When the Stars Sleep

Chapters

0. Prologue
1. Darkness
2. Rest
3. Questions
4. Company
5. Failure
6. Discovery
7. Light
8. Epilogue

0. Prologue

~*~ Chapter 0 ~*~

~*~ Prologue ~*~

Doors closed up tight and window shades were drawn. Lights were turned off and lanterns snuffed out. Open signs turned to 'closed' and doors were locked with the clattering of keys. This was Ponyville's evening tune and Twilight Sparkle still loved it even after spending so much time in the small town resting under the shadow of Canterlot Mountain. It always felt much more homey than the more clean and mechanical nature of Canterlot.

With a box from Sugarcube Corner held protectively in an aura of purple magic, she allowed her eyes to drift up towards the sky where a relaxing mix of oranges and pinks melded together like a warm blanket for the eyes. A welcome change of scenery for the worn unicorn.

Her latest shipment of books on magic discoveries made it hard to schedule in any free time. So much so that simply picking up a box of assorted cookies to snack on while reading felt like a crunch, though definitely a welcome one. Even she needed a break from constant study every now and again, no matter what her friends might think.

She did find herself looking forward to delving into the next book on her list, however. Normally she wouldn't put much thought into a book on mythical beasts, but spending weeks surrounded by magical runes and formulas would make even the most devoted magician look for something simple to relax with and clear their mind. She always wanted to know more about the stories passed down by ponies living outside of Equestria's borders and now seemed like just as good a time as any.

Her home came into view just as the sun retreated behind the foothills on the outskirts of town, cloaking the library in a soft darkness kept away by the gentle lights filtering through the windows. Pushing against the front door with a little piece of her magic, a subtle creaking of its worn metal hinges welcomed her inside. She always thought to herself that she should get the old thing fixed, but something about that noise always felt comforting to her whenever she came home. Like an old ripped blanket you knew was past its prime, but loved anyway.

“Spike, I'm home!” called Twilight as she set her box of sweets down onto the nearby kitchen counter.

When no response came back down, she assumed the little dragon had gone to bed a little earlier than usual that night as he often did during her lengthy reading binges. Along with complaining about how watching her sit around with her nose buried in books all day was way too boring for him to handle. At the very least, it meant he would get up and take care of his chores sooner.

With another gentle touch of magic, Twilight untied the ribbon from her box and opened it up to reveal a collection of a dozen equally-sized sugar cookies, each one bearing a perfect recreation of her cutie mark done up in icing. Pinkie Pie truly did enjoy giving that little personal touch to every order, and that was something she could appreciate.

Taking three of the sweet treats onto a little plate, she shut off the lights of the first floor and made her way up the stairs at a quiet canter. On her way to her bedroom, she snuck a quick peek into Spike's room to see that little ball curled up in his basket, the sight putting a little smile onto her face.

Closing the door to her bedroom behind her, she set the plate of cookies down onto her desk next to the twin stacks of books and the pile of parchments filled with notes that took up the majority of the workspace. With one little glance out at the darkening sky, she turned her attention to the book sitting atop her to-do pile and picked it up. This would be a nice break from all of the magic runes she had been copying down the past few nights.

With a fresh cookie in her glowing magic and a soft pillow under her flank, she settled in for another night spent in the pursuit of knowledge. The book opened with the crackle of a brand new spine, a lovely sound that she would never grow tired of.

* * *

“Twilight! Come on, get up!”

Twilight groaned. Judging by the feeling of stiff paper against her cheek, she had fallen asleep at her desk. It had been quite a while since she last let herself get so engrossed in a book to do that. But right now, that was the least of her concerns when she had a baby dragon yelling in her ear.

As her eyes slowly creaked open, the blurred image of something purple and green filled her view. After a few blinks to allow her eyes to adjust to Spike's form, she found her vision filled by a concerned dragon's face. He had hopped up onto her desk to shake her awake.

“Spike? What time is it? Shouldn't you still be in bed?”

Judging by the darkness outside, it couldn't have been much later than three or four in the morning. That only rose further questions, like why he was awake in the first place or what was so important that it couldn't wait until sunrise.

“Funny hearing that from somepony I found sleeping on a book,” retorted the little dragon, making Twilight sit up with a little huff. “Anyway, there's no time for that! You gotta come outside and see this!”

The tugging on her mane forced an annoyed grumble out of Twilight. Spike was often one to get overly worked up over simple things, but humoring him was often the quickest way to calm him down and she was far too groggy to argue.

“Alright, show me what this big an important thing is so I can get back to sleep,” relented Twilight as she rose back up to her hooves.

The trip down the stairs was as short as expected, even if her state of half-sleep made everything feel like it was moving in slow motion. Spike refused to answer any of her questions about what it was he was trying to show her, so she had given up on asking pretty quickly. Instead, she took to matching his pace the best she could.

Somehow, the squeaking of the front door felt much less comforting than usual that time around. The air outside felt oddly heavy, like a weighted blanket was covering every inch of her body. And as her mind steadily woke, she could sense an odd stillness filling the entire town. The gentle night breeze that often ran through the valley couldn't be felt running over her fur and no rustling of leaves overhead could be heard. It was as if the air itself refused to move.

Other ponies were standing just outside their homes or holding their heads out of windows. It seems like they weren't the only ones awake that night. However, it wasn't until Spike tugged on her tail that Twilight was shaken from her confusion just enough to realize they were all staring in the same direction.

With some hesitation, she turned her gaze eastward and then up. What greeted her nervous eyes wasn't anything she was prepared for.

Nothing. What she saw up in the sky was nothing. No moon, no stars, nothing. Just a deep, dark blackness that almost felt like it would start beckoning to her to somehow get closer if she stared at it for too long. A deep emptiness that sent the coldest of chills down her spine and through her tail. Despite her fear, she almost felt like she didn't want to look away from it. As if staring at it for long enough would give her the answer to why it was there in the first place.

Dong...dong...dong...dong...

The sound of the town's tall clock tower shook Twilight from her trance, seemingly doing the same for the other townsponies she could see. Taking a deep breath of that heavy, stale air and closing her eyes, she tried her best to focus her mind and shake away that groggy feeling that just wouldn't leave her.

Dong...dong...dong...dong...

The tower's bell almost felt like it was louder than usual. Like the noise was ringing out directly into her ears and only disrupting her thoughts more than everything else already was. Like it was begging for her attention.

Dong...dong...dong...dong...

“What do you think it is, Twilight?” asked Spike, the little dragon hiding underneath her with his shaking claws wrapped around her left foreleg.

“I don't know, Spike. But it's noon.”

Author's Note

Hello world! This is my first true piece I've written with plans to submit here. I've spent countless hours reading the wonderful stories here and have always wanted to add my own works to the lists.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated and I hope to be back with Chapter 1 ready to go very soon!

1. Darkness

~*~ Chapter 1 ~*~

~*~ Darkness ~*~

A wisp of green fire and a trail of smoke flying out of the nearby window signaled the letter had been sent successfully, a simple action that seemed to bring a nervous calm over the room of six ponies and a dragon. Twilight returned to the red cushion across the table from her pink-maned friend.

“Alright, it's just a matter of time until we hear back. The princesses should know what's going on,” stated Twilight as she scanned her eyes over her collection of friends, some noticeably more worried about the situation than others. “Hopefully.”

“Oh, I hope nothing bad has happened to them.” Fluttershy's words were almost too quiet to hear.

“Me too, Fluttershy.” Twilight couldn't help but glance out the nearby window once again, the pitch darkness of what should have been the afternoon steadily getting broken up by the many lanterns and any other lights the townsponies hung from their homes or nearby trees. “But, I want to stay positive. They are the two most powerful ponies in Equestria, after all.”

She didn't have the heart to tell her friend that had been the fourth letter she sent since the day before with no reply. That would only add even more worries to the meek pony's plate. Besides, the princesses were probably just busy with trying to fix all of this mess, and a few letters hardly felt like they would be at the top of the list of priorities. She had to keep telling herself that.

Fluttershy remained quiet. Though the pegasus was nervous more often than not, Twilight still eventually learned how to get a read on her, for the most part. She could tell that this strange occurrence was already starting to get to her. Though she would be lying if she had said that she herself wasn't scared.

Twilight's eyes tracked a string of fairy lights getting strung up between two homes by a pegasus mare she believed went by the name of Dizzy Twister. It made her feel a little hopeful that some ponies were starting to take the initiative after nearly the entire town had kept themselves locked up in their homes for the entire day previously.

Maybe living next to an anomaly like the Everfree Forest had made the ponies of Ponyville a little more resistant to strange occurrences? It definitely had helped her stop taking small disturbances in the night so seriously at the very least. Even if that forest was the very same reason she had asked Fluttershy to come stay with her while it remained so dark. Most of the monsters that lurked in those trees so close to her cottage might end up getting a little more bold without as much light around.

As that thought passed through Twilight's mind, she felt herself unable to sit still. A heavy contrast to the research she had been conducting through every relevant book she could find in the library previously in hopes of finding an answer to the strange event playing itself out just past the windows of her home.

Sliding the book away from herself with a little wisp of magic, she sighed and rose back up to her hooves. “I think I want to check on the others and make sure they're alright. I haven't had the chance to speak to any of them since this began.”

The sudden words breaking up the silence caused Fluttershy to jump slightly. A silence lingered in the room after that, as if the shy mare was contemplating something. Just as Twilight went to speak again, she found herself beaten to the punch.

“I...” Fluttershy turned her head to hide behind her mane, an action Twilight was more than used to seeing. “Can I come with you?”

The question surprised Twilight. She hadn't planned on asking for Fluttershy's company, having expected her to want to stick where it felt a little more safe. She wouldn't complain about some extra company while out in that heavy darkness.

“Something is telling me that I shouldn't let you go alone,” added Fluttershy.

“Well, I was going to bring Spike along with me, but if you insist,” chuckled Twilight. That was the first bit of levity she had been able to feel since the darkness fell. Maybe Fluttershy had actually learned something from that whole assertiveness incident.

The realization that she had volunteered herself for something she didn't need to do seemed to poke a little hole into the balloon Fluttershy had been using to puff herself up with. However, she still rose up from her seat on her floor cushion despite it.

Even if her friend remained quiet, the action spoke volumes and put a faint smile onto Twilight's face. Trotting to the stairs, she peered up towards the second floor. “Spike! Fluttershy and I are going to head out for a little bit!”

“Huh?!” came Spike's surprised voice, followed by the sound of a broom clattering to the floor.

After a few moments, Spike came scurrying down the steps to meet the two ponies. “Going out? Wasn't it you that said we would be safer waiting inside until all of this got fixed?”

“Yes, I did say that, but we're running a little low on food and we want to make sure our friends are okay. We can ki-” Twilight paused her words, reconsidering the saying she was about to use while giving Fluttershy a subtle glance through the corner of her eye. “-take care of both at once to minimize our trips out.”

“And you're just going to leave me here all by myself with all this weird stuff going on?” complained Spike.

“Would you like to come into the scary darkness with us, then?”

Twilight could sense the hesitation coming from the dragon before his face even showed the hint of nerves. When Spike hurried back up the stairs, she simply chuckled.

“Sorry, but I have just so much cleaning to take care of! Maybe next time!” shouted Spike over his shoulder as he rushed away.

With a deep breath, Twilight turned to Fluttershy and gave her the best reassuring smile she could. Even if she was sure nothing should happen to either of them while out, she still dreaded leaving the library. The unnatural stillness of everything felt deafening in its silence both times she had left previous, but she knew she needed to keep a brave face if she wanted any chance of getting Fluttershy to venture out with her.

Twilight opened the front door to the library, the slow squeaking of the hinges almost sounding like it was daring her to step through the threshold and into the waiting maw of the darkness. The air outside was just as thick and heavy as before, the strange sensation of feeling weighed down by some invisible cloak dulling all of her senses.

* * *

The trot to Sweet Apple Acres felt much longer than usual, even if Twilight had led the way down her usual route to the farm. Despite all of the lights and lanterns hung up around the town, it almost felt like the illumination from them was dying off much sooner than it should have. It was as if the darkness itself was fighting to exist.

Combined with the dulled sounds that came from the ponies working to keep the streets lit, everything during the trip across the small town just felt wrong. Everything and everypony still looked as they should, but it all felt just off enough to keep Twilight on edge. From how much she had to keep her eyes on Fluttershy to urge her along, she could tell she wasn't the only one who noticed it, either.

Luckily, their destination came into view with help from the many lights hung from the old wooden fence and between the trees. Rainbow Dash must have come by to help to get all of that done in such a short amount of time.

Twilight had chosen to stop by Sweet Apple Acres first since it was the most out of the way and they could stop by the others' homes on the way back. Even if it meant she would have to lug around a sack of apples for longer, the less time she and Fluttershy would had to spend outside, the better.

Despite the farm's usual rustic charm, Twilight almost felt like she was back next to the Everfree going to pick up Fluttershy from her cottage. She suddenly realized she hadn't ever actually visited the orchard during the night, and it never struck her mind just how dark all of the trees would have made everything. Even with the lights doing the best they could, she couldn't see much further than fifteen feet out into the forest of apple trees.

A sudden crack of wood on wood and a clattering of something to the ground forced Twilight's attention away from the trees and towards the rustic farmhouse sitting across from it. She placed a hoof over her pounding heart upon seeing that it had come from Applejack who appeared be having some difficulty with a collection of apple buckets; the realization helping Fluttershy slowly return to the ground after leaping to the air out of reflex.

“Oh, consarn it!” exclaimed the exasperated earth pony.

Not waiting a moment to help out her friend, Twilight rushed to the side of the home and lit up her horn to return the buckets to a neat stack. The sudden movement of the buckets appeared to startle her friend.

