Skylights eyes went wide at she saw as she tried to back away but only hit a wall. Her attacker was grey and shadowy, they looked deformed like something was out of place. The attacker fired a bolt of green energy that struck skylight making her spasm and tense up. She tried to shake her self out of it as her attacker got closer and closer. Skylight focused all her magic into pushing the attacker back, she makes it fly across the street and into the side of the building. Skylight hold it there as she is charging straight at it horn lowered. BANG!
I killed it! Princesses have mercy I killed it. Skylight was back peddling against the wall of the building. Staring at the lifeless corpse of her attacker. "oh my Why did... Why was I attacked? Wha... What is that?" A drop of blood ran down Skylights face. Skylight stood frozen as she felt the drop run down to her nuzzle. Skylights horn was covered in the creatures blood, skin and mussel tissue from when she charged the creature horn first impaling him against the wall.
"Why do I have blood on me?" Skylight collapsed to her haunches at the realization of what happened. It couldn't have been me but it was no. No! I'm not capable o this no pony is. Skylight it seemed whilst in the mist of the fight slipped into the mindset of survival. To her this meant kill or be killed. She tilted her head to the floor as more blood ran down.
"May the Princess's have mercy on me for what I've done." Skylight looked back at the corpse this time in a much calmer mindset now that the shock seems to be wearing off. Okay Skylight pull your self together you came here to help. now you might be the only pony who can find out who's attacked like it or not you going to have to examine that corpse. I'm right I don't like it I.. I just killed it. Skylight walked over to the body.
"Strange it looks pony, but it's not?" She leaned closer. "It's a Changeling! They are meant to be extinct." Skylight looked over the creature it's darkened skin, the demonic wings. The changelings in books I've read have a green glow to their magic that might explain the large explosion could of been caused by a large magical blast I don't know. Right I need to get moving I need to find Eclipse or somepony at least.
"I won't make it on my own."
Author's Note
I no it's short I was a bit stuck on how to handle this chapter I thought best to keep it simple and have it just about the characters thoughts in the aftermath instead of progressing on with plot.
