Chapters White Feathers On A Black Night
==================Ditzy Do==================
I was flying as fast as I could. Daring didn't live far from Ponyville, about a 20 minute flight... For a good flyer, something I'm not. After losing my way one or two times... two or three times, I finally made it to the train station.
What I saw there scared me, two royal guards talking to Cherliee and Bulk Biceps. They both had tears in their eyes. I looked at the crowd of foals and parents alike, all concern. I looked around and I couldn't see Dinky anywhere.
I started to walk up to the guards. Cherliee saw me and came over, tears in her eyes.
"Ditzy I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry," she said crying more now.
"Cherliee what happened? What's wrong."
"Dinky is gone. She just vanished in the middle of the night."
I stood there in shock, my daughter is missing. I started to cry, I couldn't stop crying. One of the guards walked up.
"Ms. Do, I can insure you that we will find your daughter," he said.
Bulk looked at the guard. "Show her," he demanded.
"Mr. Biceps, that is something that she cannot he-"
"Show her! My son is gone too, and if she can make any sense of what it is, it can help find them!"
"Show me what?" I asked.
The other guard pulled out a plastic bag, inside it was a piece of paper with an odd symble on it. I stared at the paper for a long time, the suddenly words appeared on it. You Breath The Air That We Breath. You Walk On The Same Ground We Walk. Yet, You Cannot See Us. You Cannot See Our Plans. You Cannot See Your Own Downfall.
"I... I have no idea what to make of this," I said. Then I went home and cried in my bed. Later on I called Daring and told her to come down. I need her help. Maybe Royal could even help me.
=============== Daring Do===============
Royal and I flew to Ponyville. Ditzy needed me and I was going to help her. Royal wasn't sure why he was coming, but I think Ditzy needs some moral support so Royal is coming along to help.
I knocked on Ditzy's door, she opened it tear stains on her face. "Come in, sorry to bother you."
"It's no bother sis. Now, what's wrong," I said.
"Dinky went missing and there is no trace of her."
"Oh no," I gave her a hug. "Don't worry she'll be found."
There was a knock at the door. I was still hugging Ditzy as she cried, so I gestured to Royal to get it. Royal opened the door and standing there was a massive stallion.
"Exuse me, is Ditzy Do home?" he asked.
"Yes, but she really not in a visitors mood," Royal told him.
"No, it's fine. Come in Bulk Biceps." Ditzy said as she moved away from the hug. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"What did you see on that paper?" Bulk asked.
"What paper?" Royal asked.
"The only trace of evidence that was found was a piece of paper with a strange symble on it." Ditzy told us.
"Yes, and you saw something else on it Ditzy. What? Please tell me, my son, FeatherWeight, is also missing and if there is some lead on where he is, I need it."
"It said something about creatures in our world that we can't see and their plans to... to..." Ditzy stopped talking and stared in horror behind Royal.
=============Ditzy Do==============
The creature was tall, very tall. Its body was black, it had a very muscular build, it stood on two legs and had massive arms. It's head was the worst part, a mouth with massive teeth took up the intire face. It looked ready to attack Royal. Nopony else could see it but me. "Royal look out!!!!" I yelled as it arm swiped Royal away. He hit the wall with a thud. Bulk turned and punched where the swip came from and hit the creature. It stumbled and came in to view so everypony else could see it. Royal tackled it and together they pinned it. Bulk held it still. Royal rushed in to the kitchen and came back out with a knife. He buried it deep in to the monsters head. It stopped moving, Bulk got off of it. All three of the looked at me. Confusion in their faces. I started to cry. I cried because I knew what ever that thing was, there's more of them and they have my daughter.
White Feathers On A Black Night
=====================Royal==============
Great, I wake up not knowing who I am, and now there's monsters running around.
"You saw that... that thing. How? How did you see it?" Daring asked her sister.
Ditzy shook her head. "I don't know. But I know one thing." She turned to Bulk Biceps, "What ever these things are, they have our foals."
Bulk stared at her, "How do you get that?"
"I saw words one that paper that speak of invisible creatures, that thing," she pointed at the corps, "Was invisible and I could see it."
"We need to take this corps to the princesses. If there is some threat to Equestria, they needs to know." I said. They all nodded.
