-The Night-Mare in her eyes-

Chapter 3- Fragments of Honesty

“This is so not awesome…” The blue pegasus uttered enthusiastically, slowly approaching the Everfree alongside her friends. “Why is it that this is the only place that somehow looks like it’s night even during the day?” Dropping next to her friends, she looked to the forest, then back to her friends, before gesturing with her hooves.

“I know whatcha mean, place always gives me the heebie-jeebies.” Giving a slight shutter, Applejack looked to the rest as her and Rainbow waited for the rest to catch up.

“Tell me about it.” Rarity exclaimed with a lean of her head. “Under any normal situation, I wouldn’t be caught dead near such a dreadful place.”

“Oh oh, same same.” Pinkie added bouncing up and down past Rarity before stopping just past the orange earth pony. “Quick question, does it always do that?” She asked, pointing her hoof.

Catching up with the others, Twilight stopped next to the others, giving them a puzzled look. “Do wha-” Twilight began to ask, as her words fell silent. A purple mist rolled out from the forest before growing into a deep fog that filled the Everfree, the only thing visible from where they stood were the silhouette of the trees lightly surrounded by small orbs of light. “It almost looks like the night sky, I’m guessing this isn’t normal.”

“Girl, when it comes to the Everfree ain’t nothing normal.” Rainbow Dash stated, walking forward.

Entering the forest, the six mares huddled closely to one another as they slowly proceeded down an old dirt path, only slightly visible due to the nature of the flickering orbs of light. Watching their step as Rainbow hovered alongside them sounds of rustling could be heard from trees and wild growth around them. “I know we commented on this already, but this place just ain’t natural.” Applejack said, glancing around for the source of the rustling.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked, a large snap causing them to stop as a low snarl came from up ahead. As the group of six looked around warily two glowing green eyes opened before them as the sound of hard paws slowly moved around them. The fog fading in front of them just enough to make out the appearances of several large wooden canines. “You're kidding me…”

“Timberwolves!” Applejack exclaimed, the six mares taking battle positions as the seven wooden wolves crouched down low as they slowly approached. Stalking closer one of the wolves made of logs and stick stopped, turning its head up and to the side. The others followed suit as the one leading the pack sniffed the air before lowering itself once again growling at something in the fog to the ponies' side. Glaring into the fog a bright glow of orangish-gold pierced the thick fog as a beam of magic shot into the leader’s side causing it to be knocked to the side as one of the timberwolves pounced into the fog. Sound of cracking wood echoed through the fog as a shadowy blur lifted the silhouette of the timberwolf into the trees before its body slammed down next to the six mares.

“Now!” The ruff commanding voice of a mare yelled as a group of grayish brown guards tackled the other five timberwolves, their bodies covered in scratched up armor of purple and silver. Their wings like a bat dark blue in color, their eyes gold with a reptilian slit down the middle. “Thestrail squad strike them away from their leader, Shimmering Sun with me!”

Twilight and the others watched as dozens of Lunar Guards swarmed the pack of timberwolves. Their numbers appeared much larger than before as the beating of the thestrail’s wings cleared more of the fog away revealing an intense battle that ranged across a large part of the area. “Hold the line! Don’t let any of them escape!.” One of the Guards called out amongst the group.

Following the mare’s commands the thestrails continued to ram the timberwolves away from the larger one as it got to its claws. The guards executed the command with a flawless maneuver as the guards not only pushed the timberwolves back, but were also wounding them quickly enough to prevent them from quickly repairing themselves as they attempted to regroup. With its eyes trained on its attacker the alpha timberwolf’s head followed as an orangish-gold pegasus with a red and yellow mane flew overhead coming down behind the alpha with a sword gripped tightly in her teeth.

Dive bombing the large log-like wolf she slashed at the creature’s neck as it nipped at her tail before being stabbed in the side by a large white unicorn wearing dark cobalt armor with the lunar insignia on the center of her chestplate. Her silver like mane flowing like a stream as she smashed the alpha into one of the trees before darting back and off to the side as the alpha swept at her with its claw.

“Come on Nightly, how am I supposed to aid?! If you slam the damn thing into a tree!” Shimmering Sun yelled as the Alpha Timberwolf launched itself at the white unicorn. Crouching low the white unicorn lowered her head under the wolf, her hind legs tensing as she pushed up like a crescent moon, flinging the timberwolf into the air where the fiery pegasus pushed it to the ground, her sword in its chest as it hit the ground before coming down and smashing the pommel of the sword with her full weight by her hooves. The impact shattering something within the alpha’s chest before its glowing green eyes faded away, its body falling apart along with the rest of its pack.

As the battle died down, the six mares looked to one another as one of the guards approached the white unicorn in armor as the golden pegasus landed next to her. “Princess Nightly, Area secured.” The guard stated with a salute. Taking her helmet off, the mare held it under her foreleg with a furrow on her brow.

“That’s General Moon, First Sergeant. I’m not your princess anymore.” The unicorn said with a somber tone as her gold eyes looked in the direction of the Castle of the Two Sisters.

