Blackest Night: Equestria

A/N: First step into this fandom. Here goes nothing.

Blackest Night: Equestria

Part One: Tomorrow Will Be Dying

The entity called Pandora was not known for letting things slip her mind.

Blessed with omniscience and omnipotence, Pandora was a being who could rewrite reality with the flick of her wrist, restructuring entire timelines and universes in whichever way struck her fancy. She could halt gods and demons in their tracks, stare down creatures from beyond time, and strip planets down to their basest atoms. She was a goddess, a deity, worshiped in untold languages and understood completely in none. The rare few who encountered her expressed doubts that she was anything even close to mortal.

Which made it all the more surprising when the black ring slipped past her.

When it happened, Pandora was standing in the shifting mass of the multiversal reality, pulling the disparate strands of time and space around her to create a brand new multiverse. She worked tirelessly to restore what had been lost, reordering and restructuring all 52 universes into a more harmonized state. As she turned Krypton’s sun from yellow to red in four universes and slowed down time for Universe-2, Pandora idly noticed that a small black ring was veering dangerously close to its universe’s Source Wall. If the ring made contact, it would be sent out into the Bleed and into the realm of other, different multiverses, where absolutely anything could happen to it if it was left unsupervised. Pandora moved to grab it and toss it back into its own universe, but was quickly distracted by the imminent collision of the planets Rann and Thanagar in Universe-6. By the time she had fixed that, several more problems had popped up for her to deal with, and all thoughts of the black ring soon passed from her mind.

As a result of her brief bout of forgetfulness, the ring passed unhindered into the Bleed, tumbling about in the blood-red ether and narrowly avoiding colliding with a multiversal carrier. Once through the Bleed, the ring promptly homed in on a random multiverse and disappeared completely from the borders of the 52. The ring would never cross Pandora’s mind again – at least, not until the heroes of Earth-1 confronted her about her many errors in restoring their multiverse.

But that is a story for another day.

There was no Source Wall in the universe where the ring emerged, no cosmic barrier to let things in and out of its universe at will. As a result, the ring simply appeared out of thin air, arriving in its new universe without sound or spectacle. It hung there for a moment, as though getting its bearings.

“Error. No Central Power Battery detected. Planet Ryut does not exist in this universe. Error. Error. Scanning for tether to the Emotional Spectrum.”

“Tether located.”

The ring abruptly turned and shot off across the universe, homing in on the tiny blue-green planet of Equestria.

“And for my next trick – the Loop-De-Swoop Triple Axel!”

Rainbow Dash blazed across the sky in an arc of brilliant light, twirling and twisting as she flew upwards. Soaring high into the air, Dash allowed herself to gain a quick burst of speed before diving into a series of loops, each one smaller and more swiftly executed than the last. Coming out of the last loop at a blistering pace, she spun her body around in the air several times before coming to a graceful stop atop a cloud. Dash held her front legs above her head in triumph, grinning wildly at the execution of another successful trick.

When no response came, Dash abruptly sat down on the cloud and crossed her hooves in front of her in a huff. “Y’know, maybe I should’ve brought Pinkie to be my pep squad instead. At least she would’ve been a bit more enthusiastic.”

Several feet below her, Twilight Sparkle stirred from her perch on the cliffside and shook her head. “Sorry? Did you say something, Dash?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Forget it.”

“Oh, okay.” Twilight turned back to the point she had been staring at for the past half an hour, gazing at the crowd of ponies gathered around the Ponyville schoolhouse. One young filly was the new center of attention, proudly turning in circles to show off the brand-new mark on her flank. Even from several miles away, Twilight could hear the oohs and aahs of the crowd. She sighed wistfully, resting her head against one of her hooves.

“Hell-OOOO!” Dash called out suddenly, causing Twilight to jump. “Equestria to Twilight! Are you even listening to me?!?”

Blinking several times, Twilight offered her friend a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Dash. I guess I just lost my focus there for awhile.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Dash snorted. “You’ve been staring off into space ever since we got here! What’s your deal today?”

“I guess…” Twilight murmured, “…I was just thinking. About them.”

“What, those kids?” Dash glanced down at the crowd around the schoolhouse. “Some filly got their cutie mark. So what?”

“I was wondering…if that cutie mark really meant anything.”

