Dreams, Nightmares, and Friendships

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12 part 1 unedited

Chapter 1

“Think…he’s…maybe…dead…” The pounding of his head wouldn’t die down. He hated the fact that he couldn’t even hear, but he felt too weak to even check if he was in pain. Or, at least, at first that was true. Soon he felt the numbness in his limbs go away, replaced by a dull ache. What happened? Why couldn’t he remember anything? Wait…no, he could remember his name, and a few of his abilities. That reassured him a little. It meant that maybe more remembrances would come later. As much as he tried though, nothing else came to him that moment. Next he tried opening his eyes. The full moon was the first thing he saw. Good; he could remember that he drew power from the moon. He drew power from the moon…but the new moon was his best time. He was at his best on nights of the new moon, and during a lunar eclipse; then again, those were rare and new moons only came around once a month.

Something suddenly pushed on his shoulder and he groaned, slowly and reluctantly ripping his gaze away from the calming night sky and his eyes met those of some kind of equine with ocean green eyes. Instantly the pony recoiled in surprise.

“G-girls, I think he’s awake…” The equine whispered in a kind and timid voice. He groaned and, ignoring whatever was trying to now hold him down, he lifted himself from the cool grass, his vision momentarily blurring.

“Hey, stay down bud we’ve got some questions for you!” A bold voice came from above.

“…Nightmare…”

“What’s this guy talking about?” That bold voice spoke again.

“Maybe his name is Nightmare?” Another voice, this one from behind.

“That would explain his cutie mark. It’s giving me the creeps! I mean seriously, who has a red lunar eclipse as a cutie mark?” He coughed a couple of times before shaking his head and looking around, still dizzy, but at least his vision had cleared. Six equines surrounded him, each with a different set of colors. One was lavender, and her mane and tail were violet with streaks of pink; there was a six pronged star on her flank, and deep purple eyes. One was pink with a…festive…mane and tail style that was a darker shade than her coat; she had two blue balloons and one yellow balloons on her flank, and her eyes were clear blue. One was orange with a blonde mane and tail, and had three freckles behind each eye; her flank was marked with three bright red apples, and her eyes were emerald green.

The next was the one that was still trying to pin him down. She had a windblown rainbow colored mane and tail, a cyan blue coat, and a pair of wings; her flank was marked with a cloud that had a rainbow colored lightning bolt coming from it, and her eyes were fuchsia. The next one was white with a curly indigo mane and tail, and three diamonds adorned her white flank. Her eyes were deep blue, and as he looked in them she looked as though she wanted to comment on something. The last one was the one he had first seen when he had awoken. She had a long light pink mane and tail, and her coat was a soft yellow and she also had a pair of wings. Her eyes were ocean green and wide and kind looking, and on her flank was a trio of pink winged butterflies.

“Hey, answer my question, or I’ll kick your face into next week!” The rainbow one snapped, breaking him out of his observant trance.

“U-um…Rainbow, maybe you c-could get off of him?” The yellow one said timidly. He looked over his shoulder at the offending mare that was now putting her front hooves on the back of his head.

“I would very much appreciate it, milady, if you would kindly remove your hooves from my head.” He said, a tiny hint of anger weaving its way through his well-toned and slightly deep voice. The rainbow one stared at him and slowly flew off to land next to the white one.

“Thank you; now I would be glad to answer any of your questions to the best of my ability.” He said as soon as her hooves touched the ground.

“Okay…what is your name?” The purple one asked. Turning to face her, he dipped his head.

“My name is Darkrai.” He introduced. He instantly noticed the shiver that ran through the yellow one, but he ignored it. Something told him it was normal for someone to react that way to his name.

“Creepy name…” The rainbow one murmured.

“Rainbow, don’t be rude!” The purple one scolded angrily. Darkrai waited patiently for her to turn back to him.

“Anyways…where are you from?” She asked. Darkrai thought for a moment before tilting his head and looking at the moon again.

“I can’t quite fathom where I came from; it seems that I’ve lost my memories and developed amnesia.” The rest of the girls gasped; surprised he had been so open about it. Looking around, he frowned.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Well yes; don’t ya think that’s…ya know…personal business? Fer all ya know we could try to take advantage of ya and lie that we’re yer old friends or somethin’.” The orange one said uncertainly.

“I most certainly wouldn’t believe that considering that you don’t seem like the type to lie to ANYONE.” Darkrai said, flashing a slight sly smirk her way. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened, but she kept silent.

“Hey buddy; you’re giving me the creeps. Why don’t you just keep moving along and leave Ponyville. As in, leave Ponyville for good.” The rainbow one said.

“Rainbow! Stop being rude to him; I doubt he came to hurt somepony!” The lavender one said, this time looking rather angry. Darkrai shook his head.

“If you wish I will leave.” He said. With that he started walking forward.

“U-um…do you p-plan on g-going to the E-Everfree Forest? I-It’s rather dangerous there…” Darkrai paused to look over his shoulder at the yellow one, who was watching him with concern.

“…I’m sure I’m used to danger.”

“Nonsense, it’s late and the Everfree forest is even worse at night then it is in the daytime. Why don’t you stay a night in Ponyville and start on your journey in the morning if you still wish to leave?” The white one said, taking a step forward. Darkrai stared at her for a moment.

“I don’t think your rainbow friend would prefer-”

“Rainbow dear would you mind of Darkrai stayed in Ponyville just one night?” All eyes turned towards the rainbow one and she sighed.

“Eh, he can stay one night. That’s it!” She said. Darkrai blinked.

“Even if I were to stay in your Ponyville, where would I sleep?”

“Well wherever you would stay it would certainly be better than sleeping outside in the cold.” The white one said. As soon as she caught sight of the look Darkrai was giving her, she frowned.

“Well…maybe he could stay at the Library. As long as he doesn’t mind sleeping on the bottom floor.” The purple one said. Darkrai uncertainly backed up a step.

“Honestly, I’m rather fine with sleeping outside.” I said.

“Again, nonsense! You’re staying in Ponyville tonight! It would be horribly rude of us and completely un-honorable to just let you wander into the Everfree Forest when you have amnesia!” The white one said stubbornly. With that she walked forward and grabbed Darkrai’s hoof. The black coated pony gulped as she began dragging him along with her and the rest of the equines.

“Seriously, I’m not that good with very social-prone areas. Let me go.” He said, beginning to try and pull his hoof back. Surprisingly, the white one didn’t let go, or even lessen her grip. If anything, she only tightened her hold.

“Would ya lighten up? It’s not like we’re going to force you to talk in front of the whole town!” The rainbow one said. Darkrai gently bit his lip but shook his head.

“No, I’m not going anywhere near a place that’s filled with a lot of life forms!” He said, this time putting an edge to his voice. The lavender one snickered.

“You’re quite the wordy one aren’t you?” She asked. Darkrai let his face draw into an uncertain frown that made him look like he thought he was about to throw up and, catching sight of this, the equines all started laughing except the rainbow one.

“So anyways, you said your name was Darkrai right? What does that even stand for?” The rainbow one asked.

“I am not exactly sure. I just know that it’s my name.”

“So what’s up with your cutie mark? It’s creepin’ me the buck out.”

“Rainbow Dash! How many times do I have to ask you to refrain from using such language?” The white one said as Darkrai looked at his flank and blinked.

“What particular part of the term ‘amnesiac’ eludes you?” He slowly asked. The rainbow pony frowned.

“Whatever.” She eventually said.

~-~-~

Darkrai stared out the window, entranced by the moon. It seemed so…oddly different. Then again, he didn’t know what the moon was supposed to look like. He just knew this one now. Looking at himself, he couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place. All the ponies around here had bright colors and cheerful personalities. He stuck out like a sore thumb here. He then shook his head. The six ponies from earlier probably wouldn’t let him leave anyways. Frowning, he felt an odd sensation begin to creep through his spine, particularly through his wings and up his neck until he shook his head, dispelling the uncertain feeling, before he sighed. Standing and staring at the moon wouldn’t help him. He drew power from the moon, but it didn’t keep him from needing sleep. Settling on the couch, he took one last look at the glowing white disk in the sky before laying his head on the arm of the couch and closing his eyes for a while.

Just as Darkrai was about to doze off though, he suddenly felt a feeling of dread overcome his entire body, and he got to his feet apprehensively. Swiveling his ears around to try and figure out what was making him so edgy, he walked outside only to hear the faintest of screams. He wracked his brain for a match to the vocals, and with a start he realized it was the white one. Rarity, he remembered her name was. Looking around, he pinpointed where the sound had come from and took off as fast as his legs would take him.

Rarity’s eyes widened as the brown stallion backed her up against the wall, and he eyed both her flank and her current necklace with hunger.

“Ok lady, no need to get so loud. Just give me the necklace, and maybe I’ll let you go without doing anything else.” He growled. Rarity opened her mouth to emit another cry for help, but didn’t get the chance as the stallion shoved his hoof over her mouth and glared down at her furiously.

“Like I said, give me the necklace.” He said. Rarity though about trying to make a break for it, but suddenly the stallion forced her onto the ground, flipped her onto her stomach, and broke the necklace off, smiling triumphantly. Just as he stuffed the necklace into a knapsack, a shadow fell across Rarity’s back, and both ponies look up just as a black blur slammed into the brown stallion. Closing her eyes and hoping with all of her might that this was all just a dream, Rarity waited for a second before reluctantly looking. What she saw wasn’t what she expected. A sapphire blue eyed black Pegasus stallion with a white mane and tail, moonlight making his coat ash-gray and the red crystals around his neck glow, watched the brown stallion running off in fear. Rarity’s eyes widened as the stallion looked over his shoulder at her and in amazement recognized the stallion as the Darkrai fellow she and her friends had found earlier.

“Y-you…saved me?” She said in confusion.

“Of course; would I honestly be an honorable gentleman if I let that brute just have his way?” The pegasus stallion asked as he held out a hoof and helped her up. Rarity blushed and looked at the ground.

“I don’t know how I could ever repay you. But for now…would a thank you suffice?” She asked. Darkrai gave her a slight smile.

“I require nothing in return. I…will see in the morning.” He said, beginning to take his leave.

“W-wait!” Darkrai stopped and looked over his shoulder, and as soon as his gaze met Rarity she looked away, slightly uncertain.

“Would you mind…walking me home? I’m rather awfully shaken by…what just happened…” She murmured. Darkrai nodded and extending a large wing as Rarity approached him, silently folding it over her.

“I wouldn’t mind at all.” He said calmly. Rarity smiled gratefully at him and sighed as she began walking home, the mysterious black pegasus stallion keeping her under his wing the entire time.

Chapter 2

“-and then, out of just absolutely nowhere and to my extreme luck, Darkrai suddenly came along and the brown stallion was sent packing with his tail between his legs faster than Opalescence running after her favorite toy!” The five other mares stared at their friend, and the silence was broken only by Fluttershy’s quiet sip of her tea.

“Wow, that really happened?” Twilight asked in bewilderment, stealing a glance at the black stallion that she had found passed out on the floor, not five feet away from the couch. She had been too fearful to move him lest he wake, and now she felt bad for it. He HAD said that he was fine with sleeping where he could, but still. A cold wooden floor probably didn’t offer much, if any, comfort at all.

“It did; what I can’t figure out is why he couldn’t muster up the strength to make it all the way to the couch.” Rarity joked, but still looking a bit concerned.

“You say he just passed out?” Fluttershy asked quietly. Twilight nodded.

“I have to admit I’m concerned, but maybe he was just really tired.” She said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than the others.

“Hmm…maybe; I still have to figure out how to thank him for saving me. Who knows what that volatile brute would’ve done if Darkrai hadn’t shown up when he did- Spike, what’re you doing?” The girls turned towards Spike, who was currently sitting near Darkrai and staring at the collar of rubies surrounded the black Pegasus stallion’s neck.

“I’m just wondering what these are, and if they’re rubies then can I eat them?” The baby dragon said, pointing to them curiously. Rarity shrugged.

“You probably shouldn’t Spike, that necklace may be important to him. Anyways…oh by the way; Rainbow, are you really going to send him off when he wakes up?” She said, turning her attention back to the mare in question. Rainbow frowned and stared at Darkrai’s peacefully sleeping form.

“Well…I dunno. Something about him seems off, but he did help you out last night…so no. Only if he wants to leave.” She said thoughtfully. Rarity smiled gratefully.

“But if he’s gonna stay here, where will he stay, and work fer that matter?” Applejack asked. Rarity thought for a moment.

“He can’t stay here; I’m not exactly a piggy bank filled with money.” Twilight said regretfully. Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Hey I’m not having that creepy dude in my house. As much as I might be grateful that he helped out Rarity, I still don’t completely trust him.” She said, crossing her forelegs.

“The cakes might like him.” Pinkie Pie suggested. Twilight let her ears fall.

“Actually, I don’t think…Darkrai doesn’t really seem like the type to love sugar as much as you do.” She said gently. Pinkie Pie tilted her head.

“Why wouldn’t he like sugary sweet stuff like cupcakes and cookies?” She asked. Twilight stole another glance at Darkrai and shrugged.

“Er…anyways, he might be able tah sleep at Sweet Apple Acres, but that still doesn’t cover where he’d work at.” Applejack commented.

“I know he won’t be working at Sugar Cube corner, and he can’t work here since I already have Owlowiscious and Spike; it’d just make them both feel a bit jealous. Applejack, might you be able to offer him some work?” Twilight asked. Applejack frowned.

“Sorry Twi an’ ah mean no offense at all to the type of pony but Pegasi aren’t the most well-muscled in terms of farmin’ an’ such.”

“Girls?”

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked indignantly. Applejack held her hooves up.

“Ah’m just sayin’ that earth ponies are best suited to physical labor like apple-bucking!” She said.

“Um, girls?”

“Just because you guys are the BEST at it doesn’t mean that Pegasi can’t be GOOD at it!” Rainbow said, tapping her hoof against the table.

“Well ah never said that! Ah just said that Pegasi should stick to the skies!” Applejack said defensively.

“GIRLS! He’s gone.” Fluttershy suddenly snapped, then returned to her normal volume. All six turned towards where the Pegasus stallion had been, to find the spot empty. The door swung open, and, as if to mock the ponies for not noticing, a breeze blew in.

“Where could he have gone?” Rarity asked.

“Maybe he left? Y’know, cuz he said he would leave come morning.” Twilight suggested.

“Well that simply won’t do. By the way, I can offer him a job at Carousel Boutique. I’ve been in need of an assistant for a while now.” Rarity said as she trotted out of the door. Looking around she spotted Lyra and Bon-Bon walking by and called out to them.