"Eyes," a deep, raspy voice said. "The Black King's watchers." We all turned to look at the beast, it was still laying there but it spoke. "Does he not realize that there is no hope for his world, that the war ended long ago." It's breathing was heavy. "The sacrifice can not be stopped. Two pure youths from this world and the seal will be broken, our armies will walk on the soil of this weak world. It... It 'cough' will be gl... glorious." It stopped breathing and then disintegrated.
"Eyes, Black King, war, sacrifice?" I was puzzled.
"Two pure youths." Bulk looked lost. "That's why they took Featherweight and Dinky. There gonna kill them to bring their armies here."
"OK, everypony calm down. First things first, we need to find out everything possible about this Black King." I took charge.
"I'll check the library." Ditzy said.
"Try to avoid saying anything about what we just saw and heard."
===================Ditzy Do================
I walked into the Library.
"Hey Ditzy," Twilight said. "Anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, do you have any books on old legends?"
"Yeah, sure." she levitated a book over to me. "I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter. I don't know what I'd do if I had a daughter and she was taken."
"Thanks. It's difficult. I hope they find her."
"Yea, its horrible that anypony would take a foal. What are you trying to find?"
Through the entire conversation, I was flipping through the book. Twilight is smart maybe she'll know something. "Anything about The Black King."
Twilight looked surprised. "You won't find anything on him in the books here. The Black King is another name for King Sombra."
"The tyrant that ruled the Crystal Empire?"
"That's the one. Any and all records of him would be found in the Crystal Empire. Why are you looking for stuff on him?"
"No reason." I quickly ran out of the library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"King Sombra!?" Daring yelled. "But he is evil and so are these creatures. Who's the good guy in all this?'
"Sombra," Royal told her. "He was protecting Equestria."
"What do we do now?" Bulk asked.
"We go to the Crystal Empire and find our answers." Royal said. "Pack what's necessary, I have a feeling that we won't be coming back any time soon. That is if we're a team?" He held his hoof out.
"I'm getting my daughter back." I put my hoof on his.
"YEAH!!!!!! " Bulk Biceps put his hoof in.
"Let's do it," Daring put her hoof in.
"Ok, from here on out we are a team." Royal said with a leader's smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The other three left. I packed some food, a picture of Dinky, and a gun. I never thought I'd ever have to touch it, but here I am, packing to go save my daughter and the world. That's not something you expect to do is it.
===============Bulk Biceps==============
I wrote down a note and posted it on the door of my gym. "Sorry boys, we're closed," I whispered under my breath. I packed my shades, some brass horse shoes, and a will to fight. I stopped to look at an old newspaper I had.
Heavy Weight Disappointment!
Heavy Weight Champ Bulk "Snowflake" Biceps lost his title and the ability to fight in the 1999 match vs. SnapJaw Migie. His injury to the neck has ended his career.
We'll see who can go in the ring now.
===============Daring Do============
I grabbed my machete and revolver. Royal came back with me to get his sword and armor.
"What now." I asked him.
"One more thing." he said as he put on his armor.
=============Royal==================
The local bar in Ponyville was pretty empty, except for two royal guard. I walked up to them fully clad in my armor.
"I have been sent to take the evidence of the missing foals case," I lied.
"What's you athorization?" one asked. Whiskey on his breath.
"I don't have time for this. Captain Shinning Armor sent me."
"Well why didn't you say so. Here." He gave me a plastic bag with a piece of paper with an odd symbol in it. No word appeared on the paper. I walk out of there and Daring and I headed for the train station.
We met up with the rest of the team there. The train pulled up and we got in.
White Feathers On A Black Night
Blackness In The Crystals
===============Bulk===============
The train ride wasn't that bad. Seats were kinda small though. We talked about random things and our game plan.
"So we first look through the library and if we find nothing there we check the royal archives?" Ditzy asked.
"Yes, and if that doesn't work... I have no idea then." Royal said.
We defiantly got some looks pointed our way. I mean we're only a famous author, a mare with wonky eyes, a royal guard, and a extremely buff pegusus.
The train stopped and the conductor yelled, "The Crystal Empire stop."
"That's our cue." Royal stood and walked to the exit, we quickly followed.
===================Daring Do==========
The library was worthless and so were the archives. Nothing, na-da, zilgls. We are in nothing but facts aren't we. We started heading down to the hotel. First day of many I'm guessing.
========Ditzy Do============
On the walk to the hotel I saw two of those creatures standing around, nopony else can see them or apparently hear them.
"The Black King is alive," one of them said to the other. They were clearly speaking in a different language, but I could still under stand them.
