Flesh and Fear

Evil never dies.

It is true that the darkness can be pushed back, held at bay, and sometimes forgotten. But somewhere, dark and sticky, it always dwells. Such was even true when something as powerful as the Elements of Harmony were used to vanquish a foe, for something so pure is not used to destroy. This was very much the cause of Equestria’s continued aggressors. Whether the recurring returns of the Windigos, no matter how minor, or the return of Discord each time the Elements lost the connection to their wielders, one could say the Equestrians inability to kill was an undoing.

Such was sadly the case when the Elements vanquished Nightmare Moon upon her return. As princess Luna was purified of the darkness that dwelled in her heart for a thousand years, her pure and kind mind being unveiled once more, the evil that had possessed her before still lived. The disembodied spirit of Nightmare Moon still existed, unable to harm, unable to exact her influence upon the world around her, but still very much alive and whole.

As the smoke lifted, had any of the Elements taken closer notice, they would have seen the thick darkness seep into the cracks on the floor, disappearing from the rejoicing group. The mind controlling the embodiment of fear knew only rage now. It had no brain to formulate plans, no body to know feeling or sensation, only the anger at having been defeated. The dark mist continued its travel through the cracks of the ancient castle, before meeting the soil beneath.

The great evil, at last at home in darkness, seeped in like polluted water. As celebrations went on above, heralding the return of the lunar princess by those who were brave enough to view her, critical events were beginning to unfold beneath the Everfree Forest. The darkness touched and probed the new structure it had found. Smooth and cold, metallic like the armour its former body had worn.

The large structure rounded smoothly under the tons of soil pressed on top of it, its surface all but flawless. But the evil cared not for the facts of its construction, it’s anger merely demanded it pass through the space. Its liquidated body passed across the surface, searching for a way through. There, a crack. Like a rat desiring food in a maze, the evil crept its way into the narrow gap in the otherwise perfect surface.

The inside of the structure was dry, pristine, the air holding no heat. But the evil was not deterred by the cold temperature within, it had spent a millennia in the absolute zero temperatures that made the moon’s surface. Though the evil did not have eyes, it saw the only object that was contained within this space, this tomb.
A body laid upon the slab in the centre of the room, its limbs bound by strips of ancient, buckled leather. Poorly mummified, the body showed great rot upon its surface. Shrivelled eyelids clung onto the spheres that rested beneath them, the lips long gone from the series of incisors they once served to protect and hide. The air had not been cold enough to preserve the body completely, but much of what had dwelled beneath the skin and hair was still pristine. The muscles were still perfect in their state, the bones untouched.

Although the evil spirit that continued to press itself onwards had no eyes to truly see, it believed it could see something around the body that it felt was there, like millions of tiny pinpoints of light. And that it heard voices, endless voices speaking in unison together. But it was a body, empty and lifeless, a potential host for it to use. After moment of the liquid hanging, like a person deciding to leap from a branch, a single droplet fell from the mass, colliding with the teeth of the dead body. Then another, and another. Each droplet that didn’t immediately miss them slid slickly off the teeth into the awaiting mouth they bordered, gliding across the tongue nestled in the jaw before they coated the throat.

Each and every cell was taken, probed and infested. The soul of Nightmare Moon needed to have a shell to puppeteer for her own ends. But the mind. Oh, what she found was such a complex one. Every last fibre of it screamed intelligence, brutal intelligence. It would serve her well. Her will began to pour through its being, ready to take for her own. But the element Nightmare Moon was most impressed with, she herself overlooked. The will to survive.

Slowly, the eyes crept open. Once, the dry irises had been green, but as fresh liquids finally began to coat them, they began to shift, taking on Nightmare Moons slit pupils, glowing green irises and piercing gaze. Then all at once, her hold faltered. The great pony of fear and darkness was bombarded by the lights. Then she could perceive them, spectral faces that held her in place, with one, far larger one amongst them. The owner of this body.

The massive manifestation of the mind seemed to contemplate her for a moment, as if deciding she was worth removing from the mental scape. Then, in some way, she knew it was smiling. Its great maw opened, before the teeth came crashing down on Nightmare Moons mind, and she was reduced to oblivion.
But though that the mind of Nightmare Moon was reduced to nothingness, the power of her evil, the effects of her fear, the sheer force of her magic’s remained, claimed by a new wielder. The eyes lurched open once again, spinning wildly. The body knew nothing but pain now. Ages without sustenance had drained the body, only magic keeping it alive. The lungs wheezed as they tried drawing breath through a rotted windpipe.

With an arch of it’s spine, the body tore the leather straps that bound its limbs. The strength of its muscles failing, the form fell from the concrete slab, impacting hard upon the ground. The bones cracked at the impact, splintering through the papery skin. For a moment, it laid there, broken. And then it moved, more carefully. The broken bones realigned, before suddenly healing altogether.
With exaggerated care, the newly resurrected creature held itself upon all fours, breathing the stale air of its own tomb. Raising its head, its sharp eyes stared around taking in the few structures, before, with a powerful exhale, it screamed in rage.

A/N: Ok, this is my first story submitted up here, so I'm not exactly sure how to use a lot of it. I'm not too sure where to go with this fic, but if I get enough people asking me, I'll continue it. AH