Equestria's executioner: Beloved

Chapters

Chapter one: the Diamond dog raid
Chapter 2: A cold introduction
Chapter 3: Ponyville's newest resident?
Chapter 4: A new suit....new opportunity
Chapter 5: The Moon is full of malice
Chapter 6: The Prediction

Chapter one: the Diamond dog raid

The Diamond-dogs had been lying in wait, scouting the edge of the quaint little town of Ponyville, waiting for their chance to strike. They wanted vengeance. Vengeance for what that White-furred, whining Unicorn and her friends had done to them. The Diamond-dogs demanded blood. And they would get it. They would make the whole town pay for what had happened to them. The forest they'd been sitting in for cover had provided the perfect cover to mask their scent and movements, due to its thick undergrowth and incredibly dense canopy. This was quite an achievement, considering the awful mix of smells, including urine, stool and sweaty bodies, as the group of about thirty moved around, just out of sight of the village. The many inhabitants, mainly ponies, milled around, oblivious to the horde that was about to descend on them.

"Vengeance. At last." Growled a few of them, moving forward into the watery sunlight, which played off the dogs sweaty fur, rusted knives and blades and their improvised armor. Their fur, stained with sweat, carried their stench on the summer breeze. That was when they charged, a roar of blood-lust escaping the on-coming horde. The Ponies who saw the Diamond-dogs first either fled in terror form the screaming swarm of stinking dogs or were trampled by the horde. The thatched cottages were soon ablaze, the straw roofs and wooden walls easily consumed by the many fires that the dogs started. They howled with glee as their rage and fury broke, screaming through their bodies and almost possessing them. The Carnage had begun

James sighed to himself as he drove down the Motorway, trying hard to fight off the growing sense of tiredness that was sapping his strength. He'd been driving along for the best part of a day and night. With little to no sleep, the human was starting to lose his patience with the endless road and the darkness. He ached from the tips of his silvery-black hair to his toes. The Human was tired. More tired than he'd felt for ages. After a week of living on pop-tarts, energy drinks and coffee, James knew his body was on the verge of burning out. It had been a mistake to drive home this late and with no one to take over for him. James snarled to himself as he checked the Dashboard clock. The Red neon wordings showed the time in annoyingly large numerals. Eleven-twenty-five. James felt his last ounce of patience fail him and he twisted the steering wheel hard, pulling himself off the motorway and onto the hard-shoulder. He couldn't believe the amount of crap he'd been subjected to for the past couple of weeks. Another failed date tonight. He'd even dressed up in his finest suit for it. He could still hear the words that his mother and girlfriend had thrown at him, moments before throwing him out of his family home. The words echoed round his head, beating against the inside his skull like a drumbeat.

"GET OUT! JUST GET OUT JAMES! YOU'RE A FUCKING TRAIN-WRECK!" James felt a dry smile quirk his lips as he watched the cars drive past him, eyeing the happy faces of the people inside the vehicles. He couldn't blame his family really...not after his drinking...and that one assault charge...and that depression crisis he'd suffered through. James still remembered the large amount of empty bottles he'd left behind alongside the family. Not his family anymore. He could never go back. They didn't want a chronic drunk and depressive little shit in their family tree. The perfectionist bastards wanted a flashy dresser and a studious person. But that wasn't him. Not by a long shot. Shame his girlfriend wanted the same thing. She'd wanted: "Someone who showers me with gifts. NOT A FUCKING FENCER AND DRINKER!" That was what she'd told him right before she'd punched him in the face and chucked him out of his house. With a sigh, James reached down and picked up the half empty beer bottle he'd been supporting with his leg. He stared into the liquid, barely able to see his reflection in the darkness of his car. He knew however, that he if he could see himself, bloodshot green eyes and pale skin. He was a mess. Yet he didn't care.

With a sigh of annoyance, James tore his seat-belt free and he crawled into the back of the car. In the darkness, he fumbled through the mass of rubbish and old clothes. The smell of stale sweat and old food hit him, making him gag. This car had been his home for weeks. Being a professional sword fighter was not the best career choice for a University dropout. It didn't pay the bills, nor did it pay for the high living standards his ex-girlfriend had been demanding of him, days before she chucked him. His standards had fallen slightly in the way of Hygiene. His hands batted through the mass of bottles and empty doughnut boxes, trying hard to shift the dirty clothes and food packets inside his suitcases.. Finally, his hands curled around the his phone. Pulling the Iphone free from the mass of rubbish, James crawled back into the front seat and turned on his radio. Static was the only thing that greeted him. He was out of range of his local radio station. James grimaced, losing the last of his patience. Dropping his phone on the passenger seat, James slammed his fists down onto the steering wheel. The horn beeped out loudly, but he ignored it, too angry to think about it.

"Fuck it! Fuck it! FUCK IT!" James shouted, relentlessly pounding the steering wheel. His fists hurt from the relentless pounding on the hard plastic and metal wheel but he ignored it, the anger that he'd been bottling up for weeks finally exploding out of him. "SON! OF! A! BITCH!" He screamed angrily, throwing himself forward onto the wheel. The loud screech of the cars horn did nothing to help drown out the screams of his family, moments before they chucked him out. With an aggravated sigh, James pushed himself off the wheel, stopping the horn, intending to get of the car, to escape the suffocating smell of his car, to take a walk. It was at that point that James noticed that his phone was vibrating. He'd turned off the sound, not wanting to be disturbed. But the name of the caller was what made him pick up the phone and press the answer button. James didn't have any contacts by the name of Discord. "Hello?" James asked curiously, placing the machine against his head.

"Are you annoyed about the way your life is going right now?" asked a cheerful voice. James sighed. It was another life-improvement scam. He'd been getting these more and more frequently. "Are you in the mood for some excitement?" James shook his head in annoyance, moving his thumb to turn off the call. He definitely wasn't in the mood for any sort of excitement. "Now, Now James, don't touch that dial!" James froze. That wasn't possible. Automated calls didn't...couldn't know his names. "Now then James." said the voice again. "Do you want a chance to get out of that car? Stop sulking around in that mound of stale food?" James's knuckles turned white. He dropped the phone onto the passenger-side seat and turned on the ignition, pulling out onto the Motorway, ignoring the many irritated horn blasts from other drivers. Something wasn't right. Whoever was on the other side of the phone could see him. Had known exactly what was in his car. It couldn't be. Someone was watching him. He pushed his foot down, making the engine scream with the effort. "Oh don't think you can get away from it that easily." said the voice on the phone...only it wasn't on the phone any more. It was echoing inside his head, continuously repeating the words. "I think you do want it." said the voice. "Well, your wish is granted!" James's eyes widened.

The road in front of him, the parts illuminated by the headlights at least, was beginning to crack and splinter, as if something very heavy was pressed on it. The street lights were beginning to bend, like straws in a giants hand, the bulbs inside the lights shattering with loud pops. James wondered for one wild moment if he was being caught in an earthquake. Then in front of him...it happened. The scenery in front of him split apart, like something had drawn a sword across the landscape and pulled it apart, revealing a bright glow, shining into Jame's eyes. The unexpected light burned his retina's. He howled with pain, his hands leaving the steering wheel to cover his damaged eyes. The car spun, out of control. James screamed with terror, unable to see, as the car span straight into the glowing tear in the landscape, tilted as though it was hanging on the precipice of a cliff...and then began to fall.