“Hello ladies, if it isn’t too much bother, could you tell me if you saw a black Pegasus stallion go by?” She asked. Lyra smiled and nodded.

“Oh him? Yea, he walked by us. I actually asked who he was. Though he wouldn’t tell me, he asked where you guys had been last night. Do you know him?” She asked. Rarity nodded.

“Yes; thank you two, you’ve been a big help!” She said. Lyra smiled and with that she and Bon-Bon walked away, saying two quick farewells as Rarity turned towards the pathway that would take them to where they had met Darkrai last night.

“So where is he?” Rainbow asked as she caught up.

“Well he’s headed towards where we were last night.” Rarity responded in confusion as the rest of the girls joined them.

“Why would he go there?” Fluttershy asked.

“Maybe he recovered some of his memories? I remember once reading a book about amnesia, and it said that sometimes amnesia wears off gradually, sometimes abruptly, or sometimes it never goes away. It really depends on the severity of the mental or cranial trauma.” Twilight said knowledgably.

“So…Darkrai went to where we met him to try and remember something?” Rainbow asked. Twilight nodded and Rainbow tilted her head.

“Well that doesn’t make sense.” She muttered.

~-~-~

“Dark Void, Ice Beam, Rest, Hidden Power, Dark Void, Ice Beam, Rest, Hidden Power…” Twilight tilted her head as she watched the Pegasus stallion pace back and forth, chanting the same thing over and over again.

“What do you think he’s mumbling about?” Fluttershy asked timidly, intimidated by the slightly angry look on Darkrai’s face. The stallion suddenly jerked to the side and began gasping for air.

“Goodness me what do you think is wrong with him?” Rarity asked.

“Maybe he’s loco in the coco.” Pinkie commented.

“Pinkie I assure you that Darkrai is not…loco in the coco.” Rarity quickly rebuked. With that she stood up.

“Why don’t we just ask him?” She suggested. Everyone watched apprehensively as she strode out of the bushes.

“Darkrai, dear-” The stallion instantly froze and began shaking uncontrollably.

“Darkrai?” Rarity tried gently. Darkrai still did nothing and Rarity walked up and tapped his shoulder nervously.

“Are you okay?” She asked. Suddenly she noticed something. Perking her ears, she managed to catch something he was whispering.

“The darkness in your heart must be destroyed! If I cannot rid you of it, I will rid this world of you!” Rarity’s eyes widened and, now fearful, she nudged Darkrai’s shoulder and he suddenly shrieked, reeled backwards, and ended up on his stomach, gasping for air as if he had been underwater the whole time. This time the other girls all came out as Rarity blinked.

“Are you alright Darkrai?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“…f…I’m…I h-honestly do not…k-know…” The black stallion moaned.

“Do you remember anything of what just happened?” Rarity asked. Darkrai shook his head.

“The last thing I remember is going back to Twilight Sparkle’s library.” He muttered. Rarity cast a brief glance at Twilight then looked back at Darkrai.

“Very well then; come on, after what just happened I’d like to get a nice cup of hot tea.” She said. As the ponies left the scene, Rarity trailed behind. The words that Darkrai had spoken while in that state of…nonresponsiveness…it deeply troubled her. Did those phrases come from the mouth of another, or was he the one who had originally spoken them? And if they were directed at him and had not been emitted by him, did that mean that if he recovered his memory he would become evil?

Sweetie Bell smiled as she heard the door open and rushed downstairs, only to pause when hearing Rarity’s voice.

“I’m afraid I don’t have somewhere to sleep for you just yet, but I can assure you that the pay will at least be good.”

“I find myself hardly caring about where I sleep anyways.” Sweetie Bell tilted her head at the new voice. She’d never heard a voice like that before.

“Rarity is somepony with y- oh whoa…” As soon as she turned the corner she was met with the sight of a rather majestic looking black Pegasus stallion with large wings, a white mane and tail, sky blue eyes that almost seemed to glow, and an odd almost collar-like necklace made of large rubies. Rarity looked over her shoulder and smiled gleefully at the sight of her little sister.

“Ah Sweetie Bell! I was hoping you’d be here! I’d like to introduce a new friend of mine. Sweetie Bell, this is Darkrai. Darkrai, this is my younger sister Sweetie Bell.” Sweetie Bell felt herself grow slightly nervous. This stallion was absolutely magnificent! What if he didn’t like her?! She only tensed up more as the stallion turned towards her, but her fears were suddenly calmed when he smiled and bowed his head to her.

“It is an honor to meet you, Sweetie Bell.” He said. Sweetie Bell smiled back at him and nodded.

“You too, Mr. Darkrai!” She said politely.

“Anyways Sweetie Bell, I’d like you to know that Darkrai will be working here at Carousel Boutique for the time being. Or at least until he has enough bits to pay for his own house.” Rarity said, stealing a glance at Darkrai. He nodded.

“Indeed; however, I must be on my way. I should probably explore the town a little.” He said, turning towards the door. Rarity nodded and turned to do whatever it was she wanted to do. Sweetie Bell gulped before trotting forward and catching Darkrai’s tail.

“Would it be alright if I came too? I can introduce you to a few ponies!” She said happily, yet on the inside she was ragingly nervous. Darkrai smiled.

“Who am I to deny such a bright young filly? It would be my honor if you were to show me around town.” He said. Sweetie Bell grinned happily and led the dark coated stallion out.

Chapter 3

“So you’re saying he passed out again?” Twilight asked. Rarity nodded and looked at Darkrai’s sleeping form in concern.

“This is the third time this week counting the first time. I’m starting to become worried; what if he’s sick or something?” She said. Twilight frowned and her horn lit up with magic, and the same magical aura surrounded Darkrai. Everything stayed silent for a moment, and then Twilight opened her eyes, revealing the deep confusion that was now in them.

“…whatever happens to him when he passes out, apparently it’s somewhat natural. I get the signature of something akin to a knockout, or sleep spell, but I don’t know who or what could’ve done it.” She said.

“I think I accidentally did it.” Both mares jumped in fright at the sudden third voice and watched as Darkrai got to his feet swiftly, looking around indifferently.

“How so?” Twilight asked, giving in to her curiosity. Darkrai looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

“I’ve been recovering bits of my memory, or to be more specific, I have dreams that reveal them whenever I fall unconscious. So far, I’ve only remembered a bit more about myself. I can remember that I can…hmm, how to put this…use four different…spells, you could call them. One of them is called Rest, which is something I’ve been accidentally using; it makes me sleep for about thirty minutes to six hours at a time, and heals me of all injuries. That is why I’ve been prone to sudden unconsciousness.” He explained, still withholding his calm sereneness. Twilight blinked at the sudden knowledge.

“If you can use spells then how come you aren’t a unicorn?” Rarity asked. Darkrai shrugged.

“Dunno; oh by the way some prissy mare came by earlier. She asked where you were, and when she heard that I worked here she asked if I could give you this.” He said, holding out a cream colored envelope. Rarity opened and read it, only to gasp in excitement and disbelief.

“Oh this is a request from a very important mare! Darkrai, I won’t need your help for this one, but please do stand by just in case!” She exclaimed as she raced downstairs, no doubt already beginning to plan out whatever the client had requested. Twilight looked at Darkrai and suddenly thought of something.

“Darkrai, could I talk to you in the library?” The black stallion nodded and Twilight teleported them both to the library, surprisingly getting some astonishment out of Darkrai.

“I didn’t know you could teleport.” He stated, blinked several times.

“Well I can; anyways, would you mind if I asked a few things? I promise this whole conversation will be confidential.” She said. Darkrai shrugged.

“Why not?” He said.

“Ok then, thank you very much; first of all, do you remember anything prior to waking up in the forest where we met you?” Twilight asked. Darkrai thought for a moment.

“All I can remember right now is some type of beam hitting me, and then darkness.” He said. Twilight motioned towards the couch and sat on it, Darkrai uncertainly joining her after several moments’ hesitation.

“So do you remember any ponies that might know what happened?” Twilight asked, beginning to scribble in a type of journal that looked newly bought. Darkrai shrugged and delved deeper into his mind, suspending himself in a type of meditation as he came upon a bland plane. White mist rose from the ground and everything but that mist was black, so all he could really see was himself. No...Actually he could see a red…fog nearby. Whenever he tried walking through it, trying to reach his old memories, he was always somehow turned back, even if he knew he was walking straight the whole time. This time was no different, though he faintly saw the outline of a single pony with a quad colored mane of gold, indigo, pink, and fuchsia. Pulling himself out of this meditation, Darkrai shook his head and clenched his eyes shut as if shooing away a bad memory.

“That was odd; I’ve never seen amnesia like that.” Twilight suddenly commented.

“Excuse me you say wha?” Darkrai asked in surprise. Twilight snickered in amusement and smiled.

“I kind of hooked into your mind when you started meditating. Unicorn abilities and such.”

“Well then you’ll know that I don’t remember much at all.” Darkrai said. Twilight shrugged then thought for a moment and stood.

“I’ll be right back, I want to check something…” She said as she walked away. Darkrai watched unendingly as she went from bookshelf to bookshelf and eventually found what she needed. Trotting semi-excitedly over to the couch, she used her magic to open the book and smiled.

“Darkrai, would it be alright if I tried something?” She asked. Darkrai shrugged and cleared his throat.

“I concede.” He said. Twilight nodded and took a quick glance at the book’s text before gently setting it down and facing Darkrai.

“Okay, first I need you to stand up and extend your wings out to their fullest length.” She said. Darkrai dragged himself off the couch and placed his hooves firmly together on the floor. Opening his wings, he looked almost like an alicorn but with no horn. Twilight thought momentarily about what Celestia and Luna would think of the admittedly handsome Pegasus before shaking the thought away as her horn began to glow.

“Ok, I need you to focus on that red block that you saw in your mind. I might be able to take a peek and uncover a bit more.” She said. Darkrai nodded and closed his eyes, and Twilight gasped as she was suddenly flung back into his mind plane and she gulped before wandering towards the thick red mist. Forming a protective magical shield around her, she steeled herself before taking the first step. Instantly fleeting images began flashing across her field of vision. Several held an odd creature that looked frighteningly similar to Darkrai, except it was in a different form. It had a black body, no legs, a billowy…mane (?), and glowing blue eyes that looked furious. The next image, she used her magic and held the cloud of memory tightly. Staring into it, she found the same creature facing off with an odd yellow mouse with a lightning shaped tail, and a bipedal blue jackal with odd tassels on the sides of his masked face. Pricking her ears, Twilight strained to catch a glimpse of the conversation.

“Face it you creep, your plans were never meant to succeed! Cresselia will win, and you might as well die!” The yellow creature snarled in a female voice. Twilight gasped as the creature responded.

“Don’t you get that I am creating an ideal world?! I seem to be the only one to see the beauty of the world I create, not this dismal and boring place!”

“How could you think that?” The jackal interrupted. Twilight remained silent, gripped by the conversation.

“I think the way I do because I have been blessed, shown the truth! Why does no creature in this world accept my ideals?!” The black creature shouted, swiping at the air for emphasis.

Twilight backed up, released the cloud of memory, and hoped with all of her willpower the next memory was a better one. No such luck. No other bits or shreds of memory showed up at all. Sighing, Twilight released her grip on Darkrai’s mind and slid back into her own body, and Darkrai opened his eyes.

“Did you find anything?” He asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice. Twilight frowned, trying to decide how much to tell the Pegasus stallion, then decided against telling him anything.

“Not yet. I saw a couple of shreds, but nothing I could catch.” She said. Darkrai tilted his head, almost as if he could sense she was lying, and then sighed.

“Fine then; I’ll be on my way then. Until next time Twilight Sparkle.” He said, making for the door. Twilight gently bit her lip but shook her head and walked up the stairs, grabbed a paper and quill, and began writing.

“Dear Princess Celestia…there’s a matter I need to discuss with you. Two nights ago a strange Pegasus stallion showed up near the border of the Everfree Forest, and I can’t fathom whether or not I should trust him. I…I know that this isn’t the type of letter I usually send, but this is very urgent. He saved Rarity the first night he was here…but ever since I’ve had an odd feeling about him, as if there’s more to him than just his gentlemanly ways…is there a possibility that you could give me some advice?” Twilight then shook her head.

“No, I can’t tell her this! She has better things to do than to read about some funky feeling I get about some Pegasus stallion!” She said, rolling it into a neat scroll and setting it on the table for Owlowiscious to throw away later. Turning towards the journal she had left on the couch, she grabbed her quill again and began writing.

~-~-~

Spike tilted his head in confusion upon noticing the scroll that Twilight must’ve set on the table. Not wanting to open it, fearing what might happen if it was a personal message that Twilight wanted Princess Celestia alone to read it, he shrugged and picked it up.

“Hey Owlowiscious, do you know if Twilight wanted me to send this?” He asked the owl. Seconds later he realized that asking Owlowiscious anything was probably a dumb idea, as all he ever said was, ‘hoo’. Rolling his eyes, Spike shrugged to himself again and looked at the scroll again before deciding.

“If Twilight wanted me to send this and I didn’t she’d probably do a rerun of one time with the Smarty Pants doll.” He snickered. Reliving the time when Pinkie had told him about it, he laughed a couple more times before setting the scroll on fire, thus sending it to Princess Celestia. With that he patted his claws together as if dispelling dust and walked away to grab a couple of gems.

~-~-~

“Cresselia…I worry. We have yet to hear of Darkrai from any of the other Legends.” With a sigh, the psychic type lunar incarnate turned towards the large dragon that stood nearby. Dipping her head she admitted to it. She had lost track of her rival, and because of that she was becoming very edgy. Darkrai could attack at any moment if she was unaware of his position.

“I…I admit that I must agree Palkia. I can’t help but feel that the fight with him isn’t over…but how can’t it be if he has amnesia?” She questioned, feeling a tinge of despair worm its way into her heart. The water and dragon type Master of Space sighed and looked at her worriedly.

“Calm, Cresselia…but what worries me is that I fired a Spatial Rend at him. I should be able to feel the remnants of torn space still hovering around him, and that would help me to find him…but I can’t find him anywhere. I’ve scoured the entire region. He’s nowhere to be found. I even asked Dialga for help to search the centuries for traces of him! He’s literally nowhere to be found.” Palkia said uncertainly. Cresselia’s usually calm sapphire gaze instantly came up to search his ruby red.

“Y-you don’t think he was sent to a different dimension do you?! That dark type is a genocidal maniac, he could bring chaos down upon whatever world he comes across with his horrid nightmares!” She said, panic starting to take over. Palkia grabbed her face so that he could look into her hysterical eyes.

