Nightmare: Volume 1

Chapters

Prologue - Servant
Chapter One - Of Knights and Monsters
Chapter Two - Battle Scars
Chapter Three - Deceived By Appearances
Chapter Four - Turncoat
Chapter Five - Desperate
Chapter Six - Allies, Enemies, and In-Between
Chapter Seven - Hide and Seek
Chapter Eight - Creatures of Darkness
UPDATE
NOTE

Prologue - Servant

Equestria

2017,

*****

The pair of guard stallions walked through the halls in silence, their silver armour shining in the moonlight. The tallest of the two, an earth pony, glanced briefly at the fatigue and fear on his companion’s face and felt his own blood boil. It was unfair that the newest recruit, a teenage pegasus, had to be put through this.

The colt shut his eyes tightly, clenching his jaw. “Strongheart...remind me again, what exactly is going on?” he sighed. Upon arriving for his shift he had been ordered directly to this wing of the castle, with no explanation.

Strongheart gritted his teeth, keeping his gaze focused on the path ahead of them. “You know about that...creature...don’t you Spear?”

He nodded. Of course he did, everypony in the Royal Guard knew. Due to a side-effect from The Elements of Harmony, when Luna had been returned to normal, the powerful spell had split her from the dark forces that had controlled her, giving Nightmare Moon a physical form separate from the princess. Luna had first attempted to kill the creature, only to have Celestia stop her, and instead convince her to simply lock it away in the dungeons beneath the castle.

Every new guard was told the story...then made to promise they would never venture anywhere near the dungeons.

“Well…” continued Strongheart, “A few days ago...that thing escaped. Apparently, over time it got strong enough to break out.”

Spear swallowed to conceal his rising dread. “She’s loose?”

“Yes, but she disappeared shortly after her escape. But not before…” he trailed off, gritting his teeth. Taking a deep breath, he slammed his eyes closed. “Not before she attacked and bit Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

The two guards halted, coming to a large oak door. Spear glanced up at the large ‘Do Not Enter’ sign swinging from the roof above him, written in bright gold cursive. Inside, he could hear the slow, rhythmic clopping of hooves, like a pony was pacing back and forth. Moments later this was accompanied by a low growling like rumbling thunder.

Spear quickly backed away. “What is that?”

“Princess Twilight,” Strongheart answered grimly, standing on the right of the door like a statue.

Spear stammered, trying to speak, yet not a sound came out. How did this happen? What’s wrong with her? The two guards fell into an uncomfortable silence.

The door broke open, the chains locking it snapping like sticks and the wood breaking like cardboard.

Instantly, Strongheart held his spear to the mare’s throat, his voice muffled from having to hold the handle between his teeth. “Princess Twilight! Calm down!”

Spear could only stare in horror. The young princess stood there, her once violet eyes a glowing red. Her once majestic wings had become leathery and bat-like. Her coat had darkened significantly, and now was a deep royal purple.

Twilight’s lip curled back at Strongheart, revealing two sets of sharp fangs. “Get that away from me.” When no response came, a twisted grin spread across her face. “Very well.”

Without another word she lunged, latching her mouth onto the earth pony’s neck. In seconds he was on the ground on his back. Spear was frozen in place by his own terror, watching as the bat-pony tore out his companion’s throat.

He forced himself to look away, his eyes landing on the now open room.

He barely choked back the urge to vomit.

Princess Celestia lay on the floor, her white body coated in her own blood and her throat torn out.

Twilight’s disturbingly calm voice made him turn to her. “She asked me to kill her, you know. Something about maybe if she died Nightmare would change me back. Selfless as usual.”

Spear’s eyes widened as the bat-pony neared him, a sadistic grin showing her bloodstained teeth. He backed away, heart hammering in his chest.

The last thing he saw, were Twilight Sparkle’s red eyes.

**** **** **** ****

She lay slumped like a doll, her own blood staining the grass beneath her. Her coat - once black as onyx - was splattered with the same crimson liquid, the fresher wounds leaving blood dripping down her body. She cast her gaze upwards, turquoise eyes half-lidded from the pain coursing through her.

Her voice was soft and hoarse, barely above a whisper. “Am I...bested, Luna?”

The princess scowled down at her, breathing heavily. Luna had sustained her fair share of injuries as well. Gashes cut across her legs and chest, dried blood coated her muzzle, and there was a still-bleeding scar below her right eye.

Looking into the defeated monster’s eyes, Luna replied quietly. “Yes, Nightmare, you have been bested.”

“What is to become of me now?”

Luna suddenly gasped in agony, stumbling back. She fell to her knees, eyes wide and stinging tears falling down her cheeks. Her entire body began to shake. All she could hear was a high-pitched whistle in her ears.

Then, faintly, she recognized Nightmare’s voice, still weak and fatigued, yet with an obvious smugness. “You...You can feel it, can’t you? Your sister has passed on.”

Luna’s speech came out in sobs. “Tia...Wh-What...what did you do?”

“I did nothing. She is dead, Luna, but not by my hoof.”

Somehow, in her grief-stricken mind, something clicked. “Twilight…”

Nightmare laughed, ignoring the pain it caused her. “Yes. It seems her transformation completed.”

Luna stood and rushed forward with a blind fury, striking the creature’s face with her hoof. “YOU MADE TWILIGHT SUFFER FROM YOUR BITE, TURNING HER INTO A MONSTER JUST LIKE YOU!”

Blood now dripping from Nightmare’s nose, she smirked. “My bite corrupts minds and bodies, that is true, and yes, my bite turned Twilight into a bloodthirsty bat-pony...but Tia obviously got in her way.”

Rage burned in the princess’s eyes as her horn glowed with a surge of power. Die...she will die for what she’s done!

“You are a hypocrite,” growled Nightmare. “You claim to be virtuous, yet not only do you hit me when I am already down, but you are ready to murder me here without a second thought.”

Luna paused. A part of her could not ignore the fact that the creature was correct. Celestia had frowned upon killing, and the last thing she would have wanted was to have Luna be a murderer. Even if it is justified, I cannot bring myself to kill. Sister would not want me to have somepony’s blood on my hooves.

“I ask again Luna, what shall become of me now?”

She clenched her teeth in rage. She couldn’t bring herself to kill this monster...but what else could be done? How else could she make sure Nightmare was never a threat again? Her thoughts turned to her shining horn, strong with magic. Perhaps there was something she could do, some spell she could perform.

Nightmare watched as the princess standing above her slowly smirked, the colour of the aura around her horn changing to a vibrant red. She frowned in confusion, but was unable to ask any questions. The moment she opened her mouth, she released a bone-chilling scream of agony.

She began to tremble, sweat trickling down her body and mixing with blood. She fought to keep her eyes open, glaring with hate at the princess. Although her chest burned like fire, she attempted to speak. “What...are you...doing?”

“Fixing my problem,” Luna answered calmly. “This spell is an ancient and powerful one, used to bind a dangerous creature into tame servitude.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened as a gasp escaped her. “No…”

Luna’s horn glowed brighter, and she watched as her enemy grunted in pain. She felt no sympathy. There was no forgiving this creature for what she had done. This was, quite frankly, the kindest thing she had been able to think of.

Slowly, the princess took a step closer. Her eyes were cold and steely, devoid of any compassion. “You wish to know your fate, Nightmare? From this day forth, you shall be bound to serve not only me, but anypony in my bloodline.” She paused for a moment, then stamped her hoof. “What say you, monster?” she snarled. “You creature of hate and destruction, you who have brought suffering onto all for too long now, you who was conceived in the deepest pits of Tartarus...what say you now?”

“No.”

“What?”

Nightmare growled, managing to stand - although unsteadily - on her still-weak legs. “I will...not...be bound...to you...or to your family,” she panted.

Again, Luna’s horn began to glow with the same red light. “You do not have a choice in the matter.” She narrowed her eyes, “Now kneel.”

“Go buck yourself,” sneered Nightmare.

The glow of the princess’s horn changed to a darker red, almost like the blood still staining her coat. She pointed to the ground, “OBEY!”