Pain. That was all he could feel. He was being compressed, burned, twisted about and turned inside out all at once. His eyeballs were being set on fire. James screamed. But no sound came out. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything except a loud, painful whistling noise. He couldn't move. For a brief second, James wondered if he was in hell. He was falling, falling through whirling fire and pain, unable to control where he was going. And then it stopped. The car hit something hard and continued rolling forwards. The windscreen shattered, along with several of his side mirrors, showing him with painful pieces of glass, cutting into his skin and clothes. Then the car stopped, and James lay still. He lay there, slumped over in the seat, his whole body still tingling from the pain. His vision swam, the outside world still glowing. James frowned, pain distorting his features. That wasn't the glow from whatever had hit him. That was daylight. And there were figures moving around, waving what appeared to be...swords...James frowned as something...unexpected began to build up inside him. It was desire to swing the weapon he'd hidden just behind him.He reached down and around his seat, finding the handle of his own weapon. His fingers curled around the leather grip of the Katana, holding it tight. This would be fun...at least he thought it would be. Especially when he heard the raspy voice just outside the damaged car.

"Get that thing out! It is with the Ponies! Kill!"

Twilight-Sparkle gave a tired groan as her head jerked up, unsticking itself from the large book that the Unicorn had been reading before she'd passed out from lack of sleep.That was normal for her though. The Unicorn sighed as she got up off the stool next to her writing desk and wandered into the wash room of her home. The Golden-Oaks Library of Ponyville was a version of paradise for the studious Unicorn. Stuffed with books for even the most nerdiest of Ponies. Of course, Twilight-Sparkle would never consider herself as a nerd. More...Well-Read.
The Unicorn chuckled to herself as she fixed her purple and Magenta mane, which had become slight ruffled due to sleeping on the desk. Well-Read wasn't the word one of her friends would use to describe her. After making sure her purple fur wasn't to ruffled and her violet eyes weren't to bloodshot, Twilight made her way out into the town. She would've asked Spike, her young Dragon assistant, to take care of the Library but the young dragon had gone to the capital city of Canterlot for...Official business. Smiling to herself, the young Unicorn decided to head towards the cafe, intending to buy some breakfast for herself, her mind already scheduling an imaginary checklist for herself. That was Twilight. Always making checklists and plans for one thing or another.

"Twilight! Darling!" Called a refined voice, just as Twilight turned towards the cafe. A white furred Unicorn, with a lilac, expertly styled mane had appeared behind her, her flanks adorned with a cutie mark in the shape of three diamonds. Twilight smiled as Rarity approached her. "Oh my star's darling!" Rarity exclaimed, pointing at the cafe, Twilight had been approaching. "You aren't thinking of going THERE are you?" The Fashion-Unicorn asked in a dramatic fashion. The Waiter of the cafe gave them both an insulted look. Twilight winced at the rudeness in her fellow Unicorns voice. Rarity had the annoying habit of being very rude at the wrong time. "You absolutely must come with me Darling!" Rarity exclaimed, pulling Twilight away from the cafe. "I was just going to the Earl-Grey! We can eat there together like good friends should." Twilight groaned. The Earl-Grey was a fancy tea shop on the other side of town. Whilst not the worst place to go, the shop tended to attract the more snobbish of Ponyville's residents. Twilight shook her head as the pushy Unicorn dragged her away.

"Actually Rarity I was just..." But Twilight's protests were drowned out just as some-pony let loose a loud scream, somewhere in the distance. The two Unicorns turned to look in the direction of the scream. Rarity let loose a high-pitched, rather unladylike scream of terror, taking off as fast as her hooves could carry her. Twilight on the other hand, stood frozen unable to move, stunned into inaction at the sheer terror she was feeling.

Diamond-Dogs. A horde of the filthy canines had spilled from the Ever-free forest, setting the town alight and dealing death and destruction to all those they encountered. Twilight had run about, trying hard to find her friends but had found herself hemmed in on all sides by the hulking brutes, all of whom seemed intent on driving the inhabitants of Ponyville towards the center of the town, burning and smiting, when shouts, jeers and threats didn't work. And that was how the Studious Unicorn found herself now, hemmed in by a large circle of Diamond-dogs, all of whom were brandishing weapons, clubs and other improvised tools of pain, each dripping with blood. She shivered in fear, wondering why this was happening. She looked around at the group of ponies she'd been forced into. Several other ponies, some unicorns, some Pegasus's and some earth-ponies, were all looking around with fear in their...

"HEY! GET OFF ME!" Twilight's head snapped round and she felt fear truly grip her. Another of her friends, a brash Pegasus by the name of Rainbow-Dash was being dragged through the crowd of dogs, her once beautiful cyan fur and rainbow-colored mane and tail stained with blood . The Pegasus was bound up in a tight net, made of thick metal wire, the sheer weight of which was keeping her down, preventing the Pegasus from flying. The Diamond-dogs were laughing and jeering at her, some even poking the poor Pegasus with their weapons. "YOU'D BETTER LET MY FRIENDS GO OR I'LL..." But Rainbow-Dash froze as one of the Diamond-dogs, clearly bored with the Pegasus's shouting and struggling, raised it's cruel blade. The jagged weapon glinted in the sunlight, dripping with blood. Twilight stood frozen with fear, her eyes locked on the blade. It seemed that the blade was getting brighter and brighter and...Twilight stopped. The Blade wasn't getting brighter. The light was coming from behind the Diamond-dogs. As one, the Ponies and Diamond-dogs turned to see what was causing the commotion.

The ground was splitting. Two halves of the dirt-road were slowly pulling apart, as if a trap door was suddenly being opened. Twilight could see and feel however what was happening. Some strange magic had taken control of the ground, split it and was now pulling the two pieces apart. Twilight could see the golden glow of the magic that was pulling apart the dirt and soil. It strong. So strong that she could feel it from even the distance she was standing. The dirt slid apart as easily as if it had been cut by a knife, leaving a large, square hole in the ground. Twilight-Sparkle barely had the time to register the sheer impossibility of this, before a large, black mass, screaming as though in immense pain, erupted from the hole, trailing dust and loose stones and crashed down, flattening several of the diamond-dogs in one sitting. The thing continued onward for a few seconds, the four wheels that supported it, greased by the blood of Diamond-Dogs sliding over the ground. Then it stopped. For a few seconds, there was silence. Then...

"You dare attack us with this Ponies?" some of the Diamond-dogs demanded, looking ready to unleash the last vestiges of their blood-lust. But one hissed in anger. "Look. There's something moving in there." One side of the strange black object was swinging open, rather like an insects wing. And something was indeed getting out of the object. This new arrival had a long, thin body with a shock of black hair. A pair of bloodshot green eyes stared out of a pale face. The Creature was also carrying a sword. This one was longer than the Diamond dogs and looked slightly more ornate. But Twilight had no more time to examine the creature as the Diamond-dogs, drunk on power and blood-lust, the dogs charged at the creature. Some screamed loudly, some shouting battle-cries, others simply screaming out in rage. The creatures' blade swung, taking off two of the dogs heads, releasing a spray of gore. Several of the ponies screamed with horror. Twilight was frozen, unable to let loose the scream that was building inside of her. The creature was moving like water, flowing with the dogs movements, cutting down one after another of the diamond-dogs, blood hanging in the air like a red mist.

James had no idea what had possessed him to get out of the car. He been sitting inside the blasted thing for what seemed like an eternity, he'd heard the shouts and screams of the whatever was standing outside. But then, before he'd even known what he was doing, he'd kicked open the door and was climbing out, buckling his Katana to his belt as he did so. The Sunlight stung his eyes for a second and he had to blink several times to clear his vision. He had to take a second glance at the scene before. A dozen or so creatures that resembled dogs stood, surrounding a group of small, multicolored horses. Some brandished blades whilst others waved clubs. Dust settled on everything. James smiled coldly as the dog-like creatures stepped closer to him, waving their blades. Unsheathing his sword, James felt a dry chuckle escape him. Maybe it was the amount of beer he'd been drinking...but a fight seemed like a good idea right now. He took his Katana with both hands, feeling the familiar weight resting in his hands.

