The Bestowers

by Silver2820

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, Princess Luna, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Flurry Heart, Adventure, Tragedy, Princess Celestia
Length: 5956

Princess Flurry Heart discovers that her destiny is much greater than she could have ever predicted. With the fate of a lost kingdom in her hooves, Flurry Heart must find the forgotten kingdom and uncover its dark history before Equestria falls.

A forgotten kingdom. A dark magic. A blossoming destiny.

Princess Flurry Heart has been plagued with a dream of a place that shouldn't exist, a place where dark magic resides as a constant, hidden threat. However, the young princess fails to realize that her intervention to find a lost piece of Equestrian history may lead to a new enemy reawakening as well as the downfall of Equestria.

Published 2018-03-14 00:50:05 UTC
Last updated 2018-03-15 07:12:36 UTC

~Prologue~

Metal clashing against metal. Heavy war cries rumbled across the battlefield that was once their peaceful, small kingdom. Words were vehemently cast, gnarled, twisted screams of anguish erupted from all the fighting. Masses of shadow in the silhouettes of ponies marched down and reigned upon the innocent ponies. Above the fighting though, there was a blanket of shadow, seeping within the castle walls and among the ponies. Within the wall of darkness was a unicorn with a vile grin. He knew well that the kingdom would fall to his reign, and the ruler would be forced to bow down.

"Your highness, we can't delay any longer!"

"I know."

Inside the castle walls where smoke and shadow began to drift across the stone, cold floors, there was a tall, regal alicorn. She had a dark, velvet mane with a white coat to contrast the colors. Her irises were a bold shade of red as well. Despite her majestic form, it was weighed down by armor. Her eyes, which were normally rather soft and kind, held a sense of urgency and regret. She was currently using her magic to messily write down something on a scroll.

"My Queen-!"

"I need more time."

The guard shook his head submissively, and before he could say anything more, the castle shook again, as if to say times up. The queen snatched up the scroll in response, red hues flaming almost. She bolted out of the room, and perhaps that was the only time that the castle guard would ever see his queen in such disarray. The guard tried to follow the alicorn, making sharp turns at every corner only to see her tail whipping around the next hall. He soon caught up when the queen came to an abrupt stop, both of them watching as the cloud of smoke hovering above the ground began to take shape. The guard's eyes narrowed, gritting his teeth as he unsheathed his weapon.

"Go ahead, my queen. You mustn't delay any longer. I will be there once I finish up with the mongrels."

His serious tone made the royal almost hesitate. He had always been there for her, always helping her along the way. Though before she could let her feelings fester, she ran passed the shadow ponies, heading straight for the gardens. She couldn't allow herself to think of her guard's sacrifice. They both knew that those creatures were practically indestructible- unable to take any hits or blows, always coming back for round two. The queen grimaced as she came to a swift stop, now standing before two large pillars.

'I know what I must do.'

The alicorn's horn began to light up in a shimmery silver color as she closed her eyes, concentrating on the pillars with the scroll next floating next to her. Yes, they would serve as the- With a sudden jolt, the alicorn was thrusted backwards. Her wings screamed in protest from her weight because of how she landed on them. She groaned, trying to suck back in the air that had been knocked out of her. She shook her head slightly, trying to set her gaze back on the pillars only to meet a cold gaze. Her eyes widened at the sight of the male unicorn with his head held high. She could only muster a glare as she struggled to get back up on her own hooves again. The unicorn used his magic to envelope a rose in dark, purple color before lifting it to the queen's hair. He tucked it between her hair and her ear, almost giving a warm smile.

"A rose for my rose."

"Do not speak to me like that." She sneered at him, using her own magic to pull the rose from her hair.

She looked down at the dark rose, eyes filled with resentment and a sense of sorrow. She didn't know why she was starting to get all sentimental now. After all, this stallion was the reason behind her subject's suffering. He was the one who brought forth darkness, spreading fear in the heart's of her ponies.

"Ah, that's where you are mistaken. You've let your sense of duty and morality blind you from what's truly important."

