Dormitabis

The night before the Summer Sun Celebration was a time to behold. For everypony around Equestria, it was a time to prepare and start early celebrations for the longest day of the year, and the point in time when the Mare in the Moon was sealed away in... well, the moon.

Ponyville was the finest example of these kinds of festivities. A town known for partying with the added bonus of the party pony herself. Fit with DJs, a party animal, and several free spirits, the Town Hall was stuffed full of mares who were ready to light things up. This year was special to them, as it was the first time in history that the Princess of the Day: Princess Celestia, rose the sun ceremoniously in Ponyville.

They had to make sure this was perfect, not only for themselves, but for the height of royalty.

As Ponies wandered the dark night, a lone mare turned off onto her baron block, going down to refill her bucket full of carrots at her home. As she wandered, she could feel a bit of... uneasiness in the air, as if she weren't the only one at this part of Ponyville. Her expression became more and more unnerved as she approached her home.

*clink...!*

The pale-goldenrod mare jumped when a can of vegetables fell from the alley beside her house, the canister rolling out and tapping her foot. Eyeing it suspiciously, she turned back to the dark shadows of the passageway and tried to find anypony inside. It was strange, seeing it so dark. None of the other alleyways were pitch black like this, so why was the one beside her house so dark.

"Hhhhhhhrrrrrr... Hhhhhhhrrrrrr..."

That was the moment she realized she was staring down a dark alley, but instead staring at the stomach of a creature twice her size. Seeing a white light at the top of her vision, she followed it up to find the oddly-shaped eyes of a horrifying monster staring back at her. Its body oozed and drizzled with some sort of black substance, and its teeth and writhing tendrils did NOT spell friendly. Dropping her empty bucket, she backed away from the monster, gulping down a lump in her throat as the thing hissed at her.

"U-Uh... P-Please, I-"

*LASH-!*

The mare didn't have any time to speak, nor react, as four tendrils shot from the darkness, snatching her up and swiftly pulling her into the alleyway. Her screams were short, turned to muffled cries as the creature absorbed her into its chest, bringing her into the suit worn around the human and violently sapping her of sustenance. Her magical nutrients were devoured quickly, and upon being spat out, she flopped onto the dirt, now looking anorexic and more pale than she did before.

The morbid beast that was the human stepped out, looming over the mare before stepping over her. She was a nice first course appetizer, but he was still hungry. The pang remained in his stomach as he attempted to sniff out more of these... anthropomorphics. Jogging down the dirt street, the human pushed himself into the air, going higher than he'd expected with just a simple leap. With the air he took upon jumping, he easily arced over several blocks of this town. Slamming down on top of a house, the monster shook the shingles off as he walked to the edge. Grasping the side of the roof, his eyes blinked and reshaped as he surveyed the land for more food.

"I know! It's so sad, isn't it?"

He perked up and turned to the left, watching as two younger "Ponies" walked down the street beside the house. One was of a light pink coat with a tiara on her head. The other was a dull grey with sky blue glasses on her muzzle.

"It totally is! Those Blank Flanks actually thought they could get their Cutie Marks by doing that!"

"What a bunch of losers!"

The human tilted his head at the terminology they used.

'Blank Flanks? Cutie Marks?'

He hissed as his stomach demanded more nutrients. Not caring that they were children, he leaped from the house and slammed down behind them. Both spun around, but only one was able to scream and run while the other, the pink one, was swallowed up into the behemoth's ooze. With his front gurgling and bubbling, he fed off of the little one's essence before tossing her aside, moving on to chase down the next target. Jumping to the side of a house, he clawed his way up, leaving behind marks and broken windows as he reached the top. The greatest scent of food was coming from further into town. Looking off in the said direction, he could see a tall structure in the center of this large village of neighborhoods.

All of the tasty, defenseless snacks were gathering there.

"Huuuuuunnnngeeeerrrr..."

Twilight Sparkle made her way into Town Hall the first moment her Dragon Assistant: Spark notified her of the oncoming sunrise. Having stayed up all night thanks to the rowdy behavior of her crazy neighbors, Twilight was ready to get this over with and go back to a long-awaited sleep.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, crossing her arms under her bosom, she awaited for the ceremony to start in peace.

Or she would, if it weren't for a familiar hyperactive pink Pony speeding up to her size.

"Isn't this exciting?! Are you excited because I'm excited! I've never been more excited!"

She bounced in place as Twilight watched with her a blank expression, not sure yet how to react to this mare. Seriously, does she snort the good shit when nopony's looking? What is WRONG with this sugar-loaded party element?