“What in Equestria? I swear if this confounded darkness is going to start messing with me, I'm gonna-” Applejack stopped her little rant once she turned towards Twilight and Fluttershy, it only taking a moment for her to realize what had happened. “Oh, hi Twi and you too, Fluttershy. Thanks for that.”

“No problem. You doing alright?” asked Twilight with concern. “You seem a little on edge.”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Think this darn darkness is getting to me a little bit, though,” admitted Applejack, scratching the back of her head with a hoof.

“I can only imagine. You're one of the few ponies who actually needs to work out here,” replied Twilight.

“Isn't it scary being out here?” asked Fluttershy, a noticeable hesitation in her tone.

“Maybe a little, but the trees aren't going to harvest themselves. Besides, I've got Big Mac working out here with me.” Applejack adjusted her hat a bit, the fumble from earlier having nearly taken it off her head. “What are you two doing all the way out here, though? I figured you'd want to stay inside as much as possible like most of the others.”

“Trust me, that is what we want to be doing right now.” Twilight couldn't help letting her eyes drift up towards the dark sky as she spoke. “Being out here just doesn't feel right.”

“Like something big is just bearing down on ya, right?”

“Exactly. Which actually brings me to the reason we're here. Well, two reasons, actually.”

“Well, I'm all ears.”

“First off, we'd like to get some apples for the library.” Twilight answered, turning her gaze back towards her orange friend. “I invited Fluttershy to stay with me in the library since I didn't feel comfortable leaving her so close to the Everfree Forest in conditions like these. But, that also means we're using twice as much food.”

Applejack gave her an enthusiastic smile. Well, as best of one somepony could give when stuck in a weird heavy darkness. “I see. Well, of course y'all can have your fill. I'm not just gonna leave two of my friends all high and dry during something like this.”

“Thank you, Applejack, I appreciate it.” Twilight smiled.

She could feel Fluttershy lightly press herself against her side as they lingered on the farm, the motion reminding her of her second request she had for the earth pony. “Also, like Fluttershy, I was hoping you could accompany us back to the library.”

“Sorry, but I'm gonna have to say no to that one. You can get your fruit, but this apple is staying on the farm.” Applejack turned to pull an apple bucket off the top of the neat stack next to her.

Twilight cantered after Applejack once she started to head for one of the nearby trees, eliciting a nervous squeak to come from behind her as Fluttershy moved to keep up. “We're trying to find an answer to what might be causing all this and if we can get an extra pair of eyes, it might-”

“I know, I know, and I want to help y'all, trust me.” Applejack set the bucket under her selected tree and turned away from the trunk. With the same smooth motion Twilight had seen plenty of times before, she struck the tree with both of her hind hooves. “But just like you two, there are a lot of hungry ponies who need food for staying inside.”

Twilight watched as a cascade of apples fell into the nearby bucket, still not quite sure how Applejack always got them to fall so cleanly inside. However, she relented with a heavy sigh. “Right. Of course.”

Applejack lowered her posture and shoved the full bucket closer to her two friends with the top of her head. Rising back up, she wore a little smile. “Tell ya what. In a few days time when we've got all of these apples taken care of, I'll pay y'all a visit if all this hasn't been fixed yet.”

Though disappointment still lingered within Twilight, the assurance of future aid helped give her some sense of ease. With a flare of her horn, she heaved the heavy bucket of apples into the air to bring along with her and Fluttershy on their journey through the rest of Ponyville.

“Oh, and those apples are on me for today, tonight? Whatever. Just head on home and stay safe, you two,” added Applejack to put the faintest of smiles back onto Twilight's face.

“Thank you, Applejack. You stay safe, too.”

With one final exchange of nods, Twilight gave Fluttershy a soft little nudge to get the pegasus to walk with her. Though it was far from strange for Fluttershy to stay quiet and let others speak for her, she could still sense the situation was getting to her. Maybe she should have forced Spike to come along instead.

Twilight had to shake those thoughts from her head as she and Fluttershy cantered towards the exit of Sweet Apple Acres. A soft rustling of the nearby trees filtered into her ears, the strangeness of the seemingly normal sound's existence not registering with her mind while she already had so much to worry about.

* * *

Twilight closed the door to her home with a sigh that held an odd mixture of relief and defeat. She hadn't been able to shake an uncomfortable chill in her spine since leaving Sweet Apple Acres. Judging by how quickly Fluttershy had taken to climbing under a blanket near the library's fireplace, she wasn't the only one who felt it. It was only exacerbated by the total failure to bring any of their other friends back with them. Not even the scent of the bucket filled with fresh ripe apples sitting next to her could lift her spirits.

Rainbow Dash surprised her by forming a town watch with many of the other pegasi. She wasn't too worried about them as any monsters that might wander from the forest wouldn't pose too much of a threat to anypony perched high above in the clouds. She even felt tempted to suggest Fluttershy stay with Rainbow in her cloud house instead. Though, the extra company did feel nice.

Unlike Rainbow, Twilight couldn't shake off her worries for the others. Like Applejack, Pinkie Pie insisted that she stay and prepare food for any hungry ponies who might need it and she didn't want to argue the point. Even if cakes and cookies weren't exactly the best survival foods.

Rarity wasn't even at her home, Carousel Boutique simply bore a sign taped to its door informing any possible visitors that its owner was away with her family. Twilight sadly didn't know where in town Rarity's family lived and blindly searching around for the fashionista was the last thing she wanted to do. A sentiment Fluttershy no doubt shared.

“Spike! We're back!” called Twilight, her words immediately producing the sound of little dragon feet hurrying down the stairs in a display that instantly removed one of the fears she had lingering in the back of her mind during the entire excursion outside.

Spike nearly tripped over himself upon reaching the bottom of the steps in his rush to give Twilight a hug, the dragon's grip surprisingly strong for how small he was. “Oh thank Celestia you're back! You were gone for so long, I thought a manticore or something might have gotten you!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. Spike had a flare for exaggeration, but she never expected him to use that against himself. “Spike, we were only gone for a couple hours at most.”

“But it felt like forever! Reading comics can only pass the time so fast, you know,” insisted Spike as Twilight used her magic to gently peel him off her foreleg so she could take a seat next to Fluttershy.

“It's even more scary out there.” Fluttershy barely peeked out from behind her long mane, subtle shivering of her body giving off just how much the experience had shaken her. Even if nothing out of the ordinary had actually happened.

Twilight had to take in a deep breath to help keep herself calm. Being back inside her home definitely helped ward away that chill that had been sticking to her that entire time. Though, the gently burning fire nearby seemed to help that. Maybe it was just the autumn chill only made worse by the lack of sun.

Twilight paused, her idle thoughts bringing a question to her attention. “Spike, has there been any response from Princess Celestia?”

Spike answered with a simple shake of his head that forced a heavy sigh out of Twilight. “Of course not.”

Trying her best to not let her worries get the better of her, Twilight instead used her magic to pull one of the many books off of a nearby shelf to begin skimming through it. Research always calmed her nerves and maybe she would be able to find an answer to the many questions zipping through her mind like the strongest hurricane. It was a raging storm gently quelled by the warmth of her friend and little brother on either side of her as they all did their best to rest next to the fire's orange glow.

Even in that moment of calm, she couldn't help but glance towards the nearest window. Though she couldn't see her old hometown through the darkness, she could still picture it in her mind and only hope that her family was alright.

2. Rest

~*~ Chapter 2 ~*~

~*~ Rest ~*~

The gentle sounds of wheels on track filled the train car which was only sparsely populated by ponies. The rhythmic 'ka-chunk's helped Twilight relax after the trek to the station from the library. For reasons she couldn't place her hoof on, venturing through the seemingly everlasting night felt even more nerve wracking than before. Perhaps it was the lack of word from the princesses, which added up to four days by that point, that was finally getting to her. Along with waking up to that same dark sky for so many mornings in a row.

It was a strange feeling being on that train. Maybe it was the extra bright lights keeping all the cars lit and holding the shadows that completely blotted out the windows at bay, the crisp sounds of the wheels, the other ponies around her or maybe just the mere act of being on the move, but something helped her feel relaxed in that moment. Like whatever it was she had been feeling bearing down on her finally wasn't there looking over her shoulder anymore. The soft weight of Spike leaning against her as he napped helped her feel she wasn't alone, with that sense of safety.

Across the table from herself sitting in the other booth, Fluttershy still appeared noticeably nervous, but Twilight could still sense the ride was helping her as well. At least, she hoped it was. Fluttershy had been so quiet during the whole event it was beginning to get harder to read her.

A twang of guilt suddenly passed over Twilight at that thought. She hadn't exactly been the most comforting friend, either. So wrapped up in her research and studies to try and find an answer to what was going on. She turned her eyes downward towards the table, a little scowl coming to her face.

“Uhm, Twilight?” came the gentle voice of Fluttershy, pulling Twilight's gaze back up to her friend. “Are you okay?”

The moment of rest and feeling of safety allowed Twilight's mask to slip just enough to allow her stress to show through. She didn't want Fluttershy worrying about her while she already had so much else to worry about, but there was no helping it once it was out.

“No, Fluttershy, I'm not.” Twilight closed the book resting on the table in front of her. She hadn't been able to focus on it anyway.

“You're worried about the princesses, aren't you?”

Twilight nodded. “Of course I am. But, I'm also worried about our friends.”

A slight pause hung between the two. In that moment images of a haggard Applejack still harvesting apples alongside Big Macintosh and a sleep-deprived Rainbow Dash still leading the pegasus watch members flashed through Twilight's mind. She had asked if they wanted to come with her, but the predictable answer came back. They were too busy to go on some adventure to Canterlot. At least Pinkie Pie seemed to still be her usual bouncy self, even if she also denied her invitation.

“Hopefully this trip will be enlightening. The royal library is the best source for all information in Equestria, after all,” stated Twilight, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

What came from Fluttershy next surprised Twilight. “I'm sure once we get to the castle, we'll see that everypony is okay. We might even find an answer and let all of our friends rest, too.”

It was an odd feeling having Fluttershy do the comforting and encouraging in a stressful situation for a change, but she was thankful for it. The shy mare was pretty perceptive despite her quiet nature and Twilight couldn't help but gain a faint little smile.

Another moment of silence came over them, but this time it felt more at ease and less like both of them were struggling to find something to say. It was a welcome bit of calm in an otherwise chaotic storm.

“Twilight?” asked Fluttershy, pulling Twilight's gaze back to her once more. “Don't push yourself too hard, either, okay?”

The words hit Twilight like a strangely comforting buck to the face and her smile gained a little bit more confidence behind it. “I promise.”

A smile came to Fluttershy next. That simple sight was enough to make Twilight's remaining stress slowly melt off. Even if what waited for them in Canterlot was an unknown and the possibility that it too was shrouded in the same blanket of shadow, their little pocket of space in that train car felt like a nice, safe little bubble.

Twilight regarded the book resting on the table in front of her. For once, she didn't actually feel like reading. She had spent so much time uselessly digging through irrelevant information already that returning to such an activity felt like it would ruin the sense of comfort she had just found herself with. Research could wait until they arrived at the castle.

Instead, she took to finding a more comfortable position in her booth for the remainder of the trip. The ride up to Canterlot from Ponyville only took a little over an hour, but it was hard to see just how much time was left without a visual reference. May as well take the chance to relax while things felt the safest they have had for some time.

As Twilight tried her best to get some much needed rest, she couldn't find herself able to settle down. Despite the feeling of safety the train brought, the other ponies around her gave off plenty of nervous energy she just couldn't shake away. As much as she had been trying to ignore them before, the break in conversation with Fluttershy allowed the voices of a family in the booth behind her to register with her brain. She knew eavesdropping wasn't the most polite thing to do, but she couldn't help herself.

“Mom, why do we need to leave? It's not that scary, just dark! I promised to play with Kettle Corn tomorrow!” complained the voice of a colt.

An exasperated sigh came from the mare directly behind Twilight. “I already told you, sweetie, there's just something not right happening and I don't want as to be around when things get worse. I'm sure everything will be better once we get to Manehattan, it has to.”

Twilight turned her eyes back to Fluttershy, the saddened expression on her friend's face telling her she was listening in as well. The nervous denial of the mother could be heard clearly and it reminded her of a few things she had overheard while passing by homes to the train station. While there were plenty of ponies taking everything in stride, or putting on a brave face at the very least, the average pony must be just like that family. She had noticed homes gradually getting locked up and left behind as the days passed.

“I'm with mom on this one, Mint,” started a filly sitting next to her mother in the same booth. “I'm not scared of the dark or anything, though. That crazy librarian in the tree probably tried casting some spell and it went wrong again. Ponyville was fine until she moved in!”

The words stuck into Twilight like an arrow, but she had to force herself from antagonizing an already shaken up teen. That family was scared and she was admittedly not without fault; a particular incident with the Want It, Need It spell came to mind.

With a calming breath, Twilight decided to focus on somepony else. A lone stallion sat in the corner of the booth furthest towards the back of the train car. She believed his name was Caramel, would make sense given the color of his coat. He appeared to be nervously scribbling down some notes in a journal sitting in front of him, though she was too far from his position to have the slightest chance at taking a peek.

She quickly lost interest in pony watching after that. Most were much the same, scared and alone or scared with family or friends. Most ponies she recognized and all of them were most likely heading to a city in the corners of Equestria. Though, given how little has been heard from other areas, she wasn't as sure of their escape from the darkness as they all seemed to be.

“They don't know what to do.”

The sudden words easily grabbed Twilight's attention and she once again turned to stare at Fluttershy. She must have noticed her wandering gaze.

