When Darkness Reins

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.