As the dogs charged in, James felt himself slipping back into his old routine. Parry, strike, dodge and strike. His blows took down groups of one, two or three at a time, the blade of his Katana staining with red, blood hanging around him like a mist. All around him, the canines screamed as James took them down. But not one drop of it touched James. None of it stained his suit. And through it all, James had one lingering thought. It stuck inside his skull, sapping at his strength.

"Shouldn't I at least be bothered by this?"

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the creatures sword swings stopped. The gore settled. The Diamond-Dogs, the ones that had survived at least, stood still, shocked into stupidity. A mountain of slain diamond dogs lay beside the tall creature, who's blade was covered in a thick coating of blood, dripping down onto the floor, mingling with the river of blood already upon the floor, mingling with the dust that the fight had whipped up. The Diamond-dog survivors, after trading numerous glances at one another, turned and in one massive sweep, ran. The stampede was unexpected for the ponies and they watched in stunned silence. Just as soon as the Diamond-dogs had invaded...they were gone. The figure chuckled, flicking the blood from his blade and sheathing it in one fluid motion. Then the figure turned to look at the ponies, who all shrank back in fear. Then it spoke.

"Is everyone alright?" the figure asked in a calm, though serious voice.

Chapter 2: A cold introduction

James trudged through the town, his boots slipping on the blood-stained ground. The canines had left a large trail of the crimson liquid as they'd escaped the town, leaving it splattered across the destroyed market stalls. The stuff was all around him, staining the bottoms of his trousers, turning the black fabric purple and seeping into his shoes. The stink of smoke, mixed with blood filled his nostrils. From what he could see, James assumed that the Canines had spared nothing in whatever rampage they'd caused. Smoke was trailing up into the sky, spewed from burning structures. Some of the inhabitants of the town lay in the blood-splattered road, groaning feebly, to injured to move. The ponies moving around him all stared, their eyes wide and frightened. Despite the amount of damage done to their town, the ponies still seemed more interested in him, standing quite still as he passed them, their eyes following him. The human could hear the collected whispers of the ponies following him as he made his way back towards his car. His battle with the canines had taken him further into the town than he had expected.

Something was wrong though. James could feel it. It was like the world around him had been...muffled. He was numb. There was no other way to describe it. He couldn't feel anything. He should've been feeling tired...out of breath at least. Despite his skill with a sword, he'd always had a weakness when fighting multiple opponents. His body always got run down easier. He should have felt out of breath especially after fighting such a large group of opponents. It was a natural part of a humans body. Instead, he felt as though he'd just woken up from a good-nights sleep. But that wasn't the end of it. Something wet was dripping down his arm. Turning his head, James could see a large gash across his left arm. One of the Canines must've caught him with one of their improvised swords. But there was no pain. It was like his nerves had been severed. On an impulse, James reached up with his injured arm, curling his fingers until the nails dug into his palms. There was no pain. The human raised his hand to his neck, jabbing his fingertips into the side of his neck. After any strenuous activity, a human's pulse would always go up in a response to the strenuous activity. There was nothing. He didn't have a pulse. There was no panic. No fear. No frenzied attempt to discover if he was dead and this was the afterlife.

"That's....disturbing." James thought to himself, just as his car came into view. A few of the ponies had gathered around the black Ford, giving the bodywork a few pokes. They shrank back as James approached however, looks of fright upon their snouts. The Human ignored them as he strode past the car, over to where the crack in the ground had spat him out. The crack was gone. The ground had closed up, leaving now trace that it had actually opened. With his sudden lack of emotions, this did not concern him but it did intrigue him slightly. Whatever had dragged him into this world had gone, just as suddenly as it had come. While it did mean less...James frowned. What had happened to him? From he could gather, some strange entity had suddenly decided to send him into this strange new place....James suddenly stiffened. That name. The name that had appeared on his phone. "Discord..." James mumbled. "He must've done this..." James's lips suddenly quirked as another thought occurred to him. He was far calmer now that he'd been...muffled. James frowned. There had to be a name for what had happened to him. Sighing to himself, James stood, making his way back to the car. The Ponies that had gathered around the black vehicle again all shrank back. "Please stay away from my car." James said calmly. "I would rather be left alone."

The ponies shrank back as he opened the driver side door and slumped into the seat, placing his feet on the steering wheel, letting the seat tilt back almost vertically. A useful function of his car was that the front seats could tilt back almost completely, forming a comfortable bed. Though he had admittedly more room now as the front windscreen was no longer there, enabling him to stick his feet out the empty window. Leaning his sword against the passenger-side seat, James settled, watching the various ponies wander around the town, trying desperately to repair their town, cleaning the blood from the roads with giant buckets of water and dousing the fires. It was like watching a parade of horses that had wandered into a paint factory. Each pony was a different hue, ranging from bright orange to dark blue. What he found most interesting was the Unicorns and Pegasuses, interspersed throughout the group. They wandered through the town, using what appeared to be glowing fields of energy to pick up and repair objects. The Pegasus jumped into the air, moving clouds about, kicking them to produce water to help douse the fires and floating up into the air, carrying heavy debris out of the way. Normally, James figured he would've been totally freaking out, staring around with amazed eyes at all these improbable events. Though, no doubt to his emotion loss, James continued to stare out of the car, as though everything outside was part of his everyday life.

James's eyes blinked open. At some point during his vigil on the ponies attempt to rebuild their town, he must've fallen asleep. The sun was still high in the sky, beating down upon him, warming his flesh. What had woken him? Something was gently knocking on the driver-side door. Judging from the metallic clopping noise, James assumed it was another Pony. The human considered going back to sleep but figured it was rude to ignore whoever was knocking. He leaned out of the window, frowning. It wasn't just one pony. It was several. Two were Unicorns, two were regular, with no wings or a horn and two were Pegasus. James frowned as the lead Pony, a purple Unicorn with what appeared to be a purple star on her flank, looked up at him. The moment James had stuck his head out of the window, the other five ponies had shrunk back, with mixed expressions of fear, curiosity and suspicion on their faces. Only one of the regular ponies, a pink one with a rather poofy mane stood where she was, a rather wide smile. James frowned.

"G-Good afternoon Sir." stammered the Purple Unicorn. James sighed, retreating back inside the car. He knew enough about manners to know this wasn't going to work with him sitting inside the vehicle. "H-Hello?" stammered the Purple Unicorns voice. James sighed again, opening the door, shifting round so he was sitting in front of the group of ponies. The whole group had taken a large step back. After a long while, the Purple Unicorn stepped forwards. The mare was shaking, looking practically terrified out of her wits. "M-My name is Twilight-Sparkle." the Unicorn stammered. "W-We...that is to say...me and my friends," the Unicorn gestured at the group behind her. "We want to thank you for driving out the Diamond-dogs. Without you, we surely would have perished." The Unicorn spoke with a highly refined yet very young accent. James nodded, silently. "Um..." Twilight-Sparkle stammered, clearly unsure how to handle this new creature. James meanwhile was eyeing the other ponies in Twilight-Sparkle's group.