“They think heading somewhere else will help them, like somepony is calling out to them and telling them it'll be okay,” stated Fluttershy in that same quiet and calm voice she always carried.

Twilight felt her thoughts crash into one-another like a pair of runaway carts. Fluttershy seemed to catch her surprise and lowered her eyes down towards the table.

“Sorry. You looked worried about them, so I thought that telling you what they might be feeling would help.” Fluttershy apologized, shaking Twilight from her daze.

“Oh, it's okay, Fluttershy. I was just surprised.” Twilight reached a hoof out to try and regain her friend's attention. “You just sounded so confident in your conclusion, I'm wondering how you came up with it.”

Fluttershy looked up to her once more, those nervous eyes commonplace even when things were particularly normal. “Uhm, well I-”

“Next stop, Canterlot Royal Station! If this is your destination, please prepare to disembark and remember to stay safe out there!” The sound of the conductor's voice filled the room and broke apart the pair's conversation.

A little groan came from the seat next to Twilight. The announcement had woken Spike up from his slumber next to her and he sat back up. She wrapped a foreleg around the dragon when it finally struck her to look out the window.

It was still pitch black, save for the bright lights hanging from the station platform's awning.

Author's Note

Slightly shorter chapter this time, but hope you all aren't disappointed!

I want to give a quick heartfelt thanks to all of you who are enjoying this and giving your feedback. I've always been very nervous about my writing, or any creative works I try to pursue, but all of your kind words have really been a big boost to my confidence and self-esteem. Thank you all so much and I hope to keep these chapters coming at a somewhat regular pace! :heart:

3. Questions

~*~ Chapter 3 ~*~

~*~ Questions ~*~

Despite how much she hoped and wished things would somehow have been better in Canterlot, the air continued to feel just as stiflingly still and heavy as it was in Ponyville. That very same devouring darkness filling the sky and fighting the light produced by the light bulbs hung up to struggle against it.

The sound of the train's doors closing almost felt muted, like the sound was trying to travel through water rather than air. Twilight had taken notice of the very same phenomenon from nearly every single noise she had heard on the unnerving trek to the Ponyville station as well. A phenomenon that seemed to alleviate itself once in the bright lights of the train car, but returned the moment she was back outside.

The weight of Spike on her back helped confirm that he was still with her, but something inside her forced her to look back. The nervous, but curious eyes of Fluttershy staring back at her helped to quell her own fears of taking her eyes away from either of them, for so much as a moment, would cause them to disappear. She knew it was completely irrational, but she couldn't get that little scratching feeling out of her mind.

None of her dozens of letters had gotten any sort of response and maybe what she was feeling was a simple extension of the worries that caused. They had coaxed her into dragging Spike and Fluttershy all the way up the mountain with her, after all. But now that they arrived there was no point in turning back. It would be nice to confirm that the princesses and her parents were alright, too.

The streets of Canterlot somehow felt even darker than Ponyville's, despite the tighter grouping of buildings allowing lights to hang closer together. That same chill she felt while out visiting her friends days prior ran down Twilight's spine once again.

A small tingle ran through her mind and her eyes turned to glance down an alleyway the sidewalk led them all past. Unlike the others that had some attempt at keeping them lit just in case, this one was pitch dark. As if whatever lamp or lantern that was inside had been broken, causing an unnerving aura to seep out from inside.

“Uhm, Twilight?”

The gentle voice of Fluttershy registered with her mind, but something inside of her told her not to listen. It wasn't until she felt a tug on her mane that her attention was broken and she realized she had stopped her trot to stare.

“Hey, Twilight, shouldn't we keep moving?” asked Spike, a shift in weight coming to Twilight's back as he sat back down.

Twilight took one more glance down the alleyway before continuing down the sidewalk once more. She instead turned her attention to her right side upon feeling a few soft feathers brush against her. Fluttershy had cantered up beside her rather than sticking behind her like she usually preferred.

“A-are you feeling okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy's fears of being outside once again held clear in her shaky tone of voice.

“Yeah, it's not like you to get distracted like that,” chimed Spike, adding to the voices distracting Twilight from the strange beckoning feeling that alley had given her.

It took Twilight a few moments to regain enough control over her thoughts to respond. Long enough she could feel the worry in her companions grow slightly. “I'm alright. I thought I just heard something is all.”

She didn't like lying to others, especially her friends, but with all of their nerves on high, it didn't feel like the right time to go scaring them even more. She would just need to make it to the castle and everything would be fine. With squads of guards, a decent chunk of which were bat ponies built to work in the dark of night for Princess Luna, there wouldn't be a safer place to be in times like these. Right?

Her answer didn't get a response from either of those with her, but their change in postures told her that they had at least accepted it for the time being. A twinge of guilt still came over her for just a moment despite that. She would need to find a way to make up for the deception somehow once they were all somewhere that felt a little less foreboding.

Luckily, her parents didn't live too far from the train station; it would make a good checkpoint on the way to the castle. Not to mention the amount of weight seeing them doing alright would take off of her.

Oh, please let them be okay. The thought rung through Twilight's head like a gong in an empty room.

Another brush of Fluttershy's soft feathers against her side shook Twilight from her thoughts and allowed her to re-assess her surroundings. She had somehow led them halfway down the path to their first destination purely out of instinct without even noticing. Though, that was definitely the least of her concerns.

The opposite side of the street was pitch black. Though it most likely was simply the result of ponies leaving their homes to either stick together or leave town like back in Ponyville, that didn't make it feel any less unnerving. Now that she noticed it, that was probably what made Fluttershy feel it was so necessary to stick so close to her. Not that she objected to it. It was nice having that confirmation that her friend was still with her without having to crane her neck to actually look every few moments to make sure.

“Hey, Twilight, we almost there?” Spike's voice suddenly shattered the nervous silence that had taken hold of the trio. “We've been out in the city at night before, but this is really giving me the creeps. Even more than Ponyville.”

Twilight craned her neck in order to glimpse Spike on her back. “Just a few more minutes, just please sit tight. I want to get back inside as much as you do.”

To Twilight's relief, the shortest path to her foalhood home was indeed lit. It was a small blessing, but one she was more than thankful for. She never thought the image of an old and worn lantern swaying precariously on its hook would ever give her any kind of emotion other than worry about the fire hazard such a thing posed.

It only took a moment for her relief to shift into confused realization. The air was still as still and heavy as it felt in Ponyville, if not somehow even more stifling. Before she could question it, however, that old rusty hinge keeping the lantern up finally gave out and allowed the light to fall with a crash. The sound almost felt deafening in the silence despite the muted feel of it. She almost couldn't hear Fluttershy's surprised scream over the echo that seemed to bounce around within her own ears.

Not taking the time to question why the spilled lamp oil hadn't caught fire, Twilight instead lit up her horn in her signature purple-pink magic in a vain attempt to replace the lost light. Despite the spell usually packing enough power to light up an entire room perfectly, she could hardly get it to so much as light up the face of Fluttershy as she cowered right up against her flank-to-flank.

“How did...” Fluttershy's quavering voice died off before she could finish. That, or she simply couldn't be heard through the heavy air.

“It was probably just old and couldn't stand its own weight anymore,” reasoned Twilight, the answer more to help comfort herself more than anything else.

After plenty of urging given to Fluttershy, Twilight started her trot forward again. She had to arc their path around and into the street covered in that pitch dark blanket just to make sure neither she nor Fluttershy stepped on any of the glass no doubt scattered by the fallen lantern. The last thing any of them needed was an injury on top of everything else.

The portion of unlit road only spanned a dozen feet or so, but the trot that only took seconds to get through felt so much longer. It wasn't until she took her first few steps in that Twilight realized it was the closest she had been to venturing into the shroud of darkness without a light source of any kind. No lamps or open windows or doorways like her other trips out.

Though the light of her horn helped keep her head and neck lit, the rest of her body remained in shadow. Every inch of her body not in the comforting light of her magic felt hard to move, like a weight had been tied to each of her legs. Every time one of her hooves touched the ground, she had to fight to lift it back up again. As if an unseen force was grabbing at her.

With how close Spike was keeping to her neck, he surely felt it was well. Fluttershy had also taken to keeping as close as she physically could manage. Twilight could only guess how the ordeal felt for her.

If it weren't for the contact of her friends, she could imagine getting sucked right into the shadows like a deep muddy swamp. However, the most uncomfortable feeling of being in that darkness was just how deeply wrong everything felt. At any other time, a light shining in the distance could be seen hundreds of feet out, even if it couldn't illuminate the area for you. But as she crept along, she couldn't see anything outside the limited range of her magic. As if what had come over the land was a solid mass simply getting pushed back by the light, neither able to fully overcome the other.

Just as suddenly as the blackness overcame her upon stepping out of the previous sphere of light, Twilight's vision of the street came back to her. Where there was nothing but a sheet of blank pitch, the front porches of homes came back into view and luckily nothing had followed them back into their new little safe zone. As safe as a pony could possibly feel after such an intense feeling.

Fluttershy dropped to her rump once everything appeared alright and Twilight had to resist the urge to get after her. She knew her friend was already scared and that little romp through a nightmare probably didn't help her. Maybe it would be best to take a short break.

“Okay, that was something.” Twilight knew she didn't have to describe what she felt, if there even were words for it. “Let's take a few minutes, but then we really should continue on. We just have one street left.”

Spike liked to play tough even in these kinds of moments, but Twilight could feel the trembling in his arms as he climbed off her back so she could rest her own hooves. She always teased him for his efforts before, but that little bit of strength was welcome in that moment. A small hint of normalcy can go a long way in such abnormal times.

* * *

The sight that greeted Twilight's eyes was a sight straight out of her nightmares. Her parents' home, the one place she felt secure other than the castle or library, had no lights coming from inside. She had seen many similarly dark and silent homes on her way there, but something about seeing one so important to her in such a lifeless state made a pressure bear down on her with an immeasurable weight.

“Maybe they left to be with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the castle?”

The sound of Fluttershy's voice did little to shake Twilight from her shock, but it did wake her up just enough to start up the small set of steps leading to the front door. She gave a soft knock in hopes that somepony was still inside to greet them. Maybe they felt safe enough in their home to actually turn the lights out when going to sleep?

Those thoughts crashed to a halt when her knocking caused the door to swing open and away from her hoof. Even when they were home, her parents kept the door locked. She felt her mind go blank as she stared into the pitch black entry way. Not even Spike giving a tug on her mane could get her to take another step forward.

“Hey Twily, what are you doing standing out there? Come inside already!”

Twilight's ears perked. The voice of Shining Armor seemed to echo out of the darkness of the home. She took one small step forward, laying a forehoof just on the doorway's threshold. “Shiny? If you're home, why do you have all the lights off?”

“The power went out for the whole street, but they should be working on it. I came over to make sure mom and dad are safe until it comes back,” clarified Shining Armor.

The words rung through Twilight's head like the castle's giant bell. They were startling, but comforting. “Thank Celestia you all are alright. I got so worried when I saw the lights turned off.”

“Where are mom and dad right now?” Twilight couldn't wait to see, or in the current situation, hear her parents. They were the ones she was the most worried about since getting on the train.

Shining Armor gave a little chuckle. “I told them to stay in their room to make sure they stick together. Here, let me take you to them.”

A sudden explosion of light made a gasp of surprise escape from Twilight as she held a foreleg over her eyes to protect them. Once she felt her eyes had properly adjusted, she found herself standing in the middle of the home's entry way. She must have wandered inside during the conversation without noticing.

With a turn of her head, she spied Fluttershy with a hoof resting on the light switch next to the doorway with Spike now atop her back instead. If he had jumped off her back to Fluttershy's when she moved inside, she hadn't noticed.

“Uhm, Twilight? Who are you talking to?” asked Fluttershy while lowering her hoof back down to the ground.

“What do you mean who -” In that moment, something finally registered with Twilight's mind. She turned the way she had been facing more. “Shiny, you said the power was out! Were you just trying to scare me or something?”

The recipient of the accusation didn't respond. All that met her ears was the sound of the door getting closed and locked behind her. “Alright, this isn't funny, Shining Armor! Stop hiding and come say you're sorry!”

“Twilight, seriously, what are you talking about?” asked Spike in vain.

Twilight turned her attention to the still-dark rooms and shook her head. She knew what she heard and her brother must just be hiding somewhere in the home. She would find him and prove everything was fine. They had to be.

* * *

“Everything is not fine!” Twilight dropped herself to the living room rug. “Where are they? And how is this place empty?”

Though she had galloped through the house and turned on every light possible, she hadn't been able to find a soul. Combined with the strangely dim feeling from the lights that left the corners of each room just a bit more shaded than usual, she could hardly form a sensible thought.

Spike laid a gentle claw onto Twilight's shoulder, though it didn't coax her face out of hiding behind her hooves. “Please Twilight, calm down. They're probably just at the castle like Fluttershy said.”

Twilight snapped her head toward Spike this time. “I know what I heard, Spike! I heard Shining talking to me!”

“And I'm still trying to tell you that neither of us heard him or any other pony.” Spike turned to look back at Fluttershy who gave a shaky nod of agreement.

“But, I...” Twilight allowed her words to trail off into silence as she buried her face in her hooves again. “No, you two are right. There's nopony in here but us.”

She could feel a gentle hoof pet her head, but didn't look up. As she laid there, she could feel just how exhausted she felt. Maybe it had just been her mind playing tricks on her. She hadn't exactly been sleeping well for the past few days. She was never good at sleeping with the lights on, even when she didn't have theories and worries hanging over her mind.

A few quiet words came from Fluttershy above her, but they hardly registered with her mind. The day's journey had been weighing on her much more than she thought and her body's needs took over. She let the world slowly drift away.

Author's Note

Hey there everyone! New chapter has arrived! Thank you all so much for your support, I really wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for all of you!