The creature screamed in pain, slamming her eyes shut. It felt as though lightning had struck her and was making its way across every muscle in her body. She trembled once more, her forelegs giving out from underneath her.

She bowed her head, her nose and horn only just touching the dirt. “Yes...Mistress,” she choked, voice tight and bitter.

The glow of Luna’s horn vanished, as did the pain Nightmare had experienced. “Good,” she growled, not feeling even the slightest hint of remorse. “Now, return me to my castle. We have things to do....servant.”

Chapter One - Of Knights and Monsters

Fourteen Years Later

****

The nurse’s hooves clicked on the tiled hospital floors as she galloped, hurriedly wheeling a bed down the long corridors. The figure lying asleep atop the mattress was covered by a thin white sheet, leaving only the head visible. The unicorn stallion was a John Doe, having arrived at the hospital with no name or any form of identification.

“Nurse Comfort, I assume this is the patient I was told about?”

She stopped and turned her attention to a white earth pony mare quickly approaching her. “Yes Doctor Redheart. He...he just collapsed when he entered the hospital.”

“Very well,” the old mare turned back to where she had come. “Bring him to emergency with me.”

The nurse nodded obediently. Suddenly the John Doe’s eyes snapped open. They were a piercing green, almost neon bright. Nurse Comfort gasped when she was suddenly yanked away by Redheart, the doctor dragging her away from the bed.

“That’s not a real patient,” the earth pony explained quickly. “No pony, not even a seriously ill one, has those eyes.”

The bed suddenly erupted into circles of roaring green flame.

The sheet covering the patient was thrown off, revealing a changeling in place of the stallion. It fixed its blue, reflection-less eyes on the two terrified mares, its tongue flicking over its fangs hungrily. One of its jagged ears twitched and it bent its hole-filled legs like coiled springs, preparing to attack.

**** **** **** ****

The Royal Palace’s conference room was mostly barren, with the only notable furniture being a large table in the centre of the room. The lighting consisted of mostly gas lamps mounted on the walls made of pure crystal, and a golden chandelier hanging from the roof.

Luna surveyed her company with an indifferent expression. Certain hoof-picked noble ponies made up The Knights of Canterlot, a group responsible for aiding the royalty any way they could. At one point in time, they had even actively fought alongside armies, fearlessly and ruthlessly fighting to protect their ruling class.

As she looked upon the collection of pompous cowards before her, she wondered how a group with such a legacy ever fell so far.

“Princess, are we going to begin?” asked the elderly unicorn mare to her right, the wrinkles under her eyes seeming to multiply as she glared.

“Have patience, Ms Valentine,” answered Luna, struggling to ignore the mare’s irritated tone. “We are still waiting on a member, and it would be unwise to begin without him.”

The conference room doors opened, a white pegasus stallion running inside. Rich Slice, the newest member of The Knights. His blonde mane was neatly slicked back, his tail curled at the ends. He wore a silver cravat with a dark pink rose, and black shoes on his hooves.

He took his seat directly opposite from the princess, his small moustache twitching when he gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry I’m late, Princess. I was visiting my father, and it seems I lost track of the time.”

Luna shook her head, “It’s alright. It’s understandable that you would seek your father’s advice.” Rich Slice’s father was the unicorn Fancypants, an influential figure in Canterlot society and former member of The Knights. He had given up his position the year before, passing it on to his son.

Rich Slice cleared his throat, the relief clear in his brown eyes. “Thank you for understanding, Princess.”

Luna nodded, straightening her posture. “Now that everyone is in attendance, let us begin.” She took a deep breath, before continuing. “The first matter I would like to discuss, is the changeling issue facing Ponyville. As I’m sure you are aware, there have been quite a few random changeling attacks on the public recently…”

An elderly earth pony stallion interrupted. “I thought the changelings were peaceful now.” This was followed by several murmurs of agreement.

Idiots. Luna drew a deep, calming breath. But I cannot berate them, that would reflect badly on me. She cleared her throat softly, attempting to speak as civilly as she could muster. “Just because one single group of changelings has chosen to be peaceful, doesn’t mean all of them with automatically do the same.”

The elderly earth pony raised his hoof. “But how are there even any other changelings around? Only their queen is capable of breeding.”

Luna pressed her lips into a tight line, refusing to answer at first. After the destruction of the changeling throne and hive, she and Celestia had made the decision not to tell The Knights that the changeling queen was still alive, instead saying that she had died when her throne was destroyed.

At the time, the two princesses had rationalized their decision by saying that if the truth came out, it would only cause unwanted panic. Now, however, she was wondering if the choice to withhold that information was doing more harm than good.

“Pardon me, Princess Luna,” came a smooth, articulate male voice.

Everyone turned to the slim, charcoal-grey unicorn standing in the doorway. Greystone Sword, the butler to Princess Luna. The monocle around his right eye reflected the light, giving the appearance that it was glowing as the unicorn took a single step closer. “I’ve gotten word that the Ponyville Hospital is under attack by changelings.”

Luna raised a thin eyebrow at the butler, ignoring any questions The Knight’s were asking her. “I assume you’ve sent Nightmare to deal with it?”

The unicorn smirked, “She’s already well on her way, Princess.”

One member of The Knights - an elderly pegasus mare - stood from her seat and cast a furious glare at Luna. “I can’t believe you’re just letting that...thing out into the public without supervision!”

Luna glowered at the angered mare. “If you want to avoid casualties, I don’t exactly have a choice right now,” she replied tightly. She watched as the pegasus slowly sat back down, and was unable to hold back a smug smile.

Rich Slice raised his hoof, “What do we do now, Princess Luna?”

Her tense shoulders seemed to relax. “Now…” she sighed, “We wait.” She smiled to her butler, “Greystone, could you get our guests some tea to calm their nerves?”

**** **** **** ****

The hospital floors were littered with bodies, some unconscious, and others dead from being drained of all the love in their souls. Nightmare paid little heed to any of them, merely stepping over the fallen bodies as she made her way through the many corridors.

Her blue mane and tail moved ever so slightly, brushing against walls and tables as she passed by. The hospital air held its usual smell of strong disinfectant, that was so potent it almost made her head spin. Urg, how can anypony even breathe in this place?

Her ear twitched as the sound of a low buzzing caught her attention. She watched as a pair of changelings flew around the corner towards her, before stopping and landing on the floor. Their heads were tilted in confusion, and they seemed to be studying her.

Slowly, Nightmare broke into a grin, showing rows of pointed teeth. “That’s right...you can’t tell if I’m friend or foe, can you?” She knew by now how changeling’s worked. They could detect the love in ponies just by being near them. But if a creature showed no signs of love in its heart, a changeling wouldn’t attack, and would instead become curious.

Nightmare chuckled, the sound low and cold. A bright aura began to glow around her horn. The changelings recoiled in fear. Her grin widened, a sadistic gleam in her eyes. “Do you truly think you are any match for me, you deluded abominations?”

The changelings hissed, fangs bared and forked tongues flicking the air. They charged towards the alicorn.

Nightmare cackled maniacally, her mane flowing in all directions like an extra set of limbs. A bolt of white lightning shot from the tip of her horn, striking one changeling and instantly burning it alive.

The second lunged at her, but was quickly caught with magic and thrown against the wall, the force of the impact cracking its skull and killing it, blood seeping from the head wound.

Suddenly, another attacked from behind, grabbing hold of Nightmare’s neck before biting down. The alicorn’s mane wrapped around the changeling like tentacles, reefing it off her body and tossing it to the floor in anger.

The changeling quickly recovered, hissing viciously. Nightmare scowled, raising her hoof before bringing it down again, crushing the changeling’s head with minimal effort. “Your kind really have become a disappointment,” she growled. “You’re even weaker now than ever. I overestimated you.”

More changelings suddenly began to appear from every direction, flying towards her and crawling on the ceilings and walls. Nightmare merely smirked as the swarm advanced rapidly. Multiple forks of lightning blasted from her horn, frying a few of the creatures in their tracks.

She cackled, her body morphing into a constantly moving mass of black and grey shadows. The dark inky mass grew two large, reflection-less eyes the colour of fresh blood, and a curved, fanged mouth, almost like a beak.