"You deceive thyself! It is thou who has been blind!" She stomped her hooves down in protest, shaking her head as the rose fell to the ground.

Her horn began to light up as a smirk formed on his face. She only hardened her glare, a bitter expression molding on her face. She couldn't let him do this anymore, not to her or her people. She wouldn't stand idly by and watch everything that she had built from the ground up go crumbling down. His horn began to light up as well, and in a brief flash, a wave of magic surged within the air that nearly hit her if she had not cast a protection spell.

"Do you really think magic like that could take me down so easily?" She remarked before lighting her horn again, feeling her magic flow powerfully throughout her body. The scroll had risen up from the ground as well, being used as a guide for an old, forbidden spell. He seemed too distracted with her to notice that the pillars were starting to spark, initiating a powerful reaction.

"No, but then again, the spell wasn't directed at you, now was it?" The dark colt replied, eyes filled with amusement from her words. However, he finally twisted around once he heart a loud spark. His eyes widened at the sight of a large portal swirling behind him, ravaging anything it could pull inside.

"Your tyranny ends here."

The unicorn laughed, eyes widening as he jerked his head back to her. It was almost unsettling to see him wear such an expression, but the alicorn made no effort to understand him anymore. He was no longer sane, much less even a pony. Then again, what did that make her? ...to dribble in such dark magic as he did was a crime in itself that was inconceivable. She wouldn't know what to tell her people, only a lie would suffice as much as she dreaded doing so.

"Oh, rose, my pitiful rose, this won't stop me." He paused as he felt himself being drawn back to the portal, barely managing to maintain his current position. He raised his voice once more, "You cannot deny our destiny! We were meant to rule, and even if you do not see it now, you will soon!"

The unicorn chuckled louder and louder each time, initiating hysterical laughter that put the alicorn in a state of worry and anxiousness. What did he mean by that...? She began to protest, raising her own voice as well once the portal drew more power and strength. Its winds had started to reach out farther, sucking in everything it could before it was forced to vanish once more.

"What does that mean!?"

He only continued to erupt in laughter as the portal began to shine brighter and brighter. The queen closed her eyes, shielding herself with her wings before a white ray enveloped everything around her, leaving only mystery and tragedy in its wake.

Author's Note

First MLP Fanfiction! Let me know what you guys think so far, and I'll have the first chapter up soon!
~Silver~

~1~

At the heart of the Crystal Empire lied their benevolent castle where the royals lived. The crystal ponies had been more than grateful and accepting of their rule, especially after their endless suffering and misery with the former King Sombra. They all adored Princess Cadence, only wishing that her rule may keep their kingdom safe from harm. They couldn’t help but adore their prince as well, Shining Armor. Even though he had married into royalty, he still treated everypony the same as before. He still maintained and influenced the crystal empire’s army— should the need ever arise. Though the crystal subjects could not foresee another grim future upon them. Some had even come to believe that they had endured long enough, and that evil will now see that the Crystal Empire was too strong to usurp control. They had hoped with the defeat of King Sombra that no other force of darkness would ever again tread into their mighty kingdom.

Alas though, even their kingdom still had flaws. Why their very own princess was a flaw in itself. Ever since her birth, she has merely plagued the kingdom with her powerful magic, even if she hadn’t meant to cast it. As a filly, the child clearly had no control over it, and she would often cause trouble and run amok in the castle walls. There was even a time where the princess had been shockingly found near the border. The guards, of course with much trouble and protest, managed to take her home to her parents. The ponies could only begin to suspect that perhaps the child was more dangerous than they had previously mistaken her to be. Though they would never dare utter such a thing in front of the royals.

As the young princess grew into a beautiful mare, her magic improved. The young princess did everything she could to prove to them of how loyal and kind she was. She tried to earn their trust and loyalty in turn, just as her mother had. She had full confidence in her abilities, and yet there was still one thing amiss. Her cutie mark. Her parents had told her over and over again that it would come in due time and that there was nothing to fret over, but the alicorn princess could only hopelessly wonder and yearn for her cutie mark.

