Soul's Poison: Into the Dark World

They've stormed through the empty halls of the castle that for a long time lies in ruins. While doing so, they couldn't shake a feeling that the shadows and darkness was mockingly laughing at them.

"Show yourself, coward! Your tricks are nothing for us," Rainbow screamed into the dark depth of a castle. That time, they've gone through the halls that reminds of throne room in the Canterlot's castle. Old tapestries hang behind something that someday was the thrones. Now, they are old and on the verge of crumbling.

"Pinkie! You'd been in here before, so I believe you know the place where that nasty sorcerer could be hiding," Rarity said, while taking a look at the tapestries.

"Huh? Why, of course! I... Lemme remember... There is enough space in the library... Uh, there is a lot of hidden catacombs... Oh! I know! I know! Behind those doors, there is a pedestal with some strange stones. Every time I walk in there I always feels content," she pointed at the farthest door to their right.

"Why, let's get this scum and sent him right where he belongs!" Dash said as she banged the door with a one kick. She immediately got into the room and started pointing at everything around with a revolver. The room was empty, though. Everyone entered right after Rainbow and got under the aura of the artifact. Even Rainbow lowered her gun.

"Woah, Pinkie, are you tendin' the place? This door movin' so smoothly..." Applejack noticed.

"Why not, I was here a week ago. I needed to restock the Dream Givers, and I was like, oh, I need to oil every door in that castle, and well... That what I did it," She replied.

"Now, ah understand, why ya disappear from time to time," Applejack said. "At least, it's anyway better than those gossips that you're receiving extra payment from your clients and paying your purveyors with specific ways..."

"Which ways?" Pinkie asked with innocent eyes and smile on her face.

"Definitely not the same as yer smile right now," Applejack answered.

In the same time, Twilight was inspecting the stones and the pedestal, they were on. Spherical in shape and with some engravements on the side. Looking at them in arcane sight, she saw that the powerful magic resides in the stones dormant.

The aura must be the byproduct of this magic. Twilight thought. And if aura is so strong, than I wonder how powerful this magic must be, not in the dormant state.

She sent a pulse of magic into one of the stones, to see if something happens, but nothing did. She sent some more only to come to the same conclusion.

"It's nothing in here, Pinks! So we'd better head to somewhere else. What'cha said about cata..." Rainbow was interrupted by the grim laugh. Everyone started to looking around with raised weapons even though the aura started to intensify.

"Ha-hah, foals," The voice laughed as if from everywhere. "If my dear sister sent someone like you all on your own, than this millennia have softened her, and unfortunately to say as it is, my subjects were true."

Dark mist started to congregate in the opposite side to the door. Everypony in the room immediately ran up to Rainbow, who was standing in front of the place where the dark clouds started to thicken. Out of the cloud a tall dark figure stepped out.

"So, it's you who've been throwing the tricks around here, isn't you?" Rainbow said, pointing her handgun at the dark mare in a clad black armor. It wasn't covering her from head to toes, so accurate shot may end her quickly.

"Tricks?! How dare thou speakest of us in such inappropriate tone, foal! We art Nightmare Moon, the monster of the darkest dreams and the one who will bring the nighttime eternal on the land of Equestria," Nightmare Moon's exalted speech sent chills down the spines. Rainbow gulped down but remembered that the gun was still in her hand. The bullet fly right into unprotected neck...

...Only to disappear in the little black cloud that appeared in mere inches from the neck. The bullet flied out of the cloud, though. In the reverse direction.

Rainbow only hissed as the bullet draw a red line on her cheek, and hit the floor in the back. "You really thought that your pathetic weapon really would be able to hit me?! You are way more foolish then I expected. It would such a pity if a feather brain is applicable for all the pegasi that serves my sister," she mocked, while looking at the slowly bleeding cyan pegasus. "Even if some of you looks more stupid then those snobs that tried to ingratiate my sister, I still would like to play with you all, but I must kill you, because you are standing on my way."

What to do?! What to do?! She's gonna kill us! She's gonna kill. Twilight was mentally panicking. And why I'm feeling so good?.. Wait... What the...

There was a slight movement in the shadows behind Nightmare. Then, out of shadows a lightning strike right into the dark mare. The black cloud consumed it though.

Nightmare didn't even looked at him, when the wave of black clouds flied right where Dusk was hiding. The raven falls on floor and it's body started to writhe. It takes a lot to Twilight just not to run towards the body. Sending a pulse by the connection between her and her familiar, and it said that Dusk was using the healing spell like crazy.

"Everything... Hurts..." Dusk sent a mental to Twilight and she felt a bright glimpse of pain behind it. It's good that the connection brings the feelings briefly. If she would feel the same pain, she'll probably writhe on the ground like Dusk did.

"Such a worm," Nightmare said, while Twilight stood in front of Rainbow. "Oh, and it's must be the owner, not isn't it?"

Twilight remained silenced. She tried to gather all the fury, only to find that all of it was solaced. In Nightmare Moon's hand a ball of black fire appeared.