They were an odd bunch. The other Unicorn had white fur and an expertly style mane colored a shade of lilac. A grouping of three diamonds was pictured on her flank. Alongside the regular pink pony was a mare with bright orange fur and a blondish mane. Perched upon this mares head was what appeared to be a patched, worn Stetson Hat. Beside this mare, was a Cyan-blue Pegasus, with a rainbow colored mane. This mare was glaring at him suspiciously with narrowed, violet-reddish eyes. Beside this mare stood a cream colored Pegasus. This Pegasus had a long, pinkish mane. Indeed, this mare seemed the shyest of the group, hiding most of her face behind the long mane. What James's attention was drawn to however, wasn't the glares of the Orange mare, nor the strange fascination that the white-Unicorn seemed to be staring at his clothes with. It was the bleeding cuts and scrapes the Cyan Pegasus seemed to be suffering from. One of her forelegs was slightly raised off the ground and she winced with every step she took, either backwards with the group, or forwards on her own.

"You're hurt." James said. The group of ponies jumped at his soft voice. The Pegasus James was looking at, frowned, moving forwards and sticking her face in close to his. Up close, James could feel her soft breathing, notice how the Pegasus's muscles tensed, as though she was preparing for a fight. "Is there a problem?" James asked, trying hard to be polite. He noticed that without his emotions, his speech sounded rather...flat as though he was bored with the whole conversation. The Pegasus in front of him snorted, looking more annoyed than before.

"Listen Buster." The Pegasus growled. She had a light, slightly cracked voice, rather as though the Pegasus was about to cry or shout at the same time. "I don't know what you're doing here, or why you hit those dogs, but I wanna know what you're doing here!" James frowned, noting what was about to happen. "Well c'mon!" the Pegasus snarled angrily. Perhaps sensing the same rising tension, Twilight-Sparkle stepped forward, a stern expression on her face.

"Now Rainbow-Dash." she said, tapping the Rainbow-maned Pegasus on the side. "That's not a very nice way to act. He did help us save Ponyville." Rainbow-Dash turned to look at the Unicorn but at the stern look Twilight-Sparkle gave her, the protest she clearly wanted to let loose died on her lips. "Now," The Purple unicorn said, turning back to James. "Let me do the introductions." The Unicorn pointed to Rainbow-Dash. "You already know Rainbow-Dash." She then pointed at the White Unicorn. "This is Rarity." Then the Orange Pony. "AppleJack." The cream Pegasus. "Fluttershy." and finally, the Pink Pony. "And to finish, we have Pinkie-Pie!" The pink Pony leapt as her name was called, landing in front of the human, an almost insane smile lighting her face.

"Hi-there-my-names-Pinkie-Pie-what's-your-name-I-hope-it's-a-fun-name-because-fun-names-are-always-so-funny-and..." Rainbow-dash stopped the Pink-Ponies rambling in a rather ingenious way. By stuffing a cyan hoof in the Pink Ponies mouth. James felt something akin to a smile quirk his lips. But then it was gone. He nodded at each of them, before returning to his seat in the car, leaning back and relaxing. He turned his head at the sound of a soft cough. The White Unicorn, Rarity had moved closer and was examining his suit. She reached out and..gave his arm a sharp prod.

"Darling...WHAT in Equestria are you wearing?" The Unicorn exclaimed. James frowned. "I mean...sure it looks stylish enough." Rarity continued, poking and prodding at the arms of James's suit. "What Stallion wouldn't want to look dashing in formal attire but...with all those tears and rips it totally ruins the effect." The Unicorn continued to poke and prod, oblivious to the other ponies trying to call her back. "Darling," the White Unicorn said dramatically. "You really should let me mend these. I could make this suit look absolutely DASHING!" James stared down at Rarity, trying to decide if the Unicorn was being serious. "R-Really Darling..." stammered the Unicorn, looking nervous. James sighed.

"You all look tired." James said calmly, closing his eyes again. "Go home. Get some Rest. I will be gone by the morning." He could hear the Ponies grumbling amongst themselves but he paid them no heed. After a short while, he heard the tell-tale clip-clop of hooves, signalling the ponies departure. Without opening his eyes, James reached across and shut the car door. He hadn't been lying. He'd intended to leave the strange town by morning. But James couldn't shake the thought that he wouldn't be following through with his promise.

Chapter 3: Ponyville's newest resident?

James's eyes blinked open as the soft pounding sounded on the outside of his car. Another pony had come to visit him. The human, sighed in what could've passed for annoyance. Despite his assurance that he would be gone by the morning and that none of the ponies in Ponyville should bother him, several ponies had come by, both stallions and mares to thank him for driving away the...Diamond-Dogs. From James had seen, the dogs had nothing on them that could be considered Diamond-related. Judging from the stink of the canines, they should have been called the shit-smelling dogs. The Human sighed again, wishing the townsfolk would leave him alone. Despite not having a pulse, nor any emotions, he was still human. He did need his sleep. He supposed, since the townsfolk resembled horse from earth, they were busier, possibly trying to...plough the land or whatever the ponies of this world did with their spare time. He'd considered threatening the last group with his sword but thought it was better to leave a town on good terms. The human rolled onto his side, looking around the darkened back seats for where he'd dropped his phone the night before.

The inside of his car was very dark. After several hours of sitting in the front seat, watching the sun get lower and lower on the horizon, the thought had occurred to James that he'd had nowhere to sleep except his car. And there was still the issue of the car having no windows. The temperature dropped during the night, the wind whistling through the car. This had forced him to improvise, using some tarpaulin inside his the boot of his car to make some makeshift, Black-Out windows. It had worked...but the human was still stuck with the issue of somewhere to sleep. Pushing the two suitcases he'd been driving into the boot, he'd crawled onto the back-seat, slipped off his suit and pulled on some of the grubbier of his clothes. That was when the visitors had started coming. He'd been sitting on the back seat, reading a small book by a miniature torch he'd always carried when there had been a knock at the door. Sticking his head out of one of the makeshift windows, he'd seen a group of fillies, all clustered around the car, all jabbering about a mile-a-minute. Though the'd stopped, running away and screaming and laughing. Trying hard to ignore this event, James had returned to the interior of the car, only for a pony with a beige coat of fur, a silvery mane and what appeared to be glasses had knocked on the door hours later, to offer him congratulations. James's only reply had been to return to the car, telling her he'd be gone by the morning. But then it hadn't stopped. Just more...and more...and more visitors.

After a few minutes of fumbling in the half-lighted room, James finally found the phone. Clicking the button showed the glowing numbers, revealing the time. James frowned. He had fallen asleep after all. According to the phone, it had been 12:30 PM when he'd finally managed to close his eyes, uninterrupted by the pounding of a pony's hoof upon his door. According to his phone, it was now 6:00-AM. Well...that's assuming this town went by the clock he did. That was interesting. The human quirked another emotionless smile. So he could still sleep, despite not having a pulse. He filed the information away, intending to ask the nearest doctor what the heck had happened to him . James rolled onto his back, staring up at the window. Watery yellow sunlight was streaming in from under the tarpaulin covering the empty window. Judging from how warm the car felt, sunlight was also streaming down onto the car, warming it. James closed his eyes again as the pounding on the door continued. Whoever was outside could wait for another hour or two. He'd warned them after all.