“Calm down Cresselia! We’ll find him. It may take a bit of time, but we’ll find him eventually. He can’t hide under a metaphorical rock forever…also, what do we do when we find him? He can use an array of moves that’d be effective against us both.” Cresselia nodded.

“I actually came up with a plan for that. Team Poképals may yet help us again.”

“Haven’t we employed their help enough? They’ve done enough to deserve Arceus’s Blessing of Power.” Palkia commented. Cresselia recalled all that had been done by the Riolu/Pikachu duo. Defeating Primal Dialga, resorting Time, tracking down the Seven Treasures, conquering Sky Peak, dispelling young Azurill’s nightmare, defeating Palkia TWICE, tracking down Darkrai, and finally defeating him. Yes, they definitely deserved to be recognized, by even The Great One himself.

“Are you ok Cresselia? You seem troubled…” Palkia asked. Cresselia shook her head.

“I will be fine…after Darkrai is dead.”

Chapter 4

A young female Pikachu ran towards the magmortar, her cheeks sparking with electricity, and with a battle cry she shot headfirst into him, using Slam. Stumbling back, the fire type let out a roar before firing a flamethrower at the Pikachu, who skillfully dodged and jumped onto his back before letting loose with a thunderbolt. With a cry of pain, the Magmortar collapsed and the Pikachu grinned, hopping onto his back.

“Outlaw number five of the day! That’s gotta be a new record!” She laughed, wearing a cocky grin, putting up two fingers, closing one eye, and putting her other hand on her hip. The blue jackal that had been sitting against a nearby wall eating a sitrus berry smiled.

“You know Pika; some Pokémon would think you get way too cocky. Especially after you came up with that victory pose.” He said as he ate the last bit of sitrus berry and stood up.

“Hey, I’m awesome like that! Besides, who wouldn’t act like me if they’ve defeated THIRTEEN legendaries?! That’s no small feat Riolu! Of course I’m gettin’ cocky!” Pika said, grinning all the while. Then she noticed something.

“Hmm? What the heck is this?” She muttered as she untied the small bag from the Magmortar’s wrist and undid the drawstring, only to have her eyes widen in excitement and she let out an excited squeal.

“Riolu there’s a thunder stone and sun ribbon in here!” She screamed in excitement, jumping into the air several times. Instantly Riolu rushed over.

“Are you serious?! That means we can finally evolve!” He explained happily.

~-~-~

“Hey Twilight, I’ve got a message for ya.” Twilight looked up from reading her journal entries and thanked Spike before taking the scroll that he held and opening it. Soon though, her eyes drew wide in both astonishment and slight horror.

“Spike did you send any notes to Princess Celestia recently?!” She asked. Spike raised a brow in confusion.

“Uh…yea there was that one on the table. Since Owlowiscious hadn’t thrown it away I assumed that you wanted me to send it.” The baby dragon said, though he was quite puzzled as to why Twilight looked so horrified.

“B-but that- why did you send it?!” She asked.

“I just told you Twilight.” Spike deadpanned. Twilight groaned and rubbed a temple with her hoof.

“Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville simply because she wants to know more about why I think Darkrai is kind of funky.” She said.

“Funky as in: A partier like Pinkie Pie or funky as in: he’s totally weird?” Spike asked, trying to recall a time he had actually spoken to the black Pegasus stallion. Twilight gently bit her bottom lip.

“I’m not sure…I just get this off kind of feeling about him.”

“Are you sure you’re not crushing on him?” Spike deadpanned. Twilight blushed and shook her head and said, “No! It’s not like that Spike! Anyways, Owlowiscious would you and Spike mind fetching Darkrai? I guess if Princess Celestia wants to see him he might as well be here.” With that Twilight rushed back upstairs and grabbed a brush, beginning to gently work at the few knots in her mane and tail. About a half an hour later, Spike returned and Owlowiscious flew in through the window.

“Bad news Twilight, Rarity’s in the middle of a really big order and Darkrai’s busy helping her.” Spike said with a small shred of resentment hidden in his voice. Twilight hastily remembered that her number one assistant had a crush on Rarity, and probably didn’t like how some other male was there to help her out instead of Spike himself.

“W-what?! But a simple big order for Rarity couldn’t be more important than Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike shrugged.

“Darkrai said that he was obliged to help until Rarity either dismissed him or until the job was done. I offered to help her out instead but she just brushed me off and said that she had Darkrai to help her out.” Spike said jealously, folding his arms.

“Spike, I doubt Rarity likes Darkrai more than you just yet; remember, he was hired by Rarity to be an actual assistant to her line of work. Of course she’ll be accepting his help first; it’s what his job is.” Twilight reasoned. This seemed to at least make sense to Spike, for his arms dropped to his side.

“Did Rarity say when she would be done?” Twilight asked exasperatedly.

“We are done. Rarity just shipped out the order.” Twilight whipped around and came nose to nose with Darkrai. She yelped and leaped back a couple of feet.

“How-when-why-who-what’re you doing here?!” She exclaimed. Darkrai pricked an ear.

“I came because Spike and Owlowiscious requested my presence.” He said coolly.

“B-but how’d you get here so fast?!” Spike asked.

“What’re you talking about?” Darkrai responded. Twilight blinked a couple of times before shaking her head.

“I’ll work out the physics later…anyways, listen. My monarch, Princess Celestia, is coming to meet you, and I just wanted to politely request that you be prepared…she’s used to being treated with the utmost respect…” Twilight trailed off as soon as she realized that Darkrai’s eyes had glazed over, and she tentatively nudged his shoulder with a hoof. Instantly he snapped out of his stupor and grimaced as if he had caught whiff of a bad scent.

“I’ll return shortly. There’s something I must tend to first.” Darkrai said. Twilight watched in confusion as he left.

“…Yea, I think he’s funky weird, not funky partier.” Spike muttered.

~-~-~

Rage boiled within the pit of his stomach. It seethed through every muscle in his strong body and flowed out through every action he made. Even the seemingly small movement of pacing back and forth seemed to violently expel more fury.

And Darkrai couldn’t even fathom why!

“Why can’t I find out why?!” He shouted angrily, bucking the nearest tree furiously. Surprising, a couple of oranges fell from it and one actually hit his head. He raised a foot and stomped on it then began pacing again, ignoring the orange juice that was collecting dirt and dead bits of grass thanks to its stickiness.

“Geez, have you got a temper problem or what?” Darkrai looked up. Through fuzzy vision, he could make out a blue form. Why did that sound so familiar…blue…blue, yellow, black, pink, blue- colors swirled past his vision and he closed his eyes, shook his head violently, and then opened his eyes again to find his vision now clear again. The Pegasus pony known as Rainbow Dash stared at him.

“What do you want?” Darkrai asked, resuming his angered pacing.

“Why are you even out here? It isn’t exactly like this is a safe place.”

“Try telling that to the three fillies who raced past earlier blabbing about how they were going to get some…’Creature Hunter cutie marks’…such noise…too much noise…I hate noise…too much noise…” Rainbow’s eyes widened and she shot down, pinning Darkrai to the ground.

“You mean to tell me that the Cutie Mark Crusaders came by, heading for the EVERFREE FOREST, and you didn’t stop them?! What is wrong with you?” Rainbow shouted.

“Some might argue there are a lot of things wrong with me.” Darkrai said as he gently but forcibly pushed Rainbow off and resumed his pacing.

“Well whatever! If Sweetie Bell, Applebloom, and Scootaloo go in there then they’re in serious danger!” Darkrai froze. Rage stopped permeating his fibers to be replaced by a sense of dread. As Rainbow looked around, suddenly a black flash raced past her towards the Everfree. Rainbow watched Darkrai’s rapidly fading figure before springing into the air, flying after him.

~-~-~

“Ah don’t know…maybe this wasn’t a good idea.” Applebloom said as she looked around.

“Oh don’t worry, we passed Darkrai on our way here and he didn’t stop us.” Sweetie Bell said confidently, remembering that she had paused to admire the amazing stallion before resuming the way to the Everfree Forest.

“By the way, you’ve mentioned this Darkrai dude several times. Who exactly is he?” Scootaloo asked. Sweetie Bell smiled.

“Rarity said that he showed up several days ago, passed out right near here. At first nobody trusted him, but then he saved Rarity from a thief. Now he works at Carousel Boutique helping Rarity fill out orders when she needs his help.” She said, letting her mind wander.

“I got a good look at him, and he didn’t look all that honorable to me.” Scootaloo said uncertainly.

“Oh don’t worry! He’s fine!” Sweetie Bell said, waving a hoof in dismissal. A howl interrupted her and she whipped around just as a Timber Wolf leaped out of the bushes behind them, followed quickly by about a dozen or so more.

“Oh Celestia!” Sweetie Bell screamed as she began running in a panic. Applebloom and Scootaloo quickly followed. The timber wolves weren’t far behind either.

“Ah told you guys that this was a bad idea!” Applebloom yelped.

“Play the I-Told-You-So game later when there AREN’T timber wolves after our flanks!” Scootaloo shouted.

“You three watch out!” Suddenly, with a flash of blue, red, black, and white, Darkrai had slammed into the leading wolf, and started mercilessly kicking, bucking and ramming into the wooden wolf. The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched in amazement as the black stallion forced back the lead wolf before he looked over his shoulder as he began backing up again.

“Stay behind me, and whatever you do, don’t run. Predators instinctively go after prey that runs. When prey runs it means it’s weak. Weakened prey means an easier meal.” He said, facing the timber wolves again. His wings flared out and he stamped the ground angrily.

“Try to harm them! I dare you!” He shouted. The timber wolves growled in response and two leaped forward. Darkrai shot forward and nailed them in the stomach with his wings, then slammed them into the ground. Two gurgling howls were cut off. Instantly the pack backed up, unnerved.

“M-Mr. Darkrai…how’re we gonna get out of this?” Sweetie Bell whimpered. Darkrai’s gaze slid back to meet her eyes and he smiled.

“Do you know the way out?”

“N-no, but Applebloom knows where a zebra named Zecora lives…”

“Go there and have this Zecora character take you back to Ponyville.” Darkrai ordered, his tone suggesting that argument was far from the best option to go with.

“W-will ya be alright?” Applebloom asked worriedly.

“…we’ll see, won’t we?” Darkrai smiled before turning to the pack of timber wolves. They had begun to inch closer, and now they let out fearsome howls. Darkrai watched as the Crusaders ran off and he spread his wings so as to cover their escape.

“Well then…are you going to attack?” He challenged.

~-~-~

“Sweetie Bell I’ve been so worried!” Rarity said as she pulled her sister inside. Noticing the filly’s shivering, she frowned.

“Where have you been?” The white mare asked. Sweetie Bell looked over her shoulder and shuddered before suddenly blurting out, “We thought it’d be a good idea to try our hooves at creature hunting but then we got lost in the Everfree forest and then some timber wolves showed up and then suddenly Darkrai showed up and he told us to leave and he still hasn’t shown up yet!” Rarity gasped and looked towards the forest.

“What on earth were you thinking, and now Darkrai may be being eaten by Timber wolves!” She said worriedly.

“Actually not.” Sweetie Bell and Rarity looked up as Darkrai walked into the boutique, sporting only a deep bite mark on his shoulder and a gash across his back.

“They didn’t put up much of a fight.” He said. Rarity gasped and began tending to his wounds.

“Mr. Darkrai…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried-”

“One part brave, three parts fool. It’s alright. Everyone makes mistakes.” The stallion interrupted. Sweetie Bell stared at him with a grateful smile.

“Thank you.” She said. Darkrai dipped his head just as Twilight walked in, looking around.

“Darkrai there you are; where did you wander off to, I’ve been looking all over for…what happened?” The lavender unicorn mare trailed off then asked.

“Sweetie Bell thought it would be a good idea to hunt down creatures for her cutie mark. Darkrai here narrowly saved the CMCs.” Rarity explained as she finished bandaging Darkrai’s shoulder. Twilight blinked before gulping.

“Well Princess Celestia is still coming to see him so…are you fit?” She asked, turning towards the blue eyed pegasus stallion. He nodded.

“I don’t see why I can’t attend a meeting with this… Princess Celestia.” He said calmly. Twilight sighed with thankfulness.

“Ok; she’ll be arriving soon, so-” The clattering of a carriage hitting the ground outside drew Twilight’s attention away from Darkrai’s almost hypnotic eyes and she looked outside as Princess Celestia herself stepped out of her royal carriage and looked around. Twilight shot outside.

“P-Princess Celestia!” She cried happily, running up to her mentor. Celestia smiled and bent down to hug her apprentice, then stood straight again.

“So where is this Darkrai fellow you’ve told me about?” She asked.

“Behind you.” Celestia looked over her shoulder and blinked upon locking gazes with Darkrai. He took two steps forward then bowed, still managing to look regal even as his slightly long mane brushed the ground.

“You are Princess Celestia yes? It is an honor to meet the mentor of Twilight Sparkle and the Ruler of Equestria.” Celestia blinked and dipped her head.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Darkrai.” She said. Looking at Twilight, she whispered, “What gives you bad feelings about this stallion again?” She asked. Twilight bit her bottom lip gently.

“Well…for one he has amnesia, two, sometimes he wanders off and when we find him he’s ranting about anything from colors to the moon and back…and three is the fact that he can use spells. Like a unicorn; even though he’s a Pegasus.” The purple unicorn replied. A thump distracted the mares and they directed their gaze at Darkrai, as his mane settled on the ground.

“…ah…” Celestia managed to comment as Twilight lifted the dark coated stallion using magic and hurriedly rushed him into Carousel Boutique, beckoning for Celestia to follow.

Chapter 5

"Pika..." The raichu's eyes slowly opened and she groaned, finding herself in a white expanse.

"What legendary is visiting me this time?" She whined, rubbing her temple ill-temperedly. A slight scoff came to her ears and Cresselia appeared in front of her. Instantly Pika's eyes flew completely open. Cresselia looked positively emaciated. Her eyes were dull and tired, and slight bags rested under her eyes. She looked the slightest bit thinner than the last time Pika had seen her, and her lips were parched. Occasionally the psychic type would fall close to the invisible floor, another sign of exhaustion.

"Arceus eating a hamburger with no onions Cresselia, what've you been doing to yourself?" Pika asked. Cresselia flinched slightly and looked away.

"I've been searching for my opposite."

"That creep-o Darkrai dude? I thought Palkia blew him up atom by atom and scattered his tiny little molecules all over the galaxy to never be seen again." Pika commented, crossing her arms and lifting a brow. Cresselia rolled her eyes.

"That's overkill; legendaries cannot be destroyed so easily. Only the White One can do that. No, Darkrai was simply hit with a Spacial Rend. The problem is, however, that Darkrai disappeared. Dialga and Palkia have both been searching using the best of their abilities, and still my opposite and rival has evaded their detection." Cresselia said solemnly. Pika flicked her tail and huffed.