The changeling’s hisses and growls were cut short when the darkness lunged and began its slaughter.

One by one the enemies were destroyed, either being enveloped or strangled by the darkness, or literally eaten alive. Screeches of agony and fear echoed throughout the hospital.

Only when every single changeling was slain, did Nightmare return to her regular form. She exhaled deeply, surveying the scene around her. Blood was splattered onto the once pristine walls and stained the floor, seeping into the cracks in the tiles. At some point, a few lightbulbs had exploded, littering the ground with broken glass. The bodies of the three dead changelings from earlier still lay in the corridor in pools of blood.

It was then that she noticed something...glittering in the light.

Curious, she approached. Lying in blood beside a fallen changeling, was a small crystal. It was as black as her coat, and as shiny as a mirror. A crystal as black as night, with such a reflective surface...it was familiar.

Nightmare grinned, a half-crazed giggle making her chest shake. Oh yes, such a crystal was very familiar.

The giggling grew louder and louder, until it erupted into bone-chilling laughter. She threw her head back, her eyes closed. The laughter grew louder still, until it rang out through the entire hospital.

Doctor Redheart walked inside cautiously, confused by the apparent twisted amusement. “I-Is something wrong?”

Nightmare’s cackling ceased. She turned her head to the earth pony, her mane once again flowing in all directions. Her eyes were wide, the pupils turning to the size of peas. Somehow, her teeth seemed even sharper. “No…” she breathed, almost in excitement. “Not at all. He’s coming back. Oh yes...after so long he’s returning! This...will be...GLORIOUS!”

Chapter Two - Battle Scars

Author's Note

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have made a huge, important addition to the prologue. It explains a lot of the information you'll need to know for the rest of this story. So please read that so you don't get confused further into the story.

Chapter Two - Battle Scars

Luna, flanked by Greystone, came to a halt upon reaching the large, arched front doors made of dark wood. What had once been known as The Castle of The Two Sisters, now served as the home of a powerful organisation, one infamous across Equestria. The Chariot.

“Now,” she muttered, “I wonder why they summoned me?” Using her magic to conjure a parchment in front of her eyes, she decided to look over the letter again. It had arrived earlier that morning - by a pegasus mail-carrier - and had commanded a last-minute meeting.

This was hardly a surprise, considering that particular organisation’s area of work. The Chariot had been created exactly fourteen years ago, in the wake of Luna’s rise to the throne as Equestria’s sole ruler.

The group’s duty had remained the same since its beginning. To assist the ruling class in disposing of any and all supernatural threats to the citizens of Equestria. But the organisation had always tended to go to extreme measures to accomplish this...not that she entirely blamed them.

Suddenly the doors swung open.

Entering the castle without hesitation, Luna was met with an unnatural quiet. The main hallway was empty, the only sounds the click of her and Greystone’s hooves on the floor and the loud creak as the doors closed behind them.

“I told everypony to give us some privacy...and for once they actually completely listened to me. It’s a miracle.”

The princess halted, Greystone taking his place to her right, remaining silent and watchful.

Lua smiled at the mare standing in the centre of the room. Over the years, the pegasus had only grown taller and stronger, with a well-toned figure and long legs, along with a slightly longer muzzle and more defined cheekbones.

The princess nodded her head politely, “Rainbow Dash,” she greeted. “I’m glad to see you’re still in good health.”

She let out a small snort, then grinned. “Eh, it’s fifty fifty really.”

Luna’s smile wavered at the comment. Part of the pegasus’s multicolored mane had been grown out and was now draped over her left eye.
Catching her lingering stare, Rainbow smirked. “Ya know, it’s not that bad. I can still see out of one, at least.” She chuckled lifting up part of her bangs revealing horrific scarring and damage that had caused it to go blind “Plus, it’s pretty awesome to uncover my eye and make ponies puke.”

Luna managed a weak smile. She admired how Rainbow always made light of her injury, especially considering how it came to be. While Luna had just lost her sister, Rainbow had been almost killed by somepony she considered a friend. Sometimes it made her wonder how the little pony had the strength to keep on living.

Rainbow Dash frowned as the princess remained silent, waving a hoof in front of her face. “Um...Princess Luna? You okay?”

The alicorn blinked, “Yes. Forgive me, I didn’t mean to be rude and appear disinterested.”

The pegasus smirked, “No problem.”

Luna sighed, clenching her jaw. “I suggest we move on to the reason you sent that letter. You said you wished to discuss something about Nightmare.”

Rainbow’s playful demeanor vanished, her expression turning cold and stern. “The Chariot received word that she was let out of the castle without supervision last night, to confront the changeling attack.”

Luna frowned at the accusing tone. “She does not need supervision after fourteen years under my command. She is no danger to the public.”

Rainbow snorted, her nostrils flaring. “Do I have to remind you about what she did to Twilight?”

Luna’s voice was gentler, her gaze soft with sympathy. “Rainbow... “

She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she cast her gaze to the ground shamefully. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I just…” she met Luna’s eyes, for a moment her gaze was soft before steeling itself up, “I saw how Twilight suffered after she got bitten. I don’t want anypony else to have to go through that.”

The princess placed a comforting hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “I know.”

Shoving the alicorn’s hoof away, Rainbow met her eyes once more. “Look, you just need to watch out for how much freedom you give that thing. I think you can agree that we all have a hard enough time dealing with these changelings suddenly coming out of nowhere…” she placed a hoof on her head. “Where did those things even come from?”

Luna raised her chin, “I will try and get into contact with Thorax and see if he knows what’s going on.”

Rainbow shrugged, “I mean, I don’t mind killing them. It’s my job, after all. It protects other ponies.” She puffed out her chest with pride, “Plus, if I do say so myself, Chariot is more than capable.”

Luna rolled her eyes with a smile. As her eyes flicked to the glowing bayonet strapped to the pegasus’s side, she smirked. Not only was the mare’s inflated confidence endearing...but it was more than justified when it came to disposing of threats.

With the help of its unicorn members, The Chariot had created specialized weapons designed to kill or trap changelings, bat-ponies or similar creatures. These weapons were mostly blade-based, consisting of swords, daggers, spears and bayonets.

Suddenly, a bone-chilling cackle filled the room as inky blue smoke snaked its way through a nearby window. The smoke swiftly took form, becoming a tall alicorn with glowing eyes and a twisted grin.

The creature fixed its gaze on Rainbow. “Even after all these years,” she purred, “It seems you are still as self-righteous as ever. Truly, some things never change.”

Rainbow scowled, unclasping her bayonet and holding it with her right wing. “What are you doing here?”

Nightmare blinked. “Wherever my Mistress is, I will be near. As her servant, it is what is expected of me.”

Rainbow was barely listening, her eyes burning with fury. “This place isn’t welcome to you,” she snarled. “I still remember what you did, monster! It’s because of you that all of this happened in the first place! If I killed you, I would be doing all of Equestria a favor!”

Luna looked between the pegasus and her servant. “Nightmare,” she hissed. “Do not provoke her. This is a peaceful meeting.”

Nightmare chuckled, ignoring her orders as a dark aura surrounding her horn. “Neither one of us could ever back down in front of an enemy! Show me what you’ve got!”

Rainbow rushed forward, letting out a yell of pure rage. She saw a bolt of lightning racing towards her and flexed her wing, her glowing bayonet not only shielding her from the attack, but seeming to absorb it completely.

She leapt up from the floor, bringing her weapon down on the creature’s foreleg as she landed. The limb was cleanly severed, blood pouring out like a waterfall of red ink. Rainbow stepped back, splatterings of blood on her face.

Suddenly the dismembered foreleg became thick blue smoke, floating up and re-attaching itself to Nightmare’s body. The smoke shifted and changed, quickly becoming the limb once again.

Rainbow only narrowed her eyes. “Impressive,” she growled. After a pause, she added. “You’re lucky that the princess wanted a peaceful meeting. If it was just the two of us...I’d just keep killing you until you stayed down.”

