Cantervania: Symphony of the Nightmare

As critters slowly started to wake up in the surrounding countryside, Ponyville continued to sing and dance, the dawn only a few hours away now. All the ponies of Ponyville were enjoying the festivities, save for one.

In the town library, a solitary unicorn sat alone in her room, reading a letter she had received several hours ago.

She shook with fear as she read the message from her very own mentor, Princess Celestia herself.

”My dearest student,

I understand you have been reading the old legends as of late. You are aware then, of the prophecy that dictates Nightmare Moon will return on the longest day of the thousandth year?

It is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you, that the old legends are true. And it is my belief that this years Summer Sun Celebration is when she will return.

Twilight Sparkle, I must ask a heavier burden of you still. My sister’s strength will have only grown in power in her banishment, and I fear I cannot face her once again. By the time you read this I will be gone. Seek the Shadow, find and uncover the Tomb of the Moon. Only together, can you save Equestria from certain doom.

The road will be hard won, my student, but I have the utmost faith in you. Never give up hope.

- Celestia.”

Twilight Sparkle’s tongue felt dry and heavy, like she’d just eaten chalk. Her lip trembled as she read the letter again and again. She frantically scrambled forwards, grabbing any and every book on ancient history she could find. Soon, a stack of books lay next to her, some useful, some less than useful. Each a heavy, thick tome of chapter upon chapter of ancient Equestrian knowledge.

Those foreboding words stuck out to her Celestia was supposed to raise the sun, signalling the Celebration’s start as she had every year since the first. If she was gone then...

The unicorn gulped. She glanced out the window at the dark skies above Canterlot, far in the distance, and the Moon shining brightly above, and felt an uneasy sense of dread in her heart.

The Princess had originally sent her to Ponyville to make friends and continue her magical studies, and Twilight had quickly met and befriended the five most well known ponies in Ponyville. The honest Applejack, of the great Apple dynasty, the beautiful and generous Rarity, Ponyville’s own fashion forward trend-setter. The immeasurably loyal Rainbow Dash, who would stand by her friends no matter what. The kind and timid Fluttershy, who’s tenderness was known for miles around, and last but not last, Pinkie Pie, the single greatest party planner pony in possibly all of Equestria.

Twilight thought about them sadly. In just a few weeks since coming to Ponyville she had already created so many memories with them all, but tonight of all nights, she feared it could all come crashing down in a matter of hours. She realised she couldn’t dare tell any of them, including her dearest friend Spike, whom she’d known since he was an egg.

“The risk is just too much,” she mumbled quietly. She put her head in her hooves and sighed. “Oh, Spike, I wish I could-”

The door swung open, startling her, and a small purple dragon stood with a lamp shade on his head. He waved up at her and said with a smile, “Hey Twilight, Pinkie Pie’s starting pin the tail on the pony! Wanna play?”

She waved a hoof at him. “I’m sorry, Spike, I’m really busy with... My studies.” She forced a smile and felt a pang of guilt as she glanced at the letter again.

He waved a claw and chuckled. “You really should relax, Twilight. It’s a party!” He shrugged and smiled as the door closed gently behind him.

Twilight opened another book and flicked through the pages. She sighed and threw it to one side, adding to the discarded pile she had made. She went to pick up another book and froze as she saw a symbol she hadn’t seen before--two lightning bolt shapes mirrored together, emblazoned on the front. She bolted upright as she read the title underneath:

”Monstrum: A Shadow’s Best Friend.”

Twilight went giddy with delight. “All that searching finally paid off!” She held the book up and read the pages. Her eyes widened in awe as she realised this was a compendium of several different Shadows’ knowledge, all pooled together and written in chapters about their experiences. Her stomach churned as she read descriptions of brutal fights with chimeras and manticores, with one Shadow even venturing into the mouth of a Leviathan to retrieve an ancient treasure.

With a morbid curiosity, she read about the difference between a ghoul and alghoul, as told by one Master Griffomir:

”Most souls do not know the difference between the two. It is my hope that these young chicks take heed of my words. Alghouls differ from normal ghouls in size, strength, colouring and, most importantly, intelligence. Whereas ghouls are primitive creatures unfit to plan even the simplest ambush, alghouls and their kindred are capable of forethought, and are thus much more dangerous.”

