Darkest Equestria

It had been a week since that day.

After the first night, Twilight had taken up residence in the local library with Spike. The place was called the Golden Oak Library. It was a library constructed inside of a tree, grown faithfully through earth pony magic to guide its growth to the creator's will. In the past it had a bounty of thick green leaves and sturdy branches. Now though, only the withered scraps of leaves remained on its blackened branches. It looked sick, and that had dissuaded any pony from using it. Twilight hadn't seemed to care, she said something about knowledge being power and locked herself inside.

Pinkie approached the door and psyched herself up. Today would be the day for sure, the day they got news that a pony arrived to help with the effort. With a silent prayer for ponies to finally arrive, Pinkie rapped on the door with a hoof. "Twilight? It's morning!"

Of course, it felt like morning, and it might have been morning in another time, but it was currently a time of three nights. The moon hung in the shrouded sky, bare and smooth as a polished pearl. Nightmare Moon was clearly still gone from its embrace, but then that posed the question, where was she? It was a question that Pinkie kept asking, that every pony kept asking, but alas, there were no answers.

There was a clatter inside, and the sound of heavy things hitting the floor. After a long moment, the door opened with a creak revealing a droopy eyed Twilight.

"It's morning?" Twilight asked with a yawn.

"Yep! Can't you tell?" Pinkie gestured to the black skies.

"No. Not really." Twilight sighed. "Come on in, do you have those documents I asked for?"

"Here." Pinkie handed her a stack of papers. It was all the information she had on the ponies of Ponyville. She used to plan parties for them and had a file on nearly every pony. Such information was trivial, but it was something.

"Perfect." Twilight took the papers. "Let me show you what I have been working on."

Pinkie trotted past her and into the library. Books were stacked high all around, many of them open and adorned with bookmarks. Dominating the center of the library was a massive map laid out on the floor. It was an old map of the surrounding area of Ponyville. On the map, red lines were drawn.

"What is all this?" Pinkie asked.

"It's the plan." Twilight said. "Or the beginnings of the plan. Here, it's better if I just show you. Sit here and I'll explain."

Pinkie sat next to the map, trying not to disturb the scatterings of broken quills and precariously balanced inkpots. She couldn't help but feel a little excited at the sight of the map. A plan. If there was a plan, then there was a goal. And a goal would lead to a victory.

"I have looked over the information available from the town archives, what you have shown me, and what ponies have been willing to tell me. Mayor Mare seems to still be able to communicate despite her... afflicted nature." Twilight said. "The old war records were particularly helpful. I have boiled it down to a simple list of what must be done if we are to succeed."

"A list?"

"Yes! Lists are perfect, they hold all goals in a nice little orderly fashion." Twilight rubbed her hooves together. "Oh, and they can be added onto and changed to fit the situation. Lists are-"

Pinkie stared at her. She had never heard a pony so enthusiastic about lists in her life.

"Ahem. Sorry." Twilight cleared her throat, a light blush on her cheeks. "As I was saying, I have a list of what must be done. The goals will most likely change, but it is a starting point."

A piece of paper was set in front of Pinkie Pie. She looked at its elegant hoof writing and began to read.

CARETAKER GOALS

Recruit first group of adventurers

Find a safe passage north through the Everfree

Find an entrance into the old ruins

Open back up the waterways

Find the source of sickness

Exterminate the bandit corruption

Restore Ponyville

Brave the Castle of the Two Sisters

Eradicate the evil

Save Princess Celestia

Restore Equestria

"How did you come up with all of this so fast?' Pinkie asked as she looked over the list.

"Extensive research before and after coming here." Twilight puffed up a little. "The most important thing that must be done at the moment is finding a safe path through the Everfree north. The old railways are completely grown over, so we will have to use the roads. If we can open back up that road, then supplies and ponies will have an easier time reaching Ponyville."

Pinkie saw the point on the list about the waterways. "I don't mean to be a downer, but you do know why the river is closed, right?"

Twilight nodded and stood up. She walked over to the map and placed a hoof on the river running through Ponyville. "The records of the town stated that there were... sea ponies? Not quite sea ponies. More like... fish ponies? The records didn't describe it very well."