I apologize if things have been a bit slow so far. This is my first major story I've ever written in my life, so I'm still trying to get things like pacing down. Maybe a horror fic wasn't the best idea to start brand new on. :twilightblush:

I hope to get things really going from here on out!

4. Company

~*~ Chapter 4 ~*~

~*~ Company ~*~

Fluttershy gasped as she suddenly awoke. Her head felt strange and light, like she had been woken up after just entering deep sleep. She had to force herself to sit up just to keep herself from falling back asleep, and it was only then that she was able to see that she was in her bed.

She scanned her eyes over the room, and she was indeed laying in her own bed. The lack of sounds coming from her animal friends on the other side of the door or outside the window hadn't gone unnoticed, but it appeared to still be rather early and they were all probably still asleep. Asleep like she probably should have been.

“That was such a strange dream,” Fluttershy muttered to herself. It had been some time since she had a nightmare that vivid.

A sudden rapping at her window made Fluttershy jump. Before she could check to see what was causing the noise, the window slid open and the head of Rainbow Dash leaned inside. She could only sigh in relief from seeing a friendly face after such unsettling images her mind had decided to show her as she slept.

“Awesome, you're awake!” chimed Rainbow Dash. “Rarity said she wants you to help her with a new dress she's working on. I stopped paying attention halfway through, but I think she just wants to use you as a model or something.”

Fluttershy blinked. “Rarity usually comes to visit me on her own when she needs me. Why are you here? Uhm, no offense, I mean.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in a rather exaggerated manner before holding her foreleg to her head in dramatic fashion. “I'm simply just too busy to trot all the way across town myself!”

Fluttershy could only giggle at the display. It wasn't the best impression she had heard in her life, but she understood what Rainbow Dash was going for.

Once calm, she slipped from her bed and gave her head a little nod. “Okay, I'll go. Thank you for telling me, Rainbow Dash. I would hate to disappoint Rarity by not showing up when she needs me.”

“Don't mention it. I'll see you when you come down!”

Fluttershy turned toward the window again, but she only caught sight of it shutting closed before she could give a response. She stared for a few moments, but turned away from the window to instead canter to her little vanity and fix her mane to look presentable. The reflection that came back to her looked ragged. Her mane looked like it hadn't been combed in days and she could see the slightest hint of bags under her eyes. It really must have been a rough night of sleep for her.

By the time she stepped out of her room, she felt much more presentable, even if she still held those little rings under her eyes. But there was only so much she could do for that. Though hopefully a short nap after helping Rarity would help, they always helped Angel whenever he was feeling grumpy.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she suddenly felt the need to keep her hoofsteps quiet. Despite the fact the sun was already in the sky, they all remained asleep. Even if it was early, the little birdies should have at least woken up by then.

Despite the urges she felt to check on them, it would feel terrible to wake one of them up before they were ready. She was already feeling what they felt like first hoof and wouldn't wish it onto any of them. Instead, she carefully made her way to the front door and slipped outside.

A little squeak of surprise left Fluttershy once the door was closed and she turned around to spot the face of Rainbow Dash just a few inches away from her. She held a hoof to her own chest to let out a calming breath.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and spread her wings to hover above the ground. “Heh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya. Come on, let's go.”

Fluttershy frowned and turned her head just enough to hide a good portion of her face behind her mane. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be scared. I'm just feeling a little jumpy this morning.”

“And that's any different to any other morning?” teased Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy blushed, but began trotting down the simple pathway after more urging from Rainbow Dash. “I just had a nightmare last night and I can't get it out of my head. At least, I think it was a nightmare.”

Rainbow Dash waved a dismissive hoof. “Is that all you're worried about? It can't hurt you now that you're awake, right? It'll be fine.”

Fluttershy didn't respond. Even if that dream had scared her, something in the back of her mind felt like it didn't want her to forget about it. Twilight had told her that dreams are sometimes your subconscious trying to tell you something. She had been having a few stressful days, so maybe her mind was just trying to tell her to take things more slowly?

Twilight. For some reason, when she thought about her friend's name, it almost felt like something wanted to fight its way back to the front of her mind. The path from her home to Carousel Boutique took them right past Twilight's library. Maybe it would be okay to stop by and see if Twilight was awake?

Upon entering Ponyville proper, it felt nearly just as quiet as her cottage. A few ponies milled about here and there, but it wasn't anything like it usually was. Even just after sunrise, there were at least weather ponies flying all over to get things prepared for the coming day.

Rainbow Dash had been keeping quiet ever since Fluttershy chose not to reply to her words. That was, until her wandering eyes glanced towards the Golden Oaks Library.

“Hey! We should pick up the pace, don't you think? You know how annoying Rarity gets when you keep her waiting!” Rainbow Dash urged, slipping herself between Fluttershy and the library.

Fluttershy shrank down and away from her friend. Something about Rainbow Dash felt a little more overbearing than usual that morning, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Despite her instincts telling her to stay quiet and just do what was wanted of her, that feeling in the back of her mind only pushed back even harder. She needed to see Twilight.

“Uhm, Rainbow Dash? I think Rarity will be okay for a few more minutes. I think I want to talk to Twilight about the dream I had last night.” Fluttershy tried to peek under Rainbow Dash to peek at the tree-house.

Rainbow Dash dropped down onto her hooves to block Fluttershy's view again. “You can visit her after. Just keep going!”

Fluttershy took a couple steps back to give herself that little bit of space. “Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash pushed in closer, making Fluttershy step back again until she felt her flank press against the fence surrounding a nearby home. “You don't want to let her down, do you?”

“Rainbow, you're scaring me.” Fluttershy shrank down, trying her best to hide behind her mane, though she felt little comfort this time.

Rainbow Dash pressed her nose up against Fluttershy's, eyes much more angry than they had been before. “I thought you wanted to help Rarity! You wouldn't lie to me, right?”

Fluttershy felt something within her slip under the pressure of Rainbow Dash bearing down on her. She managed to find an opening and she pushed herself out from between the fence and her friend.

Her break for the library ended as quickly as it started when she felt a sudden, sharp pain come from her scalp. Rainbow Dash had grabbed onto her mane with both hooves and used it to force her back, eliciting a small squeak of pain from Fluttershy.

“Where do you think you're going?!” Rainbow Dash growled as she used the mass of pink hair to pull Fluttershy back towards her.

Fluttershy didn't have any courage in her to respond, it taking all of her energy to just keep her neck from bending back too far. She tried to dig her hooves into the dirt in some vain attempt at freeing herself, but she always knew how much weaker she was than somepony like Rainbow Dash.

Another small scream came from Fluttershy when what resistance she did have failed and she felt her hooves slip out from under her. A powerful yank downward forced her to the ground at an angle that knocked some of the air out of her lungs, forcing her to struggle to regain it. Her body burned and her legs wouldn't listen when she tried to stand back up again.

Rainbow Dash tossed a clump of pale pink hair to the side as she loomed over Fluttershy. “I was going to get you to Rarity's place so you couldn't run away, but I guess I can't risk it now. She'll understand.”

A blue foreleg pressed down onto Fluttershy's throat with Rainbow Dash's full weight behind it. She did her best to push back against it, but there was little she could do against such an athletic pony. Her back legs kicked and scraped at the ground under her as she struggled for breath.

“Why?” Fluttershy struggled to get even that single word out, but the only response was even more pressure on her throat. Even if she wanted to ask again, all she could get out were weak gags and struggles for air.

“Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy's ear twitched in the direction of the voice she could barely make out over the beating of her own heart. Her hind legs slowly stopped her kicking as her strength slowly began to drain away from her.

She had to focus what remaining strength she had on fighting against the weight crushing the life out of her. She managed to choke out a response before more gagging gasps took over. “Twi – Twilight? Please, help!”

“Fluttershy, I'm coming!”

The second call of her name came in clearer than the first. That time, it was accompanied by what appeared to be a loud banging sound followed by a crash.

* * *

Twilight jumped awake from the sound of a smash that rang out from the second floor of her parents' home. Sitting up, she realized she was still laying on the rug she had allowed herself to collapse onto. Though, she now had a soft blanket draped over her.

Next to her on the table sat a plate of slightly browned apple slices that must have been sitting there for at least a couple hours. Two other plates next to that one were completely cleaned of whatever meals they had been carrying. Across from the table, Spike slept on the couch, curled up on one of her mother's many throw pillows.

It took only a few moments for her to realize Fluttershy wasn't nearby and her heart sank. “Spike. Spike! Wake up!”

Spike groaned in complaint, but opened up one eye to look in her direction despite that. “What is it? I need my beauty sleep if I'm going to make it to the castle.”

“Where's Fluttershy?” Twilight didn't have the nerves to dance do her usual dance with Spike when he was complaining. She hoped Fluttershy hadn't heard anypony talking to her like she still swore she had.

Spike turned over and settled back in again. “Oh, she was having trouble getting to sleep on the couch, so I said she could sleep in your room.”

Twilight immediately felt most of her worry lift away. Fluttershy was still inside, and the second floor always felt safer than the first for obvious reasons. She rose to her hooves once what had woken her up came back to her. “Maybe it'll be good to check on her, though.”

No response came from Spike, and Twilight gently laid her blanket over him with her magic. She turned back towards the table and picked up one of the apple slices to eat in one bite while heading up the stairs.

Luckily, the door to her bedroom sat right at the top of the stairs. She tried the handle, only to find it wouldn't budge despite the door not having an actual lock on it. Could Fluttershy have gotten so scared that she barricaded herself inside? She did look the most worse for ware out of the three of them by the time they made it to the home.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight gave a gentle knock on the door. She did always respond well to soft voices, so maybe she could help her calm down.

When no response came back, Twilight placed her ear against the door to listen. Nothing. Growing worried, she lowered her head down to the floor to peek under the little space between the door and the carpet and her heart jumped into her throat.

The room didn't have any light inside and all she could see was a wall of pitch black. Fluttershy had been just fine sleeping in the light back at the library in Ponyville. She wouldn't have turned it off on her own, would she?

“Fluttershy? Are you in there?” Twilight asked again, putting a little more force into her knocks. When still no reply came, she leaned in to listen once more.

She closed her eyes when she thought she heard something just barely able to come through. It was faint and she couldn't make out exactly what it was, but something was on the other side of the door. The dark's odd ability to muffle sound had only been a strange sensation in the back of her mind up until that point, but now it might be blocking out something important.

Twilight flared her magic to life and gripped the door handle as strongly as she could. Despite her best efforts and the sweat slowly forming on her forehead, it wouldn't budge. Looks like she would have to get in there the hard way. And make a mental note to apologize to her parents whenever things were back to normal.

She took a few steps back and galloped at the door at her full speed. She had to twist her front slightly to get her shoulder out front and ram herself into the door. She heard the sound of straining wood, but the door remained firmly in place despite her now-throbbing shoulder.

“Fluttershy! Hang on, I'll get you out of there!” Twilight called into the room before backing up. She repeated her motions, much to the displeasure of her shoulder that had a deeper purple patch on the fur revealing the bruise forming underneath.

She had to heave to catch her breath. If there was one thing she hadn't studied for, it was the proper technique for breaking down a door with your whole body. What she did know, though, was that there wasn't any time for slowing down. She didn't know what was happening inside the room, but with all the noise she was making, Fluttershy would have opened it on her own by now if she could.

Twilight took in one deep breath to focus her mind. “Fluttershy, I'm coming!”

She backed up one last time and charged the door with all the strength her legs could muster. With a powerful leap, her shoulder once again collided with the door. Despite the architecture's best efforts to remain strong, she felt herself falling to the floor with a portion of the door that snapped from the hinges.

With light from the hallway flooding into the room, Twilight could now spot the lamp on the opposite side had its shade torn off and light bulb shattered. She ignored that and put her entire focus onto the bed as she stood up. She could have sworn she saw a vaguely familiar shape of a pony standing over a lump in the blankets for just a moment when the shadows receded.

With a swift flick of her magic, Twilight threw the blankets off the bed to spot Fluttershy laying in a tightly curled ball of pink and yellow. She reached out a hoof towards her friend, but pulled it back in surprise when Fluttershy suddenly sat up with a heavy gasp as if she had just come up from being trapped under water.

Fluttershy held onto her throat with both of her hooves as she coughed and struggled for breath. She took short, quick breaths as if her body was slowly adjusting to being able to breathe again. It was only when Fluttershy appeared calm enough that Twilight felt comfortable reaching out for her again.

“Fluttershy? Are you okay? What happened?” Twilight had many more questions to ask, but the condition of her friend meant much more to her in that moment.

Fluttershy turned her wide scared eyes towards Twilight once the words caught her attention. She didn't respond and instead threw herself at Twilight to wrap her hooves around her and cling to her like a scared filly to their stuffed animal.

Twilight could feel Fluttershy's entire body trembling as she held onto her. She wasn't ever the best at comforting others in moments like those, that was ironically something Fluttershy was better suited for, but she wanted to do what she could. She simply held Fluttershy close to her and listened to the little sobs coming from the place in her neck Fluttershy had buried her face.

The two sat there in the safety of the light beam filtering through the doorway until the sound of little footsteps hurrying up the stairs hit Twilight's ears. She continued holding Fluttershy, even as Spike peered around the corner.

“What in the world is going on up here?! I thought you were just going to check on her, not demolish the place!” Spike complained and kicked a little shard of wood on the floor. He only stopped when he turned his eyes towards them. “What happened?”

Twilight clutched Fluttershy tighter while giving Spike a dark stare. “We need to get out of here. Right now.”