Greystone cleared his throat, glaring in warning at the pegasus. “If we could continue this without any further bloodshed, Miss Dash, that would be lovely.”

Luna turned to the butler, giving a small, grateful smile. He was always the voice of reason in these sorts of things. Plus, nopony she had met ever dared to disagree with him.

Still in a high of excitement from her small battle, Rainbow turned her attention to him. She grinned challengingly. “Fight me and we’ll see what happens from there.” When only silence followed, she looked at each of the three in turn. “What?”

Greystone smirked, adjusting his monocle. “To be quite blunt,” he said in a low, threatening tone, “Unless you want me to rid you of both of your wings, I suggest you never say that again.”

The pegasus winced. She heard stories of ponies getting their wings or sometimes even their horns cut off, and could only imagine how agonizing it would be. Repressing a shudder, she wiped the few streaks of blood from her face and turned to Luna. “Um...is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

Luna hesitated, a pained look crossing her features. “Well...yes. It’s about the changelings that attacked the Ponyville Hospital.”

“I’m listening.”

Nightmare spoke up. “I found a shard of crystal with one of the beasts. I could recognize it anywhere. It seems The Dark King is coming back.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened, her pupils shrinking and mouth hanging open. “Wh-What?”

Fighting to keep her own fear from showing, Luna nodded slowly. “I’m afraid it seems that way...and since a changeling was in possession of this crystal, I can only assume Queen Chrysalis is involved in this as well.”

Rainbow shook her head rapidly, swallowing back her rising dread and keeping a stern expression. “Then we’ll have to fight.”

Luna matched her expression. “It seems we’re on the same page.” She cleared her throat, “Tomorrow, I will hold a meeting with all ponies of importance to discuss what is to be done. Obviously this tyrant has plans...and he is a fool if he thinks he can carry them out without opposition.”

Firmly shaking the princess’s hoof, Rainbow nodded. A confident grin spread across her mouth. “Equestria won’t go down without a fight.”

Luna smiled, her own confidence shining in her eyes. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Chapter Three - Deceived By Appearances

The unicorn stallion wandered the streets of The Crystal Empire idly, his curved horn splattered with the inky, black blood of the changeling queen. He knew he had no reason to be worried about the discovery of a body. She had quickly exploded into green flame upon her death, disappearing completely.

The few changelings that had remained loyal to her had fled weeks before, leaving the poor excuse for a queen to seek out his help. Then she had been foolish enough to awaken him from his prison within an amulet, demanding that he give her his powerful magic.

He had been enraged at first, but had spied his opportunity, and the two had become partners. She had raised changelings and sent them to gather information and drain love, and now, because of the foolish queen’s gullibility, his plan was already being set in motion.

Just moments ago, now no longer having a use for her, he’d wasted no time in running her through with his own horn. The curve had made for good upward leverage as he jammed between a joint in her carapace.

A sudden stabbing pain in his head interrupted his memories. He was, he quickly realized, incredibly weak in his current state. He gave an irritated snort, shaking his head. Hopefully, his full power would soon return. Then the real fun can begin.

It wasn’t The Crystal Empire he was after...at least, not yet. No, he had a larger game he wished to play. Queen Chrysalis had only been a pawn, a tool for his use. Her drying blood on his horn meant nothing more than a minor annoyance as he wiped some from his eye.

He heard hooves approaching him. “Excuse me Sir,” came a feminine voice. “But you aren’t supposed to be out past the empire’s curfew.”

He turned to see a unicorn mare walking up to him, wearing what appeared to be a police uniform. It seemed the empire had increased its security since his last visit.

He watched as she tensed cautiously upon seeing him. A feeling somewhat like pride surged in his chest. He still struck fear into the hearts of these ponies, even if he had no power whatsoever.

Firelight Shield raised a thin eyebrow curiously at the stallion before her. He was tall, with a pale grey coat and sharp features. His hair was black as a raven’s feathers, long and unkempt, his beard and mustache making him seem even more gruff, like he had gone for months without proper care.

Her attention was drawn to his eyes, red as blood and eerily glowing in the light emitted by her horn. Suddenly he grinned at her, then spoke, his voice deep and gravelly. “A beautiful night, isn’t it Police Mare?”

She stepped back warily, narrowing her eyes. “I-I suppose so, yes.”

The stranger’s horn began to glow a dark green, and he took a single step closer. “It’s a shame you won’t be remembering it.”

**** **** **** ****

One would imagine that, since the Royal Throne of Equestria had originally been built specifically for Celestia, The Night Princess would look foolish sitting upon it in her sister's place. However, as the crowd of ponies entered they were speechless with awe.

Luna sat in the throne with perfect posture, her eyes steely and focused on the approaching visitors. Whereas there had once been upwards of twenty guards surrounding the princess, there now only stood two ponies. A large alicorn mare to her left, and a tall, slim unicorn stallion on her right.

Luna’s eyes swept over the large crowd of guests. She had called an emergency meeting with not only The Knights of Canterlot, but several other dignitaries from across Equestria. Many were whispering to each other, demanding to know why they had been summoned with such urgency.

“Princess Luna?”

She turned to face the mare who had addressed her. She was a cream-colored unicorn, her bright red mane and tail long enough to touch the floor, her violet eyes blinking up at her shyly. She spoke in a soft, subdued voice. “I-I’m Constella Star...from the Crystal Empire? You asked for m-me specifically.”

Luna nodded, the memory coming back to her. Despite her meek nature, Constella Star was the Crystal Empire’s leading history expert, as well as head of the observatory. “Of course I remember you. It’s very fortunate that you were able to come so far on such short notice.”

An irritatingly cheerful male voice suddenly came from the doorway. “You weren’t going to start without me, were you?”

Luna sighed loudly as the familiar draconequus entered. Of course. Turning to Greystone, she questioned. “How did he get in here? We have this room heavily guarded, don’t we?”

Discord’s eyes widened, “Oh...those were yours?” He turned to the door to the right of the throne as a guard stepped through, his armor replaced with a clown suit and makeup and his spear with a balloon sword. "Oh...um...oops?"

Luna pressed her hoof to her forehead in exasperation. “Just...what do you want?”

The draconequus placed his paw on his heart, bowing his head. “I’m here to offer my assistance, of course.”

“Assistance?”

“With your little problem,” he continued. “Or...am I mistaken that this is an emergency meeting?”

Luna clenched her jaw, her steely eyes narrowing in anger. “Yes,” she snarled, “But any kind of ‘assistance’ you can offer isn’t wanted. If I recall, the last time you tried to help, you sided with Tirek and nearly doomed all of Equestria.”

He frowned, rolling his eyes. “Seriously, you’re still all hung up about that?” he grumbled. “But I learned my lesson...and Tia and I made peace!”

Luna snorted. “Nevertheless, I cannot risk you doing a similar thing again. Thanks to you, Equestria was nearly destroyed once. I won’t let it come anywhere close to that again.” She raised her chin, “So forgive me for my bluntness, but for the moment I refuse to trust you in fighting with us.”

Discord only smirked. “You seem a tad tense, Lulu...allow me.” With a click of his claws, a lit cigar appeared between the princess’s teeth. “There, that’s much better.”

She spat it out immediately, turning it into a puff of smoke, and stamped her hoof, unamused by his antics. “DISCORD!”

His grin faded and he huffed, “Oh fine.” With a click of his claws a large lounge chair appeared beneath him, “But I’m still staying.”

With one last hateful glare in his direction Luna turned away, directing her attention to her other guests. There was no point in wasting any more time with him. “Pardon the interruption everypony, but I think we can finally begin.”

“Why in Tartarus are we even here?” shouted a stallion from the back of the crowd.

Luna took in a deep, calming breath, speaking in a clear, even tone. “It appears that the changeling attacks may be more of a concern than we initially assumed.” With a dull magic glow from her horn, she levitated a small black crystal into the air. “This was found in the possession of a changeling recently.”

There were collective gasps, followed by several shrieks of terror. This was only broken by the periodical crunching of popcorn by the Spirit of Chaos currently lounging in a chair, entertained by the scene around him.