"Oh come on, you're just being paranoid."
"No Vaenomadigon he is, just look at signs."
"What signs Yemotagoha?"
"A watcher, one of the Black King's watchers."
"Ha! What proof do you have of a watcher?"
"Idounezipe was killed because a watcher saw him and warned the other ponies around."
"So what have you heard of the Black King's rebirth?"
"He's somewhere in the tundra, chained to crystal walls that are slowly draining him of all power."
"And the sun-donkey, the one who can't stand the thought of taking a life, put him in that?"
"Yes."
"Well it doesn't matter. All we need is he's horn, which they have in the castle and will be shown at the anniversary of his defeat, and we will have almost all the pieces to complete the sacrifice on the blackest night."
I never made it look like I was listening, but when we got to the hotel and our rooms I told them.
"We need to get that horn!" Bulk said.
"And how do you purpose we get it?" Daring questioned him.
"Uh, well... I don't know."
"They said Sombra is alive, yes?" Royal asked.
"Yeah, why?" I asked him.
"Because we share a common enemy, and I think the king of all darkness and hate would make a very powerful ally. At the very least we could get some information out of him."
"You're insane. First off, we don't even know if he's alive and going out into the up coming blizzard is suicide. Second, if we find him what makes you think he'll join us. Third, if he does join us we would release one of the deadliest ponies in history witch is a crime ageist ponanity." Daring was not happy with the idea.
Royal looked at her, a cross look on his face, "OK Ms. Archeologist, you tell me how we stop this threat, save the foals, and all of Equestria."
"Warn the princesses! Or at the very lest warn the crystal princess so they beef up sercerity around the horn."
"Yes let's tell them of a threat that only Sombra knew about and defeated. They'll think we're mad!"
"They'll still listen to us and we don't know if Sombra was the only one who knew!"
"Both of you stop arguing!" I yelled. "Royal's right, they won't believe us, but Daring is also right. If Sombra is alive the chances of finding or recruiting him are impossible."
Royal stopped talking a looked away. Daring on the other hand had more to say. "So what do we do now? Give up!?"
"No, we just need to find a new lead."
"How do we do that?" Bulk asked.
I thought of what I could tell him, but nothing came up. Then something caught my eye, a small black cloud of smoke. "Do you guys see that?"
"See what?" Royal asked.
"Come," the smoke cloud said. It seemed the rest heard it too.
"What the Hell was that?" Bulk said taking a fighting position.
"It's asking us to follow it." I told them.
"Great. Well, we have no choice really." Daring's curiosity being her downfall as always.
"Can it hear us?" Royal asked skeptically.
"Yes," it said.
"Then how can we trust you?"
"Come," it said again.
"What do we do?" Bulk asked.
Royal looked out of the window. "If we hurry we can make it to where this thing wants to take us."
"What's wrong with you?" Daring asked him.
"Oh come on. If we live it can make a great Daring Do book. Plus, aren't you curious?"
"Fine. But we need to get supplies first, we won't last a minute out in a blizzard."
"Ok are we all in agreement?" Royal asked looking at us.
"Yes," I said.
"YEAH!!! " Bulk agreed.
"Then let's go."
==========Royal==========
We stopped at a store to buy some gear for the hike. Then we set out.
After Celestia knows how long, the blizzard hit and it hit hard. After another long time Ditzy said, "I can't see the smoke anymore!"
"What!? It left!" Bulk screamed.
"Damn it! We'll die out here. Do any of you know the way back!?" Daring yelled.
We all looked around. "I'm sorry!" I yelled. "I'm so sorry I lead you all to your deaths."
"Don't beat your self up, we'll get out of this." Bulk said. Then suddenly a loud crack sounded. I looked down a saw cracked forming below us.
Rumble
The ground caved in and we fell, unable to fly. I hit the ground and blacked out.
After a few minutes a came to my senses and saw a large grey figure chained to walls made of crystals. It's eyes opened and there I saw red, surrounded by green with purple smoke coming out of them.
White Feathers On A Black Night
=========Royal=========
I stood up and looked straight into those eyes. Eyes of darkness. Eyes of hate. Eyes of evil. The others started to get up.
"Holy shit," Bulk said as he got to his hoofs. "We actually found him."
Daring stared at Sombra as an archeologist would look at a relic. Ditzy stood up and looked at him.