"So just use your psychic powers to find him!" She said, throwing her paws into the air.

"I've been looking for Darkrai too you know; all of the Legendaries have. None can find him. Palkia thinks he might've found where Darkrai was sent, but he isn't sure." Cresselia said.

"So go there, drag his gothic skirt wearing tail end back here, and let me lay another beating into him like I did at Dark Crater!! I'll pound any evil dude that dares to face me, and everyone in Treasure Town -no the whole freakin' region- knows that! Why do you think that crime rates have dropped so violently?" Pika loudly interrupted, her fur crackling with pink electricity as she balled her fists and clenched her teeth. Cresselia sighed disappointedly.

"If we could do that we would've already. Think, Pika; now then, onto why I am here in the first place. I need your help." She said, a slight irritation entering her voice. Pika scowled.

"Fine then, whaddya whiny little legends want this time?" She groaned, leaning backwards and staring upwards with an expression that showed only boredom and contempt.

"Palkia wants to see if the spacial-tear-remnants he found are a marker as to where Darkrai was sent. We need to know if you would go there and find out." Pika blinked and stood still for a moment before quirking a brow.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, Space Duck, but I've got my kid to take care of." She said. Cresselia dipped her head.

"The Manaphy-"

"His name is Fares; you want my help you respect the fact that I named a legendary. He's my kid, accept it already." Pika interrupted. Cresselia glared at her angrily for doing so.

"Fine fine; Fares can come with you if you so please." Pika smiled.

"Lemme run this by Riolu, see how he likes it." She said with a shrug and a grin.

“So this Darkrai, you say that he has amnesia?” Celestia asked as Twilight gently set the unconscious black stallion on the couch in the library.

“Yes; recently I tried to find some of his memories, but so far I’ve had no luck. All I managed to catch recently was…erm…well, a disturbing piece of torn memory. A creature that looked rather remarkably like Darkrai but in an odd form was confronting a yellow mouse-like creature with a lightning bolt shaped tail, long black tipped ears, and two brown stripes on its back, and next to said mouse was a two legged jackal with blue fur, a black mask, one tassel-like appendage on each side of his head, black legs, a black torso, and blue arms with odd white bumps on his paws. The mouse said that he was a creep and that he should just go…d-die…” Celestia’s eyes widened. Death was a topic rarely brought up except when one had actually happened, and it was a mite strange to hear it.

“And that a pony- or creature, I wasn’t sure- named Cresselia would win and that he would be defeated once and for all. By that point I was too unnerved and backed out. I'm sorry I couldn't get more information...” Celestia nodded, casting a glance at the black Pegasus.

“Hmm…he seemed friendly enough, but now that I look for it, I can feel faint waves of unsettling darkness seeping from him. It’s like he was an evil creature before acquiring amnesia.” Twilight felt a thrill of fear, partially for Darkrai, partially for her and her friends, but the biggest part of it was a fear for the town and the innocent ponies in it. What if she and the Elements had to go against him? Rarity wouldn’t like that one bit, and while Rainbow Dash would probably leap at the chance seeing as she probably still didn’t like him, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the shop keepers that Rarity constantly sent him to, and of course Twilight herself would also be rather upset if he had to go. Despite his intimidating appearance, Darkrai was gaining himself quite a lot of popularity within Ponyville. Celestia seemed to sense this and lowered her head to meet Twilight’s gaze gently with a caring smile.

“I realize that this stallion must be a very interesting one, given his current state of mind, but Twilight, I do have to keep an eye out for something that threatens the ponies of Equestria. For a little while, I need to take this stallion back to Canterlot. He will return, I assure you, but I need to assess if he is dangerous or not.” Twilight let out a sigh.

“If you insist princess…m-may I ask something though?” Celestia smiled and nodded.

“Of course my faithful student.” She said.

“Could you at least send me letters on how he’s doing? Rarity and a few of the ponies here in town have really grown to like him.” Twilight asked nervously. Celestia blinked then nodded.

“I can definitely do that. Hey, every once and a while you and your friends can come and visit too.” She said calmly. With that she straightened and took a deep breath.

“Send him to the train station when he awakens. I’ll be waiting there.”

“No need to wait.” Both mares jumped at the voice and twisted their necks to look at Darkrai, who had managed to move from the couch to just three feet away without the slightest ruffle of his feathers or fur. Celestia cast an inquiring glance at Twilight, who shrugged in confusion, and then faced Darkrai.

“Ah…you heard the conversation?” She asked. Darkrai looked away and acquired an expression that made him look as though he thought he was about to lose his lunch.

“Indeed; I don’t exactly adore the idea of leaving Ponyville; especially when the Crusaders may yet wander into the Everfree Forest again; but I suppose I can’t fight with your will. I’ll come quietly.” Twilight tilted her head. It sounded as though the mere thought of leaving Ponyville ground on Darkrai’s nerves viciously. She dared not voice her thoughts though, lest she was wrong.

~-~-~

Darkrai watched uninterestedly as Celestia boarded the train; the only thing being focused on by the black stallion was the six mares that stood behind him and the filly that stood next to the white mare. Looking over his shoulder, he let out a sigh and began to speak.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay where I am; I’d like to, but I suppose that wouldn’t please your monarch very much.” He said blandly, casting a rather toxic glare at the train.

“o-oh no dear, it’s fine. Besides, Princess Celestia said that you could come back…right?” Rarity said sadly. Darkrai dipped his head to her and frowned.

“She did indeed say that…I guess prolonging farewells won’t make my departure any less difficult. I will be seeing you at a later date.” He said, turning away and beginning towards the train. A tug on his tail made him pause. Looking over his shoulder, Darkrai’s blue eyes met Sweetie Bell’s.

“You will come back, won’t you?” She asked. Darkrai smiled.

“Of course Sweetie Bell. I promise, okay?” He assured. Sweetie Bell nodded bravely.

“Atta girl. Oh and…” Darkrai leaned is, as if to be secretive.

“Take care of the girls while I’m gone okay?” He whispered. Sweetie Bell nodded and trotted back to Rarity’s side with a wave. Darkrai dipped his head then swung around and stepped onto the otherwise empty train, finding himself beckoned over by Celestia. Begrudgingly he slipped onto a seat opposite to her, suddenly finding the window much more amazing than the Solar Princess that sat across from him. Celestia fidgeted slightly as the train began its route up to Canterlot, unsure how to begin questioning the stallion.

"Save yourself the discomfort of trying to find a way to talk and just start asking your questions, Celestia; I know you have them." Darkrai suddenly said distastefully, twisting to let his eyes rest on Celestia's face. She blinked, unused to not being called by her title, then smiled uncertainly.

"If you wish; first of all I'd like to know what these...skills are that Twilight claimed that you possess. She said that you explained it as 'spells' that you can use, and that there were four of them." She said calmly. Darkrai shifted slightly then nodded.

"As far as I can tell I can know only four at a time, and the ones that I currently know are Ice Beam, Rest...and Hidden Power." He said. Celestia raised a brow in suspicion.

"I thought you knew four? Didn't you just say as such?" She asked. Darkrai flicked an ear somewhat irritably.

"I know the skills: Ice Beam, Rest, and Hidden Power." He repeated, his voice lowering into the slightest of growls. Celestia leaned back just the slightest, in case this stallion tried something violent, but none such result came. Darkrai simply cast his blue eyes towards the window again, drawing in the scenery almost greedily, as if he was barely used to the lush forests that surrounded Canterlot.

"...Fine then; you haven't remembered anything from your past, I take it?" Celestia asked. Darkrai frowned and his brows furrowed.

"Nothing. It's infuriating." He mumbled. With that he shook his head and his eyes cleared.

"Is there a particular reason why I needed to be dragged all the way to this...Canterlot Castle...just to be asked simple questions like these? I found it quite grating to have to say goodbye to that little filly Sweetie Bell." He said irritably, narrowing his eyes. Celestia readied herself again, becoming rather uncomfortable with the black stallion as his moods seemed to swing violently and quite unpredictably.

"I require far more than simple answers to questions such as the ones I am giving you. As for why Canterlot, well it is because Canterlot is my home, and my sister is there." She said firmly, determined not to flinch away from Darkrai's sharp-as-flint sapphire eyes. For a moment the two glared at each other before Darkrai let a smirk cross his face.

"Very well, Celestia."

Chapter 6

"So let me get this absolutely straight. Darkrai is in a land that is positively slathered with peace, tolerance, and sparkly little rainbows?"

"T-that isn't exactly how I described it..." Palkia replied to Pika's question with a slight shudder. The raichu in front of him lifted an eyebrow.

"Dude you look almost- ow- as bad as Cresselia did when I saw her in a dream three nights ago. You been sleepin' alright?" She asked. Palkia rolled his eyes.

"Pika I don't think that now is a good time to ask random questions. Don't we have something important to do?" Lucario, who was standing right next to her, said calmly as he tapped her shoulder.

"Shooshers da, ma's talking!" The manaphy residing in the emptied out exploration bag squeaked, prompting a couple of snickers from both the Lucario and the Raichu.

"And that is one of the many bits of proof that I'm his favorite parent~!" Pika grinned smugly, drawing a playful glare from Lucario.

"Er-hem?" Palkia took a step forward to get their attention then resumed his original position.

"Anyways...I've been trying to slowly but carefully create a Tendril towards the dimension that Darkrai is currently in, and I've almost completed it, as you can see on the dias behind me. Yes, it IS a very peaceful land, and it certainly has some VERY odd energy signatures. You just need to look for Darkrai, and when you find him, wait for the right moment then attack him." Palkia said seriously, freezing even the baby Manaphy's goofing about.

"Who's Darkrai, ma?" He asked. Pika looked at him and patted his head soothingly and with a smile.

"Oh just some heartless jerkface that I'm going to beat senseless. Don't you worry none about Darkrai, Fares." She said with a grin.

"But who is he?" Fares insisted. Pika rolled her eyes and sighed.

"He's a dark type legendary that causes nightmares. He recently tried to smother the world in nightmares but I kicked his tail end all the way to another dimension apparently." She summarized.

"Oh...so he's not nice?" Fares asked as he climbed out of the Exploration Bag with the help of his figurative mother. Pika nodded.

"Exactly." She confirmed. Fares tilted his head and sat down, crossing his arms and staring at the ground as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world. Pika turned towards Lucario as he tapped her shoulder and he quickly pulled her a little ways back, beginning to whisper into the Raichu's ear worriedly. Palkia watched patiently and slowly Fares got to his feet, silently moving forward and taking advantage of Palkia's intent focus on his mother and father.

"What is this thing?" He mused as he crept behind Palkia and looked at the arcanine-height portal. Fares stopped for a moment to try and think of the consequences, but he quickly lost that focus. He wanted to know if it was fuzzy or smooth.

Most ponies in Equestria would've found it very honorable to be invited into Canterlot Castle, and would find it even more distinguishing if one of the princesses took special notice of them. Canterlot Castle was the ultimate elite hangout, the home of the Princesses, Rulers of Equestria. A pony such as Rarity would have fainted simply at the prospect of being invited to Canterlot Castle personally by one of the Princesses. As a matter of fact...well, most ponies would react as such, actually.

Darkrai was not one of these ponies.

His blue eyes scanned the stone walls and royal flags with nothing short of complete and utter boredom as he followed Celestia, flanked by several royal guards. Every once and a while one of them would shoot him a mistrustful glare, as if they expected him to at any moment leap for Celestia's throat or try some other dirty trick. It made Darkrai want to swat them over the head for even insinuating that he'd try something so effectively foolish. What would it accomplish for him, anyways? As the whole group advanced through the gates, Darkrai paused and flicked an ear.

"Is something wrong, Darkrai?" Celestia asked. Darkrai grimaced, turning his head off in the direction of what a pony that knew his or her way around would recognize as the Canterlot Castle Gardens.

"...I thought I heard something, but it must've been my ears playing tricks on me." He assumed after a couple of moments.

"I see. If it's nothing important then, let's keep moving." Celestia said calmly, resuming her calm gait towards the Castle. Along the way several ponies walked by casting strange looks at Darkrai, and after a while he scowled angrily.

"Is there any pony in this entire castle that has manners enough not to stare?" He grumbled.

"I apologize, Darkrai; social status seems to have gone to many Canterlot ponies' heads." Celestia responded. Darkrai rolled his eyes just as a shiver ran through his wings and he stopped. His right eye twitched and the guards immediately stood in front of Celestia. Darkrai paid them no heed, instead turning around and darting off.

"Follow him, but do not attack until he actually threatens something." Celestia commanded, looking at the guards. Two of them raced off after Darkrai's rapidly fading form, only to stop dead as the pegasus stallion's black form suddenly disappeared into the ground.

"Where did he go?" one mumbled.

"I...I don't know. Just find him. No harming him though!" Celestia said calmly, turning around and beginning a face paced trot away.

~-~-~

He didn't know exactly what was happening. One second he was standing in front of a portal behind a giant pink dragon, and then seconds later, or maybe hours since he had only just woken up, he was sitting in some really fancy garden next to a giant castle being eyed by some sort of statue that looked like a bunch of animal pieces had been sewed together to form a serpentine body.

Now that Fares thought about it, that statue looked really funny. He barely held in a snicker as he scrambled onto the base of the stone and stared up at the weird creature's face.

"You aren't any kind of Pokemon I've ever seen. Were you made from a bunch of others?" He asked the cold statue, fully realizing he wouldn't get any response. A chill suddenly crept up his spine as a shadow fell across him.

"You shouldn't be climbing on that; stay away from it. Where are your parents young one?" Fares tilted his head back and almost fell of the base of the statue before his eyes met those of a mare wearing a garden hat. She had a silver coat and a white mane, and on her flank there was a small flower growing next to a watering can.

"Who're you?" Fares asked, sticking his hoof out and poking her muzzle. She gently swatted it away.

"I'm one of the Canterlot Garden Keepers. What's your name, and where are your parents?" She asked patiently, tipping her garden hat back to get a better look at the small blue unicorn colt sitting on the base of Discord's statue. He was an odd looking child, that was for sure. He had a dark blue mane and a sky blue coat, and two yellow circles rested above each of his eyes. His flank sported a cutie mark that depicted a small mound of sand with some seaweed sticking out of it, with a couple of tiny bubbles floating around the seaweed stalks.

"My name's Fares. My parents are named Pika and Lucario, and they're...uh...in a dragon's cave or something. And they were talking to it and I got bored and I touched something shiny and then I woke up and then I saw this goofy looking statue and then I climbed on it and then you were here." Fares explained, sporting a broad smile. The mare hesitated. What was he talking about? Ponies named Pika and Lucario? A dragon's cave? It didn't make any sense. Maybe the child was simply confused.