“What the heck is an alghoul? Or a ghoul for that matter?” She shuddered and hoped she’d never have to use any of this information in a literal sense. Her eyes traced the name of the author and her brow furrowed.

“Master Griffomir? A griffon?” she puzzled. “Curious. I thought the Shadowguard were all ponies, at least they are in the old stories.”

She spotted a short scrawl on the side of Griffomir’s writings and her eyes widened.

”Tomb. Castle. Forest.”

She jumped up in delight. “Yes!” She punched the air with her hoof and danced on the spot as she beamed.

“Yes, yes, yes! Finally I have somewhere to start.”

Her smile faltered as she looked at the book and scratched her head. “But what castle?” she looked out the window towards the dark trees of the Everfree Forest. “Maybe... The-”

Twilight turned to look at the clock as it chimed six o’clock.

“Oh shoot, I’m almost late for sunrise.”

With a satisfied sigh, she smoothed her mane down and gave her tail a quick brush. She hummed as she trotted down the stairs and entered into a brightly lit room, her eyes stinging with the sudden shift in lighting.

Her friends sleepily greeted her as she entered, making small talk in between yawns as they got ready to leave and begin the true celebration.

***

The townhall was in uproar. The mayor of Ponyville desperately tried to calm her citizens down, but to no avail.

“Where’s Princess Celestia?!” they demanded as the skies remained dark and wind howled around them, for an unscheduled storm had rolled into Ponyville; a mighty gale accompanied by thunder and lightning that cracked the sky.

Twilight’s feeling of elation had quickly evaporated as she and her friends looked around uncomfortably, ponies all around them shouting and talking over one another. As the doors to the townhall bucked open, several strong looking stallions rushed towards it and held it shut, just barely.

“Everypony, please!” The mayor shouted, her patience thinning. “I know this has never happened before, but we must remain calm!”

“Remain calm?! It’s still night, what happened to the sun?!” one pony yelled up as the crowd started to get rowdy again

Twilight thought the poor mayor looked distraught. She didn’t blame her though, as no pony of their day had ever had to deal with the Sun not rising before.

“Please, my good ponies,” Mayor Mare pleaded. “We need to settle down-”

The wind howled and a window shattered, causing several ponies to shriek. Through it, Twilight noticed the Moon was conspicuously clear. As she stared at it, she came to the hollow realization why it looked different. “The mare in the Moon is gone,” she whispered to her friends, who turned and gazed up at it. “Don’t mention it too loudly, I think everypony is already too on edge-”

“THE MARE IN THE MOON IS GOOOOONE!” screamed Pinkie Pie, waving her legs wildly in the air.

Twilight facehoofed, as did the rest of her friends. The crowd once more erupted with questions and shouts as the mayor glared at Pinkie, who bashfully apologised and squirmed in her seat.

All of the ponies in the building froze and fell silent as a sinister laugh surrounded them.

More windows shattered as a black cloud moved through the building, chilling everypony to the bone. Several mares fainted, and several stallions squealed like fillies. Twilight felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up straight as the cloud morphed and twisted into a face. She recognised that face as the devil herself: Nightmare Moon.

“My dear little ponies,” the Queen cackled. “I am deeply sorry I could not greet you in person, but I must confess I am needed... Elsewhere.” She grinned, her fangs visible even though she was but a cloudy image.

Ponies turned and fled, shoving each other out the way in an effort to retreat to the safety of their homes as the Queen continued to laugh. A swarm of bats flew in through a smashed window as the wind and rain tore through the crowd.

Nightmare Moon cackled sadistically. “Such a shame you could not see your beloved Princess one last time before her demise at my hoof,” she gloated.

Twilight bravely stood up, her knees shaking. “Nightmare Moon!” she cried out.

The face in the shadows twisted and grew closer to her. “And who is this?”

The unicorn swallowed. “You won’t get away with this.” Her horn glowed with magic. “As long as ponies are loyal to Celestia, Equestria will never fall to you, or your magic.”