"I have never seen one myself." Pinkie said. "But I have heard tales. They prevent any boats from taking the river."

"That is something we will have to deal with eventually then. But for now, let's focus on the bigger picture." Twilight pointed to the red line. "This is where the Everfree forest has expanded to. This is an old map, so I had to modify it."

"To the north, we need to find passage and remove the bandits there." Her hoof slid over the map. "Most of what we will be dealing with is in the south. Here we must find an entrance to the old ruins, open up the waterways, and find the source of the sickness."

Pinkie hummed as she listened, looking at the map. Her legs were already twitching and asking her to move. She tried to pay attention, this was important, but her gaze kept wandering over to the telescope at the balcony of the library.

Then she could feel it, a twitch in her tail. Her Pinkie Sense was tingling. And that meant something was about to fall.

"Pinkie? Are you paying attention?" Twilight clapped a hoof on the ground.

"Sorry Twilight. It's just... has any pony shown up yet? They could be flying in right now!" Pinkie couldn't help but jump to her hooves. "We have to check!"

Twilight glanced up at the telescope. "Why would they be coming now of all times? It's the middle of the three-night cycle."

"I'm getting a twitchy feeling in my tail." Pinkie could feel it now, slight but ever present. "The twitchy-twitchy twitch means that there is something above us!"

"What?" Twilight asked. "Pinkie. That doesn't make any sense. A twitch in a tail does not dictate if something is above you. It's not logical."

"Just check!" Pinkie said.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. Nonetheless, she climbed up to the balcony and looked through the telescope. "See? There is nothing there."

"Let me take a look." Pinkie climbed up next to her and looked at the telescope. She wanted to use it. "Please?"

The telescope was a copper contraption, having long turned green due to exposure from the elements. Pinkie had not even known it was there beforehand, its subdued colors having never caught her eye. Now that she did know though, she couldn't help but be fascinated with looking through its glass iris.

Twilight stepped aside. "Alright, but then will you pay attention?"

"You betcha!" Pinkie looked through the telescope.

She pointed it around in the night sky. There were a few stars out tonight, but they were quickly swallowed up by thick clouds. Not a thing was in sight, but she could hear a constant cawing of crows somewhere above her. Her tail twitched again.

"See? Nothing there." Twilight said.

"There is something! I'm telling you." Pinkie Pie ducked beneath the lid of the balcony, back inside. "It's going to fall any moment. I can feel it."

"Please Pinkie, it just doesn't make-"

Suddenly, a flock of crows fell on the balcony, bodies hitting the floor with sickening crunches. Their forms crumpled as they impacted, fragile bones shattering against hostile flooring. The wet thumps made Pinkie's lip curl. That wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing her tail had predicted was going to fall.

"What in Celestia's name?" Twilight looked sickened as well.

"I knew something was going to fall!" Pinkie took a step away from the bodies. "I wish it wasn't that though."

"Wait? Do you hear that?" Twilight asked.

Overhead, through the darkness and cloud, voices could be heard. They were faint, but they were coming closer with every passing moment. Pinkie stopped and listened, trying to catch what they were saying.

"Is this the place?" A boisterous and gruff voice asked.

"The great and powerful Trixie may be a master of all things magical, but even she cannot see through a black as pitch night!"

"Calm. Even the blackest of nights will give way to those willing to brave them."

"Shut up with your philosophy, old stallion. I've heard enough of it to last a lifetime."

Pinkie and Twilight looked at each other. Then, Pinkie started to smile. Finally, it was happening!

"That's them." Pinkie nudged her.

"You sure?" Twilight glanced at the dead birds. "How did that even happen?"

"Who else would it be?" Pinkie could hear the talking above them growing louder.

"Bandits?" Twilight asked. "Who else arrives in the middle of the night?"

"Heroes do!" Pinkie cleared her throat and looked up at the sky. "Hey up there! Can you hear me?!"

The voices stopped for a moment.

"Who's there?"

"Pinkie Pie, and my friend Twilight!" Pinkie called out.

"Twilight? You are the one who sent out those fliers, right?"

Twilight stepped forward and called out to the void. "Yes. I'm right here!"

"Looks like we are on track then, where can I land this balloon?" The gruff voice asked.