“You think she knows we’re coming?” Shimmering Sun asked, looking at General Nightly Moon before turning her gaze to their troops.

“I wouldn’t doubt it, nothing gets past that Alicorn. Wouldn’t doubt it if she was the one who sent these bastards our way.” The General speculated putting her helmet on.

“Um, excuse me…” Twilight spoke up as she and the other five walked over to speak to the Lunar Guard, General Moon’s ear twitching as she looked over to her with a smirk on her muzzle.

“Corporal Sparkle, Glad to see you finally decided to join us.” General Moon spoke with a smile walking through Twilight like a phantom as her squad and her vanished into the fog.

“What the?!” Applejack let out in confusion as they approached where the Lunar Guards had just been. “What the hay is going on?”

Rarity put her hoof to her chin as she thought out loud. “I’m not sure, you don’t think it was some kind of trick to scare us away do you?”

“Or maybe it was ghosts, Ghosts!” Pinkie shouted, grabbing Rainbow Dash by her shoulders, shaking her.

“Pinkie, stop shaking me.” Rainbow yelled, causing Pinkie to let go with a “Okkie Dokkie.”

“I’m not sure, but the armor they were wearing hasn’t been in service in hundreds of years.” Twilight pondered in thought. “And what did she mean by Corporal? I’m not even in the military.”

“I’m beginning to get the feeling that there’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye. On the bright side we’re safe…” Applejack said scratching the back of her mane as a loud crackle came from the ground underneath them. “Me and my big mouth.”

=====***=====

In the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, Nightmare stormed the halls as she approached a set of two metal doors bound with a magical seal. Flaring her horn, several locks turned and clicked as she willed the metal doors open to a spiral staircase leading down. Casting a simple light spell, Nightmare took her time walking down the steps as an old memory from long ago in the past entered her mind. Stopping at the base of the steps, she turned her head toward Ponyville before erasing the memory from her mind with a quick shake. ‘What are you up to Luna’ the black alicorn thought to herself as she stared into nothingness.

A pained cough dragged her attention back as a pained wheeze came from further in the darkness. Walking past multiple rows of bars Nightmare wandered across wet stone slabs, their condition cracked and broken from time long passed. Shadows of long dark poles gliding across metal chains and stone walls as she made her way past several abandoned cells within the forgotten dungeon. A sight not at all unfamiliar to her as she reached a single door at the end of the hall. On the outside, the door didn’t look like anything special to the untrained eye, but to thoughts that knew the origin of this room or those who had been placed in it before like her. A single thing was known, no magic, no matter how strong could escape this room when sealed. Looking at a small metal furnace near the door, Nightmare pointed her horn at the wood she had placed inside of it, igniting the inside with her magic before placing a long metal poker made for earth ponies into the grated opening.

Grabbing the sealed door’s metal ring shaped handle in her teeth, she pulled the door open. The light of the furnace casting over a burnt and blooded Celestia. Her wings chained to opposite sides of the room and her front hooves clamped to the floor. A metal collar hung around her neck connected by a metal chain behind her. Her left eye held shut from swelling.

“Suffocating isn’t it, this room. Unable to move your wings, incapable of casting your magic.” Nightmare spoke, her words emotionless as she stood in the doorway. “A perfect prison for creatures like us… Like her.”

Celestia looked up at her with a pleading eye. “Please… Nightmare…” Nightmare stared at Celestia in the eye, her expression unwavering as they listened to the crackling of wood behind her.

“If memory serves me correctly, I used to beg you the same every time you would bring me here.” Nightmare turned her back to the solar princess stripped of her regalia as she looked over to the metal poker in the furnace, its tip glowing a bright red from the heat.

Walking back to the furnace, Nightmare grabbed the poker’s leather grip in her hoof as she pulled it from the magic fire, holding it where Celestia could see. “No…noo…please… no.” Celestia begged, struggling in her bonds as Nightmare walked into the cell with the poker’s handle in her mouth before stopping in front of the princess.

“Now then, let's have a good…” Nightmare’s brow furrowed as anger filled her eyes. “Long… talk.” Her eyes showed an angry gold as her mane and tail went flat with the silvery glint.

=====***=====

“Are you Crazy!” Twilight yelled onto Applejack’s hooves as she dangled off the edge of the cliff.

“Twilight, trust me…” Applejack said in a comforting tone. “Everything is going to be okay, nothing bad is going to happen to you, that's the honest truth.” Receiving a comforting smile from her friend, Twilight closed her eyes as she released her grip on Applejack’s hooves as she fell back screaming. Feeling the air pass through her mane she felt pairs of hooves grab her from the sides, opening her eyes she looked to her sides seeing both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy holding her as they gently lowered her to the ground where Pinkie Pie and Rarity stood waiting.

A small glint flickered in her eyes as she looked back to watch Applejack hope from one cliff to another making her way back to the gang.

Author's Note

Gonna be honest here, tying in the first to episodes in this has to be the most challenging thing for me at the moment. On a side note I've figured out how I'm gonna do it.