The Queen’s face roared with laughter. “And you are to stop me, correct? You and your friends I presume?”

As Twilight’s friends gathered around her, she felt another pang of guilt as she still hadn’t revealed her plan to them yet.

“You’re damn right we are!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, her wings beating steadily.

Rarity’s horn ignited with magic. “All of Equestria will stand against you, Nightmare Moon.”

Applejack stomped her hooves and lowered her hat, while Pinkie growled. “Lemme at her, lemme at her!”

Fluttershy quivered and shook, but held onto her dear friends. “Anything for Equestria...” she mumbled as her knees clicked together and her wings barely kept her aloft.

Twilight smiled as she looked at the ponies around her. “Truly there Is a certain magic to friendship,” she thought.

The Queen’s smile turned sinister. “Very well, Ponyville, I shall lift the storm I have sent towards you. I give you three days--seventy two hours from this second, to build a defence, for I am a fair and sporting Queen. Then I shall have my legions destroy your pathetic township, as I have destroyed Canterlot.”

They all gasped. Twilight’s blood ran cold. She thought of her family. Her brother. Countless others, destroyed. It couldn’t be true, could it?

As if she was reading her mind, Nightmare Moon laughed again. “Oh but it is true, my sweet little ponies, Canterlot is but a ruined graveyard now. As we speak my armies of darkness spill forth into the country.” The cloud shifted into an image of Canterlot, streets stained red with blood, dark monsters patrolling and roaming the streets, some with wings lifting into the air and taking off across Equestria.

“Remember: you have three days...”

The storm began to lift as the Queen’s worded turned to a whisper. However quiet her words, they resounded in each and every pony hat remained in the town hall.

Slowly, the ponies of Ponyville crawled out from under their chairs and held each other solemnly. Rarity cooed some kind words to Fluttershy and stroked her mane, telling her how proud she was of her friend. The rest of them, save for one, turned and started to help ponies up. The mayor gave some commands over the din of ponies crying and hugging each other.

Twilight turned towards the door, her eyes dark, and her temper raised.

“Three days to find a Shadow, and three days to find whatever it is that will stop her.”

***

Twilight Sparkle loaded up her pack, Nightmare Moon’s words ringing in her ears as she did so. She thought of her brother, and hoped and prayed he was okay. She remembered her parents saying they were going away on a vacation to somewhere sunny, but she couldn’t remember when they had said they were going. She offered a small prayer to Celestia that they were safe and away from the destruction the Queen had showed them all.

“I hope my friends will be okay without me,” she murmured sadly. She felt a twinge of guilt ripple through her as she thought about the destruction the storm caused. “I’m sure they will be... They’re all capable...”

She slung her pack over her waist and pulled the strap tight. She contemplated which books were worth bringing, obviously the Shadows’ Compendium, but what else, she thought.

“A history of Equestria?” she murmured to herself. She shook her head and placed it down. “Can’t waste any time. It’s now or never...”

She paused as the door creaked open, revealing a very sad looking little dragon. Her heart melted as she gazed upon Spike, her dearest friend and confidant in most matters.

“I heard you, Twilight.” His voice was hollow. Broken. Riddled with fear. “You’re leaving us?”

She tensed up and bit her lip. “I have to, Spike... For Equestria... For Celestia-”

He nodded solemnly. “I get it. You gotta save the world.”

She nodded back and descended the stairs. They looked at one another, eye to eye. She caressed his face with a hoof and forced a smile.

“Hey, I’m not going away forever, just to get some help, I hope.”

Spike’s ears pricked up. “Help? What help?”

She sighed and showed him the book about Shadows, pointing out the small note about the tomb. His eyes widened. “You found something?”

Her eyes narrowed as she placed the book back in it’s pouch. “You knew I’ve been studying ancient books for how long and didn’t think to offer any help?” she snapped.

“Ah- well, y-you see, Twilight,” he stammered, turning red.

She laughed and pulled him close for a hug. “I’ll be back in the morning. Or the, uh, evening, I guess.” She gave a goofy smile and tapped his chin. “Chin up, Spike, I’m leaving you in charge while I’m gone.”