Pinkie took her lantern out of his saddlebag and clicked it on. Then, she waved it around. "Don't land here, there is a giant tree!"

"Then where am I landing? All I can see is that light."

"Wait a second!" Pinkie Pie ran out of the building, her hooves sliding on the floorboards as she weaved between books and papers. Once she got outside, she came to a clear area and waved the lantern again. "Here! Land here!"

The balloon drifted closer, all it had to illuminate it was a small lantern like hers. Slowly, a wicker basket came through the murk, and Pinkie backed away as it landed in front of her. Now that she could actually see what it was, she realized it was a hot air balloon. And inside of it were three ponies.

"Thank Celestia. That journey was a nightmare." A stallion with a dark brown coat stepped out of the balloon. He wore tarnished golden armor that spoke of better ages. He had a short, dark blue mane sticking out of the top of his head between the armor. And nestled into the crook of his leg was a long spear. "Especially with that insufferable mare."

"Insufferable? The great and powerful Trixie thinks that you are more insufferable than her!" A pale blue unicorn stepped out of the balloon next. She wore a large wizard hat, akin to sorcerers of old that was speckled with stars. Around her neck was a light purple cloak. Floating next to her was a pale white skull with a large wax candle atop it, its wick burning. The eyes of the skull glowed with a distant, sinister red. She kept it close, sheltered beneath her cloak and out of the wind.

Then, a stallion stepped out. He said nothing, but his presence spoke words enough for him. A whole head taller than the ponies around him, the stallion was a behemoth of a pony. Not a single bit of his coat could be seen beneath the tattered white cloth he wore. Coarse and thick brown cloth covered what the white did not. The front of his chest and shoulders were covered by a battered bronze chest plate, inlaid with flecks of long-since scraped away gold gilding. Across his back was a massive executioner sword, broken at the end, but promising death with every swing. He stood tall, undaunted against the cold wind.

He looked at Pinkie Pie, and she saw only a stoic gold mask, hiding what flesh lay beyond its embrace. There was an air to him, a subtle sickness, but if he was sick, the stallion did not show it.

For a moment the two stared at each other. Even hidden beneath those rags and mask, Pinkie Pie thought that he reminded her just a little bit of Princess Celestia. However faint the resemblance was. There was an air to him that just couldn't be ignored.

"Hello everypony!" Pinkie Pie said as they all stepped off the balloon.

"Where is Twilight?" The stallion with the spear huffed. "We need to discuss payment."

"Oh?" Pinkie's smile faltered and grew wooden. Who asked for payment first? Bandits. That's who asked.

"I'm right here!" Twilight came running out of the library. "You are all here for the job, right? I can't believe somepony actually showed up!"

"Spearhead is an oaf as always." The blue coated mare said with a flourish, all the while sheltering that strange skull of hers. "As for the great and powerful Trixie, she wishes to discuss this inside. She is freezing."

"And the great and powerful Trixie, is a thorn in my side." The dark coated stallion, Spearhead, growled.

"So, you admit you recognize Trixie's superiority." Trixie's horn glowed as it levitated the skull.

Pinkie wondered just how she was doing that. Magic here was diluted and practically unusable. How was she using it so casually?

Spearhead growled, tightening his grip on his weapon.

"Why don't we all head inside?" Twilight said.

"Yeah! Let's go, I'm freezing!" Pinkie really hoped that the new adventurers wouldn't kill each other before they even went on their first quest.

"What about the balloon?" Twilight asked.

All they heard from it was a mad cackle, and then it slowly began to float away.

"Mayor Mare brought us here. She will take care of it." Spearhead curled his lip. "She better, considering the coin we paid her."

Pinkie Pie decided right then and there she didn't like him. Maybe it was a flash judgment, but only a bandit would talk so much about coins. Or maybe she was being too hasty. Yes, that was it. Maybe it was the long, arduous journey which was making him irritable.

"Alright then. Oh, this is so exciting!" Twilight said. "Let me show you all my plans, and then we can discuss the details."

Pinkie followed behind the group as they went inside the library. She couldn't help but feel the eyes of the masked stallion on her as she walked. He seemed calm, though it was hard to tell beneath all the layers.

"What's your name?" Pinkie asked. "I have a mask too, so maybe we can be friends?"