"Hey...you in there partner?" asked a southern voice. Damn...James opened his eyes again as a more insistent pounding started on the door. The human rolled over onto his front, pushing himself upright. He supposed he should answer the door...it was either that or risk permanent damage to his door. When he did finally find some way to get back to his own world, he didn't want to shell out a fuck-tonne of money to repair a load of hoof-shaped dents in his door. "Excuse me partner?" demanded the voice. James stopped. Whoever was outside sounded female, with a southern accent, rather like a stereotypical cowboy might. The human ripped back the front windows cover, exposing his eyes to the harsh sunlight. Blinking rapidly, trying to clear his eyesight, James looked down, eyeing the pony standing by the door. All he could see was an Orange blob with what looked like a brownish blob on top. James blinked several times...and Applejack came into view. The Orange Pony was looking up at him, a welcome smile on her face. Her stetson was still perched on her head, though tilted at an angle so she could look up without it hindering her. A large basket stood next to her, laden with what smelt like apple-flavored pastries. Applejack smiled. "Ma family and I would like to thank ya'll for helpin' out the town yesterday." the mare said, nodding at the pastries. "There here're some of our best goods. Enjoy em'.

"No reward needed." James stated, pushing the door open and swinging his legs free, stretching them out. "Was just doing you a favour." He looked down while Applejack looked at him closely. From what he could see, the pony's basket was stuffed full of pies, strudels, tarts and many other treats alongside regular apples. "Is there something bothering you?" He asked, looking up to see Applejack still staring at him sternly as if he had something unpleasant stuck to his face. At his words and look, she turned her head slightly, blushing at being caught out. After a few seconds, the southern accented mare turned her gaze back to him, a questioning look on her face. "You can ask questions you know." James said. Applejack blushed.

"Sorry partner but..." she looked him up and down. "Didn't ya look flashier yesterday?" Suddenly, Applejack shook her head, making the Stetson shake slightly as her mane whisked about. "Wait...nah. Don't about it." she said, smiling. The basket was pushed toward him. "Here. You'd better eat em before they get cold." James smiled coldly, watching her with a questioning look on his face. This continued for another couple of minutes until the orange mare suddenly frowned, placing a hoof on her barrel. "Oh me? Nah partner, they're yours to keep." James shook his head, taking only an apple. The Mare in front of him frowned, looking offended. "What? Ya don't want any?" James shook his head then thought better of it.

"On a diet...not very hungry at this point in time." James said flatly. He pointed at the basket of treats. "Feel free to eat some. I won't be able to finish all this food on my own." Applejack frowned but didn't reply. Instead, the orange mare tilted her stetson down over her eyes, settled down on beside his car and took an apple from the basket, chomping it down. James frowned. He'd have preferred it if the Mare had handed over the food and left but...Well it couldn't do any harm to have company while he was eating. After a few minutes of chewing through the basket of treats, James looked down at the mare, still seated beside him. "No offence," James began, his flat tone suggesting offence in every sense of the word. "But why are you still here?" Applejack looked up, confusion in her eyes. "You must have better things to do than sitting here and eating with me?" The mare frowned, looking a little uncomfortable. "You don't have to tell me." James said, taking another apple tart. "I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable." Applejack shook her head.

"Nah, its fine partner." The mare said calmly, smiling up at him. "Well...Twilight mentioned that nothin' like you’re..." She waved a hoof at James's car. "Thing in Equestria. Twilight's the biggest Brainiac around these here parts so if she doesn't know what ya are then...well." the cowboy mare frowned, apparently unsure how to structure her response. "It was weird how ya'll jest appeared like that, right outta the ground." James's lips quirked slightly. "So ah'm jest curious. Where exactly did ya'll come from?" James shrugged softly, looking down at the mare.

"I'm not sure Applejack." He admitted. "I was driving my car...the thing I'm living in at this point." He pounded on the bodywork to answer Apple-jack's inquisitive gaze. "Suddenly some...glowing crack appeared and whisked me here." He sighed. "I'm not even sure what the hell happened to me." Applejack frowned, looking deep in thought.

"Well...ah reckon Twilight could give ya some answers partner. She knows more about magic than any-pony ah know. We could go see her if ya want?" James shook his head. "Erm...well...Twilight could come over...see if she could help ya?" James thought for second, then nodded, thinking it wouldn't do any harm. "Well then...yeah okay.." Applejack stood, looking slightly unnerved at James's lack of conversation. "Ah'll be back soon with her." James nodded, smiling. Applejack nodded, moving away. "I'll try to be as quick as I can partner," The Mare turned, walking away. After a couple of seconds however, Applejack stopped and turned back. "Hey...ya'll are gonna stay for a while right?" James frowned. He hadn't thought about it really...was he staying? He shrugged. Applejack frowned. Looking unsatisfied at the answer, the orange mare turned and resumed her walk. James settled back, picking up another sweet-treat from the basket, he resumed eating. He supposed a whole basket of apples and apple-treats wasn't such a bad breakfast.

He'd watched Applejack walk up to the humans vehicle. He'd smiled as the human and the mare had shared the treats that the mares family was so famous for. He was confident that he wouldn't be seen. His powers would make sure of that. Not that it mattered anyway, since he could change his body at will to hide himself within a crowd. Smiling to himself, he turned away as the human settled back, awaiting Applejack's return. He'd seen enough to know that the human had arrived, albeit slightly damaged. But that would work. It was no problem if the human was...slightly zombiefied. Again, there was no problem with that. Smiling to himself, he wandered away, pulling a small rectangular device from his saddle-bags. He stopped a little way off, holding the device against his head.

"Well, he's here." He said cheerfully. He frowned lightly, as the caller continued speaking. "Well...he is slightly damaged but...we can make it work." He chuckled. "Of course ma'am. I'll make sure to keep an eye on him for you. He'll be with you before you know it."

James settled back into the driving seat, watching the ponies as they mingled and moved through the town, going about whatever a pony does when they get up. He'd been surprised at how well the ponies had repaired their town in just a single night. The fires had been all extinguished and many of the market stalls ruined in the attack had been repaired. What had also surprised him was that all the ponies seemed friendly towards him. Even though they kept their distance, the ponies waved at him as they passed the car, smiling good naturedly at the human. Sitting there, snacking on the many treats Applejack had gifted him with however, James had one thought on his mind. Was he going to stay here? He wasn't concerned exactly, but it was an intriguing thought. The human hadn't even considered if his car still worked, much less if there was a way to get back to his world. The human sighed, looking down at the half eaten treat in his hand. That was something else that intrigued him. He could still eat normally and taste food normally. The treat he'd been snacking on, an apple flavored tart, was delicious....but it didn't bring him any joy like one his favorite foods normally did.

"HEY! WEIRD MONKEY THING!" Said a loud, familiar voice, just as something heavy, landed on top of the car, making the vehicle shake violently. James looked up at the ceiling, frowning. "HEY! YOU IN THERE?" Said the voice, followed by a rhythmic pounding noise on the cars ceiling. Just as James was about to stick his head out of the window, a cyan ponies head appeared, looking through the window, her multi-coloured mane hanging down, largely due to the fact that the mare was hanging upside down as she look into the car. "Hey there Monkey-boy!" Rainbow-Dash said cheerfully. "Twilight sent me to..." she suddenly stopped and sniffed, eyeing the basket of apple-treats.”Hey, could I get one of those?" James frowned, but the Pegasus was already climbing onto the seat through the window. He supposed some more company couldn't hurt

Chapter 4: A new suit....new opportunity

It had gone completely wrong. He'd known it had, the moment James had arrived in Ponyville. He was fairly sure that a magical gateway to Equestria...was not supposed to leave the traveler with no heartbeat. The gateway was also not supposed to leave a user emotionally stunted. Being a cold, emotionless machine was not the purpose of the exercise. As he made his way down the high-street, trying hard not to punch the nearest, unsuspecting stallion, he felt the stab of anger resurfacing. What he done that was so wrong? How hard could it have been? He sighed as he felt the device in his suit pocket vibrate. He hated the thing. He wished his master hadn't given him the "Phone," whatever the hell that was. He stopped, ducking into a nearby alley, slipped the thing out of his pocket and held it to the side of his head.

