"Twily!" Shining Armor exclaimed as the slender alicorn mare flung herself into his outspread forelegs. He'd missed his little sister more than she'd known. He had been caught up with managing the crystal empire and his new daughter...he'd had his hooves full, and only now did he have a chance to finally see his sister again.
"Oh, Shining Armor. I missed you so much! How's Flurry Heart?" Twilight questioned, canting her head to the side as the rest of her friends hurried up, Spike wobbling on his wee little legs as he held a leaning tower of bags.
"Oh, she's kept our hooves full. Right now, Sunburst is foalsitting her so I could have some time to spend with my little sister." He ruffled her glossy mane and she giggled, her lips turning up in an even wider smile.
"Oh, I wanna see her!" Pinkie exclaimed, throwing herself in front of Applejack, who took a few steps back to avoid her with a grin. "Where is she? Oh please, I wanna see her!"
"Well, she's in her playroom with Sunburst." Shining chuckled, and Pinkie was gone in a millisecond, merely a pink blur shooting into the regal doorway of the crystal castle. Rarity suddenly flashed her horn and levitated the many bags as Spike began to lean a bit too far back, accidentally letting go of his burden to flail his arms with a cry.
"Well darling, we're going to head to our room and then join Pinkie. We want to give you and your brother some time to catch up." Rarity smiled as Fluttershy nodded behind her in agreement, helping Spike to his paws as he brushed himself off with an embarrassed smile.
"Oh. Okay! Well, I'll see you fillies later, then." Twilight smiled, waving her hoof as her friends turned and cantered the same way Pinkie had gone. After they had left, Shining put his hoof on his little sister's back.
"Come on, Twily. I got someplace I wanna show you." He said warmly, his eyes sparkling. Twilight grinned and bounced a little.
"Alright!"
* * * *
The crystal road glittered underneath the ponies' hooves as they cantered along, Twilight chattering on about happenings in Ponyville, and how she and her friends had been helping with friendship all over Equestria. She went on about how well Starlight was doing in her studies, among other things, and Shining listened with full attention.
"Oh, um...where's Cadence, by the way?" Twilight asked, looking up from the small, crystalline StarSwirl The Bearded figurine she had bought at the small store Shining had taken her to. It was very well made, midnight-blue crystal dotted with silver specks, like stars.
"Ah. She had some business to attend to in Canterlot. She'll be back tomorrow." He replied cheerfully, swishing his long, streaked tail as they passed another store, "The Crystal Creature." Displayed in the windows were beautiful, crystal figurines of creatures ranging from rabbits to dragons.
"Ooh!" Twilight cried, her wings flaring in excitement. "I could buy something for Fluttershy in there! Come on, Shining Armor! I've got a few bits left." And before he could get a word in edgewise, she had galloped through the door, the little bell tinkling. He smiled, shaking his head, and trotted after her.
* * * *
"Oh my gosh! It's....It's lovely, Twilight! Thank you!" Fluttershy squealed from atop her bed, kicking her hind legs and hugging the purple-and-blue-hued crystal cat figurine to her chest. Applejack had positioned her apple figurine under her lamp, Pinkie Pie was ogling her cupcake, Rarity was squealing over her blue-tinged white gemstone, and Rainbow was grinning as she proudly displayed her Wonderbolt-badge replica figurine. They all loved their gifts, especially Spike. Twilight had gotten him a bag of different-colored gems, and he was happily munching away in his little basket.
"I'm so glad you like them, girls." Twilight replied happily as she rocked Flurry Heart, the small alicorn filly dozing off in her forelegs. "I saw these, and immediately thought of you!"
"But did ya get yourself anythin', sugar cube?" Applejack asked worriedly, sitting up and adjusting her mane as she met Twilight's gaze in her own.
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, I did. It's over there in the shopping bag somewhere. We also got some treats for Flurry Heart, like apples and stuff." Twilight replied, leaning down and pressing her lips to Flurry's forehead, and the foal cooed softly in response, pawing at the air with her forelegs.
Fluttershy looked down at the little one, flicking an ear and brushing some of her mane out of her eyes. "Um, Twilight...doesn't she look pretty sleepy to you?" She asked softly, setting the cat figurine onto the nightstand by her bed.