5. Failure

~*~ Chapter 5 ~*~

~*~ Failure ~*~

Twilight followed close behind the guard leading her and her friends through the castle halls. The castle was always kept bright and shiny, but the extra lights keeping the hallway lit made it all the more obvious. She was even able to see some of the courtyard below whenever she passed by a window.

Of course the castle would be given the largest priority when it came to being kept safe and lit, but that didn't do much to help her feel as secure as she should have. After the events that had taken place mere hours ago, she didn't know what to think anymore. All she had in her head were the same images of breaking down her old bedroom door and seeing something there before Fluttershy was able to wake up repeating over and over in the same loop.

Twilight's heart felt like a lump of solid lead each time her mind wandered back to Fluttershy. Though she had never left her side, Fluttershy remained just as silent as she had when she first awoke. Even when spoken to, Fluttershy would just turn her eyes towards the floor with the same saddened frown and not reply.

Not like Twilight could blame her. Now that they were in actual light, she was able to see not only the obvious bruising around Fluttershy's neck that turned her sunny yellow coat an uncomfortable dark blue-green. She had also managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of a bald patch in Fluttershy's mane. It was subtle, so she probably would have missed it in any other circumstance, but she couldn't ignore it now that she knew.

Oh Fluttershy, what happened to you in there? I thought it may have just been my mind playing tricks on me, but is there actually something lurking in those shadows? Twilight silently asked herself. The thought of such a sweet pony getting put through who knows what to end up in such a condition forced her to fight back tears. She could feel herself reaching her limit.

Hopefully they would finally be able to get some answers now that they were at the castle, find a book on whatever could be causing all of these events and drive it away before any more of her friends could have any experiences like those. She had left most of her other friends behind and even if they refused to come with her on their own accord, it didn't keep that regret from weighing on her.

“Here is where you three will be staying. I will alert the princesses of your arrival, Miss Sparkle,” stated the guard in a professional tone that spoke well of his training.

Twilight let the door get opened for her to reveal the usual guest bedroom for visitors. Despite all of the comforts that waited for her inside, she hesitated to step inside and take the offer. She had seen so many townsponies huddled inside the ballroom and other similar public spaces living like refugees, but instead she was being asked to stay in one of the guest rooms like nothing was wrong. Though she understood the reasons for keeping the mass public out of the spaces close to the princesses and other officials, especially when somepony were likely to panic and do something they wouldn't mean to, it still didn't sit right with her.

As the guard trotted away, Twilight could only sigh and accept it. The room was at least closer to the royal archives and a private room would make finding the quiet to do her research easier. She still couldn't shake all of those other ponies out of her mind despite that.

Spike had moved on ahead into the room the moment the door was open, but Fluttershy had instead continued to stick right up against her. Twilight wanted to know what was going on in her friend's head, but she knew any questions asked would just be met with the same silence. Instead, she simply cantered inside and only then did Fluttershy as well. It was like she had a yellow-colored shadow to replace the actual one all of the castle lights refused to let her have.

Using her magic to simultaneously remove both her and Fluttershy's bags from her back and close the double doors behind her, Twilight let out a heavy, tired sigh. She hadn't slept for more than a couple hours at a time in the past four days and only had a single slice of apple to eat since boarding the train in Ponyville. What sounded the best to her in that moment was climbing onto the awaiting bed and sleeping for half a day, but maybe just until the princesses were able to see her would suffice.

She knew heading right for the archives would be the best chance she had, but would she truly be able to focus with so much weighing on her? The longer she idled in the safety of the room, the more and more she felt all of the stress her body had been under ever since that fateful night. Especially the throbbing in her deeply bruised shoulder that her brain finally registered once more.

“I'm going to take a nap,” Twilight declared while letting her head hang low. She had been trying to keep rigid and confident for the sake of both Spike and Fluttershy, but her resolve was finally cracking and she no longer held the strength to keep her mask on. “I'm just, not in the right space to meet with Princess Celestia or Princess Luna right now. They deserve something closer to my best.”

No response came back from her words. Spike was already fast sleep again on a spare pillow in the corner of the room after getting woken up and rushed through the city a second time while Fluttershy continued to stare at the marble floor.

Twilight sighed and prepared the bed, noticing a sleeping mask provided on both pillows. As she picked the nearest one up in her magic, images of Rarity came into her mind for a brief moment. Maybe she was on to something this whole time.

The bed felt like what she imagined laying on a fresh cloud must be like for a pegasus. Though she had spent many nights in one of the rooms in the castle, it felt even softer than usual. She glanced over to Fluttershy one more time who had taken to simply standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“You can lay down if you want to, Fluttershy,” Twilight offered.

When the predictable silence came, she let a frown came to her face. She pulled the sleeping mask over her eyes and lay her head on the pillow, making sure to leave half of the bed open, just in case.

Twilight pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and let her body fall into as close to complete relaxation as it could manage. The mask over her eyes finally gave her something she had been hoping for: darkness that didn't feel like it was out to get her. She would need to remind herself to take one home when heading back to Ponyville.

Just before she fell all the way under sleep's spell, Twilight felt the bed shift slightly. A warm coat of soft fur gently pressed against her back and without a word, she turned herself over to hold Fluttershy in a gentle hug. She wasn't used to sharing a bed, but when that muzzle of her friend tucked up against her neck for the second time that night, she felt herself able to settle in that much more.

* * *

A knocking on the door made Twilight's ears twitch in attention. She didn't fully wake until another round came followed by the sound of the door creaking open. Rather than immediately sit up and disturb Fluttershy who was still clinging to her, she merely used a hint of her magic to nudge the sleeping mask off her eyes.

The same guard from before held his head just inside the room. “The princesses are able to see you now, Miss Sparkle.”

It took longer than Twilight would have liked for her mind to catch up with her, but she did eventually remember that she was in the castle waiting for a meeting. She glanced at a clock hung from the wall near the door. They had all been asleep for six hours. Well, she had been, Spike and Fluttershy were still sleeping peacefully.

“I'll be out in a few minutes. Thank you very much,” replied Twilight, glad that her words got the guard to close the door again.

She inched her way out of Fluttershy's grip as gently as she could and let out a sigh of relief when she hadn't woken her up. Fluttershy didn't need the stress of meeting with the princesses to weigh her down.

Twilight approached the room's vanity and took a brush in her magic to make herself presentable. As presentable as she could make herself with those bags under her eyes and a shoulder that looked nearly black from how dark her bruise had gotten. Maybe she should get that looked at to make sure she hadn't hurt herself more than she thought. That would be for later, though. What she needed right now was answers, and hopefully the princesses might know something about what could cause such a magical darkness.

Once ready, she trotted for the door but paused. She took a detour to the room's desk to make use of the provided pen and parchment. In case you wake up before I get back, I'm speaking to the princesses. I will be back as soon as I can.

Twilight gave a confident nod and returned to the doorway. She couldn't help but give a glance to Fluttershy before slipping out into the hallway to meet with the guard whose name she didn't know. Neither of them spoke and she simply followed along behind him after giving a nod.

Now that she was more alert, Twilight was able to take in more detail than the last time she had seen the halls. Not only were they kept as bright as possible, it almost appeared as if the marble that made up the walls and floor were kept as spotless as possible to reflect even more of the light. As little extra as that would actually provide.

Are they actually that concerned about it? Twilight thought to herself. She didn't know if she should feel relieved or concerned about that possibility.

Even though her guide kept them in the back hallways of the castle, she could hear the gathered ponies the closer they came to the first floor. Half of Canterlot must have been crammed into those converted rooms and it got her to start wondering about Ponyville again. Last she saw of it, most ponies there were trying their best to keep living as they always had. The ones who didn't outright leave that is.

Would they be all clustered into the town hall or Sweet Apple Acres when she, Spike and Fluttershy finally returned? That would make reconnecting with her friends a whole lot easier. Maybe she could actually convince them to help if she came home with some clue about how to fix everything.

As the oversized doors to the throne room were opened by the two unicorn guards standing on either side, a wall of sound crashed into Twilight at an almost deafening pitch. Inside, the usual peaceful nature of the wide open room had been replaced by organized chaos. Ponies from all sections of the government were gathered in all corners going through books and papers in what Twilight could only imagine was an effort to keep the country running during such unexpected events.

In the middle of it all sat Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on their thrones above all the others. They both looked just as stretched thin as all the other officials, but seeing them in such a state was much more worrying. Even in the hardest of times, Princess Celestia managed to keep her grace about her.

“Twilight! I am so glad to see you safe!” Princess Celestia's voice just barely made it to Twilight's ears over all of the other noise.

Twilight didn't waste a second. She rushed towards her teacher as quickly as she could, though nearly stumbled when a sharp pain in her shoulder screamed out to remind her of the injury. Holding her left hoof in the sore joint, she instead continued forward at a slower pace on her three other legs.

Celestia rose from her throne and met Twilight halfway upon seeing her hobble. “Oh my, Twilight, what happened?”

Twilight felt a weight in the pit of her stomach. Celestia and Luna already had so much they had to deal with and the last thing they needed was her piling on even more worry. “It's a long story, but I'm so happy to see you both are okay. When you didn't reply to any of my letters, I was worried something might have happened to you two. Not to mention the lack of sun and moon.”

Princess Celestia led Twilight to the back of the room where she sat back down on her throne to continue sorting through parchments while conversing. “I apologize for the lack of communication. You know you are always the first I send notice to, but it appears whatever is causing this phenomenon is also able to disrupt the flow of magic. Any letters sent via sending flames are either getting stuck or consumed once they leave the light.”

The news made Twilight pause. That wasn't a variable she had considered, but once she had, she could feel something slip into place. “If whatever is causing this is eating magic, then -”

“Yes, it is able to block even our connection to the sun and moon,” Celestia answered without needing to hear the actual question.

“Whatever is behind this must be extremely powerful to be able to hold your magic back like this.” Twilight felt her hope start to waver, but she wanted to keep her confidence that something could eventually pierce through what was starting to feel more and more like a solid sheet.

“We are under the suspicion that this is being caused by a sentient being of some sort, however. Rather than a simple magical phenomenon,” stated Princess Luna once she finished reading over the parchment held in her magic grasp.

The words sent a chill down Twilight's spine, much like the one she felt any time she had to spend any amount of time outside. The fleeting image of something above Fluttershy when she managed to break the door down. Could there be a chance that wasn't just her seeing things?

“It is only that for now, a suspicion. There haven't been any reports of ponies seeing something to that effect, but many of the ponies we are doing our best to house here in the castle all have reported the destruction of their lamps or other sources of light,” Princess Celestia clarified.

Luna pulled another parchment up to read. “The only remaining issue is there does not appear to be any known being capable of performing such magic. At least, without us being able to detect its source.”

“Then, maybe I can help you search for information,” stated Twilight without a moment's thought. “Part of the reason I came here to Canterlot, aside from making sure you two were alright, was to visit the archives in hopes of finding some answers.”

Princess Celestia looked up from a parchment she had just finished signing. “We have a couple ponies assigned to look through any texts that might appear relevant, but I don't see any harm in letting you assist them in their efforts. They would probably welcome it.”

Twilight lowered her head in a deep bow. “Thank you, Princess! I will make sure I don't miss a single word on a single page!”

Finally, something she could feel some sense of eagerness towards. If she could find even the tiniest lead to help push finding an actual answer, it would be more than enough for her to feel accomplished.

Twilight looked up at the princesses with the first genuine smile she had been able to put on her face in some time, even if it was hardly noticeable as one. “I won't let you down. Though, I should be getting back to my room and let you do your work. I don't want to leave Spike and Fluttershy alone for too long. They might start to worry.”

Princess Celestia could only give a faint smile in response before one of the many officials in the room stole her attention away. Twilight could tell it was forced, but she didn't mention it. Instead, she gave another bow of her head before trotting for those big double doors, at a pace her shoulder could actually handle that time.

* * *

Twilight sighed as she closed yet another book that held no useful information. Now she knew why the librarians looked exhausted when she arrived with Fluttershy and Spike in tow. There were more books than a single pony could probably read in their lifetime in the archives and so few were likely to be of help.

Between putting the previous book away and taking a new one off her stack, Twilight let her eyes wander over to her companions. Spike was currently busy looking through a book of his own, but Fluttershy simply sat with her eyes turned down towards the table, just as she had when she first sat down.

“Fluttershy,” said Twilight in a gentle voice, getting a hint of relief when the sound of her name got Fluttershy to slowly look up towards her. “The searching through all of these books can wait a little bit. Can you please tell me what happened in my parents' house last night?”

The question made Fluttershy flinch. At least it got a reaction out of her that time, even if it still wasn't an answer. She turned her head and hid her face from view behind her mane, which made Twilight sigh sadly.

“It's okay, you don't need to tell me if you're not ready for it. I'll quit asking,” Twilight relented, opening the new book placed on the table in front of her. “Just please understand that I want to be here for you, to help you through all of this. As a friend, as somepony who cares about you.”

Twilight's words didn't get Fluttershy to look back at her, but a shift in an ear towards her was enough to show that she was at least being listened to. She turned her eyes down to her latest book and blinked. Malicious Mythical Monsters. It was a copy of that book she had only been able to read the first entry of back in Ponyville before everything got upended.

I doubt a book specifically labeled as fake stories will be of any help. But maybe reading an entry or two would be a good way to take a break between searching actual books. Twilight thought to herself as she opened up the cover.

She skimmed through the table of contents for anything that might catch her eye. “Banshee, Pontianak, Dybbuk, Nuckelavee?”

“Rainbow Dash?”

Fluttershy's voice caused Twilight to snap her head up from the book. It even grabbed Spike's attention, though he was probably looking for any excuse to stop looking through all of the books.