"Erm...okay; do you know how we can find your parents?" She asked hesitantly.

"Well yea we just find another shiny thing." Fares exclaimed, only succeeding in confusing the poor garden mare even more.

"Excuse me." She looked over her shoulder and yelped slightly upon the sight of a tall, black pegasus stallion walking towards her calmly. he dipped his head as he stopped in front of her.

"Greetings; I believe I know this child." He said shortly. The mare felt a slight worm of distrust towards the stallion, but then pushed it aside.

"O-oh; are you his father?" She asked. The stallion shook his head and pricked his ears for a moment, looking out of the corner of his eye at the sky.

"I...I know his father. We're good friends." He lied nonchalantly. The mare smiled thankfully.

"Ah! So you can take him back to his parents?" She asked, buying the fib. The towering stallion nodded.

"Indeed. Come along child." He said.

"I have no idea who you are friend of Lucario but okay!" Fares said loudly, jumping off of the base of the statue onto the stallion's back. he let out a slight grunt then looked towards the mare.

"Thank you; enjoy your day miss." He said politely, thereafter turning and walking away. Fares scrambled up to the base of his neck and nudged the stallion's cheek with a hoof.

"Hey, what's your name? Do you have one? You should. Can I call you Blackie?" He asked innocently. The stallion stole only one glance.

"My name is Darkrai, yes I have a name, and no you may not call me 'Blackie'." He answered calmly. Fares blinked.

"Oh hey! Ma told me about you before I touched the shiny thing and woke up here! She said you weren't nice...I don't think she was right. You seem okay." He said. Darkrai stopped and looked at the small blue unicorn colt sitting between his wings on his back.

"...what, pray tell, did you say your mother's name was, child?" He asked. Fares smiled widely.

"I don't remember telling you but her name's Pika! My name's Fares!" As soon as the last syllable left his mouth Darkrai snapped his neck around to face forward again and for a moment everything was completely still before a look of utter hatred crossed Darkrai's face. He couldn't explain why, but that name brought white hot fury and hatred to Darkrai's heart.

He had to make sure the child stayed near him; he may have been nothing but a bubble brained unicorn colt, but maybe he knew something that would help Darkrai untangle the knotted shreds of whatever memory he had left.

"So Darkrai, where are we going?" Fares asked, putting a hoof on the black stallion's cheek as he resumed walking. Darkrai didn't shoo it away, or even look away from his route.

"Just rejoining a friend that I seemed to have rudely left behind." He said calmly. Fares tilted his head before yawning.

"You aren't gonna give me nightmares when I sleep, will you?" He asked. Darkrai tilted his head but still refused to look at anything but the path his hooves were treading.

"...No. Even if I had such an ability as giving nightmares to sleeping creatures...why would I use it against a completely defenseless colt that has done nothing to me?" He reasoned quietly. Fares smiled.

"I knew it; Ma wasn't right about you. She said you were mean, but you aren't. You're nice." He said. With that he let out another yawn.

"Touching something shiny and getting put in a fancy garden really takes a lot out of you. Nighty night Darkrai." Darkrai looked at the blue colt still sitting on his broad back, but said foal was already in the process of curling up as comfortably as possible. Darkrai stared at the lump of fur for a good minute before sighing.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Darkrai. This, for sure, is not something I can simply take back." He grumbled as he opened his wings to prevent Fares from falling and resumed his leisurely stroll back towards the castle. The guards certainly wouldn't be pleased with what they would certainly try to claim as an 'escape attempt' but it was worth it. He had found a possible key to his past, that was all that really mattered at the moment.

"HEY YOU!" Darkrai leaped out of the way as a guard tried to tackle him, and two more were instantly behind him as the first recovered.

"Just how stupid are you to try such a thing?" One asked harshly. Darkrai lifted a brow, tilted his head, then heaved a breath. These ponies were hard to stand, and he wouldn't deny that not if somebody paid him to.

"Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid-"

"Silence!"

Chapter 7

"Could I get a word in edge-"

"Shut up prisoner!" Darkrai closed his mouth slowly and glared at the Royal Guard that continually interrupted him. That was already getting on his nerves.

"...prisoner?" He eventually questioned.

"Yes! You are now a prisoner for foalnapping, trying to escape, and the attempted assassination of Princess Luna." The guard who was speaking smirked triumphantly at Darkrai's utterly bored and contempt face. "You thought you were pretty clever, hiding in the statue garden with that foalnapped colt, but you were DEAD WRONG!" The puffed up earth pony crowed. Darkrai could find no words he could say that wouldn't come out as some sort of insult. What kind of IDIOTS did Celestia think she was hiring for protection?! A Dunsparce could've gotten past these lunatics.

A Dunsparce? What are those? Darkrai paused to ask himself. He quickly tossed that thought aside as a guard prodded him with a spear.

"Keep moving, criminal!" The guard barked angily. Though he didn't quite know it, as it was more his subconscious that was speaking at that split second, he considered taking that spear and shoving it down the guard's throat and out his chest with an honest to god smile on his face as the hot-headed moron bled out, but the fleeting death threat was gone before Darkrai could even register what exactly he was thinking of; thus, it remained unnoticed by any of the current parties.

"GUARDS! WE REQUIRE A WING MASSAGE AND MOONCAKES!" Darkrai flicked an ear at the overwhelmingly loud voice as a regal blue Alicorn mare with a flowing starry mane strode towards them. Instantly he found himself staring at the stars that seemed to dance in her mane, almost entranced. Within moments the guard around him didn't exist anymore, nor did the palace or the colt on his back or Celestia, whom he was pressed to rejoin and apologize to for taking off; only the infinite night sky that expanded in those threads of midnight blue. For a moment Darkrai was completely entranced, then the sleeping colt on his back stirred and woke up, yawning and standing on Darkrai's back and looking around.

"Hey cool we're in a castle!" Fares shouted. The alicorn flicked an ear.

"GUARDS, WE REQUIRE AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHO THIS STALLION IS, AND WHY HE IS BLEEDING!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing towards a couple of small cuts that Celestia forsaken spear had made. Darkrai felt his eye twitch ever so slightly.

"Princess Luna." The guard that held said spear bowed his head.

"This foolish stallion foalnapped this colt, tried to escape arrest, and attempted to assassinate you!" He said, suddenly growing a stoic expression. Darkrai glared at him indignantly and said, "For the last time, I did not attempt to 'assassinate' anyone! I have not a violent bone in my body against innocent ponies! I demand you drop these unjust charges immediately!" He snapped angrily. The guard responded by cutting his flank with the spear again.

"Silence criminal! You have no right to act such a way in front of the lovely Princess Luna!" He shouted. Luna cleared her throat.

"Lieutenant Paladin?" She said calmly. Instantly the guard snapped to attention. Luna gave him a stare. "We require solid proof that this stallion was trying to kill me." She said. The guard hesitated then shuffled his feet nervously. Darkrai's wings began to twitch as Paladin fiddled, then suddenly he turned to Darkrai.

"W-well he might not have intent to kill but he still has a foal that most obviously is not his own!" He said. Darkrai's wings sprang open and he stamped furiously.

"Such an accusation is absolutely absurd! The child was simply wandering the gardens and simply came with me as I headed back to my meeting with Princess Celestia!" He shouted. Paladin glared at him, their muzzles practically touching.

"You'd like us to believe that, wouldn't you criminal filth!" He growled. "I am not a criminal you simple minded fool!" Darkrai shot back. Luna interrupted again.

"Paladin! Did you ignore us when we requested a wing massage and some mooncakes?!" She said loudly. Paladin practically jumped out of his armor and spun to face the princess, drop to his knees, and plead for forgiveness before climbing to his feet and taking off in another direction and disappear down another hallway. Darkrai watched him go with nothing short of relief that he didn't have to deal with him anymore.

"Darkrai! I was wondering where you had gone! Where were you?!" Darkrai flinched slightly as Celestia rounded the corner.

"Retrieving this child." He stated calmly as she walked up. Celestia blinked, lost for words.

"Why?" She eventually asked. After a couple of moments, she cleared her throat and Darkrai blinked. Then shrugged.

"You...don't know why...?" She asked slowly. She was interrupted by Fares letting out a squeal and leaping at her catching her and Luna's manes and holding onto them, prompting cries of slight pain from the two Alicorn mares.

"I have no idea what pokemon you two are, so I'm gonna steal something now!" The little unicorn foal shouted unnecessarily loudly. With that he swung himself onto Celestia's back and yanked a feather from her wing, did the same for Luna, then took off down the hallway, announcing his victory over the two 'legendary pokemon' with a large amount of pride in his voice.

"C'mon Darkrai let's go before they recover!" Fares shouted over his shoulder as he rounded a corner and disappeared. Darkrai blinked after him.

"He may be a key to unlocking my memory; I am willing to put up with him." He said calmly, looking at Celestia calmly as she cooed over her wing. With that he stepped past them and suddenly leaped forward, taking off at a loping canter.

"SIster, who in the evervast night sky was that, and what are...Pokemon?" Luna eventually asked as she flapped her wing then returned it to her side. Celestia, who was watching the colt and stallion disappear, sighed and shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea Luna, who the colt is, and I'm not sure about the Pokemon thing either." She said.

Meanwhile, Darkrai had chased down Fares. Panting slightly, the black stallion pinned the blue colt's tail to the floor.

"You know, young one...it isn't very wise to run off...willy nilly in an unfamiliar place...it's dangerous." He said. Fares tilted his head at him.

"But ma says you're supposed to run into all sorts of unfamiliar dungeons with guns 'a' blazin' and spirits high!" He exclaimed. Darkrai was beginning to seriously wonder who this colt's mother thought she was, telling her son that it was okay to rush into a potentially dangerous situation screaming your head off like a drunken Siren on Enigma Berries. Darkrai paused.

Another thing I've said but don't remember...perhaps I need to keep a list to see if there's any connection... He muttered thoughtfully.

"You shouldn't listen to your mother's advise if THAT'S what she thinks is safe..." Darkrai grumbled, flattening his ears. Fares suddenly slapped him.

"Don't hate on my Ma. If she were here she'd kick your flank into a ten year coma." He said, pointing at Darkrai and giving him the evil eye before suddenly sniffing the air and looking around.

"I smell cake." He suddenly said.

Darkrai flattened his ears and checked his hold on the foal. "Don't even think about it please, we've already caused enough trouble." He deadpanned. Fares payed him no mind, kicked free of Darkrai's grip, and hot-hooved it down the hall. Darkrai sighed.

"...okay maybe I'm not willing to put up with him..." Darkrai said as he quickly galloped after the child.

About half an hour later and an encounter with two more guards that looked insanely similar to Paladin and were just as suspicious and self-centered, Darkrai finally cornered Fares, though it wasn't somewhere he exactly expected things to go well. The kitchen staff let out various yelps, cries, and angered shouts as the small blue foal leaped agilely from stove to counter, over sinks and under descending pots, with a huge black stallion doggedly chasing him, half the time having to leap clean over some of the staff to avoid clashing with them.

"Young one I am getting quite tired of this ridiculous game, come back at once!" Darkrai shouted as he dodged around a mare carrying a tray of pastries, ignore the furious cries of the kitchen staff as Fares stepped on the handle of a frying pan and launched a grilled cheese sandwhich into somebody's face. Normally he would stop to laugh at this but there was that black pegasus stallion and half the kitchen staff now chasing him. Besides, he had a mission to do. Find the cake. His eyes locked on his target, fresh out of the oven, and he paused for a split second to plot his course. He had an escape orb hidden in his mane, and his plan was foalproof! Even his ma would be impressed with his thievery once she heard of it! Fares executed a great leap over a Griffon's head and ran along the beast's back then made a flying leap for the counter that the cake was one. Whirling around, he grinned and stuck Luna and Celestia's 'confiscated' feathers into his tangled, messy, dark blue mane.

"I am Fares Manaphy and I claim this cake for the kingdom of awesomesauce!" He declared at an unnecessarily loud volume, considering the kitchen staff was definitely listening. With that he pulled the small escape orb from his mane and held it up. For a moment things were silent with utter confusion before the orb began glowing and Fares, and the cake, disappeared in a small burst of light. Darkrai stared at the spot the lunatic foal had been,

"I'm getting too old to deal with this kind of crap..." He muttered as he turned around and disappeared into the ground, his body nothing more than a wisp of a shadow as he exited the kitchen to find his new charge unnoticed, leaving the staff to clean up the mess he and Fares had left behind.

Behind him, he could hear the ferocious cawing of the Griffon.

"ALL OF YE GIT TO WORKIN', UN'LESS YE WAN' TEH GIT YER SAWRY FLANKS OUT OF ME KITCHEN!!!"

"-the hell?!" Lucario rolled his eyes and sighed as he watched Pika pace back and forth, flicking her new tail in irritancy.

"I mean seriously! I know Palkia said we'd possibly look different from the natives so we might form-change, but THIS?! We look like REJECT PONYTAS! The least we could do is be like Shaymin! Transform from something pretty cool to something TOTALLY AWESOME!" The Raichu/mare shouted angrily. She flicked her mane out of her eyes furiously and looked towards Lucario. He was heavily built for a pony, with dark blue fur and a creamy underbelly. An aura sphere-like mark sat on his flank, and his tail and mane were charcoal black. Lucario looked back at her, observing her orange pelt, the brown blanket of fur on her back, and her golden mane and tail.

"Honestly it could be worse Pika." He said calmly. The mare whirled on him angrily.

"'Could be worse?! Lucario! We're in a strange world, we don't know where the heck to look for Darkrai, Fares is missing and might not even BE in this dimension, and we're in strange forms! HOW COULD THINGS GET ANY WORSE?!" She shouted. Lucario just blinked calmly.

"We could have Skuntank and co to deal with." He pointed out. Pika paused and sighed.

"Yea they'd just screw things even further up."

~-~-~-~-~-~

Author's Note

HELLO EVERYPONY~! Sorry I haven't been very active, Colorado State Advancement Pretesting (or CSAP), and Acuity testing can be a pair of cruel mistresses, But now those are over. Anyways...

I tried being a bit funny in this chapter, but I think I failed horribly...

Chapter 8

A sleeping colt on his back and an Equestria Daily Newspaper in his mouth, Darkrai slowly made his way up the long flight of stairs, mentally cursing several things, including his inability to fly with a sleeping Fares on his back, whatever idiotic lunatic that invented the very concept of stairs, and the kitchen staff. For exactly three hours he had been here and he had already made an enemy in that spear holder Paladin, ticked off the master chef, a Griffon named Hawkheart, and had managed to find himself becoming the baby sitter of a foal who seemed to have no end to his energy by day, but as soon as the sun disappeared he'd crash to the ground and sleep through a Bouffalant stampede.