He looked at the four of us, no emotion in his face. "So my fears are true." His voice was dark. "If new ponies are becoming my watchers then the beast from the other world must finally be planning something." He raised his, currently hornless, head and stared at Ditzy. "Please do tell me how far they've come to completing their sacrifice."
"They have two foals already. They plan to take your horn from the Crystal Castle at a celebration." I kept my voice calm.
"A celebration for my death. I presume."
"Y... yes." I was scared. I looked over at the others and they were scared too. We were talking to, now after Discord's and Nightmare Moon's reforment, plus Tirek's defeat, the greatest evil in Equestria.
"The guards at the empire won't be able to stop them." He turned and looked at the walls. "You must make hast. If they get my horn all they need to wait for is the Blackest Night." He looked back at us. "There are a lot of questions that you have. I suppose I'll answer." He stood there, waiting for use to ask.
==========Ditzy Do========
I took a step forward. "Why am I a watcher and what does that mean?"
He looked at me and closed his eyes, they had turned to red dragon-like eyes. "Why you are a watcher, I do not know. A thousand years ago I chose the watchers, why you and others are is beyond me."
"Oth... others?" Daring asked.
"Yes others. I can feel that others live. As for what it means. It means you are one blessed with the power to see the other worlders, to read and speak their tongue, to fight against them. They are greedy creatures that want land for their own. Their home dimension got crowded more than three-thousand years ago, so they took others. They tried for ours. I forged an army to stop their scouts and prevent them from ever coming here. We fought a war, a war that was never heard of. Not even Celestia knew of the war or the creatures."
"So you saved Equestia?" Royal asked shakingly.
"Yes." Sombra took a deep. "And it looks like it needs saving again." He looked at us. "And you four are its last hope."
"Last hope! Can't we warn the princesses or something?" Bulk panicked a little.
"And what would your princesses say when you told them of other worldly creatures have returned after a war that in the eyes of Equeastria never happened?" The Black King stared right into Bulk's eyes.
"Then what do you prepose we do to stop them?" Royal asked.
"You must get my horn and protect it with your lives. If they get a hold of it they won't be giving it up any time soon."
"And What of you?" Royal said.
"What of me? I'm not stupid. I know you have no desire to free me, nor do I deserve to be free."
"Then how do four mortals stop what took an army to drive back?" There was anger in Royal's voice.
"Then what are you saying? Do you wish to free me? If so, how do you know if I'm trust worthy?"
"And what would you do if we did free you?" Sombra raised an eyebrow to Royal's question. "Would you fight by our side then stab us in the back when it's over?"
"If you all were to free me... I would fight by your side and once it ends, I will surrender myself."
"And why would you do that?"
"There is nothing left in this world for me. All of it died a thousand years ago."
"What about the Empire?"
"The Empire... the empire that I shamed. I have no desire for it anymore. All it is are painful memories." There was sadness in his voice, a sadness I wasn't expecting.
Royal turned to the three of us. "What do you three think?"
We stood there, silently. Then Bulk stepped up, "If it means saving my son and all of Equestria then I'm willing to take the risk!"
"It would make for an interesting book? I'm in! As long as I don't have to bow before him." Daring said. That drew a chuckle out of Sombra. We all looked at him, confused.
"What? Is it illegal for evil to laugh?" He asked.
"No, I suppose not." Royal said.
Then all eyes were on me. I didn't know what to do. "What if the moment we get his horn he turns on us?"
"Then we die. The Royal Sisters defeat Sombra. The creatures war starts and Equestria falls or is too ravaged by war that it is Fallout."
"And I refuse to die without taking the other world with me." Sombra said.
"Then, if it means saving Dinky, I trust him."
=========Sombra=========
Trust me!? They trust me? How? How can one trust somepony like me. The smaller of the two stallions walked over to me and pulled out his sword.
"I'm Royal by the way." He started to introduce the others. "She's Ditzy Do, she the watcher. Her sister Daring, an archeologist and an author. And that's Bulk Biceps, his son was kidnapped by the creatures." He tried used his sword to break the chains.
"They're enchanted. Your sword won't break them." I told him.
"Let me try," the big one said, Bulk was it. He picked up a large crystal and brought it down hard on the chain, nothing happened. "Damn, no dice."
"You four didn't think this far ahead did you?" I asked. Then suddenly a large glob of green goo fell on my face. "Watcher! Look up." I shouted, unable to see.
"There's one here!" She yelled.
With a thud I heard it land in front of me.