As the years continued to pass, she still had not received her cutie mark, and she knew well that the town would continue to gossip and whisper about it in the streets of their kingdom. Some even began to criticize her, and that only made the alicorn feel worse about herself. It made her question whether or not she was truly fit to be a royal, and how the crystal ponies could be so accepting of her mother and not of herself. Though not once did she ever show that she had been hurt by their gossip or their criticism. She would only continue to express her love for her subjects, even if they in turn could not reciprocate it.

“Flurry Heart!” an overly enthusiastic, pink pony rammed into the alicorn princess, nearly knocking her down.

The princess could only smile at the earth pony who had bright, blue shimmering eyes. The pony grin widened at her, and if Flurry Heart hadn’t known Pinky Pie personally, she might’ve thought she was a bit crazy and eccentric, especially with how poofy her mane and tail was. Though she wouldn’t lie. Flurry Heart was always appreciative to see her friends since she didn’t have many back at the Crystal Empire.

“It’s good to see ya again, Princess.” The strong, orange earth pony approached, wearing her signature cowboy hat.

“Yes, it is! You must tell me all about the latest improvements in the Crystal Empire!” A white unicorn approached with a purple, flowing mane.

She smiled down at the two, nodding appreciatively. The earth pony always made her feel at ease for some reason. Perhaps it was because of how confident Apple Jack appeared most of the time and how understanding she was. If only everypony could be that way.... The alicorn turned her attention to the unicorn. Of course, she knew what Rarity meant by improvements. She probably wished to know about anything pertaining to new fashion trends.

“Oh yes, I’d love to hear some improvements about the research being conducted about the Crystal Heart.” The lavender alicorn approached, having a twinkle in her eyes.

Rarity took a step back, almost being bashful as she recalled that there are certainly more important things to worry about other than fashion. Twilight Sparkle had always been on top of things like that. She didn’t blame the alicorn though. Flurry Heart was also a curious pony, maybe not as much as Twilight herself. Flurry Heart then looked down upon feeling arms wrap around her leg, giving a small laugh at the sight of a baby dragon hugging her with a smile on his face.

"Yes, I have brought the tastiest gems just for you, Spike. You know I would not have forgotten them." Flurry Heart then raised her gaze to the rest of them, addressing their questions, "Of course, I will share what I know with each of you. Though, where is Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?" She inquired before setting her gaze upon Twilight expectantly.

"Ah, well Fluttershy is out in the gardens-"

"And Dashie is out with the Wonderbolts!" Pinkie Pie cut Twilight off, grinning happily as she bounced in place.

"She's probably there to see you know who." Rarity added, a smirk making its way on to her face. Flurry Heart merely raised a brow before nodding in realization.

'She must be thinking of Soarin...' The light, pink alicorn thought, almost smiling.

If Flurry Heart recalled correctly, from the letters she had occasionally received from the mares, every one of them seemed to think that Rainbow Dash and Soarin had a thing for each other. Though the princess didn't blame them for thinking so. It hadn't been that long ago, but she remembered seeing the Wonderbolts perform before. From what she had seen, they all had done so well, and even though they were distant from her, she could see how they looked at each other when they flew together. Maybe it was just her overthinking things like usual. Besides, even Rainbow Dash managed to send her a letter every once in a while, and she never seemed to insinuate that she had deeper feelings for the pegasus when Furry Heart prompted her.

"Flurry Heart, it has been quite a while since I had last seen you." A familiar voice spoke up, and Flurry turned to see Celestia at her side.

On the opposite side of Flurry, Princess Luna stood as well. She appeared refreshed compared to Celestia. Even though the eldest Princess always wore a smile, it was not hard to see that the day had taken a toll on her. Luna must have just risen, and soon she would raise the moon up into the sky. Flurry had actually hoped to see the moon being raised tonight, and she had also hoped that maybe Luna could answer a few...questions. Before Flurry allowed herself to dive deeper into her thoughts, she embraced Celestia, wrapping a wing around her as best she could-- after all, the princess of the sun was rather tall compared to the rest of them.