Darkrai huffed in annoyance. Yep; very impressive first day he had. He could only imagine what a living nightmare tomorrow would probably be.

As he breached the top of the stairs and walked into the quarters Celestia had apparently reserved for him, he quietly pulled Fares off of his back and deposited the sleeping colt on a large chair, then turned towards the bed. It was quite large and luxurious, and he lit the candle on the nightstand before sinking onto the large bed and began reading the Equestria Daily. There wasn't much to actually care about, but it gave him something to do. Soon enough though, sleep overtook him.

The heat scorched him on all sides, pain engulfed every single nerve ending he had, and Darkrai let out a loud and deep cry of pain. Suddenly, his cry turned into the cry of three others, and he sluggishly opened his eyes. In front of him stood a yellow mouse like creature with a lightning shaped tail that had a heart shaped end, two long black tipped ears, brown eyes, a silver bandanna around her neck, and a scar over her right cheek. Next to her stood a bipedal blue and black jackle with two tassle like appendages on the sides of its head, and a red badanna was tied around his arm. And centered behind the two was a levitating pink, yellow, and blue creature. He found himself loathing that one with his heart.

"Fools~!" He suddenly found himself crowing, throwing his arms outwards. He narrowed his eyes at the three and grinned crookedly.

"You think you can defeat me? I am the Master of Darkness, the Nightmare King, The Bringer of Fear! What hope have you of defeating me?" His grin widened as, in a split second, he had moved from ten feet away from all three to inches away from the levitater. "When I doubt that you two could even take on this miserable floating space duck~!" He cried, and with that his hand wrapped around the levitater's neck and blackness seeped out of his claws. Seconds later the levitater's eyes began glowing and suddenly a pink haze surrounded the mouse and the jackal, and that haze followed them as they were launched into opposite walls. Darkrai cackled madly, curling his claws and throwing his arms out to the sides again.

"Face it, weaklings~! Darkness will rule this world! There will be no more hope, there will be no more light, only darkness, and night!" He crowed haughtily. The mouse got to her feet, the red parts of her cheeks sparking with electricity.

Face it you creep, your plans were never meant to succeed! Cresselia will win, and you might as well die!” She snarled.

“Don’t you get that I am creating an ideal world?! I seem to be the only one to see the beauty of the world I create, not this dismal and boring place!” Darkrai crowed tauntingly.

“How could you think that?” The jackal interrupted.

“I think the way I do because I have been blessed, shown the truth! Why does no creature in this world accept my ideals?!” Darkrai suddenly shouted. Then he grinned. Yes, he had been blessed; blessed by the darkness. Two orbs of spiralling blackness formed within his claws on each hand.

"Oh yes, Cresselia will win; in her fight against you two!" He snapped.

It was at that moment that Darkrai woke up as he hit the floor. He took a moment to gather himself. What had just happened? Surely whoever that had been in the nightmare...surely it had not been him? He didn't embrace Darkness...

Sure, he was calmed by it...

S-sure, he seemed to draw power from it...

S...s-sure h-he didn't actually know if he had been evil in the past or not but that...it didn't...

Darkrai shivered and stumbled to his feet. No. That couldn't have been him. He wasn't evil, he didn't get joy from bringing despair and nightmares! That simply could not have been him. Regardless, he stumbled to the balcony, spread his wings, and leaped out into the night sky, camoflouged by the new moon's comforting darkness- Argh! No! It wasn't comforting! Darkrai shook his head. Darkness didn't comfort him; he simply didn't care for it. Darkness was simply another word for night, and night was simply another word for 'time to sleep'. Yes, that was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Darkrai found himself landing after thirty minutes of flight, and to some of his surprise, he found himself standing near the outskirts of Ponyville. For a moment he considered just going into town forget anything that had happened in the past twenty four hours, but that'd surely anger Celestia. So with that, he laid down and rested his head on a particularly thick patch of grass, reveling in the cool, refreshing, soothing pre-morning dew and the slight chill of the night. He kept no track of how long he stayed there exactly, nor would he have been about to, for after only five minutes he fell asleep again.

"Okay you nightmarish creton, I chased you across a continent, I chased you across a sea, I chased you into a VOLCANO, and I chased you to a whole new DIMENSION! I AM SICK OF HAVING TO CHASE YOU!" Darkrai leaped backwards as that levitating creature from his previous dream suddenly appeared him, glaring fiercely.

"Who-"

"Don't play that game with me you disgusting creature!" The thing snapped angrily. She glared furiously at him, and levitated a few inches closer.

"How you avoided changing forms when Pika and Lucario didn't is beyond me, but at this point, I don't even care anymore!" The creature snarled. With that the odd crescents of moondust that orbited her began glowing.

"If I have to go to that dimension myself, I will kill you! I'm sick of your evil spirit, I'm sick of having to heal your nightmares, and I'm sick of following you just to prevent you from corrupting everything near you! You will die, Darkrai, and you will die very soon." She growled. Darkrai suddenly found himself laughing.

"You think you can kill me? You really are a fool my dear old nemesis. You can't kill Fear, lowly lunar duck~!" The creature scowled furiously.

"Watch yourself, Nightmare King; your days are shortly numbered."

"Darkrai darling, whatever are you doing here?!" Darkai woke up with a yawn and found himself looking at a set of polished white hooves. Looking up, he found himself looking up at Rarity.

"It's morning, isn't it?" He complained, not bothering to get up. Rarity cleared her throat.

"Yes, it is. What are you doing here? Are you hurt?" Rarity asked. Darkrai sighed and heaved himself to his feet.

"No; I just had a bit of a nightmare last night and I came here to clear my head." He mumbled. Rarity tilted her head.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to get Twilight?" She asked worriedly. Darkrai shook his head and ruffled his wings.

"Ah no; I'm fine. I should probably need to get back to Canterlot. That paranoid guard will want to know what my latest 'crime' will have been." He grumbled to himself. Quickly throwing a goodbye over his shoulder towards Rarity, Darkrai took a running start and beat the air with his wings as he headed back to Canterlot. However light he felt in the air before, all sense of happiness when he was flying evaporated like a single drop of water on a bit of metal over an open flame. His mind was too weighed down by the disturbing dreams. That creature...she was openly threatening to kill him. How was he supposed to respond to that? And she had accused him of being evil.

But he wasn't was he? Darkrai flattened his ears.

He didn't know what to think anymore.

~-~-~

"-EVERYTHING IS TOO COLORFUL!" Lucario blinked calmly as Pika slammed her head into a wood pole repeatedly.

"Pika...how can something be too colorful?" He slowly asked. Pika gave him a flattened glare.

"Because everything is too bright and it's too sunny and everywhere we go these creepy-ass ponies are always trotting around in their own damn MAMBY-PAMBY LAND~!" She shouted, trotting exasperatedly, sticking out her tongue, and crossing her eyes as she spoke.

"Even WIGGLYTUFF isn't this happy one hundred percent of the time and it's creepin' me out!" The Raichu turned pony finished, turning towards her partner. He calmly stared back at her.

"Well at least Chatot isn't here blaring in our ears about how we should find Darkrai." He said calmly. Pika relaxed somewhat and scoffed.

"Yea, he's too colorful anyways if her were here I'd start puking rainbows." She sighed. Lucario snickered then looked around.

"So, any idea how we should start looking for the dude?" He asked.

"I don't know and right now I don't care. This world is LAAAAAAMMMMEEEE." Pika moaned. Lucario rolled his eyes, walked over, picked her up, slung her over his back, and walked away.

"Best we can do right now is find some food, a good place to stay, and ask around to see if anybody's seen the creep. So come on." He said as he started down the beaten path they'd stumbled across.

Chapter 9

"...now I've seen everything." Pika huffed as she walked through the somewhat crowded streets. Lucario followed her carefully, stepping as if parts of the ground were on fire. He looked around uneasily.

"Try to be optimistic Pika; it'll help us blend better." He whispered. Pika rolled her eyes and flicked his muzzle with her tail.

"How am I supposed to be optimistic? My kid is missing, we're lost, we're in odd forms- frankly I see nothing to be optimistic about." She sighed. Lucario shook his head.

"At least nothing here seems hostile." He mused quietly.

"So? What use is no hostility if we have no idea where we're going?!" Pika asked loudly. Lucario sighed.

"We'll figure it out Pika, calm down." A cleared throat caught his attention and he looked over his shoulder at a butterscotch yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane and tail.

He blinked once. Then twice.

"O-oh...can I help you?" He asked, shaking himself out lightly. The pegasus lightly scuffed her hoof against the ground, looking towards the ground shyly and hiding some of her face behind her mane.

"I-I was...j-just wondering i-i-if you w-were lost..." She asked quietly. Lucario blinked before nodding.

"Oh, heheh...yea; first time here and such, we have no idea where we're going." He laughed nervously. The pegasus blinked.

"T-that's okay; i-if you'd like I'll help..." She said. Lucario breathed a sigh of relief just as a tug on his mane brought his attention.

"C'mon Lucario what's keeping?" Pika asked.

"This nice lady has offered to help us find what we're looking for." He said calmly. With that he turned to the pegasus with a calm smile and cleared his throat before asking, "Have you seen a fellow that goes by the name of Darkrai?" Instantly the pegasus smiled softly and nodded.

"Oh yes, he was around here for a little while, but then he went to Canterlot." She said. With that she turned and gestured with a hoof down a streetway.

"If you're intent on meeting up with him, the train station is right that way. Just ask for a ticket to Canterlot and you should be fine." She said kindly. Lucario smiled and bowed his head.

"Thank you very much miss...I'm sorry, I never caught your name. What was it?" He asked. The pegasus quickly regained her shy demeanor and scuffed her hoof against the ground again, casting her eyes to the ground. With a small voice, she said, "Uhm...m-my name's Fluttershy..." Lucario bowed his head again.

"My name is Lucario, and the orange mare is Pika." With a small nod of his head, he continued, "Oh by the way, if you happen to see a small blue young one named Fares, tell us where he went please. We've been worried sick for him." He explained. Fluttershy nodded shyly and Lucario sent her a final warm smile before heading down the street she said led to the train station, followed closely by Pika. Fluttershy blinked after them before quickly hurrying on to the spa.

~-~-~

"SECURITY IS A BITCH." Lucario quickly pressed a hoof over Pika's mouth and hushed her hurriedly.

"Pika if we make trouble they won't let us onto the train just let him search the treasure bag real quick. It's not like we have contraband in there or anything." He eased quietly. Pika glared at him and slapped his hoof away.

"No I'm not letting him go through my bag I've had it with this place it's too colorful and bright and-"

"Pika everything in this town is almost an exact ponified match for Treasure Town you're just upset because we STILL haven't found Darkrai or Fares; Chatot even has the same security systems after Team Bandit tried to rob the guild blind. Face it Pika, you're getting upset over nothing." Lucario interrupted firmly. The security stallion cleared his throat.

"Excuse me sir and madam, will you permit me to give your bags a quick scan?" He asked monotonously. Lucario nodded at him and he cast a spell on the bags for a couple of moments before smiling and stepping away from the doorway.

"Enjoy your ride my good stallion and mare." He said kindly as Pika gaped at the bags before glaring at him.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU-" Lucario sighed and stuffed a sleep seed into her mouth then picked up the bags and placed them on his back, thereafter slinging Pika over his back as well.

"Sorry for the disturbance mister, we've been travelling a long distance in a very minimal amount of time and the stress is starting to get to her." He said as he headed through the door and boarded the train. He deposited the sleeping-raichu-turned-mare on a bench then sat across the small table from her and emptied out his bag, beginning to absently sift through the objects that had spilled out.

"Honestly I don't know why Cresselia had us pack all of this extra garbage. Escape orbs reviver seeds luminous orbs- why did she pack us gummies?!" Lucario asked himself. Then he paused and looked around before beginning to scarf down the silver and orange gummies.

"Yea okay I'm not complaining anymore." He sighed happily as he finished off the last one and sat back, going over the inventory several more times before rubbing his temple.

"-WERE TALKING A- wait where am I?" Lucario jumped at the sudden noise and looked up as Pika glared furiously at him.

"You drugged me with a sleep seed like you did that one time with Chatot, didn't you?" She grumbled. Lucario gave her the best poker face he could muster then smiled.

"Have I ever mention that your ear twitches in the most hilarious and adorable way when you're angry~?" He smiled cheekily. Pika growled loudly and tugged on her ears then stood up.

"Whatever!! I'm gonna explore this stupid train for a bit, try not to get another mare tripping over you." She said angrily as she stomped away dramatically.

"...Pfft whatever. It's not like I try." Lucario said, looking out the window. His eyes found interest on the mountain, and the castle that stood out precariously on the side of the mountain.

"How does it stay up there...?" He mused to himself.

"Hmm? Oh, it's supported by magic enhanced columns." Lucario jumped slightly and looked over his shoulder at a lavender unicorn mare with a six pointed star as a cutie mark. Lucario blinked and twisted so that his top half was facing her and he rested his chin on one hoof.

"Magic enhanced, huh? Man, there's a lot of stuff in this country I feel completely clueless about." He sighed. The unicorn tilted her head.

"You a foreigner sir? You don't seem like you're from a different country." She mused. Lucario shook his head.

"You could say I'm practically not from this world." He chuckled, closing his eyes. Catching himself, he opened his eyes again then smiled.

"But yea, I'm from a pretty far away place. From where I come from nobody uses magic at all." The unicorn's eyes widened.

"No magic at all?" She asked. Lucario shook his head again and smiled.

"Nope; though we do have some pretty cool tricks. For instance, check this out." Lucario looked around before smiling and holding his front hooves together. Soon a bubble of aura formed between then and he held it out, letting it expand to encircle the train cabin. The ponies inside began glowing in several different colors, including the unicorn and Lucario himself. He smiled.

"Aura trick I learned a long while ago. One of the first ones I got down actually-"

"How are you doing this when you're an earth pony?!" Lucario blinked as the unicorn caught his shoulders, an excited and curious gleam in her eyes as she smiled.

"Hm? Oh uh...I.....u-uh I'm...n-not sure I've just...kinda been...able to." He shrugged nervously. The unicorn tilted her head.

"Can you at least explain it?" She asked. Lucario relaxed and smiled, nodding.

"Yea, I can do better. I even taught Pika a few basics of aura sensing. Come on." Lucario pulled himself out of his seat and he stood in the middle of the aisle way. The unicorn hesitated before getting up and standing in front of him.