Luna raised her hoof, “Everypony, calm down! This is why I called this meeting! Obviously we all recognize this crystal, and something needs to be done to protect Equestria should the worst occur!”

There was a short amount of silence, before a single voice yelled out in accusation. “I thought he was destroyed by The Elements! You mean to tell us they didn’t actually do what you said they would?”

A tense silence fell over the room. The temperature seemed to drop.

A growl like rumbling thunder broke the shocked silence. Nightmare was glaring down at a pegasus mare with a blood red coat and dark purple mane. The tall alicorn’s lip was curled back, baring her sharp teeth.

However, a single movement of Luna's hoof stopped her from saying a word. The Night Princess slowly descended her throne. "Miss...Van Winter, was it?"

The pegasus nodded, her legs beginning to shake. "Y-Yes, Princess."

Luna stopped a hoof’s length from the offending mare's face, their noses almost touching. She spoke in a low, chilling tone, barely above a whisper. "Well, Miss Van Winter, let me make one thing perfectly clear. The Elements of Harmony were discovered by my sister Celestia, and all her life she had full faith in them. Now, you wouldn't dare say anything...uncomplimentary about Celestia, would you?"

"O-Of course not."

Luna glared at the pegasus, watching as her face reflected her terror. The princess remained silent. She wasn’t proud of having been the one who caused the expression, but at the same time, she couldn’t allow somepony to disrespect her sister.

Suddenly, a stallion noble cleared his throat. "Princess...where is Miss Star?"

Luna whirled around in confusion. Indeed, the unicorn from earlier - Constella Star- had disappeared. Instantly, the princess cast an angry look to Nightmare. Oh sweet Faust...don't tell me she ate her!

Seeing her Mistress's accusing glare, Nightmare blinked. "Do you truly think I would eat a guest, especially in your presence?"

Luna sighed, returning to her throne, "I suppose not." She remained silent. Something about the sudden disappearance didn't sit well with her. She was unable to truly feel it...but she just knew she felt...off.

She turned again to Nightmare, only to see that she was staring off into the distance, eyes glazed over and unfocused. The princess smirked. Given her nature, Nightmare Moon was able to see anywhere she wished in the castle. Any location, at any time.

She was already searching for the unicorn.

Suddenly, Nightmare's eyes returned to their normal state. A grin slowly spread across her mouth, her eyes gleaming with a sadistic glee. "She's coming...with company. She has an army of strange ponies, ones I have not seen before. If I'd hazard a guess, she's coming to kill you, Mistress...and possibly the rest of us.”

The remaining nobles began whispering to each other, shivering in fear. Luna, however, remained unnaturally tranquil, practically indifferent. "Nightmare, you will stay here and protect me and the rest of our visitors..."

A panicked earth pony stallion interrupted. "Is she our only defense? They need to be stopped before they get here, or she won’t be able to protect us all!"

Luna gave a sly grin in response. "Actually, she is not our only defence." She cast a sideways glance at the unicorn to her right, who until this point had remained quiet and still. “Greystone, it seems our meeting is being interrupted by a some rowdy foals throwing a tantrum.”

Slowly, a chilling smirk crept onto the butler’s mouth. “With your permission, Princess Luna...I think it’s about time I teach these foals a proper lesson in violence.”

**** **** **** ****

Constella Star smirked as she walked down the long corridors of the Royal Castle, a small army of bat-winged ponies behind her. The sharp fangs protruding from their mouths were not decorations, but were in fact genuine.

She still found it amusing how the real bat-ponies had managed to outdo Luna's guards.

Suddenly, a blinding silver light erupted in front of them for mere milliseconds. Rubbing her eyes, Constella frowned in confusion. Standing in their path, was Luna's butler, a grey glow surrounding his horn.

Something blue flashed before her eyes.

Her entire first row of ponies literally fell apart into pieces, pools of blood staining the floor and her hooves. Her eyes widened and she tried to speak, yet no words came out.

Greystone approached slowly and calmly, and she could now identify what the strange flash of blue had been. Ten thin wisps of blue magic, almost invisible, swirled around him, coming from his horn. They seemed endless in their length.

Greystone grinned, although there was a darkness to it that made her shudder. "Hello again, Miss Star. Lost your way?"

The mare growled, then glanced over her shoulder at her remaining army. "What are you idiots doing? Kill him!"

They rushed forward, weapons drawn. Greystone stayed in place, utterly unafraid. Suddenly, when he had deemed the intruders were getting too close, he attacked. Greystone moved forward in a blur, thin magic wrapping around the limbs of three guards at once. With a simple tug they were torn apart, explosions of blood spraying around them. But the butler didn't slow. With another small tug, another enemy came apart.

He raced through the creatures, each falling in pieces as he passed them. He halted as more approached, one of them managing to knock him back. He slid on the ground, his breathing deep, and locked eyes with the bat-pony, silently daring him to do it again.

His magic moved like a whip, wrapping around the pony's legs before breaking them off completely. He grinned sadistically as the creature fell to the ground and started crawling towards him, seemingly determined to kill. Greystone merely placed his hoof on the pony's head and pushed down.

The skull cracked, then broke completely.

With one last glance down at the motionless, headless body, he turned his attention back to the few remaining attackers. What a shame...only four to go. Oh well, I best get this over with. Enemy after enemy fell, until all that remained was a floor coated in blood and several dismembered body parts strewn through the corridor.

Greystone turned, to see Constella galloping to the door in a frenzied panic. His magic caught up to her, winding itself around her hind legs before dragging her back. "Come now, the least you can do is stay for a chat. You don’t want to look like a coward now, do you?," he chastised.

She squirmed in the tight grasp of his magic, "Buck you!"

"A young mare like you shouldn't use such...colourful language." He frowned, the magic around her legs only growing more and more constricting. "If you don't stop moving," he growled. "I will cut these right off, just like I did to your little friends." Smiling in satisfaction when the mare ceased her struggling, he headed back to the throne room, carrying the captured unicorn in his magic.

Chapter Four - Turncoat

The dungeon beneath The Royal Palace

Constella glared across the room at the grey unicorn standing opposite her. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since he had brought her here and bound her hooves with chains, but she knew one thing: this butler was a pain in the plot.

He had barely spoken a word to her or even moved very much, which was somehow even more infuriating. There was something about his indifferent, almost bored expression that absolutely enraged her.

She snorted, gritting her teeth. At at the very least, such a prolonged period of time in a room with him had allowed her to see him better. She looked him over for a fourth time, desperate to see any sign of some kind of limp or other weakness she could exploit.

He was younger than she’d first thought, perhaps not much older than her. His jet black mane was tied back in a ponytail with a piece of red string, strands falling over his handsome face. His tail brushed against the floor when he moved, and if he favoured a certain leg she couldn’t notice it.

He suddenly fixed his bright blue eyes on her. “So tell me,” he asked evenly, “Just what were those guards you came in with? I haven’t seen ponies quite like those before.”

“Is this your pathetic attempt at interrogation?” she hissed.

His eyes seemed to darken with anger, his voice chillingly calm. “Oh believe me, the last thing you want is to have me actually interrogate you. Let’s just say it would involve me using that little magic ability of mine you saw earlier to slice off your hooves and horn like butter...as slowly and painfully as I can.”

Constella fought back a shiver, choosing instead to sneer at the butler. “That’s nothing but an empty threat.”

An amused smile twitched at his mouth. “My, you certainly are confident, aren’t you?”

“Says the self-entitled bastard.”

He clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to stuff one of the chains into her mouth. “You know, I’m finding that everything you say just pisses me off!”

The dungeon door opened with a loud creak.

Luna observed the scene in front of her. It had been years since she had been in this underground section of the castle. It was well-lit, with flickering candles lining the walls of dark stone. The air was stale and cold, a thin white mist rolling across the floor.

Memories briefly flashed in her mind. Watching as Celestia had captured and restrained a weakened Nightmare in enchanted chains, before throwing her inside that very room, intent on keeping her down there for eternity.

Shaking her head and clearing the memories from her head, she brought herself back to the situation at hoof. There was no point in getting lost in the past. Especially not when there were much worse things to deal with in the present.