Dash stared. “Twi, no offense, but have you been eating Pinkie’s special brownies again? Of course it means something!” She proudly displayed the rainbow-colored lightning bolt on her own flank. “This baby means that I’m the fastest, strongest, most awesome flyer in all of Equestria! It doesn’t get much more meaningful than that!”

“But what if it’s not as simple as that, though?” Twilight exclaimed, turning to look at Dash. “What if there’s a cutie mark that looks like it means one thing but actually means another? Would that pony ever know? What if there was a pony who got their cutie mark but was really, really lazy, so they never actually got to perform their special talent? Would anything happen to them or their mark, or would they just stay as they were? If two ponies have similar cutie marks, is there any way to tell if one is better at their talent than the other? What if there are multiple ways to utilize a pony’s special talent? Is there any way to know which is the best one, or is it all random? And what about-”

“Twilight! Twilight!” Dash interrupted, flapping down to her level and placing her front legs on her friend’s shoulders. “Breathe already, jeez. What are you trying to say, exactly?”

“I just…” Twilight raised her hooves helplessly. “If a cutie mark’s meaning isn’t as clear-cut as I think it is, then how do I know what to do with it? How do I know what I’m supposed to be doing with my life?”

Dash withdrew her hooves from Twilight’s shoulders, flying over and sitting down next to her friend. “Look, Twi,” she began. “I don’t really think about this stuff much. Personally, I don’t think all this philosophy junk is good for anything but making ponies more scared and confused than they already are. You don’t need to be worrying about things like this at all! I mean, look at me. I love flying and I’m good at flying, so I decided I’m going to be the best flier there is. Pretty simple, right?”

“I guess.”

“So don’t you worry your silly little egghead brain over it, okay?” Dash asked, playfully mussing Twilight’s mane with a hoof. “If you’re happy with yourself, then what the hay do you need to be worried about?”

Twilight pushed her mane back into place with her hooves, fighting back a smile. “Nothing, really.”

“That’s the spirit!” Dash cheered, getting to her hooves. “I’ve got weather duty in a little bit. You cool with me bailing out on you?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

“Awesome! See you later, Twilight!” Dash spread her wings and flew off the cliff, rapidly becoming a blue speck off in the distance.

Twilight watched her leave, then settled back into her position of watching the schoolhouse. It was some time before she decided to leave.

Dig the pit. Five lengths by two lengths. Lower the coffin. Fill the hole. Dig the pit. Five lengths by two lengths. Lower the coffin. Fill the hole. Dig the pit. Five lengths by two lengths. Lower the coffin. Fill the hole.

Grim Graves the mortician pony silently chanted this mantra to himself as he went about his work, methodically digging into the ground with a shovel clenched between his teeth. He was currently three-fourths of the way into his latest grave, flinging dirt out of his pit to land on the ground above him. Rivulets of sweat traced their way down his grey hide as he worked.

Dig the pit. Five lengths by two lengths. Lower the coffin. Fill the hole. I wonder if corpses feel warm to the touch.

Grim Graves paused in his work momentarily, then furiously shook his head and resumed digging even faster.

No no no. Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts. Must work harder. Keep the nasty thoughts out. Dig the pit. Five lengths by two lengths. Lower the coffin. Fill the hole.

“Grim Graves of Equestria.”

The deep voice startled him, and Grim Graves actually dropped his shovel in fright. Spinning around, the earth pony found himself face-to-face with a floating black ring, the kind he’d seen unicorns wear on their horns when they got married. It looked a bit small to fit on a unicorn’s horn, though.

The ring spoke again.

“You are obsessed with thoughts of death.”

The pony’s eyes widened. “Yes,” Grim Graves whispered, entranced by the obviously magical sight in front of him.

The ring floated closer. “Do you wish to know the truth that lies beyond death?”

“Yes,” Grim Graves repeated, his voice dry.

Wordlessly, he stuck out his right foreleg. The ring floated toward it, changing and expanding with a brief crackle of energy until it was large enough to fit comfortably on his limb. It nestled itself halfway up his leg, slightly pushing up the sleeve of his off-white uniform.

“Then die.”

The ring sprang to life, sending out jagged spikes of black energy that traveled up and down Grim Graves’ body, stabbing him all the way down to the bone. The earth pony screamed, all conscious thought driven from his mind as the pain overwhelmed him. As he thrashed and writhed about in the ditch, a black aura began to emanate from the ring, growing in size until it covered his entire body and began to turn corporeal. The aura around him formed into a jet-black jumpsuit with a connected face mask and cape, with a symbol appearing on both sides of the jumpsuit that matched the design on the ring.