"Alright, so first thing's first is the basic idea of aura. Aura is-"

"The distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place." The unicorn interrupted, smiling and closing her eyes. Lucario blinked before smiling.

"Kind of. That's...a literal definition I suppose, but I'm talking about the spiritual sense of the word. Aura is a life force's own personal aurora, a projection of their thoughts and feelings and who they truly are within their deepest of hearts. Aura is practically, in every sense of the word, your soul. Since I was born, I've been able to kind of...see it. Or at least sense it. I can even use it as an offensive means, but only when I needed it." The unicorn seemed to positively drink in his words, listening attentively and occasionally nodding.

"So then, you're a unicorn, so I'll bet that you know something about energy, yes?" The unicorn nodded.

"Well, energy is directly linked to Aura, and I've noticed that a unicorn's magic is often tinted in color by their aura. Such as yours being kind of lavender violet, mixed with the slightest bit of fuchsia. Might I add it's filled with energy and potential, like it's a kind of sub-conscious being almost. It's quite amazing if you ask me. Anyways, you can already see a unicorn's aura when you look at their magic, but it's harder for pegasi and ponies. For now, I'll try and explain how to sense it rather than see it. Deal?" The unicorn nodded excitedly and Lucario smiled again.

"Good; anyways, first you wanna concentrate on your own aura. Get a sens of what it feels like to be in touch with it. Don't think about your accomplishments or your failures, or what's happened in the past or what might happen in the future, I want you to try concentrating on yourself, your heart." The unicorn closed her eyes and concentrated, flattening her ears slightly. Lucario paused before gently pressing a hoof against her chest, close to where her heart was.

"Don't concentrate too hard; think of it as grabbing a bar of soap, or a stick of butter. If you grab too hard, it'll slip out of you grip, but if you be gentle about it and be patient, then it'll come to you." He explained. The unicorn slowly relaxed, letting her muscles slide loose, and suddenly her eyes snapped open and she looked at him, eyes wide.

"I think I felt it!" She exclaimed, legs shaking slightly.

"I've never felt anything like that; is that what aura always feels like?" She asked. Lucario smiled and shrugged honestly, closing his eyes.

"If you're right and you did feel it then yea, it'll feel like that. Now that you've got a taste of aura, can you feel the distinct difference in the air?" He asked. The unicorn nodded, shifting her hooves slightly.

"Yea, it kinda feels all charged; like when you're using magic and you put yourself near the field of energy, that's what it feels like." She said. Lucario winked and pointed at her with a hoof, smiling.

"There; you've got it. That charge you feel, it's everything's aura. The trees', the grass', even the train and the ground, and every else who's on this train. You're feeling their aura." He said. The unicorn tilted her head.

"But how can a train and rock have an aura? I thought you said it was like a soul." She asked. Lucario shrugged.

"Kind of. Everything around us has a bit of energy, even if it isn't a living thing. Aura is a mix of energy and soul, so that's why non-living things have less of an aura than living things, but everything has a slight bit of aura." He explained, patting a nearby seat and smiling before looking up as gravity seemed to shift as the train began slowing.

"Looks like we're at the city's train station." He said, blinking as he looked out a window. The unicorn frowned then nodded.

"I guess so." She mumbled as she pressed her face against a window. She suddenly paused and blinked.

"Hey, I never caught your..." When she turned her head to look for the stallion, he was gone.

"...name?"

~-~-~

"Darkrai, you need to find something else to do with that colt you brought in." Darkrai didn't bother to look up from reading on the balcony of the room he'd been given and calmly flipped the page, reading onward and ignoring the hoofsteps until finally he felt the slightest brush of an ethereal breeze and a hoof on his shoulder.

"I don't particularly care if he's causing trouble for the staff; perhaps you forget I never 'agreed' to come here at all?" He asked half bitterly.

"I know you didn't enjoy being taken out of Ponyville but-" Celestia stopped herself and instead completed her sentence in her head, even though she could feel practically feel Darkrai's irritation at her strengthen just because she'd cut herself off.

"Because you don't trust me at all." He growled. With that he set his book down and stood up, glaring Celestia in the eye.

"I'd like to respectfully ask you to leave me alone, Princess Celestia. I haven't the patience nor am I in the mood to partake in your research of my amnesia." He grumbled as he shoved past her and exited the building, opening his wings and diving off of the stairs to swoop over the castle garden and land near the gate that lead into the city. With a sigh he walked through and folded his wings against his sides, looking around. Well if he had to stick around here for god knew how long then he might as well get familiar with the town.

He regretted that not even ten minutes later. Everyone avoided him like he was the plague, sending him nasty looks from across the street and skittering away like nervous deer if he so much as glanced at them.

"This is ridiculous; this whole city. And the ponies in it." He muttered as he walked through a market area. Several ponies shied away as soon as he came within five feet and he heaved a sigh before suddenly becoming aware of something holding onto his back left leg. Blinking, he looked over his shoulder.

"...Fares forgive my language but what the hell?" Fares grinned at him and stood up, letting go of his leg, and pranced up to his side.

"I decided to go exploring about an hour ago then I spotted you a little while ago and I've been following you!" He said gleefully, smiling. Darkrai stared at him before heaving a sigh.

"Alright, climb on, might as well keep an eye on you." He said. Farest grinned and clumsily jumped onto Darkrai's back, sitting comfortably between his wings and grinning.

"Hi ho Darkrai, AWAY~!!!" Fares shouted loudly. Darkrai flinched slightly before shaking his head, smiling slightly, and taking off at a brisk trot.

"I didn't think that'd work since I thought you were an always serious butt like Chatot but apparently not~!! Can we go faster? Oh wait can we go UP? I wanna see what the city looks like from up in the air!!" Fares asked, gripping Darkrai's mane slightly. Darkrai sighed again.

"Faster or up, your choice child."

"Well...faster for now! Let's head for the edge of the city I wanna explore some more!" Fares yelped, unprepared, as Darkrai suddenly broke into a sprint, blasting across the streets and sidewalks at high speed, and soon the colt began laughing at the surprised and irritated ponies they passed by.

"Enjoying yourself, child?" Darkrai asked. Fares smiled and nodded excitedly.

"Yea, I am!! Hey wait wait wait!" Darkrai skidded to a halt as Fares yanked on his mane and followed the colt's pointed hoof towards a stallion that was loitering in an alleyway between two fancy looking clothing stores. He cast a coupe of skittish glances around before his eyes landed within Darkrai's gaze and the stallion's eyes widened before he shifted his hooves then bolted.

"That's a burglar. Mom taught me their behavior inside and out! Get after him!!" Fares shouted. Darkrai hesitated for half a second before growling, spreading his wings slightly, and taking off after the stallion.

"Leave me alone freak I ain't done nothing to you!" The stallion shouted over his shoulder, dodging around a pair of mares while Darkrai simply launched himself over them.

"P.E.A. Fares and Darkrai stop right there thief I can practically SMELL burglary on you!" Fares shouted. With that energy began building around his hoof and he threw it forward and a ball of energy jetted towards the stallion, and upon colliding with the ground exploded into a wave of water that swept him off his feet and into a building fifteen feet away. Ponies yelped, screamed, and ran as Darkrai skidded to a halt nearby and Fares jumped down, tackling the stallion and ripping off his bag, revealing a soaked bunch of jewelry and bits.

"Oh hey look at this! No receipts no proof of ownership! Oh it isn't even my birthday dirtbag!" Fares snapped triumphantly as he yanked the bag away and threw it over to Darkrai, who caught it with a hoof and frowned.

"Fares, I am not entirely sure-"

"I know a thief when I see one Darkrai! Check that jewelry, it still has the tags on it!" Fares interrupted loudly, spinning to face the large black coated stallion and gesture toward the bag. Darkrai hesitated before dropping the bag, opening it, and scanning over the visible jewelry, realizing that indeed each and every piece still had its price tag on it. When he looked up he sighed.

"I suppose you were right then. Go ahead and take the bag to the authorities." He relented. Darkrai watched the colt go with the slightest of smiles before noticing the stallion trying to sneak away. With a loud snarl his eyes suddenly went bloodshot and darkness built around his hooves as he reared upwards then slammed his hooves back to the ground, causing massive spikes made of pure darkness to erupt forward. The stallion screamed in fear as the spikes arched upwards then down to dive into his shadow then rise around and engulf him. His screams were muffled, but far from silenced, and Darkrai let a crooked grin break across his muzzle as he batted away the darkness, revealing the stallion on the ground, passed out and still screaming. Darkrai's mouth split apart and his teeth sharpened to razor sharp blackened points as darkness began leaping from the stallion's eyes and mouth into his own maw and a dark laugh crawled out of his throat.

"The nightmares of the pitiful and useless are always the best tasting!" He crowed as the stallion woke again, shivering and soaked in cold sweat.

"Whu...what are you?!" He asked, scrambling to try and get away. Darkrai's hoof slammed into his ribcage, pinning him to the ground and grinning.

"I wonder how effective you'd be as a thrall. Should I turn you into one, pathetic thief~?! Poison your soul with darkness and drain your mind until you're nothing but a MINDLESS, PATHETIC LITTLE OBEDIENT DOG-"

"Found ya, asshole." Darkrai barely had time to register before a brown, cream, and orange blur slammed into him from above and he found himself staring into the wild green eyes of an orange pelted mare with a golden mane and tail and an excited grin covering her face. With a smirk she raised her hoof and pointed at Darkrai.

"Man I never thought somebody like you would hide in a bright and cheerful place like this! DARKRAI, THE NIGHTMARE KING, THE EMPEROR OF DARKNESS, THE PATRON OF THE NEW MOON, OF ALL PEOPLE, would hide in 'Equestria'!!" The mare let out a mocking laugh only to find Darkrai's wing planted firmly in her flank and she yelped in pain as she was thrown off with surprising force. Darkrai yanked himself to his feet and flicked his tail before scowling. Emotions ran wild through his brain, thoughts half torn between the confused side who had no idea what was going on and the unknown, infuriated side that was screaming curses, and threats HATEHATEHATEHATE who was this mare and how did she know him KILLHERMURDERHERDESTROYHER-

Run.

Darkrai wheeled around, spread his wings and took off in a blind panic, legs too shaky for him to trust them to effectively carry him away from the crazy mare.

Just run. Don't look back. If you look back it'll happen again. Don't look back! Just run!

Before he could really register he found himself above the Palace Garden and he clumsily slammed into the ground, rolling slightly and panting, cold sweat dripping off his pelt as he stumbled to his feet and looked over his shoulder. Fear and confusion raged through him and he quickly retreated to the suite he'd been granted, opening his wings once again so he could fly up to the balcony and avoid running into any guards. Quickly stumbling into his room and slamming then locking the balcony doors behind him then double checking to make sure the main door was locked as well he collapsed to the ground, hunching over and holding his pained head.

It hurt.

More than anything he recognized that his mind hurt. It felt like it was being torn to shreds, bits of memories coming and going at speeds unknown, dark thoughts warring with his lighter ones, and a sudden, very powerful, dark...

Hunger.

~-~-~

"He's using his powers again!" Palkia looked up as Cresselia began pacing, her eyes wild with anger and desperation.

"Cresselia calm down, please-"

"YOU BE CALM, PALKIA! He's becoming active again, I can tell, he's begun feasting on nightmares! He needs to be stopped! Why haven't Pika and Lucario DONE anything yet?!" Cresselia snarled loudly, spinning to face the water dragon shakily. Palkia sighed.

"Creselia, you have to remember what a formidable foe Darkrai is. Even Pika and Lucario are going to have problems with him, like it or not. Don't worry, they've beat him once, I'm sure they can do it again. Calm. Down-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO BE CALM!! You aren't the one whose counterpart is a genocidal maniac that's back to using nightmares to fuel his strength! If we don't get him under control NOW he's going to get too powerful to fight and then he's gonna-"

"CRESSELIA!! CALM THE EFF DOWN!" Cresselia snapped her jaw shut and stared at Palkia as he heaved a sigh.

"You're losing your mind over this. You need to collect yourself, get some sleep, food, and hydration, then at least TRY to think rationally and not lose your sanity over this whole thing." He soothed. Cresselia grit her teeth before narrowing her eyes.

"Start building that portal again. I'm going after him myself."

"Cress-"

"I said start building the portal again, Palkia!"

Palkia heaved yet another sigh and without another word disappeared into his dimension, mulling over his thoughts now in peace.

"...I can't help but wonder if this is going too far." He mused into the vast emptiness. With that he flicked his tail slightly and the pearls on his shoulders began glowing as he honed his abilities to begin combing through the fine threads of alternate realities he had jurisdiction over.

"I suppose there isn't much I can do right now, but perhaps eventually I'll have to take more action. I hope not. But if I have to... *sigh* I'd hate to lose Cresselia to madness just because she's panicking over what might happen without her around to quell Darkrai's abilities in some dimension that isn't even ours."

Chapter 10

The first thing Luna noticed was the tired guards. They meandered through their duties with bags under their eyes, stifling yawns and occasionally drooping then snapping back up, trying to stay awake. Even Paladin, who always made it a point to get exactly twelve hours of sleep and was always well rested the next day and ready to go about his duties as one of Luna's personal daylight guards, began to slow down.

Second Luna noticed the staff. Maybe an odd spice here, a missed, uncleaned room there, a forgotten chore or a lost set of quills, all caused by apparent sleeplessness. They, like the guards, walked about tiredly, stumbling in each step and yawning frequently.

Soon she became suspicious when even her night guards began to show signs of exhaustion. The first time she caught a nightguard was when he was standing outside her room. He didn't move, not to salute nor open his eyes, when she approached, and when she tried to speak to him he snapped upwards, finally noticed her, and began apologizing profusely.

What was even happening, when even her night guards were becoming constantly tired?

So she began investigating. What she found was horrifying.

Every guard, staff member, or other inhabitant of the castle that'd recently begun showing up for work exhausted was having nightmares. Not the kind that fillies and young colts have, about monsters in the closet, but horrible, terrifying kinds, with some sort of massive creature with a white mane of cold fire, glowing, soul piercing blue eyes, with a face cradled by a jagged collar of blood red crystal, massive hooked claws that grabbed and tore, and a bone chilling laugh, asking for the nightmares of the weak and useless about their broken and abandoned dreams, the nightmares of the strong and proud about failure and rejection. Black, red, and white fire always ravaged these nightmares, arching and twisting but never touching the victim of the nightmare, always driving them closer and closer to the massive creature and his jaws of darkness, his evil grin as he swallowed the dreamer whole and screamed with demented laughter.

This was the last straw. She had to talk to Celestia and figure out what was causing this.