Constella stared as the princess slowly approached her. Her gaze was harsh and cold, devoid of the kindness or compassion she was known for. Even her voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a knife. “Now that our guests have departed, I can properly deal with you. I will give you one chance to explain yourself, Constella Star.”

She raised her chin, “I will tell you nothing. You’re wasting your time.”

The princess raised a brow, only slightly irritated by the mare’s behaviour. She had been expecting this. “It seems I am.”

“You stubborn little brat,” came Nightmare’s voice from the open doorway. “Do you not comprehend the situation you are in?”

Constella looked up. Her breathing quickened as the dark alicorn slowly approached, her heart pounding in her chest. It was that very creature that she had feared since foalhood. Through the course of her life, she had heard many a terrifying story of Nightmare Moon. From her threat to plunge Equestria into eternal night, to turning the former princess, Twilight, into a monster with a single bite.

A wide grin crept onto Nightmare’s face, her tongue caressing her razor-sharp teeth. “What will you say now...Constella?”

Her breaths came out in frantic gasps, visible in the chilled air. Her entire body began to tremble in horror. Yet her eyes were steely and cold. “You...demon,” she managed to choke, “I...will tell you nothing.”

Nightmare’s grin stayed in place. “Incredibly loyal to the very end...I’d admire that if it wasn’t so pitiful.” She bent her head so she was directly eye-to-eye with the unicorn. “So, what is it? What did The Dark King promise you in return for your allegiance?”

Constella could only breath heavier, her eyes beginning to well with tears. H-He never said anything about you still being alive! Immortality isn’t worth this!

Frowning as the mare remained silent, Nightmare moved closer until she was only a hair’s length away from her face. “If you keep your loyalty...will your excruciatingly painful death really be worth it?”

Her response was a shaky, frightened whisper. “Sombra...he sent me here...from The Crystal Empire.” She choked back a sob, small tears rolling down her cheeks. “H-He wanted me to bring the bat-ponies and attack the castle.”

Luna glared down at her, “What else do you know? What is Sombra planning?”

Constella blinked back further tears, unable to look away from Nightmare out of pure fear. “I...I don’t know,” she whimpered. “I s-swear I don’t know.”

Nightmare growled low, her eyes gleaming with rage and frustration. “Mistress...may I end her miserable life?” Her mind was screaming at her to kill. She needed the bloodshed. The weak mare currently cowering in front of her was perfect.

Luna frowned at her servant. The unicorn seemed to know very little. It was confusing, to say the least. Shaking her head, she turned her back, closing her eyes. Nothing more could be done with a mare that knew nothing. “Kill her.”

Constella fell to her knees, the tears now flowing down her face and stinging her eyes. I’m going to die...I’m going to die. Nightmare’s mouth opened wide, saliva dripping between her teeth and her long tongue seemingly poised at the ready. It was as if she was staring into the jaws of some twisted beast, some monster from the depths of Tartarus.

The last thing she felt was those sharp teeth cutting into her skin.

Constella’s scream of agony was silenced by gargling blood in her mouth. Nightmare had bitten into her neck, streams of blood staining both of their coats. Once she felt the chained body go limp, she released her bite, licking her lips.

Seconds later she grasped the unicorn’s leg between her teeth, the limb detaching completely with a single powerful tug.

Luna pursed her lips, shutting her eyes tighter. Even after all this time around her servant, she still was unable to stomach Nightmare’s method of...disposing of somepony. She swallowed, her voice tight from the fear that she would vomit any moment. “Greystone...let’s leave her be, shall we?”

She heard the butler walk towards her, “I was just about to ask you the same.” I’m not squeamish...but this is just disgusting.

**** **** **** ****

With the flick of a hidden lever, the floor of The Crystal Empire’s observatory opened up, revealing a spiraling staircase leading down to the rooms beneath. The tall changeling female descended the stairs, a smug grin playing across her lips.

To think, she had managed to build an entire laboratory, and no one - not even the prince and princess - had suspected a thing.

As she came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, more of her life’s work came into view. Large cages lined the walls of each hallway in this labyrinth-like place, the hisses and growls of the deformed and mentally broken ponies inside filling her ears.

She had begun her ‘project’ fourteen years ago, and each day could practically feel herself getting closer and closer to her goal. She walked through the hallways with a smile, glancing at each of the imprisoned ponies.

After discovering that the Princess of Friendship herself, Twilight Sparkle, had been transformed into a bloodthirsty monster, she had been determined to re-create such a creature. However, the closest she had ever gotten were bat-ponies: nothing more than mindless animals with the qualities of a bat. Nothing in comparison to true vamponies.

She stopped her walk upon reaching a large, circular mirror, gazing proudly at her reflection for a moment. She straightened her posture, fluttering her translucent wings and tail.

Suddenly the mirror rippled like water, another face appearing in the reflection. It was male, with a grey coat, red eyes and a long, scruffy black mane and beard.

The changeling tilted her head, “King Sombra?”

“Of course,” he growled. “Now tell me what progress you’ve made, Siofra.”

She smirked, placing a hoof on her chest proudly. “Well, I’ve managed to perform enough...tests on The Bat to finally give my ponies many of the same qualities she has. Now, they shall be twice as strong and be twice as vicious as before.”

Sombra narrowed his eyes, “They still follow orders completely?”

Siofra nodded, “Yes. I am creating them just as you requested. All of the strength and power of a vampony, with none of that pesky free will.”

“And what about The Bat?”

“Still barely aware of her own surroundings, Your Highness, as always.”

Sombra nodded, “Very good. If she ever completely wakes up, she may become a problem.”

Siofra shook her head. “Believe me, Your Highness, she is still so weak and delirious that I doubt she even remembers her own name.”

“Continue with your experiments then, Siofra. I’ve gotten word that Constella has been captured and killed by Princess Luna...so it seems your guards did not perform very well.”

The changeling frowned curiously. “About that...forgive me for my asking Your Highness, but why did you send Constella to the enemy in the first place? My guards are not finished.”

Sombra raised an eyebrow, “Since you’re so curious about my reasons, I will tell you. It was merely to instill as much fear as I can.”

Siofra nodded, “Understood, Your Highness.”

The mirror rippled again, before returning to normal. Drawing in a deep breath, Siofra continued down the hallway, grabbing an empty medical syringe on her way.

*** *** *** ****

This room was even deeper underground than the others, sealed with enchanted chains that had been ‘borrowed’ from The Chariot. Siofra grunted as she pushed open the heavy door, stepping inside the small room.

It was dark, lit only by candles, the tiny flames seeming to dance, casting patches of light and shadow on the figure imprisoned in the centre of the room.

She was suspended from the ceiling by another set of enchanted chains, the clasps sealed tightly around all four hooves, along with one restraining her waist and even around her neck. Her pale pink mane fell over one side of her face like a curtain, her eyes closed in her constant state of fatigue.

Then they opened, the teal orbs duller than ever.

Siofra raised her hoof to the mare’s face, brushing a lock of the pink mane behind an ear. “Good evening Fluttershy...hold still.”

Chapter Five - Desperate

The flickering candles were the only light to aid her as she read, her eyes scanning the thin pages of the old diary. It was small, no larger than than her hoof, the contents inside written in her sister’s unmistakeable cursive style.
Luna had spent hours searching through the Canterlot archives, desperate to find answers about the bat-pony attacks or changelings. Finally, after realizing there were no recorded accounts in the libraries, she had recalled her older sister’s diary.

She knew the secrets hidden inside the leather-bound book, how it contained the darker secrets Celestia never wanted anyone outside of Luna to know. But it was one set of diary entries in particular that she was searching for.

The second her eyes caught the word ‘monster’ she stopped to read the paragraphs around it.

“Luna was released today. My sister is back, but all is not well. The Elements put all her evil into a physical form. I’ve chained that monster in the dungeon beneath the castle. I’m yet to find out exactly what it is. I will attempt to get answers as soon as I can.”

She skipped ahead a few entries, finding her next point of interest. At the top, was the underlined heading ‘Discovery.’ Thinking this could be important, she read on.