"Get ready! Bulk pin it!" Royal yelled. I heard another thud.
"Kill it Royal!" Bulk yelled. Then I heard the sound of a sword going through it's head.
"Oh thank Celestia." Daring said.
"What is that stuff?" Royal said, probably meaning the goo.
"Gak is what my watchers called it. It's their saliva. Acidic to anything with magical enchantments."
"Really?" Royal said as the Gak was removed from my face by Bulk. He placed it on the chain around my ankle. It melted away.
"Interesting! We much keep a sample," the archeologist said. Bulk then put it on my other ankles the the collar.
"Watch the cape," I told him. And with that I was free. The four of them looked ready just in case I made a move. "Well then, the blizzard should of died down by now and I doubt you all know your way back." They shook their heads. "Then I'll lead." I looked up at the hole where they fell through. "Let's see if I can still do this." I turned into a cloud of smoke and flew out, the four of them followed me.
White Feathers On A Black Night
==============ROYAL=================
I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a small room, lying on a bed. I tried to move to get a better look at my surroundings, but the moment I moved, pain shot through my body.
"Woh there. Take it easy, you're not in the best of shape," a grey pegasus mare was standing next to the bed. Her mane and tail were blond, her cutie mark was bubbles. Odd, but it must mean something special to her. Her eyes were odd as well, they weren't looking in the same direction. "I'm Ditzy Do, by the way. I found you hurt pretty badly in the mountains and rushed you to my sister's house. What happened?"
"I'm..." I couldn't finish that sentence, "I don't know. I don't know who I am or what happened to me." The thought shocked me, I remember everything else that ever learned about Equestria but me.
"That's not good. Not good at all." Ditzy thought quietly to her self for a second. "Daring, I'm going to need your help," she called out. Shortly afterwards a light brow pegasus mare with a mane made of three different shades of grey. Her cutie mark was a compass star inside a circle.
"What? Oh, he's awake. Thank Celestia, I thought your weren't goning to make it with those kind of injuries." she said in a friendly tone.
"Daring, he can't remember who he is," Ditzy told her.
"Oh my, that's bad. He must have amnesia." Daring's voice got a little scared.
"Well we have to call you something while we're helping you," Ditzy said. She put her hoof to her chin. "How about Royal, sense we found him with royal guard armor on.
"So, I'm a member of the royal guard, good to know." I wasn't sure who these mares were, but I was grateful for their kindness. "Thank you for helping me."
"No problem. How could we just leave you anyway," Daring joked.
I managed to turn enough to see armor and a sheathed sword in the corner. "How long do you think it will take for me to be on my hoofs?"
"A day or two, three tops." Daring said.
"Sense when are you a doctor?" Ditzy joked.
Daring glared at her, "I happen to have had treated many wounds in my life."
"When? While fighting Ahuizolt?"
"Ha Ha, Ditzy. I swear it's odd how someponies think I actually did all that stuff."
"Wait you're that Daring Do from those books." I said.
"Yes, I guess he hasn't forgot everything."
"So the books are based off you?" I asked.
"Yes, but hardly anything in them is true. I do a lot of exploration and based my stories of places I been and old tales."
"Your the author?"
"Yes. Does no pony read the part where it says who wrote the damn book?"
3 Days later
I walked over to a mirror and looked at my self. I'm a tall, muscular pegasus. My coat is white, blue mane, short cut tail. Blue eyes. The one thing that confused me was my cutie mark, a bar code. I don't see what that has to do with being a guard, then again I probably fell in battle.
"Hey look who's walking," Ditzy said as she walked up next to me. "How you felling Royal?"
"As good as a I can, all thing considered." I walked over to my gear. "You think any other guards would remember me?"
"Maybe, but you need to heal up before you go back."
"Yes I know. It's just odd having to relearn about your own life."
"I can image."
There was a long pause, it was kinda awkward. Thankfully Daring walked in.
"Good to see you're standing again," she said.
"What's today and what time is it?" Ditzy asked.
" Monday, 12:30. Why?"
"Oh buck. I'm going to be late. Dinky comes back from a school trip at 1:00. I got to go sorry."
Ditzy rushed out of the room. "Bye guys," she yelled as she went out the room.
"Who's Dinky?" I asked.
"Ditzy's daughter."
"Ah, that makes sense." I looked at my sword, "Think I can still use one of these?"
After about of hours of sword play, I realized that I'm pretty good at it. I guess it's impossible to forget training.