"I thought you said the gateway was perfected?!" The voice on the end of the phone, once so cheerful and light-hearted, was now full of cold anger. He sighed, wishing he could explain himself without the risk of being blasted by his master's magic. "Now what have we got?!" Yelled the voice on the other end of the line. "A waste! That's what we have!" Yelled the voice. He grimaced, glad that he wasn't actually talking face-to-face to his Master. That could've been unpleasant. "You'd better fix it. You won't like the consequences if this fails." The connection cut out. He lowered the phone, frowning. Discord was always a complicated master. He could be happy and joking at one point, then change to aggressive in the blink of an eye. But this time...He slipped the phone back into his suit pocket. How would he fix this problem...without risking his master's wrath again?

"So you're a...Hoo-man?" asked Rainbow-Dash, her face screwed up in an attempt to pronounce the word. James nodded, tired of the Pegasus's probing questions. The Rainbow-maned chatterbox had been sitting on the passenger seat of his car for the past twenty minutes, asking James question after question after question. Now it was starting to get a little aggravating, having to repeat the same answers. The Pegasus seemed hell-bent on questioning him till the point that she was repeating her questions. It never seemed to satisfy her how many times he repeated the same answers to the same questions. "That's...a little bit weird." Rainbow-Dash continued, gulping down another of Applejack's treats. James, whilst not to annoyed about the fact that the Pegasus had chewed her way through the stack of treats, was finding it slightly surprising that the Pegasus could be so...intrusive. After forcing her way through the window, the Pegasus had crawled into the back seat, checking out his sword and suitcase he'd been using as a pillow, demanding to know the origins of everything inside the vehicle. "So," said Rainbow-Dash, her head turning towards the dashboard of the car, her eyes narrowed. "What is this thing? It's kinda like a house and a cart...thingy." James's eyes narrowed. That was an odd way to describe his car. "It's kinda lame though." The Pegasus said. "It needs to be about twenty per cent cooler."

"Really?" asked James. The Pegasus nodded, still eyeing the speedometer and petrol counter. "This is my car." James explained, patting the steering wheel. He knew he'd have to answer the Rainbow maned Pegasus's questions or risk them being repeated again. . "It's a thing we humans use for transport." He frowned down at the Pegasus, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Rainbow-Dash?" The Pegasus looked up, a pleased expression on her face. "Didn't you say Twilight-Sparkle had sent you? If she's found out something then..." The Pegasus frowned, then her features lit up again. Jumping out of the car, straight through the window, Rainbow-Dash ran round the side of the car and began pounding on the drivers-side door. James, far from surprised at the continued abuse his door was taking now, stuck his head out through the window. "Is there a problem?" he asked flatly, not surprised when the Pegasus began flapping her wings, floating just above the window. He'd pegged Rainbow as a pony who liked to do everything as quickly as possible.

"I totally forgot about that!" The Pegasus shouted, turning in a tight circle above the car. "C'mon! We gotta go! Twilight'll be so mad we're late." The Pegasus flew off, her wings producing a massive cloud of dust as they flapped. James frowned, watching the Pegasus as she sped off, becoming a rapidly retreating dot. Yeah...definitely a speedster. James shrugged, opening the car door and stepping out of the vehicle. It didn't bother him whether Rainbow-Dash was with him or not. He'd go to this Twilight-Sparkle and he'd find out what she'd discovered. Though....James frowned. Now that he thought about it, the human had no idea where the purple Unicorn lived. Sure, she'd come to see him but he hadn't seen exactly where the Unicorn had gone the night before. And the speedster had disappeared, not telling him where to go, nor giving him any directions to navigate the town. The human sighed, looking down at himself. He was still wearing the stained T-shirt and shorts he'd slept in the night before. James nodded to himself. Well that was that. He'd change back into his suit and go find the studious Unicorn. Even if he didn't know his away around the town, a walk in the sunlight and fresh air would probably do him some good. James quirked his lips in another flat smile as he picked up the torn jacket.

James frowned as he turned another corner, only to find himself at another dead end. He'd been walking for the best part of an hour, trying to find his way towards the Golden-Oaks-Library. The ponies of the town had been very friendly, some even offering to escort him. He'd declined politely though, noting how many of them still looked at him with some degree of nervousness. He'd preferred to walk alone, giving him time to think. But now, here he was, standing in front of a wall when he'd been sure he was going down a short-cut that the ponies had pointed out to him. He still wasn't sure what the library was supposed to look like. He could've passed it without him knowing. It could be one the many thatched cottages that he'd passed. The human had absolutely no idea where he was going. Sighing to himself, James turned and began to walk back the way he came. If he got lucky, he'd be able to find somewhere shady where he could rest. He was beginning to regret wearing the damn suit. The sun was beating down upon him, the heat quickly getting to him under the thick jacket and black jeans. He'd considered taking off the damn jacket but he didn't think it would be a good idea to wander around with a shirt covered in tears and rips, showing off the many half-healed cuts that he'd gained during the Diamond-Dog assault.

"Darling!" called a refined voice from behind him. James turned. The white-furred unicorn, Rarity was sauntering up the roads towards him. Slung across her back were two large saddle-bags, stuffed full of what looked like materials and ribbons. "Darling, why are you wandering around in that outfit!?" demanded Rarity, tossing her elegant mane dramatically. James frowned but didn't speak watching as the Unicorn continued to move around him, her eyes taking every detail of his torn suit. "I understand the need to look elegant darling. But really..." Rarity poked at a tear in James's trouser leg. "You should come with me dear. I'll get that suit fixed up for you in no time flat." James shrugged.

"If you're sure Rarity. I wouldn't mind a new suit, since this one's completely ruined." Rarity nodded with an encouraging smile giving James a little push before taking the lead. As the pair walked, Rarity continued to make comments on the sorry state of James's suit, making comments on the design, color and material choices. "Rarity?" James asked tentatively. The Unicorn stopped her mono-logging, looking up at him with a soft smile. Taking the unspoken consent to continue, James opened his mouth to ask: "Why the interest in my suit? Surely you must be interested in the more obvious facts about me, like what I am and what I'm doing here?" The Unicorn frowned, running a hoof through her elegant mane in thought. Finally, after a short period of thought, the Unicorn spoke. Her speech was slow and measured, as though Rarity was being careful not to say something that might offend him.

"Well...I am curious Darling." The Unicorn said. "But I thought it would be quite rude of me to ask so many questions. Very unladylike." The Unicorn tossed her hair dramatically. "Besides dear, as Ponyville's leading fashionista, I can't let such a slight on fashion stand." James shrugged again, this time offering no reply. "Anyway's darling." Rarity said, pointing her hoof to a nearby building. "We're here. Welcome to my home! The carousel boutique!" James smiled. The place was built like a cathedral, with what looked like several decorated turrets and sweeping arks. James felt a flat chuckle escape him. A fancy place, for a fancy Pony. Rarity pushed open the door, leading the human inside. The interior of the shop bore a resemblance to a wedding dress shop, with mannequins stood in various places, each in the shape of a pony with several different dresses and suits. Rarity, smiling slightly, pointed over at a screened off area. "If you wouldn't mind Darling, I'm going to take some measurements. I've never worked on some-pony with your...stature before so..." James nodded, quickly moving behind the are and stripping off his suit, leaving his underwear on. As he worked with the many buttons on the shirt, Rarity stood behind the screen, taking the cloths from him as he passed them over. "I must say Darling, these are very finely tailored. If you wouldn't mind staying a bit longer...I could make a whole range of clothing for a whole new species!"