“It finally gave in. Apparently it really is just Luna’s previous evil taken a real form, split from her by The Elements. Yet she still acts like a normal pony. She seems to have her own emotions, her own free will, her own habits. She is another separate entity entirely. Yet still, she tried to kill me today. And she has expressed wanting to kill Twilight and her friends in...very graphic and sickening detail. She takes some kind of sick pleasure in those gory fantasies of hers. This thing disturbs me, but it could be a useful weapon someday.”

Skimming through the other diary passages, Luna was about to close the book, when another word caught her eye. It was another heading, simply titled ‘Regret.’ Beneath it was a small paragraph, shorter than the rest, and the penmanship was noticeably messier.

“It escaped. It escaped and it bit Twilight. Now she isn’t acting like herself. I fear what that creature has done to her. This is all my fault. I should have killed that thing long ago.”

Luna flipped through the diary, passing several more entries, these detailing Twilight’s rapidly decreasing health - both physical and mental. The rest of the pages were completely blank.

Closing the diary with a faint glow of magic, Luna rested her head on the table. She had thought that perhaps her sister had encountered the bat-ponies once, and that perhaps there would have been something in the diary to help.

But there was nothing. Not a single mention of bat-ponies anywhere to be found. The closest thing that was mentioned was vampire fruit bats, and a curious case of an unnamed pegasus who had taken on the bats’ qualities for a short amount of time.

She had read that particular entry several times over, desperate to find something that could be useful, but to no avail. The pegasus detailed in the entry had only taken on the qualities of a bat as a result of a misused spell. It wasn’t anything like the bat-ponies that had attacked the castle.

“Perhaps it has something to do with the changelings,” she muttered, voice echoing in the large, empty dining room.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about those bugs,” said a familiar voice. “Something tells me they aren’t the real problem.”

Luna sighed, straightening her posture and closing her eyes. “What are you doing here, Discord?”

The draconequus quickly materialized before her, lying across the dining table like it were a bed. “Well excuse me for trying to help. You just looked so sad, sitting there all on your lonesome with no answers in sight.”

She glared up at him, “How are you even here? Do you just randomly appear in places no matter what?”

He chuckled, glancing down at his claws and picking out specks of non-existent dirt. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. The funny thing about me is…” he levitated himself into the air, grinning down at her. “I can be both everywhere and nowhere.”

“Just answer my question. Do you know anything else about the bat-ponies or not?”

Floating down to the floor, Discord raised an eyebrow. “I know that they’re just like the changelings. As in, they aren’t your biggest problem.”

Luna gritted her teeth so hard she feared they would crack. The chaotic spirit wasn’t giving her any straight answers...and she hated it. It only caused the dread and anger in her chest to grow. “Stop with your riddles!” she hissed, slamming her hoof down on the table. “If you cannot be useful, then leave!”

Discord rolled his eyes, “Fine,” he grumbled. “But I can’t see into the future, you know. I’m the Spirit of Chaos, not a seer.” He paused for a moment, stroking his white goatee. “However, I do know that right now, Rainbow Dash is visiting Sweet Apple Acres to...dispose of a few vampire fruit bats that have been sighted there.” He smirked at the princess, “Would you like me to give her a message or something?”

Luna nodded, relieved to finally by getting somewhere productive with him. “Yes. Deliver it to her immediately.”

The draconequus feigned a yawn, “Oh, I’ll deliver it when I remember,” he answered dismissively. “Come on then, what’s your message?”

**** **** **** ****

Rainbow Dash’s pained screams echoed through the hallways, filling her ears as she galloped. She gritted her teeth in rage upon reaching the end of the corridor. Twilight had blood covering her hoof, a twisted grin on her mouth.
Rainbow was slumped against the wall, covering her eye and wailing in agony. She looked back at Twilight, and turned, aiming her hindlegs at the transformed pony. Fueled by anger, she bucked Twilight’s head with all the force she could muster.

She heard the body collapse to the floor. She turned around to face the bat-pony...only to see that she wasn’t getting back up.

Applejack woke with a start, goosebumps rising at the smallest sound. Her breathing was erratic as her gaze frantically scanned her surroundings. She was outside, in the middle of her apple orchard, lying underneath one of the trees. From the sun’s position, she could see that it was still early morning.

“AJ?”

The farm pony looked up as the pegasus approached. Slowly, she stood, a smile flickering across her mouth. “Mornin’ RD, glad ta see ya.”

The cyan mare pressed her lips together in a tight line, obviously hesitant to speak. “Ya know, as much as I like helping you, getting rid of vampire fruit bats isn’t exactly why The Chariot was made.”

“I know, but the little varmints are turnin’ all our apples ta mush, and I don’t wanna risk using another spell or somethin’ ta get rid of ‘em.”

Rainbow nodded, taking her enchanted bayonet from its sheath around her body. Voice muffled from holding the handle between her teeth, she answered. “Well at the very least, this will give me practice.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small dark figure perched on a branch, its red eyes staring at her.

With a toss of her head the bayonet whistled through the air, going directly through the creature’s heart. The vampire fruit bat fell from its branch, the blade still firmly in its chest. Rainbow walked forward, calmly removing her weapon and holding it in her mouth once again. She had gotten used to the metallic smell of blood, and by now it didn’t have any effect on her.

She proceeded to dispose of the few other fruit bats with ease, and in no time she was walking back to Applejack, tiny bodies littering the ground.

“You’re not mad, are ya?” asked the earth pony. “I know that must’ve been real borin’.”

Rainbow smirked, “Mad? No way. I could never be mad at you for something like this. Plus, it wasn’t really that boring.”

Placing her bayonet back in its sheath, she continued. “It was actually a nice change from vamponies and changelings. At least those little bats don’t try and kill you back.”

Applejack nodded, “Well thanks for gettin’ rid of ‘em. I really didn’t wanna have to use another spell again.”

“Yeah,” agreed the pegasus, “That didn’t work so well last time.” A sudden sadness coming onto her face, she added softly. “Plus, it’s not like we’d be able to do that since...you know, Twilight...isn’t here.”

Applejack cast her gaze down at the ground, refusing to meet her friend’s eyes. Her voice was quiet, barely above a shameful whisper. “I...I didn’t mean to...to kill ‘er, I really didn’t. It was an accident.”

Rainbow’s ears drooped, and she used her hoof to raise Applejack’s chin, forcing her to look up. “AJ,” she said quietly, “I know. You just wanted to protect me. Nopony is going to blame you for trying to protect your friend.”

Tears welled in the earth pony’s eyes. She knew that others would forgive her, but doubted that she would ever be able to forgive herself. The memories of that night still lingered, the guilt replaying in her mind over and over in her dreams.

Rainbow pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay, AJ.”

Applejack drew in a deep breath, pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes. “Thanks again for takin’ care of those little monsters, RD. I’d hate to think of what would’ve happened if...ya know...we got the same results as last time.”

The pegasus nodded, “Speaking of...that…” she absentmindedly kicked a rock with her hoof, “Have you...heard anything about Fluttershy? I’ve been trying to track her down, but…”

“Rainbow,” the earth pony interjected gently, “If she wanted ta be found, somepony would’ve found her weeks ago.”

The cyan mare stamped her hoof, “It’s been three motherbucking weeks, AJ! I’m getting worried!”

A chuckle came from behind her, “Now now Rainbow, I won’t have to wash your mouth out with soap, will I?”

The pegasus whirled around, narrowing her eyes at the draconequus now sitting atop one of the apple trees. “What do you want?”

Discord rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh, floating down from the tree. “Why does everypony always assume I want something? It’s quite insulting, really.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow in suspicion, “Okay...so what are ya doin’ here then?”

“I’m here to deliver a message.” He cleared his throat, and with a click of his claws, summoned an unrolled parchment. He smirked, suddenly changing his voice to mimic that of Princess Luna. “Dear Rainbow Dash, I know this is very last-minute, but tomorrow, I need you to go north to The Crystal Empire. I have reason to believe that the bat-ponies are coming from there. You are to go with Nightmare and investigate. Best of luck, Luna.”