"Yeah, I'm gonna put her to bed now." Twilight replied with a smile, gently lifting Flurry Heart up into the air with her magic and getting to her hooves. "I'll be right back, girls." She stated, and her friends replied with acknowledging murmurs and nods.
* * * *
"Goodnight, sweetheart." Twilight murmured as she tucked in the foal, and Flurry gurgled something back and snuggled into the sheets. Twilight smiled fondly and sat back, her horn dimming as she took a few steps towards the door. Flurry's breathing slowed and deepened, and when Twilight was sure the young one was asleep, she turned and slowly cantered out of the dark nursery, carefully shutting the door behind her.
As the young alicorn mare glided, almost silently, through the hall, she suddenly heard soft, hushed voices. Perking her ears, she quietly trotted over to the door in which the voices could be heard from. Pressing her ear to the door after scolding herself for her nosiness, she listened.
"Sire...another pony was found slaughtered at the border. A young mare, heavily pregnant." The voice sounded sorrowful, and there was a heavy sigh. "The same marks were upon her body...the same black ooze. Throat torn open, all limbs severed."
Twilight felt her stomach lurch and she bit her lip. Despite her horror, her curiosity piqued, and she listened harder.
"Again?" Her brother's voice. "Damn. Have you found ANYTHING that might help us determine who, or what, is committing these murders?"
"No, sire. Just that rancid, unidentifiable ooze."
Twilight furrowed her brow. "...Ooze? Hm..."
The voices continued.
"Sire, we are starting to fear for the crystal ponies. This....monster, has been murdering and terrorizing. Ponies will start to panic....then what will we do?"
"We will keep quiet about the whole ordeal. Nopony except the royal guard will know."
Twilight pulled away from the door, her legs feeling shaky and weak. She wobbled down the hallway until she was far enough not to get caught, and slumped against the wall, her heart thudding in her ears.
"Murder? Secrecy? What...what is going on here?" She whispered into the dark, swishing her long tail and lowering her head, waiting for her composure to return to her.
"I...I have to tell my friends. We have to do something..."
She scrambled to her hooves, whirling around and flinging herself down the hallway leading to the room she shared with her friends. Something was going on in the Crystal Empire. Something sinister....and she was going to get to the bottom of it if she could.
Twilight quietly pushed open the door, and was surprised to see that all of her friends were still awake. They looked up when she solemnly trotted in, head low and ears flat, cantering over to her bed and climbing up onto it. She looked to each of the mares gathered before her, looking from each other to her curiously.
"Twilight, darling, what's the matter? You look like you just came back from a funeral." Rarity questioned, canting her head to the side. The other fillies nodded.
"Well...you could say that." Twilight finally sighed, pulling the plush, silk-cased pillow to her belly and hugging it, her tail drooping. "There have been...murders. I heard my brother and some of his guards talking about strange deaths that have been occurring around the Crystal Empire. Something else is at work here...by the sound of it, nopony could've done such things. "
Fluttershy gasped and pressed her hooves to her mouth as Pinkie's ears flattened. Rainbow climbed to her hooves, lashing her silky, rainbow tail.
"Well, there's only one thing to do. We just gotta find out what's doin' it, and then there'll be no more murders." She said it so casually, and the other ponies cast her looks as Twilight shook her head.
"No, Rainbow. It's not that simple. You see...." she took a moment, before sighing and kneading at the pillow with her hooves. "My brother wants to keep the murders a secret."
Applejack flattened her ears as Twilight levitated the StarSwirl the Bearded figurine over and began to fiddle with it absentmindedly. "But...that's just wrong! You can't keep that kinda stuff a secret from nopony! They're bound to find out anyway!" She snorted and clambered to her hooves, beginning to pace, muttering to herself and lashing her tail as Rainbow glared and crossed her forelegs.
"But we oughtta do somethin'!" She protested, but Twilight sighed.
"That's what I thought at first, too. But now that I think about it...we should probably just push it aside." At the words, even she felt bad, but deciding that it was best not to meddle in her brother's business. After all, he seemed to know what he was doing. She looked away as her friends stared at her in shock and puzzlement.