The stallion regarded her for a moment more. Then he spoke, his voice scratchy, and it almost sounded like he was speaking through phlegm in his throat. Yet, even despite that, it was powerful and commanded attention. "Baldwin."

That name sounded familiar to Pinkie, but she couldn't place it. "Well, my name is Pinkie Pie, nice to meet you!"

"It seems even a tyrant cannot rule those who choose freedom from his grasp." Baldwin spoke in the pondering voice of a poet.

"What?" Pinkie asked.

He said nothing after that, leaving Pinkie to wonder what he was even talking about. She bet that Twilight would have known, she seemed to have a knack for wordplay. It sounded wise though, so she would be sure to remember that. Who knew when she would have to spout some wisdom.

They all entered the library.

"Please sit down, every pony. Sorry for the mess." Twilight gestured to the map. "Now, I know you are all wondering about payment. As promised in the flier, you will receive a payment of one hundred bits a week. You will also receive full room and board, access to facilities around Ponyville, and even a property of your own in town at the end of your work."

Spearhead nodded to this. "What's the catch?"

"I receive eighty percent of treasure brought back from expeditions." Twilight said.

"What? That is ridiculous!" Trixie jumped to her hooves. "Trixie will be the one risking her life out there."

"Aye, that's a deal breaker. I'll be nice and accept if you get twenty percent." Spearhead said with a shrug.

"No. You won't." Twilight sat down, looking hardly affected by the shouting.

"You want me to walk out right now? We are the only ones willing to come to this place." Spearhead growled. "If we leave then you're left with no pony."

"Leave then. Waste all the time and energy spent coming here." Twilight narrowed her eyes.

Pinkie gaped. It was as if Twilight had been possessed. The slightly nervous mare had been replaced by a cold-hearted machine.

"This is ridiculous." Spearhead said.

"If you don't like the terms, then leave. These are the terms presented, and that way they will stay." Twilight said. "Now, I have three contracts here for each of you. Will you sign?"

The three papers were set down in front of them.

Without a word Baldwin picked up his, read it over, then signed. He placed the paper back on the ground and returned to a sitting position. The sight filled Pinkie Pie with joy, and she gave him a wink when he looked over. That was one pony who signed.

"You're signing just like that?" Spearhead snapped.

"Gold no longer has meaning to me, if indeed it ever did." Baldwin crossed his hooves.

"Enough philosophy, old stallion!" Spearhead slammed the shaft of his spear on the ground. "I'm going to walk out right now if you don't change the terms!"

"Then why haven't you?" Twilight asked.

Spearhead glanced between them all, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. He cursed beneath his breath and grabbed the contract. He looked it over but didn't sign yet. He looked up at Trixie.

Trixie was reading over it now as well. "Trixie reads that we will receive a property. Is that one of the ramshackle dwellings outside?"

"The town will be restored to its former glory, and your properties will be as well. You can pick any one of them that is empty." Twilight said. "Part of the eighty percent gold I receive will go to restoring your properties."

Trixie tapped her quill against the paper, holding it with her magic. "And can I host magic shows here? Trixie needs supplies to fuel her passion, but they are quite expensive."

"If you can make a profit from the magic shows, I will fund them." Twilight crossed her hooves. "How are you using magic by the way? I have been unable to find a way to use it like you are right now."

"The great and powerful Trixie does not divulge her secrets." Trixie floated the skull further beneath her cloak.

"The only magic that works that well, if I remember correctly is..." Twilight tapped the ground thoughtfully. "Was it dark ma-"

"Trixie is signing the paper!" Trixie scribbled on the contract with a flourish. Her signature was her cutie mark, drawn in elegant, practiced lines. "You now have the great and powerful Trixie at your service. Be amazed at what she is able to do!"

"I look forward to that." Twilight said with a light smile.

Pinkie Pie couldn't close her open mouth. What had happened to that mare back at the tavern? She used a hoof to close it, then shook her head. There was still one more that needed to sign the paper.

"So much for the great and powerful. More like the easily manipulated." Spearhead said with a growl. He scanned over the paper again. "You're pathetic."

"Do not insult my friends." Twilight said.

"Friends? You just met them!" Spearhead said.