Making the parchment disappear in a flash of light, Discord smirked. “So, you and Nightmare alone on an assignment together? Oh how I’d just love to be a fly on a the wall tomorrow!”

Rainbow and Applejack glanced at each other, then back at the draconequus. Rainbow pressed her lips together, “Did the Princess say anything else?”

Discord waved his paw dismissively, “Oh, she’s just her usual uptight self, nothing out of the ordinary.”

Rainbow took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She had no choice. She despised Nightmare and would rather cut off her own arm than work with the monster...but it was Luna’s orders. Surely she had paired the two of them together on this investigation for a reason.

Turning to Applejack, she managed to smirk. “Well...I’ll see you at the train station tomorrow, AJ.” She wanted nothing more than to storm into the Royal Castle and demand answers, but another part of her told her not to be so selfish. After all, they were trying to avoid a war. I trust you, Luna...Í just hope you know what you’re doing.

Chapter Six - Allies, Enemies, and In-Between

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Chapter Seven - Hide and Seek

Rainbow growled as she forced the door of Constella’s observatory open with a powerful kick. After dropping off her gear in her room, she had gotten the address from Cadence. Afterall, since Constella Star had been in charge of it, the building might hold at least some secrets of Sombra’s plans.

She walked into the bottom floor. Filing cabinets lined the bottom floor’s wall, everything neatly organized. In the center of the room was a spiral staircase leading up. Taking them, the first stop was an intermediary floor. This housed a series of gears connecting the tower to the dome atop it allowing the structure to spin when needed. Continuing to the dome itself, Rainbow found a large telescope, its large lense poking out through a rectangular hole in the roof of the dome. Near it sat a large desk covered with parchments, inkpots, and quills.

She walked over to the table, pushing aside star charts and scribblings of various constellations. Finally, her gaze landed on a page of scrawled writing, a nearby book seemed prepared to be reassembled. Must have not had the chance to add the new page. Squinting in an attempt to make out the messily written words, she read.

“

At long last, I believe I have found it. The key to my success, and the key to pleasing His Majesty. I have tracked down the pegasus pony I heard about, the one who was transformed into a bat. As it turns out, she never fully recovered, and that nature remained inside her until that creature the princess calls Nightmare escaped.

I found out the hard way that she is not as harmless as she once was. It seems that at some point, Nightmare bit her, but she managed to keep it under control long enough to hide away from civilisation. She still sends letter to her friends as well, as I found. How pathetic.

Now that creature is mine. I will create more of her. I will complete what I’ve always dreamed of. I will finally be able to call myself a true scientist.”

Rainbow stared at the page in front of her, eyes wide in disbelief. A thousand thoughts whirled in her head at once. It wasn’t possible, was it? Surely it just had to be a coincidence. Surely Fluttershy’s disappearance three weeks ago had nothing to do with some crazy pony.

The pegasus continued to stare at the page, as if transfixed by it, as she struggled to make sense of it all. She probably would have kept staring for some time, was it not for the sudden gleam of metal that caught her eye.

Curious, Rainbow turned away from the parchment. In the corner of the table, was what appeared to be a small lever, connected to a switch. It had been well-hidden...which meant it was important. So, reaching forward, Rainbow moved the lever.

She heard a noise coming from the stairwell. The stairs had ended in a hole leaving the stairs disconnected from the dome. Having assumed they were connected to the main structure she thought nothing of it. But now they were turning in place, gears right below Rainbow grumbling as they turned the staircase around. Once they stopped she removed her weapon from its sheath and descended the stairs. They lead passed the intermediary floor, down to the bottom floor. Once reaching there though she found a trap door, uncovered by the stairways movement leading furth down into darkness. Rainbow descended the steps, bayonet held firmly between her teeth.

**** **** **** ****

As Nightmare walked she slowly strode through the crowd getting a look of every pony as she went. Come now, where are you. She thought to herself, a large menacing grin plastered across her face. She ignored the odd looks of the crystal ponies as they gave her a wide birth leaving a path for her to walk. Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Then she found her target. A dark brown pegasus with a blonde mane and tail, cropped short. Her already large smile grew ever so slightly larger. The pegasus was looking at Nightmare as they passed and had immediately recognized that she had been spotted from the small tell. Her vibrantly green eyes flew open in surprise and immediately took off running, having realized a wing race would be cut shorter than her tail.

The dark form of Nightmare gave chase, after giving the mare the head start. No fun in ending the hunt when it had only just begun.

The pegasus was clearly more familiar with the streets of the Crystal Empire. She ducked and weaved her way through back alleys and tried to blend into the crowds. But Nightmare was hot in pursuit and had caught her scent. There was no way she was going to escape even through a hoof race. However, she had found her salvation. Its metal shell glinted in the moonlight.

“Halt!”

Nightmare had been following by scent at the time so the outcry had caught her by surprise. A stallion in silver armor carrying a steel lance at his side had stepped into her way pointing the weapon towards her. A royal guard. The nearby crowd had separated giving the pair room. As part of the crowd, her prey coward, hiding behind another guard. Just seconds later, another pair of guards stepped forward.

One of them yelled out, “Get on your knees!”

A rustle of metal and a look behind her caused her to notice that three more had appeared from behind.

Nightmare’s lip curled back into a sneer, bearing rows of sharp teeth. She looked towards the guard that had claimed her arrest. “My fight is not with you. You are merely in my way. I would kill you, but I was instructed not to do anything that could harm relations.” Her mane and tail darkened, and poured across the ground catching everyone by surprise before suddenly, the guards, along with every other ordinary pony around her, collapsed into a deep sleep.

“Sigh, I guess there’s no avoiding it.” The green eyed pegasus stepped forward having been the only one to not pass out from the crowd. She stepped over the guard that had come to her defence without ceremony leaving her face to face with Nightmare. “Very impressive, by the way,” she commented casually. “I’d told those guards you’d attacked me, to see if they would slow you down. Technically wasn’t a lie either. It seems I was wrong though.”

Nightmare chuckled at the thought of being slowed by simpletons. “Alright, no more games. There is no need for any more hiding. Honestly holding a disguise like that must be draining for you.” She growled “Or are you just to cowardly to shed your disguise.”

“My body is morphed into the shape. Changing back would be more draining, even if not by much.” She positioned herself into a fighting stance “But if it would please you, it has never been beneath me to take requests.” Green flames surrounded her rising to remove her from view as her fur was replaced with black chitin. Her voice started to echo and vibrate halfway through the last sentence.

Nightmare smiled at the mare before her. “Here, Let me shed mine” She tilted her head forward slightly, looking up to see the changeling. Her gold-tinted glasses barely held on at first, shattering on the ground when they finally slipped off. Her shadow bolt uniform tore loudly leaving large gashes of black mixed with the purples and yellow where her fur showed through. Despite the menacing face, her poise was elegant. One hoof in front of the other, shoulders relaxed.

She wasn’t preparing for a fight, no, she was ready for a feast.

Chapter Eight - Creatures of Darkness

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UPDATE

Hello everypony!

I'm so excited to announce that the first chapter of the new and improved story is up! Please remember to comment, it would mean the world to me.

Here's the link: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/380531/midnight

NOTE

Yes, this is not a chapter, but a very important author's note.

I'm sorry everyone, but "Nightmare" as it currently stands will not be continued. I want the story to be written the best way it can be from me, but believe as it stands it does not fulfil peoples expectations. Therefore I am re-planning the story.

I believe the story's lack of popularity is at least in part due to its heavy leanings on Hellsing. Along with that, I simply do not enjoy the story as it currently is. Writing it is more of a job now, and it is always my main goal to have fun when writing :)

While the new version will not leave its Hellsing undertones entirely, it will rely less on it. Rather that drawing direct references from the anime and manga, I will be focusing on creating a similar feel, from the story to the characters.

Currently I am working with TheForeman (personally I believe him to be a truly talented editor, with a real gift for storytelling), and will have the new version ready as soon as possible. I will be posting a final update chapter linking to the new version of the story once we have it out.

Thank you for reading.