She took a step back as the mare, who earlier in the night introduced herself as Pinkie Pie, froze.

"Well... Actually, the one other time I saw you walking into town and I was like-"

*GAAAAASP*

"-but who can really top that?"

Twilight had her head craned away in surprise with a look that said: holy crap, what are you on? Turning away from the crazy Pony as the ceremony began, the purple bookworm looked up towards the balcony where her mentor and teacher: Princess Celestia. With the bird singing in harmony with the trumpets, the mayor of Ponyville stepped out onto the stage below the balcony, addressing everypony in the room with an excited smile.

"Fillies and Mares! As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!"

The crowd cheered around Twilight as the paranoid Unicorn looked up towards the skylight. Her fears and worries about a certain Mare in the Moon had been itching her thoughts for the last few hours, and the more she stared at the moon, the more she felt like it was staring back. The stars seemed to drift towards it as well, four in particular approaching from all directions. Pursing her lips, she turned back to the ceremony as Mayor Mare cast her hand up to the balcony above her.

"In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!"

One last glance at the moon made Twilight double at it. The Mare in the Moon, the emblem etched into it. It... It was gone! And so were the stars!

'Oh no...'

She turned back to the balcony as a sense of dread emanated from behind it.

"And now, it is my great honor to introduce the ruler of our land, the very Pony that gives us the Sun and the Moon each and every day: Princess Celestia!"

Twilight turned up to the balcony as another mare she met and introduced herself to, a fashionista named Rarity, tugged the rope for the curtain down, and cast them aside. As the spotlights cast next to her, she, along with everypony else, was confused.

Princess Celestia wasn't there, and with her absence, Twilight's fears only grew. Mayor Mare blinked at this predicament herself, turning back to the crowd as they were getting antsy by the second.

"Remain calm, everypony. There must be a delay or something of the sort. I'll head back and-"

*hhhhhhhhh...*

A chilling breeze passed through the room as a band of abnormal smoke rolled in after it. Working its way inward, the oddly-blue haze swirled around the location of where Celestia was supposed to stand, and created a small cyclone to mask the entrance of a new, darker royal.

Materializing before the mares of Ponyville, a tall, voluptuous figure stood before them. A mare that was on equal height with the Princess of the Day, but with fur blacker than tar. On her arms and legs were gauntlets and high-heels forged with the same metal that constructed the armor for the Canterlot Royal Guard, and her generous chest and head were adorned with a chestplate and helmet of the same kind. her mane was but the same hazing, starry smoke that swept throughout the room, and her cobalt blue eyes were slitted at the irises, giving a predatory stare to her gaze.

Two wings, ones not native to Equine Pegasi, flared out. They resembled bat-like protrusions, but with feathers on the interior of their leathery makeup. A single, long Unicorn horn poked through the helmet, sticking up at the same length as Celestia's. With both this, and the wings, it was of little doubt that this Pony was a part of the race that proved to be the most powerful amongst the Pony species.

She was an Alicorn, and a much darker one than Celestia.

Her eyes scanned the Ponies before her, a cold glare making everypony shiver.

"How... interesting... It seems my time away has not shown much progress in terms of advancements to our culture. Here I thought a thousand years would bring much more change."

She pursed her lips before giving a low chuckle, which slowly turned into a maniacal cackle.

"Oh, my beloved subjects.~ It has been, oh, so long since I've bore witness to your sun-loving faces.~"

Rainbow Dash, a speedster Twilight also had the pleasure to meet, attempted to rush the Alicorn, only to be pulled back by the orange farm mare: Applejack.

"What did you do with our Princess!?"

"Simmer down, Rainbow! Don't go rushin' in willy nilly!!"

The dark mare rose an eyebrow at the rainbow-maned Pegasus.

"Oh? Your Princess, you say? You do not remember me? Is my crown not good enough for you?"

She sailed off the balcony, gliding over the Ponies in the Town Hall.

"Does my crown no longer count due to my absence? I suppose your memories would be short, considering you do not live eternally, but I have been imprisoned for a thousand years! Waiting, watching, and planning for my return."

She landed on the stage next to Mayor Mare, her mane swirling around the elder's neck and forcing her to look up into the terrifying Alicorn's eyes.

"Did you not recall the legend? Did you not SEE the signs?"

"I did!"

The mare's ear perked up as she turned to Twilight Sparkle, the prodigy student growing enough courage to glare back at her.