Fluttershy had turned to look over Twilight's shoulder and into a shaded portion of the room. One of the librarians had turned off the lights in the room when she left out of habit the other day and somehow they weren't able to get everything entirely lit up again no matter how many lamps they brought in.

“No, I don't want to go with you!” Fluttershy suddenly yelled at the corner. What counted as yelling for her. “You're not my friend any more after what you did!”

“Fluttershy? Who are you...” Twilight let her words trail off into silence when something about that moment struck a familiar chord.

“Doesn't this seem a little familiar?” asked Spike who was now standing on the table.

Twilight nodded. She reached a hoof out across the table to gently place it on Fluttershy's. “Fluttershy, there's nopony there. I'm not sure what you're hearing, but I can't hear it. Remember when we first got to my parents' house?”

Fluttershy jumped, but luckily turned her attention back to Twilight instead. She once again looked down with an expression of mild shame. “She won't stop following me.”

Twilight blinked. “Who won't stop following you?”

“Rainbow Dash. She came by the window last night when I was in your room. She said she wanted to make sure we were okay and she felt bad for not coming with us,” answered Fluttershy in a tone so quiet, Twilight had to strain her ears just to understand her. “She told me to turn the light off, but when I said I was scared to, she got angry and broke it instead.”

Twilight sat in silence to process what she had just been told. “Rainbow Dash flew all the way here to Canterlot, by herself, just to apologize? That doesn't make any sense. Does she even know where my parents live?”

Fluttershy shrank down further into her seat. “It sounded like her, and I couldn't really see her because of how dark it is outside, but it might have looked like her before she broke the lamp.”

“And now you're saying she's been following you since – wait, are you saying that she's the one who did that to you?”

Fluttershy gave a meek nod of her head to answer.

“Why would she do that to you?” asked Twilight, trying to make some sense out of the distressing puzzle placed in front of her.

“You don't believe me,” Fluttershy stated softly as if it was a fact. “That's why I didn't want to say anything.”

Twilight shook her head. “I'm not saying that. Clearly something happened to you and I wouldn't dismiss that. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it.”

Fluttershy fell silent once again, forcing a heavy sigh out of Twilight and making her continue. “I think I'm starting to believe Princess Celestia's fears that there's something evil lurking outside of the light. It's just a work in progress theory, but what happened to you might not have been caused by the real Rainbow Dash. That just doesn't sound like something she would do.”

Fluttershy's eyes slowly turned up to look at Twilight again. “I'm sorry.”

Twilight rose from her seat and cantered around the table. She may not have been an expert at comforting ponies, but she had learned one thing: Fluttershy seemed to like hugs when she needed reassurance. As she wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy, she felt the same being done to her. “It's okay. We'll find out who or what did that to you, and I will not let it happen again.”

As time ticked by, Twilight still couldn't find anything that felt even the tiniest bit helpful in her reading. Even with Fluttershy now taking some books as well, it felt like they were going to be there for a while. She set her latest book in the 'reject' stack before going for the next.

She paused as her eyes passed over the copy of Malicious Mythical Monsters. After her conversation with Fluttershy, she had gotten distracted from it. She pulled it closer to herself with curiosity about that one entry that had caught her eye and opened it back up to the table of contents to remember the proper page.

“So this is where you've been, darling! I've been searching all over for you and you've been here in Canterlot reading.”

Twilight paused and looked up from the book. A slow scan of the room didn't reveal anypony new; it was still just herself, Fluttershy, Spike and the two librarians. Taking a deep, calming breath, she didn't respond to what she had just heard and instead looked down to start flipping through the book.

“Come now, Twilight. It's inconsiderate to ignore somepony when she's speaking to you. I haven't seen you since this whole mess began and I've been worried sick!”

Twilight closed her eyes to try regaining her focus. Though she could easily recognize Rarity's voice, she didn't want to give in to the tugging she was feeling at her heart. With another breath, she opened her eyes and stared down at the page in her book.

“Darling, that book can wait just a little bit longer. We have so much catching up to do!”

Twilight had to squeeze her eyes closed tight. Even if she knew where the voice truly was coming from, it didn't make the feeling of ignoring the voice of a friend calling out to her any easier to bear. The others clearly weren't hearing her, so why did it feel so hard?

“Twilight?”

Twilight jumped and opened her eyes. From across the table from her Fluttershy and Spike both stared at her with concern. She could only give a nervous frown back at them.

“Is something wrong?” asked Fluttershy with a nervous shake in her voice.

Spike rose to his feet and stepped closer atop the table. “You're not hearing somepony again, are you?”

Twilight deflated. “I am. This time it sounds like Rarity trying to get my attention. I figured trying to ignore it would work, but it just feels like I'm trying to ignore the actual her.”

“What is she saying?” Fluttershy's gaze nervously turned down towards the table. “I hope she doesn't want to hurt you, too.”

“Oh, how uncouth, saying I'm not real!” scoffed the voice of Rarity echoing through Twilight's head. “Maybe I should show you just how real I truly arm, darling.”

Twilight sighed and turned her eyes back to the book sitting in front of her. “I'm not so sure on that one. But I just need to ignore it and it'll go away soon enough. Hopefully.”

“I'm surprised at you, Twilight! I never once thought you had the capacity to be so rude!”

All eyes turned up toward the lamp hanging from the ceiling above their table as it started to sway. Without warning, the whole thing came crashing down, the chain and wire holding it up snapping as if somepony had been pulling on it with all their might.

The deafening sound of thick glass shattering rang out through the room, and even as she dove out of her chair, Twilight could feel a few shards leave a few small cuts along the left side of her body. Bits and pieces embedded themselves into books and even the wood of the shelves and chairs like little pieces of shrapnel from an explosion.

The light around the table began to recede as if the other lamps in the room were losing strength without the help of their comrade. As the small area grew darker, Twilight could feel that tangible weight steadily creep over her.

“This way!” Twilight called to her friends without taking a moment to think. She couldn't afford to after that.

To her relief, both Spike and Fluttershy returned to the light soon after her. Both had received some small cuts from the glass, but seemed to be unharmed otherwise.

“Oh do come back, I merely wish to speak with you, darling!”

The rattling of chain caught Twilight's ears and she used her magic to scoop Spike up onto her back. Without a word, she galloped away from the tables as fast she could. To her relief, a glance to the side allowed her to see Fluttershy rushing along after her without needing to be told to.

Lamp after lamp crashed down to the tables behind them, darkening the room more and more with each one. She had to keep moving, even with Rarity's voice screaming at her from inside her head. Despite the deafening ringing in her ears caused by the constant destruction of glass, she could still hear her perfectly.

“Don't run from me, darling! Things will be so much better if you come with me! You must come! It's for your own good!”

The words pierced Twilight like an arrow, but she didn't allow herself to slow down. She nearly slipped on the smooth marble flooring during a turn around one of the many bookshelves between her and the exit, but managed to keep upright. A quick flare of her magic ensured Spike would stay on her back after the near fall.

To her relief, the librarians had already fled by the time she reached the front desk. Though, she found herself hoping that there weren't any other ponies caught up in the maze of shelves.

Without pause, Twilight dove through the open doorway and back out into the overbearingly bright halls of the castle. Fluttershy came out soon after, just as the final lamp inside the room came crashing down behind her. She had to catch her friend to keep her from sliding into the wall behind her.

Guards had already assembled in the area due to the commotion, but she had to use her magic to force them away from the entrance. One taller stallion pushed through the rest, a badge worn on his armor signifying his rank above the rest. Twilight recognized his face from her time living in the castle, but she couldn't recall a name.

“And just what in Equestria is all this?” asked the guard in an angered tone.

Twilight remained silent to catch her breath. She knew the archives are large, but nothing helps you get a sense of scale until you have to run for your life. At least, what felt like it.

“You probably wouldn't believe us if we told you,” Spike answered for the two ponies instead.

“Lower the bars to ensure nopony enters in there until we are able to launch a full-scale investigation! The rest of you, send a report to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!” ordered the lieutenant.

Most of the guards hurried away while two remained to pull the security bars down over the archive's empty doorway with their magic. A heavy metallic thud rang through the halls, though the cage now between her and the wall of blackness didn't seem to help Twilight feel any more secure.

“And as for you, Miss Sparkle, I would like to see you and your friends for a complete statement of what happened in there. After you get that taken care of. I'll notify the castle's medical staff.”

Twilight blinked and watched the lieutenant trot off, flanked by the two remaining guards. She could feel something warm steadily running down her flank now that the danger had passed and her heart no longer felt like bursting out of her chest. A shard of glass roughly the size of her horn remained embedded right in the center of her left cutie mark. Once the injury registered with her brain, a burning pain settled into the area.

“Oh dear me, that looks awfully serious. It could have been avoided if you had merely listened to me, darling,” stated Rarity's voice in a matter of fact manner.

The voice Twilight heard this time sounded different than the one she had screaming at her minutes before. It still sounded like Rarity, but it almost felt like she was trying to speak through radio static or a heavy rain. A sound came along with every word she said, distorting it just enough to make her harder to understand.

Fluttershy flinched in Twilight's grasp and Spike's head turned towards the barred doorway. Could they actually hear her that time?

Twilight turned to focus her attention on the darkened archives and standing out as a stark contrast to the pitch around them shone a pair of small white spots of light. Soon after they were seen, the lights shrunk and disappeared, like a pair of eyes closing.

“I hope to see you darlings again soon. Maybe next time, you'll be a little more polite.”

Twilight did her best to ignore the words and instead leaned her sore and tired body against the wall. She resigned herself to waiting for a nurse to arrive, not wanting to walk and definitely not wanting to force Fluttershy to carry her.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Spike with a worry clear in his voice despite his efforts to keep a brave face.

Twilight took in a deep breath. “We need to head back to Ponyville.”

“Ponyville? It was so scary just to get here. I don't want to go outside again,” replied Fluttershy who began to shake at the mere thought.

“I know, but whatever that was clearly doesn't want me to read that book. Our one answer might be in there and the only other copy I know of is sitting on my desk at home.”

As Twilight closed her eyes to wait as patiently as she could with the burning in her left flank only getting worse, she repeated the same word over and over in her head. The name she had read in that book right before the impostors began to speak up.

Nuckelavee.

6. Discovery

~*~ Chapter 6 ~*~

~*~ Discovery ~*~

Twilight's tail idly swished over her bandaged flank, the stitches still itchy even after two days of forced rest in the castle. The guards refused to let the three of them leave until they were convinced the incident in the archives was just an 'accident.' Explaining what actually happened would have most likely been a futile effort despite how valuable the knowledge that whatever it was hiding in the shadows can in fact interact with physical objects.

Her ears perked at the sound of the train car's speakers buzzing to life followed by the conductor's voice announcing their approach toward Ponyville station. Soon after, the car returned to a near silent state. Unlike their last trip on the train, this time it was only her, Fluttershy and Spike. Everypony else probably finally wised up and stopped thinking things would be any different elsewhere.

As the train steadily rolled to a stop, Twilight gave Fluttershy a little nudge to wake up her napping friend. The weight of Fluttershy's head leaving her shoulder felt as cold as it did relieving. Fluttershy had nodded off in her seat and slowly leaned against her during a turn down the twisting mountain pass, but she didn't have the heart to wake her up despite her shoulder still bearing much of its bruise.

Spike had actually managed to stay awake that time around and instead had taken to reading one of the comics Twilight had packed for him before their initial outing. He had already read through all of them back at the castle, so she began to suspect that he was trying to use them as a distraction more than anything else.

Once the train came to a complete stop, Twilight picked up her bags in her magic and set them on her back once up from her seat. To her relief, the Ponyville train station still had its lights shining strongly which gave her the strength she needed to step off the train. A path of lamps and lanterns still showed the way back to the nearest building, but just as expected, that was the only light she could see.

Twilight just about started for the steps off the platform, but she paused upon hearing a voice call out to her. Her heart momentarily sank in her chest, but to her relief, a pegasus mare was waving a hoof towards her and the others from a row of soft chairs inside the small building that made up the bulk of the simple station. Curious, she gave a glance to Fluttershy and Spike before leading them inside.

Once she was able to get closer, Twilight could see more details of the beckoning pony. She felt familiar, but definitely not anypony she would have interacted with on any sort of daily basis. Though the mare was much more disheveled than normal, she did recognize the cutie mark of two lightning bolts on her sky blue coat.

“Hey, you're the one who lives in that tree library and you take care of the animals, right?” asked the mare in a tired tone that made her sound like she hadn't gotten any sleep in days.

Twilight blinked. “Um, yes. I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is Fluttershy. Do you need something from us?”

The pegasus slipped off her seat and onto her hooves. “Name's Sassaflash, I've been put here by what's left of the pegasus watch to keep an eye on anypony getting off the train. Just wanted to check in.”

“Well, that's very kind of you. Though, something is telling me you should get home soon,” Twilight frowned, letting Fluttershy squeeze up against her without a fight.

“You're probably right, most of the others in the watch already chickened out and refused to leave their homes after a few members never reported back a couple days ago,” Sassaflash stated flatly. “I still say they just flew off the Cloudsdale or something.”

Twilight wanted to ask more, but she needed to get back to the library and find the book she was missing before whatever had tried to crush her back at the castle realized what she was after. “Well, I hope you can make it home safely. I'm sure those other ponies are safe and sound as well.”

She felt a stab into her heart after what she knew was most likely a lie as she turned to lead Fluttershy back outside and into the chain of lights. Spike hugged her around her neck to keep close once they were out of the brighter station lights and in the dimmer light of the lanterns and street lamps.

Twilight was used to Ponyville's sleepy nature, but as she cantered through the empty roads, the pure silence that greeted her beyond the two sets of hoofsteps chilled her to the core. The majority of homes she passed by had been emptied with their lights turned off and those who still housed ponies produced little sound. Most of those that were occupied had their shades drawn as if they would keep the dark out in a strange reversal of hiding from the morning sun.