At long last, Grim Graves toppled over onto the wet dirt, his eyes rolled back in their sockets and his fur smoking. He did not move for several minutes.

The ring pulsed once.

Grim Graves slowly rose to his hooves, running his tongue over blackened teeth as he climbed out of the grave. Getting to his feet, the earth pony lifted his front right hoof into the air, as though offering it out to an unseen observer. Fragments of black metal began to appear in the space before him, combining together piece by piece and eventually forming the shape of a four-sided black lantern.

A voice came from within the lantern, weak and raspy. “What is your name?”

“Black Hoof,” the earth pony replied throatily, his eyes fixed on the lantern.

“Who do you serve?”

“You, Lord Nekron,” Black Hoof said, bowing down with his front two legs and inclining his head.

“Then you know what you must do.”

“Yes,” said Black Hoof, beginning to rise into the air. “Find the Elements. Find the tether.”

“And then?”

Black Hoof inserted his ring-clad leg into the lantern, which began to shine even brighter. “Eliminate all life in the universe.”

A swarm of black rings emerged from the other side of the lantern, dispersing in the air and buzzing like a group of angry insects. Above them, dark clouds began to form in the sky, rapidly spreading across the horizon in every direction.

Black Hoof watched all this, and smiled.

"The Blackest Night falls from the skies

The darkness grows as all light dies,

We crave your hearts and your demise,

By my black hoof, the dead shall RISE!"

Princess Celestia sipped at her tea and smiled, gazing out at the landscape from her perch on her balcony. The view from her private tower was magnificent, giving her a pegasus-eye view of Equestria that stretched from one border to the other. If she closed her eyes, Celestia could feel the heartbeat of Equestria beneath her, with all of the land’s creatures moving and acting as one within her grand system. The pegasi moving the clouds into place, the woodland creatures feasting on the plants of the forest, the fish cleaning up the coral reefs on the coast…Celestia could feel it all, moving and living and laughing in unison. Everything was in perfect harmony.

Until it wasn’t.

Celestia frowned, setting the teacup down on a railing with her magic. Something was wrong; she could feel it in her bones. Some tiny, niggling, indescribable thing was out of place in her world, something that hadn’t been there a second ago. She could feel the whatever-it-was moving with deliberate sureness against the natural rhythm of the environment, creating a signal that screamed wrong, wrong, wrong in her head over and over like a blaring alarm.

The goddess screwed up her face in concentration, desperately trying to locate the abnormality as though it was an itch she couldn’t scratch. Before she could investigate further, however, a wave of intense dizziness hit Celestia like a thunderclap, causing her to drop to her front knees and struggle not to pass out.

Celestia had just made her way back to her hooves when a frazzled-looking blue alicorn staggered onto the balcony. “Sister!” she gasped. “The world is wrong!”

Princess Luna was a mess. Her normally pristine mane was in tatters, sticking up in some places while lying limp and flat in others. Luna’s crown and other royal jewels hung askew on her lean frame, suggesting that she had put them all on in a frantic hurry. Her eyes were bloodshot, with the heavy bags under her eyes giving away her recent lack of sleep. Celestia could see Luna’s legs quiver even as she attempted to stand at attention, with almost no effort made to hide her bedraggled state.

“Luna, what are you doing awake at this hour?” Celestia asked with alarm, striding over to examine her exhausted sister. “It’s still the middle of the day! What are you thinking?”

“I was forced awake, sister!” Luna replied, her voice ragged. “What we thought impossible has now occurred! Night is falling – at midday!”

Luna punctuated this last statement by gesturing out at the open sky. Turning her head, Celestia caught sight of a cluster of dark clouds making their way across the horizon, swallowing up every single bit of clear blue sky as they slowly blotted out the sun.

“Those are not normal clouds,” Celestia observed, her eyes narrowing. “Clouds of darkest night…creating both night and day at the same time. No wonder, then, that we both feel so dizzy – our bodies don’t know whether to go to sleep or stay awake.”

“It is most unnatural, sister,” Luna pronounced grimly. “I hear tales from our pegasi that the clouds do not just move on their own – they whisper as well.”

“The clouds whisper?” said Celestia. “Are you certain about this?”

“Aye, they buzz and drone like a crowd of angry Parasprites,” Luna affirmed. “My guards almost mistook it for a swarm before they looked closer. Whatever is inside that cloud, it is smaller than any insect we know.”