"I knew about you ever since I first read about your legend, and I know who you really are. You are the Mare in the Moon: Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon, again, rose an eyebrow as the room watched from the sidelines, the dark royal licking her lips as she smirked.

"Well, well, well. Somepony remembers me, after all, and I'm assuming you know WHY I'm here, yes?"

"I... You're going to..."

Nightmare Moon saw the look on Twilight's face and only widen her smile.

"Hmhmhmhm...~ Remember this day, little Ponies, for it will be your last. From this moment forward, the night shall last FOREV-"

*CRASH-!!!*

Nightmare Moon blinked as she heard the sound of the walls being broken down. A cart that was positioned outside for the Summer Sun Festival was thrown through the window, taking part of the wall with it and running down a few Ponies. She watched it come to a halt, then turned back to the hole as... something landed in front of it.

"HHHWWWWWWWUUUUAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

A beast of ten feet roared into the Town Hall, its hungry eyes glazing over everypony. Its body was made out of some sort magical sludge and teeth. To the Ponies, this creature was unknown to them, but to Nightmare Moon, she'd recognize that kind of ooze anywhere.

After all, it's the same color that coats and corrupts her own body.

The demon charged in after the mares, snatching one up into its enlarged hand by the head. Holding her in the air, it drooled a pool of grayed-out saliva. Four tendrils snaked from its chest, ready to snatch the poor victim up.

"Who dares interrupt my evil monologue?!"

The monster halted itself, keeping his grasp on the mare as he reeled to the side, glaring over his shoulder. Nightmare Moon stared back, unflinching and unwavering. The morphed human threw the mare away, slamming her into three more and knocking them all out cold.

"Huuuuuuunnnnngeeerrrrr... Feeeeeeed..."

Nightmare Moon took a step back to ready herself as the monstrous being of hate and anger lunged at her with surprising speed for one of its size. Phasing to the side, she made herself physical again and turned back to the creature. She gasped as it was on her again, smashing its fist into the side of her face and throwing her to the wall in an instant. The integrity of the wall Nightmare Moon collided with was cratered, cracking all around her sides as her helmet was shattered. With her mane flowing free, she hissed at the monster.

Disappearing into the floor as the beast tried to crush her with a ground pound from above, she swam up out of the shadows cast by her subjects as the monster inverted, turning itself around with its amorphous body. Coming at her again, Nightmare tucked her arms up, creating a magic shield on her right as this thing's giant fist came crashing down. With the barrier withering almost immediately, she noticed that the force of the punch caused a part of the floor on her left to blast away like leaves taken by a gust of wind. His hits were powerful, and if she knew this slime by any means, he was difficult to retaliate against, as every cut would just regenerate and fold together with ease.

Bending herself backwards to the right, she brought up her arm again, letting the venomous incarnation's other fist slide past her. Her eyes cast upwards when feeling danger come from its back. Two tendrils attempted to swipe her from below, making her limbo back and come forward, reinforcing her own strike with a collection of magic.

The beast reeled back upon feeling Nightmare's fist collide with his face, but the intellect and reflexes of the human within worked to his advantage. With his eyes glinting, he shot his head forward, headbutting Nightmare Moon onto her rump. He clasped both hands together and smashed the ground, the dark Pony once again avoiding his attacks by disappearing into the shadows and reappearing elsewhere. Finding her to be a little ways from the stage, he used his tendrils to boost him through the air and swing with both his right arm and three large, and sharp, tentacles.

Nightmare Moon ducked again, this time pivoting herself and kicking the monstrosity off-balance. Rolling away, she lifted herself off the ground with a flap of her wings and dropkicked the oozing abomination halfway across the main room of Town Hall. As he was driven through the floor, Ponies quickly diverted from his path, getting out of the way as to not be hit. One of which was Twilight herself, as she stepped back from the spot the monster skidded to a halt to and bounced back from.

She was confused, bewildered, and honestly really scared. She knew of Nightmare Moon, prepped her mind and soul for the fears and horrors SHE could bring, but what was with this other thing. This monster that dripped its own skin and flesh, and stood twice as tall as her, and perhaps a third more than Celestia herself. Such a terrifying thing with scary eyes and rows of sharp teeth and claws. She was only grateful that Nightmare Moon was in its sights and not her.

Though, one thing did perplex her. Its voice didn't sound feminine. True, some spells alter voices to disguise them, but in every which way, they always had that tone that identified them as such.

This creature did not.