Flurry was by no means hesitant when she released Celestia only to embrace Luna. Flurry had heard the wicked tale of Nightmare Moon, and how Twilight and her friends vanquished the darkness within her. Though, despite those stories, Flurry could never bring herself to fear Luna in any way. Maybe it was because it happened before she was born, or maybe she had grown too fond of her. Either way, she loved both Celestia and Luna. Flurry looked around the room, knowing that she was at home here because this was her family. She loved her parents too, but she felt at ease when she was around these ponies in particular. Speaking of her parents...

"Did my father stop by? I know he was in a hurry. I think he was a little eager to see his old friends here at the castle again." She gave a small laugh at the thought.

"Yes, Shining Armor did stop by. I was glad he did at the least. I missed my brother. I wish we could visit the Crystal Empire more often, but I guess duty calls." Twilight replied, slightly smiling at the alicorn.

Flurry nodded in understanding, noting the brief distant look in her Aunt's eyes. It was times like these that made her wish she could stay in Canterlot with the royal sisters or in Ponyville with Aunt Twilight and her friends. Though she knew she had obligations in the Crystal Empire, even if her mother was still mainly in control of everything. That is why her mother was forced to stay behind. It was risky leaving the empire unattended.

"Well," Princess Celestia began, sensing the slight shift of tension in the room, "How about we head for the dining hall, and I'm sure I can get my chefs to prepare something for all of us."

"That is quite alright sister, but you are all welcome to go ahead. The evening is coming to a close, and I must make sure the moon has risen."

There was a look in Luna's eyes that seemed to give Celestia a hint that she should probably go ahead and lower the sun to make way for the night. The white alicorn nodded in understanding before turning to the others.

"I apologize, but I must lower the sun. I did not realize how late it was. Perhaps we can all gather in the morning, and I can have my cooks prepare something nice for all of you."

The ponies all nodded in agreement, and Flurry was a little relieved. She didn't have an appetite after the long travel, and she did not want to give the impression that she didn't like what had been prepared. She was also tired, and from the way Celestia appeared, she could assume that the elder sister felt the same way.

"I'm sure you all know where your rooms are, but if you need help, please feel free to ask." When nopony spoke up, the alicorn nodded before leaving the room with Princess Luna. The rest of them, all weary from their travels-- with the exception of probably Pinkie Pie-- all went to their designated rooms. It had seemed as though Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had recently just returned since Flurry looked down the hall, spotting the two mares.

Only when she had peered out of the window in the hall had she realized that she had forgotten to seek Luna out. The alicorn princess closed her eyes, feeling her horn spark to life before she had vanished and reappeared outside on a balcony. She had opened her baby blue eyes only to see Luna use her wings to life herself off the ground. Flurry watched in awe as the alicorn's horn began to glow with magic, spreading out her wings as far as she could before the moon slowly began to lift up into the night sky. The stars seemed to dance and twinkle in enlightenment upon this, eager to have the moon cast its soft light upon Equestria. It all seemed to end too soon though for Flurry as Luna slowly lowered herself to the ground. Luna was nearly startled at the younger alicorn's appearance before smiling.

"Ah, Flurry Heart. I am pleased to see that you are here with me. I was about to send word that I needed to speak with you." Luna started to speak as Flurry's light hearted expression seemed to fade, "Cadence asked me to speak to you about the dream that has been bothering you. Do you wish to share it with me? Perhaps I can help." The darker mare smiled reassuringly at Flurry, guiding her back inside the tower.

"Well... It's not that bothersome, Luna." Flurry murmured quietly.

"Yet you seem to think that they're somehow real." Luna pressed on the matter more, showing concern in her dark, blue eyes.

"Mother has told you quite a bit, hasn't she?" Flurry Heart remarked, sighing softly as they continued to walk through the corridor lit only by the moon's rays.

"Indeed she has, but I would rather hear it from you." Luna remained persistent on the matter, only making Flurry lower her gaze to the floor.