His eyes twinkled with tears as he watched her go.

The unicorn trotted over to the door and pulled it open, giving the outside a quick look around to make sure nopony noticed her. She glanced back at the dragon and waved. “I promise I’ll be back soon.”

He waved back and nodded quietly. His face was torn, she could tell, between wanting to help her and staying put. “Twilight?” he called as she took a step forwards.

“Yeah, Spike?”

“Mom and dad are gonna be alright, right?”

She looked at him sadly and smiled, trying to hide her worry. “Of course they are, Spike. Same as Shining, you’ll see.”

She smiled as she recalled happier memories. When she first brought him home from Celestia’s academy, she expected her parents to refuse a live dragon into their home, but she was pleasantly surprised when her parents, especially her mother, quickly adopted him as their own and raised him like a two legged, egg-born son. Her elder brother, Shining Armour also raised him like he was a baby colt, teaching him how to get on Twilight’s nerves as much as possible, Thankfully he didn’t take, and they became fast friends soon enough.

Her smile faded as she turned away, feeling guilt in her stomach once again. The night was cold and foreboding. Her breath hung as a mist in front of her as she strode through the empty town. She saw ponies in their houses behind windows and curtains, their silhouettes simply cradling one another.

She walked silently, save for her hooves trotting along the hard ground as the edge of the Everfree forest loomed ahead.

“One step at a time, Twilight,” she told herself as she gazed up at the dark and foreboding trees. It seemed like they were leering at her, daring her to come in with twigs shaped like claws.

“Just... Monsters and wild magic in there.” She gulped as a howl rang out through the night, as if to answer her.

With another deep breath she stepped forwards, and entered the enchanted forest.

***

She marched for what felt like hours, the stars above her completely wrong for the time of day, or were they right? She shook her head.

“Got to focus. Can’t get distracted.”

She looked around and frowned. “Now where was this castle supposed to be? Before or after the scary tree?” The unicorn facehoofed in frustration as she realised she had no idea where it actually was. “Did you really expect to just wander around in a dark forest until you stumbled across it-”

She froze as a branch snapped, the sound cleaving through the air and disturbing her thoughts. She gulped and slowly turned towards the sound. Her magenta eyes met with several yellow pairs, each accompanied by a snarling, drooling mouth of razor sharp teeth.

“Timberwolves...” Twilight whispered. She slowly and carefully backed up as the pack approached. Her gaze shifted as a wolf much larger than the rest snarled at her and slowly approached

“That must be the alpha... A timberwarg.”

With a growl and gnash of it’s teeth, the great beast lunged forwards, it’s livingwood body rippled and shifted as it moved.

Her horn flared as she fired a spell at it, knocking it off course momentarily. The warg quickly leapt to it’s feet and rushed forwards again, it’s jaw snapping wildly. With a flash of her horn, Twilight teleported away from it and landed behind the pack. She turned and fled, hoping, I anything, to stumble out of the forest the way she came from.

She ran and ran, the sound of twigs and jaws snapping never relenting behind her. Moonlight broke through the trees as they started to thin.

“I’m gonna to make it!” she cried and gasped for air. She yelped as one of the wolves jaws snapped very close behind her. "ComeonTwilighthoofitforyourlife!"

The trees finally parted, and there, covered in moss and vines, the fabled castle of the two sisters jutted out on a small hill. Twilight slowed momentarily as she gazed upon it, her mind wandering to the ancient secrets she would find within. The sounds of gnashing teeth quickly brought her back to the present, however, and she made for a dash for the sturdy looking wooden doors. She fired her horn at them, hoping to push them open slightly. She must have been too scared, or concentrating too much, for her magic blasted the door almost clean off it’s great iron hinges.

The unicorn dove in between them and gave them a violent kick shut. Her hoof connected with the warg as it bore down on her. She cried out and slammed the door shut on it’s face and sat there panting.

From the other side, she heard the wolves pace and scratch at the doors, hoping to claim their prize within. She shivered as they howled, a deep and powerful howl. She curled up and covered her face as the sounds continued for a while, quietly weeping from fear.