*SLAM*

Twilight turned back to the fight as the giant predicted and acted upon Nightmare Moon's evasion tactics, actually LEARNING as they fought and grasping her by her leg when she came out of the shadows. Spinning around, he threw her through the tables topped with snacks and beverages, getting down on all-fours and sending to tentacles from his back at her.

Nightmare Moon's collision with the tables was instant, and before she could even recuperate, her opponent had her by the legs. Dragging her back to him, he hung her up in the air before him, punching her to the side and cracking open a window with her body. Grimacing at the pain, she yipped as he ensnared her by the arms, whirling her around and throwing her back into the same window. This time, she fell out of it, hitting the dirt with a loud *thump*. Pushing herself up, she knew she couldn't beat this thing, not here and now. She underestimated it, and got cocky with her own abilities too early. Transferring her essence back into her hazing smoke, she sailed out towards her prior objective area: the Everfree Forest.

The contorted human lunged out of Town Hall after her, slamming down on the path he threw her towards. Looking around when she wasn't there, he caught sight of her mane fleeing into the forest he awoke in. Growling as his meal got away, he turned back to the Ponies in Town Hall. He had to feed, NOW, because that fight not only damaged him, but made him even more hungry.

The closest Ponies he could get to were instantly swallowed up, forced into his body and fed on vigorously. Spitting them back out as drained husks, the human's stomach was half-full, and right now, that was enough to live off of when chasing after the dark Pony. He didn't know why he wanted her so badly. Something about her was... different. So alluring, so... inviting. Whatever magical power or essence she held, he wanted it, and he was willing to kill her for it.

Twilight rushed out of Town Hall as the monster fled the scene, giving chase after Nightmare Moon. She watched it as it leaped over several houses with a single jump, disappearing and escaping before she could even get a better look at it after the fight. Her interest in it was peaked the moment she saw it skid up to her in the fight, but now she deemed it as every bit of a threat as Nightmare Moon was.

Her evidence was as clear as day in the two mares that lay before her, one a mint green Unicorn and another being that candy store owner. Rainbow Dash flew past her, screaming for both the monster and Nightmare Moon to come back, but as expected, she was ignored by them.

Spark trotted up beside her elder sister figure, giving her a worried glance before following after her. Twilight, now running back towards her library, looked down at Spark as they neared the oak tree.

"Spark, I need you to find any and everything on that creature! Look in every shelf, top to bottom, even if the subject doesn't match it!"

Spark saluted her as they slammed open the door to Twilight's temporary living quarters, the two rummaging through the shelves frantically.

"Meanwhile, I need to find the Elements. Even a scripture from an old book would help...!"

Twilight let out a grunt of frustration as she tossed another book away.

"How am I supposed to defeat Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony...?"

"And what exactly ARE the Elements of Harmony?"

Twilight spun around, looking back at her wide-open front door. Rainbow Dash hovered there, glaring at Twilight while the other four mares she met was behind her.

"And how exactly do YOU know so much about this? Something you ain't telling us, Twilight?"

Applejack thumped Rainbow on the side of her head as she fanned herself with her stetson hat.

"Cool yer jets, Rainbow. She ain't no spy."

She placed her hat back on her head as she eyed her newly-made friend.

"But y'all seem to know a lot about what's goin' on, don't you, sugarcube...?"

Twilight glanced at them all before sighing, ushering her female Dragon assistant to keep searching while she explained herself to the group.

"I read all about the predictions on Nightmare Moon. I knew when she'd appear, what she looked like, how she acted, but I never fully understood the means of which to defeat her."

Twilight cast a projection spell, showing six stones that floated before the six mares.

"Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are said to be the only things that can stop her. Thing is, I don't know what they are, where they reside, or even what they do."

"The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide."

Twilight looked up at the tallest point of the shelves, seeing Fluttershy holding an old book, flapping her wings gently to sustain herself.

"Fluttershy? How did... How did you find...?"

The shy Pegasus hid behind her mane as she slowly descended, touching down before the adept spellcaster.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just heard you say Elements and saw the name on this book's spine. Your shelf is organized in alphabetical order, and this book was put in 'E' by mistake."

Twilight blinked at the cream-colored mare before shaking her head and flipping open the book.

"Alright, let's see... Elements... Elements... What do you do...?"

She flipped one page, then doubled back two when she thought she passed it. Smiling upon finding what she was looking for, she read it aloud.

"There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, and Laughter. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said that the last known location of the Elements was in the ancient castle of the Royal Sisters. It is located in what is now the Everfree Fore-"

*SLAM*

All occupants in the room jumped as something big hit the side of the library. Looking up at her window, she spotted the beast that invaded Town Hall, now attached to her window and growling off at something in the distance. Jumping after it, he made his way towards the forest Twilight mentioned, a gust of blue smoke trailing just ahead of him. Seeing him reminded Twilight of the other objective in returning to her temporary library.