"I... suppose I could tell you. Mother thought I was rambling nonsense, and she said that I shouldn't worry about it. She claimed it was just a dream that would come and go, as most dreams should. What do you think Luna?" Flurry Heart asked, eyes meeting the older alicorn's gaze.

"Yes, some dreams do come and go. Though sometimes, in rare cases, dreams can show a deeper meaning. There have been times where it has shown the future, and other times, it has only shown our greatest fears." Luna paused before lowering her wing around Flurry, "Please do share. I would feel much better knowing that I could try to help put your mind at ease."

"...A war." Flurry swallowed thickly, closing her eyes as she saw images reappear in her mind.

"War?" Luna trailed off, her eyes betraying her by showing worry.

"Yes, war." The pink mare paused, breathing out quietly before continuing on with the dream, "I've never seen this place before, and I have even looked through the royal archives to see if I could find anything about it. Unfortunately, I didn't. This kingdom is as mysterious as the dream itself."

"A kingdom? Well... I suppose there isn't anything peculiar about that. What else of it?" Luna inquired, allowing the mare to speak again.

"A battle is taking place there. A...shadow is there. Its everywhere. It takes the form of ponies, and they begin..." Flurry Heart shudders for a moment, feeling the pain from her dream again, "slaughtering the ponies. They tear them to pieces, each and every one of them- from fillies to mares to stallions. All of them. Blood is everywhere, and I don't know why-"

Luna's wing tightened around Flurry, trying to provide some form of comfort for the young princess.

"It just felt...so real. Luna, it felt like I was there, like I was one of them. I could feel the agonizing pain they felt. I could feel their misery and despair. I just... I wish I couldn't feel it. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to feel that way? To not want to endure their pain, even though it is their story to share--"

"Flurry Heart, you mustn't think that way. You forget that this is a dream." Luna intervened, cutting off the mare before Flurry shook her head.

"No, you don't understand. I could feel it as if that was happening to me. It was real, Luna. Irregardless if it had occured in my dreams. I know it sounds crazy to think that way, but I know those ponies are real. Just as you and I are." Flurry Heart protested, and Luna could only sympathize and nod at her.

"I... believe you. If you truly believe that this dream is real, then perhaps there is more to it." Luna said, returning her gaze to the princess.

"Thank you-- but there is more. Besides the fighting, I also saw somepony of great importance. She was an alicorn, just like us. She had a dark red mane and tail, but I couldn't see her cutie mark. From the way it sounded, she was the one ruling the kingdom, but she was.. frightened. She was confronted by a stallion, and by the way he talked and spoke, he was the one destroying her kingdom. He wanted her to join him... She refused, and at the end, she opened a portal and banished him there."

"Is that all, Flurry?" Luna asked quietly, and she watched the young princess nod in response, "Well, I don't think it is projecting the future or anything, but I think it may be showing some inner conflict with yourself."

Flurry then pulled away from Luna, eyes contorting to show her shock of disbelief. Mother...

"Mother told you that she thought it was because of my cutie mark, didn't she? She said the same thing! Well, Luna, it has absolutely nothing to do with my dream! So what if I don't have my cutie mark? I don't care what other ponies think of me, or how ashamed everypony is of me for it." Flurry Heart could feel tears well up in her eyes as Luna felt regret take hold of her.

"Flurry, that's not what I-"

"Oh, I know, what you and mother meant. You both think I'm upset about it, but no, that's not what I'm upset about! I'm sad that nopony will believe me when I say that this dream has nothing to do with how I think or feel!"

Flurry then bolted down the corridor, ignoring Luna's booming voice of protest. She ran as far as she could, only to stumble upon her room again. Relieved and thankful that her hooves had carried her back to her room, she entered inside only to fall on the bed and weep tears of anguish. Nopony believed her when she said that it had nothing to do with her cutie mark. Maybe it does... Flurry angrily wiped tears off her cheeks, burying her face in her pillow. She then used her magic to pull the blanket over her shaking form, crying herself to sleep.