"You're good toys to play with, but every toy must broke someday. Your time is over!" She proclaimed and the ball, that was in size of a small corn, started to expand.

Twilight only calmed down a bit more, and by the looks of it, her companions were in the same condition. No one noticed how the stones on the pedestal started to crumble, and the light started to shine through the gaps.

When the sphere of fire was the size of a buckball, Nightmare throw it at Twilight, but Twilight put a shield. When the two things collide, a little explosion happened.

The spell didn't look like something strong. At least, it wasn't at its maximum. She thought, as she wipe off the blood that flowed out of her nose and she take away the crumbling shield.

"And that's all? Are you going to use something stronger?" She shouted, not sure where that bravery come from.

"Stronger?! Foal! Thou shall going to regret these words!" Nightmare replied as she summoned another ball. This time it grows faster and bigger.

An explosion destroyed her shield like it was nothing but the remaining power were consumed by the unknown power. The other ball, that fly right after that one, met another shield, but the shield was weaker, so its disappearance was obvious.

The second wasn't there, so dark spheres flied straight into them, but it's more like disappearing right in front of their faces in the blast of colors.

"What in tarnation? Twilight are ya doing that stuff?" Applejack asked, while watching all the beauty before her.

"I am little low on magic, so my answer is no," she replied, while watching as the black orbs were fruitless at damaging them.

"I'm not sure what with the whole thing, but if it messes all the projectiles then I don't mind it," Rainbow said, watching the rapid bombardment on their invisible shield.

When Nightmare Moon stopped, she saw that the mares were standing as if nothing happened. "What?! Argh, no matter what you use, we will still... Wait, don't you dare... Don't you dare!" She realized that something's wrong. Something definitely wrong. She tried to make a step back only to find out that she can't move in the slightest.

The power started to envelop them. The color of ray around them was changing from white to all color of the rainbow. The whole thing makes Nightmare Moon to struggle in panic and fear, but she can't do anything rather than watch and see how she would be defeated by the same cursed artifacts, that were used against her before.

They took off from the ground, but they didn't feel it. An euphoric feelings took over them and the whole world gone blurry. They tried to focus on something... Anything, but all the things they could think in the same moment was defeating their enemy. The artifacts give them the feelings as if they already won, and technically this is what it is.

They were in the midair as the rays connected them, making them drown in the good feeling, while Twilight felt a rush of power. For her, everything becomes a simple spell, and the only thing she needs to do is to fill the matrix. That's what she has done.

It takes moments, but the white ray of power strikes Nightmare Moon. To be honest, it hits the ground beneath the Nightmare. The power started to envelop her too.

By the end of it all, the loud bang was made.

For Rainbow, the awakening was hurtful. All the body parts were aching. The memories were all faded. With grumbling, she raised though.

A sudden facilitation hit her when she was raising from the ground. It was as if there was no pain at all.

When she managed to stood properly, she saw what was around. Unconscious bodies of her friends but not dead, to her relief.

Twilight though was hovering over the ground beside the body of a blue unicorn, but when she looked precisely at the body, she understand that unicorn was an alicorn.

Also, she felt extra weight on her neck. When she looked down there, she saw that on her neck was a golden necklace, with a red gemstone encrusted in it. It wasn't circular in shape. Instead, it was like the thunderbolt that was on her cutie-mark.

Her friends had the same necklaces but different stones. Pink butterfly was on Fluttershy, blue balloon on Pinkie, orange apple on Applejack and purple diamond on Rarity. Twilight for herself had a golden tiara with purple six-point star.

Ponies started to awaken. By the looks of it, they were through the same as Rainbow. Twilight was in that meditating state over the earth, though.

After some minutes, Twilight awakes. The strange alicorn awakens too.

"What... What happened? Who are you?.. Wait! You are... You are..." An alicorn started to blubber. Then, everyone heard the hoofsteps. A golden wave of guards have broke the door to their back.

Celestia walked through the door. "WHO DARES TO PILLAGE THE RUINS, THAT I ONCE CALLED HOME?!" She shouted, while glancing those who was in the hall. Her expression turned to the shocked one, when she saw the blue alicorn. "Luna? What... Is that you?"

"Sister!" Blue alicorn screamed as she approached her sister. They made a true sisterly hugs. Celestia left her eyes open, though. Her expression turned to grim one as she saw six ponies and a dragon.

When they broke the hugs, Celestia spoken, "So, is that the famous Twilight Sparkle, that managed to run away from my fair judge and caused my wrath with it. Are you going to confess in your committed crimes and receive an appropriate punishment or are you going to run off again and probably be killed in the process." After some time she added, "The same goes for your accomplices."

"What? Sister what are you talking about. Those mares saved us from Nightmare Moon's affection... They were chosen by the Elements! Sister, how can they be criminals?" Luna defended the mares.

"You don't know them, Luna. Those mares committed numerous crimes. At least, that purple unicorn," She replied and pointed at Twilight.

"That purple unicorn was the one who activated the Elements of Harmony. Don't you see. She becomes an embodiment of Magic," Luna protested.

Celestia stayed silenced. The mares before her stood waiting for her decision.