Silence eventually fell, and Twilight carefully and quietly picked herself up off the dusty ground. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, focusing more on the ancient murals and architecture around her. If she was here for purely academic reasons, she’d be having a field day right now.

An ancient form of Equestrian scripture dotted the walls. She desperately wished she remembered at least some of what Celestia had taught her all those years ago. She could make out a word or two here and there, but nothing concrete. One repeating phrase seemed to stick out to hr as a sign she should follow it..

“Sleeping... Moon... Tomb... Shadow?” she murmured quietly. Her own voice startled her as she crept through the empty castle, and she chuckled in embarrassment. “Don’t know why I’m embarrassed... it's not as if there's anypony around to hear me,” she muttered and laughed again.

“Maybe it’s the fear talking. Maybe it’s the weight of Equestria on your shoulders... Keep it together, Twilight...”

She followed the scripture to a staircase. She gulped as the moonlight faded into the darkness. Her horn lit up as she descended, illuminating the scripture on the walls around her. Ancient runes, both of protection and what seemed like warding were engraved into the stone pillar as the staircase wound around it ever downwards.

After several minutes she finally reached the end of the stairs. A vast dark and empty cavern lay before her. She looked up and fired a spell in he air. The cavern was so high the flare of her magic soared high enough to illuminate a large portion of the room, revealing lots of statues and pillars, with a white slab towards the centre of the cavern.

She gaped as she walked forwards, noting the strange white rocks a few feet away from her.

“This place must be huge…” she said, cringing slightly as her voice echoed around the cavern.

Her hoofsteps reverberated throughout the massive chamber, which she guessed must have taken years to complete, judging by the superbly sculpted, yet horrifying statues dotted about the cavern. She got a closer look at one and recoiled, the shocked and horrified expression apparent on the statue’s face.

“Who would make a statue like this?” She gazed around the room at them all, all directed towards the centre. “And why point them all towards the centre?”

Her breath caught in her throat, as her hoof connected with something that crunched. Loudly. She slowly, carefully looked down and snapped her eyes shut. Bones. Not small white rocks as she had originally thought, but bones everywhere, she had been too preoccupied gazing up and around the cavern that she hadn’t looked at the ground since she first entered the room.

Twilight froze as something hissed quietly from the dark. Her knees buckled and trembled as something large slithered off of the marble slab in the centre of the room.

Whatever it was, saliva dripped from it’s mouth, it’s long serpentine fangs dripped with venom, the snakes on it’s head hissed and coiled around one another. A deep shaking sounded throughout the cavern as Twilight gazed up in horror as a large creature with the lower body of a snake and the upper half of a bipedal creature slithered towards her, pulling it’s grotesque pale body along the ground with it’s claws. It’s eyes glowed with a bright luminous yellow glow as she stared at it, unable to turn away.

She felt a sharp pain as she looked into it’s eyes, and as her limbs froze in place and everything slowly turned black, Twilight swore she heard an explosion from high above somewhere...

***

The timberwolves scattered in fear, yelping and licking their wounds. The head of the timberwarg lay on the ground, it’s body smouldering next to it as the Shadow wiped some spittle off of her chin and dusted her cloak.

Tempest Shadow gazed up at the castle and felt a sense of nausea deep within her.

The statues of the two sisters seemingly judged her as she strode past them. She grumbled to herself as she regarded the claw marks on the heavy door. “Definitely on the right trail,” she murmured. With a flash of magic her horn ignited, and blew the doors to smithereens.

She strode through the ruined hall and sniffed the air. The fresh smell of a pony was still in he air, and she followed her nose towards it. Down this corridor, around that corner, she paused at the top of a dark staircase. “Down there,” she growled as she began to descend. The scent of her quarry mixed with something else, old and foul.

Her horn crackled to life as she reached the bottom step. As her eyes adjusted to the low light levels she spotted the statues and immediately squeezed her eyes shut, quickly darting behind a pillar. “Gorgon...” she whispered. “Great. Can’t look at it.”

She took a deep breath and, still with her eyes shut, rounded to face the foul creature.