A foreboding and ominous fog rolled in, keeping the pink mare almost blind. She could barely see through the dense, thick fog all around her, and all she could here was the soft weeping of somepony. Flurry stepped ahead, trying to pinpoint the location of the crying pony, but it was almost as if it was all around her. Flurry began to run despite not being able to see well, and the crying only got louder and louder, yet the pony who cried never came into view.

"H-Hello?! Is anypony there?" Flurry paused as the sobbing came to a stop.

What surprised the mare is that the fog seemed to move around, forging a path for her to follow. She felt hesitant to go on, but she didn't know what else to do.

'This must be a different dream.' Flurry thought to herself, and that thought alone was more than enough to rekindle her spirit of hope and encourage her to move forward. Flurry trotted along, trying to be weary of her surroundings until a large castle came into view. Her eyes widened upon realization that this was the same castle from her previous dream. Though this time, there was no blood. Only crying.

"When did the crying start again...?" Flurry muttered to herself, trailing on inside the walls bordering around the castle itself.

She hadn't been paying attention when she had tripped, but she had hit something hard and cold. She groaned, readjusting her wings as she stood back up. She used her hoof to rub her cheek, focusing on the statue that she had fell against. Though she stopped rubbing her cheek as a chill ran up her spine. A sense of dread filled her heart and body as she looked around. The fog seemed to somewhat disperse, allowing her to see multiple statues of ponies. All of them were in different positions, but there was something that they all shared in common. Fear. Their expressions expressed how frightened and terrified each of them were, and even the ones that appeared to be in a fighting stance seemed somewhat scared. The battle. Flurry Heart shivered as she forced herself to carry on, despite how life-like and realistic each of the statues were.

She was relieved to be inside the castle, even though the place was dusty and almost in shambles and ruins. The princess could hear the sobbing even louder now, prodding her to seek out the source rather than explore the mysterious ruins. She wondered what her friends would do if they were in her hooves, hearing the mysterious crying. She wished she could ask for their help, considering she honestly didn't want to face this alone. Maybe it really was someone just.... crying. Perhaps they needed comfort and a friend. She doubted that though because of how dreadful the previous dream had been. She wasn't sure if she was relieved anymore. After all, in the other dream, she at least knew what to expect. In this dream, the unknown was the scariest thing.

"Anypony?" She called out, almost whispering in a hushed tone after she had creaked open a large door.

She paused, listening for the pony until she realized the pony wasn't there. She huffed slightly, closing the door. She hadn't anticipated that somepony would be this hard to find. How long had she been wandering the castle? She couldn't tell. After all, this had to be a dream, and dreams felt like they ran on forever in her mind-- either that, or they felt as though they had barely begun. Obviously, they had felt longer in her recent dreams. Though as she pondered over it, she saw an entrance that led outside to a certain garden. There. Next to the steps that lead up to two large, stone pillars, a pony hidden beneath a cloak lay desperately weeping.

"Are..." She paused, unsure of how to go about this, but she forced herself to continue, "Are you okay?" She approached the hooded figure, standing next to the pony.

All she had received in response was more endless tears. She frowned, feeling disheartened at the sight with a twinge of sympathy. If only Aunt Twilight was here with her friends, they would know how to deal with this. Even Celestia would know what to do, or even Luna-

The young princess nearly huffed at that thought. No. She would prove to them all that she was just as capable as they were. For pony's sake, this was just a weeping mare! Surely, she could help in some way? Or at the very least, figure out what was making her cry so much. The alicorn princess reached a hoof back, smiling reassuringly.

"Please don't cry. What's the matter?" She pried, placing her hoof on their shoulder only to withdraw it back, nearly stumbling. The pony had snapped at her, eyes glowing a viscous red color. The hood had been cast aside, only to reveal that this pony had been nothing but a dangerous shadow creature. It whipped around her, encircling her as its weeping turned into sickening cackles. Flurry Heart felt confined and trapped, heat rising as her body began to shake. She feverishly looked around her, trying to spot an opening from among the shadow that seemed to thicken and surround her. Instead of its pony form, the shadow merely had a pair of piercing red eyes that shone through the darkness. Flurry's horn was encased in her own magic, trying to light everything around her. The shadow seemed irritated by that, almost genuinely crying out in agony from the light touching it.