"They are now beneficial partners and to be residents of Ponyville. I can call them friends." Twilight said. "Now, are you going to sign, or are you going to return to where you came?"

"And what about her?" Spearhead gestured to Pinkie. "She didn't sign a contract."

Pinkie looked up, glad to finally have something to talk about. The conversation was getting long, and she wanted to speak. "Oh, I'm doing this for free!"

"Free?" Spearhead asked. "You're risking your life against whatever is in those woods for free?"

"Yep!"

"I am surrounded by insane ponies." Spearhead shook his head.

"You're wasting my time Spearhead." Twilight said. "You have ten seconds to sign, or you're headed home."

Spearhead cursed as he looked at the contract. After a moment, he signed. "Damn it all."

Twilight walked around and took all the contracts from them. She filed them away quickly, and they disappeared into piles of parchment.

"Welcome every pony, to your new home!" Twilight said. "Now, I know you all are tired, so why don't you head to the tavern for tonight? I have ensured that there are rooms already paid for."

Spearhead stood up without another word and barged out into the night.

"The great and powerful Trixie will take anything offered to her for free." Trixie stiffly walked towards the door, hiding her skull. "Not that she needs the compensation, but she will accept tributes!"

She ran out into the night.

"Baldwin?" Pinkie asked.

The stallion had a book open in front of him. It read, "Tales of Saddle Arabia". He was flipping through it, and at her voice he stopped.

"It seems time has escaped my awareness. Fickle is the fleeting moment." Baldwin stood. "I will follow the others. Call me when the time has come to rage against the forest, and we will see if such dark holds can be uprooted."

Baldwin walked towards the door and stopped just before it. "Keep the lantern lit, for it will cast light for ships to follow."

He left without another word.

Pinkie and Twilight were left sitting in the room alone. The snoring of Spike in the background and the fluttering of pages were the only sources of noise.

"Thank Celestia." Twilight let out a breath and collapsed to the floor. "It actually worked."

"How did you do that?" Pinkie jumped to her hooves. "Are you Twilight? You're an evil spirit, aren't you?!"

"No Pinkie!" Twilight stepped back. "I'm still me!"

"Then how did you do that?"

"I had to put on a persona. If I am going to lead this town, I have to be strong." Twilight said. "I knew that any ponies coming here would be desperate, so I decided to... trick them. Not lie to them but offer the real details of the contract when they arrive."

"And you expected them to not just walk out?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes. Any ponies that come here will either be here just to cleanse the evil, or will be desperate enough to accept any gold they can get. That or glory, and that pays for itself." Twilight sighed. "I feel terrible, but it's the only way to get this operation off the ground."

"You did it!" Pinkie smiled. It wasn't her style to trick, but she could accept anything to get the cleansing of the forest going. "It worked, and now we have our first team together!"

"It did, didn't it?" Twilight said with a light smile. "I am going to make sure they all make it out of here alive. With their skills and my management, this evil will be finished in no time!"

Pinkie doubted that, but she didn't want to kill the mood. That forest... it wasn't a place that was easy to survive. She wanted to believe that, and if she ignored her other doubts, she could. Even if it was just for a moment.

"When do you think the first expedition is going to be?" Pinkie asked. "Where are we going?"

"The old road. Nothing more than a day, just to test the waters." Twilight said. "We need to find a path north to secure supply lines. If we can do that, things will get much easier around here. Not today... or is it tonight?"

"Morning." Pinkie said.

"Not today then. I still have work to do and details to finalize." Twilight said. "But once all of that is in place, the first expedition can begin."

Pinkie beamed. Finally, finally they could start working at the core of this evil. The evil that butchered her friends, darkened the sunny days, and wiped the smiles off of every pony's faces. She would have her revenge on it, cut it out from this world. Make it bleed. And if it was bandits that needed a bloodletting? Then that was even better!

"Pinkie. You have to make sure to stay safe, okay?" Twilight said. "I don't want any pony getting hurt, especially my friend."

"I can't promise anything, Twilight, but I'll try my best!" Pinkie said.

And was that not all a pony could possibly give?

The first expedition was soon, that Pinkie knew. And when that day came…

She could be the first to step back into the forest's depths.