James felt another dry chuckle escape him as he heard Rarity skip away with his clothes. He would need some new clothes for the journey ahead. He supposed he could make this into a golden opportunity. Always take what can and all that. The Human settled himself on the small stage, waiting for the excited Unicorn to return with his clothes...hopefully with a few improvements.

The Unicorn frowned as he watched the human enter the boutique. He hadn't expected the human to deviate from his path to the library, nor had he expected the human to run into Rarity. He'd wanted to put his plan into action BEFORE the human found out anything about what ha happened to him. With an angry grunt, he swung round and began to walk away, pulling out his phone. Placing it against his head, he waited for the call to be connected.

"Princess? This is agent night-mist. We have a problem." He waited, listening to the voice on the other side of the line. Night-Mist's lips quirked in a humourless smile. "I understand Princess. I will continue to observe the human."

Chapter 5: The Moon is full of malice

Canterlot Castle: Several days before James's arrival in Equestria

The moon was glowing, shining bright in the sky and surrounded by an array of equally bright stars. Princess Luna smiled as she watched the moon take its place in the sky. Cancelling the spell that she used every night to raise the moon, the midnight blue Alicorn turned and stepped down from her towers lookout balcony, stepping back into her bedroom. Luna smiled taking in the all too familiar surroundings. Since her return from her 1000 year long banishment to the moon, albeit being transformed back from the demonic princess of Eternal-Night, Nightmare-Moon, her sister had spared no expense at integrating Luna back into society. The bedroom was circular, matching with the towers circular build, colored a midnight blue to match her coat and a large, plump bed in front of a massive fireplace, ideal for relaxing...with what little time she had to herself as a Princess. Luna was extremely lucky that her sister considered having a extremely comfortable bedroom as an absolute necessity for a comfortable return to society. Luna smiled to herself. In her sister's opinion, at least the opinion she'd confided with Luna, a comfortable bed and lots and lots of cake was the best way to relax. Settling in front of the large mirror above her writing desk, Luna sighed, eyeing the large pile of paperwork she'd have to work through before bed. With a sigh, the Princess picked up a quill, ready to write.

The Alicorn suddenly stiffened, her fur ruffling up in agitation. It had been brief but she had definitely felt it. It was like a ghost going through her, robbing her body of all warmth rather like somepony walking over her grave. The Princess sat there for a second, staring at the quill she was holding in her navy blue magic, dripping spots of ink onto a report about nighttime deliveries. The Alicorn looked up, staring at her reflection. Her turquoise eyes were slightly wide, her light blue mane standing on end in places. Her crown was tilted on her mane, close to falling off. Putting down the quill, the Princess stood and moved back to the window, staring up at the moon. The moon LOOKED the same. Still glowing with the same brightness. Still surrounded by the same array of stars. Although.... Luna concentrated, her horn lighting up with a navy blue aura. The surrounding area changed, blurring and fading out, the colors leeching out of her vision. After a few minutes, Luna turned, looking back at her writing desk. There she was, sitting there, picking up the quill and beginning to read through the reports. Luna was glad she knew this spell. In the event she forgot something, she could just cast the spell and recreate the surroundings. Granted the spell only lasted a few minutes, half an hour at best but it was still useful.

After a few minutes of watching her past self, Luna was convinced that she'd just made a mistake. She was on the verge of cancelling the spell and returning to her work, when it happened. There was a flash, glowing a bright purple, just at the field of Luna's vision. The flash of color was so vivid and so unexpected, such a massive contrast to the grey of her spell-vision that Luna was forced to close her eyes, shielding them against the vivid color. The flash was quick however, only lasting for a second. When Luna opened her eyes again, she found that the spell had faded, the normal blue of her bedroom had returned. Luna frowned. What had that flash been? Closing her eyes, Luna repeated the spell, this time turning towards the balcony. There it was! Luna had only been standing there, staring at the moon for a seconds when a pillar of what appeared to be purple energy flew into the sky, flying straight into the air, going higher and higher into the air until the pillar of purple energy struck the moon. A purplish cloud, as though someone had spilled purple dye in a bowl of water, spread over the moon, spreading faster and faster until it covered the whole moon. No longer glowing bright silver but instead a bright purple, covering the surrounding stars in a dark shroud.

Luna stared in horror at the moon, HER moon as it hung there, glowing like a giant amethyst. She could feel the malicious magic in that purple energy, filling up her moon. Luna felt her eyes sharpen as she used her magic again. Her eyesight changed again, focusing in on the moon. Another simple spell, attempting to scan the magic covering her moon. But the Alicorn recoiled almost instantly, the magic scanning spell cancelling. The Magic...Luna felt her eyes water. She hadn't seen anything like it. Such evil....such dark power. Luna stared, fixedly at the moon until the purple magic faded and the time warping spell faded. The Alicorn shivered. She'd never seen such dark magic. Not on that scale. And the fact that had the power had gone to the moon, in about a fraction of a minute, without her noticing such a large concentration of magic...Luna stood. She knew her sister would be awake. If Luna had felt that surge then she was sure that her sister had felt. The Alicorn whirled, sprinting towards the door. Celestia would hopefully know what to do. Because Luna had never seen the moon filled with that much evil. As she ran down the corridor, ignoring the surprised looks of the night-patrol, the Alicorn felt a horrible feeling of foreboding rising inside of her. What some sort of creature could hold that much malice? What could hold enough evil to fill a moon? .

Unknown Location: the Same day

The room was circular, made of white marble and very, very gloomy. It was a large, circular room, featureless, with several rows of pillars circling the room, though it was so gloomy that any ordinary person standing in the room would be unable to see the ceiling. Smack-dab in the middle of the room was a lowered area, circular like the rest of the room, except with what appeared to be a shallow pool of iridescent water, shimmering around a large stone seat, carved in the shape of a throne. The backrest,also made of white marble was high, stretching high into the gloom, towards the ceiling. A figure was slumped in the chair, one arm resting on the throne, supporting the head. The face was hidden in shadow as was most of the body, though the dark grey suit that the figure was dressed in didn't help as it covered the entirety of the figure's body in a grey haze.

"The Malice is coming." said a soft, male voice. A figure, hidden in shadow, moved closer to the pool of water, sitting down on the marble steps. "We must be prepared." The figure shifted, putting down the sword he'd been carrying. The blade was long with a thick end, tapering to a point more akin to a broadsword. The handle and cross-guard was decorated with several markings of silver bones and skeletons. "The moon is filling with Malice. But it is still not enough." The figure sighed, turning to look past the pillars. A small wedge had been left out of the circle of pillars revealing the star-speckled, black sky. And there, sitting the black expanse, was the planet. Equestria looked a lot like earth. Green countries, mixed with the blue of the seas. The figure chuckled. "I wonder if the other Quatre-Knights will like this view." He turned back to the figure and settled on the steps, ready to continue his vigil

Chapter 6: The Prediction

Canterlot Castle: several days before James's arrival in Equestria

Princess Celestia smiled widely, trying hard to hide her relief as she waved goodbye to the final Noble of her council. As much as she loved her little Ponies, Celestia's patience could really be taxed by these tedious council meetings. She'd been sitting for so long, she ached from the tips of her golden-plated hooves, down through her flowing white fur and in her bones. The "Day-Court" as her sister, Princess Luna called it, often took several hours what with the amount of...admittedly petty problems that her subjects came to her with. Ranging from everything to the amount of trade coming into the city to the amount of money they were making on their businesses. The Princess sometimes wished the ponies of her great city weren't so greedy. She sometimes wished that they were more like the down-to-earth residents of Ponyville and other such villages. The princess smiled to herself, imagining the looks on the inhabitants faces if she even suggested the idea of remodeling Canterlot after Ponyville. Most would probably faint in abject horror. Smiling at her small stab at humor, the Princess lowered her head to the table, eyeing the stack of paperwork she'd have to get through, brushing her iridescent, flowing mane out of her eyes. She hated paperwork. Maybe she would send for some cake from the kitchens. Smiling to herself, the Princess picked up her quill, now ready for the ensuing trial.