"Begone demon of the darkness!" She cried out, her horn massively growing brighter before she sent a shockwave of light all around the garden area. The shadow shrieked in bitter pain, completely dissipating from the light's harsh rays. Flurry heart could only breathe heavily, her heart pounding as she scanned around the area, searching for the shadow again.

'What was that thing?!' She questioned herself mentally, already knowing that she had no idea.

It almost, however, reminded her of the stories about King Sombra. They claimed he was a King of Shadow, holding only a malicious intent for the Crystal Empire. She shivered at meeting such a dark entity. Had that been the doing of King Sombra? Was he somehow alive even after the Crystal Heart shattered him to pieces. She had hoped that he was long dead.

She was suddenly caught off guard as she was thrown forward, knocking her to the ground roughly. She scrambled to get up, only to be pushed down once more. She started to struggle against the surprising, overwhelming weight of the shadow creature, feeling a sharp pain digging into her forelegs. She could feel the pressure building on her wings as she blinked away tears. She could barely breath from how overbearing the shadow was. She started to scream in twisted agony as she heard the bones in her wings begin to snap and crack, reverberating throughout the garden. She tried using her horn again, to somehow muster magic to create light, but she felt a throbbing pain. She winced, barely being able to breathe between cries of agony. The shadow was suffocating her, obliterating any light she could permeate. She could hear its sinister hissing, its ominous red gaze piercing straight through her. She could only stare back with teary, blurry vision before closing her eyes tightly. She flinched upon hearing a bold war cry, shielding herself as best she could. The weight seemed to disappear, allowing her to suck in a deep breath. Her wings, although brittle and weak now, seemed to wail in agony as she tried to fold them back against her sides again. She clumsily rose up, finding it harder to stand her ground.

It was only then that Flurry took notice of who had saved her from the shadow monster. It was her. The alicorn queen with a red mane and tail, her wings fully extended out. Her red eyes seemed to search the perimeter for the creature as she walked around Flurry, almost in a protective stance.

"I have been calling to you for many moons, and now that you are here, I can tell you that I seek your aid." She spoke, her voice soft and calm, despite the situation they were currently in.

"What do you mean? How can I help-- I couldn't even stop that thing!" She protested, still on her guard as her horn emitted her own magic.

"I don't have time to explain because I fear it will return shortly. I understand that things are unclear, but you must believe me. When you awake, you will know where to go." She finished as the shadow began to manifest itself in front of the two alicorns.

Flurry could only watch in horror of how it stretched so far, its ruby eyes burning as though they were flames from the deepest pits of hell. She felt her legs begin to shake as her eyes widened in pure fear. It was unnatural and distorted, but she could practically feel the evil in its heart- if it had one- radiate off it.

"I-I can't!" She stuttered, hooves digging into the ground before ducking as a blast came hurling towards her.

The Queen gritted her teeth, eyes flaring up as she shielded the younger alicorn without heeding its consequences. The shadow used it as a window of opportunity to strike at the stronger alicorn, hooking on to her leg before making her fall back.

"No!" Flurry cried out, but the protective shield still remained around her, rendering her useless.

"Do not fear, child! We will meet again!" She called out, a sad but fearful look in her eyes as the shadow pulled her further inside.

It had seemingly consumed her as a wailing cry of pain erupted inside the garden. Flurry could only hide her face with her hooves, tears threatening to spill once more as she heard the endless cries of the queen. She didn't dare open her eyes in fear that a pair of glowing red ones would be right in front of her.

'It's just a dream... It's just a dream...' She kept reminding herself over and over again, and despite that, she didn't feel any better.

Author's Note

I hope you guys aren't too disappointed. The characters may be a bit OOC or something, especially since this is my first time writing about them. Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments. I'd love to improve my work.
~Silver~