"But Twi-"
Twilight raised a hoof, setting the figurine down on the nightstand. "No. That's what we'll do. This time, we stay out of it." And with those words, she dimmed the lamp on her bedside table and curled up under blankets, her back facing her friends.
Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, but Applejack pressed a hoof over her muzzle, ears low.
"If that's what Twilight wants, then that's what we're gonna do." The farm pony murmured softly, and Pinkie looked away.
As the fillies began to get ready for bed, nopony noticed that the clouds on the far horizon were pitch black, rolling angrily and flickering with lightning. But...the odd part was..the lightning was a blood red, an evil color. It tainted the wisps of the thunderclouds, slowly drawing closer as the tiny sliver of sun retreated and the moon began its ascent. Only a few stars flickered to life against the deep purple-black sky.
* * * *
"We are nearing our time, my dear." A smooth, elegant voice purred, and the great Queen Chrysalis glided into view, levitating something dripping and odd shaped before her. The room was lit with flickering red candles fixed to the wall, casting faint light throughout, dripping wax into small bowls positioned below. Her hooves trod the thick black carpet, and she came to a stop on top of the huge bearskin rug, placing the leaking objects onto a black table pushed in front of a large, black futon. The figure could not be made out, but ruby red eyes, rimmed in a malicious green glow and emitting a faint purple haze, flickered at the sight of what was on the table.
"You did well, love." A deep, rumbling voice that filled the whole room responded, and Chrysalis smiled as a bloodred light encased what now could be seen as severed pony limbs from the table and levitated them over to the figure elegantly resting on the futon. King Sombra leaned forward and sank his glistening canines into the still-warm flesh of the severed foreleg, ripping off a chunk and swallowing it whole, growling in satisfaction.
"Equestria well soon bow to us, and Celestia will grovel at our hooves. We shall resurrect Nightmare Moon from her slumber, and she shall join us as well." Chrysalis's eyes flickered maliciously as her long tail lashed. "We will torture the ones who banished us...the agony they will feel will be immeasurable."
"Yes..." King Sombra hissed, his long, glossy tail rippling as he draped it over the side of the futon and propped himself up on the pillows, running his tongue along his teeth, cleaning the crimson stains from them. "Our armies are almost ready. Equestria will pay." He chuckled and snapped the bones, levitating them up and tossing them behind the couch. There was a rumbling growl and the sickening sound of teeth grinding bones to dust as whatever was back there devoured its treat.
* * * *
Shining Armor sat up in a cold sweat, his chest heaving. Instinctively, he rolled over to where Cadence usually slept, expecting to find her comforting warmth, but there was none. He sighed when he remembered that she was away in Canterlot. The nightmare he'd had...it was horrific, terrifying. He suddenly did not want to be in the bedroom alone. The shadows seemed to loom out of the shadows like horrible creatures, salivating and snarling.
He had a sudden urge to check on his daughter, his heart thudding. The white unicorn stallion scrambled out of bed, immediately igniting his horn, feeling like a tiny colt as he galloped out of his room as fast as he could, hoping the shadow creatures wouldn't grab his hooves and drag him away.
Feeling foolish, he was soon standing in front of the door to the nursery. Quietly pushing the door open just enough to peer in, he saw, thankfully, that Flurry Heart was still fast asleep, tangled in a bunch of blankets, her small muzzle open and quiet, breathy snores escaping her throat. He sighed in relief, feeling ridiculous for his irrational fear.
He began to canter back down the hall, chuckling at himself. His hoofsteps echoed loudly, his tail swishing. He felt a little uneasy, but pushed the feelings aside as he neared his bedroom door. But he suddenly felt his hackles raise when he felt eyes upon him, and he froze, lowering his deep blue streaked tail.
"H-hello?" He tentatively called, afraid to turn around. He received no answer, but that was expected, and he very slowly turned around, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I-is anypony there?"
No answer.
He finally scolded himself for being such a scaredy-stallion and pushed open the bedroom door, rolling his eyes and shaking off the unnecessary fear. As he trotted in and slowly swung the door shut behind him, he didn't see the small dark figure with insect-like wings hurry off silently and leap out the window, soaring off into the hazy nighttime.