Celestia rose to her hooves. “Rouse all the guards, both yours and mine,” she directed. “And have a letter sent to the Wonderbolts immediately. If there’s something new in the sky that we don’t know how to deal with, they need to be prepared to take action.”

Luna nodded once, then galloped back inside the palace and disappeared from sight. Celestia followed her at a more subdued pace, her brow furrowed with concern.

Outside the walls of Canterlot, Black Hoof watched the advancing mass of rings with a slight smile on his face. Raising his front left leg, he held aloft his newly constructed black lantern.

“Canterlot. RISE.”

Celestia had just made it to the throne room when one of the Canterlot Royal Guard barged in behind her, huffing and puffing.

“Princess!” he wheezed, adjusting his helmet with one hoof. “Small black lights of some kind have been spotted coming out of the cloud! They appear to be headed for the Canterlot Graveyards! Your orders, marm?”

Celestia stopped short, mulling this over. “The graveyards?” she muttered, almost to herself. “What could they be doing at the-”

An enormous rumble prevented the princess from finishing her sentence, as the entirety of Canterlot Castle was rocked by several massive tremors in quick succession. Cracks and splinters began to appear in the foundation of the walls, with several priceless artifacts on display falling over and smashing into pieces. Both Celestia and the guard fell to the ground, unable to stand with the floor nearly giving way beneath them.

When the worst of the quakes had ceased, Luna teleported into the room with a flash, looking more shaken than ever. “Th-the ground outside is tearing itself apart!” she exclaimed. “If the reports I hear are true…the dead are rising from their graves!”

“What?!?” Celestia said, her eyes widening. “Not even we have the power to raise the dead! There must be some mistake!”

“There is, Celestia. But you’re the one who made it.”

The decrepit, rotting-sounding voice behind them made both alicorns and the guard jump in surprise. All three of them turned to face the newcomer.

The pony looked to be about the same height as the guard, and was dressed in similar armor. It was there, however, that the similarities ended. The pony’s skin was a dull, dry gray, practically rotting off of his frame with his hair coming off of him in clumps. His eyes were a sunken, milky white, and his mouth had no lips to speak of, instead displaying two full rows of sharpened teeth. His armor matched the guard’s in design and shape, though with a silver-on-black color scheme rather than gold-on-white. A strange symbol was present on both sides of his armor, consisting of five vertical lines above an inverted triangle, set inside a circle. Behind him, several more necrotic ponies in guard armor stood at attention.

“The Royal Guard,” the pony mused, stepping forward in a predatory fashion. “Such a useless position, really, when the royals we’re guarding are more powerful than any number of us put together. We really can’t do much for you royals that you can’t do for yourselves, can we? All we can ever do for you is die.”

Celestia peered closely at him, her eyes narrowed. “Silver Shield? Silver Shield, is that really you?”

“Insightful as always, Princess,” the pony hissed. “The first pony ever to become a Royal Guard, the first pony ever to come back from the dead. Fitting, isn’t it?”  He took another step towards the princesses.

“Freeze!” the guard called out, his voice shaking. “Stay right where you are, I’m warning you!”

“You’re a wet-nosed filly compared to me, boy, and don’t you ever forget it. Never threaten me again,” Silver Shield snapped at the terrified guard before turning back to Celestia and Luna. “We die and die and die, and neither of you give enough thought to us to care. Now it’s your turn to die, Princesses. Let’s see how you like it.”

Celestia stepped back in shock. The Silver Shield she had known hundreds of years ago was a kind, gentle soul who never had anything bad to say about anypony, lending a hoof to any who needed it and offering stern but fair advice. This hateful, contemptuous creature standing in front of her was barely recognizable as the friend she once knew.

“What’s happened to you, Silver?” she exclaimed. “You never spoke to me like this in all your life! What’s been done to you?”

“I have been reborn, as have we all. We are Black Lanterns now,” Silver Shield announced. “And we will have your FLESH.”

As one, the group pounced on the three of them.

Black Hoof listened to the cries and screams coming from Canterlot Castle as more and more Black Lanterns ripped themselves out of the earth, and nodded in approval.

“You will feel it all,” he said aloud. “The Princesses, the Elements, the tether that lies within you…you will feel it as we destroy every last one of them.

“You are connected to them ALL, Twilight Sparkle.”