~-~-~

"Tia, when is Shining Armor next returning to Canterlot?" Celestia looked up and blinked at Luna as she walked into the throne room, ignoring the current other inhabitant, a business pony.

"Luna, can't this wait?" She asked. Luna shook her head and frowned.

"I must know now." She said. Celestia hesitated slightly before sighing.

"He'll be visiting soon; why?" She asked. Luna's frown deepened and she pointed a hoof towards one of the guards, who was currently leaning heavily on his spear with his eyes closed. Celestia's own face twisted into a frown.

"Guard?" The guard snapped away and quickly spun to face Celestia.

"My deepest apologies Princess Celestia; I've been unable to get a very good night's rest for almost a week now." He apologized, dropping his head slightly.

"There, sister, is my point. Nightmares. I want to know if Shining Armor's shield spells can prevent them. And I've seen them too. They aren't silly foal nightmares." Luna said loudly, pointing once again at the Guard as she then continued. "They're evil ones, caused by an exterior force, I've seen the same thing almost every night despite visiting a different pony every time." She finished. Celestia looked out the window, mulling her thoughts over, before turning to the guard. Now that she looked past the standard magic armor's identity hiding spell, she could tell that he was an earth pony stallion with a dark gray mane and tail as with a bluish silvery gray coat and a blacksmith anvil with a sword across it as his cutie mark. Now she remembered; Lieutenant Silver Sword, he often sharpened the guards' weapons and fixed them when they were broken and such.

"Lieutenant Silver Sword, would you please head up to the messenger room and have a courier take a summons to Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadence? It appears we need their assistance." The Lieutenant quickly nodded and took off, only to release a foalish scream when he opened the door to be met with the very stallion that seemed to radiate darkness.

"...Your guards are very loud." Darkrai grumbled as he stepped past the shell shocked Lieutentant, knocking him out of the way rudely with a wing. Celestia flattened her ears at his actions in displeasure and frowned as he stepped forward.

"There's...something very different about you, Darkrai, since I last saw you. You've been locked away in your quarters for the past week, what have you been doing?" She asked. The black stallion gave her an irritated glare.

"What makes you think it's any of your business, PRINCESS? I don't recall ever swearing to bend my knee to YOU!" He growled venomously, forcing his words through his teeth. Celestia balked at the poison dripping from his voice and cleared her throat, fixing him with the glare she usually reserved only for serious criminals.

Darkrai glared right back, just as fiercely, and he flicked a wing as Celestia broke eye contact to look towards Luna for support.

"I am going to leave Canterlot." He stated coldly, flattening his ears. Instantly Celestia stood, flattening her ears and glaring at him once again.

"No you aren't; our business together hasn't finished yet, Darkrai, and until it is finished you are to remain here-"

"Is that so Celestia?" A slow growl crawled out of Darkrai's throat and he took a couple of steps forward.

"I am not one of your subjects, Celestia. You don't know anything about me, except the fact that I am not normal. Let me tell you right now, Princess. I do not respect you, you do not scare me, and trust me on this, Celestia. Our business is done." Darkrai's wings flared as Celestia opened her mouth to argue and he narrowed his eyes.

"...I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but it appears as though I don't have much of a choice. Guards, please escort Darkrai to the dungeon, and make sure he stays there." Celestia ordered quietly. Instantly the three guards left near her throne shot towards Darkrai and he smirked faintly.

"I came in here almost hoping you would do this, princess~" Instantly Darkrai rose onto his hind legs and let out an unequine roar, stopping the guards in their tracks as his eyes began to glow ice blue. With a thundering crash his front hooves met the ground again and massive walls of darkness rose around him, trapping the guards.

Luna instantly leapt forward, horn aglow with power, only for Darkrai to slam into her and pin her to the ground, growling, even as he smiled.

"I could sense you watching my nightmares, Luna~ If you'd been just a bit faster, you might've been able to stop me. But now? After feeding off of your ponies' nightmares for a solid week with no interference, expanding my reach past your castle walls and into the streets!" He snarled loudly. Only the faint glow in his peripheral vision warned him in time to Celestia's offense. One of the guards that were trapped, now possessed by darkness, threw himself into the path of the solar magic, instantly vaporizing his body, and Celestia wheeled back in horror as Darkrai turned to face her, eyes pulsing with jet black power.

"And here I thought that a Princess was always supposed to keep her temper." He taunted. Celestia stared at the guard's severely burned body in horror, only able to tear away her gaze upon the sound of shattering glass. Darkrai's figure stood out in front of one of the windows, outlined in sunlight as his wings swept the air.

"Farewell Celestia. It hasn't been a pleasure at all. In all honesty, you remind me harshly of somebody that I hate immensely." The dark stallion growled.

With a final huff and a thrust of his wings against the air, he was gone, little more than a shadow.

~-~-~

Darkrai had no idea how long he'd been flying. It had to have been for a terribly long time, for he'd started in the morning, and now it was well through the night, approaching the dawn of the next day. His wings began to shorten their strokes, and soon his hooves touched the ground and he laid down under the shelter of a tree, rubbing his head gently.

Fool Celestia thinks she can oppose me I am the King of Nightmares nobody can stand against me!

I don't like this...why was I flying for so long? Why am I so tired?

I'll show her...no 'princess' lives while I stand, either they bow to me or die!

Who is that...?

I'll kill her! I'll track down those two explorers and kill them too! I don't even need to go back, this world is just as good if not even better!

Wh at am I...talking ab o ut...

A groan shoved itself out of Darkrai's throat and he stood again, his eyes sharpening and narrowing as they became tinted with blackness.

I'll have to wait though...collect more nightmares. More power. I can wait easily though; I am eternal, and will exist until nightmares do not plague the innocent anymore. It's easy to wait. It will make claiming the prize that much sweeter. The black coated stallion strode forward into the early dawn light, frowning, then huffed.

If him and his shadows were anything to go by, he would have to avoid sunlight if he wanted to avoid being found by Celestia.

"Pah; easy." One of his hooves crushed a flower underneath it and, unknown to the naked eye, darkness snaked into the ground, destroying and reorganizing the earth until beneath Darkrai's very hooves was a massive castle. With nothing but a ghost of a breath, his shadow leaked into the pitch black hallway and he formed once again. His eyes unaffected entirely by the darkness, he retreated into the shadows, the only evidence of his presence being the glow of his eyes and the glint of his ruby red collar.

"I have some collecting to do. Surely Celestia won't notice one or two ponies going missing~"

Chapter 11

"Damn...How could I have not seen it sooner! He was right under our muzzles!!" Celestia folded a wing over her sister's back worriedly, berating herself internally but outwardly trying her hardest to remain calm.

"Luna, you had much on your plate other than finding the source of the nightmares. You had the Royal Night Court to attend to, and the moon and stars. You mustn't blame yourself." She soothed. Luna shook her head angrily.

"My duties do not excuse my foolishness! It is our duty to protect our subjects, and we hath failed to do so!" Luna shouted, slipping into the old Equestrian speak. Celestia patted her sister's shoulder gently.

"You haven't failed Luna; you kept him from getting any stronger." The solar elder calmed, smiling comfortingly at her lunar sister. Luna sighed unhappily then hugged Celestia, thankful for the support, then backed away slightly and splayed her ears, and with a grind of anger and bitterness in her voice, she spoke. "We need to find him. Perhaps we could search his room?" She tried quietly. Celestia nodded and smiled at Luna before spreading her wings.

"Let's not trouble the guards; if their gossip of trouble reaches Canterlot's socialites, it could throw the entire city into panic." She reasoned. Luna nodded and took flight, followed quickly by Celestia, and the two Alicorns quickly found themselves standing in front of what had been Darkrai's room. True to what his name seemed to be, darkness and shadows seemed to seep and loom around his room, darkening the whole tower. Luna's magic slowly eased the door open and the two stepped inside, igniting the lanterns meant to keep such stifling darkness away, and looked around. The room was in heavy disarray, the bed sheets strewn across the floor as if tossed in frustration or anger, the writing desk's drawers having been snapped off of their rollers and throws across the floor to put several holes in the walls.

"He was certainly angry at something..." Celestia murmured softly. Luna nodded in agreement, running her hoof against the damaged wall, frowning.

"I wonder what it was. Maybe there was a fight?" She pressed. Celestia tilted her head.

"Not sure; it doesn't seem so after all. Nothing intensely roughed enough to confirm there was a fight or anything. And no shed blood or other bodily extremities that might've come off in a fight, like feathers. Or that ruby collar thing on his neck." The solar princess reasoned quietly. Without waiting for a response, she swept on in her mini-rant, now mostly talking to herself. "Now how exactly did you get a hold of Nightmare Magic if you're a pegasus? Certainly you aren't in disguise, no unicorn could hold an illusion spell for that long, and the guards were sent to check on you regularly. And what....did you do to the guard in the throne room? He would not willingly protect you....unless..." Celestia's ears splayed backwards and she frowned worriedly.

"Unless his abilities are far greater than should be possible for any remotely normal pony..." She mumbled to herself. Finally her investigation yeilded results and she spotted a dark red journal on the nightstand next to the bed, and she quickly swept across the room and picked it up in her magic, igniting a candle wick, and began sifting through the pages. At first she thought she was just looking at really weird doodles of random creatures' feet. Page after page was filled with steady lines of footprints of different animals, and eventually it began to be rather unsettling. By the time she reached the end of the little journal, she was thoroughly confused and worried. What exactly WAS this 'stallion'? Slowly she tucked the journal into a saddlebag and checked once under the bed for anything else before standing straight.

"Luna, have you found anythi-" Celestia's unfinished question fell on an empty room.

"Luna?" Celestia called, looking around uneasily. Only now did she notice the shadows seeming to twist and arch in unnatural ways to get away from the light of the candle. Almost like they were-

"Alive!..." Instantly Celestia lit every light source in the room she could find, further driving back the shadows and they parted to reveal her Luna, who instantly darted for Celestia, shaking the clinging darkness from her pelt, before suddenly everything went out at once, plunging her into a stifling darkness. Celestia fumbled to open the door with her magic and leapt into the hallway, instantly speeding for the well lit guard barracks nearby with Luna close behind. The shadows seemed to roar as they grabbed at the two sisters, catching at their tails and manes as their hooves seemed to sink several inches into any shadows that they stepped in, slowing them down.

"You cannot run forever, "Princesses"." A blaze of solar magic lashed out at the shadows, making them scream and hiss in pain before suddenly losing all life and turning back to normal, leaving Celestia to herself as she tried to gather herself and calm her shaking limbs. Luna huddled against her, just as shaken.

"What is wrong with me? I shouldn't be this scared..." Celestia flattened her ears against the back of her skull, trembling. Luna nodded fearfully in agreement.

"What ARE you?"

Buck this headache. Buck this bucking headache.

Darkrai growled as he gripped his head in pain, wishing to hell and back he had some form of relief but finding none. The center of the pain was right in the middle of his forehead, the worst place as it meant he could focus on nothing else, and he growled angrily, trying to massage his temples with his hooves to alleviate some of the distracting pounding on his cranium.

"Damned to this headache. This form is frail, and terrible. I don't even have claws anymore." He growled darkly. With a huff he shook his head, and he stood up then slipped into a shadow to the surface. The moon was up by now, and it'd be much easier to escape Celestia's eyes at night. He just needed to stay careful, and Luna would not notice him either. He spread his wings carefully under the new moon and sighed at the slight relief of no longer having to keep them clamped to his side. A few feathers fluttered to the ground as a dark mist overtook the tips of his wings and he lifted a brow in interest before folding them back away, dispelling the mist, then began walking. His eyes swept across the forest grounds he'd found himself in, occasionally stopping to transmute something into a shadow and send it to his castle to be reorganized when he returned.

"However frail this body seems to be, I would hope there's some way to get my old one back. However nice it is to have reality-stable legs, they are useless to me as they are. The bones are like tooth picks. The neck is surprisingly strong. Probably a gender trait of this pathetic species." His quiet rambling stayed with him right until he reached the edge of the forest. From here he'd have to walk the shadows until he reached his destination. He had time though. With the new moon in the sky, he had all the time he could possibly wish for or need.

Hours or minutes later, he cared not to count or keep track, his hooves fell upon the familiar tile of a certain boutique. Darkrai's shadow slid across the walls and around him as if an extension of his conscious, each time it passed over a door the handle twisting on its own and the door slowly opening. Finally a door caught the dark stallion's attention, and he stopped.

"Good. She isn't with her ridiculously loud or obnoxious friends." He mused to himself quietly, looming over Sweetie Belle. His mane billowed around him as he leaned down carefully, pulling her blanket off. The glow of his eyes increased and a soft pulsing haze of sky blue surrounded Sweetie Belle, lifting her off the bed and placing her in the overly large saddlebag he had on his back. Nodding to himself, he carefully slid the window open and launched himself out, his wings snapping open and catching him.

Weak. Pathetic. There is very obviously no logic to this endeavor. So why go through with it? He cared not for this filly, she was no means he could use to his end. Neither was the mare he planned on coming back for. While within his walls they'd be safe from his nightmares while the town was plagued by them, why was he sparing them?

Darkrai shook his head as he dove headfirst into a shadow, disappearing through the ever distorted shadowy world he used most often to move about. Soon enough his castle walls surrounded him and he solidified in the throne room. The saddlebag lifted off of his back and he calmly unfolded the precious cargo inside.

"Darkrai is that you....?" Darkrai flicked an ear and looked up.

"Yes Fares." The soft clicking of hooves against cold stone brought Darkrai's attention towards the entrance of the room and soon Fares' shivering form pressed against his front left leg.

"Whazzup with this thing?" The practically blind foal asked, prodding at the source of the new smell. Darkrai sighed softly and stepped over Fares and Sweetie Belle.

"It is a companion for you. Though if you don't want it, I suppose I can replace it with something else." Fares tilted his head slightly and blinked before prodding at Sweetie Belle's side again carefully. Eventually he got bored then sighed and yawned. She was fuzzy, and she still had warmth in her. Good enough. Fares carefully laid down next to the filly and shifted before closing his eyes. His ears flattened against the back of his skull as he shivered and he heaved a quiet sigh.

"Whenever you're scared or upset, just remember to breathe. Idiots who lose their cool lose their battles. Cold or lonely or you think you're trapped in the dark, just remember to breathe and think." Fares nodded slightly to himself, a smile turning on his muzzle as he thought of his Mum. Yes, always listen to her. She knows.

Good Explorer, best Mum.

The colt wasted no more time before beginning to descend into sleep. Seconds before he lost himself to the vivid dream world, he paused then pulled Sweetie Belle's sleeping form closer.

Chapter 12 part 1 unedited

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