"Princess Celestia?" And Celestia's concentration was gone. Shattered as that soft, mellowed voice sounded by the doors to the council room. Soothsayer. The Scion had come to see her again. The Princess's eyes tracked the Pony as he moved round the long meeting table. Soothsayer was a Unicorn, with dark burgundy fur, a similarly colored mane and deep yellow eyes. His cutie mark was a crystal ball. Covering the pony's thin body was a wrapping, rather like a large, iridescent scarf or raincoat, except that the fabric was rather thin, almost transparent. "I have been crystal gazing princess." said the Pony, settling on one of the seats. "And the news is most Dire." Celestia sighed. She tried to be tolerant with these strange Ponies but their constant stream of doom and gloom predictions were starting to annoy her. The Scions had been like this ever since they'd arrived. The Scions had arrived in the City several weeks ago. Nopony had heard them, nor seen them enter. They'd turned up in the middle of the city, right smack-dab in the center square. Celestia had gone to see them, intrigued. She'd seen a large, ten man tent, sitting there, with several of these strange, iridescent coverings. The ponies, or Scions as they'd called themselves had all claimed to be able to tell the future. Though many laughed off these claims, thinking the Scions were lying to make money off gullible tourists. Celestia however, thought that there was something in their words. Unicorns were known for making time travel spells after all.

"What is it Soothsayer?" asked Celestia, trying hard not to let her impatience show. He was still one her subjects after all. The Scion narrowed his eyes. Celestia let the tired smile on her face drop, aware now that the Unicorn had caught her impatience despite her attempts to conceal it. Soothsayer had the annoying ability to see through attempts to conceal negative emotions. Even Ponies as skilled as the Princess. "I apologize Soothsayer. The stress of dealing with court and my kingdoms various problems get to me." The Scion, still scowling, withdrew what appeared to be a playing card from within his cloak and placed it upon the desk in front of Celestia. The Princess leaned in, eyeing the card. Pictured on the card was what appeared to be a tall figure, wreathed in a black cloak, its' face hidden in shadow, standing over a ponies skeleton, with a full moon, colored dark purple hanging over the whole thing. "The Hollowed?" Asked Celestia, frowning. The Scion nodded, his solemn expression never wavering. Celestia felt a smile begin to creep up her muzzle. "You must be joking Soothsayer. That creature is a myth. We know this." Soothsayer, keeping his stony silence, placed another card on the table. Celestia looked down at it. The card depicted...Celestia felt her smile fade. "It can't be him...not the Hollowed..." The Unicorn nodded, his expression worried.

Only a few of the Elders of Canterlot still remembered the tales of the Hollowed. In Celestia's opinion, that was probably for the best. A creature of immense power, wreathed in darkness, with no heart, no emotions and no soul, unable to be defeated. Celestia shuddered to herself. The creature was said to be worse than the Prince of chaos, Discord and was said to eclipse the powers of King Sombra. With power on that scale...Celestia shuddered to think what would happen to her kingdom if such a think appeared. The Princess wasn't sure if even she could stop something like that. Though, like many of Canterlot's citizens, Celestia had trouble believing the Hollowed even existed. It seemed only the Scions seemed to take the legend seriously. Soothsayer at least, wanted Ponies to take the Legend seriously. Celestia looked up from the cards, her eyes glaring down at the Scion.

"The moon is filling with malice Princess." said the Scion calmly, taking the cards back. "The Scions have been predicting it for months. No matter what method we try. Cards, crystal balls...it is all the same. The same result." Soothsayer shook his head. "The Hollowed is real my Princess. Whether or not you choose to believe is your business." The Scion turned and walked away, closing the door behind him. Celestia sat there, still staring at the table, unsure of what to do. If she did nothing and the Hollowed appeared, she'd be risking her entire Kingdom. If she prepared and it didn't appear...she'd look like a fool. Her pride versus the safety of her subjects...could she make that decision?

Soothsayer sighed to himself as he made his way through the castle, ignoring the many guards who offered to show him the way out. He knew the whole castle by heart. Celestia had taken him on a tour during his first day in Canterlot. The whole of the Scion order knew the castle . Sighing to himself, Soothsayer made his way through the castle until he arrived at the room that Celestia had given him. Inside was a simple room, with only a table, a bed and a writing desk. On top of the table was a small deck of his cards. The classical method of his orders fortune telling tricks. Setting himself down in front of them, Soothsayer used his magic to place five of his cards face down. Soothsayer frowned at the five cards, concentrating intensely. Then he flipped the first card. It depicted a large wheel, hanging in the sky, surrounded by several Pegasus.

"The wheel of fate..." Soothsayer mumbled. "A change in the flow of events..." he flipped over the second card. This revealed a gem-like object, hanging from a tree with a large full moon behind it. "The hanged-man...a betrayal of trust..." This card was followed by a upside down card, depicting two ponies kissing with a heart between them. "The Upside down lovers....a conflict between two partners..." the fourth was an upside down picture of a pony, dressed in flowing robes and carrying a book with glasses on. "Inverted Justice. A biased, unfair decision..." Soothsayer frowned, flipping over the last card. It was Hollowed card but it was upside down. Soothsayer narrowed his eyes. "A major change...but somepony is resistant to it." He frowned softly. "A change in fate's flow...brought on by a betrayal of trust...amplified by a conflict between partners...which might result in a biased decision...with somepony resistant to a great change..." Soothsayer frowned, standing and walking to the nearby window and opening it to give himself some air. The wind whistled through the room. Something fell to the floor beside him with a soft thump. Looking down, the Unicorn saw another of his cards which had been blown closer to him. It depicted a pony, standing on a chariot. "The chariot...upright? A decisive victory..." he murmured softly, turning to sit down at the table. "What have the fates planned?"

Princess Luna, hurried through the castle, anger burning through her. She had not been able to talk to her sister during the previous night, to warn her about the purple energy hitting the moon. Her sister had disappeared off to another village, only returning during the early hours of the morning. Knowing her sisters bad temper when extremely tired, Luna had decided to wait, as much as she wanted to inform her sister. But she would now. She would warn her sister. Warn her to stay away from that Scion, Soothsayer and they would solve the riddle of the purple energy. The young Princess of the night felt her heart lift at the thought of her and her sister teaming up again. It had been far too long since they did something like this together.

She'd been running for about fifteen minutes when a figure stepped out in front of her. The figure was tall, dressed in a blood-red trench coat with a red hood covering its' face. A large sword with skeletal designed cross-guard and handle. Luna had no chance to stop. No chance to charge a spell to save her as the figure in front of her lowered the sword, leaving the tip pointing directly at her chest. So surprised was she that her hooves slipped out from under her on the marble floor, and she began to slide along as though she was on a slide, the princess's wings flaring out in surprise. Luna let out a cry as she slid straight into the figure. There was a momentary flair of pain...then Luna was lying on the floor, gasping for breath. She couldn't breathe. Luna moaned as darkness overtook her vision, the figure leaning over her. As the Princess's eyes closed, she heard a soft chuckle and a soft touch to her ear.

"Sleep tight, oh great princess of the night." Sang a cold voice