“Hey, you're back!”

Twilight jumped back a few steps, catching Fluttershy in her magic before she could fall over after a failed attempt at a safety hug. Once righted, she allowed Fluttershy to hold onto her as their little trio scanned the darkness. After a few moments of silence, Twilight just about sighed in relief, but found herself yelping in surprise as the face of Pinkie Pie appeared in her view from behind a street light that should in no way have been able to hide her completely.

Twilight placed a hoof on her chest and let out a sigh. “Oh, it actually is you, Pinkie Pie. I would be angry at you for that if I weren't so relieved.”

“Oh, did I scare ya? Sorry about that!” Pinkie giggled, leaving her hiding place in full to reveal a box tied in ribbon on her back. “I was making a delivery from Sugarcube Corner and I saw you three and thought I'd say hello!”

Fluttershy lowered herself back down onto all fours, but continued to stick close to Twilight's side. “You're still making deliveries for the Cakes? Aren't you scared?”

“Scared? What's there to be scared about? It's just dark out! That happens for half the day normally anyway!” Pinkie waved a hoof about as she spoke. “Anyway, how was your trip to Canterlot? Is it all dark there, too?!”

“Short answer, not well. It's dark there too and the trip to the archives was a bust,” Twilight sighed, feeling something telling her to not give the whole story while out in the open. “We actually should be getting back home now, though. Hopefully whatever is causing this takes care of itself soon.”

“Aw, that's a shame! Well, I'm sure something good will come soon! I'll make sure to stop by the library with some extra treats once I finish this delivery!” Pinkie chimed with her usual enthusiasm.

Normally, Pinkie just tired Twilight out, but something about seeing such a beacon of pep after being surrounded by uncomfortable quiet for just over a week was refreshing. She offered a smile and a nod. “We would all appreciate that, right?”

Fluttershy and Spike both nodded in agreement. Though Twilight still felt nervous for Pinkie, she also knew there was only one pony who could immerse herself in something she shouldn't be near and come out just fine.

“Okie-dokie-lokie! I'll get these dropped off and I'll see you all again in a little bit!” Pinkie declared before continuing on her path past them with happy bounces.

Fluttershy watched Pinkie until she disappeared around a corner. “At least she's taking this in stride?”

“Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't even realized just how serious of a situation this actually is,” Spike huffed with a little puff of smoke from his nose.

Twilight sighed and stepped forward once again. Once Pinkie left and took her cheer with her, the overwhelming sense of pressure coming from remaining outside almost felt even stronger than before. “I'm sure she does, Spike. Everypony handles stressful situations in their own way.”

Spike held onto Twilight's neck to keep himself on her back once she started moving again. “I wouldn't complain if she wasn't, you know, exactly the same but I guess it's better than her being all scared and hiding under her bed.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well, once she visits us later, I'm sure we'll be able to talk to her. If she's been out here so much, maybe she's seen something useful.”

Spike let his cheek rest against the back of Twilight's head. “Would be nice to have something go our way for once.”

“Our friends will be able to come through for us. They always have before,” added Fluttershy before her nerves made her fall silent again.

Twilight could only glance toward a sign hanging off the corner of a nearby shop as it began to swing ever so slightly in a non-existent breeze. “They have, and I hope they can again.”

* * *

Twilight flipped through the pages of Malicious Mythical Monsters to find the entry she was looking for. She glanced up once she found herself on the page containing the story about the creature known as the Nuckelavee which curiously had no drawing or image of the creature like the other pages held. Spike just set down one of the remaining lamps from the upper half of the tree home, he and Fluttershy trying to bring as much light into the room as possible.

They all had foolishly turned the lights off when heading to Canterlot, assuming it would be alright once they returned. Now that Twilight could see the corners of the room still shrouded in darkness despite their efforts, she had to keep from berating herself even if it had been impossible to predict just what the creature trying to get at them was capable of at the time.

Twilight had to take a deep, calming breath to focus back on the book in front of her while Spike curiously peered over the top to try and catch a peek. She scanned over the two pages of sparse information once before reading it in full.

The Nuckelavee is a creature from Coltic folklore connected to the night and darkness. It is believed that this demon's arrival is always preceded by a cloak of magical darkness that is a part of its being, yet not. No one knows the true form of this being, but the most common beliefs say it either takes the form of a pitch black pony or that of a literal shadow on the ground or walls. One common trait between the few stories that exist of the figure, however, is the apparent possession of glowing, featureless eyes.

Twilight paused her reading as the image of those glowing spots in the darkened archives came back to the forefront of her memory. The thought that those might have actually been the eyes of some living creature sent a chill down her spine that forced her to adjust her posture.

Despite all of the differing stories surrounding this creature, all tellings appear to agree on one similar point. The Nuckelavee can be chased back to whence it came if -

Twilight's ears perked as the sound of knocking came from the front door. She could only stare at it with her heart speeding up in her chest as another knock came.

“Hey, it's me! Sorry I'm late, I dropped the cookies I had on the way over!” called the voice of Pinkie Pie from the other side and letting the sense of tension in the room settle.

Twilight placed a hoof on her chest and sighed. Though thankful it was just Pinkie again, she was beginning to grow tired of being scared by her. “Could you let her in, Fluttershy? I need to keep reading. I think I'm on to something.”

Twilight blinked when her gaze was met with a confused look from Fluttershy. “Pinkie Pie said she was coming over to help keep us company, remember?”

Fluttershy appeared to want to say something, but eventually stood. She opened up the door, but rather than receiving an excited hug or one of the many other ways Pinkie enjoyed greeting others, everything remained silent. The lamp hanging just outside the door had been removed, making it impossible to see much further than the doorstep.

“Pinkie Pie? If you're trying to play a joke on us, it's dangerous out there. Please come inside,” stuttered Fluttershy whose hoof shook while resting on the door's handle.

When no response came, Fluttershy closed the door and slowly trotted back to the table where she promptly looked back at Twilight once again. “Are you sure you heard her?”

“I'm positive. Unless it's actually just my mind playing tricks on me this time,” replied Twilight, preparing to return to her book.

“Hey, it's not nice to just pretend you can't see me!” Pinkie Pie called again. This time, her voice seemed to carry the sound of radio static behind it that made all three in the room flinch.

A familiar shiver ran through Twilight, but before she could act on any of her natural impulses, a pair of glowing white discs lit up in the shadow cast by the table set near the front door, followed by a third glow that grew into a familiar wide grin. The sudden appearance made Twilight snap her book closed to hide the page she was on while Fluttershy scrambled to hide behind the big main table.

“I'll just let myself in, then!” laughed the distorted voice once again.

Twilight rose to her hooves, one foreleg dedicated to holding the book close to her chest. She let Spike climb onto her back as she slowly stepped away from the featureless face. “Get out of my house and get out of this world while you're at it!”

The smile on the glowing face turned down into a frown. “Hey! That's not a very nice thing to say! What's got you feeling like a cranky, old, grumpy-pants?”

The display only made Twilight grow angrier. Between Fluttershy's injuries and her own, she felt herself growing tired of merely running. “Stop pretending to be our friends, you monster! What do you even want with us?!”

“I'm not a monster! I just want to spend some time with my friends!”

Twilight continued her slow retreat away from the wall bearing the face speaking to her, taking a moment to glance at Fluttershy hiding her face under her hooves beside a book shelf. Once she looked back the face that claimed to be Pinkie was missing.

“Unless you were just lying about being my friends this whole time?”

Twilight scrambled around and back the way she had came, the face now frowned at her from the wall she had just been standing near in the shadow of a potted plant. The eyes squinted in a manner suggestive of anger.

“First, Applejack gives me this big run-around in town on my way over here and now you three are being all mean? Maybe I should be mean, too!” As the voice grew angrier, the lamps in the immediate area toppled to the ground, light bulbs smashing and candles blowing out.

Though the room remained mostly lit, Twilight felt that same chill run through her entire body as she stared into the shaded kitchen. She had to squint, but she could just barely make out the pitch black shape of Pinkie Pie, springy mane and all, step forth from the wall. The figure's head turned to look directly at her, the glow of another wide smile coming to the thing's face.

“We can make it a 'Twilight and Fluttershy learn to be nice' party! You just need to sit still and we can have fun again!” Pinkie's voice echoed through the room, seemingly unaffected by the sound muting effect caused by the darkness surrounding her.

Twilight had to use a wisp of her magic to get Fluttershy to stand up, finding herself forced to drag her frozen stiff friend next to her. Even once Fluttershy was next to her, she only stared at the shadowed shape. Twilight could just barely make out her mumble 'Rainbow' under her breath over and over.

Pinkie pie approached the edge of the darkness, expression never changing from that smile even as more lights were broken or snuffed. Twilight backed away from the encroaching shadows, magic still gripping Fluttershy to make sure she followed.

“This is going to sound pretty obvious, but don't you think we should get out of here?!” yelled Spike with a mix of fear and frustration, seemingly at the ponies' trepidation.

“Run? Don't you run away from me! You still haven't even apologized!” Pinkie suddenly picked up her pace into a quick gallop through the library with the many lamps set up breaking more quickly to keep ahead of her.

“I was trying to be subtle!” Twilight shot spike as best of a glare she could with him on her back before turning around and flinging the front door open.

Twilight just about took off at her own gallop, but her eyes caught Fluttershy who still stared at the swiftly approaching threat. Without taking a moment to think, she strained her magic to lift Fluttershy just enough off the ground to take her along before racing out of the library as quickly as she could in her awkward three-legged gallop with her copy of Malicious Mythical Monsters still tight in her grip.

She could just barely hear the last of the lights in her library smashing behind her. The lamps strung up on her tree had all been removed or snuffed, forcing her to trudge and pull her way through the thick, magnetic feeling the pitch blackness put on her entire body until she made it into the glow of a streetlight.

Just before she could get under the complete safety of the light, she felt a sudden sharp pain come from the base of her tail. She couldn't see the form of what grabbed her, but she used her magic to toss Fluttershy and Spike into the lit area while dropping the book. Despite her best efforts to fight back against the entity that had its grip on her, she could feel her hooves start to scrape along the ground.

Pinkie's giggling returned to echo through the open air. “I got you!”

“Not for long!” Spike grabbed onto Twilight's foreleg with as much strength his little claws could muster, only succeeding in getting slowly dragged with her inside.

Twilight continued to scrape and pull against Pinkie. A burning pain flared back to life in her left flank, making her pause just enough to get dragged back even further before she could resume her struggles.

“Fluttershy! A little help here?!” Spike said over his growls of effort to keep Twilight in place.

Fluttershy still lay where she had been dropped by Twilight's magic, but the mention of her name finally seemed to shake her out of whatever thoughts she was having. She climbed back on to her shaking legs and hurried over to hug Twilight around her shoulders to get as strong of a grip as she could muster. Flapping of her wings to assist her, she managed to slowly help Twilight pull back in to the light.

The trio worked back far enough that a pair of pitch black hooves lit up. A yelp of pain came from Pinkie and she let go of Twilight's tail, sending the fighting three tumbling to the ground in a little pile.

Twilight groaned. She could feel the warmth of fresh blood seeping into the bandages on her flank where the struggle had caused her stitches to break. Her heart raced as the only thing that filled her mind were thoughts of just how close she had come to possible death.

“Oh Twilight, are you okay?” asked Fluttershy who continued to hold on to her even as she sat up.

“Sore, will need to see a doctor once I can and might have lost a few tail hairs, but I'm alright.” Twilight used a foreleg to hug Fluttershy back, the other patting Spike on the head. “Thanks to you two.”

“Aww, I want a hug, too!”

Twilight jumped and twisted her head to the side at the same time as her friends. The shape of Pinkie could just barely be seen at the very edge of the street lamp's light.

The glowing points that made up the Pinkie Pie entity's face faded out of sight. “You win this time, but I'll be back with the others! You can come out of that mean ouchie light that won't let me smash it and we can have one big party!”

Twilight groaned and slumped into Fluttershy's hold, this time being the one to bury her face into a warm neck.

7. Light

~*~ Chapter 7 ~*~

~*~ Light ~*~

“Are you sure about this, Twilight? Because this feels really not okay!” Fluttershy huffed between words as she galloped alongside Twilight through the streets.

More and more pairs of glowing eyes lit up in each of Ponyville's darkened alleyways and side streets the duo raced through. Twilight gave a quick glance over her shoulder, swallowing some saliva at the sheer number of entities chasing after them she could spot even as the strung up lanterns and fairy lights were torn down from their placements. As safe as the permanent street lights felt, the way their radius dimmed each time the mob approached only made Twilight's heart leap further into her throat.

“I hope so! This is a lot more than I imagined there would be!” huffed Twilight, forcing herself to ignore the pain in her flank as her new stitches threatened to break again from her exertion. “Though, broadcasting that you know all their secrets would grab plenty of attention!”

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to keep her thoughts straight from the cacophony of voices, both familiar and not, raging in her head. Many of them were beckoning her to stop and allow herself to be taken over by the wave of shadows, while others simply spat out threats.

Her eyes drew upwards. Staring down at them as they flew above were more of those glowing eyes. She shook her head and put her focus back on the task as she and Fluttershy rounded a corner onto the largest main street through the town.

“Twilight! I'm so tired!” cried Fluttershy, pushing herself just to keep pace.

Twilight's eyes fell onto town hall as it came into view through the tunnel of light leading down the sidewalk. “We're almost there! It's just a little longer! You're doing great!”

Twilight had to twist in her path, using her magic to guide Fluttershy through a narrow path of light given by a string of fairy lights to the other side of the street as the shadowed forms of pegasi dropped from the sky. The opposite end of the street fell to blackness as the bombardments continued.