"Spark, have you found anything?"

The purple Dragon puckered her lips as she scratched the side of her head.

"Nothing really of interest. I've seen a few events in the history books that could be important, but I'm not sure."

"Show me."

The Dragon lifted up the books she found her sources in, letting Twilight levitate them out of her grip and into the air before her. She flipped to the marked pages and saw a few key things of interest. One book showed a picture of a stallion, well before the plague wiped them out, standing in place and bending over, as if doubling in pain. His body was covered in that same substance that was on the monster she encountered, but in lesser mass. It seemed that this ooze worked as a suit of sorts.

Turning to the second book, she read into the marked event that happened a couple hundred years ago. A mare, filled with spite and hatred for somepony, presumably a mayor or a high official that took everything from her, was consumed by this ooze... Actually, no, she wasn't consumed. She created it. Generated it from the deepest pits of her heart... her soul. It was pure, unfiltered magic given an amorphous form that, according to the article, ran off of a ceaseless hunger for a type of magical energy that all beings on this planet emanate subconsciously. It's a powerful nutrient that is needed for most creatures to survive, such as Ponies, Griffons, and Centaurs. Oddly enough, some species like Yaks, Dragons, and even Diamond Dogs can survive having that essence leeched from them, though their nervous system and cognitive functionality in both their brain and body is impaired until the nutrients replenish naturally.

That mare became the same monster that invaded Town Hall, but even then, still, this incarnation was less threatening, less... violent. It was focused on the nutrients of a single target, and only after her revenge was fulfilled did satisfaction kill the ooze, and her hatred was let go.

The final book made Twilight's eyebrow raise. It was... notes. Published notes of an experiment that was tested by two Royal Scientists under the order of Princess Celestia. These two mares were doing vigorous research on this living sludge, trying to see what makes it tick, and Celestia knows what else. Judging by the notes, they were attempting to make a cure, but as their research progressed, they made more and more entries in the publicized journal that depicted their progress slowing to a halt. In the end, they abandoned their project, burning the ooze and destroying their research. Something scared them into ditching the whole thing, and Celestia approved of this abandonment of the project as soon as she found out what it was.

The details in the journal didn't show what exactly it was that made them back out and destroy everything, but if it spooked the Princess of Equestria, it had to be major. Something that could, potentially, threaten Equestria, and maybe the whole world.

But that's not where the journal entries ended. Another one was made, after a police report was filed for a crash of the first aerial chariot pulled by engines instead of Royal Guards.

There were four survivors in that crash, and they all reported seeing the same thing. A creature, a monster, made of slime. A Pony within a suit of horrors. One of them dubbed the creature Venom for its toxic behavior and poisonous hunger for living creatures, like a parasite leeching off of hosts one after the other.

That "Venom" creature was eventually subdued, and with overwhelming force, the secondary scientist that worked on the "Venom" suit was put down.

'Venom... That's what that thing is... but who's inside of it...?'

Twilight shook her head of any rambling thoughts. She had to focus. "Venom" can come after she has located the Elements of Harmony and saved the world from eternal night. Closing the books, and having a location, she ordered Spark to stay behind for safety's sake, wanting to keep her special Dragon assistant alive and out of harm's way as she ventures into unknown territory.

Stepping out into the night, she found that the other mares were tagging along, much to her chargin.

"Girls, I know you want to help, but I think it might be best for me to venture on alone from here."

Applejack rolled her eyes as she tugged on the thin brown jacket put on over her tank top.

"No can do, sugarcube. We ain't lettin' no friend of ours go into that creepy forest all by their lonesome."

She nudged Twilight as they all jogged towards the Everfree.

"We're sticking to ya like caramel on a candy apple.~"

Their protest made the purple Unicorn groan, but in all honesty, she was welcoming the company. Not only would going into a forest of unknown dangers alone be frightening, but facing Nightmare Moon AND "Venom" alone would most likely result in her death.

She'd much rather avoid that.

Following her newfound friends into through the treeline, she kept an eye out as her ears flicked to and fro, attempting to pick up any signs of the venomous project's feral howls, or even an abnormal gust of wind. Even in company, she was going to remain ever so vigilant, for Nightmare Moon would have definitely set up traps and trials along the way to the Castle of the Royal Sisters.

'I just hope none of them are lethal...'