“Twilight?!” Fluttershy squeaked as a lantern came crashing down right behind them.

Twilight huffed heavy breaths just to keep pace. “Our plan will work! It has to!”

* * *

“Head to town hall? What for? We were told to stay in our homes.” asked a confused Roseluck, hoof held the to side of her head. “Besides, it's terrifying out there!”

Twilight looked over the two florists standing in the doorway, one much more nervous than the other. “I know this sounds like a strange thing to ask, but please trust me. It's going to be much safer there than it will be here soon, and I don't want anything preventable to happen to anypony it doesn't have to.”

Lily peeked out from behind Rose, pink hooves shaking while holding on to the other mare. “But Daisy went out there days ago and still hasn't come back! How do we know it's safe to go with you?”

“Well, I've been out here rounding up all the other ponies and I'm perfectly fine. I think I even saw Daisy with one of the other groups. She probably felt the need to hide away and had no way to tell you.” Twilight always hated lying, but she had to push through those feelings if it meant being able to get the last two ponies to safety. She would make it up to them later, somehow.

The pair of florists exchanged glances before cautiously stepping out from their home. Roseluck turned to make sure the door was safely locked before taking a step forward. “If you say so. You and your friends have helped us out before, Twilight, so I suppose if there's anypony we can trust, it's you.”

Twilight gained a relieved smile. “Thanks, I promise all of this will be worth it.”

The trot back to town hall was luckily an uneventful one. The marketplace was close and the center of town had more lights strung up, even if some of them had been taken down over the course of the past few days.

Fluttershy hurried up to Twilight once she returned with the two remaining florists in tow who swiftly disappeared into the crowd to find where their third could possibly be. With roughly half the population of the small town inside, there was hardly enough room to breathe, let alone stand inside the building, even with all of the pegasi ushered up into the air to make room.

“Oh, thank goodness you're safe. I was so worried with you out there all by yourself,” said Fluttershy while giving Twilight a hug.

Twilight returned the gesture before pushing through the edge of the crowd. “Just like the past couple days, it was pretty quiet. Luckily, I think that means these things don't have any clue what we're planning.”

“Or maybe they're just trying to lure us into a false sense of security so they can attack us all at once?” worried Fluttershy, earning herself a little pat on the cheek from Twilight that put a little bit of color onto her face.

“We've been planning this thoroughly, and combined with my studies and our observations, it should be able to give us the opportunity we need.” Twilight climbed the small set of stairs up onto the stage where Mayor Mare was waiting. “Just as long as that pegasus from the train station was able to safely deliver our letter to the castle safely.”

“Oh, I hope she did. I wouldn't want anypony getting hurt because of us.” Fluttershy's eyes turned towards the floor.

Twilight gave Fluttershy a comforting pat on the back, though she didn't speak in response. She felt the same way and could only worry if the entities in the darkness would ignore her long enough to allow her safe passage.

“Twilight, thank Celestia you returned safely.” Mayor Mare calmly trotted up to them, giving one of her usual professional smiles. Though, once she turned away from the crowd, she let it fade. “I know you said you're confident about this big idea of yours, but are you absolutely sure it's going to work? It honestly sounds rather dangerous and if you don't show complete confidence up on that podium, it might lead to a panic. Or at least a scare.”

Twilight sighed, but held herself with the strongest posture she was able to take. “I'm still nervous about it, and I am aware of how crazy it sounds, but after reading what's in this book, I can say I am confident that it will succeed.” She gestured to the book whose top just stuck out of her saddlebag.

Mayor Mare peeked at Twilight over her glasses in a display of concern. “Well, if you're positive. I'll support you up here on stage, but I'm not sure what else I can do to be of help.”

“Just letting Fluttershy and me stay here while we formulated this plan is more than enough. Consider this our thank you if it works,” Twilight offered with a nod.

With a reluctant gesture from Mayor Mare, Twilight cantered over to the podium and looked out at the crowd of ponies. She recognized most of the faces as ponies she would see in passing while out on her daily business, even if she only knew the names of a select few. What truly concerned her, however, was the noticeable fear on the faces of nearly all of them. It had been nearly two weeks without any sign of the sun or moon and it became obvious just how much it started to weigh on all of their minds.

The best she could hope for was word of her idea would give them all the hope they needed, but scared ponies were unpredictable. They had a tendency to take things in the wrong direction and she needed to choose her wording carefully. The town had fallen into a panic over much less before then.

Twilight took a deep breath to steady her heart and tapped a hoof on the podium's microphone. “Ponies of Ponyville! May I have your attention please?!”

The soft murmur of the crowd quieted and all eyes turned toward Twilight, the image of so many ponies having all their attention on her making her tense up for a moment. She didn't exactly have the most practice in public speaking, and here she was trying to announce a plan to possibly help save Equestria.

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down before continuing. “We have been through a lot of stress, fear and worry ever since everything went dark, but thanks to my observations, I am confident that I have found a way we can help bring everything back to normal!”

As she expected, the murmurs started up again. She had to tap on the microphone again in order to regain the attention of those in front of her.

“Yes, I know it sounds unbelievable, but I am completely confident that I have discovered what is causing all this and I may have observed a way to get rid of it!” Twilight leaned over the podium slightly. “Now, before I start asking for volunteers, let me explain what I need from those who are able and willing to help.”

* * *

Twilight's eyes reflected the light that came from the doorway of town hall. More and more strung up lights fell around them, making sure she felt that heaviness all over her as she fled. She had to whip her tail out of the way of a hoof she felt brush up against it before it could be grabbed and yanked.

With a quick glance towards Fluttershy to make sure she was safe, Twilight dashed into the building right alongside her. Turning around, Twilight could only stare out at the crowd of glowing eyes while the townsponies inside the building tried to push back and away from the door like a wave of bodies.

Right in the front of that crowd, just barely visible at the edge of the light cast out from the doorway, stood four familiar silhouettes. Everything fell silent, neither group moving or speaking. Twilight wanted to give the signal to start the next phase in her plan, but something about seeing those forms in front of her made her hesitate.

“Oh darling, please stop your running. We merely wish for you to join us here in this wonderful darkness. It is so much better than being in that ghastly light.” Rarity's voice echoed through Twilight's head, making her take a step back.

“Yeah! It's just so much better here! No more pain or sad feelings!” added the voice of Rainbow Dash. “I almost got to show Fluttershy, but there's always a second chance!”

A few giggles from Pinkie Pie joined the echoes. “Well, there isn't really anything to feel anymore, but it's worth it to not have to feel sad or anything anymore! We can just have as much fun as we want without needing to worry about anything at all!”

Twilight dropped to her flank, forehooves coming up to her ears in a vain attempt to block out the voices of her friends. Tears rolled from her cheeks, each new voice added in feeling like a hammer straight to her heart.

“Just come with us, sugarcube. It's stuff like that we're talking about. There's no reason to cry once you join us out here,” stated Applejack in a calm tone.

“Yeah! Once you and Fluttershy come along, we can have a nice big shadow party! It'll be great!”

“Please, darling, all you have to do is take a few steps and we can be together forever.”

Twilight felt a pair of forelegs wrapped around her. Luckily, it appeared Fluttershy was currently being spared from everything she was hearing. That was only a small comfort compared to what rushed into her when she heard the crowd of ponies behind her starting to break in ways similar to herself. Ponies falling to the floor, ponies wailing, some even having to be held back by others from whatever they were hearing from those in the crowd outside.

She could feel tears collecting and dripping from her chin the more she fought against the unending deluge of words coming from the shadows shaped like her friends. Her body shook heavily as she fought to stand up again, letting Fluttershy's grasp slip off of her.

“Yeah, that's right! Come on over! We can chillax until the end of time!” urged Rainbow Dash.

Twilight hung her head low. She took a few steps forward before hesitantly staring up at those glowing eyes that all slowly gained varying levels of smiles. “I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry.”

“There's no need to apologize, darling. It's all water under the bridge. We're still your friends,” Rarity assured, voice almost turning to a caring tone for that moment.

“I know you are,” Twilight replied in a saddened tone, forcing herself to look up at the dark shapes of her friends. “and that's why I need to do this. You all deserve better than what you are now.”

Fluttershy looked down to the ground, her mane hiding her face in full. She did speak, though Twilight could only assume it was because she wouldn't have been able to, even if she wanted to.

Twilight tried to blink the tears from her eyes so she could see her friends as clearly as possible. With a flare of pinkish magic around her horn, she spoke in an enhanced voice that cracked as she called out her one single word. “Lights!”

Ponies hidden in the upper floors of the town hall and nearby homes that never had their lights turned off lit up bright stage lights from town hall's storage room for big events. Unicorns stationed with those holding the lights used a spell taught to them by Twilight to enhance the brightness given off by the lights.

In an instant, the town square was lit up from all sides with a blinding flare. Pitch dark forms of nearly a hundred ponies of all shapes and sizes tried to cover their eyes or flee from the light, but one by one, they were reduced to elongated shadows stretching along the ground before fading away entirely.

As if it could sense the sudden loss of so many, the darkness outside of the square contracted around the area like a pony holding onto a wound. Twilight looked up to watch that ceiling of darkness lurch closer, and through the tears still rolling down her face, she forced a weak and tired smile.

“A cloak of magical darkness that is a part of its being, yet not,” Twilight quoted from her book as she kept her eyes on the sky. “If it's indeed connected to the darkness it summons, we might be able to find a way to distract it just long enough to pull its attention away from the place it really should be watching.”

As Twilight mumbled the words from her speech under her breath, a ray of light ripped through the dark sky like a knife. More rays followed at an increasing pace before the black curtain finally gave way to the blinding light of day. Despite the return of daylight and the sounds of rushed hoofsteps flooding out into the town around her, she fell down to the ground and buried her face in her hooves.

8. Epilogue

~*~ Chapter 8 ~*~

~*~ Epilogue ~*~

Despite all of the differing stories surrounding this creature, all tellings appear to agree on one similar point. The Nuckelavee can be chased back to whence it came if exposed to the light of day. Other sources of light can effectively weaken it, but anything less than the sun will fail to remove it for good.

Despite covering its claimed territory in a shroud of living darkness, it is not all-seeing within the field. It must employ the help of a lesser creature dubbed shades to do its bidding for it. These shades are formed from the remains of ponies, griffons or other intelligent beings who have fallen within the field of living shadow. Like the Nuckelavee itself, the shades under its command can take the form of living shadows or a physical body when in complete darkness.

According to local folklore, the Nuckelavee itself can see and hear through its shade army, thus allowing it to grow in strength the more it collects. No pony seems to know the exact reasoning behind this behavior beyond the simple desire to take control over as much territory as possible and build its strength.

Twilight let a sad sigh escape her lips as she lowered the book held in her magic's grip. She let her eyes trace along the wall bearing framed photos of nearly a hundred different ponies, each with their name engraved on a little plaque underneath. The official reports given out by the authorities have been assuring everypony that they were all merely missing, but she knew better. She knew better and it crushed her heart as her gaze stopped on the images of her four missing friends.

She ran a gentle hoof over each of the pictures as tears rolled down her cheeks. Setting her hoof down, she tucked her book away into one of her saddlebags before producing four small bouquets of flowers from the other. She gently placed them down on the ground against the wall, under where the pictures of her friends hung in a neat little pile of blue, orange, white and pink.

A gentle hoof came to Twilight's shoulder, pulling her gaze to the side. Fluttershy looked back at her with what she could easily tell was a forced smile, but she appreciated the effort to comfort her. Without a word, Twilight turned away from the wall and started down the short path back into town with Fluttershy at her side.

Ponyville had returned to as close to a semblance of normalcy as it could in the month since the incident took place. Members of the Apple Family had come in to help Granny Smith and Apple Bloom with the farm and most businesses returned to a semi-open state at the very least. What gave the biggest comfort was seeing other ponies finally working up the courage to spend more time out of their homes to help the town feel less empty.

Despite the recovery, Twilight could still feel the cloud of gloom that hung over the heads of nearly every pony she could spot while trotting through town for the second time that day. Shops were functioning, but they were anything but truly welcoming. Every interaction felt forced or fake, but she couldn't bring herself to blame any of them. If she was forced to run an active business, she would probably be even worse off.

She could only glance at the library she used to call home as she and Fluttershy passed by on their way to her new one. Though she still worked there as the town's librarian, she couldn't bring herself to actually live in it like she had before. Though she knew it was safe by all logical sense, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that it gave due to the memories associated with the event.

Her attention instead turned to the side. She could have sworn she saw a familiar shape from the corner of her eye, but it was simply the elongating evening shadow of a nearby flower bush. Even if she had no reason to worry left, her mind kept playing rude little tricks on her and she began to grow weary of seeing those little reminders in every little thing.

Twilight felt a gentle hoof come to her once more, Fluttershy's worried eyes betraying her true concern despite the faint smile she forced herself to wear. She merely leaned in to nuzzle Fluttershy to tell her she was alright, getting one in return as they started up the hill to their cottage amid the setting sun.

Author's Note

Phew, this story was amazingly fun, but honestly nerve wracking to complete. When I first started working on this, I was so afraid no one was going to like it, but all of the support, kind words and enjoyment coming off of you all gave me the encouragement I needed to continue on. So for that, I wish to say thank you to you all!

I hope this ending doesn't leave too much to be desired. All of my writing practice before this was always little one-shot stories, so writing endings is still a weak point for me, but I hope to get better with practice!

And for all of you who have been enjoying my writing, I want to say that I plan to keep posting more stories even if this one is complete, and though I may work on other projects in the meantime, keep on the look out for more stories set in the WtSS setting! :heart: